I'm losing my mind. Tell me where to go to grad school. (esp if you have a masters.)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay, this is like my fifteenth thread on grad school, but…what can I say? I need advice, and the Dope is full of educated people.

I’m starting a masters degree in Public Affairs/Administration (the actual name of the degree depends on the school, but it’s the same thing) this fall and trying to decide where to go is driving me to distraction. I’ve got it narrowed down to two schools, but their strengths and weaknesses are a little different and I would appreciate some Words Of Wisdom from people who’ve already done a MA. (Or a PhD, but this is sort of a “what do I want to pack into these two years” sort of question.) I’m running out of time and hearing some other perspectives would be useful.

The school I’m leaning towards attending right now is Indiana University, in Bloomington. US News and World Report just issued their new rankings for 2008 and IU is ranked #2 in the nation, tied with Harvard. I know that if I go there, I will get a really top-notch education, and walk away with a degree that’s well-respected in the field. My only reservation is that they don’t have very much at all in the subfield that I’m specifically interested in going into. Living-wise, I’m not terribly thrilled about living in a college town, but I like the Midwest a lot in general. And there’s more Public Affairs stuff going on than you might think because the program is the largest in the country and draws in a lot of prominent people that you otherwise wouldn’t expect to find in a small town in Southern Indiana.

OTOH, I also really like the University of Washington, in Seattle. It’s ranked lower, but #14 is still pretty damned respectable, and I don’t want to base EVERYTHING on these rankings. They DO have a lot in the subfield I’m interested in, so that’s a plus. It’d be more expensive than Bloomington, but a big city would offer a lot of opportunities - there are a lot of paid internships through the county that probably wouldn’t be available in a smaller community. (I’m on the mailing list for the internships already and some of them look really cool.)

The thing is, I’m not sure how important the whole subfield thing is. This is a two year program and the majority of my time, no matter where I go, will be spent doing core courses that don’t vary a lot between institutions. In which case I should probably go to Indiana. BUT what if those, whatever, three classes I can take in Seattle that don’t exist in Bloomington help me get my dream job? Plus, 75% of the people who go through UW’s MPA program stay in Seattle, which kind of makes me wary. (Is it just cause they love Seattle, or does no one give a shit about their degrees outside of the PNW?) OMG LOSING MY MIND.

If you read through all of this self-indulgent crap, thanks for humoring me. Tell me where to go, okay?

2

I’m in a somewhat related field, although my decision-making process was very different. Is your plan after graduation to market yourself nationally and/or internationally? If so, I think that argues for Indiana, as long as they have some presence in your subfield. As you note, an MPA is largely about getting some fundamental core skills. People hiring in most subfields would be happy to get someone with a strong foundation in the core. Also, there’s always the possibility that a different subfield will attract you over the next two years, since either program will expose you to a lot of new people and ideas.

Good luck!

3

While it may be a college town, Bloomington is a very cool college town. Very liberal politically (for Indiana, anyway), pretty multicultural, lots of nifty locally-owned shops and restaurants. If you need something B-ton doesn’t have, the drive to Indianapolis is an hour, give or take, on nice big roads. I love Bloomington - and I’m a Purdue alum (big state school rivalry) :slight_smile:

I’m currently finishing up my graduate certificate in public management through SPEA at Indiana University’s Indianapolis campus (IUPUI, IU and Purdue in one nifty package!) and am in the process of applying to the MPA program for fall admission. I’m working full time, so it’s going to take me a while; the IUPUI program is specifically set up for people like me, but my understanding is that the Bloomington program is a more daytime-oriented program. I have been extremely pleased with my graduate education so far. I’m pretty sure you can take SPEA classes on both campuses, if there is something you are interested in that isn’t offered in Bloomington.

I suspect there are plenty of opportunities for paid internships around Bloomington; while it isn’t a big city, it is a city with a robust government, and there are other medium to small cities and towns of all sizes within an hour or so. There are also state government internships o’plenty in Indianapolis.

4

I am from the PNW, and did my MA at Bloomington (in another field)-- it’s a likable town. There’s a lot going on that isn’t directly associated with the school. And you only have to stand it for two years, after all-- then you can look for a job in Seattle! I don’t know enough about your field to say anything about subfields-- would the Masters be a terminal degree for you? Are you firm on your subfield, or is it something that can shift along the way? That might factor into things.

5

Winkie, it’s cool to hear positive comments from someone already at SPEA. (Well, I’ve heard from the guy they assigned to email me, but of course HE says he likes it, he’s supposed to say that.)

capybara, this would be a terminal degree, unless something radical happens to me in the future. I don’t want to be an academic at all - I want to learn what I need to know, and get a job in the field.

Harriet the Spry, yes, I want to work internationally, which is what’s making me lean towards Indiana. There are people who work internationally who went to UW, but there are more from Indiana. I think it would be helpful to work with people with similar goals.

Thanks, guys.