MPP out of undergrad

[ym3237]

I recently decided I would like to pursue an mpp, but since I'm new to the process I'm still pretty clueless on some of the traits that these programs look for. For me, the most concerning thing is the work experience aspect. I have volunteer work during undergrad and full time work during my time as an undergrad, but nothing pertaining to policy. A lot of the work was with campus organizations or in law offices since law school was the original plan. I'm an econ major with a 3.87 GPA, my GRE was 167Q, 168V, and 5W. Do these numbers still make me competitive for programs like UCLA or is the lack of work experience a total killer for my chances? 

[MD guy]

Don't think you'll have a problem as long as your SOP is coherent and exudes maturity, as well as strong LORs. Straight through people are expected to have top marks which you obviously do, so the biggest hurdle is done I would say.

Edited September 10, 2016 by MD guy

[Ben414]

For those straight out of undergrad, top programs will want great academic credentials (which you seem to have) and work experience deemed relatively excellent for someone coming straight out of undergrad. You say you did some volunteer work; did that include formal internships? If not, I think you would be hard pressed to gain admittance to some top programs. UCLA may not be one of those schools that cares more about work experience, though, so it's also possible you have a great shot there. It would help for you to look at their website and see if you can figure out what percent of their incoming classes tend to be straight out of undergrad.

[ym3237]

6 hours ago, Ben414 said:

For those straight out of undergrad, top programs will want great academic credentials (which you seem to have) and work experience deemed relatively excellent for someone coming straight out of undergrad. You say you did some volunteer work; did that include formal internships? If not, I think you would be hard pressed to gain admittance to some top programs. UCLA may not be one of those schools that cares more about work experience, though, so it's also possible you have a great shot there. It would help for you to look at their website and see if you can figure out what percent of their incoming classes tend to be straight out of undergrad.

Thank you for all the help. I've done some management work for student media on campus which put me in a position where I was in charge of over 100 volunteers and advocated for more funding for our volunteer base which tends to be much more diverse than other on-campus publications. This was a formally paid, managerial position amongst students, but I don't know how much that helps. I also have close to 8 months at a legal internship, which did have some research in policy but more drafting than anything. My volunteer work was mostly on my own time, but it is a decent amount of work. I really don't know if any of this is relevant, but I hope its better than nothing. 

[ym3237]

8 hours ago, MD guy said:

Don't think you'll have a problem as long as your SOP is coherent and exudes maturity, as well as strong LORs. Straight through people are expected to have top marks which you obviously do, so the biggest hurdle is done I would say.

Thank you for the info, that makes me feel better going into the app process. For LORs, all three of mine are from professors, I could get one from my boss at my internship but I don't know how great she is at crafting LORs for this program, only really knows law school. Should I diversify or are professors fine? All three know me incredibly well, and are from different disciplines that I think could each highlight a specific aspect of my strengths. 

[pubpol101]

5 hours ago, YungMinsky said:

Should I diversify or are professors fine?

You should probably get at least one rec from an employer. It doesn't necessarily have to be outside of the school--if you did research for a professor, that professor could count as your employer. What's important is that you have at least one rec from someone you worked for since many schools (e.g. I think SIPA is one of them) request that you have at least one employer reference.

If you don't have full confidence in your employers' abilities to write a rec, you can ask if you can write it yourself and have them approve/edit it.

[Ella16]

Congrats on your GRE scores, those are phenomenal! Clearly you are highly capable in the academic sense. As an admissions officer I would be worried about this spur of the moment grad school change. The fact that you were planning on going into law and recently changed your mind for policy would not inspire confidence in you truly wanting to dedicate your life to this and being able to finish your degree and go on to become a policy-maker. I would want to see some real commitment to the field and an explanation on why and how you decided this was right for you and which part you're interested in. Do you care about education, health, gender issues, human rights, trade? Make sure to create a narrative that shows that this is truly the right field for you and not just a whim. 

[ym3237]

32 minutes ago, Ella16 said:

The fact that you were planning on going into law and recently changed your mind for policy would not inspire confidence in you truly wanting to dedicate your life to this and being able to finish your degree and go on to become a policy-maker. I would want to see some real commitment to the field and an explanation on why and how you decided this was right for you and which part you're interested in. Do you care about education, health, gender issues, human rights, trade? Make sure to create a narrative that shows that this is truly the right field for you and not just a whim. 

Thank you for the feedback! I probably wouldn't include the recent change of heart in my narrative, but if its any consolation law school was supposed to always be a guide toward politics for me. Once I sat down and thought about how realistic it would be to actually get to work with policy, outside of reading it, I realized my passion for econ and public interest topics is better suited with a degree in policy. As far as interests, I already know I would be going into economic development, more specifically international development with an emphasis on the effects of trade while hopefully also getting to study political economy in some capacity. 

[coasts]

It's certainly possible to get into programs without work experience, but it's worth considering getting some work experience anyway. I don't know your background so I don't want to make any judgments, but I'll say that as a current student, it's very obvious to me who is coming straight out of undergrad and who isn't, and those who have work experience have a lot to offer. Also, an MPP/MPA is a pretty specific professional degree so working might clarify whether this really is the path you want to pursue. 

[CakeTea]

Generally adcomms look at academics, professional work experience and relevant extracurriculars/leadership/volunteering roles.

Congratulations on your jumbo scores, I think you clear this hurdle clearly and your scores are in the top range for most schools

leadership/volunteering roles: You have done a lot during your studies. Policy work is welcome, but you can excel in other areas. Adcomms look at your contribution and impact in an organisation.

Work: Imho work is conducive to your government school experience as you can relate various policies and can contribute more in class discussions.

I have seen from previous posts that various strong applicants straight out of undergrad with stellar GPA/GRE are accepted at GWU, LBJ, Humphrey, SAIS.  

 

[sada]

I have a similar background (except such great acad scores) but got an admit from a dream school.
GPA 3.5; GRE 170/161/4.5; TOEFL 116; Good internships and relevant Projects in energy
Admit from UMN Humphrey school (MS in Science, Tech, Env policy- specialization in Energy)

I love the school, faculty, projects/ research, campus, city

but not sure if my going to Public Policy course after just 1 year after undergrad will be considered a shortcoming by employers. 

Also, will it be more difficult for an International student to find a job in US policy sector?

I am looking at Energy utilities, Analysis/ Consulting companies, State Depts of energy, Govt/ Public jobs in policy, National Laboratories etc.