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publicaffairsstudent

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  1. publicaffairsstudent
    What is your research interest and what topics do students there usually work on?
  2. publicaffairsstudent
    In the past Berkeleys website has said they only accept students from their own mpp program to do doctoral work.
  3. publicaffairsstudent
    I had a notice from Maryland this week but my application season is over. Maxwell social science had the latest deadline of all my programs, March 1, so I imagine they haven't started reviewing yet.
  4. publicaffairsstudent
    SUNY Albany. I accepted.
  5. publicaffairsstudent
    Wait listed at Syracuse.
  6. publicaffairsstudent
    Got a formal acceptance email today. I'm really happy, it's one of my top choices and I will likely accept. Not gonna jinx it by naming it here. Good luck to the other applicants.
  7. publicaffairsstudent
    I think any policy related degree would be redundant. If you want to learn quant skills then don't mess around. Get a masters in statistics. If you're wedded to the econ and still in England, look into London school of economics. They have an MSc in econometrics and mathematical economics. Degrees by that name at other institutions may be worthwhile to investigate.
  8. publicaffairsstudent
    Rejected at Cornell. My first notification of 7. Had a phone interview at one of my schools that seemed to go well.
  9. publicaffairsstudent
    Its ok to have a rough time at a certain point in your undergraduate experience. No one holds that against you. But to gain admission to a graduate program, its not enough to give an explanation and let that be the end of it. You have to demonstrate recovery and show that you are now capable of doing academic work, even though you weren't before. I came back from an undergrad gpa of 2.87, and similar personal challenges and setbacks. The graduate program I applied to was not overly competitive and I was able to gain admission with a few good years of work experience and gpa. But I encourage you to shoot higher than I did. I did not know about admissions when I started but I do now and I will share what I know with you, so you can do better than I did. You can get into any program you want. Even top american programs. Your first step should be to find a job and develop compelling experience in the public or non-profit sector. If you have to start volunteering in a field that you find emotionally compelling and meet as many people as you can. Network while pursuing conventional job searches. When you have 3 years of work experience you will be ready to apply. While you are working, seek out a community college or open enrollment public college in your town, that offers undergraduate math courses at night. Start taking one course a semester beginning with calculus 1. Over the next three years take calculus 1, 2, 3, linear algebra, introductory statistics and intermediate statistics. Take a course in intermediate macro economics and one in intermediate microeconomics over the summer. Study as hard as you can so you get an A or A- in each of these courses. With only 1 course at a time this shouldn't be too much for you. At the end of 3 years you will have demonstrated the capability to succeed in tough courses and will have distinguished yourself as a candidate with a strong quantitative background. Masters programs can't get enough of these types of students. Finally, don't allow yourself to be a victim of your experience and don't make excuses. You are empowered to change your academic direction. Over the next three years dedicate yourself to changing your path. Put all of your effort and energy and focus into achieving this. If you make this your passion, you will succeed and you will get into any program you want to.
  10. publicaffairsstudent
    He didn't go to Cornell but he went to a top public affairs program. He said the quantitative methods core used extensive calculus and linear algebra, and most of his classmates had that background. As public policy is more heavily quantitative than public affairs, it will require more math. All good public policy programs have a two course sequence in microeconomics and a two course sequence in econometrics. You won't get through those without calculus. For example, UNC Chapel Hill which ranks about 15 requires calc 1 and 2 for admission, and states this on their website. Georgia state at #23 requires students without a quantitative background to complete a course that covers differential and integral calculus and matrix algebra before advancing to doctoral coursework. Higher ranked schools like Chicago, Harvard, Duke and Berkeley almost certainly have higher expectations. So while a professor might say its unneccessary, in practice I imagine very few people earn admission without a decent quant background, unless they have some other unusual qualification.
  11. publicaffairsstudent
    Calculus isn't used in statistical modeling, but core courses in quantitative methods at good public policy programs teach a foundation in mathematical statistics, and this theory requires calculus and linear algebra to calculate probability distributions, regression coefficients and other key concepts. In practice a computer will do this for you, but good programs teach the theory.
  12. publicaffairsstudent
    I've taken so many math and statistics courses as I've prepared to apply that it's opened up a whole new world of job opportunities I feel. There are some really exciting things going on out there for people who are comfortable with research methods and statistics. Fields such as data science and traditional consulting and financr roles are becoming more research intensive and industries like the technology sector are employing huge numbers of data analysts and other quantitative researchers. So there might be a learning curve and value in taking a few more math courses to pursue these roles, but there are a lot of exciting options right now for people interested in quantitative research.
  13. publicaffairsstudent
    No. My interests are related to economics and econometrics, not political science. I have very little poli sci experience and am focused on quantitative research.
