gradjm

Can applicants post their numbers, background, softs, other factors that led to your result, admission decision? Decision: accept/WL/ding GPA: GRE (Q, V, W): Background: Softs: Other factors:

In David King's post,"right people"/"will come" means HKS too concerned about their yield protection? hope that doesn't make them rule out candidates based on individual "hunch" whether someone will attend or not. Seriously it's a little troubling to hear judgments being made about candidates based on posts on some forum or google results.

do they provide feedback on MPP ding? the only program I applied to after spending countless hours researching, talking with people, aligning recommender. V strong recs, though don't think it matters. +1

you're not alone. hks is the only school i have applied to so I looked at the last year's HKS thread and the emails came in the morning. so tomorrow morning could be it. anyone know how they weigh GRE scores into the overall assessment of a candidate for different programs? i have heard that most people are good in only one of verbal or quant and that the acceptance rate is around 20%. so if one does well in both V and Q to get say over 80% is that going to be a major advantage or would it really not matter much? Edit: just checked the Timer on hks admissions blog and it looks like it broke since today morning. it was showing 99 days in the morning now showing 2 days less at 97 days !?

Waiting on HKS to render decisions before the timer on the blog is 100 days..

any idea what the yield of HKS is for MPP, how many are waitlisted? are admits notified by phone call?

Applied to HKS mpp. My main concern in the unlikely event i am admitted is that the financial support. The more i read the more i think HKS doesn't award much aid compared to other schools. The fellowship chances and process is very demanding and difficult.

does the binding deferral at HLS that they award generously would prohibit someone from applying to a program different than JD (e.g HKS MPP) like the OP next year? i applied to HKS first this year for mpp in November. Later in the year i decided to apply to HLS also for jd. I didn't use the joint degree option in either application that you have to check and didn't write a joint-degree essay in both application. For mpp i didn't know i'd apply to any other program. It seems that harvard allows one to do joint-degree if someone gets admitted separately to each program even if they didn't fill the joint-degree parts in the application. But if one wants to only degree if admitted to both and is still undecided which one, then what would be the "right" approach to handle this question during admissions interview at HLS? Being undecided may not be good for admissions chances.

Anyone apply to HKS this cycle? This forum seems dead with no hks thread

Yeah, sounds like a PS except it's not a PS. There is really not anything specific other than broad categories for different fellowships such as "public service," "state or local policy issues" They ask for 1-page essay and the resume. Never applied to fellowships before so this is all very confusing to me. I eneded up reusing content from my PS. This forum seems to be dead for a while for HKS... Looks like the rest of 2000 applicants who don't post here probably know their shit in doing these essays, which worries me that i'd be auto-ding

I am a noob for fellowship essays and was planning to submit for HKS fellowships. HKS fellowships besides noting the the general area of the fellowship (e.g. public service) do not give much insruction for a fellowship essay. This is the instruction for one of them from HKS finaid page. Is a fellowship essay like a personal essay in its tone, or more like a proposal? ok to reuse personal essay? The instruction makes it sound like a general personal essay. Also, a proposal has to be about a specific research activity whereas these fellowships don't make it clear whether one is expected to research under their terms or do some other activity. Thanks

Presidential fellowships don't appear on HKS fellowship page https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/enrollment/fellowships/Default.aspx Aren't presidential fellowships only for summer unlike CPL fellowships? http://service.harvard.edu/presidential-fellowships

For HKS fin aid is it possible to apply for multiple fellowships in different policy area concentrations (PACs)? For example, Belfer IGA BIGA Student Fellowship (https://pubapps.hks.... ... spx?id=IGA) has IGA as PAC, whereas Mossavar-Rahmani fellowship at https://pubapps.hks.... ... spx?id=CBG seems to be for BGP. Should one even bother considering all these fellowships will most likely be very hard to get or should even regular applicants apply? There are some fellowships that are a lot of work as they require extra references (2 each) like CPL Dubin fellowship https://pubapps.hks.... ... x?id=Dubin. Are these fellowships very prestigious/hard to get? Thank you

Thanks for your response policygrad92. Anyone who did HKS fin aid process comment on how difficult they find the process and getting aid to be? Is it possible to apply for multiple fellowships in different policy area concentrations (PACs)? For example, Belfer IGA BIGA Student Fellowship (https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/enrollm ... spx?id=IGA) has IGA as PAC, whereas Mossavar-Rahmani fellowship at https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/enrollm ... spx?id=CBG seems to be for BGP. Should one even bother considering all these fellowships will most likely be very hard to get or should even regular applicants apply? There are some fellowships that are a lot of work as they require extra references (2 each) like CPL Dubin fellowship https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/enrollm ... x?id=Dubin. Are these fellowships very prestigious/hard to get? Thank you

