Damis

I don't know enough of your background to speak too authoritatively. 
I had a 144 Quant score and got into HKS with a very generous offer to boot. 
I have a pretty strong professional background though (with pretty extensive international experience as well) and it appears I was able to rock the essays and my admissions letter noted my strong recommendations too. 
It's possible to get in for sure and receive funding, but if you're not under pressure and have time to properly do the studying and can retake the test, I definitely would. I would have redone it on my end, but i just didn't have the time to do so.

That's my story. 
I finished my Fulbright and decided to come back home and try to make an impact in my state. About 8 years of policy work later (with some international experience in between) I'm towards the upper end of the $70 - $100k range...in the U.S. South...doing the work I've always wanted to do. I've been able to do some really high level stuff and really put myself out there in ways I would never be able to do so in a D.C. or New York, but I'm definitely not some savant or anything. Just really went after what I wanted. The most important of advice to anyone though is work. You'd be surprised how you can have any job be exactly what you need it to be in the long run.
The stuff isn't rocket science, yet some of the most brilliant people I know struggle with all of this. Folks who are much smarter than myself, yet I've been able to get through all levels of education without having to take out a single loan. Ever. I'll be able to go to HKS without having to take out a cent in loans. In fact, I didn't even have to pay the dang deposit nor application fee. It's not to big myself up at all. I don't have some secret formula. I just have good experiences and the right background, which I crafted over time and very strategically. I guess I put all that stuff together in a cohesive enough manner with my application. You can too, though! Probably better than I can. Just trust the process.
So to more directly answer the original question. No, taking out all that money to pursue this particular type of education is not worth it and never will be. I believe you can always find the right school who will give you the right money. I encourage you to reevaluate your approach to this process, whether it be the testing (I didn't study much for the GRE and was going to really concentrate on retaking if I didn't get in), essays (I told stories that wrapped around both my work and what I envision being able to do), and coaching up my recommenders (make sure you don't duplicate your resume and help them dig deep).
I encourage you all to simply not rush any of this. It will work out to your benefit if you don't.

Let me say something for those not yet accepted, or waiting on a list, or for future applicants, because I've been on Gradcafe for a while now.
I have talked myself out of applying to Harvard for many years now. I never thought I'd make it there. It took sitting down with someone who is currently attending HKS and their basically cursing me out for not applying to actually muster up the courage to finally do so. 
So when I began applying last year, I approached it with no holds barred. I went from not applying because I was scared, to not only envisioning myself at the school but also having the audacity to try and figure out where to live. I embraced the process fully. I made myself vulnerable. I reached deep within myself and, with the help of many friends, wrote essays that I guess were compelling. I made the process personal. I talked about PEOPLE and had these experiences guide me in crafting my narrative.
I HAD A REALLY BAD GRE SCORE. I can't stress enough how holistic this process is. I've been out of school for a while, but even by that standard I think it was too low. Had a decent GPA. Graduated from a community college and a state school. What undoubtedly helped was my work experience. I've worked with data and quantitative stuff for a while now. I've managed campaigns. I've done heavy quant research. I'm just horrible at standardized tests haha. I think I made a good enough case along those lines. I also have multiple years of international experience. 
I had really good recommendations. You want to ensure you find someone that will fight for you within their recommendations. Essentially, you want folks who would call and curse admissions out for not accepting you.
I owe a lot of my admission to this forum. For that, I'll check in every now and then to look at any PMs or responses. I'd love to be the person that gives you the encouraging word I received from a friend not too long ago to apply. YOU CAN DO THIS! Whether you're in now or will be applying later. BELIEVE THAT! 

That's my story. 
I finished my Fulbright and decided to come back home and try to make an impact in my state. About 8 years of policy work later (with some international experience in between) I'm towards the upper end of the $70 - $100k range...in the U.S. South...doing the work I've always wanted to do. I've been able to do some really high level stuff and really put myself out there in ways I would never be able to do so in a D.C. or New York, but I'm definitely not some savant or anything. Just really went after what I wanted. The most important of advice to anyone though is work. You'd be surprised how you can have any job be exactly what you need it to be in the long run.
The stuff isn't rocket science, yet some of the most brilliant people I know struggle with all of this. Folks who are much smarter than myself, yet I've been able to get through all levels of education without having to take out a single loan. Ever. I'll be able to go to HKS without having to take out a cent in loans. In fact, I didn't even have to pay the dang deposit nor application fee. It's not to big myself up at all. I don't have some secret formula. I just have good experiences and the right background, which I crafted over time and very strategically. I guess I put all that stuff together in a cohesive enough manner with my application. You can too, though! Probably better than I can. Just trust the process.
So to more directly answer the original question. No, taking out all that money to pursue this particular type of education is not worth it and never will be. I believe you can always find the right school who will give you the right money. I encourage you to reevaluate your approach to this process, whether it be the testing (I didn't study much for the GRE and was going to really concentrate on retaking if I didn't get in), essays (I told stories that wrapped around both my work and what I envision being able to do), and coaching up my recommenders (make sure you don't duplicate your resume and help them dig deep).
I encourage you all to simply not rush any of this. It will work out to your benefit if you don't.

That's my story. 
I finished my Fulbright and decided to come back home and try to make an impact in my state. About 8 years of policy work later (with some international experience in between) I'm towards the upper end of the $70 - $100k range...in the U.S. South...doing the work I've always wanted to do. I've been able to do some really high level stuff and really put myself out there in ways I would never be able to do so in a D.C. or New York, but I'm definitely not some savant or anything. Just really went after what I wanted. The most important of advice to anyone though is work. You'd be surprised how you can have any job be exactly what you need it to be in the long run.
The stuff isn't rocket science, yet some of the most brilliant people I know struggle with all of this. Folks who are much smarter than myself, yet I've been able to get through all levels of education without having to take out a single loan. Ever. I'll be able to go to HKS without having to take out a cent in loans. In fact, I didn't even have to pay the dang deposit nor application fee. It's not to big myself up at all. I don't have some secret formula. I just have good experiences and the right background, which I crafted over time and very strategically. I guess I put all that stuff together in a cohesive enough manner with my application. You can too, though! Probably better than I can. Just trust the process.
So to more directly answer the original question. No, taking out all that money to pursue this particular type of education is not worth it and never will be. I believe you can always find the right school who will give you the right money. I encourage you to reevaluate your approach to this process, whether it be the testing (I didn't study much for the GRE and was going to really concentrate on retaking if I didn't get in), essays (I told stories that wrapped around both my work and what I envision being able to do), and coaching up my recommenders (make sure you don't duplicate your resume and help them dig deep).
I encourage you all to simply not rush any of this. It will work out to your benefit if you don't.

