
Damis
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Damis reacted to sp108 in Regrets
You choose the program that has the curriculum you are more interested in. I was a finance undergrad and I worked in the private sector for a few years and was given leadership roles. I was also surrounded by lots of MBAs yet I decided it's not where I want to be in the future. I want to leverage my experiences towards the public sector and the MPP/MPA curriculums were far better for my long term interests.
Trust me, it's not something you should regret if you are genuinely interested in MPP/MPA/IR programs. It's encouraged to get a few years of work experience before entering any sort of professional graduate program. You will truly figure out where you want to be with a good amount of work and life experiences. If you feel regret doing one thing over another thing, then my advice is to not enroll this year. Wait it out and get some different work experiences and figure out what you truly want to do.
Choosing to go to a grad program requires patience and tons of thinking and research before you decide you want to do it. Being regretful about it is just no good and thats when you will feel your money is truly wasted.
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Damis reacted to monocle in Fall 2016 Admissions Cycle
I somehow happened across this in Architecture and planning
Hope it's helpful to others!
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Damis reacted to carpecc in MIA/MPA Application Mistakes from SIPA grad
Hey everybody. I'm a graduate of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and had a great experience. Not all of my classmates did though and some were even wasting their money by attending this program. I want to share some of the mistakes that I think people make when planning their public policy grad school experience.
Mistake #1: Going in without a plan.
At SIPA there were smart students with a plan, smart students without a plan, and everyone else. Taking away one or two years of your life to invest in education unplanned is silly. In some cases the unplanned were able to course correct in the last semester and get what they needed, in other cases they were totally unexpected for the education they were getting and (in the least) not getting the most out of their time at SIPA or (worst) wasting two years of their life and taking on a lot of debt.
Your planning should begin in general terms when you start the application process. What types of jobs would you like to learn after school? What kind of skills do you need to learn? What part of the world do you want to live in? More academic or practical? These questions will guide which schools are appropriate for you. Maybe you don't know what type of job you want after school, in which case the plan should be to take the variety of classes and internships that will help you figure this out. A minority of students pick classes seemingly on a whim, selecting whatever sounds interesting without reviewing the evaluations, thinking about what they need in the long term or getting help from professors. This is a big mistake as they miss on the classes that were good and they really needed.
Once in the program plan your curriculum, the whole two years, before you step foot on campus. The pre registration process for the next semester creeps up on you and some course that you will want to take in the second semester/year may have prereqs in the first semester/year. Others may have special application requirements. Time is limited, you can't take everything and you'll want to avoid the dud classes. Of course you will learn a lot about new classes from students once you arrive (getting advice from second year MA students should be part of the plan).
I read all of the course listings before I arrived on campus twice, and made a spreadsheet of possible course to take each semester for my two year program. This list changed a lot, but I didn't feel like I got any dud classes or missed out on the goals I wanted to accomplish.
Also plan the finances and the job search. Are there fellowships available for good grades? Then don't overload on classes the first semester/year so you can be competitive for them.
Those with a plan figure out what they need to do to get the internships and jobs they want. Those without a plan usually don't prioritize the job search and end up unemployed for 6 months or sometimes even a year after graduation.
Mistake #2: Not prioritizing the job search.
This is what you are taking the professional program for, to get a job. Not to write a thesis, not to get caught up in student groups, not to go to happy hours. You can do all those things, but make sure you keep your eye on the ball and spend time on the job search from the first month of school.
The job search starts by getting acquainted with the recruitment process for your select industries and making time to attend the on campus information sessions and any trainings that you need (such as case interviews) that can help you get there. At SIPA there was info and reviews on where people had done internships previously, I began viewing these in my first semester. Even if you already know what you want to do, there's great opportunities to get exposed to new companies which you may not have known existed.
The job search continues in how you select your classes. What classes do people in said industry need? Which professors are great to work with? What classes can teach you the skills you need?
Some application time cycles start early, very early. Many don't have jobs around April or May shouldn't be cause for panic as public sector jobs sometimes don't advertise until right when they need them. However the prepared student already has their birds in place and networked across their sector. At the least, you want to be eyeing the job/internship listings once a week so when that dream job or internship comes up, you are ready to press apply. Your CV is up to date right?
As an example: one of my classmates applied to one internship in the fall that was for the next summer, got it, then applied back to the company for an excellent job after school and got it. Two applications and he had it all sorted out. He had is eye on the ball. On the other hand I knew a few who didn't start applying for jobs for April or May, they weren't even looking, but still had time to complain about the Office of Career Services. Career Services cannot apply for you. You have to do it yourself.
Mistake #3: Thinking the MIA/MPA is next best thing to an MBA.
