DCA-John

Mega-bummer! Looking for deleaded apartments sucks. We've got a young one, and had a great place all lined up between Harvard and Inman square in Cambridge. Turns out that the cute little certified deleaded apartment wasn't. Anyone have any suggestions on looking for child-friendly apartments in Cambridge?

Both Robert Zoellick and Ban Ki Moon are HKS alums. Just sayin'... In all seriousness, I would suggest the original poster contact the career office at both schools to see what percent of students go to multilaterals each year. True the MPA/ID is likely to place more than the MPP program, but I would imagine the ratio is significantly higher at HKS

Again, though - if the end game is international development, Duke's not the same league

international development is a big industry, but generally field experience counts more than anything. I do some hiring, and while a grad degree from a name university will move you up in the pile, someone who had done relevant work in the developing world is much more likely to get an interview

I asked myself the same thing, but am still going to HKS. Duke is not in the same league, and your state school is probably not going to get you a job focused on international issues. Bottom line, if you want to work at the Bank, the IMF or any of the think tanks or NGOs in DC working in this area, it's HKS hands-down. And, if you do wind up at the Bank, salaries are tax free (or tax equalized for US citizens/permanent residents), so you could easily be making the equivalent of a 6-figure gig coming out of the program

Glad to hear! Enjoy your summer, and I look forward to meeting you and all the other MPA/ID students on the board here in the fall.

http://www.is.lsu.edu/coursefactsheet.asp?nid=301&Rubric=MATH&CourseNr=2057&Version=O As I understand it, the key concepts they expect you to know prior to the start of the program are partial differentiation, lagrange multipliers and double and triple integrals

hmm... well, after I finish, I'll have both the MPA/ID and an MBA. It's different skill sets. If I had to pick, the MPA/ID is definitely better for international development, but would still provide enough flexibility to cross over to the private sector (if you were focusing on emerging markets)

because (in the US at least), a lot of the interesting work is actually done by consulting firms. Many of the federal agencies contract out implementation of projects / services to consulting firms. In international development, for example, if you want to do anything other than write RFPs all day, you would go with a consulting firm or NGO, rather than going to USAID. I wouldn't be too worried about having a general skill set - that's what being a consultant is about, particularly at more junior levels. As you rise up, you're expected to either build a reputation as a technical expert or a rolodex of clients, but at the beginning, they're looking for smart, motivated people. Narrow technical skills are less important.

In all seriousness, though, does it make sense to pay full price? $40k a year? Combined with the foregone income by not working for the next two years, the total cost of this would buy you a 1-bedroom condo in DC. I would certainly be making more after graduating than I do now, but I'm not certain it would be enough to cover the cost of attendance. Is the intangible value of the Harvard brand and the potential opportunities that could come from that worth it?

Yup - same thing for me too. Time to put that MBA in finance to good use and calculate the NPV on this - aka "what bridge will we be living under after I graduate since we'll be too broke to pay rent or eat?"

does anyone know anything about Peabody Terrace at Havard? Apparently most of the students in my grad program live there. It seems OK-ish, but at such a massive complex it could be like living in the dorms again. Thinking about a three bedroom there with my wife and infant son, hoping for parking as well, but not sure how realistic that is.

Starmaker - much appreciated! Do you happen to know anything about this apartment complex? http://www.parksideplaceapts.com/ really not our style at all, but in searching around, seems like a lot of people with kids wind up there by default after not being able to find a deleaded apartment.

Another question for michpc (whose assistance is much appreciated!) Based on research, I think we're starting to narrow it down to Cambridgeport, Inman Square, Davis Square, Huron Village and Strawberry Hill. Should we add Watertown to this list, or would it be too far? I know these areas all have different vibes, but I wanted to get a few different kinds of neighborhoods in the mix, since we don't know Cambridge The criteria (in general descending order) - Safe - Walkable to good stores and restaurants (ideally independents not chains) - Quieter, other families around (don't want to deal with student parties above us at 2 in the morning on thursday) - Space - our current place is a big (~1300-1400 sq ft) two bedroom - Within 2-3 miles of the Kennedy School, near a bus line or T (will mostly bike in, but nice to have the option) - No stairs (stroller!!) How much should we budget for a 2BR? Is under $2000 a realistic figure, particularly if we need to find something that's been deleaded? Thanks!

Don't know much about the SIPA program, although I'd imagine it's similar to the sustainable development PhD program the Earth Institute started a few years ago. I'm doing the MPA/ID this fall. My impression would be that it depends on where you want to go after you're done. If you want to go to the World Bank / IMF then go to Harvard. Columbia would be better if you wanted to go to an NGO (CARE, Save the Children, etc. etc..)

I think it's about 70

it's a long walk - maybe 30-45 min, depending on where on campus. It's an easy bike ride (everybody bikes in Madison - there's a great bike system)

weather is kind of a crap shoot - we had snow in may one year I was there. It's a beautiful city and I think you'll enjoy walking around. I think the farmers market will have started by then - definitely worth visiting on a saturday morning. the best grad student neighborhoods are a little further away from campus. It's a little loud on the weekends downtown and in the undergrad ghettos. Good areas to check out are Willy Street, Marquette, Shenk-Atwood. The area along Gorham and Johnson Streets past James Madison Park is traditionally grad student territory

Much appreciated! I'm sure I'll have a ton of followup questions as soon as I have a chance to start looking at the neighborhoods you mentioned

somewhat of a cross-post, but does anyone know if the Harvard Real Estate Service is worth pursuing? If so, how is the lottery - would we actually be able to get a place?

Off to Boston (HKS) in the fall! The wife, 1-year-old and I are moving from DC. Does anybody happen to know both DC and Boston neighborhoods? we're looking for something like Cleveland Park / Woodley Park (which from a cursory first visit seems to describe most of Cambridge...) Any recommendations on areas that would be close (bikeable / bus-able) to HKS but family friendly? Is the Harvard Real Estate Service any good, or should we brave Craigslist? What's a reasonable rate for a two-bedroom apartment?

In for MPA/ID!!!!! GRE: 780V 780Q Undergrad: 3.4 GPA - Journalism at top public school Grad: 3.8 GPA MBA - Finance at top public school 8 years management-level international development experience in 20+ countries EDIT: Waitlisted last year due to missing multivariable calculus requirement. They didn't take anyone off the waitlist last year, but suggested I take the calculus prereq and reapply.

I was trying to find an easy calculator online, but didn't have much luck. The easiest way to think about this decision is to do a Net Present Value analysis. http://www.investopedia.com/articles/fundamental-analysis/09/net-present-value.asp A dollar today is worth more than a dollar a year from now, so an NPV analysis distills the impact of positive and negative cash flows over a certain period of time to present dollars. If the NPV is positive, you should take out the loan. Basically, you have two years of negative cash flow (foregone income by not working, tuition), followed by 10 years of (hopefully) increased salary. An NPV analysis will help you determine if the investment is worth while.

All quiet, although there's a good chance we'll hear something today. To quote noted scholar Tom Petty, "The waiting is the hardest part"

How do you feel about sitting on 95 or on amtrak for 2 hours a day? Sounds awful to me, but I suppose if you were taking Amtrak you could get some studying done if you could get a seat