You're right. Thanks for this comment. Gradcafe has been there for me throughout the years. It's helped me receive the Fulbright and get into my dream school on a full ride. I'll add to the thread now.
Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)  MPP
Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School
Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate Institution:  State School in the South
Undergraduate GPA:  3.78
Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies
GRE Quantitative Score: 144 (more on this in other)
GRE Verbal Score: 158 
GRE AW Score:  4.0
 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7
Years of Work Experience: I graduated in 2011, but I've often held down multiple roles at one time. From running political campaigns while doing private sector work to working on a ballot initiative while serving as a policy analyst...I've often leveraged positions I'm in to get additional experiences outside of work. Sometimes it's of the paid variety, but often I did the work for free. Ultimately, it's all invaluable on your resume. So if you count those experiences separately, about 10 years. I did count them separately with my HKS application and obviously they seemed to have sided with me lol. It's not frou frou stuff neither. You have to demonstrate that you're doing more than just showing up or it's pointless to list the experiences imho.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've done some stuff...within the U.S., I was a policy analyst, ran multiple campaigns, and had some private sector experience. Internationally, I've been a Fulbright, German Chancellor Fellow, and worked for the State Department. I was on track to become a diplomat, but during my Fulbright year I noticed some troubling things. So I had an about face and came back to my home state to do some work. Through luck and a strong network, I was able to get involved in public policy. I pushed and passed legislation, but wasn't moving the needle fast enough...so I ventured back abroad as a GCF. Now I'm back implementing my research within my home state at a pretty high level.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm going to be pretty descriptive here so that I hopefully convey the elements that went into what I think was the main reason I got into HKS. I also realize that a lot of this profile could easily give me away haha. Oh well, I want ya'll to get in, so I'm going to just be real. In looking back on everything now, I've lived a crazy life. I talked about it a little, but immediately contextualized it around what I care about and how the recalibration of my career focus has allowed that former pathway to enhance my work. I specifically focused the essay around a lady I once worked with and her plight. How I saw first hand that the system can gobble you up and spit you back out with nothing to show for it. I didn't hold back at all. I then talked about what I need from HKS to prevent that situation from ever happening again. The other essay I talked about a person who was able to benefit from some legislation I helped pass. I talked about the process of getting it done. The data analysis. The lobbying. Winning and what it meant for thousands of kids in my state. Big stuff! Then I talked about the unexpected consequences that followed as a result. How I could never have envisioned them occurring back then, but that now I could see why I needed more training to mitigate this moving forward. With the diversity essay, I talked about the decision to work in my home state instead of becoming a diplomat. I framed it around coming back to my community and the reaction that caused. I finished with the perspective I would bring to the school as a result.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 3 Professional LORs. I'd simply been out of school too long to even think about getting an academic one. However, I took part in the Maryland Leadership Institute (I think it's now defunct, but HKS recruited from there) which is a high-level Summer quant/leadership program that a bunch of fellowship programs used to send their participants. You're required to upload that transcript and, thankfully, I did really well and the organizers wrote a very positive letter...so even though it's from years ago, I'd say it was a proxy academic LOR. One of my LORs wrote a really powerful letter for me. He also mentioned how he'd supervised someone who had just graduated from HKS and that he could attest to my quantitative abilities because we essentially had the same job. I'm sure that was clutch as well. The other two I didn't read.
Other: So those scores! I remember folks saying "Oh, if you don't score X and Y they won't even review your application. BULLSHIT. I hope folks who read this moving forward can see that while those scores are important...they definitely aren't decisive. Now, I did have all of the quant coursework (micro, macro, stats, calculus, quantitative seminar, thesis) in college and completed them with honors credit. My quantitative resume was like 4 pages long if I remember correctly. Further, I work with data often at work and in multi-faceted ways too. I've done that both within the U.S. and as a Research Fellow internationally. I can do the stuff, but I am not a good test taker at all. Couple all of that with the fact I'd been out of school for awhile, and there's probably no chance in Hell I'd have a shot at doing well with that test unless I could study for it full-time which, as I've indicated, is damn near impossible given everything else I do. I think the AdCom saw that as well. I obviously DON'T recommend you take the path I did lol. Please score as high as you can! I just want to be forthright in all of this to show that HKS really does look at your entire application. They won't trash you because of a damn random score on a high-stakes test. Hell, I was abroad for my test and was sick. I noted all of this in my additional info section and let it go. I also received a full ride, so they obviously value everything in spite of! I'm passionate about this particular part because I'm convinced many high quality candidates won't apply because they'll believe this idea that you have to score at a certain level. Matt says they'd like to see you score within a certain range, true, but he also says they'll look throughout your application for evidence you can handle the quant in spite of your score. Believe that and make your case. 
A piece of advice. I think I stood out because I was vulnerable and made my essays personal. Don't make your narrative mechanistic. Don't just check boxes. Let your story shine through. I'm saying this because I highly doubt you could read my essays and know exactly what I want to do. That said, you will know WHY I do what I do WHO the people are I work to uplift and HOW I could do many things if I had the tools needed to do my work at a higher level. You will know from my words that I'm committed to what I do every single fiber of my being. Just saying "I want to be X in Y years" would never encapsulate what I'm trying to accomplish. No random title job at fancy institute would be indicative of this journey I'm on, ya know? I think my profile shows a life time of service on paper, but I think my essays also show what motivates me and drives me to do the work that I do. No single element of my resume has a frivolous aspect to it. I've been lucky to do some really cool stuff, yet everything I've done has been strategically aligned with my heart.
Let your friends and family help craft your narrative too. Let them look over crappy drafts and give advice. Let them learn things they may not have known about you, which could make you uncomfortable. Use every resource possible. Let the process consume you. Don't take every piece of advice, however. Your message won't resonate with everyone. That's okay! Ignore that part of their criticism and instead make sure your subject-verb agreement is on point.
Do a much better job of managing the process than I did though. I've always wanted to go to HKS, but you wouldn't know that by how close I was to the dang deadline. Frantically typing with a minute to go close. Start early! The only school I applied to in the end was Harvard because I just didn't have time with everything else I had going on, but all of this was because I didn't start the process early enough. I didn't think I'd ultimately get in at all, so this was going to be a trial run. I was already planning how to rewrite my essays even! Lo and behold...I'm going to my dream school next year on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship!

