HOUBMA

@Fadeindreams- Correct! I totally agree with that statement. What I was trying to say was that schools like Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown might look nice when it comes time to apply for jobs, but everyones needs are different. If Yale has the program, location, and price you are looking for then apply and see what happens. If a smaller state school is what you fancy, then it seems that ivy league schools such as Yale do not meet your criteria. In all, everyone has a different opinion about "what a good school is."

I am not saying that experience does not have its own fulfilling state, I am saying to judge based on that is somewhat stereotypical. I know 22/23 year olds straight from college that have a better sense of knowledge about how government organizations run, the logistics involved, and have a higher degree of professionalism than some people with 5+ years of work experience. This is not always the case, but to simply assume someone holding a public job, any job, is more inclined to learn and succeed than someone that is self-motivated through grades and continued high academic achievement is a bit of a stretch. I can see where the experience comes in, but I would be assume that schools would be leery of these types. Since this degree is earned through mostly classes (not working a job) I would assume they would look at people who have better grades ( indicating better study patterns, or capabilities to succeed in a classroom setting), rather than those who did mediocre to poor in a classroom setting before (which MAY indicate bad study habits, or capabilities not to succeed in the classroom setting). I know everyone has a story (ie: student x has a 2.3 because she was dealing with issues her first 4 semesters) but isnt that factored into good time management? I had issues my second year of college, but still maintained a respectable GPA in all my classes. I agree with you that it is not black and white, and that it is a professional program, however it also is in a classroom for the most part. If one did poorly in a classroom setting before, why would something like work experience make adcomms thinks that a change could be made in that field? I know they do have some similarities, but lets be honest, the classroom setting and the workplace are two totally different things.

I would have to respectfully disagree... Personal experiences don't lie... Had a 3.79/1390 and failed to get in the four schools listed below (NYU, CMU, ONU, DePaul). My references and personal statement were reviewed by highly regarded historians and capable writers. In all, my credentials spoke for themselves. I noticed others that gained admittance to the same schools I was rejected from that sported a 2.5/1200-1400GRE portfolio. I do not know their (or the adcomms) story, but feel outraged at this. I believe that adcomms will take real world experience over a decent GPA any day (ie: 4.0/0 yrs experience will get rejected in favor of 2.7/5 years work experience).This is a trend that I have noticed in the MPP/MPA field. I hear it go one a lot more in the ivy league setting than in the state school setting. That is why ivy league schools always say "we do not have a minimum GPA requirement but expect a 3.0" That opens the door for 45 year old people that bombed college and have been in the workforce for 10+ years to have a chance to get into an ivy league school ( or any school for that matter). This is no joke. I have seen a 4.0/1370 student (friend of mine) with stellar supporting documents get a rejection to Penn, while another gentleman gained acceptance with a 2.8/1210 and 8 years of work experience. So, please, do not say that my statements are false!

Through my experiences in a real world setting. Though this differs greatly in New England, or maybe even in other parts of the country, internship supervisors that I have had declared they have real reservations about hiring ivy league graduates. I had experience clerking with a judge, working for a NGO, and also working for a state agency. I specifically asked them about if it mattered where I went to graduate school and they all three stated they had reservations about hiring ivy leaguers. One of them (working for an NGO) stated that he noticed that many ivy league graduates he had interviewed in the preceding three year period were arrogant, and did not fit in with the "mood" of the office and organization. Therefore, I don't think statistics can back up anyone on this page, however experiences can.

Yeah, no one cares about the GPA as long as you have good GRE scores. I mean, you could technically blow off all four years off undergrad and still get into Columbia, Yale, Princeton, etc. I don't know why I was so worried about grades in undergrad when I could've simply gotten "real world" experience for a year or so and sported my 2.5 GPA all the way to my Ivy League school. That would have been a lot easier than studying my butt off 24/7... The moral of the story is schools care about one day, the day you take your GRE... They could really care less about the past 4 years... lol

Yes and No, mostly no... Most people realize that the quality of education you will receive at Harvard is the same that would be offered at State University X. Most employers know this, and therefore treat everyone equal in that regard. However, connections are what can be made from going to a certain college that can make Harvard better than State University X. For example, if you went to Michigan State University while another student attended Harvard, the Harvard grad would probably know the employer through different connections if the job was in Massachusetts. If this job were in Lansing, Michigan then probably the MSU grad would have made some connections through profs and alumni, making getting a job there a bit easier. However, in general the education is the same but it is the connections you make.... Therefore, your education is what you make of it....

Congratulations!

Thats good! I think you will get better treatment, and service elsewhere. If you wouldve been accepted, you probably wouldve been number 900000120176 to them, and nothing more...lol

Thats pretty ridiculous... Are they offering you any type of consolation? A refund, perhaps? In retrospect, I don't know why I even applied there...lol... They are a great school, but they seem very impersonal...

Just received my rejection... Congrats to all those accepted!

I look at the percentiles and see, for example, that a 750 or above would be in the 90th percentile for the quantitative section. Therefore, chances are that 9 out of 10 people will have scores below that. Its weird because hardly anyone on this message board has a score below that. Either people are fudging numbers or we have a smart collection of applicants!

The have changed their deadline for notification at least once or twice, so technically they could always change it to fit into their time frame. They had it at March 29th, then March 30th, and now it is March 31st... How long is it going to be?

All I have to say is.... UUUGGGHHH!!! I hate schools that can wait until the last minute to send out acceptances. It is comparable to the professor that assigns a ton of reading like their class is your only one...

Ok... Now I know I should be worried at this point with concern to getting accepted. BLAH!

I am in the same situation. I even called to see if my application was submitted or completed since I received no email. The gentlemen told me it went through. I am assuming to everyone else that we are on a pseudo-waitlist at this point (or maybe they are releasing another set of acceptances soon.