2010Applicant

I have just taken the GMAT. (I am applying to HKS, Fletcher and SIPA; all of them allow GMAT in lieu of GRE.) My scores are: Verbal: 40 (89 percentile) Quant: 49 (87 percentile) Total: 730 (96 percentile) AWA: not known yet. I am just wondering if the 87 percentile in the quant section, in your opinion, would present some difficulty in getting into a top school? (assuming that I am very well-qualified in other aspects of the application.) Would this 87 percentile be regarded by them as good / okay / borderline /relatively poor ? It's been many years since I last took the GMAT. Back then, the quant section was really easy and participants were much less competitive. A scaled score of 48 earned me a 97 percentile! Gee, it's much more difficult now. Anyway, I would appreciate your feedback!

Your interest doesn't seem as 'New School' as I would have imagined. Your interest seems to be heavily related to the professional schools (education, urban planning, public policy etc.) although I understand that it isn't 'professional' per se. New School sociology, according to my impression, is highly philosophical, with things like Marxist critique on modern and postmodern culture. BTW, since you're out working for a few years, why don't you try getting into a professional school of one of these top schools (which is easier), during which you'll do research for a professor, and then apply for the real thing, i.e. PhD? Try apply for a professional master degree that is flexible enough for you to take a few PhD-relevent courses seems like a good option.

Miss K, New School has an excellent reputation historically. Its underlying paradigm is very much based on 20th century (1st half) European philosophy, and sometimes Marxist, which makes it very unpopular with mainstream US academia. That's why its ranking is so low. Having said that, soc_leah is also correct that the management of the school, esp financially speaking, has deteriorated quite a bit in recent years. Students pay very high tuition for very limited resources. I think your saying that New School 'focuses on topics that align with my interest' is telling, because most US grad students won't be able to appreciate how seemingly abstract New School foci are actually pertinently relevant to our society while the seemingly practical/empirical foci adopted by other US schools are in many cases speaking only to themselves. What I want to say is, if you find New School interesting, you really need to be very selective in your grad study. Can you elaborate more on what your interests cover? I think you may check out CUNY (Graduate Center) Sociology dept as well. Not exactly like New School but sufficiently different from the mainstream as well. Check out their course list and see if those courses interest you. BTW, CUNY isn't exactly super-resourceful either, but the tuition is much lower.

I am applying for a number of schools but my first choice is HKS. I am applying for its MPA program. However, my real goal is to get into its PhD program ultimately; but I don't yet have the research experience so I decide to go for the MPA as a first step. The MPA is a very flexible program in which I can take some courses good for PhD preparation, and hopefully I can work for a professor during the summer to gain some research experience. My only question is: If I state honestly in my application that my objective after completing the MPA is to enter PhD in public policy, will such a move jepordize my application? I mean, if MPA in HKS is meant for people embarking on a career in government / public service, will my application become disadvantageous relatively? Thanks!

My first post here. I am an international applicant for next year, hoping to get into HKS MPA but also appalled by the high tuition. I've read many of the posts here and am surprised that some mentioned receiving $$$ from Harvard after being accepted. I am just wondering: are these $$$ financial aid or scholarship? Or maybe I should ask if they need-based or merit-based? Are international applicants eligible? Do I need to specifically apply for them or will I be automatically considered? Perhaps HKS can give me some official answers but this board may supply some extra insights regarding the chance, usual amount, determinants etc. Thanks a lot!