Not meant to be mean. It is a stressful time. Best of luck in your pursuits!

@elmo_says I don't think I'm being critical of these programs. I'm being critical of the decision to take out 100k to attend one of them. From what I recall of your post, I disagreed with your proposition that only rich international types can afford a career in DC and the many other similarly ridiculous generalizations you made.
Policy masters are useful and teach useful stuff. Some specific policy masters are a pipeline into certain careers, and if you want one of those careers, it's not a bad decision to attend one. It's a bad decision to pay 100k for one because, in the careers they prepare you for, you will never pay that investment back and because it's an investment you never need to make. In the real world, policy or otherwise, your value is in what you can do really well or in who you know. In my view, if you want to learn to do something really well, you should specialize as much as possible in that thing. That may mean a degree, or it may not. If you have a compelling reason for why a policy master's will teach you to do something really well (who am I to know all the use cases?), by all means - but I struggle to see how anything cannot be taught for cheaper. If you want to know people, meet people. Work with people on real deliverables, not as a student in school. The notion that you can't have a career in policy without a policy master's, or without a prestigious policy master's, is bullshit. If anything, people from non-traditional backgrounds - STEM, entrepreneurship, the private sector - are considered more attractive by policy employers than career bureaucrats because they have experience on the other side of the table. They can put themselves in the stakeholders' shoes. When it comes to design, the bottlenecks are often surprising - and not so easy to see unless you're directly affected by them. 
It's also bullshit that these schools don't give out significant funding. If you're competitive, you'll get money. If you aren't competitive at this stage, you will struggle later (a struggle that can be overcome, but do yourself a favor and overcome it ex ante rather than ex post). This is a good lesson to learn early: don't work for free, and don't pay to work. You want to be somewhere where your time and your contribution is valued, because those places will invest in your potential and not just use you and throw you out. This is also why I say don't go even if you can afford 100k out of pocket: education is an opportunity, not a consumable. A place that is interested in paying your way is interested in giving you opportunities (and if you've ever had to fight tooth and nail for those, you will know the force behind that statement).

Surprised to see @ExponentialDecay being so critical of these programs, given the flak they gave me for saying something similar on a different thread. They even parroted a reference I made to Dunder Mifflin! How times have changed.
Anyhow, I agree with the majority of these comments - I can't imagine a circumstance in which 100k in loans is worth it to get an IR master's or MPP. If you're actually determined to "make it" in the public or non-profit sectors, these degrees end up hobbling you, or putting you down a very dark financial path that might not seem like a big deal when you're 25 and single and happy to live with roommates...but may seem altogether different when you're 35 or 45 and still paying off these loans. 
@gelatinskeleton's comments about the unexpected expenses that crop up in adulthood and the limits of PSLF are spot on. A few years out of my program, probably 80% of my friends who "work for the government" are actually working for contractors --- this means no PSLF, despite their often middling salaries. And the hiring environment and security clearance process is so fucked right now, that even some friends of mine who got Presidential Management Fellowships never got placed or just gave up on the process all together to do a private sector job.  A few who are really committed to becoming feds are having to work other random jobs while waiting more than a year for security clearances...
These programs are just ludicrously overpriced, there's no two ways about it. They do open some doors though, so for those who can't seem to break into this field without the degree, the best thing to do is work as hard as possible to get some fellowship money.
From my research when applying 5+ years ago, only 20-40% of students typically get scholarships from any of these schools aside from WWS (I called a bunch of them to ask...). Then some additional percentage of people get outside scholarships like Pickering / Rangel or sometimes national scholarships from European or Asian countries. 
@hola2288 - given your self-described profile and the fact that applications appear to be down this year, I would try to examine why you haven't gotten any funding, and then work hard to improve that for the next round of applications. Waiting a year might seem like forever right now, but it will be worth it if you can reduce your loan burden. FWIW, I got money from 5 programs (three top and two second-tier), and I had an OK GPA from a top undergrad, fluency in one foreign language, a few years of solid but not spectacular work experience, no time spent in DC, and a really good GRE.
At the risk of coming off as patronizing...
Did you have a low GPA? If so, taking some extension courses or local community college courses in relevant subjects could mitigate that Did you have a low GRE score? Presumably you had to do OK on the SAT to get into a "fancy" undergrad - study hard and take the GRE again Have some people in your network give you critical feedback on your essays - maybe they're not as polished as you think Do the same with your resume Are you straight out of undergrad? If your time in DC "for work" means "unpaid summer internship"....that's not as impressive as you think. The economy is good. Find a shittily paid job at a local non-profit and work there for a year or two before reapplying. I guarantee you, you will learn a LOT about the world, probably more than you will in grad school tbh And to give you the perspective of someone who is on the other side of this whole dilemma...
I took out just under 70k (after a 1/2 tuition fellowship, burning through my savings, various part-time jobs throughout grad school, and a little help from my parents), and I can say it had a huge impact on what kind of jobs I pursued upon graduation because I was determined to stay on a 10-year repayment plan. It basically eliminated anything non-profit or local government, and made me unwilling to deal with the vagaries and delays of the federal hiring process (and this was pre-Trump...things have only gotten worse). I entered the private sector, and have been paying off my loans on a 10-year standard schedule, and am only just starting to feel good about my financial situation a few years out after a couple of promotions and a recent job change that came with a significant salary bump. But it's still hard to say it was "worth it", because I'm not actually doing what I thought I wanted when I entered the program, and my loans were a big part of that.
 

@3eyes I applied for a Masters. And to be frank I think it's pretty weird to follow around everyone who has mentioned applying to American asking them to decline their offer, as you seem to be doing. This is a big decision for me and I'll take the time I need to make sure I'm making the right one. 