Congrats on the lsat and hls admit! i have applied to both hls and hks this cycle. Note that when you defer admissions, then some schools may ask you to sign a binding contract that you wouldn't apply to other schools. Harvard may be one of those even though you'd be applying for the MPP program under your plan of deferring the admission. imo if someone can get 99 percentile, which is around 173 or above, the verbal portion is going to be a cakewalk for you. RC of lsat is hundred times harder. GRE math is basic and with sufficient practice you'd be scoring pretty well. HKS admission is not rolling. The deadline is something in the first week of Dec. This year it was Dec 2. They begin reviewing applications only after the deadline, so it doesn't matter how early before the deadline you submit. i don't think no econ/stat course is going to make much difference at all; dat gpa. HKS wants an analytical resume besides the regular one, where you can highlight any analytical experience that you have had. the hks fin aid process seems terrible btw. there are individual forms you have to do for different grants and doesn't look like HKS gives much aid. so not sure if it'd be worth like you're planning. Feel free to PM any question

For those who know about joint-degrees at Harvard: I have applied to HKS but not for joint-degree (Didn't do any joint degree essays). I also am filling out the fin-aid application that asks if you have applied or intend to apply for joint-degree. I have not and don't intend to do a joint-degree. But I realized recently that I may consider Harvard JD program if offered admission. Can one apply to HLS separately in the next month (no joint degree) and still be fine with the HKS app plus finaid form? Under this, one doesn't want to apply for joint-degree so one can choose a program once offered admission. Is this possible?

I applied to HKS MPP program and recently received an email saying that financial aid application is available. The MYFAID application site lists a large number of fellowships that have different criteria (https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/enrollment/fellowships/). I looked into these fellowship pages and they provide brief info, typically only a sentence and two at most, about the selection criterion. Also, the MYFAID application web page, once you have created an account, shows "apply online" and "documents" tab. The page suggests that under the forms for application to specific fellowships will be available under the documents tab. - Is there additional information regarding selection criterion of the fellowships? There are far too many of them and I am not sure how one could manage separate essays and recommendations to apply to many of them separately. - how many fellowships does one apply for (i undertand it depends on the applicant) typically? - do the applications appear under the "Documents" tab after one has submitted the selections under "apply online" tab? what if one intended to apply for a fellowship, selected the "yes" option, but later never applies? - the "apply online" tab shows a long application with no "Save" button. So one has to fill and submit it in one go. am i missing something?

OP, you shouldn't worry about 4.0 on writing. Any strong writer would know that GRE writing is not indicative of one's writing ability. GRE writing section is a lot of fluff. Your statements and publications are much better representation of your actual writing ability. You also have a strong Verbal section so there is no way a reasonable person would hold your writing section score against you. I was lucky to get a 5 in writing on the test that I took a few days ago, but I wouldn't have been surprised had I got lower or higher than that knowing how random it is.

Is there any data for average/median scores at top policy programs eg HKS? I want to know if high scores can be game changer and if the following numbers can help or are sufficient.

Is there a way to know the scores before they are posted online or emailed? My deadline is in a day and I don't have scores yet. I have my V/Q scores but not percentiles. Does the $13 fee by phone for early writing score still work?

Just upload the unofficial versions of transcripts. If you end up matriculating, you will have to produce the official versions from the schools.

I posted this elsewhere but no one seems to have a clear answer for this, so I am trying here hoping someone knowledgeable could clarify. There is an optional essay question in the MPP application that seems very confusingly worded. Strictly speaking it asks only about explanation for academic issues, but leaves room for anything one would like to say. HKS clarified this in a blog post, but while doing so made it even more confusing, honestly. the blog post discusses how it's "any" explanation for background that they should know, but also says it's absolutely not an additional "essay" at all. So, why is it under the "optional essay" portion of the application and why would it be 750 words, a whoppingly large space, for a brief explanation or addendum? I am confused. Can one write an essay about their background here? http://hksadmissionb...ay-notes-post-6

Can current students comment on how best to address the website/print publications policy issues question in the application?

No one? Looks like HKS made the question intentionally confusing

why? how do you arrive at this?