pavlik

General pros: I'm 100% happy with my decision. Generally, I feel that it's a good education. The administration/faculty like to stress the program's emphasis on quantitative skills, which is accurate. Lots of math, stats, econ, which, while tough, is generally applicable and rewarding. I had no trouble finding a paid internship for this semester with a consulting firm, and even ended up turning down one from a well-known development NGO. The program can be demanding and stressful, but no one wants you to fail, and I've felt like there's plenty of support. The location is great. While DC is expensive as can be, it's possible to cut costs (roommates, don't bring a car unless you need to because you will accumulate hundreds in parking tickets), and the professional opportunities for most areas you are probably interested in are hard to beat. There are events, talks, lectures, Q&As out the wazoo. Hillary Clinton's come twice, Paul Ryan came recently, 2 staff from the Inter-American Development Bank gave a presentation on Tuesday, the emir of Qatar was here today, and Shaquille O'Neal is giving a talk tomorrow. Not to mention all the other things going on in DC, at think tanks, agencies, other universities, conferences, etc. Drawbacks: There are a few. The price is #1. No way I'd be attending here without a huge scholarship. First of all, I wouldn't be going to any MPP/MPA program for the sticker price, except maybe LBJ, but I probably wouldn't have picked McCourt even with a 40-50% scholarship (mine is larger). Also, the program is fairly young, both in terms of the McCourt school being established in 2013 and the students, average age probably 24-25 with a decent number of straight out of undergrad folks. Not that either is inherently bad, but I feel slightly old for my cohort at 26. There are other students my age and older, of course, but the majority definitely graduated in 2012 or later. As for the program, sure, McCourt isn't as well known as HKS or WWS, but Georgetown has its own cache, and I think it definitely compares favorably to GWU, AU, or the other MPA/MPP programs in the DC area. The main campus at Georgetown is also a hot mess right now. The main quad at the gate is beautiful as ever, but about 60% of the rest of campus is under construction. I'm barely exaggerating. But that's about it.

Current MPP at Georgetown here. You'll get your funding news next month. I just glanced back at the email folders for my applications/acceptances last year, and here's my timeline: I applied January 4th or 5th. Admitted on Feb. 10th Funding first awarded on Mar. 13th Spoke with McCourt administration, and more funding was awarded Mar. 26th Hope that's helpful. Getting admitted early is probably a very good sign

That work experience definitely does help, but just keep in mind you're going against people with your exact work background (or similar), plus 4.0 GPAs and 160s on the GRE. I would just broaden your search a bit and work on boosting the parts of your application you can--GREs.

My uncle and grandfather went to Davidson. Go Wildcats! Anyway, depends on your GRE scores to some extent, but you are competitive for most of those schools. Since you're a few years out of undergrad and have some decent work experience, a low-3.00s GPA won't hurt that much. Your work experience is definitely relevant and will help if you can tie it in with your personal statements. You may want to broaden your target schools a bit (unless you want to stick to the East Coast), but your background definitely will be competitive for all of those schools.

In my opinion, you're pretty competitive at a lot of those schools, and it seems like you know what you're looking for. The average GPA won't hurt you that much. Work experience will definitely help compensate for that, and your GREs show that you're smart enough for the work. Princeton is a long shot for everyone, but I think you're definitely competitive for all the other ones. With an average GPA and a--I'll be brutally honest here--terrible GRE quant score, I'd bet a lot of money you're not going to get into HKS, WWS, and probably any of the other ones. If you do get in, funding (or lack thereof) may be an issue--can you afford $50,000+ per year for these programs? If you can retake the GRE, I would do that ASAP. You have good work experience, which works to balance out some of the negative aspects, but there are a lot of negative aspects based on what you said. Also, for LoRs, no one cares about the titles the writers have, whether they're "Professor" or "Associate Professor." What matters is that they actually know you and can speak to your strengths accurately. In fact, in many cases having a "prestigious" writer for your LoRs can hurt you, because it's obvious it's a form letter they use for everyone they recommend.

Your GRE is below average for the schools you're applying to. If you had 4-5 years of amazing work experience and a 4.0 GPA from MIT or something, then it might make you competitive, but I would say it's a long shot for most of those schools, and I wouldn't count on any funding either. I would try to boost your scores some (a little studying goes a long way). Don't sweat the quant thing--if you want, take a math or econ class at a community college or something. The biggest concern in your post, however, is that you don't think you have a good story for SoP. Why is that? Are you having trouble expressing yourself, or do you not know why you want to do this? If you can't explain why you want a degree, how it ties into your past experience and future career plans, then grad school isn't for you right now. I think you're in the wrong forum--this is for MPP/MPA/MIA degrees and the like. Your lit programs sounds pretty interesting, however, so good luck and all that.