Already a topic on this if you want to join: 
 

You're right. Thanks for this comment. Gradcafe has been there for me throughout the years. It's helped me receive the Fulbright and get into my dream school on a full ride. I'll add to the thread now.
Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)  MPP
Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School
Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate Institution:  State School in the South
Undergraduate GPA:  3.78
Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies
GRE Quantitative Score: 144 (more on this in other)
GRE Verbal Score: 158 
GRE AW Score:  4.0
 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7
Years of Work Experience: I graduated in 2011, but I've often held down multiple roles at one time. From running political campaigns while doing private sector work to working on a ballot initiative while serving as a policy analyst...I've often leveraged positions I'm in to get additional experiences outside of work. Sometimes it's of the paid variety, but often I did the work for free. Ultimately, it's all invaluable on your resume. So if you count those experiences separately, about 10 years. I did count them separately with my HKS application and obviously they seemed to have sided with me lol. It's not frou frou stuff neither. You have to demonstrate that you're doing more than just showing up or it's pointless to list the experiences imho.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've done some stuff...within the U.S., I was a policy analyst, ran multiple campaigns, and had some private sector experience. Internationally, I've been a Fulbright, German Chancellor Fellow, and worked for the State Department. I was on track to become a diplomat, but during my Fulbright year I noticed some troubling things. So I had an about face and came back to my home state to do some work. Through luck and a strong network, I was able to get involved in public policy. I pushed and passed legislation, but wasn't moving the needle fast enough...so I ventured back abroad as a GCF. Now I'm back implementing my research within my home state at a pretty high level.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm going to be pretty descriptive here so that I hopefully convey the elements that went into what I think was the main reason I got into HKS. I also realize that a lot of this profile could easily give me away haha. Oh well, I want ya'll to get in, so I'm going to just be real. In looking back on everything now, I've lived a crazy life. I talked about it a little, but immediately contextualized it around what I care about and how the recalibration of my career focus has allowed that former pathway to enhance my work. I specifically focused the essay around a lady I once worked with and her plight. How I saw first hand that the system can gobble you up and spit you back out with nothing to show for it. I didn't hold back at all. I then talked about what I need from HKS to prevent that situation from ever happening again. The other essay I talked about a person who was able to benefit from some legislation I helped pass. I talked about the process of getting it done. The data analysis. The lobbying. Winning and what it meant for thousands of kids in my state. Big stuff! Then I talked about the unexpected consequences that followed as a result. How I could never have envisioned them occurring back then, but that now I could see why I needed more training to mitigate this moving forward. With the diversity essay, I talked about the decision to work in my home state instead of becoming a diplomat. I framed it around coming back to my community and the reaction that caused. I finished with the perspective I would bring to the school as a result.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 3 Professional LORs. I'd simply been out of school too long to even think about getting an academic one. However, I took part in the Maryland Leadership Institute (I think it's now defunct, but HKS recruited from there) which is a high-level Summer quant/leadership program that a bunch of fellowship programs used to send their participants. You're required to upload that transcript and, thankfully, I did really well and the organizers wrote a very positive letter...so even though it's from years ago, I'd say it was a proxy academic LOR. One of my LORs wrote a really powerful letter for me. He also mentioned how he'd supervised someone who had just graduated from HKS and that he could attest to my quantitative abilities because we essentially had the same job. I'm sure that was clutch as well. The other two I didn't read.
Other: So those scores! I remember folks saying "Oh, if you don't score X and Y they won't even review your application. BULLSHIT. I hope folks who read this moving forward can see that while those scores are important...they definitely aren't decisive. Now, I did have all of the quant coursework (micro, macro, stats, calculus, quantitative seminar, thesis) in college and completed them with honors credit. My quantitative resume was like 4 pages long if I remember correctly. Further, I work with data often at work and in multi-faceted ways too. I've done that both within the U.S. and as a Research Fellow internationally. I can do the stuff, but I am not a good test taker at all. Couple all of that with the fact I'd been out of school for awhile, and there's probably no chance in Hell I'd have a shot at doing well with that test unless I could study for it full-time which, as I've indicated, is damn near impossible given everything else I do. I think the AdCom saw that as well. I obviously DON'T recommend you take the path I did lol. Please score as high as you can! I just want to be forthright in all of this to show that HKS really does look at your entire application. They won't trash you because of a damn random score on a high-stakes test. Hell, I was abroad for my test and was sick. I noted all of this in my additional info section and let it go. I also received a full ride, so they obviously value everything in spite of! I'm passionate about this particular part because I'm convinced many high quality candidates won't apply because they'll believe this idea that you have to score at a certain level. Matt says they'd like to see you score within a certain range, true, but he also says they'll look throughout your application for evidence you can handle the quant in spite of your score. Believe that and make your case. 
A piece of advice. I think I stood out because I was vulnerable and made my essays personal. Don't make your narrative mechanistic. Don't just check boxes. Let your story shine through. I'm saying this because I highly doubt you could read my essays and know exactly what I want to do. That said, you will know WHY I do what I do WHO the people are I work to uplift and HOW I could do many things if I had the tools needed to do my work at a higher level. You will know from my words that I'm committed to what I do every single fiber of my being. Just saying "I want to be X in Y years" would never encapsulate what I'm trying to accomplish. No random title job at fancy institute would be indicative of this journey I'm on, ya know? I think my profile shows a life time of service on paper, but I think my essays also show what motivates me and drives me to do the work that I do. No single element of my resume has a frivolous aspect to it. I've been lucky to do some really cool stuff, yet everything I've done has been strategically aligned with my heart.
Let your friends and family help craft your narrative too. Let them look over crappy drafts and give advice. Let them learn things they may not have known about you, which could make you uncomfortable. Use every resource possible. Let the process consume you. Don't take every piece of advice, however. Your message won't resonate with everyone. That's okay! Ignore that part of their criticism and instead make sure your subject-verb agreement is on point.
Do a much better job of managing the process than I did though. I've always wanted to go to HKS, but you wouldn't know that by how close I was to the dang deadline. Frantically typing with a minute to go close. Start early! The only school I applied to in the end was Harvard because I just didn't have time with everything else I had going on, but all of this was because I didn't start the process early enough. I didn't think I'd ultimately get in at all, so this was going to be a trial run. I was already planning how to rewrite my essays even! Lo and behold...I'm going to my dream school next year on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship!

