worrypower

So, I have an MPA and I have been working in government since 2016. This is a solid path to a middle-class job-- squarely middle-class, maybe even upper-middle. I make about $80,000 a year now, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at in a tough economy, but really isn't rich-rich. Working in government is NOT is a path to wealth. Unless you have good capacity to be inner-circle, friend of the party, highest-ranking status in China, you're better off studying business, commerce, banking, etc.

Not applied to MPP but I am also a bit surprised to see so little discussion of Oxbridge on this forum! Maybe Brexit has scared everyone off? Has everyone stockpiled enough canned peaches and French wine? Hahaha

Hey, congratulations! I did my undergraduate at McGill. The education is second-to-none but the administration can be... Challenging. So, if your program recommended you, then you are IN! And the system will probably update your status sometime before the end of the Year of the Pig. LOL.

What country are you in? As a side note: I work in policy myself and I have since 2015. I would not recommend doing policy work in the USA necessarily-- their immigration status challenges, paired with a generally anti-government context, mean getting and especially keeping work is very difficult. In Canada we have a much more robust public servant culture, as does the UK. I have worked alongside foreign nationals in various policy roles, including public treasury policy, infrastructure, and health. (If you're a Commonwealth citizen, it's somewhat easier to get work in the UK than a non-Commonwealth immigrant worker.)

This morning, upon waking up: Excitement: AN EMAIL FROM OXFORD! Worry: ...to complete a survey about my experience with the application process? I did the survey, of course. But oh man, did I ever laugh at that. They really zoinked me.

Congratulations!

I actually also had a conditional acceptance to an MPA. By the time they send the email to you, it means you're in-- the rest is just semantics. Don't worry, you'll be great!

I work full time as a public servant, now. We're headed towards an election-- and likely a change to a government I am not so fond of-- so if this doesn't work out, I will persist until August (my 3 year work anniversary) then maybe transition into consulting. Three years' experience appears to be the "magic number" for professional work, so regardless, it'll be a good chance for some personal growth.

I come from the land of Political Science and Policy, hoping to tackle the wicked problems of the internet with my government hat on.

Worries: It's a one-and-done. I'm not interested in blanketing the world with applications; either they'll take me or they won't. It's a moonshot! I am also slightly coloured by my experiences of having been rejected like, a lot during my master's application cycle. (Only got in to 1/7 haha. Guess where I went! Guess where I graduated from!) Excitement: Great email from my proposed advisor. Also, you only need 1! Doing my master's degree got me a job, a pension, and recently, the chance to present at a United Nations conference in Lithuania. I took what I got and I ran with it, and I am very hopeful that my application demonstrates my capacity to do exactly that. I'm an enigma. I'm a mystery. It'll work out or it won't, but SOMETHING will work out.

