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scholl43

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  1. Many people are offered a TA position after having taken a class (and having done well in it). I'm not sure if I've ever heard of any 1st year Masters students getting TA position in the first semester, but definitely in the second.
  2. Very flexible. Many people swap to/from the DC track, typically when they're unsure of what they want going into the program. Some have even switched to 3 semester DC or even Australia.
  3. Hi MJA, I don't think that your job prospects are hurt by doing the 4 semester PGH track at all. There are plenty of people that do the 3 or 4 semester track there and then go to DC. Obviously the DC track will give you 1-3 experience (Summer before, Fall, and Spring) that could then set you up for a job offer during or after your second year. On the other hand, you have a lot less freedom in terms of course selection (no choice 2nd year, limited based on class exemptions in first year). I don't have feelings about job prospects because I have a job offer and that's not uncommon. Many people already have job offers from federal agencies, Deloitte consulting, NGOs, think tanks, and IBM. That's just what I know of (for PGH and DC MSPPM). Those offers probably range in pay from a GS-9 Step 1 ($52k/year, great federal benefits) to $100k (Deloitte, but more so IBM, with great benefits as well).
  4. 1. Mid-20's, a few years of experience in international work with a social sciences background. Did not go to a prestigious university (went public), but did a lot, had above a 3.5 GPA, and held many part-time jobs and a fellowship to help me out. 2. NGO operations work domestic and abroad. 3. You'd really have to ask an int'l student since it's such a different situation.
  5. Just bumping this thread in case people want to ask questions about CMU. Feel free to send a private message as well.
  6. Current CMU student here. Assuming you're talking about the Heinz College's MSPPM, here goes: The curriculum (like any) has it's strong and weak points. If you're in the 4 semester Pittsburgh track, you'll spend a lot of the first year getting the core required courses out of the way (micro econ, database management, writing, presentation, statistics, and management science). You have the opportunity to test out of any/all of those (and one or two I'm forgetting) and you definitely should if you can. No reason to waste your time. Don't take the writing class if you think it would be useful to brush up on writing; it's too simple of a course. Presentations only if you're a shaky-handed, shaky-voiced presenter. Database management - test out if you know Access. Management Science will kick your ass, but Jon Caulkins (used to head the Rand office) is brilliant and has done great work on drug policy. Outside of the core you can take SAS, R, GIS, Cost Benefit Analysis, and more advanced courses in econ, stats, management science, and predictive analytics. There are plenty regionally focused policy courses (think shale gas, Pennsylvania politics, etc.), but relatively little on the federal or international front. Heinz is all about eating up your time so don't expect to do much outside of school, especially if you're doing 54 or 60 credit semesters (6 credits per mini, which is half a semester and 12 credits for full semester). If you'd like, you can also apply to the DC track, which severely limits your choice in classes during the first year (no choice in the second year). Plenty of people swap out once they've accepted, sometimes very late. The advantage to this is that you work part time (or full) during your second year and likely get a job offer from your employer. Placement is more on your back, but if there are alumni connections where you're looking that helps. The career office isn't very useful, but the alumni network is. The nice part is that you can do anything with the MSPPM. People leave and work in local, state, federal, and international governments, non profits, and consulting firms (Deloitte, Booz Allen, and some smaller firms recruit heavily). The administration of the program is severely lacking so definitely confirm everything you can on your own. You see some of this in the career office staff (although it has improved), the financial aid/admission staff, and the IT support staff. Definitely leverage other admissions offers to negotiate more $$ from Heinz.
  7. I haven't heard of anyone working outside of Heinz as a TA or RA. I would talk to admissions or the program director/coordinator to see if that ever happens. I don't personally have any experience with the TA/RA process so you'd have to talk to the school about that as well. If you'd rather talk to a student, go through the Ambassador info and request a TA or RA specifically.
  8. They're very good for second year students that do well in classes during the first year. Many of my current TA's are 2nd year PPM's, but a few are PhD's. Some first year students end up as TA's in classes like Presentation Skills and Writing (separate classes). If you're strong in one/both of those, it may be possible to test out of them and TA for them in your first year, but you'll need to approach the professors about that. It's likely that they'll line up TA's from first year students for the first semester of the 2nd year, but it never hurts to try. @Crazy Bird, I would call someone in Career Services and try to connect to the Heinz Ambassadors to have them connect you to international PPM's to talk about their experiences.
