LBJ/Trachtenberg/Wagner

[Kale]

Hi,

First time poster here. I'm hoping there are others who either are or have gone through a similar decision making process between some or all of these schools...

So I've narrowed down my options and it's come down to the final 3. I thought that attending the open house/accepted student days would help me to make a 'gut' level decision after being torn. Went to all three, and still am really not sure.

I currently live and work in NYC, and have been for just under 2 years. I have sentimental draw to stay here after building a life here from scratch, but between the high tuition costs and undeterminable value of a Wagner degree vs the others, I'm not sure it's worth it. They did a fantastic job at the accepted students day though and I was impressed by the level of interaction and thought put into it.

GW, other than the obvious appeal of location, is also great because besides being (slightly) less expensive than NYU, living seems more manageable here and the career services seems pretty plugged in. I also have some family in the area which certainly doesn't hurt.

UT, which is kind of the wild card for me, is definitely the most affordable of the 3. It's an amazing city, and seems to have a strong program. The concern of course, it what networking opportunities/events/exposure I'll be forgoing by not being in the cities that are 'hotbeds' of public policy/development like NYC or DC. And the recognition of the degree.

While I'm interested in career opportunities, I'm really getting this degree for personal development just as much for professional, and as such, really want to be able to absorb everything in my classes and avoid stress from balancing school/work. I don't plan on having an internship my first year (or at the very least 1st sem). And when I do get one, it would be part time, if that. I'm really only focused on a full time, intense internship the summer in between my grad program. So again, while I'm concerned with forgone year round networking opportunities/events/exposure, I'm not as concerned with bagging an actual internship during the spring/fall sem. Besides, I'm also looking to have a social, community feel in my program, not a commuter one:)

Lastly I'm interested in Economic Development and Social Policy, both on a domestic and international scale.

If anyone has any insight on these programs, relative to each other, or are going through the same/similar dilemma I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!!

[puddlemere]

Hey, first time poster here as well.

I'm trying to decide between an MPP at HHH at the University of Minnesota or at the Trachtenberg School at George Washington. I didn't get funding for either school, so I'm looking at the full cost, at least for the first year. I'm from Wisconsin, so I would get in-state tuition at Minnesota through a reciprocity agreement. Including estimated living expenses, etc. it would cost about $10,000 more per year to go to GW instead of Minnesota. I really don't want to have enormous debt when I graduate, but I also want to be in DC because it's such a great location for opportunities in public policy. Also, I want to focus on health policy, and I like the health policy concentration better at GW.

It basically comes down to cost vs. location...is it worth approximately $20,000 more to be in DC instead of Minneapolis? Should I bite the bullet and think of it as an investment, or should I take the less expensive option?

This probably doesn't help answer your dilemma at all, but maybe someone else can help both of us at the same time....