jz19

Question for the current students: I'm thinking about leasing an apartment on 61st and Woodlawn and was wondering how safe that area is. I like that it's so close to Harris but am kind of worried about living south of the Midway. Thanks for your help!

Are you guys following Harris Admissions on Twitter? (https://twitter.com/HarrisAdmission) " we intend to release all wait list decisions by first week of May. Stay tuned!" Good luck!

I've had good experiences with MAC and TLC management. I would avoid privately owned buildings/apartments. http://chicago-building-permits.findthedata.org is an easy way to find out who manages the building you're interested in. Good luck!

I'll be starting as a Harris MPP student this fall! About housing: I attended uchicago as an undergraduate as well, and this time around I've decided to get a furnished studio/1 bdrm through campus housing. As an undergrad, I've lived in the dorms (Max P), in MAC apartments, in independently owned apartments, and in a furnished studio (the Versailles on 53rd and Dorchester, which I actually loved). Some off-campus buildings are managed well, but there are also some truly awful superintendents and management companies in Hyde Park, and I disagree with the idea that off-campus housing is categorically a better choice. Some benefits of on-campus housing: 1) non-internet utilities are included; 2) living with other graduate students; 3) better prices for furnished apartments (buying furniture and moving furniture in Hyde Park in the summer is a complete nightmare. IMO totally not worth it for those of us in a two year program). Just my two cents.

I once had to attend a workshop on "email etiquette" for work and have been worried about sending thank you emails ever since. My instinct is to always thank anyone who's been helpful, but when you're corresponding with a person whose job is to be helpful, at some point their inbox becomes inundated with thank you emails. We were told it's more considerate to refrain from sending non-substantive emails. I don't completely agree, but it's another way of looking at it =)

Previous Schools: University of Chicago Previous Degrees: BA, Law, Letters, and Society (BA thesis on constitutional politics) GPA: 3.4 GRE Scores: 168v/163q/5.5aw Previous Work Experience: 2 years of meandering followed by 2 years with a family services public program Math/Econ Background: no math/econ in college, took stats+micro at a community college before applying Foreign Language Background: fluent in Mandarin (conversational in French but not relevant to program) Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP, child and family policy Long Term Professional Goals: advocacy for early childhood programs, possible PhD Schools Applied to & Results: UCLA Luskin (accepted, no funding); USC Price MPP (accepted, full tuition); Chicago Harris (accepted, half tuition); Georgetown MSPP (application never processed due to transcript problem from one summer class I took 8 years ago, but was already accepted to Harris so didn't follow up....) Ultimate Decision & Why: Harris. 1) Very strong in child and family policy (faculty/classes/research centers). 2) Academically rigorous. 3) Emphasizes social justice. 4) Will be in a good position upon graduating to apply for PhD programs, if I decide to go that route. 5) I <3 UChicago Advice for Future Applicants: Only apply to programs that you actually want to attend. Make friends with people in your prospective field. Get their feedback on your application, qualifications, decision making process, etc., not in the least because they'll remind you that it's silly to hyperventilate over things like the grammatical errors you find in your application after you've submitted it. Do NOT look at your application after you've submitted it. Figure out your rec-writers early and follow up with them often, which, as a corollary, is a good test of whether or not you should ask a particular person to write you a recommendation: if you're not on good enough terms to send them weekly emails asking about the progress of your letter without being wracked with anxiety, find someone else. (lesson learned for next time!)

Jennifer Lawrence--a beautiful, young, Hollywood a-lister taking bragging about she loves being "fat" and "lazy", and the popular media applauding her for her "bravery". Sorry, does not compute.

Are there people at work you can talk to about this? Is one school more respected in your field? Both are obviously great programs, but will one further your career more? If you're looking for a typical American academic experience, I'm not sure if Chicago is the place to go. I went to there for undergrad and have friends who've stayed for their master's, JDs, and PhDs. UoC is pretty much more intense than any other school I've heard of. But on the other hand, you'll come out with great analytical skills! As for the debt, personally I think the ROI of a top-tier masters program will be pretty good, but this is pre-loan-repayment....

Is anyone else still waiting to hear back from UCLA? I've visited the program a few times and really liked it, and am kind of bummed that there's been no word from them....

Have you tried looking into the educational backgrounds of people who are currently in the jobs that you eventually want to have? I did that last week and it gave me a lot more clarity as to which program I should pick--USC is great for SoCal placement (maybe for California in general), but its presence seems a lot more limited elsewhere....

Thank you!

Thank you, harrista! Do you know if there are opportunities to do research and publish in the MPP program?

Mo money mo problems

I contacted them yesterday and got a notice for an award today. Considering that they estimate cost of attendance as 67k/year, it hardly makes a dent but is just enough to make me feel sick to my stomach every time I even think about turning the offer down. Ahhh!!! UChicago I love/hate you so much.

Question for current Harris students: is the MPP program at Harris geared more of a terminal or non-terminal degree? I want to eventually get a PhD, but saw from the student profile on the Harris website that only 2% of graduates take that route. Thanks!