linden

I've been actually thinking about forcing myself to stop checking this forum. I am also trying to give up the fantasy that the staff of the schools to which I applied will come in during the Winter Break just to send me an email about my admission. Right. I have also promised myself I will not check the online countdown calendar I set up. (Seventy-six days to go till March 13, when I am predicting I will hear from my top choice.) Linden

bogfrog: Your opening paragraph did not turn me off. In fact, quite the opposite, it seemed interesting to me. I would say introducing yourself as a high-school dropout would be bad if you had nothing else to say about your life. I don't know what follows the first lines of your SOP, but it seems you have an interesting story to tell, a story that is not typical of engineering students. Your 3.67 gpa (in engineering, I imagine) is certainly impressive, and your 750 puts you right above average for most engineering students. But, I think the 3.67 says a lot about you, especially if you were a non-traditional student. You might be better off posting your SOP to this community: http://community.livejournal.com/applyingtograd/ I have no idea how to PM, but I would be willing to look at your SOP. I probably won't have much to say about the technical aspects--the parts where you discuss your subject--however. But, I will spare you the arrogant talk about how busy I am and about what an unimpressive candidate you are. This process is stressful enough without others adding to the doubts we already feel. Good luck. Linden

FSIA: Try again tomorrow. Almost guaranteed it will tell you that you will be accepted to every school Sigh. Almost three more months to go until this is over. Linden

Here, is a tool to help you assess your chances at Harvard's MPP, as well as at any other program. (I use it daily, when I start to get jittery about whether or not I will get in to KSG.) Warning: The answers change... often. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi

A few days ago, I had to call one of the programs to which I am applying with a question about one of my letters of recommendation. During the course of our conversation, the admissions representative indicated that the letter of recommendation would not make a big difference in the admissions process. (The person I spoke to was part of the program

RyeGuy5555: What do you have to lose by applying? I feel that the admissions process for many MPP programs is a lottery, even for those individuals who have great GRE scores, high GPAs, wonderful LORs, and great work experience. Although schools like KSG and GPPI probably want their admitted students to meet certain academic and professional standards, they probably also want some variety (in terms of professional experience, personal experience, outlook, schooling, etc...) in their classes. That inserts into the process a huge luck component that no applicant can escape. You have a few Cs on your transcript. Given your lack of full-time work experience--and that you will be competing against other candidates who are also handicapped by a lack of work experience, but who have only As and Bs on their transcripts--this might keep you out. But, maybe you are the student with your profile that KSG decides to allow in this year. Maybe someone on the adcom will take a shine to you because of something on your application that really appeals to him or her. Maybe your SOP will open the doors for you. Or, maybe the content of one of your internships will interest one of the professors. But, you won't know until you try. Again, what do you have to lose by applying? The only thing I would worry about if I were you is that it takes a long time to write and edit those four essays, and the KSG deadline is coming up soon. I thought I would knock out the essays in a matter of days. And, yes, I could have submitted a first draft of the four essays in a week. But, I took about two months after I finished the first draft to calmly make edits on a daily basis until I had the exact essays I wanted to submit. Your application will already be hindered by your lack of WE and two Cs on your transcripts. Those are two factors you cannot control if you apply this year. (Of course, they can always be remedied by working instead of going to grad school next fall and retaking the courses.) If your essays are hurried, you might be depriving yourself of a great opportunity to really stand out in the area of your application over which you have complete control. If you have the money to pay for the application fee and the time over the Xmas break to write those essays, I say you have nothing to lose by applying. In the best of cases, you get in. The worst outcome is that you do not get in. But, at least you can call the school and find out what weaknesses you need to address to be a more competitive candidate in the future. In addition, if the lack of work experience keeps you from getting into the programs to which you applied, it might provide you with a long-term benefit. For one thing, with work experience on your resume, you might have an easier time getting into KSG. Also, as someone who shelled out almost 100K for a graduate degree and then decided to change careers, it will provide valuable confirmation that this is what you want to do with your life. Good luck! Linden

thebends1996: Thanks for your comment.I am trying to disregard the money issue right now, as silly as that may sound. I've been to graduate school once before, and I made the choice based on the wrong criteria. This time, I want to make sure I pick the right school. You mention the alumni network, however. American's School of Public Affairs has a very informative alumni website. Does anyone know if AU's alumni network is, in fact, active and effective? Thanks! Linden

