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DecisionsDecisions..

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Nebraska, US
  • Application Season
    2015 Fall
  • Program
    MPP

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  1. 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.
  2. Thank you, this is helpful. I missed both new admit days (price, time, distance, etc.) but I've been agonizing over the choice. I see the prestige and everyone I talk to have a reaction to Harvard, but it just seems like the environment at Berkeley is more intimate, it'll be a lot more affordable, and the quality of education will be excellent. I, like you, am also drawn to the community of Berkeley. Cambridge seems cool, but Berkeley seems like a real special city that is doing some fascinating municipal stuff that I'd be interested in following. I'm with you in saying I'm more interested in community development (local and state) rather than international or federal, but I could see myself running for office someday, and that gives me pause. But seriously, it seems like the number of people who are in office who attended ivy leagues are probably a corollary rather than an effect of an ivy league degree: people with the motivation and wits to get into an ivy league are likely to succeed in electoral politics. And when it comes down to it, I'd be shocked if most voters factor in educational institution in their voting decisions. I can't tell you where the governor of the state I live in went to school, and I work in state politics! So yeah, there are my thoughts. Any more perspective would be greatly appreciated!
  3. Awesome, that website is super interesting. I'm planning on going back to my home state of Ohio and doing state-level policy advocacy there. Just trying to get as much perspective as I can.
  4. Struggling with a tough decision between GSPP and HKS MPP. No funding has been provided for either. If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate being able to hear it.
  5. Awesome, thank you for the feedback. It's a tough decision process, but I have shifted this direction and am leaning towards Berkeley now. The big thing I'm worried about at Berkeley is that I want to get some management and negotiations training. I know I'll get that at HKS, but it seems like Berkeley is more focused on analysis. Also, I think I just need to suck it up and realize that a lot of the awe and prestige of Harvard is no more than awe and prestige. If I'm not getting an engaging classroom environment and if people are more focused on career than social change, there isn't much of a value in the name itself. It is tough to say "I'm going to turn down Harvard," though...
  6. So it's a little over a week to go before the decision deadline and I've whittled it down to two schools: HKS and GSPP. I'm interesting in learning best practices of policy analysis (with management skills as well) so I can return to my home state of Ohio and do policy advocacy there around the topics of income inequality, civic engagement, and progressive movement making. I got accepted to both schools and was not offered funding from either one. I'm leaning towards HKS because of the increased emphasis on management and "soft skills" and its nationwide network, but I'm a bit worried about the price tag. I see myself working for c(3)s and government for the rest of my life, so I would likely be able to count on public service loan forgiveness, and I have minimal undergraduate debt, so I feel comfortable taking on debt, but the accommodations GSPP makes for students to receive assistantships still perk my interest. Anyone else making this decision? Anyone have any insight to afford? Opinions are much appreciated.
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