  9. I am someone who had been away from quant work for a while and I did well in Stats. Stats shows up again in the second semester in Management Science and (for me) SAS. In Stats we used Mini tabs using problems in the book and problems developed by Dan Nagin (he's kind of a big deal these days). Overall, the coursework is challenging both in its content and volume. If you're admitted, nothing should really be beyond your reach, but classes like Management Science, Data Analytics, and Econometrics will be more challenging. Some people balance this out with Acting for Management (seriously), Multimedia, etc. where you're learning great skills, but it's a different type of work. As to your last question, I think it depends on your specialized interest. If you're in the DC track, that's not really possible because of core requirements. I think as a two-year, there's more flexibility and professors do bring students on for independent studies and as research assistants. I actually just heard an alum talk about how she got to work with Jon Caulkins on drug trafficking in Colombia.
  10. I'm a current first years student and I thought I'd just note a few things based on what I've read. Just to be clear, this is a new track and not a new program. There's always a bit of switching going on within Heinz during the first year so if you didn't get into the DC track or POLA, that doesn't mean you can't when you get to Pittsburgh. I know at least three people have dropped out of DC and those spots have been filled. My impression is that employers are well aware of the value of this track, but with any program, you're still going to have to highlight your experience and education and how it's relevant to whatever position you're applying to. That said, Deloitte heavily recruits from Heinz for different programs in different areas of their practice. If you're unfamiliar with Deloitte, you can do state/local, federal, and international govt. work there in addition to the more popularly known private sector work they do. Reach out to Jon Caulkins and discuss the program with him. This program (and track) is very different from Harvard's MPP, but I really enjoy it because the skills are very transferable whereas a straight policy school isn't going to give you as much breadth.
  11. I think there's a full range of tuition assistance, but I honestly don't really ask too many people about it. That's mostly because I have a very good financial aid package (large % of tuition waived, stipend, work study, and loans were all in my financial aid package). I haven't been able to keep up with as much work study work as I had initially hoped so I won't max that out, but I've unexpectedly been able to borrow a little bit of money from my parents (sub-$5k) and stay debt free when it comes to bank/govt. loans so far. That will likely change in my second year. I'm generally unfamiliar with the TA positions. Some first year students end up becoming their colleagues' TA if they have experience or you can become a TA after taking a class (and doing well). I think the full tuition in exchange for constant/full time TA positions is something reserved for PhDs. That doesn't mean that you can't get full tuition, but you need to have the right package (great letters of rec, great statement, great GPA, preferably some relevant work experience). Since I have nothing to do with admissions, I couldn't tell you what mix of those things you need (they don't all need to be great), but the more you have, the more Heinz will want you.
  12. I hope admissions results are going well for everyone. Since I got a lot out of these forums in the past, I just wanted to offer to talk to anyone about life as a first year at CMU/Heinz College if interested. I can also talk about my decision process, but that's probably less relevant since it's so subjective. Just PM me if you're interested.
  13. MPP Gal has a great suggestion. Don't go to U of Chicago or Columbia because they don't fund students. You sound like me (quite debt averse) and taking on that kind of debt, especially if you don't have a very clear path of what you want to do with a professional degree, doesn't make any sense. Rankings are kind of garbage so don't buy into them. Just reach out to alumni of the programs you're looking at to get their perspectives on the program. That will be really valuable to know if the school is worth it. Talk to a few people from the schools you're really interested in since experience varies. I've talked to plenty of people that have radically different experiences within one program and the differences often amount to a lack of focus/goals from the outset minimal professional experience before grad school poor planning overall (course selection, internship search/application process) If you know what your dream job is, go look at the people doing it. You might be able to find their full resume or some kind of interview with them (alumni article from their alma mater) where you can see what kind of degree/what school helped them get to where they are. I've been surprised to find a bunch of "no-name" schools behind great people in my life, which just goes to show what motivation, initiative, and intelligence can do for you beyond credentials.
  14. I don't think I can say anything on #2, but in terms of where to apply, I'd shoot for everything. Even if you don't plan on going to Harvard, but think you can get in and possibly get funding, apply to Harvard. That way you can use Harvard (or whatever school) as leverage with other schools. I don't think prestige is a big deal unless you want to be in the upper echelons of some of the most powerful institutions in the world, but even then it's more about performance and network. If you want to be a local city/state worker, prestige will matter much less.
  15. If you know you have two really solid recs and the third is more or less icing on the cake, I'd go with the academic side. First off, if you have less than 3 years of professional (paid, not internships), I'm not sure your resume warrants more than 1 professional letter. Having two references from the same workplace could potentially say to someone, "This person didn't have enough options for references." For that reason, I think it would be stronger to get another academic reference, especially if that person can really personalize it. I had 2 years of experience and went with 1 academic (undergrad), 1 professional (current job), and 1 that was a past internship coordinator/supervisor and had become a colleague through a related organization. That last one probably is rare, but it was nice to have as it was someone who knew me really well and had worked with me as both a subordinate and as a colleague of equal status.
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