happygomucky

I think you'll be very competitive provided you craft a strong narrative in your SOP drawing on your work experience. Focus on making your essays as compelling as possible, and on getting a good quant score (though I think that GRE scores become less relevant the more work experience you have). Use referees who know you well, who are willing to work with you to make a great LOR, and can back up the argument you craft in your essays with their own examples. If that means prioritising work colleagues over academic referees, go for it. I can only speak from my own experience but I think you can still be a very good applicant without having academic referees if you have 5+ yrs work experience and have been out of undergrad a long time. I just used work colleagues (not even very senior ones, just people who knew me well with 'good enough' job titles) in my LORs and it didn't harm my prospects at all. Showing my SOPs to friends and colleagues helped me to tighten up the structure and narrative, but there's a forum on gradcafe that you can use as well.

Understandably, Gradcafe is dominated by MPA candidates. Wanted to record some lessons for any future mid-career MPA and MPP applicants looking for tips - as there are some differences. Program Applied To: MPP/MA Schools Applied To: WWS MPP, Fletcher MA, SAIS MIPP (also considered but excluded Yale, SIPA, Berkeley Goldman) Schools Admitted To: WWS (full funding + stipend), Fletcher (14K fellowship), SAIS (no funding offered to MIPPers) Schools Rejected From: None Still Waiting: None Undergraduate institution: Top international university Undergraduate GPA: No GPAs in my undergrad (estimate about a 3.7?) Undergraduate Major: Geography/Political Sciences GRE Quantitative Score: 153 GRE Verbal Score: 170 GRE AW Score: 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 10 Years of Work Experience: 10 (7 in Diplomatic Service) Describe Relevant Work Experience: Two years in not-for-profit sector doing communications and public relations work, 7 years in Diplomatic Service specialising on conflict issues. 2 overseas placements, including in conflict environments. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): A very simple, clear narrative of my professional interests and achievements, detailing how I wished to supplement my practical experience with study, and make useful professional contacts in the future. I was also clear about why I was applying to each university. I bounced my drafts off friends and colleagues which helped me to improve the structure and drafting. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Strong - I only used colleagues (my boss, a colleague from a past role, and my deputy head of department) who wrote detailed references which complimented my SOPs with lots of evidence. Final thoughts: Going to WWS - which was my top choice. I really wanted to attend a smaller, more intimate and personable school. And of course the financial support is incredible and makes it much easier to take time out of my career. Lessons learned - If you're mid-career, I really think that GRE scores/quant prerequisites count for A LOT less than the gradcafe prevailing narrative. I almost let my atrocious quant background put me off applying - I'm glad I didn't. My GRE quant score was poor and I haven't studied maths/stats/econ in any meaningful way since I was 16. But it's not my background and not where I'm planning to take my career. I think that the Adcomms understood that my other prerequisites were very strong. - LoRs for mid-career applicants do not have to be academic. I had lost contact with my university professors and worried that they wouldn't be able to produce a glowing American-style reference. I took a risk and used exclusively professional referees and it didn't hurt me at all. I went even further and got my close colleagues (rather than senior staff at my work) to craft my LoRs. This way I had a bunch of referees that really understood my background and motivation, who were willing to craft LoRs that complimented my SOP and draw out different aspects of my strengths, and were willing to put in some extra effort to get the letters ready to tight deadlines . I'm really glad I plumped for this approach. - Related to the above - do be more organised than I was! Though I'd been considering grad school on and off for ages I made a last minute decision to apply (mid Oct) and really had to scramble to get my info together. I only had a few weeks to prep for the GRE and it showed in my quant score! I missed some of the early deadline programs eg HKS because I didn't have my GRE in time. - Don't apply for loads of programmes. If you're clear about what you want (for me a full time 1 year programme with a strong international focus and cohort, and funding) you should be focused in your applications. I shouldn't have applied to SAIS, who don't offer any financial support at all to MIPP students. That was a bit of a waste of time and money. Pulling applications together is, frankly, exhausting! - SOPs don't need to be really inspirational hollywood-style stories of how you've overcome adversity . I was nervous, coming from a culture which is a lot more embarrassed about selling yourself than the US, about how to present my strengths. But all that is needed is a clear narrative about what you've achieved so far and what you want to achieve, explaining how a masters qualification will help you. Be authentic and be honest about your interests. And leave plenty of time to craft this narrative and ask others for comments. Good luck to those applying next year, try not to be too intimidated by the application process! And don't be overinfluenced by the prevailing gradcafe winds - much of the advice is useful but you are best placed to make decisions about your future!

Taking a break from work, going travelling and doing yoga, before summer school in July!

Thanks for this. I'm completely in two minds. I can see the benefits of both. I may apply for both the GC and a shared house and see where the chips fall. Either way I'm reassured that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the GC if I end up there. If I were doing 4 years straight or recently out of undergrad I would have made the exact same call as you...but I'm a decade out of undergrad, only doing a yr and feeling like I need to get the most out of this experience, so it feels more finely balanced . Decisions decisions! Annoyingly I can't attend admit day to help me figure this out.

I'm going to be studying for a one yr qualification (the MPP) at WWS. I'm single and reasonably young and party positive. I thought given the short duration of my stay that a two room single in the OGC would be the best choice for reasons of convenience (eg not having to furnish the apartment) and meeting people/making friends. I'm an international student so I won't be shipping a lot of my belongings over either. But reading these threads and seeing how down people are on 'dorms' I'm having second thoughts! The other option would be house-sharing in Lakeside (ideally - or flatsharing in Lawrence) - which would be appealing providing I got on with my housemates! Which option would you recommend for someone who places a high premium on having fun/being socially active? Whilst I'm not hugely into cooking (so ambivalent about the meal plan) I'm also nervous about the lack of cooking facilities/weekend food service in the Grad College buildings. Advice much appreciated!