Sorry for the late response! I am happy to talk a little about the culture and politics. The politics in Durham are decidedly progressive and on campus, dominated by fairly left-leaning viewpoints. You'll find that in most of the universities here, as well as most cities and towns in North Carolina (Chapel Hill of course, Raleigh, Charlotte). There are a lot of grassroots organizations at Duke and in Durham I've seen running jail bond campaigns, for example. They may not be as far left-leaning as you, but it's pretty progressive in general. At Sanford, there is a quiet group of folks who are here to study national security and have a military background; some are still serving and go between Durham and Fort Bragg quite often. I met the first people I ever knew who served as Marines and in the intelligence service. Most of them have a right-leaning perspective, but they're quiet about it. There are also a handful of libertarians. I had some really thoughtful and interesting conversations with the military crowd, and it was a good respectful learning experience. Historically, it's important to remember the blue enclaves in the state are surrounded by fairly deep red counties, though the atmosphere has changed since McCrory left as Governor and Roy Cooper stepped in. At Duke, you'll still find yourself at a historical Southern institution with plenty of history and baggage. The perspective I took and I think might be helpful was that while Durham can't hope to compete with Berkeley (and few places can) in terms of awareness and activism, there are a lot of people trying to make a difference in the Triangle area, and bringing your voice to the discussion happening at Duke can make a bigger difference than you think. 

You're right. Thanks for this comment. Gradcafe has been there for me throughout the years. It's helped me receive the Fulbright and get into my dream school on a full ride. I'll add to the thread now.
Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)  MPP
Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School
Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate Institution:  State School in the South
Undergraduate GPA:  3.78
Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies
GRE Quantitative Score: 144 (more on this in other)
GRE Verbal Score: 158 
GRE AW Score:  4.0
 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7
Years of Work Experience: I graduated in 2011, but I've often held down multiple roles at one time. From running political campaigns while doing private sector work to working on a ballot initiative while serving as a policy analyst...I've often leveraged positions I'm in to get additional experiences outside of work. Sometimes it's of the paid variety, but often I did the work for free. Ultimately, it's all invaluable on your resume. So if you count those experiences separately, about 10 years. I did count them separately with my HKS application and obviously they seemed to have sided with me lol. It's not frou frou stuff neither. You have to demonstrate that you're doing more than just showing up or it's pointless to list the experiences imho.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've done some stuff...within the U.S., I was a policy analyst, ran multiple campaigns, and had some private sector experience. Internationally, I've been a Fulbright, German Chancellor Fellow, and worked for the State Department. I was on track to become a diplomat, but during my Fulbright year I noticed some troubling things. So I had an about face and came back to my home state to do some work. Through luck and a strong network, I was able to get involved in public policy. I pushed and passed legislation, but wasn't moving the needle fast enough...so I ventured back abroad as a GCF. Now I'm back implementing my research within my home state at a pretty high level.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm going to be pretty descriptive here so that I hopefully convey the elements that went into what I think was the main reason I got into HKS. I also realize that a lot of this profile could easily give me away haha. Oh well, I want ya'll to get in, so I'm going to just be real. In looking back on everything now, I've lived a crazy life. I talked about it a little, but immediately contextualized it around what I care about and how the recalibration of my career focus has allowed that former pathway to enhance my work. I specifically focused the essay around a lady I once worked with and her plight. How I saw first hand that the system can gobble you up and spit you back out with nothing to show for it. I didn't hold back at all. I then talked about what I need from HKS to prevent that situation from ever happening again. The other essay I talked about a person who was able to benefit from some legislation I helped pass. I talked about the process of getting it done. The data analysis. The lobbying. Winning and what it meant for thousands of kids in my state. Big stuff! Then I talked about the unexpected consequences that followed as a result. How I could never have envisioned them occurring back then, but that now I could see why I needed more training to mitigate this moving forward. With the diversity essay, I talked about the decision to work in my home state instead of becoming a diplomat. I framed it around coming back to my community and the reaction that caused. I finished with the perspective I would bring to the school as a result.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 3 Professional LORs. I'd simply been out of school too long to even think about getting an academic one. However, I took part in the Maryland Leadership Institute (I think it's now defunct, but HKS recruited from there) which is a high-level Summer quant/leadership program that a bunch of fellowship programs used to send their participants. You're required to upload that transcript and, thankfully, I did really well and the organizers wrote a very positive letter...so even though it's from years ago, I'd say it was a proxy academic LOR. One of my LORs wrote a really powerful letter for me. He also mentioned how he'd supervised someone who had just graduated from HKS and that he could attest to my quantitative abilities because we essentially had the same job. I'm sure that was clutch as well. The other two I didn't read.
Other: So those scores! I remember folks saying "Oh, if you don't score X and Y they won't even review your application. BULLSHIT. I hope folks who read this moving forward can see that while those scores are important...they definitely aren't decisive. Now, I did have all of the quant coursework (micro, macro, stats, calculus, quantitative seminar, thesis) in college and completed them with honors credit. My quantitative resume was like 4 pages long if I remember correctly. Further, I work with data often at work and in multi-faceted ways too. I've done that both within the U.S. and as a Research Fellow internationally. I can do the stuff, but I am not a good test taker at all. Couple all of that with the fact I'd been out of school for awhile, and there's probably no chance in Hell I'd have a shot at doing well with that test unless I could study for it full-time which, as I've indicated, is damn near impossible given everything else I do. I think the AdCom saw that as well. I obviously DON'T recommend you take the path I did lol. Please score as high as you can! I just want to be forthright in all of this to show that HKS really does look at your entire application. They won't trash you because of a damn random score on a high-stakes test. Hell, I was abroad for my test and was sick. I noted all of this in my additional info section and let it go. I also received a full ride, so they obviously value everything in spite of! I'm passionate about this particular part because I'm convinced many high quality candidates won't apply because they'll believe this idea that you have to score at a certain level. Matt says they'd like to see you score within a certain range, true, but he also says they'll look throughout your application for evidence you can handle the quant in spite of your score. Believe that and make your case. 
A piece of advice. I think I stood out because I was vulnerable and made my essays personal. Don't make your narrative mechanistic. Don't just check boxes. Let your story shine through. I'm saying this because I highly doubt you could read my essays and know exactly what I want to do. That said, you will know WHY I do what I do WHO the people are I work to uplift and HOW I could do many things if I had the tools needed to do my work at a higher level. You will know from my words that I'm committed to what I do every single fiber of my being. Just saying "I want to be X in Y years" would never encapsulate what I'm trying to accomplish. No random title job at fancy institute would be indicative of this journey I'm on, ya know? I think my profile shows a life time of service on paper, but I think my essays also show what motivates me and drives me to do the work that I do. No single element of my resume has a frivolous aspect to it. I've been lucky to do some really cool stuff, yet everything I've done has been strategically aligned with my heart.
Let your friends and family help craft your narrative too. Let them look over crappy drafts and give advice. Let them learn things they may not have known about you, which could make you uncomfortable. Use every resource possible. Let the process consume you. Don't take every piece of advice, however. Your message won't resonate with everyone. That's okay! Ignore that part of their criticism and instead make sure your subject-verb agreement is on point.
Do a much better job of managing the process than I did though. I've always wanted to go to HKS, but you wouldn't know that by how close I was to the dang deadline. Frantically typing with a minute to go close. Start early! The only school I applied to in the end was Harvard because I just didn't have time with everything else I had going on, but all of this was because I didn't start the process early enough. I didn't think I'd ultimately get in at all, so this was going to be a trial run. I was already planning how to rewrite my essays even! Lo and behold...I'm going to my dream school next year on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship!