Chicago and Berkeley are not Ivy League, but I imagine that it helps. Internships are not the same as actual work experience, though, and you're competing against lots of people with that.

Aja, I think you have a very good shot at most of those schools. If you want to be an FSO, then you should apply for the Pickering or Rangel fellowships. Anyway, Michigan <3s RPCVs, so you are guaranteed $10k in funding should you be admitted (I absolutely don't see why you wouldn't be...I was admitted with similar stats this year), and possibly more. I don't know much about Berkley, so disregard everything I say, but I think you would definitely be competitive there. EDIT: I didn't see you already mentioned Pickering. It's very competitive. I'm not really sure what their criteria are. I didn't get it this year, but a friend of mine from my PC program did get it in the previous year, so it's not impossible. HKS and WWS are similarly competitive. You have a shot with your decent GRE/GPA/work experience, but you may not get in after all. I would also maybe look into Tufts or Texas LBJ as not-quite-safety-but-pretty-sure-bet schools. Good programs, great towns, etc., especially if you get Pickering--you'd be guaranteed a job after graduation anyway, so why not live somewhere fun and with good weather (Tufts doesn't match the latter I guess)? Also, props on not being one of the undergraduate students who wants to apply their senior year and has their heart set on Harvard.

Cocote--some of your schools may be reaches, and they may be longer reaches if your GREs aren't great. Your internships are good, but getting some professional experience (are you still in undergrad?) would really help your chances and give you direction. A year or 2 as an entry-level research assistant or program assistant with an organization that synchronizes with your interests (and a LOR from your supervisor there) would go a long way to balancing out less-than-ideal GRE scores. Lots of students apply for MPA/MPP programs straight out of undergraduate, lots of them have great GPAs and GREs, some of them get in, even fewer get reasonable levels of funding. How will you stack up against your peers? I'm a big proponent of not going to grad school straight from undergrad, so keep that in mind. You're just a much more attractive candidate to grad schools with 2-3 years of work experience after undergrad, whether it be entry-level NGO/nonprofit/gov't agency work, Peace Corps, other international work, etc. Aspirant #3--Given that it's spring 2014 now, I assume you mean fall 2015 matriculation? At any rate, it depends largely on your GRE scores and how your GPA compares to a U.S. university's system, assuming your undergraduate was in India (if it was in the U.S., disregard that). Your experience is interesting, and if you can tie it into what your interests are long-term, that will certainly help your chances. However, to be honest, without a GRE score in the 160s in both math and English, I don't see much of a shot at HKS. People with 4.0 GPAs and 16+0 GREs get rejected from HKS, just as people with lesser numbers but a more compelling direction/background/focus get in. If you want to get an MPP in the U.S., then definitely consider Harvard, but you should broaden your search as well.

As long as you have decent GRE scores, you should be a very strong candidate for Georgetown, LBJ, Tufts, and OSU [disclaimer: I know little about the latter 2 programs]. HKS is a crapshoot as always, but with very high GRE scores, you've got a good chance. If your GREs are great, then maybe apply to Princeton as well--worth a shot in my opinion. If you're wondering what "decent" or "great" mean, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'd imagine anything above 158 would be decent, anything over 163 would be great...probably. This is all under the assumption that you can tie your work experience together, write good statements, blah blah, but I think we all understand that.

No problem--we all like to hear ourselves talk here, I'm sure, so it was nothing . I will be at McCourt in the fall, have you received any info about getting off the waitlist?

Basically agree. Make a cohesive narrative and I think you'll be a very strong candidate for Georgetown, NYU, Tufts, and SAIS, probably Columbia and Yale as well. The undergraduate math grades you posted aren't great, but they're not heinous either, and if you've been working for the last decade, it's obvious that you've developed and matured since you were 19 or 20 (I should hope so). ativerson--parts of your application look good, parts are pretty bad, to be blunt. You should strongly consider retaking the GRE to boost your math score by a few points. You have a bit of international experience, but not that much, and not much of a language background. Have you considered doing something like Peace Corps or another short-term abroad experience, whether work or volunteering? Keep in mind who you'll be up against in this field of applicants--people with 2+ years of experience abroad, fluent in 2 or more languages, government or think tank work experience, and so on. I'll plug Peace Corps here, assuming you're a US citizen--it looks great for grad school applications, gives you extensive experience in grassroots int'l development/public diplomacy, language knowledge (obviously some countries' languages may look more impressive on a resume than others, I lucked out with my placement in eastern Ukraine in this regard), 2+ years of experience abroad (and the countless opportunities for travel and enrichment that provides), making a positive impact on the lives of others, and so on. At the very least, I think Peace Corps or an opportunity like it would be a great opportunity for you to move your career forward, if IR is what you want to do. InternationalHopeful--are you interested in MPP/MPA or int'l relations? For MPP/MPA programs, I think you're very competitive if you can explain why you want to move into the public sector. For IR, a bit more explaining might be required, and you may want to look into some way to get a little more int'l experience before you apply (anything from a job/assignment abroad with your company to volunteering with refugees/immigrant communities in your town, if such opportunities exist).

