terpolicygrad

Hello,
 
I figured I'd reply to this since I graduated from this exact program. Asking why it's special is tough to answer. I think someone else answered accurately, if a bit bluntly, that it's not.
 
There are many Public Policy programs around the country, and while UMD boasts its proximity to DC as a huge advantage, the truth is there are a handful of schools in the area that also have that advantage, and UMD's national ranking (US News and World Report) is not high. However, I think many people rightfully point out that US News and World Report's rankings shouldn't be taken as gospel. All I can give you is my opinion having graduated from the program, which I will gladly do.
 
I entered the program in the Fall of 2011. I had graduated from undergrad with a political science degree in December 2010, and spent the 8 months before entering UMD substitute teaching and volunteering. UMD offered me the most money and a part-time assistantship, which was why I went there. I was surprised how big the incoming class was, around 150 if I recall correctly. I waffled between the Social Policy and ISEP concentrations, ultimately deciding on ISEP.
 
Overall, I found the courses to be a bit disappointing for graduate curriculum. While the econometrics/statistics and program evaluation courses I took were probably the most beneficial, I had already taken both in undergrad and found them to be repetitive and overly simplified. Perhaps these courses were new to some, but I minored in econ in undergrad and went over the exact same material before even getting to grad school. Honestly, by the end of the program I didn't feel like I had learned anything exceptionally beneficial to prepare me for a career in the policy world outside of the courses that essentially just refreshed what I had already learned in undergrad.
 
As far as internships, I did two during my time at UMD (one with a think tank, the other with the State Department). I think the amount of internships relative to our field is the most beneficial thing about being in/around DC. This is the only advantage I'd give to the DC area schools over others like Syracuse and Indiana.
 
My real beef with the program came after I graduated in May 2013. I guess I was convinced that a Master's and 2 internships under my belt would nearly guarantee me a job. I was wrong. It's currently May 2014, I've applied for almost 200 jobs since graduating and I still haven't secured full-time employment. My issue is that I feel as though the program mislead entering students into believing employment from this degree was strong. In the school's atrium they show a pie-chart displaying where alumni work, but they don't show you those unemployed (not surprising). I attended the school's career networking night this most recent February, and it was like a gathering of the haves and the have-nots. Sure, some graduates are doing fine and living out their dream working for their favorite government agency or think tank. However, there were a good chunk of people like me who had not secured employment yet either. Some of these people had 4.0 GPA's, solid internships under their belt, etc and were still unemployed. After speaking to some school officials at the networking night, I came to find out that the employment rate for 2013 graduates was hovering around 60% 9 months after graduating. However, this already low percentage is still misleading because many people enter the program already working full-time jobs, they're either doing the program part-time or full-time at night. To count them as 'employed' after graduation is misleading because they were already employed while in the program. Who knows what the real employment number is if you take those people out of the equation.
 
Here's what I've learned: this degree, on its own, has almost no value. My lack of work experience is what's killing me, and the degree itself is not valuable enough to secure employment. I would strongly urge you to avoid this program unless you have a decent amount of prior work experience. The private sector employers I've interacted with directly (mostly consulting firms and think tanks) either don't know what the degree is or believe it to be less valuable than a degree in economics or finance. The public sector employers I've gotten to respond have told me that they're bogged down with applications to the point that they only consider those with the highest qualifications, mostly stemming from prior work experience or Ivy League schools on their resume.
 
I'm sorry if it appears that all I did was bash this program. Truthfully, I blame myself for my current situation to a large extent because I should have tried to gain work experience before going to graduate school. I also made some great friends during my two years at Maryland, and generally those admitted are very knowledgeable and passionate about the various policy issues they plan to work on. However, the point that I cannot escape is this: if the degree were truly valuable I would not be in the position I'm in. I've done everything right, had the career center office and outside HR people look at my resume/cover letter and been told that it looks fine.
 
Interpret this however you please. Maybe it's a warning, maybe I'm an outlier. The old adage of "it's who you know, not what you know" definitely applies to the policy field and if you make the right connections during grad school it's possible that you'll be set for life and end up fine. Just don't expect those connections to come from professors in this program, all of the ones I've spoken to tell me they hear this story from a lot of former students and wish they could do more to help. Best of luck if you end up at GWU, I hope your story doesn't end up like mine has.

