excusemyfrench

I think sometimes people confuse "blunt" with "rude." There IS a difference. I'm a blunt person who likes to be honest and direct whenever possible, but I know how to communicate my opinions in such a way as to make the conversation or information-sharing productive. One of the hardest things to do is to give people a reality check and be respectful at the same time. It's just basic human decency and common courtesy. It's also part of being professional. Even on a forum like this one where most of us are "anonymous."

I'm sure someone else probably already asked this, but I'm curious OP. Do you really want to date/marry someone who's also a student or in the same program as you? Personally, I'd rather not...

Generally, I agree with Loric. However, if you're willing and able, you could possibly use the "childhood" storyline in your SOP but limit it to an extraordinary experience or learning moment that stayed with you into adulthood. I think the "childhood" theme is better left to the Personal Statement (even there some will say it's played out but it depends on how you approach it). If you don't have a stand-out moment from your childhood that you can focus on that really showcases something about your talents and potential contributions now as an adult, then I'd lean towards starting with your adult experiences and knowledge. Good luck!

Thanks!

Ohh ok! Sounds good. Think about taking the bar though. Seriously!

Have you considered the United Nations Young Professionals Programme (UN YPP)? The cut-off age is 32 I think. It's a really cool 2-year "fellowship" if you will. They hire for different "job families" every year. You have to take a placement exam FYI. It might be up your alley interest-wise.

Is it too late for you to do a dual degree at your current school? That would save you some money unless cost isn't an issue. I agree with the other user that you should consider working for a few years. Are you not interested in practicing? Are you going to take the bar? At least take the bar! I have a JD and chose to not take the bar because I had zero interest in practicing. I kind of regret it now and am considering taking the New York bar. Having that license just opens another pathway career-wise. You never know, right? And to actually answer your question, I guess I'm on the "work for a few years" train because of your GPA. Although, if you're at a T5 then maybe the GPA doesn't matter as much as the law school itself. But anyway, I have to say that if you're just interested in working in public policy, then the JD absolutely can open doors; it did for me albeit with some serious networking thrown in for good measure. But I also have several years of work experience overall. If you take the bar and get licensed (or even if you don't), you can definitely get into the policy world. I've seen quite a good amount of JDs/licensed attorneys working as policy analysts/associates. But then again if you have specific, personal reasons for wanting an MPA and you're ok with the additional debt (like me), then go for it. It's your life. Good luck! P.S. I once met a Yale law grad with a Harvard MPP and I believe he went straight through so it's definitely a choice some people are making!

I'd take a wild guess and say it's because Berkeley is consistently highly ranked with a great reputation PLUS public in-state tuition... We all know it's a pretty good school in many subjects overall. But it's also probably something akin to why people apply to Harvard. Because it's Harvard. HBS/HKS/Law must make tons of money just from people who think "what the hell I'll apply it's Haaaahvaaad for gawd's sake!" You can't ignore the fact that many people will be impressed if you get into and attend a program at Harvard, including employers.

Oh sweet - congrats!! It's nice to see another Wagner grad.

I've only heard the "put Education up top" advice if you have zero to very little work experience. Why would you switch it up if you have significant years out in the real/professional world... Plus they're going to look over your entire application so they'll see your stellar academic record anyway.

Thanks for this info! Regarding short-term stays, have you or anyone else heard of Educational Housing Services or Pink Dorms? They offer dorm set ups for temporary stays. I'm wondering if they're legit/worth the $$.

Generally speaking, apply to all the schools you want to and can feasibly apply for because the last thing you want to suffer from is "what if" syndrome after the fact. Go for the top tier dream schools and throw in a few mid-tier that you'd be just as happy attending if you didn't get into Princeton for instance. At the same time, don't apply to a third tier toilet or anything. Not worth it. For SOPs and Personal Statements, content depends on the prompt. For most MPA/MPP programs, the questions are pretty similar but some are just different enough that you should still pay attention and answer whatever they're actually asking you. Also, it's a good place to start where your comfortable writing-wise and if that means the standard style then do it. You'll end up tweaking and editing the papers anyway so it'll be improved. You're pretty competitive in my view. Good luck!

If you're good at editing, then I'd say put some effort into that. It may feel cheesy at the time but even some background music, transition effects, etc. can make it more polished - especially if you're just going to stand/sit somewhere and talk for 1 minute. At the same time, don't go overboard. There are actually a good number of Wagner videos on YouTube. Good luck!!!

Is there an average range for broker's fees? I'm definitely trying to avoid them period but I noticed some apartment listings have them but no $ amount. And what's the deal with guarantors? Do most landlords require a guarantor if you're a student? What if you're willing to pay 6 months in advance or something along those lines... I think I'm stressing myself out needlessly but apartment hunting in New York is already way more complicated than I thought it'd be...

If you're happy with it and love it as it is, then send it in. You'll drive yourself crazy and you may end up making your paper worse if you keep coming on here and reading up on everyone else's neuroses and concerns. Once I was satisfied with both the SOP and Personal Statement, I hit SEND and forgot about it. After I got accepted, I went back and read my essays, both of which I love (still), and I noticed some details I would've changed had I noticed them at the time. But clearly those details didn't affect my chances. If you're satisfied, that's what matters. You can only do so much. Sometimes being a perfectionist can be more harmful to the process (not to mention your peace of mind). On a more practical note, is there an "Additional Statement" section for UK? You could always mention a professor there. Otherwise, if it's good to go then let it go! And there's nothing worse than forcing yourself to talk about some random professor when your heart isn't in it and you know you can't say anything really substantial or meaningful that will improve your paper or express your views and goals better than you probably already have.