The (un)Official Duke Sanford MPP Thread

[mppbluedevil]

Hi everyone! I'm a current first-year student at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and I remember that this time last year was essentially an anxious game filled with jitters, nerves, and tons of questions! I thought I'd get on here and try to offer any and all insights that I have on my application season and why I ended up choosing Duke over several other schools. Feel free to write back to this thread about anything you want - program components, curriculum, specializations, electives, extracurriculars, people, Durham as a city, social life, anything - and I will be happy to help. It may not be an instant response, but I'll certainly get back to you all within a day or two.

A word of advice: you've done all you can at this point, and now's just a waiting game. The hard part's over! So enjoy these couple weeks of "freedom" before the decision-making process has to start :-)

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

Edited February 4, 2011 by mppbluedevil

[understatement700]

Hey, thanks for starting this thread. I have a few questions. What is your policy track? I believe some people on here have expressed before that Sanford might not be the best for going into the IR field, well I guess Global Policy as it's called. Do you think that this track is strong at Duke? In terms of the students, faculty, connections, etc. Do you think it would make sense to go to Sanford over maybe GW or American which have the DC location of course?

Also, I would be interested to know how you enjoy Durham as a city and Duke University in general. Is the MPP class pretty tight socially? I have to ask, do you guys go to basketball games together (or football I guess...haha)?

Thanks for taking the time!

[2011fall]

Hi everyone! I'm a current first-year student at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and I remember that this time last year was essentially an anxious game filled with jitters, nerves, and tons of questions! I thought I'd get on here and try to offer any and all insights that I have on my application season and why I ended up choosing Duke over several other schools. Feel free to write back to this thread about anything you want - program components, curriculum, specializations, electives, extracurriculars, people, Durham as a city, social life, anything - and I will be happy to help. It may not be an instant response, but I'll certainly get back to you all within a day or two.

A word of advice: you've done all you can at this point, and now's just a waiting game. The hard part's over! So enjoy these couple weeks of "freedom" before the decision-making process has to start :-)

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

Hi MPPBlueDevil, it is very nice of you!!! appreciate it!!! i will keep my questions until after i got in and also if i had to choose...haha~~but seriously, thanks for this!!

[braindead]

Hi everyone! I'm a current first-year student at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and I remember that this time last year was essentially an anxious game filled with jitters, nerves, and tons of questions! I thought I'd get on here and try to offer any and all insights that I have on my application season and why I ended up choosing Duke over several other schools. Feel free to write back to this thread about anything you want - program components, curriculum, specializations, electives, extracurriculars, people, Durham as a city, social life, anything - and I will be happy to help. It may not be an instant response, but I'll certainly get back to you all within a day or two.

A word of advice: you've done all you can at this point, and now's just a waiting game. The hard part's over! So enjoy these couple weeks of "freedom" before the decision-making process has to start :-)

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

BlueDevil!

Thanks a ton for this thread. I have couple of queries that only increase as the result day approaches. Although it's still far, I want to get a few things straight. From what I have read about Duke-MPP on other similar threads, I fear that Duke may not be the best place for getting placed in the private sector. My personal interest is in working for a consulting firm post graduation. Considering that I am international candidate, will it be difficult with an MPP from Duke?

Thanks once again for your time

Regards,

[mppbluedevil]

Hi understatement700,

Duke offers three policy concentration tracks: social policy, global policy, and health policy, as well as dual-degrees with the Nicholas School of the Environment that lead a lot of students to focus on environmental issues. The concentrations are an option though, not a requirement, which really allows people to tailor their own curriculum to their specified interests without being bogged down by concentration requirements. I myself learn more to domestic policy and more toward social policy, but I have not decided yet whether I’m going to declare a concentration. Typically a concentration entails taking a few electives in a particular area of interest, writing your Master’s Project in the area, and completing a summer internship relating to the area.

Global policy, in my opinion, is very strong at Duke. A lot of the global policy courses are cross-listed with the Duke Center for International Development, which hosts the MIDP program. The MIDP program is typically geared toward individuals who have many years of work experience abroad and they offer a really unique and interesting perspective in a lot of the global policy courses.

With regards to the DC connection, I guess it depends on what you want out of it. I personally had worked in DC prior to attending graduate school and didn’t mind getting out for a bit. Some people who have never lived in DC tend to sway that way. One thing that’s new for next year is that Duke is opening a permanent office in DC to help strengthen connections between students, faculty, and alumni in DC and Durham. They are also considering implementing a Semester-in-DC program, which isn’t final yet but at least is in its planning stages. I think all of these things, plus Sanford’s stronger name and tight “mafia” alumni base more than make up for any perceived disadvantage from not being in DC.

