UW-Madison vs. UNC-Chapel Hill

Syracuse has a top rated program- and is still accepting applications for a July start. It takes ~50% of applicants.

IRL the biggest driver of MPAs is for government workers who have a few years experience and need a masters degree to qualify for promotion to a given rank. Notice how many pathways there are- online, short courses that can be done on weekends, etc.

Your field probably will require a Masters at some point- but it’s too early to commit. You want to be sure which Masters will suit your actual path- and you don’t (& can’t) know what that is at this point.