marco_p

I was asking myself the same question many times. International applicant, legal background with experience from an international organisation, ~4 years of experience (+social work: student government, NGOs), good GRE (above 90th percentile). I was extremely happy to get the scholarship from the school but cannot say I was expecting it. My best bet why I got it is that I have chosen a relatively less popular concentration for my degree (Urban and Social Policy) and maybe someone really thought that I will fit this concentration well.

It's a very conservative approach, I think. I don't fall under any of these 2 categories and still I'm not planning to take on any debt. And I'm going to SIPA which is notorious for it's frugality. I was lucky to get full-tuition fellowship from the school and an extra scholarship from another source. With these two, I have already secured almost 90% of my overall costs (direct & indirect). During the second year I hope to get an assistantship or another scholarship so I will manage to avoid accruing any debt whatsoever. Of course, I am not sure I will manage to do it, but my point is that WWS is not the only school that can generously assist you financially. So it is indeed possible to graduate debt free from a policy school (I hope!).

thanks a lot for your great help, it really clarified my last minute reservations I got my J-1 visa today

I'm entering 2-year Masters program, sorry for the confusion but I am not entirely familiar with the US academic model yet! To clarify, I am sure that this 12-month bar will technically apply to me but it won't have any practical significance. From what I can read (for example here: http://internationalcenter.umich.edu/immig/jscholar/12and24bars.html), it only relates to Research Scholar and Professor positions after the program. In my case it won't be the issue, as I won't be eligible for these 2 positions anyway. And it seems that there is no limitations with regard to continuing education as PhD student (either in F-1 or J-1 status). I didn't know that - my Fulbright program didn't provide me with such instructions. And I checked before applying (and double-checked after reading your post) whether they prohibited me from applying for visa - they didn't (but neither said explicitly that I should). What you wrote makes a lot of sense but I thought that it would be safer if I apply earlier. Fulbright award results will be announced at earliest in June and the whole visa process (together with getting DS-2019 from from my school) can take up to 2 months. Since I need to be in the US in late August, my reasoning is that it's better to be prepared in case I don't get the scholarship. I hope it would be possible to update my sponsor (or the whole visa status) if I'm awarded the scholarship. Moreover, the school is already covering more than 65% of the total costs of my program. Fulbright will not give me more that 10-15% of the total costs - so I'm not sure that it can act as a sole sponsor of my program. Anyway, thanks again for you response! I am aware that applying for visa before getting the results of Fulbright scholarship is a bit extraordinary approach, but I think it's a safer bet in my case. If awarded, I should have plenty of time to update my status... At least I hope so!

thank you TakeruK for this comprehensive response! I am going to be a graduate student not a PhD candidate, but all you have said is very applicable for me. I chose the J-1 visa because I also applied for Fulbright scholarship and if I get it I won't really have any leeway in this matter and I will also fall under 2-year home residence requirement. However, without the gov-funded scholarship I will not be subjected to this requirement. To be honest, I am not really sure at this moment whether I want to stay in the US for AT/OPT or not, but I just do not want to hinder any future possibilities at this stage. In my case OPT permits me for 1 year employment and AT for 1,5. It isn't a very big difference, obviously, but my reasoning is that I should go with the longer option if I have the chance. Especially since the drawbacks you've described do not really apply in my case: 1. 12 or 24 month bar, as far as I understand, applies only for J-1 visas for research scholars and professors. Being a graduate student it seems to me that even if I decide to continue my education as a PhD student it will not be a problem to get a new J-1 visa, as long it is not for postdoc or professor's position. 2. As I said, if awarded the Fulbright scholarship I will fall under 2 year home residency requirement anyway. On the other hand, as for now I am only funded by the school so this requirement does not apply to me. 3. Insurance is covered by the fellowship I am getting from my school so it is not a problem for me. Interestingly, my university declares that insurance meeting J-1 visa's requirements is obligatory for all students so I would need to have the same insurance even when in F-1 status. Again, thank you @TakeruK for this very helpful post! I think both F-1 and J-1 visas are OK in my case but the latter gives me slightly more advantages whereas its drawbacks don't really apply to me. If there is any flaw in my reasoning please do not hesitate to debunk my arguments.

thanks for the answer, that's what I hope for! however, the caveat you mentioned is basically the point of my question. I know that this would work with F1's OPT but I have a few reasons to apply for the J1 visa. On the other hand, these reasons won't really matter if it'll be impossible for me to be temporary employed after the program. If it is not so clear then I will probably choose the F1 visa.

