Compare UW Evans MPA vs. UT LBJ MPAff

[inforitnow]

Hey everyone,

I am looking for advice. I was accepted to both UT's LBJ School MPAff and UW's Evans School MPA.

Can anyone please compare the programs? Is UT LBJ clearly better than UW Evans or are they actually fairly equal?


Notes about my acceptance:

With the financial assistance offered from UW, I would be paying similar prices to attend each school (tuition only, both being about $19,000 per year). On top of that, UW also offered me a small $500 per month stipend ($9,000 total over two years), and I could live with my parents in the Seattle area (saving $7,000 to $12,000 in total, I estimate). So I would save a good chunk of money there (let's say up to $20,000 total).

 

Also, I went to UW for my undergraduate and grew up in the area.

[suani]

It sounds like you are already living in the Seattle area too. Did LBJ give you any $$$?

[inforitnow]

My stuff is there but I was living in Denver for nearly two years before I backpacked in Central America for about three months. I have been back in the country less than a week and will be moving back to Seattle. So my connections there are iffy at the moment but I can probably get in touch with old friends and co-workers fairly easily and I'll have the next five months to network for internships to do while I'm in school.

LBJ gave me nada, unfortunately, but I have a couple of friends living in Austin already so moving there and getting connected wouldn't be a burden either.

Edited March 10, 2014 by inforitnow

[albuhhh]

Would be interested in this as well. I love love love Seattle and really applied to UW for that reason alone. UW seems to do slightly better/on par with UT in the rankings. Seems to me that although the majority of UT students stay in Texas, it seems to have a stronger national reputation. As a native Texan, I can attest to the strength of the Longhorn Network.

 

I've visited the Evans School in the past and wasn't too impressed with their facilities, but I know that isn't everything (see: Berkeley Goldman) or their career services. Most grads that I've talked to seem to stay primarily in the PacNW and the school has a very strong pipeline with the city of Seattle and agencies/entities in the Puget Sound.

 

I've lived in the Bay Area for the past 8 years and plan on returning after school. Can anyone speak to the network of these schools in California? I haven't gathered enough info from either school to tip the scale in either direction.

 

Also, does anyone have experience with either schools' urban policy focus? I can't find info on either one besides a list of 4 or 5 classes that are pulled together from various departments, as opposed to say the LA schools that are very strong in this regard and have dedicated faculty and research institutes devoted to urban and regional policy.

[MPPgal]

Current LBJ student it all depends Ut has a better reputation internationally due to the Texas network can[t vouch for domestically although there are quite a few UW alumns here that chose it over Evans. My big question is why are you not considering USC if you want to stay in Cali and they gave you money? Evans and LBJ are both great schools but go with the money. in terms of money do consider Austin is one of the cheapest cities in the US. It also has to do with your policy interests UT is a generalist school and has great programs in social and environment but, for example, doe snot offer education policy so it depends what you care about.

[dctalk13]

Austin is DEFINITELY not a "cheap" city to live in and it's getting more crowded and expensive everyday. I've lived in Austin since 2004. My advice, go where you save money and ultimately where you want to get a job. If you want a job in tx, go to lbj.

[MPPgal]

Yes, fastest growing city in the country and it is called inflation but overall and compared to other cities in the country it is pretty cheap (inclluding Seattle for sure) http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

[dctalk13]

You said Austin was "one of the cheapest cities in the U.S." Just letting the person know that statement is false.

[MPPgal]

Nope, it is, being more expensive than it was 10 years ago is probably true (inflation, economic crisis, etc). But, with the exception of other Texas cities Austin is one (if not the) of the cheapest cities (pop over 500k) in the US, it is even cheaper than any smaller (pop over 250k) in the Northeast, so not it is not false at all. You are comparing 2 points in time, I am comparing across cities. Austin is a lot cheaper than any city in Washington state, Northeast, California, etc. So yeah money and a smaller fellowship can go longer than a bigger one if you consider you can rent a 1 bedroom here for the price of a tiny room in DC. I will give you that Austin is becoming expensive really quickly, its rapid rizing, a housing bubble etc is sadly taking its toll.

[MPPgal]

The only 3 college towns I can find that are cheaper (according to the source I put before) are College Station, Bloomington and Baton Rouge, then again all 3 are smaller cities. The cost of living is 14% less than Ann Arbor, 50% cheaper than Boston, 14% less than Madison. But 4% more than College Station. 

[MPAallday]

My stuff is there but I was living in Denver for nearly two years before I backpacked in Central America for about three months. I have been back in the country less than a week and will be moving back to Seattle. So my connections there are iffy at the moment but I can probably get in touch with old friends and co-workers fairly easily and I'll have the next five months to network for internships to do while I'm in school.

LBJ gave me nada, unfortunately, but I have a couple of friends living in Austin already so moving there and getting connected wouldn't be a burden either.

When it comes to these two schools I would recommend assessing price and cost of living as the biggest factor. MPA degrees -- while valuable -- simply aren't worth getting into tremendous debt. Whether the least expensive one is Austin or Seattle I don't know, but it's your call to make.

