Georgetown Strengths/Weaknesses

[skz]

I'm in the same boat. I'd really like to know one way or another. Is it so hard to say that they're not able to provide anything?

Apparently, but I'm not hopeful of getting anything now anyway. I'm not sure if what they could offer would be enough to make it worth it anyway...

[lucapaolo]

Luca,

I wouldn't count yourself out yet. If georgetown keeps to their admissions track record you could certainly still be in the running.

My two cents, but again, most of us heard quite a while ago, perhaps they're still making decisions on the applications that weren't "unanimous" during the adcomm meetings...

Thanks for your reply. By the way, how does GPPI usually notify? If a decision should come via snail mail, it'll be a long wait, being in Italy- i.e. my parents being there!

[lucapaolo]

Just to keep this thread alive. Emmett Griffin finally got back to me. Apparently the admissions committee hasn't made a decision on my application yet.. mm no news, good news..!?

[traveler06]

Just to keep this thread alive. Emmett Griffin finally got back to me. Apparently the admissions committee hasn't made a decision on my application yet.. mm no news, good news..!?

Did he take a while to respond? I sent an email over a week ago and still have not heard back.

[traveler06]

Thanks for your reply. By the way, how does GPPI usually notify? If a decision should come via snail mail, it'll be a long wait, being in Italy- i.e. my parents being there!

Georgetown notified via email.

[lucapaolo]

Did he take a while to respond? I sent an email over a week ago and still have not heard back.

I wouldn't exactly call 3 weeks "a while". I first asked him on March 3, then again 10 days later. Now I got back to him again and showed some disappointment about the disregard in which we are being taken, and it took just a few hours to respond. It's all about the reputation after all..

Just for the record, no news yet

[lucapaolo]

By the way, traveler, I see you've been admitted to some of my same schools (GW, JH, LSE and I'm still waiting on GPPI and American). Which course have you applied to at the LSE? Mine is MPA Public and Economic stream..

I can't really make up my mind, I'm an LSE alumnus and wouldn't want to go back there just 1 year later, but the program seems to be a pretty damn good one. Have you decided yet?

[dreindc]

I am hoping to get some advice from people on this board regarding a decision that I have been waffling on for a few weeks. I hope that other people can benefit from any of the responses, as it probably applies to a number of situations that people are currently in.

I have been accepted to all of the schools in the DC/Metro area, and received varying levels of funding from each of them. I have narrowed my choice down to American University's SPA, University of Maryland's SPP, and the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. AU and UMD have offered me excellent financial packages, as well as assistantship positions, that would pretty much cover most of my costs of attending. Georgetown on the other hand has offered me a $12k scholarship. While I am grateful for the scholarship, I would still be required to finance an additional $20-25k for tuition, over the course of the first year alone.

I have been experiencing very similar experiences to some of the most recent posters, in terms of not being able to get a word out of the GPPI administration regarding the possibility of additional funding. I have sent several emails over the past month, but I have not received even one response... All of the previous communication that I received, prior to receiving the scholarship notice, was highly cryptic, and I felt that there was a state of confusion on their part throughout the process. I do not know if I should hold on for the possibility of hearing about assistantship opportunities, or whether their silence should be taken as a No. While I do not believe this to be the case, it is difficult to not take this lack of responsiveness to be a sign of the program. It has become highly frustrating to say the least...

While writing this my decision seems like a no-brainer decision. However, I have been wrestling with this for the past 3 weeks. While both schools are highly regarded for their programs, the Georgetown name holds a little more weight, once we start moving out of the DC area. I know that many of these topics on the board deal with the major question of how much is debt worth to for a public service degree, but with regard to job prospects, is there any clear cut advantage to say choosing Gtown over AU or UMD? Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

[lucapaolo]

Quoting the last question, I would add to the list GW and Johns Hopkins - both MPP.

[policy_student]

Was checking in to see what applicants were saying about my school (GPPI) this year and was reminded of the hell of waiting to hear back from schools...not fun. I'm sorry you guys are all going through that (or recently went through it). But I'd cut GPPI a little slack on timing this year, as I understand Mr. Griffin has been ill. In my experience, he was always responsive and friendly.

