nattynudnik

Joe: As a graduate of Harris, I have the impression there was a focus on GRE quant scores for MPP funding. Remember, this is a school that prides itself on doing quant right and rigor. Most of the people I knew with full rides had perfect or near perfect quant scores. I had a 760Q (which was 87th percentile at the time), 690V (96th percentile then), a lackluster undergrad GPA, a humanities degree, five years of work experience, and got about 2/3 funding for tuition. I also had a full ride offer at a school in California. That was four years ago, but most of the staff is the same at Harris, so I think it's probably still true. As far as I could tell, most people received at least some aid. I also know the class that came in after me had a higher average GREs and GPS; things were getting more competitive. Oh, and take linear algebra - there are a couple people on the adcom that LOVE a background in linear algebra. As for Clay Made's comments, it's hard to not to feel a little defensive considering there may be some hyperbole there, but I think she made the right decision for her. Chicago has its own style, UChicago especially, and customer service is just different there. From 2009 through at least 2011, there was only one admissions person, and I had a similar experience about not hearing back. However, the fit was right for me, so I got over it. If you're quant-focused, there's no better program. Period. Also, if you think you'll be staying in Chicago, take a look at the rosters for city gov, county gov, CPS - Harris practically runs the city. Hope that helps!