Alphyn

Man, I'm in the same boat as you (and I did even worse in quant). Ben's right, most universities won't care where the course came from as long as there's a grade/some verifiable way of showing you completed it. It could be from a university extension program, a community college, a continuing education program, etc. They care more about the material being tested the right way and the fact that you went out and worked that extra mile then prestige. This is especially true since you aced the other two portions of the test. As for what type of courses, I'd recommend some mix of the following: Introductory Macroeconomics Introductory Microeconomics Calculus Introductory Statistics Principles of Accounting Intermediate Macroeconomics Intermediate Microeconomics According to the fellow liberal arts majors I've asked, that tends to be enough to show programs that you can handle the material. In all honesty if your work experience/SOPs/LORs/GPA are all good, you should be able to get into a good program even with an iffy quant score.

Was about to come here to post this. Obviously the exact amount is going to be different depending on what you want to do, but you never want to take on more then what you expect to make annually after graduating.

1.) It depends on what you want to go for in terms of a concentration. Besides Harris, I'd also look into Michigan Ford and Carnegie Mellon Heinz. Both have a reputation for being quantitatively rigorous. I'd look into Fletcher too. They don't emphasize econ as much as SAIS does, but they will allow you to customize your degree to make it more quantitatively rigorous. 2.) I know most programs say they like to see at least one academic LOR, but if you have enough work experience in your field that may counterbalance it. You mentioned doing several research papers at your job, so people who were involved with you on those projects should be able to fill a similar niche. 3.) If the relevant courses, GRE scores, SOPs, and work experience are good, admissions probably won't care that you got a few lower grades here and there. You got first class honors, so they definitely won't be bad enough to sink your application. 4.) Since it looks like you're going into IR/ID, having a second language relevant to your area of interest helps a lot. I know that at the very least SIPA, SAIS, and Fletcher like to see applicants have some proficiency beforehand. Overall though, if you do well enough on the GRE you've got a solid shot at all of those schools. The real question is funding, and I'm honestly still learning how to navigate that wonderful world myself.

Thanks for the response c. I forgot to add Fletcher as another reach school. They're surprisingly hospitable to VISTAs and they have a lot alumni in the area I want to work in. Yeah, I did get the impression that schools really like you to be above the 70th percentile in quant. I don't know whether it was just first time anxiety or not studying the quant the right way that did me in, but whatever happened it was a rather rude shock. I had used Magoosh previously, but maybe Manhattan is better? The one practice test I took from them was definitely closer to how the test was then anything I did before or after. I'm also looking into some online stats and data science courses. Biggest problem for me is cost. A family member agreed to help me with this one, but any other attempts I'll have to work on myself. As a VISTA, I really can't throw money around that much and the test/course fees could be unsustainable. Does ETS wave the fee for Americorp service people? I'm definitely looking into jobs that focus more on quant skills, but my service term doesn't end for a whille, so that's a ways off. My current job isn't quant focused, but I have had to do some quant research while making policy plans and memos, so I can play that up. I have seriously considered an MPH as another path, especially since my interests (inequality, health policy, global health) all line up with the more 'policy oriented side of the degree. I figure most public health schools would still be pretty strict about quant though, maybe even more then Public Affairs programs.

Hello, everyone, I've been lurking here for years now. I just finished the GRE earlier today and figured I might as well get an assessment. I'd be applying this fall for 2017. Age: 23 Current Location: Upstate New York Program: MPA/MPP, Focus in health policy and social inequality Undergrad School: Large Public University in Florida, Major in History and Political Science, Minor in Sociology. Undergrad GPA: 3.48, 3.5+ in both majors Quant Courses: Macro, Micro, College Algebra, Social Science Research Statistics, Empirical Political Analysis, Political Economy, Federal Budget. Work Experience: Currently work as an Americorp VISTA for a university extension program helping coordinate programs on poverty reduction. Previously worked for about a year with a nonprofit that did work on the ACA roll out coordinating enrollment events and doing policy education. This included a three month period where I worked in DC. Two political campaigns: 2012 presidential as a volunteer and 2014 state legislature as paid staff. Six month long internship with local state representative. Served in leadership rolls in two of my clubs in college. GRE: Quantitative - 149; Verbal - 165; Writing - Unknown at this time, but probably not terrible. LORs: Professor who I worked with to develop a History paper on international aid I presented at two conferences, second professor I established a good rapport with, former boss from the 2014 campaign, current boss through the VISTA job Foreign Language Skills: Moderate Spanish, some German and French. Schools Looking Into: It's mostly built from schools that (1)have a good public health program if I decide to go for a dual degree, or a very well regarded specialization program in health policy, and/or (2) give extra aid to Americorp alums. Currently have it narrowed to GW Trachtenburg, UM Ford, Minnesota Humphrey, WWS, SIPA, Maxwell, and CM Heinz. Also like what I've seen from CIPA and from Goldman. Goldman, SIPA, and WWS are definitely the reaches. If that godawful score wasn't a clue, I think my biggest weakness is quant. I studied for months for the GRE and still walked away with a bellow average score, so I'm a bit bummed right now. This was my first time with the test, so I don't know whether that played a role or not, but whatever it was I don't think I'm getting anywhere with that score. I'm also wondering if I might want to take a few more quant courses to look more appealing.

Hello, yet another 2016 applicant here. What are your goals? Short Term: Right now, my goal is to get work experience in either the public or private sector doing work involving health policy. I already have some experience over the past year, but I'd like some more direct experience in policy/budget work, administration, and/or Health IT before making a jump to grad school. Long Term: I'd like to do strategic planning or policy administration involving health policy. My main problem is that I need to better define what my precice interests are (health insurance vs public health, domestic vs international, etc.) What programs best fit your passions / desires / plans and why? My big qualifier right now is that the program be at a university that also has a good public health program so I can at least take a few classes and at most get a MPP/MPH. Schools that really stand out in this regard are John Hopkins, University of Michigan, Cornell, and CM Heinz. Havard and Princeton are also on the board due to prestege, but they're long-shots What have you done up to this point to narrow down your choices? Besides the aformentioned stuff with the public health schools, I'm trying to keep myself on the east coast for a myriad of reasons, so no Goldman for me. I'm also studying for the GRE, which I plan on taking in the fall and am beginning to proad at these schools for what scholarships and such they offer.