You're right. Thanks for this comment. Gradcafe has been there for me throughout the years. It's helped me receive the Fulbright and get into my dream school on a full ride. I'll add to the thread now.
Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)  MPP
Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School
Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate Institution:  State School in the South
Undergraduate GPA:  3.78
Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies
GRE Quantitative Score: 144 (more on this in other)
GRE Verbal Score: 158 
GRE AW Score:  4.0
 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7
Years of Work Experience: I graduated in 2011, but I've often held down multiple roles at one time. From running political campaigns while doing private sector work to working on a ballot initiative while serving as a policy analyst...I've often leveraged positions I'm in to get additional experiences outside of work. Sometimes it's of the paid variety, but often I did the work for free. Ultimately, it's all invaluable on your resume. So if you count those experiences separately, about 10 years. I did count them separately with my HKS application and obviously they seemed to have sided with me lol. It's not frou frou stuff neither. You have to demonstrate that you're doing more than just showing up or it's pointless to list the experiences imho.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've done some stuff...within the U.S., I was a policy analyst, ran multiple campaigns, and had some private sector experience. Internationally, I've been a Fulbright, German Chancellor Fellow, and worked for the State Department. I was on track to become a diplomat, but during my Fulbright year I noticed some troubling things. So I had an about face and came back to my home state to do some work. Through luck and a strong network, I was able to get involved in public policy. I pushed and passed legislation, but wasn't moving the needle fast enough...so I ventured back abroad as a GCF. Now I'm back implementing my research within my home state at a pretty high level.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm going to be pretty descriptive here so that I hopefully convey the elements that went into what I think was the main reason I got into HKS. I also realize that a lot of this profile could easily give me away haha. Oh well, I want ya'll to get in, so I'm going to just be real. In looking back on everything now, I've lived a crazy life. I talked about it a little, but immediately contextualized it around what I care about and how the recalibration of my career focus has allowed that former pathway to enhance my work. I specifically focused the essay around a lady I once worked with and her plight. How I saw first hand that the system can gobble you up and spit you back out with nothing to show for it. I didn't hold back at all. I then talked about what I need from HKS to prevent that situation from ever happening again. The other essay I talked about a person who was able to benefit from some legislation I helped pass. I talked about the process of getting it done. The data analysis. The lobbying. Winning and what it meant for thousands of kids in my state. Big stuff! Then I talked about the unexpected consequences that followed as a result. How I could never have envisioned them occurring back then, but that now I could see why I needed more training to mitigate this moving forward. With the diversity essay, I talked about the decision to work in my home state instead of becoming a diplomat. I framed it around coming back to my community and the reaction that caused. I finished with the perspective I would bring to the school as a result.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 3 Professional LORs. I'd simply been out of school too long to even think about getting an academic one. However, I took part in the Maryland Leadership Institute (I think it's now defunct, but HKS recruited from there) which is a high-level Summer quant/leadership program that a bunch of fellowship programs used to send their participants. You're required to upload that transcript and, thankfully, I did really well and the organizers wrote a very positive letter...so even though it's from years ago, I'd say it was a proxy academic LOR. One of my LORs wrote a really powerful letter for me. He also mentioned how he'd supervised someone who had just graduated from HKS and that he could attest to my quantitative abilities because we essentially had the same job. I'm sure that was clutch as well. The other two I didn't read.
Other: So those scores! I remember folks saying "Oh, if you don't score X and Y they won't even review your application. BULLSHIT. I hope folks who read this moving forward can see that while those scores are important...they definitely aren't decisive. Now, I did have all of the quant coursework (micro, macro, stats, calculus, quantitative seminar, thesis) in college and completed them with honors credit. My quantitative resume was like 4 pages long if I remember correctly. Further, I work with data often at work and in multi-faceted ways too. I've done that both within the U.S. and as a Research Fellow internationally. I can do the stuff, but I am not a good test taker at all. Couple all of that with the fact I'd been out of school for awhile, and there's probably no chance in Hell I'd have a shot at doing well with that test unless I could study for it full-time which, as I've indicated, is damn near impossible given everything else I do. I think the AdCom saw that as well. I obviously DON'T recommend you take the path I did lol. Please score as high as you can! I just want to be forthright in all of this to show that HKS really does look at your entire application. They won't trash you because of a damn random score on a high-stakes test. Hell, I was abroad for my test and was sick. I noted all of this in my additional info section and let it go. I also received a full ride, so they obviously value everything in spite of! I'm passionate about this particular part because I'm convinced many high quality candidates won't apply because they'll believe this idea that you have to score at a certain level. Matt says they'd like to see you score within a certain range, true, but he also says they'll look throughout your application for evidence you can handle the quant in spite of your score. Believe that and make your case. 
A piece of advice. I think I stood out because I was vulnerable and made my essays personal. Don't make your narrative mechanistic. Don't just check boxes. Let your story shine through. I'm saying this because I highly doubt you could read my essays and know exactly what I want to do. That said, you will know WHY I do what I do WHO the people are I work to uplift and HOW I could do many things if I had the tools needed to do my work at a higher level. You will know from my words that I'm committed to what I do every single fiber of my being. Just saying "I want to be X in Y years" would never encapsulate what I'm trying to accomplish. No random title job at fancy institute would be indicative of this journey I'm on, ya know? I think my profile shows a life time of service on paper, but I think my essays also show what motivates me and drives me to do the work that I do. No single element of my resume has a frivolous aspect to it. I've been lucky to do some really cool stuff, yet everything I've done has been strategically aligned with my heart.
Let your friends and family help craft your narrative too. Let them look over crappy drafts and give advice. Let them learn things they may not have known about you, which could make you uncomfortable. Use every resource possible. Let the process consume you. Don't take every piece of advice, however. Your message won't resonate with everyone. That's okay! Ignore that part of their criticism and instead make sure your subject-verb agreement is on point.
Do a much better job of managing the process than I did though. I've always wanted to go to HKS, but you wouldn't know that by how close I was to the dang deadline. Frantically typing with a minute to go close. Start early! The only school I applied to in the end was Harvard because I just didn't have time with everything else I had going on, but all of this was because I didn't start the process early enough. I didn't think I'd ultimately get in at all, so this was going to be a trial run. I was already planning how to rewrite my essays even! Lo and behold...I'm going to my dream school next year on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship!

