MPA / MPP Folk

[Guest]

1. Syracuse University (NY)

2. University of Georgia

3. Indiana University–Bloomington

4. Harvard University (MA)

5. University of Southern California

6. SUNY–Albany

7. University of Kansas

8. American University (DC)

9. New York University

10. University of Texas–Austin

11. George Washington University (DC)

Rutgers State University–Newark (NJ)

13. Virginia Tech

14. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

15. Florida State University

16. Arizona State University

Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

Georgia State University

University of California–Berkeley

20. University of Wisconsin–Madison

21. Duke University (NC)

Texas A&M University–College Station

23. Georgetown University (DC)

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

25. University of Pittsburgh

26. University of Missouri–Columbia

27. University of Maryland–College Park

University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

University of Nebraska–Omaha

30. Indiana University-Purdue University–Indianapolis

University of Arizona

32. Northern Illinois University

University of Washington

34. Brigham Young University–Provo (UT)

Cleveland State University

George Mason University (VA)

University of Utah

[Guest]

1. University of California–Berkeley

2. Harvard University (MA)

3. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

4. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

5. Duke University (NC)

6. Syracuse University (NY)

7. University of Chicago

8. Princeton University (NJ)

9. University of Texas–Austin

10. Georgetown University (DC)

11. University of Wisconsin–Madison

12. University of California–Los Angeles

13. University of Maryland–College Park

14. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

15. Indiana University–Bloomington

16. George Washington University (DC)

17. New York University

18. University of Georgia

University of Southern California

20. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

21. Georgia State University

Johns Hopkins University (MD)

23. American University (DC)

University of Washington

25. Arizona State University

SUNY–Albany

University of Pittsburgh

28. Columbia University (NY)

Cornell University (NY)

30. George Mason University (VA)

Georgia Institute of Technology

Ohio State University

33. University of Pennsylvania

[Guest]

1. Harvard University (MA)

2. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

3. Brandeis University (MA)

University of Wisconsin–Madison

5. University of California–Berkeley

6. Syracuse University (NY)

7. University of Chicago

8. New York University

9. University of Texas–Austin

10. New School for Social Research (NY)

11. Duke University (NC)

12. University of California–Los Angeles

13. Princeton University (NJ)

University of Southern California

15. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

University of Maryland–College Park

17. Johns Hopkins University (MD)

18. George Washington University (DC)

19. Columbia University (NY)

Georgetown University (DC)

21. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

22. American University (DC)

[pace327]

Well as much as I've enjoyed being at UGA, I will caution y'all that I think these rankings are a bit more relevant for PhD than for MPA study. They are calculated by surveying professors in the field. So, if a department publishes a lot, it is bound to have a higher ranking than a department that does not have a lot of good people publishing in top journals. Of course, a professor who publishes a lot is bound to bring that knowledge/experience/enthusiasm into the classroom.

I think one of the most important things to do when considering a school is find out what electives are offered in your field of study. Do NOT just rely on the formal list of courses. Courses are notoriously hard to get approved through university administration so departments (not just PA, but lots of graduate departments) will have courses on the books that are rarely (if ever) taught. So ask what you will be able to take in your field of specialization, that may make a difference in your decision.

One more thing to consider is what kind of final requirement a program has: capstone course, internship, practicum, comprehensive exams, thesis (rare in MPA), or something else.

Also, find out how active your school is in keeping in contact w/alums. This is how you may find internships/jobs! If the program ignores its alums, that is a bad sign.

[latoya724]

I personally only applied to one MPA Program at UDelaware..

I applied for MPP programs at American and Johns Hopkins.

I personally didn't like the focus areas within other MPA programs. At Delaware, there is a lot of balance -for instance we have to write an analytical paper. Many MPA programs do not require this. Also, most students in the MPA program are fully funded with full tuition and assistantship. Since Delaware is a small state, the students work closely with state officials, work at the state's research centers, and can be legislative fellows.

[locura81]

Great news today - Professor Jeff Wenger from UGA called to tell me I'd be selected for a Grad School assistantship. Full tuition, $16,000+ stipend, health benefits. I'm utterly ecstatic. Still waiting on Syracuse financial aid offer, as well as whether GW will award me a fellowship, but UGA is going to be very, very hard to beat!!!

[pace327]

locura check your PM

[Guest tdv]

Hi guys, I want to apply for Fall 2007. Does anyone know about the MPP program at Brown? It isn't in the USNews Ranking, so I wonder if Brown's program is as competitive as others in top 30. Anyway, Brown is an Ivy League school.

