aslabchu

Also, for any student looking for funding opportunities...  http://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/category/saa-vacancies/

Didn't know that. Oops. Looks like I can't edit now, so I'll just have to wear the badge of shame.

To folks who are considering taking on almost $100K in debt for a Master in Public Policy, I ask for you to first do a cost-benefit analysis that we (hopefully) will learn how to do in depth at HKS.
Is the name worth it? And if it is, I would recommend going to the Harvard Extension School where after spending only $28,800, at the end, you'll even get a degree that says Harvard on it! You can put it on your resume and proudly show it to everyone who wants to see it.
If you're in it to gain skills, then there are plenty of quality programs out there at public schools that will teach you those skills (e.g. econometrics, statistics, research, policy analysis). If you're in it for the network, try to really think about if that network is worth an upwards of $100K.
I want all of us to make decisions free from passion because this is a critical time for all of us. One bad decision and it can haunt us for life.

Well, I went apartment shopping in Bloomington. I gotta tell you guys: BE CAREFUL. There are a lot of shady companies out there. DO NOT get an apartment sight unseen. Management companies will try to tell you that all of the units are the same, so they don't need to show you anything other than promo shots. That's when you should know they're trying to mislead you. Be sure to Google these companies. Check out their reviews. You're likely to find some shady stuff going on.
I'm from an area in Michigan with some truly awful economic hardship and I have never seen apartments (or neighborhoods; the entire block was like that!) as run down and gross as the ones I saw last weekend. In general, if they're charging less than $600, they're within 2 miles of campus, and it's not a house, you are in for some serious weirdness. You have to ask yourself: if it's so close and so great, why aren't they charging the market rate? (Answer: it's because it's a hovel.)
Anyway, there are some reputable places left. I went with Meadow Park*. It's a little further away from campus than most (about 2 miles from my program's building), but it has an excellent reputation and is generally a nice-looking complex. Site here: http://www.meadowpark-apts.com/ They have another complex a little closer to campus, Fountain Park, but it's not quite as good of a deal. (More expensive for the same size.) http://www.fountainpark-apts.com/. When I talked to the company, they said they had tons of units left.
*PS. They're not giving me any money or anything for this plug, but I kinda wish they would.

It's definitely a buzzword. It's one of those post-hoc ways people pat themselves (and others) on the back. If suchandsuch a CEO does well and it's not immediately clear why, but they seem to have good social and personal qualities, obviously it's due to some kind of intangible "leadership." And suckers shell out top dollar to acquire it. Books, courses, expensive talks— you name it.
So, yeah. In a certain sense it's a backward-looking way to describe success within an organization. There might be a more narrow sense where it describes a person's ability to inspire others, but it's grown away from that usage. Leadership these days transcends personal influence. CEOs are thought to use their leadership skills to influence people they'll never communicate with.

Not yet, but it's looking pretty likely.

Ha, IUB was certainly not waiting to tell us all about it. They included their new rank in an email this afternoon. Congratulations to them, though. That's quite the marketing coup.

Unfortunately, most rankings are this way. I was thinking pretty hard about doing philosophy, and their ranking is very much a similar system, where prominent academics rank schools based on faculty and reputation. The only real "thinking person's ranking" I've seen for a discipline has been law school. They take their ranking systems very seriously, I guess.
It would be interesting to see somebody devise an employment-oriented ranking, though.

I hate to be that guy, but it's not always about this kind of raw biographical and statistical data. (I know law school tends to be that way, but MPA/MPP seems different.) We're talking about the very best schools, and it has a lot to do with how you presented yourself to them. It's very easy to get put in the "high achieving empathetic white dude" pile and never find your way out again. Did you have a solid narrative across all your documents? Did your letter writers back you up on it? That kind of thing matters more than you'd think.

I hate to be that guy, but it's not always about this kind of raw biographical and statistical data. (I know law school tends to be that way, but MPA/MPP seems different.) We're talking about the very best schools, and it has a lot to do with how you presented yourself to them. It's very easy to get put in the "high achieving empathetic white dude" pile and never find your way out again. Did you have a solid narrative across all your documents? Did your letter writers back you up on it? That kind of thing matters more than you'd think.

I hate to be that guy, but it's not always about this kind of raw biographical and statistical data. (I know law school tends to be that way, but MPA/MPP seems different.) We're talking about the very best schools, and it has a lot to do with how you presented yourself to them. It's very easy to get put in the "high achieving empathetic white dude" pile and never find your way out again. Did you have a solid narrative across all your documents? Did your letter writers back you up on it? That kind of thing matters more than you'd think.