  14. publicaffairsstudent
    Your profile is very good. I would like to see more formal coursework in mathematics, but as an undergraduate engineering and comp sci major, I believe you have more fluency in these methodologies than the 3 math courses you listed. I'm interested in educational policy as well, and really excited about the intersection with computer science, especially in terms of applying new data science and machine learning methodologies to public policy applications. I applied to Syracuse and Albany too, I really hope to see you there! I expect you should have at least one offer from your list with a standard funding package.
  15. publicaffairsstudent
    Core courses in quantitative methods at public policy and public affairs programs draw heavily on multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Many public policy programs now formally state the requirements, such as UNC Chapel Hill requiring a 1 year calculus sequence for admissions. In practice I think very few people are admitted without Calc 1-3 and Linear Algebra. Applicants should be comfortable with quantitative analysis. American culture has a collective math anxiety, but this condition is unbecoming of a researcher in a heavily quantitative field like public affairs and to a greater extent public policy. If you are considering math in terms of "do I need to" you probably aren't ready to be considering this path.
  16. publicaffairsstudent
    How many people work there? What kind of work do you do there? How do you perform research? Do you use research methods, or is it more akin to essay writing. How much of an emphasis on quantitative methods is there at Brookings? Do you have quant teams?
  17. publicaffairsstudent
    Northwestern also does not have a public policy/ affairs PhD program. Their program is in human development and social policy, which means its technically an education PhD program, and many of their graduates will compete for positions in education departments. Academic education research tends to be less quantitative except for a minority of academics who specialize in quantitative methods. So many of their applicants will not be focused on quantitative methods and will lack quantitative preparation, to a greater extent than public policy and public affairs programs.
  18. publicaffairsstudent
    Hey, your wait is over. You know you're in somewhere. USC is a great school and you can compete for any placement coming from there. Harris would be nice though
  19. publicaffairsstudent
    I guess I can't really consider any of my schools safeties either. But some I feel my chances are better than others.
  20. publicaffairsstudent
    Michigan Ford is a tough program and I wouldnt let you get you down. The way their program is structured, where you have to be admitted by the ford school and the disciplinary department you hope to concentrate in, you have to be a top candidate in both the fields of public policy and your disciplinary concentration. I think the candidate who checks both those boxes of being a competitive applicant to not one but two departments at Michigan would probably have an unusual background. I didn't consider applying there because I knew I wasn't strong enough in economics to get into both Michigan's econ program and their public policy. I also seem to remember that they only enrol about 3 students per field each year.
  21. publicaffairsstudent
    I was told by a professor at Syracuse to expect a response by late February/ early March. Their deadline was Feb 1.
  22. publicaffairsstudent
    I applied to Maxwell too. Good luck! Maybe I will see you there.
  23. publicaffairsstudent
    Those are great schools. What is your background, especially quant background. And whats your disciplinary concentration for Ford.
  24. publicaffairsstudent
    I applied to 7. I could have applied to more, but the more I thought about it the more certain I was I wanted to stay in the northeast. I also wanted to avoid big cities so I narrowed myself down. Haha. I also think more would have been a waste of energy and more importantly, money. 7 is enough to choose 2 safties, 2 reach and 3 good fits. I think that's an optimal strategy.
  25. publicaffairsstudent
    Anyone want to take a crack at my profile for PhDs? Here's my stats: Undergrad: Top 40 American private research university, had a rough time, 2.87 GPA in an English Major. Graduate: >100 ranked NASPAA Accredited MPA Program with a 4.0 GPA. GRE: 155 Q 170 V 5.0 AW. I also have taken the following supplementary courses with a 3.85 GPA: Calculus 1-3, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics 1, Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Econometrics. Courses in Progress: Probability and Statistics 2, Differential Equations and Real Analysis. I also won an $800 research award to support an independent quantitative research project in education policy. I have tutored for 3 semesters, including 1 semester as a math tutor at 10 hours per week. 3.5 years work experience in non-profit sector (urban education) including 1 year Americorps VISTA. LORs are my weakest point. Being at a small program, I haven't worked with many professors who are active researchers. I have one LOR from a professor who I worked with as a research assistant, is supervising my thesis and has taught me in 4 classes with 4 A's including an independent study. He is a young assistant professor from a top program, which I applied to, and where he arranged interviews for me. This is my strongest letter. Other LORs from an econ professor and econ PhD student who I took one class with each. I spent a lot of time in office hours developing a personal connection, but I haven't researched with either. I applied to the following programs: Cornell Policy Analysis and Management, SUNY Albany Public Administration and Policy, UMD College Park Policy Studies, Syracuse Public Administration, Syracuse Social Sciences, Syracuse Economics, SUNY Buffalo Economics
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