Here's my two cents, for whatever it's worth. My first basis for a decision between Maryland and GWU would probably be price/funding, but if those are equal, then there are a lot of other things I'd consider. What would your intended field of study be? MD has a good environmental policy program, as I understand, GWU may have more of a quantitative emphasis. How convenient do you want your school's location to be? College Park is in the DC metro area, but the metro station in CP is 20-30 minutes from downtown (I'm not sure how far campus is from the station), whereas GWU is downtown, more or less. CP is also on the northeast edge of the area, whereas GWU is centrally located and convenient to the Virginia suburbs of Arlington, Alexandria, etc. as well given that it's on 2 metro lines and right on the Potomac. The class schedule of GWU probably means that you would be able to take on an internship or part-time work during the school year in addition to the summer, although that would still be feasible at Maryland (it would just be easier to be able to walk/bike/take a bus to your job from class at GWU vs. the long metro ride from MD). The next points are even more of just my opinion, but consider it as well. I wasn't terribly impressed with MD's presentation at a grad school fair here in DC back in October--I wasn't even able to speak with any admissions staff, just one current student who didn't seem all that enthusiastic in general. That was undoubtedly one of the main reasons I didn't apply there. However, I'd consider where you want to work long-term. In terms of name recognition in the US, neither is exactly elite, but--in my experience at least--people outside of DC and maybe NYC see GWU as a cash cow school and not as good as Georgetown and some other regional schools. Maryland at least is the flagship school of a state, and I think US connections outside of the DC-NY corridor would be comparable for the two. I'd say GWU has the edge in international bent due to its location and int'l relations schools.

Overall, your application is good, but if it were possible to retake the GRE and boost your score a bit, that would help a lot--especially with the lack of background in math. Retaking the test is a pain in the hiney, but studying a bit more and bumping your scores (especially the math) up a few points could translate into getting more funding or into a better school. In terms of schools, I don't know much about some of the ones you applied to, but if you're interesting in Latin American affairs, you may want to consider LBJ at Texas. I think getting credit for stats via the AP exam is fine--it worked for me, at least--but you may want to look into taking micro/macro at a community college over the summer if possible. I know Duke and Georgetown both require mico, which is why I'm currently taking an evening micro course. Otherwise, I think you have a good shot at the programs, especially if you can tie in your different youth development experiences into a cohesive, compelling narrative in your personal statements (I'm sure you can). One minor point: make sure the people writing your LoRs actually know you well enough to not use a form letter. The classic example of this is the former congressional intern who asks the senator for a recommendation that is basically worthless because everyone knows it's a form letter, where you could substitute any name in and it would still be OK. It's better to ask someone who actually knows you and has a less prestigious title (program manager instead of executive director, for example) who can add some personality to the letter.

In most cases, no. The tuition is high, and the DC area is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so this is well into 6 figures of debt if you're funding this via loans. Especially if you have debt from undergrad, I would probably not. That being said, you are more likely to find relevant [to your degree] part-time work during the school year in DC than almost anywhere else, so if you want to get your leg in the door with the federal government, DC think tank scene, etc., then that should enter into your calculations as well, although American/GWU/Maryland/etc. would also open the door in similar ways. But I personally would not do this for sticker price unless you're 100% sure on the DC area.

I'm turning down LBJ in favor of Georgetown, so I hope it opens up a spot for you!

Same position as the two previous posters--hopefully the funding they offered me ($20,000/yr) can go back in the pot.

Basically I'll echo what Bunsen said: knock out your GREs. Coming straight out of undergrad can limit you, but it won't sink you. Be sure that this is what you want to do, not just postponing the eventual job hunt. If you know you really can do this now, then by crushing the GREs (and writing compelling statements), you have a damned good chance at getting into most of those schools. Your GPA and coursework are great, undergrad institution prestigious enough, and your internship probably puts you ahead of most other undergraduates who are applying. Just keep in mind how much stronger your total package (hehe) will be if you get a year or 2 of professional experience under your belt. My two cents, at least.

