biscuits

Hi PJM, Not quite sure what you mean! I was waitlisted, which means I got a rather nice email explaining that they would have admitted me if only there had been more spots. (Take that with as large a grain of salt as you wish.) The email went on to explain that the waitlist is quite hard to predict: sometimes they admit a good chunk of people off the list, and sometimes they don't take anyone. It all depends on the initial yield. I did appreciate that HKS was very upfront regarding the gamble of relying on the waitlist. They stated that the earliest wait listed folks could expect a response would be May. Consequently, they encouraged waitlisted applicants to accept other offers if we found them appealing.

. I'm originally from Atlanta, so my winter weather knowledge is hard-won! (Warm weather folks, I am living proof that you can conquer the cold! Just get a coat that is much warmer than you think you'll need. Trust the nice weather-rating folks at LL Bean.)

Seconding pears. You should be fine if you get a car with all wheel drive and watch the weather reports. Watch out for conditions that may cause black ice, and try to avoid driving until the streets have been plowed. In most cities that are experienced with snow, you should only have to wait overnight (at most) for the streets to clear. Go slow and leave yourself lots of time to stop. If there is a snow storm warning, try to avoid a major commute, especially in the highway. No one wants to be part of the giant traffic jam forced to sleep in their cars. Other winter car tips: invest in a snow shovel with a metal blade. Keep a smaller one in the car and a normal size one in the house. If you keep your only snow shovel in the car, you will have to dig out your snow-covered car with nothing but your feeble hands. When digging out the car, do not start the engine until the exhaust pipe has been cleared, lest you gas yourself to death. Finally, keep a sack of sand or kitty litter in the trunk during winter months. The gritty stuff can provide traction on icy surfaces when you are trying to escape a driveway/parking spot, and the extra weight in the trunk can help lighter-weight cars from getting stuck while trying to pull out.

Congrats to sherpa, the first anointed acceptance! (I'm still in the Pope mind-set, what can I say.)

Looks like they will not be making a move on the waitlist until May, which means no crimson clothing for me. Toodles, Harvard!

Yup! Just waitlisted for MPP.

I second the recommendation to incorporate the T as part of your apartment search criteria. I hate the Green Line with a passion and would be miserable if I had to use it on a daily basis. It's a glorified, screechy bus that is constantly breaking down (or stuffed with over zealous Red Sox fans). Similarly, that twenty minute walk to the T may sound great in the fresh bloom of spring, but just wait until it's sleeting. September 1st is the move-in day in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville/Allston/Brighton. Sure, you can find stuff on different timelines, but the vast majority of apartments are going to be leasing on September 1st. It's a stacking effect: most folks have to be out (or renewed) by August 31st, so most new leases start on September 1st. You'll want to start looking for apartments as early as April - most landlords require a 60 day or more notification if someone intends to vacate the apartment, so listings can go up early. There's a chance that you may get a better deal if you wait until it's closer to September - as the landlord becomes increasingly desperate to rent the space - but let's all take a moment to think about why they might be having trouble renting that space. Final note: September 1st is a logistical nightmare simply because so many folks are trying to move at once. UHaul regularly books out their entire Boston-area fleet well before 9/1, so try to reserve early if you know you'll need one. In some areas (particularly Somerville and Cambridge) you will need to order a special parking permit from the city to park the moving truck. The cities will not hesitate to ticket and tow. (Somerville and Cambridge are very picky about parking permits in general.) tldr; : Get an apartment as soon as possible. Consider public transportation when you do. Book a UHaul fairly soon if you need a local one. Check into whatever parking permits you may need. And be careful of bedbugs!

Hi all! Former Chicago undergrad here. I lived off campus for two years at approximately 53rd and Woodlawn, which was a great, relatively safe area. Chicago is definitely a somewhat unique environment. You have the relative bubble of the school which is surrounded by some of the poorest and most under-served neighborhoods in the city. The university has been doing a lot in recent years to work on neighborhood relations, but there is definitely a certain degree of ill-will from the adjoining neighborhoods. And who can blame them, really - UChicago was fairly abusive with regards to "urban renewal" policies in the 1970s, and the entire south and west sides of the city were criminally neglected by the Daley administration. On an individual level, you'll be fine, but you should be aware that the institutional affiliation comes with some baggage. With regards to safety, I split things into two broad categories: muggings and shootings. It is not terribly unusual to be mugged, but generally this occurs when someone gets the bright idea to walk home, by themselves, at midnight or later. In particular, you'll want to try to avoid side streets and parks at night if you're by yourself, and also locations like the Midway and Kimbark. (Everyone always seems to get mugged on Kimbark. Woodlawn, despite being very close by, was much safer.) There was one enterprising individual who was mugging folks at 8 am in order to get laptops, etc in schoolbags, but that was a bit of an exception. How to avoid muggings? Travel in groups or take the night vans. Very easy. A final note on mugging: Chicago does have what I like to call "violent muggers" as opposed to what appear to be "friendly muggers" in Boston. In Boston, you'll be asked for your wallet; in Chicago, they'll hit you on the head from behind and snatch it. So take precautions, everyone! Shootings should be much less of a concern. Sadly, they tend to be gang-related, which means it's quite unlikely that someone is going to intentionally shoot at your delicate university self. South of the Midway can be dicey at night because you're starting to get into the neighborhood of Woodlawn, where shootings can happen. Here the danger is of mistaken identity or crossfire. Again, very very unlikely, and the university has been expanding southwards since my time there. I'm honestly not trying to scare anyone or blow things out of proportion. I, personally, never encountered any sort of violence, but I did have friends that were mugged. This is generally because they took a stupid risk coming home at night. (Sorry, guys.) However, if you are used to gated communities where you can wander to 7-11 at two in the morning by yourself, you need to be prepared for a very different sort of reality. Chicago is a city with enormous public policy challenges, which makes it a great place to work with some really innovative non-profits, academics, and other entities. There is also a very strong history of activism and community involvement. Living there may test your comfort levels, but it's a wonderful learning experience. A final note: please don't be one of those people who never ventures farther south than the Magnificent Mile (with the exception of direct shots to Hyde Park). Living in Disneyland is not the way to understand or be a part of a city.

I have to admit that the HKS admissions experience has put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth regarding the school. Certainly HKS is a great program with excellent faculty - I'm not disputing that point. But waiting until some undefined date - in late March, no less - to release admissions decisions feels rather disrespectful to the applicants. For example, many folks will have to make last-minute flight arrangements to attend the open house, which is not going to be cheap. Add in what appears to be a very late notification of financial aid awards, and you end up with quite a tight turnaround for decision-making. HKS can get away with this because of their reputation, but as my grandmother used to say, just because you can doesn't mean you should. HKS is completely within their rights with regards to how they are conducting their admissions process. However, I've found that basic courtesy and communication go a long way in terms of building relationships and successful partnerships. There's not a whole lot of either one in the HKS process, and this sends a rather negative message to potential students. True, many MPP programs don't post exact decision dates - but a whole lot of them send out decisions in late February/early March, which provides time for planning and plotting. I could also be biased because a Harvard admissions staffer got huffy and slammed down the phone in the middle of a conversation with my partner (not a HKS staffer, but not sending a good message for Harvard in general).

Hi all! I'm also tagging on to this thread. I was accepted to the LBJ MPAff program for Fall 2013 with a very generous scholarship, which makes the school mighty appealing. My interests are focused around domestic social/family policy. Like Kitten, I'll be moving to my grad school location with my partner - who will also be starting grad school at the same time. I'll be looking forward to having my own personal economics tutor . Is anyone planning on going to the April Open House?