Cornell (CIPA) vs Fletcher (MALD)

[uhohtime]

I've been offered $30,000 per year to attend CIPA and $18,000 per year to attend Fletcher. Do folks have ideas about choosing between these two schools? Fletcher seems to be better known but $24,000 is significant additional debt. I'm also not sure I want to do international work, which is Fletcher's mainstay. Would attending CIPA severely diminish the jobs I'd be able to get? 

[deadhead47]

My friend is going to CIPA and he seems to be doing really good.

He's had some internships, and he said he wants to work for McKinsey.

Frankly, I think he can.

Though Fletcher is really good, CIPA has the Cornell name.

But really, at the end of the day, it depends on what you wanna do after the MA.

[Chipembere]

I don't know much about Fletcher but most of what I've heard has been positive. I had a similar situation to yours and I chose CIPA. Have not been disappointed thus far. I'm just going to repost below what I put in a different thread when someone asked about CIPA...

 

The opportunities at CIPA are virtually limitless and the resources are there. To give you an idea, here is a list of the classes I took first semester:

 

Emerging Markets (Professor Ralph Christy)

Food Policy for Developing Countries (Professor Per Pinstrup Andersen)

International Public and NGO Management (Professor John Mathiason)

Issues in African Development (Professor Muna Ndulo)

Labor Economics (Professor Gary Fields)

Leaders in Sustainable Global Enterprise (Professor Mark Milstein)

 

Take a minute to look up these courses and professors. Not bad for a first semester and it's only going to get better.

 

During the winter break I took part in a Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team run by the renowned Cornell International Institute for Food and Development (http://ciifad.cornel.../engagement.cfm). It was almost fully funded and sent me to Africa (others went to the Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand to name a few) for two weeks to conduct a consultancy with an SME connecting rural farmers to the market. Hopefully the case study will get published and the findings will be presented during an international symposium at Cornell. I'll have opportunities like this again next winter.

 

Currently in my second semester, I'm taking advantage of one of the off-campus opportunities. You can go to Mexico City, Nepal, Budapest, DC or Rome (and maybe other locations. I'm not sure). I ended up in DC with the World Bank. I'm working full-time and taking three classes. Needless to say I'm busy and definitely shouldn't be spending time here! Just wanted to give you an idea of the possibilities at CIPA. It has to be one of the best values out of any MPA program.

 

Feel free to ask me anything at all about CIPA! Good luck.