George Washington Strengths/Weaknesses

[dagger]

I think GW is a fantastic school, but I would also dispute the notion that its on the same level of GT or other top schools. I had a conversation with an admissions director this past week from a top school (not in DC to very candidly discuss why I should attend that school. The AD openly listed programs they thought were of similar rigor/prestige and suggested that if I had a large financial package from them, they would understand my decision to matriculate there. During the same conversation the AD mentioned that they did not consider GW to be of similar stature. Granted, I did not ask them to elaborate the reasons why, but I thought it telling that an AD would mention something like that about the program at GW.

Now, I do realize that this is only one individuals opinion but it was from someone whom I think would be very knowledgeable about other institutions. I'm sure that you can find many individuals who would speak to the strengths of GW. I'm not intending to dissuade anyone from attending. Rather, I would like for everyone on the board to be able to make an informed decision for themselves and be aware of all opinions on GW.

And, for full disclosure -despite what has been said-, there is a strong likelihood that I will be matriculating to GW in the Fall.

[Rutabaga]

I was only passing along something that I was told by a very trusted advisor. He never steered me wrong in the past so I thought it might be useful to some people on these boards. If you don't appreciate my contributions you're welcome to that opinion, but I don't see a point in topics like "GW strengths/weaknesses" if users are discouraged from posting weaknesses.

Was his "10k worse" reckoning hyperbolic? Maybe. But the fact remains that he said one could get a better education for the money elsewhere. Citing the US News Rankings tie doesn't refute that; it's just another point of information among many.

That's the purpose of these boards, isn't it - to share information? I'm certainly not suggesting anyone rule out GW - in fact I went out of my way to point out that his comments might have been specific to my case.

That said, I'm sorry but you're delusional if you think "no one in DC cares" where you went to school. It's true that in most cases it probably won't matter, but intangibles like alumni networks could mean the difference between a good job and a dream job - especially in an economy like this.

All three schools have very strong alumni networks. Obviously if you go to a school that isn't ranked you'll have an issue, but among the DC schools they are al on par with one another. I've been working and interning in the DC area for a decade now and have worked with people who attended all 3 of the schools. No one school is regarded as better in regards to the MPP program. The only reason Georgetown might have more name recognition is that their undergraduate program is much stronger. That said, the programs have different strengths and you should pick the one that best suits your field of interest within policy.

Also just sharing information. No need to get all defensive.

[stigMPA]

All three schools have very strong alumni networks. Obviously if you go to a school that isn't ranked you'll have an issue, but among the DC schools they are al on par with one another. I've been working and interning in the DC area for a decade now and have worked with people who attended all 3 of the schools.

There are more than three MPP programs in the country; the comparisons to American and Georgetown were not mine.

In fact if you look back at my first post in this thread I said GW has a strength in its location. For you (having spent a decade in DC) this is probably a great advantage. Others not geographically tied to the beltway could attend better ranked schools for the same costs or less. This was the main thrust of what my advisor told me.

No one school is regarded as better in regards to the MPP program.

That may be true in your experience, but my advisor showed a clear preference. Not defensive, just sayin'.

the programs have different strengths and you should pick the one that best suits your field of interest within policy.

Hear hear.

[golonghorns]

I think GW is a fantastic school, but I would also dispute the notion that its on the same level of GT or other top schools. I had a conversation with an admissions director this past week from a top school (not in DC to very candidly discuss why I should attend that school. The AD openly listed programs they thought were of similar rigor/prestige and suggested that if I had a large financial package from them, they would understand my decision to matriculate there. During the same conversation the AD mentioned that they did not consider GW to be of similar stature. Granted, I did not ask them to elaborate the reasons why, but I thought it telling that an AD would mention something like that about the program at GW.

Now, I do realize that this is only one individuals opinion but it was from someone whom I think would be very knowledgeable about other institutions. I'm sure that you can find many individuals who would speak to the strengths of GW. I'm not intending to dissuade anyone from attending. Rather, I would like for everyone on the board to be able to make an informed decision for themselves and be aware of all opinions on GW.

And, for full disclosure -despite what has been said-, there is a strong likelihood that I will be matriculating to GW in the Fall.

Dagger -- out of curiosity, why are you thinking of picking GW over all the others? You got into some great schools!

[dagger]

There's an outside chance that I may receive full tuition + a 16k stipend and be working with a pretty big player in one of the fields I'd like to work in. I would be hard pressed to turn that down. I believe its pretty unlikely though.

Besides the financial reasons, my long term career goals lead to DC so it makes sense to get out there early. I'm still waiting to hear back from some folks on this, but I do think that the GW name carries some weight in DC. I've been impressed with their efforts to help students make the decision to matriculate. They've been quick to respond to questions and the google group has been great. I know that's something little, but I think the little things speak volumes abut a program.

Assuming I receive no funding from LBJ, Georgetown, and do not get into HKS. My choice probably comes down to Duke or UMich with a slight lean to UMich for financial reasons. I'd be leaving Duke with abut 65K in debt while I would be leaving Michigan with 26k (and possibly 16k). As enamored I am with Duke, its tough to take on an additional 40k in debt. I know we've had that discussion time and time again. It just comes down to whether or not Duke can provide me something that Michigan cannot that I deem to be worth 40k. I think its unlikely. I'll be visiting each in the next two weeks so we'll see.

In addition, I still need to evaluate the job prospects for both schools, take a look at internship placements again, and revisit the professors in the tracks I'd like to work in. I also need to get a better feel for their reputation in DC.

We'll see how things work out. I'm incredibly torn and I usually change my mind each day. PM me if you'd like to discuss it further though.

Edit: The SO will also be moving with me and we're making a mutual decision on it. A couple schools were eliminated based on her job prospects when we got there.

[Rika1985]

I just got my admission to GW's Philosophy and Social Policy program!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!1

I was accepted as well! And to the Media and Public Affairs program! I'm excited but sad I have to make decisions about what to do next!

[nab190]

Well, if it helps (or maybe it won't), I visited GWU and spoke directly with the Assistant Director and Director of the Philosophy and Social Policy. I was really impressed; I have been to some other schools who try very hard to "sell" the program, but Dr. Brand-Ballard and Dr. Griffith are very down to earth. They admitted that they don't market the program, but that the right students seem to find it. They talked a lot about how the PSP program has both theoretical and applied aspects. They said that all of the faculty, including themselves, integrate the theoretical aspects of policy/philosophy into their courses, but with the intention of having students take that theory and apply it in the field. Its meant as a terminal degree, where people, upon graduation, enter the field instead of using it as a segway into academia. They also don't take PhD students, so the master's students (and there's less than 30) are very central to them.

All of the other programs I applied to were MPP, except UW which is MPA, but I am most excited about GW's program. Most of the other programs have a class or two in ethics, but are more focused on the quantitative aspects of policy. When I asked an advisor at American about the potential to take more theoretical classes, she just kind of stared at me, it was actually pretty awkward, lol. For me personally, its important to have that humanistic background.

There was no pretense at GW. Dr. Griffth and Dr. Brand-Ballard were really knowledgeable and seemed genuinely interested in working with the students in their program, and in bringing in new students who were looking for a program that is a little off the beaten path.

Not sure what the Media and Public Affairs school is like though! Good luck in your decision!