[locura81]

tdv,

check out the usnews.com message board. there's a public policy/public admin. thread going there with a couple of folks who have been admitted to brown (you might also try the livejournal community - who_got_in). from what i've heard them say, this is what i know about the program:

- the low ranking can be attributed to the youth of the program. at best, it's a few years old, though i've read some accounts of it being just one year old. with no history, few alumni contacts, etc., it just doesn't have the recognition that other, more established programs have.

- perhaps because it's youth, there's very little financial aid available. in fact, as you'll see in the results here on gradcafe, nearly all admits got messages in the acceptance letters saying they had better look into stafford loans. i do know of one person who was awarded aid, but it was minimal...especially when compared with what other programs are able to offer.

- all that said, the consensus seems to be that brown's program is a good one. it's an ivy league education which means...well, that depends on your school of thought. at the very least, it means name-recognition, which can be quite the advantage. the program is part of the alfred taubmann gov't center, so my guess is that the quality of the program is at least decent.

- overall, i wouldn't avoid applying to brown. however, if you have the ability to attend other, prestigious programs, i might pursue those options. if you're interested in ivy league education, you obv. know about the KSG school as well as the Wilson school at Princeton. Extremely competitive, very policy-analysis oriented, but the kind of degree that will get you in the door anywhere. Also, Penn has a master of gov't admin degree that is well thought of.

- if you're looking for the connections/hookups that ivy league can offer, there are other non-ivies that can do that as well. for policy, think Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Georgetown, etc. for admin, think georgia, indiana, unc, etc. for both, think Syracuse - the Maxwell school is the oldest mpa program, great alumni/career connections, etc. of course, any mpa program can allow a concentration in policy.

so, forgive the long-windedness of this post, but hopefully it's of some aid. enjoy!

[Guest tdv]

thanks very much locura81. I'll check the US News discussion board.

[pace327]

Well I will have to disagree w/Locura here. I think UGA is both admin & policy now. If you want nothing but policy classes, go for Michigan, Berkeley, Chicago, etc. But if you do a policy specialization at UGA you'll get a minimum of 4 policy courses and there is enough room in your schedule to select up to 7-8 policy courses depending how many courses you take- which, if I am correct, is as much if not more than you'd get at SU (b/c of the compact nature of their program).

[meridionale]

I got into UT-Austin.

I've been accepted to every school I applied to! Wow. I think it might be margarita make up night from the GRE last November. I did terrible on the GRE, and I just couldn't celebrate. I figured everyone would reject me now even though I studied so hard for that test. Hooray for schools that don't put everything on your GRE score (well besides money, which I won't be seeing much of that).

Paaaartay!

[locura81]

Pace, I defer to your expertise on the UGA progam.

Meridion, CONGRATS!!! Not one reject - you really hit one out of the park! Perhaps UT will even be so kind as to offer you a hefty sum?! Even still, it's definitely worth a night of celebration. The GREs can kiss my...well, anyway...

[pace327]

Yes, congrats Meridion! I also have found that GREs are not a huge thing for master's programs which, in my opinion, is a good thing.

Enjoy the margarita(s)! I have good memories of nights that I got long-waited master's and PhD acceptances...and in some cases, the memories get a little fuzzy toward the end

Good luck making your decision. Having to choose is a great problem to have. Visit, visit, visit!!!

[howard]

Hi everyone, I have followed this thread for a long time and it really broaden my view in how to choose between schools.

Recently I got the offer from Univ. of Washington. It is a great school and a wonderful city; however, I do not know how this school is recognized in the area of pubic affairs.

I also received the admission from Syracuse, but the MPA program offered in Syracuse is only 12 month long. Since my bachelor degree is not policy related major, I plan to take more courses to study in this area.

Can anyone share any information about MPA program in UW? Thanks a lot!

[Guest klf214]

Pace--did you ever visit the University of Chicago? I applied and was accepted to Harris with a $10k scholarship and am wondering how much I should consider it? I've also been accepted at GPPI, AU, and NYU, and GPPI. GPPI is my first choice even though I wasn't offered any funding. Harris just seems so huge and impersonal, although the incoming class size is the same as GPPI it strikes me differently. Any thoughts on Chicago itself? Thanks in advance!

[pace327]

Congrats on the Harris acceptance! If my memory serves me correctly, that is approx the amt of funding they offered to me. No, I did not visit. I tried more than once to arrange a visit and got nothing but the run-around. Mind you, I wasn't expecting a red carpet treatment. But they wouldn't even set up any meetings for me with current students or professors. I am not a shy person, but people are busy and I was not going to presume that they would have 30+ minutes to spend with me without any sort of advanced notice!

