Jess C

I went to a grad school fair and talked to admissions reps from all of these schools. I didn't like AU for similar reasons you mentioned, but they seemed to have great networking and internship opportunities. I'll have to visit to get a better impression though. I was also impressed with GMU. They seemed really open and helpful. I don't know how you feel about the mid-west, but have you looked at University of Michigan-Ford or University of Minnesota-Humphries? Financial aid is a big factor for me, so I'd say go where you can afford to go.

If I were in your shoes I would ask the admissions how they weigh GRE scores for the programs. I was able to talk with admissions counselors during graduate school fairs and my general impression was that they looked at the overall application. Regardless they want good students who will do well in their program. If you don't have work experience..maybe talk about internships or research opportunities you took advantage of.

Try this link as well. http://www.scribd.com/doc/78654038/The-GovLoop-Guide-To-Earning-a-Masters-of-Public-Policy-2011 It helped me a great deal when differentiating between the MPP and MPA. Vanderbilt is highly ranked for Educational Policy. If you want a strong quant. background the programs that come to mind are University of Michigan-Ford, University of Minnesota-Humphries, Duke-Sanford, and Georgetown Institute of Public Policy. This is based on my research though. Hope it helps a little.

I am thinking of applying there for next year. Were you able to get a good financial aid package? Do you like it so far? I really hope I get to come out there soon and visit.

I don't know about Canada, but if you are open to studying in the States why not take the GRE? Sadly the GRE is required for most graduate programs. I wish I didn't have to take it either. If that is not a viable option I think focusing on your personal statement should help, especially since you said when you first applied you weren't focused.

I recently attended a graduate school fair. A lot of the programs that you have require you to get that "hand-ons" experience either through an internship or through research. I don't think any program only hands on, but some are more quantitative than others. In addition to the programs you have listed look at University of Pennslyvania, Maxwell, and Humphries (University of minnesota). I know for a fact Humphries, Harris, and Sanford have pre-req courses like statistics and microecon, but Humphries allows you to take a course online prior to starting their program. Harris and Sanford want you to have at least 2 years of work experience (but I think that included internships) and seemed rather quant heavy. I would just contact the schools through e-mail. Best of luck.

Well you are way ahead of me! I just graduated and am also considering a MPP or MPA program. I recently attended a graduate school fair and learned a lot. It really depends on the program. Definitely look at schools that have a strong international program or M.P.A. programs that align with your interests I know University of Maryland had a really good program and is known for its international program. Syracuse's Maxwell School has one the best M.P.A programs in the country. They also have great connections with internship opportunities. Other schools I liked included American University, and University of Minnesota for their M.P.A. In terms of specific interests you'd probably just have to get internships in those fields to see if that is a good fit for you. Also most schools allow you to specialize in areas. I suggest you research the programs individually I think the more you know what you want from a program the easier it becomes to narrow down your choices. Attend a graduate school fair if you can, it really helped me a great deal. Idealist.org usually host them in the bigger cities.

I just recently attend a graduate school fair. My general impression was for GRE check with individual schools regarding the avaerage scores of applicants. Since you have a strong GPA though you should be o.k. I was told that statement of purpose is important as well as recommendations that really speak to your abilities as a student. The schools what to know exactly WHY you want to attend their program and how they will be a good fit for your career goals. Most schools seemed to understand that not everyone is the best test-taker, but if you feel you can honestly do better given the time constraints then go for it, if not then focus on the SOP and working with your professor.

I'm not an attonery, but personally from what I see you should certainly try to get someone to review your situation. Have your schools said exactly why they aren't funding you? I have family members who have also been in messed up situations and its cost them their entire career. So, I would say go for it especially if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this past event is negatively impacting your chances of funding graduate school. When it's your future at stake you have to look at every viable option. Maybe people from the program you were pulled from can vouche for you too. You need to have as much support as you can get. Best of luck.

This is very helpful.

Thank you for the reply. However , I think you assume I haven't done basic research which is not the case. I've looked at program websites of all the schools I am interested in, talked to professors, an alumni from my college who works in in public health policy. However I haven't had an opportunity to talk to many graduate students or students applying to graduate programs in M.P.P. so I feel like I am missing a huge perspective. Maybe I'm just not asking the right questions? (The internationl bit was kind of thrown in there haphazardly) My other concern is how have graduates of M.P.P. programs faired in the terms of employment and if those graduates feel their particular degree was the best option for them.

Hello everyone. I just graduated in May from my college. I decided to go into policy rather late so I have limited experience. To sum it all up quickly I am not a very competitive applicant for the programs I want to apply to. That being said, I am taking at least 2 years possibly more off and trying to get a job that is remotely related to what I want to do in the future. Additionally, I am building other experience through volunteering with some organizations as well as taking some additional coursework. I've run into some issues when considering a master's or PhD program. A master's seems like a good fit, but I've been encouraged to pursue a PhD program because of funding. However I don't like doing research like that and really don't have a desire to teach. (Any PhDs working outside of academics?) I've been told there no jobs out here so getting a master's is useless. There is one PhD program I am seriously considering applying to because the topic interests me a great deal, the rest are M.P.P.s. For M.P.P graduates what has the job market been like for you? Was your master's degree worth it in the end? Also do any M.P.P grads work internationally? I wouldn't mind working overseas. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I can't help much with the first question, but I would suggets you look at U.S. Rankings for programs in public policy and then look at the programs that offer what you are interested in. Minimum GPA is 3.0 out of 4.0 for PhD programs.