gradjm
-
Posts
46 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by gradjm
-
-
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.
We want our process to be transparent so that we get the “right” people applying – and so that folks whom we admit *will* come once we’ve said “yes.”Seriously it's a little troubling to hear judgments being made about candidates based on posts on some forum or google results.
Harvard faculty are exceptionally involved in reading these files, weighing backgrounds, puzzling over letters and essays, and Googling applicants,
Hi everyone. Today’s the 11th, and our internal target has been to get decisions (all of them) out tomorrow, the 12th. We’re aiming for today, though, because we want to get these to everyone as soon as possible. That’s especially important for international students, because they have to begin getting the paperwork in order to move here for a year or two. Please know that staff (and faculty) have been working extra-long hours to get things done right.
Responding to the thread above: as for admission rates, yield rates, and so on, I don’t think anyone from any school is going to give you specific numbers. And as I said the other day, speculations about our admission rates are way off. It’s difficult to get into Harvard, period, but we don’t want some applicants thinking, “Oh, I’ll never have a shot there,” just because their test scores and GPA weren’t stellar. Especially in the MC/MPA program, we’re looking for someone who has been doing good work – work in the publc interest – and who’ll work to make the world a better place.
You-all should take a look at Matt’s blog at HKS admissions. We want our process to be transparent so that we get the “right” people applying – and so that folks whom we admit *will* come once we’ve said “yes.”
On admission rates and yields – again without specific numbers – you need to see things from the school’s perspective. Every school – including HKS – has a budget projection based on enrollment. Putting our PhD program aside, we have a budgeted number of students in our four programs. Look here: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/history/hks-facts
In rough numbers (though not the real, unpublished numbers) the programs are expected to bring to campus this fall, about 210 first year MPP students, about 210 MCMPA students (about 85 of these might be Mason Fellows), about 75 first year MPA students, and about 70 first year MPA/ID students. The number of applicants to each program differs, and the admissions rates in each category are different. Is it “harder” to get into one program over another? No, not from our point of view. From our perspective, each program is looking for a different kind of student. Each program has a separate culture, too.
Admitted students can petition to defer their acceptance for a year. As Matt will tell you, deferrals are not guaranteed, and they may not be extended beyond one year. In considering our yield rates, then, we have to make several calculations. There’s the yield of admittted students from this year, and there’s a yield rate for the deferrals from last year. Each program has separate calculations for yield rates in both categories.
Then there’s the “melt” rate. There will be some students who tell us they’re coming and who send in a deposit, but then don’t come. There aregood reasons for backing out, including finances, family circumstances, work and visa concerns, etc. Each program has an estimated melt rate, and each one is different.
Take the MCMPA Mason program as an example. The numbers I’m going to show you are MADE UP (because we don’t release the real numbers), but it’ll give you a sense of things.
Assume that our target number for admissions is 85. Assume that there were 30 deferrals from last year’s group of admitted students. Assume that we expect a melt rate equal to 5 admitted students. How do we get to 85? Figuring in the melt, we’d aim for 90. If our models suggest a 50% yield on deferrals, then 15 (of the 30) students would come from there. And if our models suggest a 75% yield on the fresh admits, we need to admit just enough students to get up to the remaining 75 (90-15). We’d be looking to admit 100 fresh applicants, because 75% of 100 is 75. And if we happened to have had 400 fresh Mason applications, then we’d be admiting 25%. Remember, THESE NUMBERS ARE MADE UP, and our admission, yield, and melt percentages vary year by year and program by program. In this example, though, given a budgeted target of 85 students, we’d expect 15 to come from the 30 deferrals (a yield of 50%), we’d expect 75 to come from fresh applicants (a yield of 75 percent of 100 new admits), and we’d expect a melt of 5. So, 15+75-5=85.