Anyway, what you mentioned was exactly the impression I got: you are one of a huge number of students and it's next to impossible to differentiate yourself. I met someone whose cousin went there & that was also the impression she got from her cousin. That said, perhaps there is a Chicago MPP student or alum that might happen on this message and give a firsthand perspective which would be more valuable than what I can offer based on my limited interaction with them.

With regard to the city of Chicago, I LOVE it. I spent a summer there interning at a non-profit downtown in the loop and just had a fantastic summer. UChicago isn't in the prettiest (or safest) area, but all in all it is a terrific, young city. But, DC is also fabulous!!

I would suggest visiting Chicago and also Georgetown if you have not done so yet. Hopefully you will be able to make a more definitive decision after that. $20,000 is a lot of money but in the grad scheme of things if that's the only financial difference between Chicago & GPPI, it may not be a deal-breaker... good luck!

[meridionale]

I got a nice offer from UNC today -> tuition + stipend. I think that pretty much does it for me. I wanted to go there, so money is the icing on the cake/deal breaker. UGA said in their email that if you haven't received notice of aid by the end of March to just forget it, so I will give them another two weeks. I can't say I am holding my breath though.

[locura81]

Meridion,

Congratulations!!! Was that full tuition plus stipend? Geez, you've got UNC on a leash! That's truly fantastic news. Though it'd be sweet to see you at UGA (if I end up there), I can't argue with going to UNC. The program, the funding, the environment - you've done awfully well for yourself. So, enjoy!

Oh, and KLF, if you're reading, I'm so bummed our beloved usnews board is out of commission right now. I saw on autoadmit that you got into UChicago w/ a schollie! Congratulations! That's such fantastic news. You've got a veritable trove of schools to choose from now - which one will it be? I know you really liked GPPI, but suppose that a darkhorse came out and offered you big cash (like NYU or American) - would that change anything? Regardless, I'm so happy for you. Celebrate!

[pace327]

Meridion, congratulations!! I too will (probably) be at Carolina come fall. I have them going to the Elite 8 in all of my brackets so they better not fail me before I even get there...haha.

Keep your options open, though! You never know if UGA or another school might come through with funding in the next few weeks!

[meridionale]

Yeah, it is full tuition!

And pace, if you go to UNC, do you have anyone to live with? I've started looking for options so I can fly out one more time and meet potential roommates/visit apartments before moving. I wish I could stomach paying for a one bedroom, but I'd rather have a roommate in a nice apartment than living alone in a run down place to save on rent.

[Guest klf214]

Hey locura--It totally SUCKS that the US News Board is down!!

I'm totally confused now about what to do--my first choice is still GPPI and I'm going to visit at the end of this month to make sure I'm not missing something, but now with the scholarship from Chicago...I don't know. Their program is ranked #7 for policy analysis and social policy, which is what I am interested in. Also, I found out that Chicago class size for core classes are 120 students (i.e. your entire cohort). I probably only had 2-3 classes at USC that were that size for undergrad since I was part of a professional school. I can't imagine being in classes like that for a masters degree! And I'm really not crazy about living in Chicago, although everyone seems to really like the city. I decided I'm going to hold out visiting until I find out about UCLA and Michigan and about funding from AU and NYU and then make my decision....probably at the very last moment. Alas!

I hope more people migrate over to this board!!

[locura81]

Eek, quite the dilemma there, klf! The good news (or bad news, depending on your perspective:) is that you have another month or so to make the decision. Some of these schools, though, don't seem to be in any hurry to get fin. aid info out - don't they know how that complicates things for us?!

I've never lived or studied in Chicago, but as a visitor I was pretty taken with the city. Not more than I was with some other places (i.e., San Francisco - I nearly applied to Berkeley, despite it being a complete ill fit for me, just so I could be near SF), but still, it was very nice. All that talk about large class sizes, though, would give me pause too. In general, it's such a large department...I went to a big state school and actually enjoyed it very much, but the more I consider, the more I think I'd like to be in a smaller environment.

So when the heck is the usnews board going to open back up? They had said that by the end of the week we'd get the info via email, but nothing yet. Argh!

[Guest klf214]

Just offered a 75% tuition scholarship at NYU Wagner. Great offer, but not sure I can move to NYC. Decisions, decisions...

[locura81]

Klf, awesome news! NYC does seem a little intimidating, huh? I didn't know that the program was so large either. Still, that's an awesome bit of information to stick in your back pocket - if you decide against UChicago, GPPI, etc., choosing NYU wouldn't be picking from the bottom of the barrel. Decisions, decisions indeed...but kind of a nice spot to be in!