Updating now, as I decided today on Georgetown. Michigan revised their offer to $20k/yr, which was good, but still more than Georgetown or LBJ, plus I have no family or friends in that entire region, so I had decided it would take a better offer to get it into top choice. LBJ didn't budge with their no funding offer...so, hoya saxa it is!

A higher GPA in your last 2 years does help a bit. I had a similar GPA, but without the mitigating balance of a trend of improvement. There wasn't a reverse trend, my record just was spotty depending on how much I cared about my workload. If your Bs and Cs (or whatever poorer grades you had) came from higher-level classes, I'm sure schools will consider that. B- in a 3000 level organic chemistry class looks better than a B+ in Sociology 1001, in my opinion. Especially if you have mitigating factors in your personal life, it shouldn't sink your chances too much. 3.30 is certainly no 4.0, but it's still a far cry from 3.0 or 2.9. Balance it out however you can with the other components of your application (GRE/professional experience) and you should be OK.

Can't believe this has fallen to the second page already--bumping it even though I haven't accepted anywhere (yet). Deciding between Texas's LBJ, Georgetown's MSPP, and Michigan's FSPP currently, although I'm 90% decided on Georgetown. Previous Schools: Southern flagship state university. You've likely seen our football team get humiliated on national television a few times in the past decade. Previous Degrees and GPAs: AB, History, ~3.25 overall and ~3.5 in major. I put in minimal effort in many classes, although I did take a lot of higher-level electives where I got B- and all, so I could at least demonstrate intellectual curiosity. If you're still an undergrad and reading this, don't be like me and be 2 cool 4 school--get A's! GRE Scores: 169 verbal/163 math/5.5 writing Previous Work Experience: 2+ years in Peace Corps Ukraine, 1 year at nonprofit health clinic in DC with a lot of work on Affordable Care Act and HIV policy Math/Econ Background: Negligible. Took macro as an undergrad, AP Stats in high school, and a housing economics class as an undergrad. No micro, although when I decided I was applying to Georgetown in late December/early January, I signed up for a microeconomics course at Grad School USA. I didn't bother telling other schools I had applied to of this (namely, Princeton WWS), so I wonder if it might have improved my chances. A fellow can dream, at least... Foreign Language Background: Borderline fluent...ok that may be a stretch, highly proficient in Russian (Peace Corps) and Spanish (high school and undergrad), use both at my current job. A smattering of French and Ukrainian as well. Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP or MPA (depending on school). Would like to focus on health policy, with some international classes thrown in Long Term Professional Goals: senior adviser to public official (or be the official), foreign service officer (took the FSOT in 2013, passed 1st round but not 2nd, also applied to Pickering, rejected), or lobbyist if I decide I like money more than I think I do now Schools Applied to & Results: See signature. On the funding, I'm pretty sure American didn't offer any fellowships, but I was only halfheartedly interested in AU anyway. Michigan is a special case, as they offered initially full tuition for my second year because they thought I was an undergraduate Pickering Fellow (where 1st year of graduate study would be covered). When I told them that it didn't make any sense, they said they would revise the offer. As an RPCV, I'm at a minimum eligible for $10k, but they haven't revised their offer yet to tell me if I get that minimum or something more. Georgetown offered $15k at first, but then doubled their offer after a bit of negotiating. UT wasn't as amenable to negotiating, and I didn't really bother with AU. I may try with GWU this week, but as they didn't offer anything to start, I'm not holding my breath. Ultimate Decision & Why: I still haven't committed, but I'm leaning strongly toward Georgetown. The funding is nice, and with a bit of family support (I had a full tuition scholarship for undergrad, so what my parents saved for me for college is still mostly intact) coupled with the fact that I can stay on part-time at my employer makes it hard to say no to. I went to the open house last week and came away fairly impressed. The whole McCourt rebranding leaves the impression that the school has a lot more resources now, and that it will only be improved in the future, and I really enjoyed meeting some of the professors, the dean, and the current/prospective students. Plus, I'm already here in DC, where the policy jobs are plentiful, and I'd like to stay here for at least a few more years. I'm still going to ask LBJ to reconsider the funding situation (or lack thereof), and wait for Michigan to revise their offer (if they ever do...), but my future is looking more and more Hoya blue. Advice for Future Applicants: Like others have said, don't stress too much about things beyond your control and focus on what you can affect. My undergraduate GPA was lackluster, so I put a lot of effort into the GRE and got good professional experience post-college. Oftentimes schools have some flexibility with funding offers, so try negotiating with your top 2 choices if you don't like that. And also, don't neglect the opportunity to look into external scholarships! I applied to Pickering and didn't make it, but that and the Rangel or Payne fellowships are great opportunities to both get funded and secure a job if you're into the Foreign Service/USAID. There are myriad small foundations that can give some small amount of aid depending on what you want to study and who you are, so explore all those as well as in-school funding. I am also a big proponent of getting at least 3 years of experience instead of applying right out of undergrad. I know the job market can be scary, especially if you have a BA in Underwater Basket Weaving, but it's possible to find a decent job if you're willing to move around. I know that there's no way I would be anywhere near a decent graduate student if I had gone straight away after my bachelor's--not to mention that my candidacy (and work ethic, but that's personal) has only improved since college.