[MPPgal]

When it comes to these two schools I would recommend assessing price and cost of living as the biggest factor. MPA degrees -- while valuable -- simply aren't worth getting into tremendous debt. Whether the least expensive one is Austin or Seattle I don't know, but it's your call to make.

Agree, do not go into debt, I also recommend visiting both if you can, it really helps into making an informed decision.

[Maude007]

Hi inforitnow, 

I'm curious to find out which school you ended up deciding on and if you could shed any new info on choosing between the two schools? I'm a Texas native and was accepted to the LBJ school, but other than in-state tuition, no funding. Evans offered me a fellowship that covers half my tuition and a living stipend so I'm really just trying to figure out which program is better. Any advice you'd have would be very helpful! Thanks!

[goforthegold]

On March 26, 2016 at 10:04 PM, Maude007 said:

Hi inforitnow, 

I'm curious to find out which school you ended up deciding on and if you could shed any new info on choosing between the two schools? I'm a Texas native and was accepted to the LBJ school, but other than in-state tuition, no funding. Evans offered me a fellowship that covers half my tuition and a living stipend so I'm really just trying to figure out which program is better. Any advice you'd have would be very helpful! Thanks!

Maude007, 

I'm actually in the exact same boat as you are. I got into the LBJ School and Evans. At LBJ, I have both a full tuition Fellowship and in state tuition, whereas at Evans I have nothing in the way of scholarships and would pay out of state tuition (through my nose). For me, it was a no brainer: I am going with LBJ. 

My general thinking was this: Both are great cities and great, similarly ranked schools and programs. Being a Texas native, I like Austin and know the city well already, and I know UT very well. I've visited LBJ many times and am very familiar with the program and was won over with the extensive personal touch and support I've received so far and how small and close knit the school is (somehow I did not get the same sense from Evans -- the program seemed a bit distant and cold to me in terms of its correspondence and the way it arrayed itself). LBJ also has some great faculty I've read about over the years whom I'm very keen on learning from and potentially working with. And the money and instate tuition just sealed the deal for me -- though I should mention that I was never able to personally visit UW or Seattle. 

A word on the cost of living: Austin is expensive. I've personally had trouble finding housing there, both in terms of availability in close proximity to campus and in terms of my budget and needs. That said, I'm sure Seattle is worse. But don't come down to Austin expecting it to be dirt cheap -- it's not.

Anyway, if you have any questions or thoughts, shoot me a message! I've done my fair share of research on both schools, but know much more about LBJ, naturally. 

Edited March 27, 2016 by goforthegold

[Maude007]

On March 27, 2016 at 10:43 PM, goforthegold said:

Maude007, 

I'm actually in the exact same boat as you are. I got into the LBJ School and Evans. At LBJ, I have both a full tuition Fellowship and in state tuition, whereas at Evans I have nothing in the way of scholarships and would pay out of state tuition (through my nose). For me, it was a no brainer: I am going with LBJ. 

My general thinking was this: Both are great cities and great, similarly ranked schools and programs. Being a Texas native, I like Austin and know the city well already, and I know UT very well. I've visited LBJ many times and am very familiar with the program and was won over with the extensive personal touch and support I've received so far and how small and close knit the school is (somehow I did not get the same sense from Evans -- the program seemed a bit distant and cold to me in terms of its correspondence and the way it arrayed itself). LBJ also has some great faculty I've read about over the years whom I'm very keen on learning from and potentially working with. And the money and instate tuition just sealed the deal for me -- though I should mention that I was never able to personally visit UW or Seattle. 

A word on the cost of living: Austin is expensive. I've personally had trouble finding housing there, both in terms of availability in close proximity to campus and in terms of my budget and needs. That said, I'm sure Seattle is worse. But don't come down to Austin expecting it to be dirt cheap -- it's not.

Anyway, if you have any questions or thoughts, shoot me a message! I've done my fair share of research on both schools, but know much more about LBJ, naturally. 

Thanks for the insight, goforthegold and congrats on your fellowship offer from LBJ and making a decision! I have a friend in her second year at LBJ and she has nothing but great things to say about the program.

I missed the fellowship deadline because I decided to apply a bit late, so I knew I wasn't going to get anything, but if I had my decision would be much easier as I do enjoy living in Austin and it's where most of my family and friends are (I live here now and attended UT as an undergrad so am fully aware of how expensive Austin has become, though cost of living in Seattle is still higher). I've spent quite a bit of time at the LBJ school and like the facilities and the small size of the program, but I'm having trouble making up my mind. It's been difficult for me to find an outside perspective on the differences between the two schools as far as job placement after graduation and reputation in their fields. I'm also excited about the idea of moving to the Pacific Northwest and think for my specialization it might be the better environment. I also have a 3rd school in the mix that I'm trying to decide between so I'm no closer to a decision, unfortunately. But I'm running out of time. 

Thank you for your help though. I appreciate the response. Maybe we'll both be at LBJ next fall!