Negotiating Scholarships

[Policy.Planner.NYC]

My case: I was recently admitted to U Chicago Harris for the MPP with a moderately sized scholarship. I was also admitted to GW Law for a JD with a very large (six figure) scholarship. However, I feel that I do not want to actually practice law, but work in policy which is possible with either the JD or MPP. That said, I feel the the Harris MPP is ultimately a better fit for me as an individual. How does one go about negotiating with Harris to improve my scholarship? For what it's worth, I would absolutely commit to Harris with a slight bump in funding. It is by far my first choice program.

[billythekid72]

Did you receive any acceptances/scholarships from other MPP/MPA programs? I ask because I am unsure if Harris will consider matching the scholarship that you were offered from GW Law (as it's a completely different type of professional school). 

[Policy.Planner.NYC]

2 minutes ago, billythekid72 said:

Did you receive any acceptances/scholarships from other MPP/MPA programs? I ask because I am unsure if Harris will consider matching the scholarship that you were offered from GW Law (as it's a completely different type of professional school). 

I think that's part of my dilemma. I will have to wait until Feb/March to hear back from other programs as Harris is the only program I applied to with an EA option. I felt like they might consider the offer since law school admissions are generally much more competitive than MPP/MPA programs. It's unfortunate because I would be ready to commit with just a little tiny bit more $. 

Does anyone have any tips, more broadly about how to approach the ask (regardless of whether I try now or in Feb/March)? 

[GZhang]

Congrats on your admission results. I think you can definitely argue it for yourself. However, I am not sure if Harris is significantly less competitive than law schools . I apply to both Harris(MSCAPP)and GWU law too. I am surprised to find out that Harris put me to Round one for their MPP program considering my quantative background. In contrast, it is relatively safe to get a spot at GWU with some scholarship once your LSAT score is higher than 165.  Law schools in D.C  are really overpriced and my rent was never below 12 hundred while living there. So the cost of attendance is still probably pretty high even after factoring in the scholarship and that may make it harder for you to negotiate with Harris. Not sure what your career objective is but I think you may be better off if you go along with law school. Good luck!

Edited December 23, 2017 by GZhang

[Policy.Planner.NYC]

1 hour ago, GZhang said:

Congrats on your admission results. I think you can definitely argue it for yourself. However, I am not sure if Harris is significantly less competitive than law schools . I apply to both Harris(MSCAPP)and GWU law too. I am surprised to find out that Harris put me to Round one for their MPP program considering my quantative background. In contrast, it is relatively safe to get a spot at GWU with some scholarship once your LSAT score is higher than 165.  Law schools in D.C  are really overpriced and my rent was never below 12 hundred while living there. So the cost of attendance is still probably pretty high even after factoring in the scholarship and that may make it harder for you to negotiate with Harris. Not sure what your career objective is but I think you may be better off if you go along with law school. Good luck!

Oh wow. Perhaps these programs are becoming much more competitive than they once were - especially the quant-heavy programs like Harris. I did notice that they reported a 168% increase in EA apps, but I'm not sure what to make of it. Are they simply admitting more people to grow the class size? Or is it now much more difficult to gain admission?

[SerenityNow!]

I work in consulting in dc with people who have MPAs and JDs and they get the same exact career opportunities because even though you may take a lot of quant classes - if your employer really wants a quant person they will just hire someone with a masters in economics/statistics/data science from what I've seen. I would just go wherever is cheaper.