Hello, From what I can read on my University's International Students Office page, J1's Academic Training allows for employment which is considered integral to a student’s academic program. What does "considered integral" mean in practice? Does it only allow the students to be employed when the employment constitutes a necessary part of the degree (i.e. it is degree's requirement) or is it just necessary that this employment will be strictly connected with the academic program? For instance, I will study city management/public administration in a graduate school - would it be possible for me to be eligible for AT after the end of my program (in fields relevant to my area of study, e.g. in city administration or public consulting)? Or maybe J1 graduate students generally do not qualify for AT unless it is their degree's requirement?

maybe you could share your thoughts and feelings here?

To be honest I feel like being waitlisted is the best option for me. It's good for my ego as it says that they can live with the idea of me studying there (at least that's how I understand it) and on the other hand it also spares me the temptation of trying to go to HKS, as there is absolutely no way they would give me as generous offer as SIPA

I don't think it is very likely. I'm waitlisted too, but also have an offer from SIPA with 100% tuition scholarship so the choice is easy for me Congratulations to all who got accepted!

it's been there for at least a year

congrats on your funding! I also got $56k per year ($112k total, I still can't believe how lucky I am!). but when it comes to the assistantship I don't think it is included in the financial aid - they just mentioned that there will be an opportunity to apply (at least that's what is written in my letter). BTW, I didn't have the mention about "the most generous package offered", so this probably means that these letters are personalized, which is nice!

thanks guys! I found it congrats to all admitted and those who also got some additional $$

could you be more precise, bottom of what? I can't see any hyperlinks...

wmkx I have the same problem! I have no idea whether I got fin aid or not

You shouldn't expect to hear from them this week, but I'm quite certain that the decisions will be out around the end of the next week. Last week there was a Q&A session for early admitted students with the heads of admissions and financial aid and they said that we should expect to receive fin aid decisions around March 11th. And since they told us earlier that they will release these decisions together with admission letters I think it's fair to say that there is still at least one more week to wait for all of us.

last year the decisions were released on 11th of March, so it's likely that there are still 2 weeks ahead of us

thanks @shrimps & @loveglove for your insight, especially as it seems that I am not entirely at odds with what the other schools look for. I try not to overthink this whole situation too much and try to wait as patiently as I can for the results. Obviously it is not easy but since I was rejected from HKS last year, I already know it wouldn't be the end of the world. And this year I have already one acceptance in my pocket which really calms my nerves. Anyway, thanks @shrimps also for your kind words and all the best to you too, I see you are also already accepted to some schools! So the wait shouldn't be very painful for you either

What do you mean with a different type of students? My understanding is that they look for the same strengths but are more picky (looking for more meaningful experience, more mature aspirations, better scores, etc.). Your opinion is that they look for a different profile of students? I'm asking because I'm in similar position as you are - I got accepted to SIPA, currently waiting for HKS and WWS. But to be honest I don't put my hopes up, and wait more anxiously for SIPA financial aid decision than for acceptance letters from these two schools.

yeah sure, just PM me

Maybe you could think about describing the first topic in a more simplistic way? I used this essay as an opportunity to show why my career goals are important (I put them in the broader context of a policy reform) and that I have some understanding of the most important facets of the policy issue that I want to focus on while on (and after) SIPA. On the other hand, writing about completely another topic could show that you have broad horizons. Either way, it's your call. Maybe you will find some guidance here: http://admissionsblog.sipa.columbia.edu/2015/11/27/how-to-answer-the-fall-2016-short-essay/ When it comes to my GRE, I had 163V, 167Q and 4.0 AW (and got accepted for Fall 2016 MPA).

