SIPA (no $) vs. Elliott (full ride)

[lalalaa]

Hey all,

Here's my dilemma:

I was offered full-tuition fellowship at GWU Elliott, and none at Columbia SIPA.

My parents have offered to pay for Columbia (since they didn't have to pay for any of my undergrad), but I feel rather guilty, as I have a younger brother that still needs to go to college, and wants to go to med school. I, on the other hand, am fairly certain that whatever job I end up in post-graduate school, will not pay so well.

Is it worth it to shell out the 65k+/year at SIPA, or am I better off living a little more comfortably at Elliott? I'd like to hear your opinions/experiences on both programs.

Cheers,

Wishing for a Money Tree

[younglions]

To me the answer is obvious: Elliott.

[zourah]

I'd say that while SIPA is somewhat better-regarded, the difference is far, far too small to be worth so much money - UNLESS there's a specific program you feel strongly about (they are different programs in many ways, after all). Visit both and make sure that you won't end up with buyer's remorse wondering if SIPA could have somehow given you more (it's funny how human imagination can ruin even the best of deals in situations like this), then go with Elliott.

[slothrop99]

To me the answer is obvious: Elliott.

I second that. There's no way I'd let my parents go into debt for me, especially with a full-ride to a great school as an alternative.

[younglions]

Really, people in IR regard SIPA as the better school, but only marginally so. For IR, there is no better place than D.C., and Elliott is held in high regard everywhere. Some people here have been saying some less-than-laudatory things about GW's public affairs/public policy program, but the Elliott school is a completely different story. Congratulations on your great offer.

[East_of_Eden]

Even though I'm going for an MPP/MPA, I feel compelled to chime in here. Congrats on the full-ride to Elliott!! I didn't get any dough from SIPA . Just keep this in mind: if you choose SIPA, there will be students there who are being funded well their 1st year, while you won't be. Maybe this is gonna be too psycho-analytic, but with what I just said in the sentence prior, you'll be dealing with the knowledge that your folks are spreading themselves very thin (I'm assuming) and that you gave up a full-ride elsewhere, while those being funded well at SIPA won't worry about such things. Unless your parents are very financially fortunate, a 120+k debt is far too much a burden to take on -- especially when you could get a fantastic education for FREE. From my understanding, SIPA is not the Woody Woo or end-all-be-all of IR. It's a wonderful, top-notch program that will probably offer an experience comparable to Elliott. If I were you I'd say, "Elliott has expressed a much greater desire for my presence...and thus they shall be graced by it!"

[golonghorns]

Really, people in IR regard SIPA as the better school, but only marginally so. For IR, there is no better place than D.C., and Elliott is held in high regard everywhere. Some people here have been saying some less-than-laudatory things about GW's public affairs/public policy program, but the Elliott school is a completely different story. Congratulations on your great offer.

Any idea or insight on why Elliot is presumably more respected than Trachtenberg (Public Affairs?)

[lalalaa]

To East of Eden: I was thinking the same thing, haha.

Perhaps I should clarify and mention that my parents agreed to pay for my graduate studies because I went to a public state school on a full ride for undergraduate. I have a trust fund that has gone unused these past four years that will help out, so I don't feel tooo bad... However, I am fairly certain that my dad will scrutinize every financial move I make for the next two years if I choose to go to Columbia, and argue that I am "unappreciative" of his contributions towards my education...so that's one thing to consider.

I guess this is more of me wrestling with my ego in attending an Ivy League...how much does brand name matter when you are looking for work after graduation? And in terms of the alumni network, wouldn't SIPA's be much larger/better?

[nab190]

Being on these forums for awhile, its seems increasinginly apparent that a lot of us are getting caught up in the nuances and possibly losing sight of a larger picture. Getting into grad school is an amazing accomplishment, something a very large majority of the world's population will never experience. Getting into two schools like Columbia and GW, especially with a full scholarship, is even more amazing. Doing well in those programs is what will make you stand out, not the difference between a great ivy program and a great non-ivy program. If Columbia is where you can do your best work and feel most passionate and engaged with the professors and classes, then consider taking up your parents offer. But if you're more worried about alumni networks and name brand degrees, then go to Columbia simply because there is probably someone out there who needs that Elliot scholarship more than you do.

[younglions]

golonghorns said:

Any idea or insight on why Elliot is presumably more respected than Trachtenberg (Public Affairs?)

My statement is based only on what people have said about Trachtenberg on these forums compared to what I know about Elliott. You must remember, that unlike at a school like SIPA, Trachtenberg and Elliott are in two completely different schools/colleges. Trachtenberg is part of the Columbian College while Elliott is a stand alone program. It's like comparing the Johns Hopkins MPP program to SAIS, just to a lesser degree of severity.

Elliott has always been considered firmly second tier, just beneath the big 4 + princeton and harvard, while there are a good 10-12 public affairs school that are arguably higher regarded than GW (harvard, princeton, chicago, berkeley, duke, georgetown, cmu, u texas, syracuse, ucla, nyu, etc... In fact I bet admitted students from schools like USC, UNC, Wisconsin, Maryland-College Park have better "stats' than GW, but probably aren't doing as much during their 2-year program.)

I think one of the big differences between the two schools is that most Elliott students are dedicated, full-time students. Many have internships, but they are not full-time 40 hour a weekers. In comparison, Trachtenberg students are often pursuing their educations as an avocation. They work 40-hours a week and dedicate their left over energy to their studies. Only 55% of Trachtenberg MPP students are full-time. Many Trachtenbergers use their degrees as instruments for career advancement (often within their current organizations), and not necessarily as an opportunity to sincerely pursue education for two-years. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you're looking to be a full-timer, you might get tired of having your classmates consider their studies of secondary or even tertiary importance. On the other hand, such a large percentage of part-timers means that there will be more people in your class able to offer real world perspectives.

Also, according to Petersons, Trachtenberg accepts 64% of applicants while Elliott accepts 41%.

[thewaitinggame09]

Hey all,

Here's my dilemma:

I was offered full-tuition fellowship at GWU Elliott, and none at Columbia SIPA.

My parents have offered to pay for Columbia (since they didn't have to pay for any of my undergrad), but I feel rather guilty, as I have a younger brother that still needs to go to college, and wants to go to med school. I, on the other hand, am fairly certain that whatever job I end up in post-graduate school, will not pay so well.

Is it worth it to shell out the 65k+/year at SIPA, or am I better off living a little more comfortably at Elliott? I'd like to hear your opinions/experiences on both programs.

Cheers,

Wishing for a Money Tree

I live here in DC and there is a ton of networking here with either the Elliot school or Columbia degree. I am not sure how your family is financially, but I would choose the Elliott school for the full-ride. Plus you don't know how the economy will be down the road. And that is my 2 cents.