The Wisconsin offer is definitely hard to pass up, but it may constrain your ability a bit to be in California for a career after you graduate. Obviously, Berkley/UCLA/USC are all much better-placed for this. It sounds like UCLA will come through with more $$ for you, so [in my opinion] you should definitely ask for an extension from your top choices, explaining the situation to them. Obviously Wisconsin won't offer any more $, but just explain that you need more time to think through the huge move to WI and all, they should be understanding. If getting an extension is tricky, then ask UCLA if they can come through with anything quicker. If nothing changes from your current predicament, then I'd probably opt for Wisconsin and a debt-free degree. But I suppose the sticking point is location. How set are you on California? If you feel that better name recognition/network/internship or part-time opportunities in CA are worth some debt, then UCLA could be worth some debt. The general oft-repeated rule is not to take on more debt than your starting annual salary will be, so if you can keep loans under $25k a year (assuming your job post-grad will pay $50k), then one of the CA schools could be worth it to you. Also, Wisconsin's cold. My parents moved to Milwaukee from the South when I was a baby, and hated the weather so much they went back after just 2 winters. They've always said the people were nice though, so there's that.

It's going to be pretty unlikely (read: it won't happen) you'll be able to invest fellowship awards and earn anything close to a 10% interest rate, unless you play the stock market and manage to avoid getting burned. Rates are low now, and the amount you'll have won't be suitable for much, and you'll want access to it in 2 years' time at any rate once you graduate. This is just my opinion, but I would use as much liquid cash as you have (whether it be personal savings, support from family, stipends/outside awards) to first cover living expenses and then any tuition balance. Doing so reduces your future debt load and will mean that your overall debt will be lower (and accordingly monthly payments lower) and that you'll be in a better place to pay it off quicker or actually save money for the future when you have a job after your degree. In general, anthropologygeek is right. Don't borrow more than you anticipate your starting annual salary to be. In a few rare cases, higher debt loads can be justifiable, but don't discount the impact it will have on your lifestyle. If you're carrying $100k+ in debt, you can pretty much forget about being able to save for retirement or a house (good luck getting approved for any substantial mortgage, even if you can swing a down payment), and it could very well mean you're chained to a job you are less than enthused about because you can't afford to leave. Do you want to still be paying off student loans 15-20 years from now? On a tangential note, I would love to see the reasoning behind admissions/aids decisions. Applicants get into and get $ from School A, which is more prestigious and desirable than School B, which admits them with no $, and then School C, which is at best as well-regarded as School B, rejects them. Admissions is somewhat predictable, but I honestly believe getting merit-based funding/fellowships is more akin to a crapshoot than anything predictable. I guess the admissions and scholarship committees all weight GREs, GPAs, undergrad institutions, and work experience totally differently.

I agree with that. Turning down a full fellowship versus nothing wouldn't be the best move. You could always try negotiating, but if MSPP didn't give you anything to start, then I doubt they'll come close to matching GW, even if they do give you something. You'll be well-placed at either MSPP or Trachtenberg to get internships/work-experience in DC while you're in school (and obviously it goes without saying you'll be well-placed for summer work).

Your GPA and quantitative GRE score are more than fine, Peace Corps experience is always great for the application (as an RPCV I can attest to that), and I think overall you'd be pretty competitive at most of those schools. Getting your GRE verbal score up will greatly increase your odds of getting funding, although a lot of those schools (Denver especially) are generous with $$ for RPCVs. Make sure you can tie in your private sector experience into why you want an MPP/related degree, that is a fairly unusual background for these programs so that's certainly favorable for you. A lot of schools require an academic reference, so try emailing some undergrad professors who would remember you and would write a solid LoR. If that is impossible, then you definitely would want to contact admissions committees and explain why you won't be providing a rec from an academic source.