quietman

Early March has gone from 2-3 weeks away to about 1-2 weeks away.....not long now

Thanks for the responses. Fingers crossed that my quant score doesn't ruin my chances.

Thanks for this helpful post and best of fortunes to my fellows applicants! On the topic of which schools focus more on quant, does anyone have an idea of how low WWS and HKS are generally willing to go for MPA (WWS)/ MPP (HKS) applicant's quant scores? I have a 4.0 GPA, scored 170 on verbal, and 6 on writing, but only managed a 155 on quant. I've done well (though not exceptionally so) in a couple quant methods undergrad courses, but don't have much else to show in that respect. My focus is on social policy, which tends to involve more qualitative research than other policy areas, but the quant issue is still a concern for me because I'm sure my score will stand out in a negative way.

Awesome!! Oh, and get well soon

I've been there too.....that feeling when you spot a typo in an essay you've submitted

Conversely, I try not to read that type of stuff too much, as it causes me to overthink things that I can't control (such as whether my current quant score will ruin my chances at my top picks), which in turn heightens my admissions anxiety. One thing I'm thankful for is that admissions aren't rolling at the schools I applied to--from my previous experiences I'll say that it's much tougher to stay calm when people who applied around the time you did are getting acceptances back and you've heard nothing.

Haha...I know that feeling guys. I'm excited to hear that we could hear back in early March; another 2-3 weeks isn't that long!

I'm assuming everyone else got the email about the survey? I got very excited for a moment there!

To echo lovglove and HKS hopeful, thank you for your comment David. That type of transparency is greatly appreciated.

Congrats kasbah!

I initially had some issues with the GRE verbal section (see here), but I ended up scoring 170 using the following, some of which were more helpful than others: Manhattan GRE verbal guides I would avoid the sentence equivalence/text completion guide, as it is far too concerned with extremely rare words (e.g. lucubration) that are unlikely to appear on the test; from my experience the verbal section is not so much a measure of one's vocabulary as it is an assessment of how well they can use subtle contextual clues to make the right selection(s) from a list of average to slightly difficult words. The reading comprehension guide wasn't as flawed, as it didn't misrepresent what is on the test to nearly the same extent, but I don't feel that it offers much. Magoosh I cannot recommend this enough. It is an online service which features verbal lessons and hundreds of verbal questions, ranging from easy to very hard. The material is highly representative of the ETS questions I've seen, and unlike Manhattan's material the focus is on using context to discern the correct choice rather than knowing tricky vocabulary (though it's still emphasized that increasing one's vocabulary is important--they also have online vocab flashcards). If you are struggling with certain questions you can also email Magoosh employees, who will provide detailed explanations of the questions and help work you through them. ETS guide I thought the lessons were fairly underdeveloped and not very helpful, but the practice questions were a very important component in my study, and helped me see what type of questions I'd get on test day and what type of answers the testmakers were looking for. If you buy the guide you also get access to two computerized tests, which is helpful preparation for those writing on a computer. LSAT material (PowerScore and Manhattan logical reasoning and reading comprehension) I took the LSAT two years prior to the GRE and scored a 174. Both PowerScore and Manhattan had strong logical reasoning sections which will help you with various question types that are seen in the GRE verbal section. The reading comprehension guides were okay (superior to the Manhattan GRE reading comp guide) and helpful in the early stages of my study, but beyond the basics improvement was far more a matter of doing official practice tests (there are loads available) than reviewing the guides. I found the LSAT reading comprehension significantly more challenging than the GRE reading comprehension, and believe that it would be especially useful to those seeking top-tier verbal scores.

Good luck RC!

Hi genderboi, Thanks for the commiserations and best of luck to you. I was sent a rejection letter in the mail. It was dated January 19th but arrived on January 22nd. To add to my speculation about the rejection, on the application form I listed that I was applying to just a couple of schools, while I believe it's indicated on the application that people are encouraged to apply to several. I am also applying to elite schools, and perhaps the committee didn't have enough confidence that I'd be admitted. Of course my rejection probably had nothing to do with that, but what would the admissions/awards process be without speculation?

Got my rejection today for the Canadian traditional student award (Canadian going to study in the US). My academic credentials are very strong (top student in a program of over 200) and I felt my experience was solid, but I guess it's a highly competitive award and perhaps I didn't focus enough on cultural exchange. I'm still disappointed and it makes me worry about my other outcomes this admissions cycle. Best of luck to those remaining!