You're right. Thanks for this comment. Gradcafe has been there for me throughout the years. It's helped me receive the Fulbright and get into my dream school on a full ride. I'll add to the thread now.
Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.)  MPP
Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School
Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate Institution:  State School in the South
Undergraduate GPA:  3.78
Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies
GRE Quantitative Score: 144 (more on this in other)
GRE Verbal Score: 158 
GRE AW Score:  4.0
 
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 7
Years of Work Experience: I graduated in 2011, but I've often held down multiple roles at one time. From running political campaigns while doing private sector work to working on a ballot initiative while serving as a policy analyst...I've often leveraged positions I'm in to get additional experiences outside of work. Sometimes it's of the paid variety, but often I did the work for free. Ultimately, it's all invaluable on your resume. So if you count those experiences separately, about 10 years. I did count them separately with my HKS application and obviously they seemed to have sided with me lol. It's not frou frou stuff neither. You have to demonstrate that you're doing more than just showing up or it's pointless to list the experiences imho.
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've done some stuff...within the U.S., I was a policy analyst, ran multiple campaigns, and had some private sector experience. Internationally, I've been a Fulbright, German Chancellor Fellow, and worked for the State Department. I was on track to become a diplomat, but during my Fulbright year I noticed some troubling things. So I had an about face and came back to my home state to do some work. Through luck and a strong network, I was able to get involved in public policy. I pushed and passed legislation, but wasn't moving the needle fast enough...so I ventured back abroad as a GCF. Now I'm back implementing my research within my home state at a pretty high level.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm going to be pretty descriptive here so that I hopefully convey the elements that went into what I think was the main reason I got into HKS. I also realize that a lot of this profile could easily give me away haha. Oh well, I want ya'll to get in, so I'm going to just be real. In looking back on everything now, I've lived a crazy life. I talked about it a little, but immediately contextualized it around what I care about and how the recalibration of my career focus has allowed that former pathway to enhance my work. I specifically focused the essay around a lady I once worked with and her plight. How I saw first hand that the system can gobble you up and spit you back out with nothing to show for it. I didn't hold back at all. I then talked about what I need from HKS to prevent that situation from ever happening again. The other essay I talked about a person who was able to benefit from some legislation I helped pass. I talked about the process of getting it done. The data analysis. The lobbying. Winning and what it meant for thousands of kids in my state. Big stuff! Then I talked about the unexpected consequences that followed as a result. How I could never have envisioned them occurring back then, but that now I could see why I needed more training to mitigate this moving forward. With the diversity essay, I talked about the decision to work in my home state instead of becoming a diplomat. I framed it around coming back to my community and the reaction that caused. I finished with the perspective I would bring to the school as a result.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 3 Professional LORs. I'd simply been out of school too long to even think about getting an academic one. However, I took part in the Maryland Leadership Institute (I think it's now defunct, but HKS recruited from there) which is a high-level Summer quant/leadership program that a bunch of fellowship programs used to send their participants. You're required to upload that transcript and, thankfully, I did really well and the organizers wrote a very positive letter...so even though it's from years ago, I'd say it was a proxy academic LOR. One of my LORs wrote a really powerful letter for me. He also mentioned how he'd supervised someone who had just graduated from HKS and that he could attest to my quantitative abilities because we essentially had the same job. I'm sure that was clutch as well. The other two I didn't read.
Other: So those scores! I remember folks saying "Oh, if you don't score X and Y they won't even review your application. BULLSHIT. I hope folks who read this moving forward can see that while those scores are important...they definitely aren't decisive. Now, I did have all of the quant coursework (micro, macro, stats, calculus, quantitative seminar, thesis) in college and completed them with honors credit. My quantitative resume was like 4 pages long if I remember correctly. Further, I work with data often at work and in multi-faceted ways too. I've done that both within the U.S. and as a Research Fellow internationally. I can do the stuff, but I am not a good test taker at all. Couple all of that with the fact I'd been out of school for awhile, and there's probably no chance in Hell I'd have a shot at doing well with that test unless I could study for it full-time which, as I've indicated, is damn near impossible given everything else I do. I think the AdCom saw that as well. I obviously DON'T recommend you take the path I did lol. Please score as high as you can! I just want to be forthright in all of this to show that HKS really does look at your entire application. They won't trash you because of a damn random score on a high-stakes test. Hell, I was abroad for my test and was sick. I noted all of this in my additional info section and let it go. I also received a full ride, so they obviously value everything in spite of! I'm passionate about this particular part because I'm convinced many high quality candidates won't apply because they'll believe this idea that you have to score at a certain level. Matt says they'd like to see you score within a certain range, true, but he also says they'll look throughout your application for evidence you can handle the quant in spite of your score. Believe that and make your case. 
A piece of advice. I think I stood out because I was vulnerable and made my essays personal. Don't make your narrative mechanistic. Don't just check boxes. Let your story shine through. I'm saying this because I highly doubt you could read my essays and know exactly what I want to do. That said, you will know WHY I do what I do WHO the people are I work to uplift and HOW I could do many things if I had the tools needed to do my work at a higher level. You will know from my words that I'm committed to what I do every single fiber of my being. Just saying "I want to be X in Y years" would never encapsulate what I'm trying to accomplish. No random title job at fancy institute would be indicative of this journey I'm on, ya know? I think my profile shows a life time of service on paper, but I think my essays also show what motivates me and drives me to do the work that I do. No single element of my resume has a frivolous aspect to it. I've been lucky to do some really cool stuff, yet everything I've done has been strategically aligned with my heart.
Let your friends and family help craft your narrative too. Let them look over crappy drafts and give advice. Let them learn things they may not have known about you, which could make you uncomfortable. Use every resource possible. Let the process consume you. Don't take every piece of advice, however. Your message won't resonate with everyone. That's okay! Ignore that part of their criticism and instead make sure your subject-verb agreement is on point.
Do a much better job of managing the process than I did though. I've always wanted to go to HKS, but you wouldn't know that by how close I was to the dang deadline. Frantically typing with a minute to go close. Start early! The only school I applied to in the end was Harvard because I just didn't have time with everything else I had going on, but all of this was because I didn't start the process early enough. I didn't think I'd ultimately get in at all, so this was going to be a trial run. I was already planning how to rewrite my essays even! Lo and behold...I'm going to my dream school next year on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship!

