NekoAtsume

That's what I am wondering! I was starting to get nervous that I didn't register properly somehow, but it is good to know you haven't heard any updates either. I'm hoping to at least get the financial aid packet in the next week or so.

I also come from a liberal undergraduate school and a social justice background. Just to clarify becuase I do think it is important.. There were actually two different questions around the idea of race and social justice. The first question asked was about the diversity of faculty to which one student replied the professors there were "technocratic," which I first looked up the definition of and then thought it a very unhelpful and irrelevant response to an important question. Then there was a second question brought up that noted social justice/race/inequality issue hadn't seemed to come up that day. That was when 2 or 3 of the students on the panel commented that "it wasn't a big thing" at the school. I have friends that work in policy and I have heard HKS has a reputation in the policy community for letting students slide on the the hard curriculum (econ/stats) - that's why I noted the answers to the core curriculum question because it aligned with rumors I have heard about the program. I had attended Goldman's admit day on Monday where race/social justice/and inequality came up right away and continued to be important points of discussion throughout the entire day. I was really thrown off by the lack of it at Harvard and the apparent apathy from the students I interacted with. That said, I am sure there are people at the Kennedy school who care about these issues, of course 6 students on a panel cannot be assumed to be representative of the entire program. I am sure that if you do go the HKS you will find a community of people that align with your values. Kennedy is a tremendous network and, if you can afford the debt or got funding, I can understand the appeal.

I did not have a good impression at all - especially the career services/student panel. A student asked why we hadn't heard anything about race/inequality/social justice issues all day. The students responded that "ya, that's not a very big thing here..." Another student on the panel also made the comment that "I'm not interested in policy/statistical analysis or writing memos, so I just skated by in those classes..." All day they talked about the "access" HKS gives you, but didn't talk about how they invest in you. It made me feel like they just expect people to go 100K+ in debt to get their name and "access" and should feel oh so lucky to be there. Overall, it felt like I was at an MBA admit day and not an MPP. Not impressed.

Hi Kooyah - thank you for your offers of help! I'm looking at course listings and have a question about the core electives - what are the elective options that we are required to take 2 of? I can't seem to find a clear listing of what is and is not required.

I'm like 99% sure it has to be Goldman - I got $0 funding from Harvard. I just can't rationally justify the debt it will take to go there. And I shouldn't complain since Goldman's MPP is an equally top program, but with a smaller network. I went to Berkeley for undergrad so I think I was feeling a lot of pressure to go somewhere else for graduate school. What about you?

This is exactly where I'm at too - and I do think the financial side of things should be an important part of our decision. With an MPP we aren't going to be making loads right out of school. I got $0 from HKS, which would mean I would have to take out over 100K in loans to attend there. I just don't think it's worth it. I'm thinking the same of Goldman and hoping to GSI every semester and just pay for living costs, which your 50K would go a long way in covering. Ugh, decisions! Are you going to be at Goldman's admit day? Also I found this old forum which might be helpful:

Nothing for me eiether - I'm with you ag89 I really don't know if I can justify that kind of a loan for an MPP, especially when Goldman is so much cheaper and has options of working to offset the costs dramatically...

Hey all! Hope to see some of you at the Berkeley Admit Day. Wanted to offer up my help if anyone has questions about traveling to the Berkeley area since I went there for undergrad. Will help with what I can!

I am going to get to visit both in April. Harvard doesn't release any funding decisions until then, which might ultimately be the deciding factor between the two since HKS is 50K more and seems to have less opportunities (GSI, research, etc.) to off-set costs. Actually does anyone have any insight on opportunities to work with faculty at Harvard to off-set tuition costs? When I was reading up on HKS it sounds like working in your first year is frowned upon, and during the second year students might expect to make a maximum of 16K.

This forum topic seems to come up every year and it is very lucky to be having this conversation. Would love to hear other people's thought processes as they compare the two programs and also from any current or former students who might have made this choice or have insider information about either GSPP or HKS.

As greyvetiver has said, GSI positions are not that intense - you are definitely not going to be lecturing. GSI's lead 1 hours "sections" during the week with a group of 20ish undergrads who are taking a course. It is usually simply a space to discuss content and guide the undergraduates. You also are expected to attend the actual class lectures. GSIs at Berkeley, in my experience, would also grade papers and hold office hours once a week to help students with their projects in a course. I would guess with meetings with faculty, sections and preparing for sections, attending the lectures, grading, and office hours, a typical time commitment would be 6 hours/wk with no grading and 8-10 when grading comes up (that might be vary HUGELY depending on the course demands and length of papers)? This is just an educated guess from my experience there as an undergraduate.

I saw last year in the discussion that people got acceptances over several days! It actually looked like the bigger funds/fellowships went to people who did not hear the first day, so it might be a good thing you haven't heard yet

Here is what I found in that pamphlet thingy they just sent out: GSI's get...“Partial Fee Remission” includes remission for: Tuition, the Student Services Fee, and the Health Insurance Fee* (NOTE: Most students with ASE positions receive Partial Fee Remission) I'm pretty positive that means you would just need to cover room and board.

Their funding offers are definitely not as good as other MPP programs. I went to Berkeley as an undergrad and can say that there are TONS of GSI positions that would cover the tuition/health costs.

It's here! The subject line is scary: Admissions Decision from The Goldman School of Public Policy, but I got admitted! No funding, feel relieved to have heard.