Hello,
 
I figured I'd reply to this since I graduated from this exact program. Asking why it's special is tough to answer. I think someone else answered accurately, if a bit bluntly, that it's not.
 
There are many Public Policy programs around the country, and while UMD boasts its proximity to DC as a huge advantage, the truth is there are a handful of schools in the area that also have that advantage, and UMD's national ranking (US News and World Report) is not high. However, I think many people rightfully point out that US News and World Report's rankings shouldn't be taken as gospel. All I can give you is my opinion having graduated from the program, which I will gladly do.
 
I entered the program in the Fall of 2011. I had graduated from undergrad with a political science degree in December 2010, and spent the 8 months before entering UMD substitute teaching and volunteering. UMD offered me the most money and a part-time assistantship, which was why I went there. I was surprised how big the incoming class was, around 150 if I recall correctly. I waffled between the Social Policy and ISEP concentrations, ultimately deciding on ISEP.
 
Overall, I found the courses to be a bit disappointing for graduate curriculum. While the econometrics/statistics and program evaluation courses I took were probably the most beneficial, I had already taken both in undergrad and found them to be repetitive and overly simplified. Perhaps these courses were new to some, but I minored in econ in undergrad and went over the exact same material before even getting to grad school. Honestly, by the end of the program I didn't feel like I had learned anything exceptionally beneficial to prepare me for a career in the policy world outside of the courses that essentially just refreshed what I had already learned in undergrad.
 
As far as internships, I did two during my time at UMD (one with a think tank, the other with the State Department). I think the amount of internships relative to our field is the most beneficial thing about being in/around DC. This is the only advantage I'd give to the DC area schools over others like Syracuse and Indiana.
 
My real beef with the program came after I graduated in May 2013. I guess I was convinced that a Master's and 2 internships under my belt would nearly guarantee me a job. I was wrong. It's currently May 2014, I've applied for almost 200 jobs since graduating and I still haven't secured full-time employment. My issue is that I feel as though the program mislead entering students into believing employment from this degree was strong. In the school's atrium they show a pie-chart displaying where alumni work, but they don't show you those unemployed (not surprising). I attended the school's career networking night this most recent February, and it was like a gathering of the haves and the have-nots. Sure, some graduates are doing fine and living out their dream working for their favorite government agency or think tank. However, there were a good chunk of people like me who had not secured employment yet either. Some of these people had 4.0 GPA's, solid internships under their belt, etc and were still unemployed. After speaking to some school officials at the networking night, I came to find out that the employment rate for 2013 graduates was hovering around 60% 9 months after graduating. However, this already low percentage is still misleading because many people enter the program already working full-time jobs, they're either doing the program part-time or full-time at night. To count them as 'employed' after graduation is misleading because they were already employed while in the program. Who knows what the real employment number is if you take those people out of the equation.
 
Here's what I've learned: this degree, on its own, has almost no value. My lack of work experience is what's killing me, and the degree itself is not valuable enough to secure employment. I would strongly urge you to avoid this program unless you have a decent amount of prior work experience. The private sector employers I've interacted with directly (mostly consulting firms and think tanks) either don't know what the degree is or believe it to be less valuable than a degree in economics or finance. The public sector employers I've gotten to respond have told me that they're bogged down with applications to the point that they only consider those with the highest qualifications, mostly stemming from prior work experience or Ivy League schools on their resume.
 
I'm sorry if it appears that all I did was bash this program. Truthfully, I blame myself for my current situation to a large extent because I should have tried to gain work experience before going to graduate school. I also made some great friends during my two years at Maryland, and generally those admitted are very knowledgeable and passionate about the various policy issues they plan to work on. However, the point that I cannot escape is this: if the degree were truly valuable I would not be in the position I'm in. I've done everything right, had the career center office and outside HR people look at my resume/cover letter and been told that it looks fine.
 
Interpret this however you please. Maybe it's a warning, maybe I'm an outlier. The old adage of "it's who you know, not what you know" definitely applies to the policy field and if you make the right connections during grad school it's possible that you'll be set for life and end up fine. Just don't expect those connections to come from professors in this program, all of the ones I've spoken to tell me they hear this story from a lot of former students and wish they could do more to help. Best of luck if you end up at GWU, I hope your story doesn't end up like mine has.