@invincible49 I believe Matt mentioned it in one of the HKS Admission Blog posts. He said the Gandhi quote thing was one of his pet peeves... “I’d be admitting you — not Gandhi.” The single spacing comment came from the HKS admissions Twitter account. Basically, read the instructions thoroughly and follow them to the T. It will be appreciated I’m sure.

There are so many wrinkles to all of this. I won't tell you what to do, but I will say that Columbia has a stellar brand as well. I personally wouldn't turn down $70k at one institution in order to pursue studies at another where I would bear full cost. 
That you're asking this question though makes me think that the Harvard brand seems to dwarf Columbia's in India? If that's the case, you'd also need to ask yourself whether or not that really matters in your overall career trajectory. Are you going to get a higher level job solely because Harvard is on your resume? Are you going to get extra pay because you went to HKS? Will you be more attractive to potential clients? Those are the questions I'd say need to be answered at the very least before you decide one way or another. 

Let me say something for those not yet accepted, or waiting on a list, or for future applicants, because I've been on Gradcafe for a while now.
I have talked myself out of applying to Harvard for many years now. I never thought I'd make it there. It took sitting down with someone who is currently attending HKS and their basically cursing me out for not applying to actually muster up the courage to finally do so. 
So when I began applying last year, I approached it with no holds barred. I went from not applying because I was scared, to not only envisioning myself at the school but also having the audacity to try and figure out where to live. I embraced the process fully. I made myself vulnerable. I reached deep within myself and, with the help of many friends, wrote essays that I guess were compelling. I made the process personal. I talked about PEOPLE and had these experiences guide me in crafting my narrative.
I HAD A REALLY BAD GRE SCORE. I can't stress enough how holistic this process is. I've been out of school for a while, but even by that standard I think it was too low. Had a decent GPA. Graduated from a community college and a state school. What undoubtedly helped was my work experience. I've worked with data and quantitative stuff for a while now. I've managed campaigns. I've done heavy quant research. I'm just horrible at standardized tests haha. I think I made a good enough case along those lines. I also have multiple years of international experience. 
I had really good recommendations. You want to ensure you find someone that will fight for you within their recommendations. Essentially, you want folks who would call and curse admissions out for not accepting you.
I owe a lot of my admission to this forum. For that, I'll check in every now and then to look at any PMs or responses. I'd love to be the person that gives you the encouraging word I received from a friend not too long ago to apply. YOU CAN DO THIS! Whether you're in now or will be applying later. BELIEVE THAT! 

$33k per year for me!
$33K Presidential Scholarship + $50K outside scholarship I have per year...full ride!
I still can't believe it! Wow. 
Good luck to everyone!

$33k per year for me!
$33K Presidential Scholarship + $50K outside scholarship I have per year...full ride!
I still can't believe it! Wow. 
Good luck to everyone!

I feel speechless--I got the CPL fellowship I'd been hoping for! I'm so sorry to hear funding didn't come through for everyone. Good luck no matter where you end up! And see some of you at HKS in the fall!  

$33k per year for me!
$33K Presidential Scholarship + $50K outside scholarship I have per year...full ride!
I still can't believe it! Wow. 
Good luck to everyone!

$33k per year for me!
$33K Presidential Scholarship + $50K outside scholarship I have per year...full ride!
I still can't believe it! Wow. 
Good luck to everyone!

Let me say something for those not yet accepted, or waiting on a list, or for future applicants, because I've been on Gradcafe for a while now.
I have talked myself out of applying to Harvard for many years now. I never thought I'd make it there. It took sitting down with someone who is currently attending HKS and their basically cursing me out for not applying to actually muster up the courage to finally do so. 
So when I began applying last year, I approached it with no holds barred. I went from not applying because I was scared, to not only envisioning myself at the school but also having the audacity to try and figure out where to live. I embraced the process fully. I made myself vulnerable. I reached deep within myself and, with the help of many friends, wrote essays that I guess were compelling. I made the process personal. I talked about PEOPLE and had these experiences guide me in crafting my narrative.
I HAD A REALLY BAD GRE SCORE. I can't stress enough how holistic this process is. I've been out of school for a while, but even by that standard I think it was too low. Had a decent GPA. Graduated from a community college and a state school. What undoubtedly helped was my work experience. I've worked with data and quantitative stuff for a while now. I've managed campaigns. I've done heavy quant research. I'm just horrible at standardized tests haha. I think I made a good enough case along those lines. I also have multiple years of international experience. 
I had really good recommendations. You want to ensure you find someone that will fight for you within their recommendations. Essentially, you want folks who would call and curse admissions out for not accepting you.
I owe a lot of my admission to this forum. For that, I'll check in every now and then to look at any PMs or responses. I'd love to be the person that gives you the encouraging word I received from a friend not too long ago to apply. YOU CAN DO THIS! Whether you're in now or will be applying later. BELIEVE THAT!