Also, on studying policy in D.C., I think the higher price-tag is worth paying. I can't conceive of a better place to study and make connections in the policy world. You can attend lectures and engage in real-life policy discussions with experts and practitioners in the field on a daily basis, and while you're a student (or over the summer), you can intern on the Hill, at a non-profit or consulting firm, at a government agency, etc. Living in D.C. is expensive compared to NC or MD or some other places, but I justify the higher price by telling myself that I'm paying for access (to jobs and the events both on and off campus) and not just for a place to live.

I hope this is helpful, and good luck on wherever you all decide to go!

[policy_applicant]

Thanks, policy_student! I am currently leaning toward GPPI for many of the reasons you mentioned.

I'm curious, though, about ways of financing the degree outside of scholarship money. Are there any chances for assistantships or work at the research centers? I understand that many full-time students are able to get part-time paid internships during the school year. Has this been your experience? Any perspective you can offer would be helpful.

[lucapaolo]

.. and still waiting ...

[skz]

So, here are my impressions from the GPPI Open House:

PROS:

* Faculty is really top-notch, with plenty of real-world experience

* Strong quantitative curriculum

* Lots of study abroad opportunities

* You have to write a thesis, which is good for employment

* You have the opportunity to do real work for clients, which has led to employment in the past

CONS:

* EXPENSIVE - according to them, if you have no financial aid, it'll be circa $60k per year (including housing, books, personal expenses and travel...and this is for nine months, not 12)

* Each year has about 150 students (last year was 140), so it's not a small cohort

* Maximum merit scholarship is $20k, and they will NOT match other offers...also, evening program attendees will not receive merit scholarships

* I didn't get the impression that faculty would be very accessible (I may be wrong on this, so please correct me if I'm wrong)

* It doesn't seem like research assistantships are widely available...some are offered them, others have to go seek them out

Overall...I'm not that impressed. I think it'll be a fantastic place for learning, but there's the huge caveat of "if you can afford it." I also didn't come away with the feeling that students will be able to interact a lot with faculty. The cohort being big also made me feel like I'd pretty much just be another student.

By the way, they're still figuring out some funding packages. None of the need-based aid has been decided (if I remember correctly). They also gave me a pen that didn't work

All these are my impressions of course, someone else may feel completely different!

[therunaround]

I entirely agree with everything skz said. I also attended the GPPI Open House today. I would like to echo how expensive it is. They increased the tuition 4.5% this year to $36,744 (about a 3,000 increase). At 60k a year, I think everyone should consider what they are spending their money on. I mean it's good to consider that anyway... The HKS board is freaking out about 130k of debt (see the "mound of debt thread); seems like the GPPI board should freak out about 120k! Not trying to incite a riot, but I think it's important to find an answer to the question: "What am I spending 120,000 on?" G-town has a very solid network and, GPPI, an intimate community, but I don't know if that's worth the $$. Seems to me that they are going to lose a lot of students to GW.

[linden]

therunaround and skz:

I just read your comments about the GPPI open house, which I was not able to attend. Thanks for sharing your impressions.

therunaround, you mentioned that tuition will increase by 4.5 percent for the 2009-2010 year and that the new tuition figure is $36K. Did you obtain this info at the open house? Did they raise it from the 2007-2008 level, which was 33,408? Or was the 2008-2009 tuition higher? If they raised it from 33,408 to 36K, it appears that the increase would be even higher than 4.5 percent. In addition, it just appears that if the tuition increase was indeed a 4.5 percent increase, the 2008-2009 tuition level would have been higher than what appears on GPPI's website.

Also, did they explain why no one received a full scholarship? I cannot believe some of their applicants would not merit this award, and I am just concerned about what this reveals about the school's administration. Indeed, according to their website, they do give give scholarships for the full value of tuition. I am just curious why no students received a full-tuition scholarship this year.

[skz]

I think the context of the tuition raise was per credit hour. It was something around $1460 last year and is now $1531. 24 credits puts it at $36,744.

