Previous Schools: Denison University (top 50 liberal arts college)
Previous Degrees: BA in Philosophy, 3.61
GRE Scores: 165/165/4.5
Previous Work Experience: 3 years in community organizing, campaign, nonprofit policy work.
Math/Econ Background: Studied Calculus through Calc 2 and took a math proofs class as an undergraduate. Studied statistics in high school and took a refresher course at a community college the summer before grad application season. Econ experienced limited to introductory macroeconomics.
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Public Policy
Long Term Professional Goals: Lead policy advocacy campaigns at the state level.
Schools Applied to and Results: GSPP - Accepted, HKS - Accepted, Duke Sanford - Accepted, UT-Johnson - Accepted, Glenn - Accepted Ultimate Decision & Why: When I first got news from schools, I leaned strongly towards HKS. The prestige of Harvard is incredible and the opportunity to study there is an unreal thing to process. As I talked to more and more people, though, it just seemed that GSPP was the better choice. The real turning point for me came when I spoke to a current student in the HKS MPP program who, while he thought the program was good, encouraged me to go to GSPP. The class size and intimacy of the program are very attractive and the quality of interactions I had with faculty, students, and alumni before making my decision were just hard to beat. Also, at the end, GSPP made a financial offer that sealed the deal for me. While finances weren't my number one factor, when you have two schools that are so equal in reputation and quality, the offer of financial help can make a decision a lot easier.
Advice for Future Applicants: Have a plan and prepare hard. I can't tell you why exactly I got the offers I got, but I know that I worked hard to make myself the most attractive candidate possible by spending a lot of time honing my vision, gaining a variety of experiences in my three years out of undergraduate, and fostering my relationship with my references. I saw that quantitative skills may be a weakness of mine, so I took a refresher stats class at a community college. I served on nonprofit boards. I did things I cared about and then showed how this graduate degree would be the next step in helping me meet my career goals. If you get involved with things you care about and show that you're passionate and competent, it's hard not to do well. And, of course, it also helps to test well.