<p>I've been accepted to the MPP program at Georgetown, but they are not giving me any scholarships and I'm not eligible for financial aid (despite the fact that my family and I have lived in the US forever now, we don't have permanent residence status -- we're from Canada.) </p>
<p>I don't know if I'll be getting into other schools yet. But I'm really starting to wonder whether getting the MPP at this time, and having to go so much into debt is really worth it. I'm an undergraduate right now and I could wait a year or two before applying again. It's just that it seems like every job that looks interesting to me requires a master's degree. I would like to work in the public sector as an analyst in welfare, labour or immigration policy, or possibly do public sector consulting in those fields (if I want to stay in the US).</p>
<p>I just want to know if other people are also planning to drag themselves into $100K of debt just get a degree that doesn't seem like it'll increase earning power by that much. Why?</p>
<p>I'm more compelled to do it because I can't get a job in the field I want unless I get an MPP or another master's degree. I feel like I will have to get it eventually. If I go into the job market right now I'll probably end up doing something I'm not terribly satisfied with...</p>
<p>You could try working for 1-2 years to save up some money, and then go into the MPP program. That way you wouldn't have to take on as much debt.</p>
<p>it turns out i posted too early and i just heard from georgetown saying they will give me 20K plus an assistantship.</p>
<p>they told me this PAST the deadline they were supposed to tell all the students receiving scholarships about their status -- and they had said they would NOT contact students not receiving scholarships. so i assumed i wouldn't be getting anything!</p>
<p>so i'm sort of an idiot freaking out.</p>
<p>anyhow, with 20K a year, I probably couldn't even save that much working, so now it seems a good bet to go straight to the master's.</p>