datik
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Everything posted by datik
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Does anybody here know if Harvard students have access to any sort of gym facilities? If so, is there an extra fee to pay? In unrelated notes, any affordable gym in the cambridge/brighton/boston area? I just want to lift some weights to stay fit in the cold winter months.
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Very cool, thanks for the info @Butterfly_effect So to me it seems that GSAS seems like a very convenient option money-wise.
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Any approximate number for average monthly prices for GSAS?
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Do the accepted people have a clear idea of what they will do for accomodations? I am a foreign student and am beginning to be anxious to find a cheap but comfortable place. I was thinking sharing a flat in Sommerville but obviously I cannot visit before. What are the plans for foreign students? With how much anticipation will you reserve?
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Well of course, different circumstances. I should have mentioned that I am from outside the US and if I wanted to return home I would probably have a lower rent potential, so I also must factor that.
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Does anyone know the start/end dates for the MPP program? I am also doing this, but only because I have a considerable amount saved up and my parents can support a certain percentage of the tuition. I would not do it if I had to go full debt for the entire cost of the program.
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The aid packages on offer are not HKS specific
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Yeah
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Financial decisions are out and once again I didn't get anyything
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Do I lack the policy background for an MPP to make sense?
datik replied to Agriff's topic in Government Affairs Forum
If I read your post correctly your concern is not so much wheter or not you will be able to get in, but rather if it will actually be useful for your professional life. And the answer to that is: It depends. As stated above, the term policy is very foggy and could mean a bunch of different things. Do you have a clear idea of what you want to do? Do you have institutions in mind where you would like to work? The thing is that for working in government, multilateral institutitons or NGOs, an MPP could actually be a useful thing to have. However, it won't guarantee by itself a sucessful career. You need to have at least a defined direction while you are doing the program, maybe looking at internship opportunities, or learning as much as you can about the field you are interested in. What I would advise against is coming to these programs with a vague notion that you want to be in "policy" (whatever that means) and just flowing with the wind, hoping to catch a cool job whenever you finish your degree, by some cosmic coincidence. -
So what essays are y'all submitting?
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Its not a deal breaker. The average work experience at HKS is between 2 and 3 years. So that tells you plenty of people are below that. But as you well stated, you need a well-crafted narrative. No. Only send as many LORs as requested. How you choose the 3 people who will recommend you among all your contacts is also something that says a lot about you.
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Advice from the inside - hiring in the private sector
datik replied to PublicPolicyHiring's topic in Government Affairs Forum
Sigaba, how would you recommend communicating with your employer that you have the "work ethic" and maturity needed for that position? -
No! HKS has a very diverse group of students. What's common knowledge is that the admissions office seeks people with potential to be "leaders", whatever that may mean. Point is, that involves people without a necessairly strong Quant background. Of course, if you have over 160Q, that doesn't hurt.
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What is the career path you want to follow? Also, how does that plan compare to that of your peers? Does a big % of students have it "figured it out"? Thanks!
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I'm sorry to say but the low GRE scores will raise a lot of flags in the best schools.
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You have fantastic scores and if I were you I would work on the other parts of the application which you have control over (more importantly, your essays). Its grand that you are using the extra time to work on something relevant. I would also suggest looking into Princeton. They are hard to get into but more generous with aid. It is not unlikely that you will be accepted at HKS, but getting scholarship money there is very difficult. To be honest scholarship money is more contingent in other factors after you cross the 160 GRE threshold
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I wanted to thank you for this thread as it is always useful to hear a negative perspective to contrast your own desires (bath yourself with a bucket of reality), as well as hearing the excellents counter-points provided above. What I take from this discussion is that you cannot get an MPP and expect to get rich (even if Ivy League, etc.), so be very careful when taking on debt. Also, that there are opportunities but one should be very clear in the kind of jobs/direction you want to go (the more specific the better), and if not, you should take career counseling opportunities very seriously. Cheers,
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Move back & work or apply to grad school?
datik replied to MattDU's topic in Government Affairs Forum
Exactly. Get creative. Its alright to panic, sometimes panic is a good wake up call that we need to change things up. But don't let it freeze you. Use that energy to moving towards your goals -
It depends on the school. I know that in Chicago Harris they have 3 rounds and its much more likely you will get aid if you apply to the first one
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My dream is to work in international consulting, hopefully working with governments and NGOs around the world
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Its great but it does not have practice tests in the traditional sense. It has a pool of hundrends of questions for quant and verbal, each one with a detailed explanation and links to the appropriate material. You can choose to take a slice of these questions for a practice run with the same number of questions as those of the test, but the questions may not be as calibrated in difficulty as those in the real thing. I found that PowerPrep mock tests are a better predictor. The questions are slightly harder than the real thing, and cover everything. If you finish it you should feel confident in whatever the test throws at you.
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How valuable is a MPA these days? What can you do with it?
datik replied to pafan's topic in Government Affairs Forum
I graduated from PoliSci and began working in political communications at my local gov't. I wanted to pivot into more policy-oriented roles so I'm beginning my MPP at HKS in order to move into international consulting (I'm from outside the US), and later maybe return to public sector in my country. I'm just beginning my career path so I can't tell you if I will be sucessful or not. -
MOOCs are all the rage these days, with LinkedIn opening its own service that you can then validate in your profile. As for putting it in your CV when you apply to jobs, then I'd say the answer depends on your field, the relevance, and the position you are applying to. I'd imagine for a more academic position it may look like fluff but for a more practical position where you need specific skills, it would be helpful to know you were proactive enough to take a course (while naming the institution and professor). I keep all the extra courses I make in my all-purposes CV in any case, because I can always take it down later. Remember that you should always, always, always revise your CV to fit the particular use you have for it at any given time.
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From my limited understanding, HKS is not that hard to get into (big class size) but gives very little aid. Princeton's WWS is one of the hardest to get into (small classes) but a majority of students get some aid. I would also like to mention Syracuse Maxwell's. I did not have a spectacular resume by any means but they offered me 80% tuition aid if I worked as a research assistant (win-win for me).
