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sk1540

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  • Application Season
    2016 Fall
  • Program
    MPP

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  1. I echo manutdtfw's statement then. You're applying to good programs, and I think if you apply yourself you can accomplish your career goals at any of the above. Look at courses offered, cohort sizes, location, faculty areas of interest, etc. Somewhat conveniently, this will help you tailor your SOPs when the time comes. Don't be surprised if your list changes as a result - mine did.
  2. Unless you're applying next fall, I believe Princeton's deadline already passed? So, there's one way to officially eliminate it from your list.
  3. I'm assuming that many of us here have a lot of volunteer experience, so I was wondering how you guys discussed it on your resumes. My main issue is that I started volunteering at one place about a year ago. Initially, I was going maybe once a month, and lately (maybe in the past ~5 months) I've been going once a week. It seems kind of wrong to say I've been volunteering at this particular place for a year, though, given that it wasn't a huge commitment a year ago. I thought about putting something like 2015-present. Is this silly? Am I over-analyzing?
  4. Program: MPA/MPP School Applying to: Brandeis Heller, Duke Sanford, GW Trachtenberg, Georgetown McCourt, Brown Taubman, William and Mary Thomas Jefferson Undergrad Institution: Private college, ranked 27-33 throughout the years (according to USN – not that this means a whole lot!) Undergrad GPA: 3.5 Major/Minor: Sociology major, International Studies minor GRE: 163 V, 158 Q, 4.5 Writing Age: 25 Years of Work Experience: 3 years (not including internships) at time of entry Published Work: None Languages: French, some Farsi Work Experience: Internship with civil rights government agency for about 6 months, focused on advocacy and outreach. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve been working as a project manager for a court case. The quick version: three unions have a history of racism, these unions are under court order because of this, and we’re working to improve them by imposing certain remedies. Quant Experience: Statistics (B+), Calculus (B), and Research Methods (A-). I’m taking a Microeconomics course that starts in January to satisfy some prerequisites. Strength of SOP: I’d like to work with prison populations – providing greater access to education/career resources during their sentences, reentry programs to ensure a smoother transition to society, you name it. I could see myself in either a nonprofit or a government agency. My full-time work experience is somewhat related to this (some union members do have criminal backgrounds and thus have less opportunities, and our program is technically a vocational program, though not exclusively for previously incarcerated individuals). It’s mostly my volunteer and internship experiences (like Books through Bars) that speak to my goals. Strength of LoR 1: From former professor – this could be anywhere from meh to good. She asked for a bunch of supporting materials, which hopefully allowed her to write a more informed letter. However, since it’s been a few years and I haven’t been the best at keeping in touch, I’m a little concerned. Strength of LoR 2: Current supervisor. I expect this to be strong. Strength of LoR 3: Former internship supervisor. I expect this to be positive (she asked me if I wanted her to write one when we were catching up a few months ago); however, she hasn’t asked for any documents (SOP, updated resume, etc.), so I hope it doesn’t seem too generic. Concerns: My academic LoR, average GPA/quant experience. Moreover, while my work experience enhances my application, I feel like I gloss over it in my SOP. I was worried about regurgitating my resume. Any advice on this? Also – anyone out there worried about the lack of safety schools on your list? I realize some of the schools I’m applying to aren’t mentioned much here; however, they’re fairly small programs (let’s say ~40 students), so I can’t say I’m a shoe-in. Just experiencing that inevitable application season anxiety I guess J
  5. Finally put some words to paper, and would love to get some feedback. Let me know if you'd like me to review yours!
  6. Hi All, I am applying to MPP programs this fall, and have been out of school for 2+ years. I did well in my classes, participated, etc. but haven't kept in touch with professors since graduation (I know...). I sent e-mails to two former professors asking if they'd be comfortable writing me positive LORs (I only need one, but figured it'd be safe to ask two just in case one never responded). Both of these professors were references for my current job, which is why I reached out to them first. One just got back to me, and her first email was (I'm paraphrasing here): sorry for the delay in getting back to you, can you let me know the deadline, depending on the deadline "I hope I can write for you." I told her my earliest deadline (which is in about two months). She then responds saying "if you want me to write for you, please send me all the requested materials" etc. etc. BUT THEN: "if there is someone who has had more recent contact with you than I have, please ask that person rather than me." Oof. A bit of a punch in the gut, but, well, what did I really expect? So, my question(s) really is: would you still have this professor write you a recommendation, knowing that your other two LORs are strong? Should I wait for my other professor to respond to see if I get something a little more enthusiastic? Since I never took more than one class with a professor, didn't write a thesis, and of course, since it's been a few years, I'm not expecting my academic LOR to be anything stellar. With that said, all of the schools I'm applying to request one academic LOR. My professor did ask for my statement of purpose, resume, etc., so I assume she'd make an effort to personalize it a bit. However, I can't stop thinking about that dreaded "please ask that person rather than me" comment! Thanks for your insight!
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