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Poli92

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Everything posted by Poli92

  1. Same. I did get a holiday card from Vali Nasr's office though.
  2. Thus the additional factors I referenced. This sort of peer group feedback is another one of the reasons I brought this up. Many of my colleagues (analysts at a rigorously apolitical federal entity) who may have otherwise sought out advanced degrees in public policy or admin are now either dodging grad school altogether or leaning towards much more quantitative, data science-y types of degrees with a higher ROI.
  3. I've been lurking and posting on here for four years or so, and as the title suggests, I've noticed that the Government Affairs forum seems way quieter than previous years around this time. Has anyone else noticed this? Is there some other forum where all the cool kids are talking about grad school now? If not... If we think of GradCafe types as being somewhat representative of the more proactive applicants, does this mean that there are fewer proactive applicants this cycle? This could mean good things for everyone applying this year, as the pool may be a bit thinner than recent years. Moreover, this would jive with a number of current conditions, namely: As the labor market has strengthened, those who would have previously applied to grad school may instead be working. The growth rate in grad school enrollments has been slowing over recent years, we could be entering the first year in which we might see outright declines. Particularly for those interested in government affairs, concern about Trump's policies (massive proposed State & USAID cuts, PSLF maybe going away) or working in the administration may be convincing people not to apply. Or is it possible that everything worth saying on here has already been said? At any rate, I'm curious whether others may have noticed this. Cheers!
  4. Just for a data point: I was admitted to the HKS MPP with a 163V/162Q, but received no aid. Per other's remarks, given your other experience and academic performance, the marginal benefit from slightly increased scores may not be outstanding.
  5. In case you haven't seen this on your own or through Chris Blattman's blog post last week, Seeing Theory is a really neat learning resource for introductory statistical concepts. The site attempts to make statistical concepts more accessible through creating a visual learning format, allowing users to interact with visualization tools to get a better understanding. For some of the stats- and quant-averse folks in the IR/PP crowd, this could be super helpful. I know that in my own experience, getting a firm grasp of the geometric intuition underlying mathematical and statistical principles has been immensely beneficial in getting to the 'Aha!' moment where something really clicks.
  6. Results are up! Offered admission to the MA in DC in the International Development concentration!!
  7. Good to know! Congrats to you both!!
  8. @coffeebean13 @Palolem Have either of your portals changed?
  9. Did anyone who applied not receive these two emails?
  10. The level of coding intensity will vary depending on the courses you choose to take, but frankly you shouldn't be going into an MPP program to learn how to code. You can learn to code in Python, R, SQL, and pretty much every other language (besides maybe SAS or some other high-end suites that keep a tight lock on training) online for free or cheap. Codeacademy, Udacity, Coursera, Udemy, O'Reilly Media, etc. offer a ton of great coding resources that will have broader offerings and deeper content than anything you will get from an MPP. In your courses you should focus on developing your expertise in your substantive area and developing your quantitative methodological competencies. In the summer or something try to get some sort of internship that will give you the opportunity to professionally demonstrate the coding chops you've developed on your own time. You'll also be amazed how quickly you'll pick up programming once you have the immersion experience of applying it in a professional environment. I guess all-in-all I wouldn't plan on shooting for a highly sophisticated data analyst role immediately after graduation. In all likelihood you'll be competing against people with CS or Stats backgrounds and they will be way more qualified than you. I would try to enter your substantive domain and then establish yourself as someone who demonstrates savvy with statistical programming, machine learning, data viz or whatever it is that floats your boat. (For the sake of disclosure, I work as an economist within a federal agency where I use a combination of SAS, SQL, and R for statistical research and application development)
  11. I second @ExponentialDecay, it really depends on what you mean by "data analyst". If you are leaning towards the data science "better at stats than any software engineer, better at software engineering than any statistician" direction then no, none of the programs you have applied to will give you adequate preparation. However, there are lots of "data analysis" or "data journalism" roles in orgs of all types where you might be compiling summary stats and doing basic data viz. For those you really don't need anything more than rudimentary experience with a statistical programming suite or even Excel. If you want those jobs, you would be overqualified given your program list. If you want help refining your expectations, you should 1) start looking at the types of job postings you would apply to, and 2) go to some data analytics seminars or meet-ups in your area.
  12. This is probably true. The most tumultuous period will be between the inauguration and the end of the following budgeting cycle, with many changes likely not taking effect until later in that timeframe. So, people who already have jobs may at least have some time, if not ending up totally fine. That said, for students interested in entering grad school in the fall, the job they want may not exist by the time they graduate.