Durham is a pretty spread out city and students tend to live all over, though all within about a 5-10 minute drive from campus, from downtown (where the restaurants/bars are), and from one another. Being in such a small program too (about 60 students) definitely makes the Sanford crowd a close-knit one, because everyone has similar course schedules, group projects, and we all spend a lot of time together. Socially, it certainly depends on your circumstance (married, kids, etc) but I would say that a huge contingent of us hang on a regular basis and that it’s a pretty inclusive environment. It does get hard to meet people at other schools because Sanford is so tight, but that also makes it really fun to plan parties, trips, outings, etc. And as for sporting events, you should know Duke’s a basketball school! Definitely lots of basketball games :-) Football… maybe not so much...

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

Hey, thanks for starting this thread. I have a few questions. What is your policy track? I believe some people on here have expressed before that Sanford might not be the best for going into the IR field, well I guess Global Policy as it's called. Do you think that this track is strong at Duke? In terms of the students, faculty, connections, etc. Do you think it would make sense to go to Sanford over maybe GW or American which have the DC location of course?

Also, I would be interested to know how you enjoy Durham as a city and Duke University in general. Is the MPP class pretty tight socially? I have to ask, do you guys go to basketball games together (or football I guess...haha)?

Thanks for taking the time!

Edited February 7, 2011 by mppbluedevil

[mppbluedevil]

Hi braindead,

To be honest I'm not so sure about consulting firms. I definitely know alumni who have worked for big name consulting firms like Booz and Deloitte, as well as some policy consulting firms like Mathmatica and RTI. I would think the bulk of people go into the government or to nonprofits/think tanks, but there are certainly individuals here interested in the consulting sector who pursue that option. There's a lot of cross collaboration and recruiting events across the street at Fuqua (the biz school) that Sanford kids can avail themselves of too.

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

BlueDevil!

Thanks a ton for this thread. I have couple of queries that only increase as the result day approaches. Although it's still far, I want to get a few things straight. From what I have read about Duke-MPP on other similar threads, I fear that Duke may not be the best place for getting placed in the private sector. My personal interest is in working for a consulting firm post graduation. Considering that I am international candidate, will it be difficult with an MPP from Duke?

Thanks once again for your time

Regards,

[Siya210]

As March approaches I am getting the jitters about the result...any idea when they will be out exactly?

[understatement700]

Thanks for the helpful info! Could you also talk about the financial aid situation for most students? On the Sanford website the school makes it appear that they give out a lot in fellowships and/or TA-ships to students so that they're not in crazy debt when they graduate, especially compared to other big public policy and IR masters programs. Is this true? What percentage of students get grants/TA-ships and about how much is the average award (in your estimation)?

[gavinf]

Hi, MPPBlueDevil,

I just got the ad to MIDP at DCID, I am an international student, I also want to know the financial aids things at Sanford School. Thanks a lot.

[Benefactor]

Hi everyone! I'm a current first-year student at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and I remember that this time last year was essentially an anxious game filled with jitters, nerves, and tons of questions! I thought I'd get on here and try to offer any and all insights that I have on my application season and why I ended up choosing Duke over several other schools. Feel free to write back to this thread about anything you want - program components, curriculum, specializations, electives, extracurriculars, people, Durham as a city, social life, anything - and I will be happy to help. It may not be an instant response, but I'll certainly get back to you all within a day or two.

A word of advice: you've done all you can at this point, and now's just a waiting game. The hard part's over! So enjoy these couple weeks of "freedom" before the decision-making process has to start :-)

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

Thanks for taking time out to answer our questions! From what you've seen, do students in the Sanford school who choose to pursue a dual degree after starting at Sanford have a good track record of getting into the Business and Law (I'm particularly interested in the Law school) Schools?

[Robtastic]

Hello! Thank you so much for posting this.

I was just accepted to the MIDP program at Sanford on Feb 16th and I'm 99% sure that I'm matriculating this fall.

I just wanted to pick your brain about the MIDP program to see more or less what the student body is like in the program and what most graduates you feel do with this degree once they're done.

If you can recommend someone who is actually in the MIDP program to talk to I'd be very grateful. I'm planning to visit Durham at the end of this month so I'm very excited to say the least.

Thanks in advance,

Rob

[mppbluedevil]

Hi everyone!

It's been a few days since I've posted so I want to try and answer all of your questions in this one thread.

