Thanks for all the advice. Taking grad level courses at a public affairs school would allow me to get new rec's and would provide a different GPA if I decide to reapply next cycle.
I appreciate the tough love, but I think you're overly harsh. This isn't law school, business school or medical school. Admissions to these schools is not THAT selective. I'm guessing the acceptance rate is 30% and above for many of these schools excluding the obvious exceptions. Did I expect to get in? No. But I thought I had a shot, particularly at American.
I've seen candidates with lesser GRE scores get in.. I've seen candidates straight out of college get in.. it isn't rocket science and an MPA is not the holy grail, even at Harvard.
As for lost and destine, I feel your pain and best of luck in moving forward. Azrou, I'm already working on many of the things you suggested and figuring out what is the best way to achieve very specific goals i have (I didn't put them here because they were so specific to the point of giving more information on here than I feel comfortable with).
For others that may be reading this thread, my suggestion would be to not only follow the advice given here but also look at schools other than HKS, WWS, etc. If you have the talent and the will, you'll succeed whether you attend the most prestigious schools or not.
HomeGrown got a reaction from Mick Loving in Advice for someone rejected from every school