Some of you will find out, presumably today, that you’re on a waitlist. As with every other school doing admissions right now, a waitlist is an insurance policy against poor “yield” and “melt” estimates. If Matt’s team has read the tea leaves correctly, we won’t go to the waitlists at all. Each program, of course, has separate waitlists, and it could be that we end up drawing on one waitlist (MPA/ID, for example) but not another (MCMPA). As a faculty member, I can appreciate the pressure that Matt’s team is under, because I want his yield and melt projections to be exactly right. The school doesn’t want to be “under” on students, but faculty absolutely don’t want to admit too many. All things equal, our faculty would rather have smaller, not larger, classes. All things equal, we’d rather spend more quality time mentoring fewer students than spreading our time across too many superficial partnerships. So Matt’s team is caught between the budgeted needs of the school (“Hit your targets, Matt.”) and pressure from faculty like me (“Hey, Matt, get me the very best students, but not too many of them.”) I’ll admit right now that, as the chair of the MPA and MCMPA admissions committee, I’m sometimes put too much pressure on Matt and his team to get me the very best applicants – but not too many of them. I suppose Matt has a constituency with you-all, too, the prospective students. He has to encourage the “right” students to apply while being realistic with everyone else. It’s a tough job.
Which brings us to today. You’ll get an email. For the overwhelming majority of applicants, the email will not be good news. And to you-all, I’m really sorry. You tried, and we tried, and we took your applications very seriously, and if you’re in one of my programs, please know that you can email me on my harvard account and I’ll walk you though how the committee read your file. For some of you, you’ll learn today that you’re on a waiting list, and you might be tempted to lobby to get your name “moved up” on the list, but as Matt has explained in the blog, that’s not how things work. And for some of you, you’ll get great news… and we do hope you’ll come. Indeed, we’re *expecting* you to come. (Ok, we’re expecting N*YIELD%-MELT to come.)
Thank you-all for your patience throughout all this. HKS gets a tremendous number of applications. I don’t think any policy school in the world comes close to the volume of applications that we handle. And unlike most other policy schools, Harvard faculty are exceptionally involved in reading these files, weighing backgrounds, puzzling over letters and essays, and Googling applicants, checking for plaigarism, and so on. I’ve been on the admissions committee for 20+ years, and I think our facultyserve on the committee because we really love the process. The volume is overwhelming. It’s exhausting. And on days like today… the outcome is also kinda thrilling.
Good luck to you-all.
- ReinventOneself, Xperto and David_King
-
3
-
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.
In any case, the only thing that makes me mad is all the work I put into their ridiculous financial aid application. I applied to six fellowships (essays, letters of rec) for nothing.
+1
-
I am getting very anxious about admissions notifications! Knowing how unproductive I would be this week, I took the week off and decided to work on personal projects. It must be a heck of a process for the admissions committee to pick the *right* mixture of candidates (especially when candidates´s profiles can very competitive with one another) and conclude what differentiable attributes would *best* be served at HKS. I know from friends of friends at top business schools admissions committee, there might be multiple meetings to review and discuss these ítems and finally reach agreement.
No use stressing the final verdict and just wait 48 hours for that e-mail. The best of luck to those who gave it their all in the process!
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
- Xperto and ReinventOneself
-
1
-
1
-
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.
The fellowship essay should explain why you believe you are a good candidate for the fellowship.Essays should be single spaced and no longer than one page. Make reference to the professional and/or personal experience, training, interests and future plans germane to this fellowship.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
-
All they say on the website is that you should think seriously about which fellowship is best for you, but that you're not prohibited from applying to multiple fellowships. If you think you can make a good case for both Gleitsman and Dubin, then it sounds like you could apply for both (I could see how it would be possible, though not very common, to be both and activist and someone who overcame adversity and is committed to transformational change).
No idea on the competitive nature of the fellowships, probably the only people who could tell you that work for the CPL. It did seem from the website that certain fellowships like the Presidential Fellowship (which is not through CPL) are more competitive than others, if only because they specifically said this is Harvard's highest award. But you have to assume the answer to how competitive is "very". Most applicants will, I think, be applying for fellowships (though not everyone for the same fellowship), and your chances of getting a fellowship are probably lower than your chances of getting in to Harvard. But it costs nothing to apply for them (other than time), so why not go for it?
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?
-
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?
-
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?
Posted Yesterday, 02:45 AM
0.5
HKS 2015
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
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: