Serious Question... I need YOUR help/advice!

[jc08c]

Hello all, I am seeking a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in the Fall of 2012. I applied to FSU Askew, George Washington Trachtenberg, American SPA, and Univ of Southern Cali Price. I was accepted to all programs. In March, I attended the admitted students day for both American and GW and fell madly in love with George Washington Trachtenberg school. Although I was not awarded any scholarships or grants from GW, my mind was pretty much made up.

However, TODAY I got a letter from FSU saying Askew School has chosen me for the Askew Eminent Scholar Chair Assistantship which will not only give me a 9 credit hour tuituion waiver for every semester until my degree is complete, they will actually give me a $2,500 stipend (per semester) until I graduate with my MPA, essentially paying me to stay at FSU!

April 15 is around the corner and I really need advice. What would YOU do?? I am so torn!

[Rachel B]

You're going to have to weigh the pros and cons for each. Is financial assistance a big factor? How much of a financial burden will GW add? Why exactly did you like GW? What do you like about FSU program-wise? Would you be happy at FSU?

Financial aid is a big factor in my graduate school decision, so I personally would choose the school that is going to make it affordable. However, not everyone is in my situation, which is why it would help for you to add more information to your post or make a list of what you like and dislike about each.

[jc08c]

Rachel, finacial aid is a factor, but not a "huge" factor. My dad said he can pay out of pocket for most of GW and take out a family loan for anything we can't afford, which luckily has a 0% interest rate. Additionally, he said he would take out the loan himself and that i would not have to pay it back. Essentially, he is telling me I can attend GW without having to be in debt at graduation.

HOWEVER, I have been a hard worker all my life. In fact I took my first part time job at 15, and have not stopped working since then. I am feeling extremely guilty that I would not take advantage of a free graduate school offer and that my dad would pay so much more money for GW. On the other hand, GW could really be benefitial to me if I want to make a name for myself in DC. To answer your question, what I *loved* about GW was the current student and faculty. I felt like I fit in and truly connected with them. I felt inspried and among people with genuine passion for the field. I do not get that feeling at FSU, unfortunately.

Rachel - I see on your signature that you too got an Assistantship. What are the stipulations? How many hours per week are the requesting you work? Are you choosing LSU with the assistantship, or another school? Also, how much is the semesterly stipend worth? Im just trying to compare my assistantship to yours. I have no knowledge on assistantships other than what I was told in this letter today, which is basically: Keep up good grades, work 10 hours a week and we will pay your tuition and give you $2,500 per semester.

[Rachel B]

I think it's very kind of your father to be willing to help you afford GW but I completely understand what you mean. When I applied to grad schools financial aid was one of the first things I looked at. My parents offered to tap into their retirement, but there was no way I would let them do that.

With that said, you sound like you have a great academic resume, have you ever considered institutional or outside fellowships? What about finding a part-time on-campus job or an internship in DC? These might not cover all the costs, but they may help you attend GW while at least being partially financially independent.

I haven't heard back from all my schools yet unfortunately. I'm waiting on TCU, which will hopefully have a fully-funded assistantship to offer me as well. I do know TCU's assistantship is a full tuition waiver and a $16,000 stipend a year for either a teaching assistantship or a research assistantship, both of which carry a maximum workload of 20 hours a week.

As for LSU, their assistantship offer is a teaching assistantship for a full tuition waiver and $6,000 per semester. Granted the cost of living is much cheaper in Baton Rouge, LA, the stipend isn't bad. I wasn't given a choice for the number of hours a week I would work. Fully-funded assistantships come with a maximum 20 hour per week workload, though there are assistantships at LSU that carry less of a workload but do not come with a tuition waiver. I did speak to a current grad student at LSU and she told me that as a TA herself she only works about 6 hours a week. The only requirements for keeping the assistantship is to do well at whatever your assignment is and maintain good grades.

[rose1]

The great thing about GW is that most of their classes are at night so you can work during the day.

With you working almost full time, could your dad afford to help you out without resorting to loans? Maybe you can continue to work hard, take on as much responsibility for paying as you can, and accept some help from your dad guilt-free, knowing that he won't be going into debt. You can even work on getting more funding in your second year from GW so that you can tell dad to close his wallet this time next year.

That said, Tallahassee is a seat of local politics and it might actually be beneficial for you to be there, depending on your ultimate career goals.

[JAubrey]

Hello all, I am seeking a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in the Fall of 2012. I applied to FSU Askew, George Washington Trachtenberg, American SPA, and Univ of Southern Cali Price. I was accepted to all programs. In March, I attended the admitted students day for both American and GW and fell madly in love with George Washington Trachtenberg school. Although I was not awarded any scholarships or grants from GW, my mind was pretty much made up.

However, TODAY I got a letter from FSU saying Askew School has chosen me for the Askew Eminent Scholar Chair Assistantship which will not only give me a 9 credit hour tuituion waiver for every semester until my degree is complete, they will actually give me a $2,500 stipend (per semester) until I graduate with my MPA, essentially paying me to stay at FSU!

April 15 is around the corner and I really need advice. What would YOU do?? I am so torn!

If you want to work in DC or internationally, go to GW and don't look back. You are comparing a near-elite program with TTT. If you want to stay in Florida? Stay at FSU. You want to leave or go anywhere on the East Coast (DC but also Boston or New York), go to GW hands down.

Additionally, the quality of student and the network of GW vs FSU is not even a contest. Also given the night classes offered by GW, you can pursue an internship or other job and gain invaluable experience and access to DC.

[yo_yo86]

If you want to work in DC or internationally, go to GW and don't look back. You are comparing a near-elite program with TTT. If you want to stay in Florida? Stay at FSU. You want to leave or go anywhere on the East Coast (DC but also Boston or New York), go to GW hands down.

Additionally, the quality of student and the network of GW vs FSU is not even a contest. Also given the night classes offered by GW, you can pursue an internship or other job and gain invaluable experience and access to DC.

Agreed with JAubrey. Go to GW and don't look back (unless you REALLY want to stay in Florida for years to come).

As far as your hesitation in taking money from your parent(s), I would suggest paying for anything on your own (i.e., taking out loans), that your parent(s) would have to finance with a loan. With GW's tuition rate, you shouldn't have overwhelming debt if you receive even just a little help financial help from your family.

Edited April 6, 2012 by yo_yo86

[jc08c]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will stick with GW. I have come up with a plan - I will accept FSU's ooffer of admission (but turn down the assistantship) and stay for Fall 2012 semester. When I accept FSU's offer or admission, I will defer GW's admission until Spring of 2013 and then transfer my nine credits I took at FSU in the Fall toward my degree at GW. I got this little plan cleared with GW and after crunching some numbers, this plan will save me roughly $17,000 (including tuition and cost of living). What do you guys think about transfering in (with a deferal) to GW if it's been ok'd? Would you do this to save $17,000?

JAubrey - I did want to ask, what is a TTT school? I've never heard of this acronym and you used it to describe fsu, just wondering what you meant!

[Rachel B]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will stick with GW. I have come up with a plan - I will accept FSU's ooffer of admission (but turn down the assistantship) and stay for Fall 2012 semester. When I accept FSU's offer or admission, I will defer GW's admission until Spring of 2013 and then transfer my nine credits I took at FSU in the Fall toward my degree at GW. I got this little plan cleared with GW and after crunching some numbers, this plan will save me roughly $17,000 (including tuition and cost of living). What do you guys think about transfering in (with a deferal) to GW if it's been ok'd? Would you do this to save $17,000?

JAubrey - I did want to ask, what is a TTT school? I've never heard of this acronym and you used it to describe fsu, just wondering what you meant!

Is it possible GW would offer you funding if you deferred? Could they offer you an assistantship/fellowship/grant at a later time?

[MYRNIST]

JAubrey - I did want to ask, what is a TTT school? I've never heard of this acronym and you used it to describe fsu, just wondering what you meant!

I'm not JAubrey, but it means Third Tier Toilet. Harsh, but true.

[jc08c]

Thanks MYRNIST for letting me know the forum lingo! And yes, TTT is harsh! Ha

Rachel - I do not think I would be offered grants/scholarships/assistantships with my deferal because: A) I did not get them to begin with so why would they change their mind, and those types of programs are generally for one acadmeic year. Since I am transfering in the beginning of Spring semester (Jan 2013), they probably won't have any available for anyone, especially not mediocre me!

However, I will enquire and see if I can pick someone's up that may have lost it for whatever reason at the end of Fall! Thanks for the idea!