This was true at Columbia: some students expected the recruitment level and job prospects of the MBA. An MPA/MIA is not the same as an MBA and most students would be better getting a second tier MBA than spending a chunk of change on public policy program.
All of the differences are apparent to the well researched: job outcomes, class offerings and professors. It's all on the web. About 90% of MBAs go to the private sector, at SIPA 1/3 go private 1/3 go government and 1/3 go nonprofit. Those are three very different sectors with very different recruitment and job search strategies, as a result, there are just not as much resources or recruitment at public policy schools for the private sector.
Some might say: "Sure some MBA professors teach at SIPA, sure they have some of the same course offerings, hey, I can even take some classes at the MBA school and attend their events! So it's safe to say I'm at least partially getting a Columbia MBA right?" Well, yes you're getting some similar technical training but it's far from passing it off as an MBA. The MBA is a commodity, the private sector know what it is and there is more homogeny among MBA graduates than public policy grads.
The most important part of an MBA is getting in: they have much lower acceptance rates for the same schools (Columbia SIPA >30% vs Columbia MBA <10%) so it's a more competitive badge of honor. Also the network you get out of it makes you a more valuable employee to the private sector: your classmates are future clients, partners and service providers that can directly benefit the performance of your business which in turn affects your salary and bonus. I don't get a bonus if my classmate in the foreign service helps my NGO get some funding, so I don't get as much bang for my buck financially speaking. My friends who have gone to tier 2 and even tier 3 MBAs have paid off in spades, mostly because they paid less. This is important if you underestimate the cost.
Mistake #4: Underestimating the cost.
It can cost a lot, or it can be for free. Looking at the employment outcomes for the top ten schools the salary range does not vary too much from school to school. This means if you get a free ride to a state school and no funds from ivy league, the benefit of going ivy might be marginal and lead to suffering debt.
Some classmates paid in full with the plan to go to the nonprofit sector after school. I'm not sure if that's worth it, but then again there are several intangible and tangible benefits to a degree from a top school that can't be measured in the first job after graduation.
Is there room for second year financial aid? What does it take to get it? Those are some of the questions to ask.
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So those are my two cents, any other mistakes people make?
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Damis reacted to 9870Sergio in SIPA 2016
I did, I got the notification yesterday. They offered 60k, which is a definitely more than I was expecting. If I were you, I would wait a couple of days and if you still don't hear back, just send them an email to confirm. Congrats on being admitted though
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Damis reacted to SIPA CROWN in SIPA 2016
I am grateful to everyone on gradcafe. I've been following this site since the beginning of my whole application process. I just got accepted to SIPA MPA-DP program with a $35,000 fellowship covering both years.
Facts about me: Currently working in Ghana for the past 2 years. Weak GRE scores 3.7 GPA Strong LORs, internship w/ U.S. Department of State
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Damis reacted to CipherTrigonal89 in The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING
I've got a unique situation that I'll explain below. But before we get started with that:
GPA: 3.47, BA in English from a UC.
GRE: Verbal score 162, Math score 162, AW score 6.0
Work experience: 5 years paralegal work substantial experience in environmental litigation/policy, another 2 years of paralegal work this time in-house for a hedge fund.
Program: MPA, MAYBE an MPP.
Age: 27
Quant coursework: Microeconomics and Statistics, at both the undergrad at graduate level.
Desired Policy concentration field: either environmental or global policy, possibly both concurrently.
Here's the real kicker. I actually DID start an MPP program about 2 years earlier (let's just say it's a top-10 program; certainly Harvard-level), but I was dismissed after just my first semester because of poor performance. I didn't fail anything outright and even got credit for these classes, but my aggregate GPA wasn't good enough to pass muster (Bs and Cs, basically). What happened was essentially a combination between having difficulties adjusting back to school after a 5-year gap (the first paralegal gig) and long-term burnout (I kept up a rigorous study regimen for 3 years before matriculating; you eventually hit diminishing returns if you keep this up without any real resting period). Since then however, I've done well at my current hedge-fund paralegal job to get at least 2 LORs, and I'm still on good terms with one of my old MPP Professors, so that's another LOR. Most importantly, I've taken for-credit graduate courses in the same subjects that did me in 2 years ago and aced them this time, so hopefully that'll at least show some growth and improvement to the admissions committees.
That being said, my school choices are:
HKS (MPP), Cornell (MPA), Georgetown (MPM), SUNY Albany (MPA), SIPA (MPA), USC (MPA), UVA(MPP)
I know that many of these choices might seem prosaic given my previous SNAFU, but I'm still willing to try and give it my all. What are my chances in light of all this? Thanks.
