HKS vs Brown vs CMU

[UrbanWonk]

So I've been accepted to HKS for the MPP, Brown for the MPP, and CMU for the MSPPM. I got slightly more money from CMU than from Brown but am hoping that I can go back to Brown and lobby for a bit more or a TAship. I want to study urban policy and hopefully go into policy consulting/non-profit work. Thoughts on each program? Obviously HKS wins the name battle, but I've heard some negative things about the school's relationship with Boston and Cambridge, and I'd really like to be able to do fieldwork.

Thanks!

[mppgal55]

I can't speak to Brown or HKS field work opportunities, but at CMU, there are significant opportunities in that arena. You can intern with local economic and community development organizations, you can do independent studies in this topic, and several classes involve client-based projects (sustainable community development is one that immediately come to mind). I know that this semester, there was one opportunity to work with the Pittsburgh government about economic development regarding the airport area. There are also many Heinz alum that are in econ devel. in Pittsburgh that you could look to as mentors and for potential job opportunities.

So I've been accepted to HKS for the MPP, Brown for the MPP, and CMU for the MSPPM. I got slightly more money from CMU than from Brown but am hoping that I can go back to Brown and lobby for a bit more or a TAship. I want to study urban policy and hopefully go into policy consulting/non-profit work. Thoughts on each program? Obviously HKS wins the name battle, but I've heard some negative things about the school's relationship with Boston and Cambridge, and I'd really like to be able to do fieldwork.

Thanks!

[kapture]

So I've been accepted to HKS for the MPP, Brown for the MPP, and CMU for the MSPPM. I got slightly more money from CMU than from Brown but am hoping that I can go back to Brown and lobby for a bit more or a TAship. I want to study urban policy and hopefully go into policy consulting/non-profit work. Thoughts on each program? Obviously HKS wins the name battle, but I've heard some negative things about the school's relationship with Boston and Cambridge, and I'd really like to be able to do fieldwork.

Thanks!

What kind of negative things have you heard and what kind of fieldwork were you planning on doing? I was an undergraduate at Harvard and used to work with various community service organizations (run through Harvard's Phillips Brooks House) in the South End and elsewhere, and hadn't noticed any problems. There might be issues in Allston (across the Charles River from HKS) because of Harvard's development plans in the area, but I've never noticed anything else other than that.