Anyone else not a fan of waiting (though I did recieve a nice Fulbright rejection today, which kind of makes me worry about my other results)? I hope we all have the admissions outcomes we desire!

Thanks for the advice! I have applied to several schools, but I am most intrested in HKS and have more of a past with Harvard than any of the other schools, so that's why the bulk of my attention has been there. I think it's probably too late for me to take quant courses that help my application, but I've taken a few related courses and done well, so I hope my application doesn't get crushed by my relatively low quant GRE score.

Thanks for your insight Ben.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not interested in a dual degree at this point--just the MPP. I have quite a bit of non-profit work and have been involved in public policy in different ways for several years. I've talked with past HKS students and was informed that my resume and essays (prepared months ago) are strong, so I feel confident in that portion. What I'm not sure about is the 155 Q score. Otherwise my test scores and grades are stellar, and I do have some of what HKS adcoms have described as analytic experience (e.g. advanced skills in HTML/Stata/; logic tutor; a grade of A in a third year statistics course; on the job experience dealing with fairly large numbers)....but that 155 stands out, and not in a good way.

Update after getting my GRE scores back: Academically how competitive am I for Harvard's MPP? -4.0+ GPA and the top student in my program of over 150 people -170 V (99th percentile); 155 Q (60th percentile; ouch); 6 AW (99th percentile) -174 LSAT (99th percentile; the application inquires about test scores other than the GRE) -At least a solid resume and recs Any thoughts on how detrimental the quant score will be? I have some quant experience in a practical setting but things didn't go right on test day.

Academically how competitive am I for Harvard's MPP? -4.0+ GPA and the top student in my program of over 150 people -170 V (99th percentile); 155 Q (60th percentile; ouch); 6 AW (99th percentile) -174 LSAT (99th percentile; the application inquires about test scores other than the GRE) -At least a solid resume and recs Any thoughts on how detrimental the quant score will be? I have some quant experience in a practical setting but things didn't go right on test day.

Hello, I will be applying to MPP/MPA programs at schools like Harvard and Princeton. I am curious if anyone here could speak about the quality of instruction (so not how well-known the professors are, but their teaching ability and willingness to help) and the general student culture at these schools, and if possible how they generally compare to other top schools in these respects. Thank you

Bump... I've been thinking more about what to pursue, and I've wondered about a PHD in public policy rather than just the MPP. Is the PHD generally only advisable if one wants to be a professor (which I don't) and doesn't want to work in a think tank or in government? Would someone with a PHD be limited to research positions, or would jobs that also involve practical aspects be open to them too? Thank you!

Oh, and a belated thanks to meowthtsetung for the response! I wish I could help out the others but I don't know enough about admissions yet.

This is the 'Government' section of the forum, so you should probably try posting that elsewhere stuk.

Program: MPP/MPA Schools being considered: Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, NYU, etc. Major: Poli Sci GPA: 4.0. Awards for being the top student in a course and within my area of study. GRE score: None yet (see first question below) Years since undergrad: 2.5 when the program would start Work experience: Founder of a succesful but small and local non-profit; policy analyst for a local political party; legal researcher for a law firm; cross-cultural advisor at a university; creater of a succesful website which gives writing advice; English teacher to ESL students; manager of marketing at a company in which I helped develop a program later used by a major sports team. Coursework: Mainly Poli Sci and Psych. No Economics or Math courses. Language skills: I can read basic French and Dutch but speak them quite poorly. Statement of Purpose: Focusing on interest in policy analysis, how that relates to what I've done, and what I'd like to do in the future (i.e. policy analysis/development/implementation for the government) Letters of Recommendation: Two professors whose courses I excelled in and one employer. Concerns: Minimal quantitative/econ-related coursework, no time abroad, and lacking in extensive research aside from what is typically done in undergrad. I have a few questions: 1. What type of GRE scores would give me a realistic chance at HKS (my first choice) and other top schools? I haven't taken the GRE but I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT (was admitted to HLS, Columbia, NYU, and a few others for law but decided it wasn't for me) and based on my GRE studying I feel I'll be able to obtain farily good scores (though probably not 99th percentile and I suspect not higher than mid 90s on quant). 2. How badly will my lack of quantative experience and time abroad hurt my chances? 3. What stand out to you as the biggest drawbacks with my application? Thank you!