"GW Funding Opportunities" email

[MPP_App]

Hi everyone,

I have a question for GW MPP applicants/admits. I applied in late February (for the late deadline) and have yet to receive an admissions decision -- my website just says "under review." I just received an email about funding opportunities from the program coordinator at the Trachtenberg School... did anyone else get this email? Does it mean that I'm probably in, or do they just send it to all applicants.

Meanwhile, I'll be leaving town for a couple weeks, so if they are planning to snail mail me something, I guess I should call to check in with them anyway... Thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

[erin85]

They started sending me similar emails before I was even accepted. Although I've had my acceptance for awhile, I still got the email... (which I overall found a touch useless)

[erin85]

Trachtenberg School... did anyone else get this email? Does it mean that I'm probably in, or do they just send it to all applicants.

Meanwhile, I'll be leaving town for a couple weeks, so if they are planning to snail mail me something, I guess I should call to check in with them anyway... Thoughts?

forgot to add, you can check your decision online at their application page, just log in like you would to edit your application, and if they made a decision there will be a note and a PDF attached to it! I found it about 2 weeks before receiving my snail-mail notice.

[MPP_App]

Thanks! I went online and there was nothing there about a decision, but I just received the "welcome to the mpp program - you'll receive official notification soon" email... so query solved!

[unknownscholar]

Maybe you found it useless since you have some more stellar schools to choose from, but I found the email quite helpful. I didn't know about any of those fellowship apps that are upcoming. And I'm sending in my apps over the weekend and next week. But maybe I'm also biased since I'm choosing GW regardless of any other school I may get into (with exception to Gtown since I have a soft spot for the place), based on location, law school funding opportunity, and ranking among the other schools to which I applied.

I just find it difficult to stomach how opportunities for half tuition, opportunities for 2 year paid graduate internships, and for housing would be useless to anyone who knows the struggles of having to pay for school...even people who were granted scholarships. :?: One who didn't know anything about the program or the school would read these threads and get the impression that GWU is a trash school, and that just isn't true. Far from it.

[erin85]

I just find it difficult to stomach how opportunities for half tuition, opportunities for 2 year paid graduate internships, and for housing would be useless to anyone who knows the struggles of having to pay for school...even people who were granted scholarships. :?: One who didn't know anything about the program or the school would read these threads and get the impression that GWU is a trash school, and that just isn't true. Far from it.

Well first off, they've sent all that info out before, at least once...So that is a large part of my comment. I have seen a good portion of those links 3+ times.

I didn't mean to be insulting, it was moreso that I don't qualify for most of the funding oppurtunities, (eg I'm not able to work for free this summer, hispanic, and cannot qualify for career development as I don't have a qualifying job, nor can I guarantee one by the time school starts). Nor do I have ANY desire to work in local government. So most of it... was actually pretty useless to me.

The housing link I looked at, but found unappealing. It is true, I likely will not go to GW, but if I had funding there, or was offered ideas as to relevent funding oppurtunities, I'd look into them much more seriously. I'd likely even consider the housing mentor program.

GWU is not a trash school, they just happen to not have offered me some funding like Georgetown, and well... they are lower ranked than Chicago. If I go to Georgetown I fully intend to take an elective or two at GWU, as they do have some great courses.

[unknownscholar]

I hear ya erin.

It did sound quite insulting, but in the context of your interests, it makes more sense. Thanks for clarifying.

As for the GWU being trash remark, I think it's the sense people get by reading any of these threads in this particular forum, not necessarily from something you've said. I dont' think it's trash, and you've said you don't think it's trash, but I know I'm not the first to have gotten this vibe. I even remember someone saying something about not having heard anything about GWU and that we should all take that into consideration, which I really wouldn't advise anyone to do do, being as it's just one person's opinion. And someone else made a comment that perhaps GWU is just a rent-seeking institution because it hardly offers much scholarship, which also seems like a flamed comment, given the fellowship opps we get in the mail. Grad programs that are not for Ph.ds are going to be expensive at any school (And a lot of Ph.ds end up not getting much funding either). GWU is no exception.

My point in posting was to address this notion that GWU is only comparable to its neighbor and that if it's not better, it's just not worth considering. GWU is on the map. very much so, but because they aren't top 5 and 6 , they aren't getting credit for having a reputable grad program, particularly because they are right down the street from GTown, which has a reputation that far precedes its curriculum, not MPP in particular but overall.

I think it's time to start considering GWU for its individual merits.