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Damis reacted to 6speed! in HKS 2016
I've applied for Fall 2016 MPP, and I gave myself plenty of time by starting the essays in July 2015. I applied to eight schools and consequently had quite a few essays to put together! I put in many hours of work each week, and if you are applying to numerous programs like I did I can't recommend enough the value of having ample time to write, edit and re-edit your essays. It keeps you sane and results in significantly higher quality work! This may seem obvious, but its easy to underestimate just how many revisions the essays and statements of purpose end up requiring as you go along the application process, and the worst thing you can do is rush yourself.
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Damis reacted to quietman in HKS 2016
Getting started early helped me avoid last minute stress and sloppy, rushed essays. I was able to apply for several fellowships with time to spare and feel that by starting early my essays were stronger than they have been in the past when I didn't start working until deadlines were soon approaching. If you haven't written the GRE I'd also advise you to leave enough time for a retake prior to submitting your application.
Additionally, if you have a low quant score I'd recommend taking supplementary courses (e.g. quantitative research in political science/economics; statistics) to show that you can handle quantitative material. My biggest regret is not signing up for courses like this until after the admissions deadline passed and my application could not be updated to reflect that I was enrolled in statistics courses (I was used to law school admissions, where application updates could be made throughout the admissions cycle).
Oh, and tomorrow is the first day of early March....get ready to start the constant email checking!
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Damis reacted to kbui in Rangel & Pickering Fellowship
This really eroded my confidence for the Payne and Pickering fellowships, along with my graduate school applications. I used very similar narratives in all of them.
I'm really disappointed with myself at the moment. I'm just thinking about what I might've done wrong. And I remember in the webinar Patricia said we "shouldn't write a sob story" for the financial part at the end of the application, but that's what I should've done. I wrote a numbers based paragraph, but it didn't pull any heart strings.
I guess @ZebraFinch and I are in the same boat at the moment.
I trust in God and God's plan for me, so I'm just happy that I am alive, healthy, I have a job, I have great friends, and I have a home to sleep in.
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Damis got a reaction from kbui in Rangel & Pickering Fellowship
I know several Rangel and Pickering Fellows. Given the exchange here, I'd say ya'll would be great additions to the Foreign Service! Best of luck!
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Damis got a reaction from mrs12 in Rangel & Pickering Fellowship
I know several Rangel and Pickering Fellows. Given the exchange here, I'd say ya'll would be great additions to the Foreign Service! Best of luck!
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Damis reacted to sp108 in Fall 2016 Admissions Cycle
Thanks for the reply! I don't think it will be too bad and it never hurts to apply. I will probably end up applying to one school there, and Duke.
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Damis got a reaction from L08 in Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Arts Award
I'm a JKCF Undergrad Scholar! Tremendous Scholarsihp. Best of luck!
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Damis got a reaction from law2phd in How to put GRFP into your email signature without being pretentious
Heyooo...
I'll bite.
You find yourself in a very fortunate position. Kudos! You're one of a very small minority, of this I'm more than sure. By "constantly promote themselves" I'm not implying that a student walk around giving an elevator speech to every individual they come across, or have a portable placard following them everywhere while illustrating their greatness. You would be amiss, however, if you did not think that the individuals competing for the multiple fellowships out there don't have to find a way to set themselves apart from everyone else. Don't take my word for it, though, just look at any fellowship/graduate school application. Letters of recommendation, Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement. What on Earth are these things for? I feel you all are being too literal about this stuff. People have the ability to NOT be a pompous ass, you know? Let's be rational! The 28 virtual pages of posts within this subsection of the forums attests to individuals that are, by hook or by crook, attempting to figure out how best to promote themselves. Do you disagree? The metamorphosis of the forums didn't go through some magical Kafkaesque switch up. Heck, that's why there's a "The Bank" section in the first place, right? People have, likely, been coming here for ages to figure this stuff out. Most don't even sign up! Heck, there are 2 guests reading this post right now! Hence, after 4/15 (when scholarship/admittance deadlines are passed) traffic here drops almost substantially, as everyone goes back to their cave to scheme up a new approach. If you have somehow managed to scrape by without being forced to take stock of your accomplishments, you are a better human than I.
This is what America is all about! For the most part, we are an ultra competitive society and most everyone wants to be the best at what they do. You have to prove that you've got what it takes, though, because nothing comes easy! We are disagreeing on one of the multitude of ways by which an individual goes about getting their accomplishments noticed. NOT on the philosophy behind self-promotion, however. So let me switch up...
We have discussed the point behind placing a highly relevant, important (at least to the person with the award) fellowship after their name within an email signature. It seems I'm in the minority when I say that placing it there is not a faux pas. I disagree that it's pretentious to do so, and really question the motives behind someone who would think along those lines anyway. I see that someone made the argument that it possibly might seem to be self-conscious. Um...tja.
