pubpol101

I'm applying to public policy schools and my major is currently biomedical sciences. Originally, I thought that I might be able to complete a minor in international studies and still graduate on time because of my AP/IB credits. But because of issues with summer course registration, I'm not sure that this is still possible. Should I email the schools I've applied to and tell them that I won't be able to complete the minor as listed on my curriculum vitae? I was thinking about doing so since my minor hasn't yet been declared, so it doesn't show up on my transcript, which may potentially my CV come under scrutiny. But I'm not sure if I should as raising the issue's profile might hurt my applications a lot more than it should.

I am currently an undergraduate student hoping to apply to public policy programs straight out of undergrad. Obviously, my clearest disadvantage is work experience, and if you look at my CV, my major as well. I'm looking for someone to critique my statement of purpose via a private message. If you've been on the forum for a while now, and have been admitted to a school in public policy or international affairs, and you'd like to help critique the SOP, let me know, and I'll send it to you via private message. My stats: Biomedical sciences, 150ish ranked school, 3.77 GPA, GRE 164 V 165 Q, hoping to apply to top 10 schools in the field.

Princeton used to publish their numbers, but they deleted them off the webpage. You can find their previous numbers here: https://web.archive.org/web/20150220102620/http://www.princeton.edu/pub/profile/admission/graduate/ WWS indicates 164 V and 163 Q. If you look at previous years, you'll see that the numbers for Q have been increasing over time (used to be just 159),

My goals are fairly simple: obtain a job after a post-graduate degree as a policy analyst for the federal government (legislative or agency) or a top think tank. But this application process has been daunting as I don't know 1) which degrees will suit my goals 2) the prospects of funding and 3) my prospects of admission. Originally, I thought a master's in public policy (MPP) or a master's in public administration was the obvious way to go. But the only program I've heard of that gives out scholarships to everyone is Princeton's WWS, and I need a fully funded program. Rangel and Pickering scholarships are ridiculously selective, and I was just rejected by the Schwarzman program today. I have no work experience when 90% of admitted Princeton applicants have 2+ years of work experience, so it's not likely I'll get in. And now I've heard some word indicating that an MPP offers no advantages beyond what an MBA might provide, so I'm second guessing all of my decisions. What about PhDs, I thought? Since many are fully funded, I thought that they might be great options. But the acceptance rates for top poli-sci PhD programs are terrifying--5-15% for many top programs--so I have no idea if that's a safe route. And I'm not sure if my PhD will even be useful in government or outside of academia, especially given how many do not focus on public policy and dissertations focus on extraordinarily specific topics. Another sticking point is that my major has nothing to do with poli-sci--biomedical sciences. So I'm in a bit of a mess. Any guidance on this, like what programs I should be applying to, where I definitely won't get in, and any other MPP programs that give out a lot of scholarships, would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure if I have the time or money (app fees...) to apply to lots of PhD and MPP programs. Some facts about my profile: GPA: 3.77, on track for Magna Cum Laude at state school (ranked 150ish by USNWR). GRE: 164 verbal, 165 quantitative. Graduating in 2 years (been in undergrad 1 year and 2 months by now; 2014-2016). Major: biomedical sciences. AP scores of "5" in 11 of 13 AP courses (4 in 2 others), covering economics, history, foreign language, calculus AB/BC, fulfilling some quant/economics requirements of post-graduate programs. Research experience: Boko Haram research for a think tank, strongly praised by Special Operations Command, State Dept., and other institutions; published bimonthly report. Nearly 1 year. University research for biophysics, literature reviews. No publications. 9 months. INESAD (#1 think tank in Bolivia). Epigenetics focus, discussing public policy of the Barker hypothesis, literature reviews. No publications. Work/writing/publication experience: See research. Also, written for numerous outlets, culminating in the Huffington Post, The Hill, Georgetown Public Policy Review, and more. Over two-dozen publications at HuffPost and other outlets. My work at the top outlets have reached hundreds of thousands / millions of people, engaging scholars at Harvard and the Brookings Institution. They've produced real, measurable change, causing original sources for the Washington Post like ILMFeed to issue public fact-based retractions. Obviously, NO post-undergraduate work experience. Volunteering: various, for one full year by now. Also, leadership experiences--presidencies of some organizations at my school that have raised thousands of dollars for disease relief programs. Awards: nothing national unfortunately. Best awards include a university leadership award (50 selected from class of 3,000).

I'm hoping to apply to Princeton's WWS immediately after undergrad, and I was wondering if the objectives for my career should be very specific, given (or in spite of) my lack of full-time work. Right now, my personal statement covers the following topics in order: 1) my background and my impact 2) the moral issues with uncertainty in public policy 3) briefly, the fact that graduate school would reconcile the issues between the desire to make an impact and moral issues of uncertainty and 4) specific aspects of the school that I find appealing. The specific aspects of the school go over a range of areas in addition to campus life (quantitative methods, IR, etc.). While obviously I can't post my SOP here, I was wondering if any of you might think that the SOP would come off as aimless or immature. I had read a successful SOP for Ford, which did not specify any career objectives--it simply focused on the fact that the individual wants to rectify "all of the injustices"--, but I'd like your feedback on this broad outline here.

