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NYU Strengths/Weaknesses


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Thanks fes_alum -- I only applied to schools here in NYC, where I live and work, so I'm really hoping it works out. Congrats on HKS, to you and everyone else heading there, and good luck in your career(s)!

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I also got 50%... The decision is so tough! There are things about each school I like. And then the $$ factor. Grr.

I'm right with you, traveler. would that we could have gotten into WWS and been carefree! i'm starting to get the sense that no choice will emerge as the unequivocally correct one.

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Sure!

My thoughts are a little all over the place, still. My overall impression: I wish I had totally fallen in love w the school, as its by far my cheapest option at this point, but I still have some doubts. One of the biggest things that came up for me as a question was whether career services helps students at all--maybe this is the byproduct of being in NYC, which is clearly suffering high unemployment in almost every sector, but almost no student I spoke with there seemed to have a clear picture of where they might head in May, post-graduation. The onus is VERY much on you to find a job. That's fine---no one can make you hustle but you-- but resume reviewing and cover letter critique isn't the same as active connection building and job fairs, etc. After an uninspiring undergraduate career services office, I'm looking for a little more from a graduate school. Also, as has been said on this board, everyone is very NYC-focused. It didn't seem like a lot of people were going to look elsewhere, so I think a lot of the alumni were there, too. I think other East Coast cities might be doable, but if you're looking to live in the West Coast afterwards, it could be tougher. Also, the school has a LOT of students working full time and going to school part or full time. Depending on what you're looking for, that could be a pro or a con. The student body skews a little bit older/marriages/kids, which again, speaks to the full time work, part time school aspect, and again, can be a pro or a con.

One thing I heard from a student (who was not affiliated with the admitted student day) was that the academic portion of the school was not as rigorous as she had hoped it might be (she was in the health policy field). That could also be a good or bad thing, depending on what you're looking for in a school. It's a lot more management/administration (it IS an MPA not MPP after all) than quant. Personally, I'm not all that psyched about quant classes, but I do think they're important skills to pick up. Urban planning students seemed to be thrilled, though, with their curriculum.

On the plus side, the faculty seemed accessible, enlightened and...fun. The deans seemed to have taken the time to personally read each application and tried to welcome admitted students by name. Impressive---you got a sense of community there, for sure, which I didn't think was possible at a big school like NYU. The facilities are pretty amazing--it gives you a sense that they want to invest more and more in the Wagner name. There are lots of opportunities to work for the school for tuition remission--while the school itself is expensive, people didn't seem to have unmanageable debt. And not enough can be said about NYC. The city is amazing...and it's possible to make it affordable, if you're willing to live outside of Manhattan.

All that being said, I'm more confused than ever. I'm really hoping that my one final admitted student day will help clarify things for me...but I'm finding that money implications are pressing on me almost more than anything at this point. Hope that's helpful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Policy_applicant, Fes, Traveler, Pepper etc... thanks! I was admitted off Wagner's waitlist yesterday, no doubt due to admitted students like a few of you who chose to go elsewhere.

I have some financial decisions of my own to make -- a 50% scholarship to Milano/The New School is tough to pass up but I have reservations about their very specific degree options (nonprofit management or urban policy, no MPA) and like many others on this board I am a sucker for the prestige factor.

NYU has been my first choice all along and I risked it by skipping the GRE, a decision I made long before the economy sent so many MBAs and other quant-savvy folks the way of the MPA program. That choice likely cost me scholarship consideration, and definitely nearly cost me admission... so I consider myself very lucky it worked out this well.

Good luck at school this fall, all!

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Finally received my financial aid package in the mail yesterday- it's about time! Funny how it arrived the day after most schools wanted a response. $3K in work-study, the rest in loans. Considering they estimate the cost of attendance to be $58K, there's just no way I can justify the debt.

Good luck to everyone though!

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