By the way, are any of you NSF fellows? Or have something equivalent to the NSF? I don't, but the debate would have more teeth if any of you did.
P.S.: You seriously stop. Go to your signature. Delete the fact that you're a TA. And THEN send the email? Are you trying to save virtual forests? What in the world does your including that information to an irrelevant e-mail recipient matter!? I'm not getting it!
P.S.S.: I'm most def not getting the entire create a webpage to list your C.V. over simply placing ONE or TWO at MOST important (both to you and academia) Fellowships or scholarships in your signature. Ya'll are on an entirely different level it seems.
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Damis got a reaction from law2phd in How to put GRFP into your email signature without being pretentious
I'm not attaching any weight to the signature, actually, other than stating that the person should be fine with putting what is a significant accomplishment in their email signature. I don't agree with the assertion that a person would be seen as pretentious for including the information and (after a quick Facebook poll lol) most of my friends don't agree neither. If you want to think along those variables, is it okay to include a quote? The institution and year that you graduated? I've personally had a person I wanted to do research with ask more about my participation in one fellowship, as her institution actually has a partnership that I was not aware of. The things you come to know...
My responses within this thread more than highlight my belief...yes, you should. Don't take my word for it, though. The OP's friends are already doing it! Guess they're the rebels.
Once again, I'm not saying you should list your CV in your signature. But if you're a Fulbright Grantee/Rhodes Scholar/Goldman Scholar...why NOT include it in your email signature? Set the day to day, constant emails with your research colleagues aside. By the way, have any of you heard from your mentors/professors that this is a bad thing to do? Or is this all personally induced?
Don't ask me why students have to constantly promote themselves. Take a look at the forums you are an Administrator of. What's the point of this Forum, actually?
I just feel that by including one or two things, you're throwing this small piece of information about yourself out there...in the signature section of an email...that most people skip over anyway, right? What bad can it do?
P.S.: The point of this discussion isn't about deleting the information in your signature (why you would purposely go and delete that is beyond me), so GMail's awesomeness doesn't really apply here.
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Damis got a reaction from law2phd in How to put GRFP into your email signature without being pretentious
Guess it's a matter of perspective...
Firstly, let us be clear in regards to what we think a signature is. I utilize the signature in my GMail to highlight two Scholarship programs I am currently apart of. This signature, found in options, has text that will attach itself to every email that I send out. Is this what you're taking umbrage with?
If so, I think you're taking the email signature too seriously.
The NSF Fellowship is, in its own way, a credential. Just because it doesn't personally affect you means nothing. No one is implying anything by having that small tidbit included in their email signature. In stating that the signature is supposed to promote you, I'm only implying that it's supposed to get a fact or two about yourself out there. Why not have a small tidbit of information that indicates you're apart of a select cohort of individuals? Every. Single. Career advice person I've interacted with has advised me to place those two fellowships in my signature. Who wins in that case? It's a personal snippet of you.
I can understand if the person is a professional, but for students it's a moot point. You're constantly having to promote yourself. This is an easy, non-invasive, way to do so. Of course, sending emails back and forth using a personal email address would have that information there...and you'd receive it 99.99999% of the time...but what do you want to the person to do? Turn it off? My school address doesn't have that information. I guess that appeases you?
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Damis got a reaction from law2phd in How to put GRFP into your email signature without being pretentious
I'm not following why you all think it is pretentious to have fellowships that you applied for and won in your email signature? As much as the signature is about letting people know who you are, it's also meant to promote yourself and to let others know the credentials you bring to the table. Of course you don't put your entire CV in the signature, but something as substantial as an NSF Fellowship shouldn't be buried neither.
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Damis got a reaction from random_grad in German Chancellor Fellowship
I won! It's extremely surprising more folks don't know about this program, especially considering it's generous stipend. Here's the website:
http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/german-chancellor-fellowship.html
Hit me up if you have any questions.
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Damis reacted to Ceek76 in Fulbright 2015-2016
Thanks for the well wishes. There are a couple reasons beyond the security situation (which is bleak) why I wasn't confident in my chances. But still obviously disappointed to see the final score. Hoping for the best for other SSA applicants.
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Damis reacted to KatheAristi in DAAD
Guys!
just for your information in Germany today friday and next monday are hollydays and they don't work.
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Damis reacted to jadesg1 in Fulbright 2015-2016
Our email states: "Grantees who fail to attend the orientation and/or workshop without explicit exemption from the Department of State, or who fail to participate fully in all of the required sessions will have their grants withdrawn."
Because the CLS program is a Dept. of State thing it might qualify for the exemption bit honestly, if anything could. Worth a shot to inquire, at least.