Applying To Colleges

[Marston]

I'm finishing up my double-majors in Public Administration and Health Science next year. I plan on obtaining my Master's in Healthcare Administration. I've been browsing grad schools for the past couple months now (never too early) and here is what I'm looking at:

Grand Valley State University (Just a safety, really)
Northern Michigan University (Another safety)
U of M - Ann Arbor (#1 choice. Great program. Affordable tuition relatively speaking. Close to home but also far enough away )
University of Detroit Mercy
Ohio State University - My #2 choice.
University of Pittsburgh
Penn State
University of Indiana
Northwestern University
University of Minnesota - #3 choice.

I want to stay in the Midwest but I'm not adverse to leaving Michigan.

[Marston]

Has anyone applied or thought about applying to the University of Washington? It's still pretty far off for me but I'm contemplating applying there for Grad School after I get back from the Peace Corps (assuming I get into the Peace Corps *knock on wood*). I'm going to go for my Master's in Public Policy.

[Marston]

University of Phoenix






Just kidding!

I go to Saginaw Valley State University. It's a mid-tier public university by Michigan's standards. I got into UofM and MSU but the allure of full tuition remission was just too much to pass up. Barring anything disastrous, I should graduate with about a 3.8-3.85 GPA. My extra-curriculars are good and after I get back from the Peace Corps *again, knock on wood*, I should have a pretty demonstrable record concerning commitment to public service.   

Oh, and I meant Master's of Public Administration. Sorry, MPA and MPP are so easy to confuse sometimes.

[Marston]

University of Phoenix






Just kidding!

I go to Saginaw Valley State University. It's a mid-tier public university by Michigan's standards. I got into UofM and MSU but the allure of full tuition remission was just too much to pass up. Barring anything disastrous, I should graduate with about a 3.8-3.85 GPA. My extra-curriculars are good and after I get back from the Peace Corps *again, knock on wood*, I should have a pretty demonstrable record concerning commitment to public service.  

Oh, and I meant Master's of Public Administration. Sorry, MPA and MPP are so easy to confuse sometimes.

With a 3.85 and good extracurricular activities (Peace Corps, yeah, you're solid), you would most likely get into Washington. But hell, if you score high enough on the GRE, you could get into Harvard Kennedy or Princeton WWS too, probably. Applying for an MPA isn't nearly as competitive as say, a JD. Keep that in mind.

Thanks.

Yeah, one of my primary faults is that I underestimate myself to my own detriment. I probably could have ascertained some good scholarships to U of M or MSU but I always disqualify myself in my mind beforehand and don't even end up trying for them (which is why I probably jumped at the full-ride that SVSU was offering me).

Thanks for the information and advice. If you're still on the forum in 2 1/2 years, I'll let you know how it all worked out.