I limited my optional essay to 300 words, despite the lack of such limitation for the fall admission. I just thought that it is applicable also for this admission (maybe it even was when I first looked at essays' requirements, and they later removed it, or I was just confused). Anyway my optional essay had 300 words and I did not address any weaknesses but it was rather an addendum to my statement of purpose. It looks it worked well so I'd recommend this approach to you as well. If you want to have your optional essay longer (but keep in mind that 700 words is almost double the length of your SoP), I think I read on their blog that they recommend limiting the length to one page. I'm not 100% sure where I read it, and certainly it was a "soft" requirement, but probably you should stick with one page (so you should only slightly abridge your text).

Hi all, I have recently taken the GRE and at first moment I was really happy with my score: 163V (92nd percentile) and 167Q (94th percentile), but then the AW score came: 4.0 (56th percentile). Keeping in mind that I want to apply to the top public policy schools (HKS & WWS) and I am not a native speaker (and have never studied in any English-speaking country), what's your opinion on retaking the GRE? I am really disappointed with my AW score but on the other hand I don't know if I am able to improve it. I assume my problem is the language part (it is really hard for me to write a 500+ words essay in 30 min without any misspellings and minor errors, like missing or redundant articles). So what should I do? I believe that my verbal and quant score would be feasible to achieve again, but is getting 4.5 in AW worth the trouble? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hello! What do you think about my profile? I would appreciate any feedback. My profile might be a bit unusual because I am a lawyer and I have no experience so far with the American higher education system (I’m Polish). Program: MPP/MPA Schools considered: HKS and WWS Education: Master of law GPA: as we don't have GPA in Poland, this one might be a bit inaccurate. Got the average around 4.7 (on a scale from 2.0 to 5.0) and graduated summa cum laude (I was around top 10% of my class) GRE: 163 V / 167 Q / 4.0 AW (note: I am quite OK with my quant and verbal scores but was really disappointed with the AW. Do you think I have chances with such score or should I try to improve it?) School: top Polish law school (we don't need to go to undergrad school when pursuing master of law). Years since graduating: 2 years Work experience: 1 year in The Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (started as a volunteer, then promoted to the aide to the secretary of state in the Chancellery), 2 years in a top Polish law firm (intern, then junior associate), over 1 year in the European Space Agency in Holland (young graduate trainee, working in the contracts office) Additional experience: 3+ years working as a volunteer in NGO (focused on preserving the works of one of Polish most famous poet); 5 years in student government on my university Coursework (and quantitative experience): law and humanitarian affairs (post-graduate course). I have never had economics as a student, only course that was somewhat close was legal logic. I have taken 3 coursera courses (micro & macroeconomics, calculus and one on economics of transition in emerging markets) to improve my quant resume. Moreover, I have some work experience in the field – I worked for the Economic Council (top advisory body to the prime minister) where I was dealing with macroeconomics issues (like pensions) and also where I was preparing the daily economic bulletin. In addition, in my former law firm and in my current job I am also dealing with quant related issues. Language: Polish (mother tongue), English, intermediate French SoP: I have some drafts, want to focus on reforming the financial system of local government in Poland (it is a subject of a big debate in my country). It is well-aligned with most of my experience up to date (I was working on this issue in the law firm with the author of the administrative reform in Poland and my thesis was also focused on it). Knowing how it works on the states' level in the US could be a good source of inspiration. LoR: former Secretary of State in the Chancellery (who is currently the head of the anti-monopoly office), my thesis supervisor and either the head of the NGO I am working with (who happens to be a Harvard graduate) or my supervisor in the European Space Agency Other: I am aware that my profile might not be strong enough to apply to HKS or WWS, but I really want to try. I am currently living abroad (in Holland) and my ultimate goal is to go to the US to get experience and then to use it in my home country. That's the general idea of my application to both schools. I would really appreciate your feedback and if you think that I don't have chances with applying to HKS and WWS, please don’t hesitate to say it. Thanks in advance!