Hello, gang! Here's me! Program: PhD in Policy, or potentially political science-- still exploring the viability of that. Schools Applying To: UChicago Harris PhD, University of Saskatchewan Public Policy PhD-- where I did my master's, Queen's (Canada) Political Science PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Political Science) PhD, Duke Public Policy PhD Interests: Long-term policy planning (pension viability, CPP which is like Canadian social security); public finance; measurement and evaluation of policy, particularly in long-term output contexts like infrastructure maintenance or the intended policy outcomes of education systems design. It would depend on the interests of the school in question though. Undergrad Institution: Top Canadian University, in the Worldwide Top 50 Undergraduate GPA: 3.4 Undergraduate Major: Political Science, Women's Studies Graduate Institution: Canadian U15, Top 200 Worldwide Graduate GPA: They calculate it oddly, but 83%, which is an A/A- (4.0/3.7) depending on whose comparison scale you use. Graduate Major: MPA GRE: not yet done-- depends on if I seriously look at applying to the USA because it's not needed in Canada Quantitative Courses: Graduate Quantitative Methods (A), Graduate Statistics (A), Graduate Micro Economics for Policy (A), Graduate Social Economics (quant...ish) (A), undergraduate political economy (A), undergraduate micro (C+ but I think the grad should make up for it) Years of Work Experience: By time of application, it will be 3.5 (or 4.5 including graduate internship) all in direct policy work in increasingly senior roles Age: 24, will be 26 at time of application Languages: English (native), French (fluent), Spanish (functional) Work Experience: One year policy internship in provincial government: education, one year policy: finance, one year policy: infrastructure. LORs: 1 from Master's prof under whom I worked as a research assistant and with whom I have kept regular contact. 1 from my Master's with whom I worked on an out-of-university research project. Probably another professor from my Master's with whom I completed a lot of coursework and who is a Canada research chair, but he's frustratingly hard to get a hold of, so I may need an alternate, haha. The first two are entirely in the bag, though. Publications & Honours: First Author 1 chapter, political science and gender, in an edited academic volume published by a Harvard visiting scholar 1 journal article, Kyushu University (in English), about immigration policy and international relations-- not super prestigious but it is referred 1 pedagogical article, University of Tennessee, about social policy and gender-- not a referred journal, but nevertheless an academic publication 1 book review, Laurier University, Canadian political subject I also have a few prospective chapters in the hopper. It will depend on if they get accepted or not. One is about education policy and the other is more political science-y. The education one is likely a go, though. Multiple Author 1 Policy Report, published at Undergrad level with an NGO, gender and policy-- multiple author but just shows I've been at it a long time Acknowledged in 2 journal articles as a research assistant-- not author status but they're in my resume while explaining my research work. Public finance subject. Posters Finalist, Inter-University Poster Competition at Master's Level. Public finance. Semi-Finalist, the Same. Public finance and gender. SOPs: In progress, but I'm a ways out yet. Concerns: * Lowish undergrad GPA. If you look at my posting history in this very forum, it was the source of some stress during my master's application, haha. * Don't have a good sense of how Canadian degrees are valued in the USA. Are we good because Canadians speak the same language, or is it seen as sort of poxy by comparison with a US degree? I know the GRE is hugely important (in my practice testing I've top 165+ in verbal and about 158 in quant, so I'm practicing that) but assuming good scores, am I at a relative loss compared to a US applicant? * Is it possible to apply for straight political science degrees given my published research and my undergraduate degree, or am I dreaming in technicolour? * I know my research is a little all over, but it's circling the same policy/gender/public finance drain. I think I can tie them together, though-- will that be an asset or a problem, to have done some varied research? * How much does American financing tend to be? Do they offer full tuition waivers and stipends? The websites seem cagey. I'd love to get the boost of an American PhD, but not at the costs they so often seem to present.

Hello Professor! I was wondering about the "boost" provided by a non-political science master's. I completed my BA in Political Science, then an MPA-- it wasn't a thesis program, but I did have the opportunity to work with a professor as an RA during the course of my degree. I've also done academic research since then (journal articles and a chapter so far, with a few proposals I'm waiting to hear back on). Turns out-- research actually is what I want to do, professional degree be damned. Basically, is it a hindrance to have done a non-thesis/terminal master's if I've subsequently done academic work that backs up my research capacity? I've been looking at Policy PhDs, but given that there aren't very many of them, I'm looking back to my undergraduate field to explore options further. Thanks!

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, I got my first acceptance today! I checked my application to the University of Saskatchewan and it said "Department Recommend-- Conditional." I'm assuming that the condition will be to send my final transcript with proof of graduation, because I had to send my transcripts in before all of my final courses had been graded. I am thrilled and delighted and over the moon! No matter what happens from here out I will be going to graduate school in the fall! Today is a very good day.

I applied to the University of Saskatchewan's MPA program on the late deadline (May 1st); apparently the results are supposed to be out by June 1st. The university is specifically designed for ease of late applicants, though, with funding still potentially available... I'm hopeful!

Finally got rejected from the U of T. So polite! Very impressed that it takes a full four months of total radio silence to process a form-letter rejection. Oy vey. Still waiting on McMaster though.