I was wondering if anyone has any comments on the MPP programs at American University and University of Maryland? Are the programs well-respected in the DC region? Are they particularly well-known for their work in a specific area? If you know any students who are attending or have attended, what were their impressions of these programs? I am just trying to find information beyond what appears on their websites and is printed on the glossy brochures. Thanks in advance for your help. Linden

In my case, my GRE scores did not make it to one of the institutions to which I applied. (I was aware of this because the school uses an online tracking system.) Although they state that applicants should not call to confirm receipt of materials, I called anyway. They were very nice. Nobody chewed me out for calling. They also calmed my jittery nerves by telling me that it was not a problem that my scores would arrive after the deadline. I also called another school, because one of my recommenders, who had supposedly mailed out my letter in the early fall, was not answering my emails or calls. I needed to find out if I needed to get a LOR from another individual. Again, although I was not supposed to, I called the school. They were nice enough to look into it, even calling me back the next day. I might not have called if there had not been a specific problem, but I was treated very politely by staff at both programs. Perhaps they put me down on the don't-admit list for this transgression. But, they did not seem offended or annoyed that I called. I am not posting this to prove anyone wrong or right, but rather to offer some anecdotal evidence to reassure those who feel they need to call to get updates on the receipt of materials. Linden

Philmajor: Sigh. Well, at least I know I am not alone. Others feel the way I feel. It will be a long wait until March. Linden

Miratrix: Thank you. I am trying to relax. I kept telling myself that I would be happy as soon as I scored one acceptance. After all, I only applied to well-ranked programs that I would be really excited to attend. And, all along, I thought I would not gain admission anywhere. But, now that I have been accepted by one school, I am hopeful that maybe more acceptances will be forthcoming. So the passive acceptance of my fate--that I would fail to be admitted anywhere--has been perversely replaced by real hope tinged with anxiety. Has anyone else experienced this? Or, I am the only nervous Nelly who feels more stress after securing one admission? Linden

IDevGuy Hello. I have already been admitted into a public policy program (a respected one, but not on your list) for next fall. Our profiles are more or less the same. Thus if I was admitted, it seems your profile is also competitive. I guess the real answer is, it's impossible to tell what your chances are at any of these schools. You probably have a chance, but who knows. The only way to find out is to apply. The worst that could happen is that you don't get accepted. (And, if that happens, you would at least be able to speak to the admissions staff and find out how to fine tune your application.) You can also search this forum and the Results area for the stats of applicants who were admitted to these programs in previous years. That might give you an idea of the numbers of some of the applicants who were successful. Your profile seems to indicate that it is reasonable to assume that you should be able to gain admission to some/most/a few/? of these schools. But, you won't know the outcome until you try. Good luck! Linden

mpp2011: Hello. I just saw your post from almost a month ago. Indeed, those guidelines are for the MPA program at Woodrow Wilson. As I mentioned, my statement ended up being about 1,400 words. (Hopefully, my rejection won't be due to the length of my personal statement. ) Good luck to you as well. Linden

Younglions: I was hoping the same thing. Other schools have said that their applications have not increased. Despite the economic crisis, I am surprised to hear that KSG is registering an 80 percent increase. But, we also have to remember we have spent more than a year preparing our applications, as have many others on this board. Our applications should be stronger than those of an applicant who cobbled his or her application together in a matter of weeks. I hope, in any case. Linden

I posted this quip in the Government Affairs board, but I thought it might interest those of you following this discussion. "As a result of the financial crisis, [Kennedy School Dean] Ellwood said, the school anticipates a sharp rise in domestic applications for next year, citing an 80 percent increase in applications for the Kennedy School

In case anyone was wondering, here is the awful truth. (I am hoping that 80 is a typo, though.) I know it's unrelated to the election, but it speaks to the increase in applications. "As a result of the financial crisis, [Kennedy School Dean] Ellwood said, the school anticipates a sharp rise in domestic applications for next year, citing an 80 percent increase in applications for the Kennedy School

Philmajor: Thanks for your response. The school I heard from is among my top choices. So, I was pretty excited about the acceptance. No word on funding, though... I was just curious if I should at least confirm that I received their acceptance letter. I did not know what I was expected to do. Linden

Well, I'm in. I got the envelope a few hours ago. (Much to my surprise, the acceptance did not come by email before arriving in the mail.) I'm wondering what I should do now? The package contained general information about the program, forms to fill out, etc... Nevertheless, I am obviously waiting to hear from the other schools to which I applied. Do I need to contact the program that admitted me? (I am going for a master's degree.) What should be my next steps? Perhaps these questions sound silly. I was just so convinced that I would not get in anywhere, that I had not bothered to find out what to do after the acceptance letter. Thanks for any words of advice. Linden

