creativeusername

The professional development courses are cool. You can take anything from basic Excel to media courses where you practice giving radio and tv interviews (that one is particularly fun) - As far as Hertie's curriculum overall is concerned, it's true: many assignments take the form of a presentation or a memo as opposed to longer research papers. I can't speak to what assignments are like at FU. To be sure, I wasn't trying to suggest that Hertie's curriculum isn't practically oriented. It definitely is, and potentially more so than a "traditional" Master's at a public university. I'm just not convinced that that fact alone will somehow make you more attractive to potential employers. And again, I do not know the details of the FU program. Best to call and ask if there are no details on the website with respect to the weighting of "traditional" academics vs practical skills. As for the course descriptions for the electives: http://bfy.tw/564T

From what I've heard, the IR program at FU/Potsdam/Humboldt is pretty solid. I really can't speak to what type of resources they offer in the way of career services, etc. It's a small program at a good university, though, so I'd assume that they take good care of their students. You can always call them and ask. I think the two major determinants here would be (1) Finances and (2) Curriculum -- I'll restate my recommendation to look closely at the curricula of the programs you are interested in to discern how much they match up with your academic/personal interests. I wouldn't base my decision on some abstract notion of how much a program "emphasizes the contact with professionals in the field" -- it is up to you to network and make the most of your time at the school you attend. Hertie sets up "professional perspectives" sessions where organizations come and present their institution and speak with students a bit. I'd imagine FU does the same thing. At any rate, these aren't meetings that will make or break your career (prospects), not least because there's no guarantee that the organizations visiting campus will be the ones you're actually interested in.

No problem. Glad to see people doing their due diligence. I spent most of my life in Europe, but was not born there. I did not do the professional year, though that is a popular option with many students. My sense is that it is preferred by those students who are on the younger end of the spectrum and may not have previously garnered much work experience. If you google "Hertie School student profiles" you can look at detailed profiles of each class going three years back. This should answer your question about demography/background/internships. To be completely honest, I have not had that much contact with alumni (though I'm sure they'd be very helpful if I reached out to them) -- I recall that, as with many other public policy schools, the alumni graduate pool split more or less into thirds with respect to the field of work they went into (1/3 public, 1/3 private, 1/3 NGO). Many of the German students pursue careers in various branches of the German government; the GIZ also seems to be quite popular; a lot of students go into consulting (management or PR); people join the UN; some work for start-ups;...... you get the idea. It's a lot of people, with diverse interests, doing many different things. The bottom line is this: any organization that graduates from other prominent MPP programs go to, there's probably also a Hertie alumnus there by now. https://www.hertie-school.org/alumni/get-in-touch-alumni-worldwide/ This page from the website has a selection of alumni grouped by region that are willing to talk to prospective students. Perhaps you want to reach out to some of the people from the U.S. to ask them directly about what it was like finding a job with a Hertie diploma.

In general, and from what I can tell, graduates from the Hertie school end up in the same organizations as graduates from other public policy schools. I think there's a propensity by incoming students to overrate the degree to which your alma mater will secure you a job. For public policy schools, in my opinion, the name of the school you went to matters much less than other factors. Do you know what job you want to do after graduation? What are you doing to meet people in that field? What skills do you need to have to be employable/competitive in that field? Can you build those as well or better at Hertie than elsewhere? Are your soft skills on point? Are you using the summer to get an internship in that field? To be sure, there is uncertainty for just about everyone after graduation. This is as true for people from HKS and SIPA as it is for students from Hertie. It is up to you to make the most of your education, to use it as one stepping stone on a path that you are hopefully in the process of defining as clearly as possible. If you have a goal in mind, you will be able to achieve it sooner or later. People are uncomfortable with the idea, but, in the end, it will always come down to you. Nobody gets hired because they went to a specific school. For entry-level jobs, what matters are the skills and qualities you bring to the table, and how well can you convey those in an interview. Yes, school names are sometimes used as a proxy for those skills and qualities. However, if you write a good cover letter and have a decent CV - or better yet: network yourself in - you'll get an interview. The rest is up to you. EDIT: To be clear, the fact that Hertie alumns can and do end up at the same organizations as people from other schools doesn't mean you should go to the Hertie school. Going there should make sense and be compatible with your overall professional and personal ambitions. For instance, if it's your dream to work on capitol hill, yea, you could probably get there as a Hertie school alumn, but it would likely be much easier to just go to American, George Washington, or Georgetown and spend two years networking the hell out of the beltway --- then again, someone on Capitol Hill might be looking for someone who has experience on matters of European Governance one day.... it all depends

If you're interested in attending, you should apply.

I was 26 when I entered the school and had to decide between LSE, Sciences Po, and Hertie. I chose Hertie because they were the most responsive in their communication and the most generous with financial aid. I also did quite a bit of research on all three schools, speaking with both alumni and current students about their experience. I was hard pressed to find someone who had anything bad to say about the school. This was less true for Sciences Po and LSE. The Pros as I experienced them: School is cheaper than competitor schools (though - full disclosure - I did receive a scholarship); Berlin as a city is much cheaper than London, Paris, or New York; The school is very small, making it easier to assimilate into the Hertie community and build friendships; The school is entirely dedicated to the MPP (and now MIA) meaning that all of the infrastructure and human resources are at your sole disposal; The school is new, so the facilities are nice (rooftop terrace, bathrooms, classrooms, etc.) The academics are the same quality as other GPPN schools; How you conduct your studies is very flexible. You can take a semester or a year off; do a professional year; study abroad, etc. The school has some really cool study abroad options, and everybody has the opportunity to go abroad if they are flexible; Because the staff is mindful of the school's nascent reputation, they work extra hard to provide good services; The same is true of alumni with respect to helping students. The cons: The school has a comparatively small campus. This can lead to difficulties in finding empty study rooms, e.g. for group work; The selection of electives on offer are comparatively small. My impression is that the list is becoming increasingly diversified, especially now that the MIA exists. Nevertheless, prospective students should study available courses closely to avoid disappointment later on. Due to the school's size, there are comparatively fewer clubs and associations. However, Hertie is very open to students starting their own associations and clubs. Those are really the only grievances that immediately come to my mind. The first one never bothered me since I study at home anyway. As for the second one, that's an easily avoided pitfall. You're going to like some people and classes more than others, but you have that everywhere. Assuming that you're set on doing an MPP - as opposed to law or business school - Hertie is as good a school as any. If you're American and want to go back to the U.S. for work, well, people do that all the time. There are a lot of Americans at Hertie.

Congratulations to all of you that got accepted. I'm a current student at the school and am happy to field a couple of questions.