@Siya210: With regards to admissions dates, the only thing I've heard is that they are aiming to electronically release admissions and funding decisions by mid-March. I do know that their Admitted Students Open House is on March 25th so I would assume results would come out before then. Don't be anxious! Only a few more weeks :-)

@understatement: Financial aid packages are GREAT at Sanford, at least in my opinion. I don't have an average award amount statistic for you, but I think they make it a point to give most admitted 2-year MPP students a tuition fellowship (ranging from a couple thousand to partial or close-to-full rides, depending on merit) AND an assistantship (mostly teaching assistantships, some research assistantships and graduate assistantships). I would say that about 90-95% of non-dual degree students have an assistantship that pays you a monthly taxable stipend. If you're a dual degree student, you usually don't get an assistantship because of your courseload in the spring but that also depends on personal circumstance, etc. Financial aid is merit based, so you definitely have the ability to get more based on your qualifications. The nice thing at Duke is it's a small program, so it seems like there's a decent amount of money to go around either for these financial aid packages and even with the summer internship fund (that helps to pay students who choose to take an unpaid internship in the summer).

@gavinf: This information only really applies to the MPP program though - I'm not sure how the MIDP program operates with funding since that's a separate program.

@Benefactor: Some people do apply to dual degree programs during their first semester here, but I've honestly heard mixed things about whether that's helped their chances or not. I would think that being at Duke first helps expose you to professors you're interested in/classes you're interested in/etc - but I wouldn't put all your eggs in that basket by any means. Duke Law is pretty competitive and I'm sure takes GPA and LSAT scores into consideration just as much as they would if you were applying directly/solely to them. I personally think that applying to both programs at the same time shows your commitment to and strong interest in attending a certain school (as opposed to sort of applying as an "afterthought") but that's just my opinion. We do have a decent number of dual degree students (with JD/MBA/MEM) though.

@Robtastic: Congrats on your acceptance! The MIDP program is housed within Sanford but is pretty different from the MPP program. There is some crossover between classes (particularly in the global policy track) and the MIDP students seem to be typically older, with many more years of (mostly abroad) work experience. I'm not to sure about the particulars of the program but I'm sure if you emailed their Admissions Office they'd be able to put you in contact with somebody.

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

[Benefactor]

Hi everyone!

@Benefactor: Some people do apply to dual degree programs during their first semester here, but I've honestly heard mixed things about whether that's helped their chances or not. I would think that being at Duke first helps expose you to professors you're interested in/classes you're interested in/etc - but I wouldn't put all your eggs in that basket by any means. Duke Law is pretty competitive and I'm sure takes GPA and LSAT scores into consideration just as much as they would if you were applying directly/solely to them. I personally think that applying to both programs at the same time shows your commitment to and strong interest in attending a certain school (as opposed to sort of applying as an "afterthought") but that's just my opinion. We do have a decent number of dual degree students (with JD/MBA/MEM) though.

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

Thanks! To be honest, I was hoping that my performance at Sanford and familiarity with a few of the professors (both in the Sanford School and possibly in the Law School) would help to prove I can be successful as a graduate student at Duke and am capable of making a positive impression on the professors I come in contact with. It's obviously not something I'd take for granted or anything, but I figured it could help some. There's really no way I'm getting in just off my LSAT score, but at the end of the day, I would have my studies at Sanford to fall back on, so it can't really hurt to try.

[ca010]

Thanks mppbluedevil. Thats a lot of good info

I just received an admit with a generous financial package (15k fellowship and an assistantship). But the cost is still so high especially considering that most students are entering the public sector. Do most students take on large amounts of debt by graduation? Any sense on what a ballpark figure might be for the average 2 year MPP student?

Hi everyone!

It's been a few days since I've posted so I want to try and answer all of your questions in this one thread.

@Siya210: With regards to admissions dates, the only thing I've heard is that they are aiming to electronically release admissions and funding decisions by mid-March. I do know that their Admitted Students Open House is on March 25th so I would assume results would come out before then. Don't be anxious! Only a few more weeks :-)

@understatement: Financial aid packages are GREAT at Sanford, at least in my opinion. I don't have an average award amount statistic for you, but I think they make it a point to give most admitted 2-year MPP students a tuition fellowship (ranging from a couple thousand to partial or close-to-full rides, depending on merit) AND an assistantship (mostly teaching assistantships, some research assistantships and graduate assistantships). I would say that about 90-95% of non-dual degree students have an assistantship that pays you a monthly taxable stipend. If you're a dual degree student, you usually don't get an assistantship because of your courseload in the spring but that also depends on personal circumstance, etc. Financial aid is merit based, so you definitely have the ability to get more based on your qualifications. The nice thing at Duke is it's a small program, so it seems like there's a decent amount of money to go around either for these financial aid packages and even with the summer internship fund (that helps to pay students who choose to take an unpaid internship in the summer).

@gavinf: This information only really applies to the MPP program though - I'm not sure how the MIDP program operates with funding since that's a separate program.

@Benefactor: Some people do apply to dual degree programs during their first semester here, but I've honestly heard mixed things about whether that's helped their chances or not. I would think that being at Duke first helps expose you to professors you're interested in/classes you're interested in/etc - but I wouldn't put all your eggs in that basket by any means. Duke Law is pretty competitive and I'm sure takes GPA and LSAT scores into consideration just as much as they would if you were applying directly/solely to them. I personally think that applying to both programs at the same time shows your commitment to and strong interest in attending a certain school (as opposed to sort of applying as an "afterthought") but that's just my opinion. We do have a decent number of dual degree students (with JD/MBA/MEM) though.