Regarding the scholarship: I'm quite sure I heard that $20k was their maximum scholarship, at least for this year. I don't know why, but it sure seems as if they're stingy with money given the amount that people are paying. Perhaps they've been hit hard by the economy this year? Maybe someone received a full tuition, but we just don't know about it

P.S. They said it's likely that things will cost more next year!

[therunaround]

Again, right with skz. The max amount awarded through scholarships in 20k, though it appears that it is possible to get more than this through assistantships (namely research assistantships) which are either awarded in your financial letter or through research organizations on campus. I didn't get an RA position and i dont think many do. you are right that the increase is more that 4.5 percent. the figure was taken from an uninformed financial aid person who spoke to the group. I do believe that the 2009-2010 tuition figure quoted is correct. It's very very expensive for what it offers.

[linden]

therunaround and skz:

Thanks for your additional comments. And, yikes! I am not so sure about GPPI anymore. Again, thanks for the info.

[therunaround]

therunaround and skz:

Thanks for your additional comments. And, yikes! I am not so sure about GPPI anymore. Again, thanks for the info.

Sure thing. You should try and check out the campus and meet with students even if you aren't coming to next week's open house. I went into the day thinking that GPPI was a good option and left thinking something different but I talked to a bunch of people throughout the day who said they were pretty sure that they were going to GPPI. It's a tough decision!

[waiting28]

I was also at the Open Day, and I walked away with a very good impression of the school. Yes, it is expensive - but like nearly everyone (including GPPI, funnily enough) keeps telling me, there's no better place to study policy than in DC itself. So many NGOs and other organizations are headquartered there, which gives me the impression that it would be easier to get a good internship during the school year. I love all the international opportunities they offer, and I felt the staff and faculty were all really friendly and welcoming.

With regards to scholarships, I overheard one of the staff members saying that GPPI doesn't have as large an endowment as other schools, hence the low scholarship offers. Don't know how accurate that is, of course, but it makes sense.

Obviously, the above is only my impression, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going to GPPI next year.

[RyeGuy5555]

I felt the staff and faculty were all really friendly and welcoming.

Did it seem like people in the program were pretty close and non competitive? Did they have any complaints about the difficulty of getting in touch with faculty or administration? Did it seem like people generally worked while attending grad school? Would love to get input/anecdotes from anyone who attended or will attend the open house.

[SJR]

I am choosing between the MPP programs at Duke and Georgetown.

I visited the Duke Open House on Friday with the idea that Georgetown was my first choice-- location, access, internships, etc. But I really loved Duke. I really got the impression that the program prepares you incredibly well, the alumni network is smaller than some but tight-knit, and that there is a real community at Duke (students, faculty, career services, support staff, etc.) The only negative is that it's not in DC.

My concerns about Georgetown are the following:

- adjunct professors (the majority of the faculty) teach one class and then leave

- because students do internships during the day there isn't really a sense of community

- coursework takes a back seat to the internship

- georgetown, without metro nearby, is not very accessible

- large class size makes it harder to form connections with faculty/community with other students

I am visiting Georgetown this Friday. I really want them to impress me but Duke set the bar pretty high. Can anyone dispel my concerns?

[skz]

I can dispel one of those concerns - Georgetown is extremely accessible by Metro. If you want to get to the Car Barn (which is where GPPI is), all you need to do is take the metro to the Rosslyn station, which is just across the Key Bridge in Virginia. There's a shuttle that Georgetown runs which is quite literally one street from the Metro station, and it takes you from the station to campus, passing right by the Car Barn.

[therunaround]

You can get to georgetown via metro and walking but it is hardly metro accessible. If you live on the redline you don't have great options. you can go from dupont and take the gtown shuttle or you can take a bus (it took me 45 minutes to take the bus from my place near friendship heights on friday). GW and American are way more accessible. You can make it work and Georgetown is a cool place to be anyway but it is notorious for being a pain to get to. just ask anyone in DC.

[skz]

Really? I had to ride in from College Park on the other end of the Green Line and I didn't mind the ride. Maybe if I do it more it'll bother me though.