I think that the comparatively cheap cost of studying a masters in the UK (compared to US professional programmes) means that lots of people go into MAs and MPPs as a way of creating a bit of breathing space to figure out what to do in their careers after undergrad, and perhaps don't feel ready to enter the job market. The downside is that those qualifications don't add a lot to your CV. But you definitely won't be alone @eretsicd! I reckon this qualification will probably help boost you into entry level positions, but not much more. It may help you slightly in applying for graduate schemes. What you really need to do, if you're set on this option, is spend the time between the end of your undergrad and start of your masters boosting your CV and getting some good internships under your belt. Your lack of work experience will be a hindrance when you look for a job. On the universities I would go for KCL or UCL - the London location will help you in your job search, and perhaps you can find relevant voluntary/part time positions. KCL's politics dept has a good reputation and is international in focus. LSE generally has the best reputation but with your lack of clarity about what to do afterwards I can't see the value of the additional cost.

So I'm assuming you want to work in the UK afterwards? In the UK masters are viewed differently to the US and I think that few employers will be that bothered about course content, especially if you're not that sure about what areas you want to go into. Oxbridge and LSE would carry equal weight, unless you want to go into international development where LSE prob has the advantage. For consulting/business etc I reckon an 'elite' university background will do - London employers will know the best unis across Europe. The big employers will approach top universities equally. So bearing that in mind you might want to prioritise quality of life and debt burden in your decision making. If I was in your position I would go for Cambridge or LSE IPE (1 yr) I went to Cambridge for undergrad and absolutely loved it! It's a beautiful city, excellent quality of life and absolutely brilliant for students. I don't think their politics/IR set up is as prestigious as Oxford, my impression (and I did politics for my last year in Cambridge several yrs ago) is that it's not as well funded or as established and that they're continually redesigning their undergrad politics offering which I don't consider to be that great a sign. That might not be such a concern for you, given that you don't have that clear a career goal in mind, and Oxford does look a bit too academic for your interests. On Sciences Po/LSE - it sounds REALLY cool, but...do you speak French? Having lived overseas a lot in my life not having the language will impinge on your quality of life, especially in France. You should also look at some of the feedback on Sciences Po on this site - it is not too positive. Finally don't underestimate doing a yr in London without financial support - the cost of living will be very high - London rent for an academic year will cost A LOT. There are quite a lot of downsides to that option but it's hard to sniff at something that sounds very cool on paper! Finally Fulbright is obvs a huge deal in the states but it may not be as recognised in London as you think. Speaking from experience here as I was waitlisted - people in the UK don't instinctively know it...and I do generally have to explain what it is about... Just my two cents as you americans say

You were correct - final confirmation just arrived. I had already decided on WWS, but still good to know!

Has anyone applied for the MIPP? I was expecting to hear my results today...instead I got an email inviting me to an admit day on Apr 6, but no formal acceptance or rejection. I even logged in to my application but it just says 'submitted'. And there's nothing in my junk folder.... Has anyone else had this experience? Have I been admitted?

I got $14k for the one year MA

Anyone have any gossip on when Fletcher's likely to release decisions? I'm MA rather than MALD but I assume the timing will be similar. Tired of waiting now!

For me...funding as I'm dedicated to a career in public service and can't afford to take on much debt; duration as I wanted to do a 1 year course; class size/friendliness - I know I flourish in smaller more intimate environments; international focus. I'm after a flexible program so made sure there were enough interesting/useful courses on offer but didn't get too hung up on the curriculum. International name recognition was a secondary factor, as was avoiding schools with very young, straight out of undergrad cohorts.

I know nothing about Pharmacy but thought I would comment drawing on my experience as a policy professional. I think your instinct to do the MPA later makes a lot of sense. Like others, I'm a strong proponent for getting some full time work experience. Public policy is essentially about understanding the challenges of applying an abstract idea/policy objective to the real world which is why I think the schools place such a premium on it. There really is nothing like working day in day out on an issue, in organisations that have their own strengths and weaknesses, to 'get' why public policy is so challenging! Is there a reason why, if you're so passionate about public policy, you don't want to go straight into work in the public policy field with a view to doing an MPA in a couple of years? What is the PharmD qualification getting you? Either way, you won't be closing yourself off from policy work in the future if you pursue a PharmD qualification first. If you do, I would advise you to think about your 'narrative' - I didn't quite understand how the Pharma stuff relates to your public policy aims as you mention both counterterrorism and healthcare. Maybe they're related! But if not, work experience will help you hone in on a policy focus that will make you a more compelling applicant. A health policy focus building on your Pharma experience seems logical, but you will know best. I think it's somewhat different for elected office, where your personal/professional networks play a much bigger role. As you note, you may not need an MPP/MPA at all. But overall it seems to me that you're not totally clear on your public policy aims so if I were you I'd take some time to figure it out!

I was admitted to WWS MPP this morning. Absolutely delighted! I've also had my scholarship and stipend confirmed so I'm 95% sure I'll be attending WWS...but interested to see what Fletcher comes back with. I applied to SAIS but they don't offer fellowships for the MIPP so I've pretty much written it off already

It arrived 2 and a half hours ago - I'm in the UK so was fast asleep!