Dinosaur7

Dang, I was thrilled to get upgraded to $20k (from 10k). I should have kept at it!! Congrats Hilldog--I think I'll be seeing you next year!

Really interesting feedback on this thread, as it is different than what I've seen! I am fairly familiar with AIR/MPR and that sort of industry. What I've seen is that most kids coming out grad school know STATA, but that isn't really preferred by employers--but they are learning STATA in grad school, so presumably that's what their professors use? People really like SAS for its abilities to handle massive datasets. It definitely has its quirks and is not intuitive, but I think it is the most powerful of all the options. Also if you go into federal contracting, you will find that there are contracts that you need to use SAS for. So if you already have that skill, that's a bonus. I'm really intrigued to hear people say R because I have not seen that much in the workplace yet (but used it back in undergrad). It would make my life easier if that was where things were headed! Depending on your field of interest, ArcGIS is a good skill to pick up in addition to statistical programming. That type of analysis is becoming more popular and not many people have it.

IT'S HAPPENING. I'm MPP for reference. Waitlisted. Wow. So the waiting continues.

I would argue that HBS likely has significantly more staff than HKS. It still is really ridiculous that they can't even bother to give us a date. That blog post was kind of jerky.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, and especially on Harris! I definitely will be asking this at admit days--ideally I'd work more like 20 hours a week, but I just want to make sure that's reasonable. It can vary based on week, but I just want to give my job a sense of what to expect on average. I'm specifically interested in hearing about HKS, if anyone has anything to add--is the courseload really as rigorous as they purport? Not feasible to work while in school?

$10k scholarship over here (for the year). Glad to see anything, but hoping for more...I know in last year's thread, someone had some success negotiating with GPPI for more money. Any idea how we would go about that?

Absolutely, no problem! Just be advised that my experience has been exclusively in domestic policy, so I'm not personally familiar with the international development field!

I did - just before 1 pm, so maybe they are sending them out over the course of the afternoon. Can't hurt to call and ask though!

Just heard today (MPP). Tuition remission (which I'm assuming is basically just a scholarship?) for 12 credits, or about $17k a year (renewable). Tempting considering my lack of other funding offers so far, but ultimately American wasn't my top choice/best fit--so I will probably turn it down.

Apologies if there is already a thread on this...if so, please feel free to direct me there! I am trying to figure out how feasible it will be for me to continue to work during grad school. I currently have a position that I really like and is directly related to my subject matter of interest. They want me to continue working for them on a part-time and flexible basis (aka, not during regular hours/can work when I have the time). Plus, they offer tuition benefits if I meet a certain minimum of hours. And I honestly just think it would be great for resume continuity to continue my work experience during grad school. As it becomes apparent to me that I am probably not going to get significant funding from my programs of choice, I'm trying to figure out how many hours per week I could work at my current job while take the "full" course load at various schools. So I'm basically wondering: how rigorous are the course loads? Would it take away from my experience to work in a private sector position while in school? The programs I'm particularly interested in hearing about are: Harris MPP, Wagner MPA, GPPI MPP (though I have funding pending there, fingers crossed), and Kennedy (obviously not in yet!). But if anyone has any insight to offer on other programs that's great too, as I'm sure others would appreciate it!

I've worked in private sector policy (consulting) in DC for four years and currently for a prestigious firm. I will say this...I really don't think it is as bad or as difficult to find a permanent position as that article makes it out to be. And granted, I know that the plural of anecdote is not data, so take this with a grain of salt as it is just based on my and my friends' experiences. Sure, there are a few people that get internship after internship. But most people I know that are currently in internships/recently left had full time offers that they turned down because they weren't "the right fit" or enough money. Maybe that was the best decision for them, but I think they were being overly picky. It's more important to get your foot in the door somewhere. I will say this: jobs are increasingly looking for "jack of all trades" types, especially for us 20-somethings. They want you to write, do stats, lead calls, interview candidates...etc. You won't be considered an "expert" in anything for many years, no matter how rigorous your coursework or how specific your thesis. I think that's another issue with internships--more frequently you can get an internship focused on the subject you are really interested in, but full time positions will be broader and less specific. Also, I don't think it is based as much on connections/networking as people think, especially in the private sector. I got contacted for interviews after submitting my resume/cover letter for several positions, despite having no connections. I do think that connections/networking help big time for Hill/agency jobs and ultimately are more important there. So basically, if you are willing to take something that is slightly-less than your dream job, I don't think the DC job market is anything to fear. Obviously, if you want to go public sector straight out, network your butt off and focus on what sort of $$ you can get from schools because those positions are low(er)-paying. But I sincerely doubt that any of us talented candidates on the boards would be stuck in an internship-level position for many months/years on end if we don't want to. I'm happy to answer any questions about DC that people have!

Kind of off topic...but does anyone have a sense whether it is feasible to work part-time (with a flexible schedule) while at HKS? I know lots of the DC policy schools encourage people to work part-time/have internships/etc. Any sense of whether somewhere between 5-20 hours a week would be reasonable for HKS, and if yes, how much time seems reasonable based on the course load?

Thanks for the congrats! There's someone else in the results database that posted for Wagner Health Policy and Management that isn't me. But I did apply to the HPM track, so maybe only those were sent out? I'm sure the rest are coming soon!

Yeah it came through an email--subject line was "An Important Message from NYU Wagner" and I thought to myself if this is another freaking email about a webinar...haha. But then the inside said "Congratulations on your admission to NYU Wagner!" They say the official letter of admission will be emailed later today.

Just got my Wagner acceptance! They had a link to some video, haha. Formal offer of admission (with funding info I'm hoping?) should come later today.