We have all heard that LORs/the SOP/your undergrad GPA/[fill in the blank] is the key to admission. Everyone has a different--and passionate opinion--on this subject. And, in the moments when my insanity over applications reaches new heights, I am convinced that my LORs (from unknown individuals), my SOP (which does not include any stories about how I saved African orphans from a rebel army or how I can communicate with baby seals), my GPA (which includes a few Bs and is from a state school), and a million other factors that I am not even aware of yet will sink my application. But, then I come back to reality. Face it: most of us are not going to have perfect applications. Maybe like t_ruth and me, you graduated from college in the 90s. It's hard to get LORs from professors, let alone leading academics, when they don't even remember your face. Or, maybe, it's the less-than-stellar GPA. Or, maybe, a snooty professor won't like the fact that your name is Billy Bob. Who knows? I think many of us have done everything we can. We have crafted the best applications we could. And, sometimes, it just comes down to luck or random factors we cannot control. I do think that all the above factors--GPA, GRE, LORs, SOPs, and all the other acronyms--do matter. But, I think so does luck. I am also aware that when I have had to evaluate resumes, I am sometimes drawn, for trivial reasons, to some applicants who others would not waste time on, and I sometimes pass up applicants who appear to be perfect. Who knows what each of those schools, what each of the individuals on the admissions committee, are looking for or respond to? Maybe a professor will like your application, despite your 3.1 GPA, because you come from the same small town in Montana where she grew up. Or, maybe an admissions committee member will place your application, and your 540 quantitative GRE, on top because you are a tuba player, and he also plays the tuba. I think schools also genuinely do not want an incoming class where every student has the same profile, where every student has the same story to share, where every student has the same outlook. I often take solace in the class profile posted by Georgetown for their MPP program; it

frankdux: Indeed, you can submit your applications, and your recommenders can submit their recommendation letters later on. I submitted all of my applications before any of my recommenders had submitted their letters. My recommenders have been successfully entering their letters, and I have had no problems with the two online recommendation systems used by the schools to which I am applying. Good luck. Linden

RAIi: Every guide and website I have read states that you should offer the gpa makes you look the best, unless the school specifies how you should calculate the gpa. Most of the schools to which I applied simply asked me for my overall gpa, which is what would be beneficial in your case. Only one school asked for my major gpa. Perhaps you have really strong GRE scores. That can be one way of showing schools that, despite your less-than-perfect gpa, you do have the ability to succeed academically. I have also read that you might want to include an addendum (or optional essay, if your school has space for one) explaining your situation and, more importantly, what you learned from it. I think the answer to your question also depends on many unknown variables. Did you do poorly in classes that were in your major? Were you taking very challenging classes? Etc... The point is, you should still give it a shot. Everyone will have a weak spot on his or her application. Yours is your gpa, but maybe you can make up for it with a stellar application in other areas. Good luck. Linden

mpp2011: I think I know what program you are talking about. I had the same question, because I also had a four-page essay that far exceeded the 1,000-word limit. I called them a few weeks ago, and I was told that the four-page/1,000-word limits are both general guides. I was told my four-page essay would not get dinged for being nearly 400 words over the 1,000-word limit, if I chose to leave it at that length. Good luck. Linden

Does anyone know how top schools and Ivies "adjust" the GPA of applicants from lower-ranked, state universities? Hypothetical situation: A student from a large state school applies to an Ivy for graduate school. What will the student's GPA really be worth? Is there a rule-of-thumb formula? Or, is the GRE considered validation? That is, a high GRE score will "validate" a high GPA from a so-so school? Thanks for your input! Linden

demondeac: I keep having nightmares about the same scenario. I am just curious, how did yu find out they sent the wrong scores? Thanks! Linden

Thanks for the responses. You both make some good points. I guess I am not so worried about the effect of former campaign workers applying. After all, I imagine graduate schools would want some diversity in their classes, and admissions committees are not going to fill an incoming class with campaign workers. I guess I am more concerned about other students--with varied experiences and backgrounds--being inspired to apply to MPP/MPA programs because of the present political climate and the excitement that the election seems to have created among the nation's youth. (But, again, being outside of the country and far from a university campus, it is hard to gauge.) It would still be interesting to hear other comments. Nevertheless, I guess I must remember that this--like so many other aspects of this application process--is out of my hands. Linden