I hate to be that guy, but it's not always about this kind of raw biographical and statistical data. (I know law school tends to be that way, but MPA/MPP seems different.) We're talking about the very best schools, and it has a lot to do with how you presented yourself to them. It's very easy to get put in the "high achieving empathetic white dude" pile and never find your way out again. Did you have a solid narrative across all your documents? Did your letter writers back you up on it? That kind of thing matters more than you'd think.

I hate to be that guy, but it's not always about this kind of raw biographical and statistical data. (I know law school tends to be that way, but MPA/MPP seems different.) We're talking about the very best schools, and it has a lot to do with how you presented yourself to them. It's very easy to get put in the "high achieving empathetic white dude" pile and never find your way out again. Did you have a solid narrative across all your documents? Did your letter writers back you up on it? That kind of thing matters more than you'd think.

1. Funding
Public affairs is not pay to play (except maybe for a small subset of Ivy students). I have more undergrad debt than I'm happy about, so I wanted to make sure my program of choice wouldn't make that situation too much worse. Hats off to the Columbia/Harvard/etc folks, though; they must have stronger stomachs.

2. Location
I think incredibly ambitious students give the exact order of rankings too much attention. What's most important is a school's ability to affect your chances in your location of choice. In a sense, I think it's similar to how it works for JDs: there are some overridingly good schools that will carry you wherever you go, but most areas have a real soft spot for their state/region's "big school." Berkeley might be higher ranked than, say, Chicago, but try telling that to Chicago employers. And so on.
3. Reputation/institutional "reach"/alumni networks.
This part is so subjective and elusive, which makes it not very useful (for MPA, at least). I get the impression that, ultimately, this is not as huge a factor as some people make of it. Every school claims they have an extensive and incredibly helpful support system for their new grads, but nobody's really calling them on it. It's probably enough that you go to one of the well-reputed top 15-ish schools. My guess is the one closest to the place you want to work will be able to help you the most. (Special exceptions for Harvard and Princeton, I imagine. But you're also paying a premium for it!)
4. Specialty
I'm keeping my mind open on this one, but I'm a little skeptical that any given school within the top 15-ish has the secret sauce in a particular area. I do pay attention to schools that have better/more intensive programs for interaction and placement/intern work in their industry of specialty, though. For example, something like SPEA Service Corps (it's basically an assistantship, but you go work for an employer instead) could help to justify why they're #1 in Nonprofit. (As long as you get to work with a nonprofit, anyway.)

1. Funding
Public affairs is not pay to play (except maybe for a small subset of Ivy students). I have more undergrad debt than I'm happy about, so I wanted to make sure my program of choice wouldn't make that situation too much worse. Hats off to the Columbia/Harvard/etc folks, though; they must have stronger stomachs.

2. Location
I think incredibly ambitious students give the exact order of rankings too much attention. What's most important is a school's ability to affect your chances in your location of choice. In a sense, I think it's similar to how it works for JDs: there are some overridingly good schools that will carry you wherever you go, but most areas have a real soft spot for their state/region's "big school." Berkeley might be higher ranked than, say, Chicago, but try telling that to Chicago employers. And so on.
3. Reputation/institutional "reach"/alumni networks.
This part is so subjective and elusive, which makes it not very useful (for MPA, at least). I get the impression that, ultimately, this is not as huge a factor as some people make of it. Every school claims they have an extensive and incredibly helpful support system for their new grads, but nobody's really calling them on it. It's probably enough that you go to one of the well-reputed top 15-ish schools. My guess is the one closest to the place you want to work will be able to help you the most. (Special exceptions for Harvard and Princeton, I imagine. But you're also paying a premium for it!)
4. Specialty
I'm keeping my mind open on this one, but I'm a little skeptical that any given school within the top 15-ish has the secret sauce in a particular area. I do pay attention to schools that have better/more intensive programs for interaction and placement/intern work in their industry of specialty, though. For example, something like SPEA Service Corps (it's basically an assistantship, but you go work for an employer instead) could help to justify why they're #1 in Nonprofit. (As long as you get to work with a nonprofit, anyway.)

Is there anywhere in particular you want to live? Or if you don't do a PhD, where would you want to work? Those are some really solid schools, but they're pretty scattered in terms of geography.
Also, don't make the mistake of just following the rankings/prestige. Harvard is probably a no-brainer regardless of your situation, but beyond that it's about fit, location, and specialty. Having the right alumni network/connections in the right location with the right degree and the right specialization is pure gold, and far more valuable than rankings points on a list.
Do yourself a favor and take some time to read up on your potential areas of study. When you've figured out what you really want to do, the right school will stand out a lot more. and don't forget to pick a geographic location! Graduating from Berkeley can do a lot for you in California, but not nearly as much in Chicago, despite the fact that Berkeley is much more highly ranked. Schools tend to have the strongest alumni networks in their home states/regions, and that can make a big difference.