Hello,
 
I figured I'd reply to this since I graduated from this exact program. Asking why it's special is tough to answer. I think someone else answered accurately, if a bit bluntly, that it's not.
 
There are many Public Policy programs around the country, and while UMD boasts its proximity to DC as a huge advantage, the truth is there are a handful of schools in the area that also have that advantage, and UMD's national ranking (US News and World Report) is not high. However, I think many people rightfully point out that US News and World Report's rankings shouldn't be taken as gospel. All I can give you is my opinion having graduated from the program, which I will gladly do.
 
I entered the program in the Fall of 2011. I had graduated from undergrad with a political science degree in December 2010, and spent the 8 months before entering UMD substitute teaching and volunteering. UMD offered me the most money and a part-time assistantship, which was why I went there. I was surprised how big the incoming class was, around 150 if I recall correctly. I waffled between the Social Policy and ISEP concentrations, ultimately deciding on ISEP.
 
Overall, I found the courses to be a bit disappointing for graduate curriculum. While the econometrics/statistics and program evaluation courses I took were probably the most beneficial, I had already taken both in undergrad and found them to be repetitive and overly simplified. Perhaps these courses were new to some, but I minored in econ in undergrad and went over the exact same material before even getting to grad school. Honestly, by the end of the program I didn't feel like I had learned anything exceptionally beneficial to prepare me for a career in the policy world outside of the courses that essentially just refreshed what I had already learned in undergrad.
 
As far as internships, I did two during my time at UMD (one with a think tank, the other with the State Department). I think the amount of internships relative to our field is the most beneficial thing about being in/around DC. This is the only advantage I'd give to the DC area schools over others like Syracuse and Indiana.
 
My real beef with the program came after I graduated in May 2013. I guess I was convinced that a Master's and 2 internships under my belt would nearly guarantee me a job. I was wrong. It's currently May 2014, I've applied for almost 200 jobs since graduating and I still haven't secured full-time employment. My issue is that I feel as though the program mislead entering students into believing employment from this degree was strong. In the school's atrium they show a pie-chart displaying where alumni work, but they don't show you those unemployed (not surprising). I attended the school's career networking night this most recent February, and it was like a gathering of the haves and the have-nots. Sure, some graduates are doing fine and living out their dream working for their favorite government agency or think tank. However, there were a good chunk of people like me who had not secured employment yet either. Some of these people had 4.0 GPA's, solid internships under their belt, etc and were still unemployed. After speaking to some school officials at the networking night, I came to find out that the employment rate for 2013 graduates was hovering around 60% 9 months after graduating. However, this already low percentage is still misleading because many people enter the program already working full-time jobs, they're either doing the program part-time or full-time at night. To count them as 'employed' after graduation is misleading because they were already employed while in the program. Who knows what the real employment number is if you take those people out of the equation.
 
Here's what I've learned: this degree, on its own, has almost no value. My lack of work experience is what's killing me, and the degree itself is not valuable enough to secure employment. I would strongly urge you to avoid this program unless you have a decent amount of prior work experience. The private sector employers I've interacted with directly (mostly consulting firms and think tanks) either don't know what the degree is or believe it to be less valuable than a degree in economics or finance. The public sector employers I've gotten to respond have told me that they're bogged down with applications to the point that they only consider those with the highest qualifications, mostly stemming from prior work experience or Ivy League schools on their resume.
 
I'm sorry if it appears that all I did was bash this program. Truthfully, I blame myself for my current situation to a large extent because I should have tried to gain work experience before going to graduate school. I also made some great friends during my two years at Maryland, and generally those admitted are very knowledgeable and passionate about the various policy issues they plan to work on. However, the point that I cannot escape is this: if the degree were truly valuable I would not be in the position I'm in. I've done everything right, had the career center office and outside HR people look at my resume/cover letter and been told that it looks fine.
 
Interpret this however you please. Maybe it's a warning, maybe I'm an outlier. The old adage of "it's who you know, not what you know" definitely applies to the policy field and if you make the right connections during grad school it's possible that you'll be set for life and end up fine. Just don't expect those connections to come from professors in this program, all of the ones I've spoken to tell me they hear this story from a lot of former students and wish they could do more to help. Best of luck if you end up at GWU, I hope your story doesn't end up like mine has.