@Robtastic: Congrats on your acceptance! The MIDP program is housed within Sanford but is pretty different from the MPP program. There is some crossover between classes (particularly in the global policy track) and the MIDP students seem to be typically older, with many more years of (mostly abroad) work experience. I'm not to sure about the particulars of the program but I'm sure if you emailed their Admissions Office they'd be able to put you in contact with somebody.

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

[plohani]

Got in !!! Now waiting to hear from Fuqua so that I can get my dual degree started

[Siya210]

Got acceptance from DUKE MPP with 18K fellowship. I am thrilled!!!

Does't say much about RA except on page two of the letter where it mentions that it is possible. Does anyone's offer explicitly state that they RA? Even with the funding, the tuition and the consequent debt will pose a problem. I am wondering how to finance my education...and how long it'll take to pay off a 60k loan (!!!) if i must...

[ca010]

Got acceptance from DUKE MPP with 18K fellowship. I am thrilled!!!

Does't say much about RA except on page two of the letter where it mentions that it is possible. Does anyone's offer explicitly state that they RA? Even with the funding, the tuition and the consequent debt will pose a problem. I am wondering how to finance my education...and how long it'll take to pay off a 60k loan (!!!) if i must...

My funding was broken down into fellowship and assistantship. I wonder how they determine who gets an assistantship? You got a slightly bigger fellowship but no RA? Interesting.

What's nice about a lot of the public universities is that the assistantships or GSI positions often come with a tuition forgiveness (right?). At least that's how I understand it. Too bad that's not the same at Duke with the 35k

[Siya210]

The money will pose a serious issue for me. Again, I am thrilled, but no mention of RA is making me nervous about the huge debt I will be looking at. Do you have any idea about how easy/hard it will be to pay back that debt????

My funding was broken down into fellowship and assistantship. I wonder how they determine who gets an assistantship? You got a slightly bigger fellowship but no RA? Interesting.

What's nice about a lot of the public universities is that the assistantships or GSI positions often come with a tuition forgiveness (right?). At least that's how I understand it. Too bad that's not the same at Duke with the 35k

[LadyinWaiting]

I was also wondering about cost of living in Durham. The website says almost $20K; granted I've never been there, but that seems awfully high to me...

[mppbluedevil]

Hi everyone! Congratulations on being accepted to Duke! Sanford's a great school and I hope you all are going to attend the Open House to get a better feel for if it's the school for you.

I see a few sprinkling of questions here and there so I'll try to address them all here. From my understanding, the way that financial aid works is that MOST (if not all) non-dual degree students get a tuition fellowship and an assistantship. This could be an RA (research), TA (teaching) or GA (graduate assistantship, like in the admissions or communications offices). Usually most are TA-ships since there are a lot of undergraduate classes that need TAs and so few students in the Duke MPP program comparatively (~55-65 students). If you have really strong preferences for research, they do their best to make that happen for you but it really all depends. Assistantships are completed the spring semester of your first year and the fall semester of your second year, and you get a $1000 check each month for four months. It's really great because it serves as a regular source of income, and if you think about it the assistantships require maybe 10-12 hours of work per week so that breaks down to about $15-$20 per hour. Not too shabby. Dual degree students don't typically get an assistantship only because of the time commitment required for an assistantship, and the fact that they usually take an extra class or two each semester to finish their degrees in time.

In terms of a ballpark figure of debt, I really can't say. It really all depends on your financial aid offer and your other sources of funding. What I do know is that because Duke offers financial aid to mostly everybody and because Durham is relatively cheaper than DC/NYC/Chicago, the amount of debt taken on is probably less than in a big city (depending of course on your financial aid offer).

Lastly, on the cost of living front, it can really vary. I have friends paying less than $300 for a room in a great house with a couple other people and then some that are paying upward of $700 for a one-bedroom apartment in a luxury place. Like I said, it all depends but relative to a city there are definite ways to cut costs. I view having a car as somewhat of a necessity down here though, so that can be another factor to think about. Public transportation is not the best in terms of getting around the city (though many many people bike to campus). That being said, I have plenty of friends that don't have cars and Sanford's such a small school that everyone's friendly and offers rides to anyone.

Congrats again on all your acceptances!

Cheers,

MPPBlueDevil

[LadyinWaiting]

Thanks for your answers! Very, very helpful--definitely getting really excited about Duke. I think it's wonderful that all of the students get to have a TA/RAship; that's definitely unique among the programs I've applied to. I really wish I could go to the open house...