I see. Thanks for your input. Main thing here is that I want to highlight any particular weaknesses other the obvious work experience deficit, which you pointed out in your final two questions. For the research with Boko Haram, I compiled Nigeria-wide analysis on a weekly basis for State Dept/SOCOM/etc. that was developed into a bimonthly report. This was a collaborative initiative with nine other researchers. One half (my half) of the team focused on general governance, corruption, development, etc. while the other half focused on developments on the military situation. By "engaged scholars" I mean that my essays have been featured by organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association. My essays will very likely focus on 1) the specific perspectives at Princeton (e.g. specific professors, courses, extracurriculars) and 2) how I'm hoping to translate my work with the media and think tanks into a more direct and specific way to shape real policy. The issue of certainty (scientific, due to moral concerns) would also be a key issue--knowing how to be prepared to prevent any potential failures prior to entering the full time workforce. Do you think these central ideas would suffice, barring any issues with my delivery? My initial thoughts on your final question was that now is certainly the best time to go, as it's simply a logical way to prepare prior to entering the workforce, with a degree of certainty that my background will truly contribute to the field. But with everyone's feedback, I'm having second thoughts on this narrative since work experience that truly grounds SOPs seems to be practically universal here.

Basically the question above: is there a list out there of fully funded MPP/MPA/IR programs? Or at least programs that provide full funding for many applicants? The only one I know of is Princeton's WWS, but I haven't heard of any others. Below is my profile if you'd like to make suggestions on schools with scholarships I might be competitive for: Program Applied To: Public Policy/Public Affairs Schools Applying To: Princeton WWS, among others Undergraduate institution: Public university—ranked 150ish according to US News and World Report (top 100 public universities) Undergraduate GPA: 3.77 Undergraduate Majors: Biomedical sciences GRE: 165 quantitative/164 verbal, written pending Age: 20 (completing undergrad in 2 years; will have completed just 1.5 years of undergrad by time of application) Work Experience: various internships. Research on Boko Haram received strongly positive responses from US Central Command, SOCOM, State Dept., etc. Did some at #1 think tank in Bolivia (INESAD). Biophysics at university research. My best work experience however comes from writing—I’ve written for the Huffington Post and many other outlets, where my articles have led to fact-based public retractions for original sources used by outlets like the Washington Post. They’ve engaged scholars at Harvard, the Brookings Institution, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and more. Some other “work” done via on-campus fundraising/awareness campaigns via the Borgen Project and ONE campaign campus presidencies. Publications: numerous. Associated with research and writing. Everywhere from The Hill to the Georgetown Public Policy Review and Cornell International Affairs Review (peer reviewed). Languages: NA International Experience: NA Quantitative Experience: Top AP scores in macro, microeconomics, Calculus AB/BC, statistics SOP: Pending, though I’ve written SOPs that have gotten me interviews with a US-UK Fulbright Summer Institute LOR: 3 professor recs (1 supervisor for Boko Haram research; 1 philosophy professor, likely very strong and personal; 1 chemistry professor, likely fairly strong; I haven’t read any of them however) Awards: Nothing national unfortunately. Various school awards (e.g. one for extraordinary leadership--50 selected from class of 3,000).

Hey all, I’m applying to a number of public policy programs, but I’m particularly concerned about Princeton’s WWS school since I need to be admitted to a fully-funded program. That’s the only program I’m asking particular questions about, though you can give an overall evaluation if you’d like. Program Applied To: Public Policy/Public Affairs Schools Applying To: Princeton WWS, among others Undergraduate institution: Public university—ranked 150ish according to US News and World Report Undergraduate GPA: 3.77 Undergraduate Majors: Biomedical sciences GRE: 165 quantitative/164 verbal, written pending Age: 20 (completing undergrad in 2 years; will have completed just 1.5 years of undergrad by time of application) Work Experience: various internships. Research on Boko Haram received strongly positive responses from US Central Command, SOCOM, State Dept., etc. Did some at #1 think tank in Bolivia (INESAD). Biophysics at university research. My best work experience however comes from writing—I’ve written for the Huffington Post and many other outlets, where my articles have led to fact-based public retractions for original sources used by outlets like the Washington Post. They’ve engaged scholars at Harvard, the Brookings Institution, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and more. Some other “work” done via on-campus fundraising/awareness campaigns via the Borgen Project and ONE campaign campus presidencies. Languages: NA International Experience: NA Quantitative Experience: Top AP scores in macro, microeconomics, Calculus AB/BC, statistics SOP: Pending, though I’ve written SOPs that have gotten me interviews with a US-UK Fulbright Summer Institute LOR: 3 professor recs (1 supervisor for Boko Haram research; 1 philosophy professor, likely very strong and personal; 1 chemistry professor, likely fairly strong; I haven’t read any of them however) Awards: Nothing national unfortunately. Various school awards (e.g. one for extraordinary leadership--50 selected from class of 3,000).