<p>Any input?
I was offered a 3 semester full scholarship at George Washington University, along with a 16k Research Assistantship my first year.
Georgetown is offering me nothing.</p>
<p>The offer from GW just came, and I've accepted Georgetown already, but informed them of the circumstances (they are looking into seeing if more funding is available, but have yet to respond with any solid info).</p>
<p>Any thoughts? I like Georgetown's program more, and their university more. But 100k in debt after a 2 year program is ALOT! George Washington University would leave me roughly 30k in debt, which is totally manageable. I think Georgetown is going to limit my career choices quite a bit (due to debt), and I'm not sure if the name value is going to add enough to make up for that. A $700/month payment for 25 years is a long time to be paying a debt off...</p>
<p>For the record: I'm interested in social policy, particularly welfare reform and poverty reduction....my goal is to work in the non-profit sector post-graduation, although I'd likely do a few years in the federal govt. first.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Is the name value of GT the two worth the additional 70k of debt?</p>
<p>Maybe you don't care what I have to say, but try to put aside our conflict on thegradcafe for a moment.</p>
<p>If I were in your position, I would absolutely and without hesitation choose GW. 100K of debt is insane. In my eyes, what school you go to affects primarily your first job after graduation (unless the difference is huge, such as between Harvard and the State University of West Georgia, or whatever -- in the end, the difference between Georgetown and GW is minimal). You've said you want to work for the federal government after graduation. I really doubt that for federal public sector employment the difference between GTown and GW is going to be substantial. Both are in DC and have tremendous networking opportunities. It's not as if the government recruits only from one school.</p>
<p>Later in your career, which school you went to will matter less than the connections you make and what you've accomplished during your experience.</p>
<p>That's my two cents. But then again, maybe Georgetown will come up with more aid for you; If they come up with more than half, Georgetown might be worthwhile.</p>
<p>This should be a no-brainer. GW, a very good program in its own right, is basically throwing cash at you whereas Georgetown is giving you nothing. The difference in quality+job prospects for either schools is really minimal and as normajean said, going 100K in the hole for a MPP is never a good idea.</p>