  13. This is important. Trump's election has the potential to radically reshape the outlook for students interested in public policy, writ large, in a number of ways. Loans are certainly one, but the probability of a federal hiring and/or pay freeze is pretty great. I currently work in a moderately politically contentious federal agency and going to work yesterday was like walking into a funeral. Pretty much everyone is expecting a freeze at a minimum and changes to the merit system -- allowing mass cuts of GS employees -- accompanied by agency closures as a worst case scenario. Not to be all doom and gloom, but if your desired career path leads to the federal government, it is worth bearing in mind that the market will likely get even more competitive, and the salaries will likely not increase. At any rate, the picture will become clearer once we get a good sense of his intended cabinet and policies and of course once he actually gets into office.
  14. Year of Application: 2015 Previous Degrees: BA Economics, Political Science; Small LAC Previous GPAs: 3.9+ GRE Scores: 163/162/4.5 MATH/ECON Background: All the econ, two stats courses, math for economists (linear algebra, bits of calc 1 & 3) International or Local: US School and Program Applied to: JHU SAIS MA-IDEV, Yale Jackson MA, GWU Elliott MIA, American SIS MA IPCR School and Program Accepted: JHU SAIS MA-IDEV, GWU Elliott MIA, American SIS MA IPCR (no money anywhere ) Reason (You Think) the Schools Accepted You: I had done a boatload of relevant independent and cooperative research, published my research in an academic journal, presented at multiple conferences, participated in relevant study abroad programs in two countries, had relevant language experience, cogent SOP that effectively expressed my interests and qualifications, worked as an RA for two years, and I was involved in leadership positions in relevant extracurriculars. I mostly agree with AAAAAAAA. "Work experience" of the soft, collegiate variety is absolutely necessary. Extracurriculars beyond shared-interest clubs, fraternities/sororities, or sports can help make up for the lack of real work experience. Given that I received no funding offers, and had not had the foresight to apply for external fellowships (I very much rushed MA applications - don't do that), I opted to pass on my offers and get some work experience. Fortunately, I got a relevant job with the federal government, which has really helped refined my interests while giving me a chance to hone my technical skills. I have definitely gotten on the work experience bandwagon, and I would recommend people planning on applying right out of school to take a few years to work if they don't get phenomenal offers right away. You get money, experience, and networking opportunities. Particularly if you can get a job in DC, you can get great opportunities to network and check out local programs in depth.
  15. While you would definitely be well served going to a program that is generally more quant-oriented, I wouldn't stress as much about finding course offerings, concentrations, or dual-programs in Data Science. Because there isn't anything approaching a standardized curriculum in DS yet you may end up spending a lot of time and money on a program where the instructors are still trying to figure out how/what to teach you. Also, because there is no standard curriculum, the field is changing so quickly, and there are so many free options out there (such as the Coursera specialization you are working on, as well as lots of stuff on Udacity), you may be better off getting the DS skills on your own. I have had a number of coworkers who have done DS certificate programs, such as the one at Georgetown, and while they have said that the courses were informative, they would not have done the programs had they not been paid for by our employer. IMHO, unless you decide to pivot towards a masters program in CS, math, stats, or econ, you'll have a very hard time being competitive for primarily DS roles based on your degree choice alone. Instead, you may want spend your time in your masters focusing on becoming a subject matter expert and gaining domain knowledge. Then once you get a job in your substantive area of interest, you can find ways to add value using the DS skills you've learned on your own (for free), start building a bit of a portfolio, and carve out a niche through professional accomplishments.
  16. My statements weren't "thinly veiled insults" they were blunt criticisms. I am totally willing to own that. As far as advice: finish school, get work experience (even if it "isn't your jam"), let life humble you a bit, and shoot for an MBA or quantitative IR degree (or do a dual degree) in 2-3 years if PRA is still what you want to do.
  17. Why? You have been given plenty of good advice and argued with nearly everyone. This entire thread has seemed like your attempt to fish for someone to tell you to just do whatever you already planned to do and it will all work out. Your glib remarks regarding work experience, excessive emphasis on caliber, general combative attitude, and of course your most recent tirade all suggest a lack of sufficient maturity and perspective to truly benefit from a graduate program.
  18. For clarification, exactly which quant courses have you taken at this point?
  19. Regarding flexibility, you will hem yourself in a lot more by doubling down on IR than you would if you went for the MBA. As far as the cost goes, yes, MBA programs are very expensive and generally more stingy. However, you'll just have to bear in mind that down the road you will likely not be as competitive in a field where hiring managers are used to seeing MBAs.
  20. Since you'll already have considerable substantive preparation in IR, I think the marginal benefit of another IR degree would be minimal. Given that you're interested in political risk analysis, you may be better served to look at MBA programs. MBA programs will teach at lot more of the quant, finance, and accounting methods that go into PRA. Also, because PRA is predominately for-profit and you will likely want/have to work for a financial or consulting firm at some point, an MBA will go a lot further towards giving you the socialization and connections to help you succeed in that area.
  21. What is your end goal and why do you need a quant-heavy degree to fulfill it?
  22. Simon and Blume's Mathematics for Economists is a great resource. For a free, basic review of economic concepts, Khan Academy is pretty decent.
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