Ella16

fake news!

ok everyone, based on last year's results my calculations are that the first round of admissions should start coming out between today and tomorrow. I hope to hear good news from all of you guys! Be sure to post your results if/when you get them. May the odds be ever in our favor.

Nope never interviewed, If we're going by last years posts I would be pessimistic but according to them not all accepted applicants are required to complete an interview. I do wonder if this is true but I guess we'll find out soon. The only reason I would imagine they would change it is that with the new MIA program the admissions committee had a lot more work so they could have decided not to interview every single applicant, but then again this is purely conjecture. For my name, I'd rather keep that private. These boards are generally meant to be anonymous since you never know who could be lurking about and a lot of personal info is shared. If we get accepted we'll surely connect though

Yes, my point exactly. I was hoping the inside scoop was that they would release end of march even if they weren't saying so but it appears we'll have to wait until next week. There is still one more day left in the week though. Either way every day brings us closer and more likely to getting a result.

We all need to stay calm. As mentioned by @Thanapoomped in 2015 results started coming out on friday march 20th, in 2016 it was around tuesday april 5th. There is no indication that results have started coming out and even if they had, people usually receive scholarships up until the second week of april so there's no need to panic yet. I personally know someone who applied last year, got her acceptance on april 5th (so, early) and did not receive a scholarship so I can dispell the idea that people contacted first necessarily receive scholarships. I think they're managing their MIA and MPP/MPA programs on separate timelines so we shouldn't assume if results are out for one they're out for the other. I do wish they would just start releasing them though, someone said the associate dean said they would start coming out the final week of march.

Well let me ask you, do the jobs you want require a JD or not? What are your professional goals? If you want to work in law then go for the JD and forget about the MPP, you can do that later if you still want to. However if you want a strictly policy job it might be more worth it to get an MPP instead of a JD. I have heard repeatedly from lawyers and law students that you should only study a JD if you wan't to be a lawyer in a realistic field (ie. family law, mergers and acquisitions etc.) If you would be happy doing something like that go for it but I wouldn't advise getting a JD for a job that doesn't require one if your goal is to end up in a government/domestic policy job which is what you say you want to do. Law school debt can be enormous, only you can know your financial means for that, and it forces a lot of law grads to go into big law in order to pay it off. Unless you can afford that degree or got a nice scholarship you will be seriously financially crippled with a JD and policy job that will not cover your debt, especially since you'll have very little work experience and it will be harder to land a mid/senior level paying job.

Bump! Anyone have any insight?

Daniel, do you know any other similar programs that are stem designated? I didn't know about the mdp and find it very interesting

thanks for the input! I guess we shall see. In my country it's a bit different since we have a separate commission which is specifically in charge of managing the Fulbright fund, it's not done through the embassy. We actually turned in our TOEFL and GRE before the first deadline along with the rest of our application, got interviewed a month later, and will hear the final result at the end of may. Having to wait so long for the result is a bit annoying but from what I understand they actually evaluate the interview along with the rest of the app instead of doing one first and then the other. Which country are from btw @DogsArePeopleToo? I have also heard that in other countries you can't pick which university you attend though that's not the case in my country.

What about your profile @Amir Shehzad, could you post your stats?

So I had my interview, not sure how it went honestly. At first it was going really well but then they spent a lot of time asking me exactly where I wanted to work after grad school. They wanted to know the exact position within the exact subdivision because they said my interests were too wide. I got a bit frustrated honestly and so did they. They did say I had a good profile and that my choice of unis were good even though I picked only top schools so I think that's a good sign that they think I could get into those schools. Did you ever feel like they were hounding you a bit @DogsArePeopleToo? I had read before that Fulbright interviews can be hostile in order to see if you can defend your argument and if you're clear on your goals. Anyway these are some of the questions I was asked, in case it helps anyone in posterity. -- Why do you want to study an MPP and why through Fulbright? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Name 3 specific jobs you would like to have. What are the main issues affecting your area of work now? Why do want to do this program at a certain university instead of that one? (HKS MPP vs. MPA/ID). Why not study in Europe or Asia since you’ve studied there before? Why the US? You name gender issues as one of your points of interest? What exactly within gender issues?

Ok Caio, so although the quant background is important it's not the most important thing. You work experience, international exposure, motivation, GPA, and GRE are all important. Having a masters in economics if the rest of your profile is only so-so won't get you in, actually nothing you do can make you an absolute shoe-in, short of winning a Nobel prize or something along those lines. You have to follow your own path and try to make your entire profile as appealing as possible. If you truly love economics and want to do a two years master regardless of whether it gets you into a top MPP, go ahead and do it. However, if you would only do one if it got you into an MPP, don't do it because there is no guarantee it will and you'll end up feeling like you wasted two years in something you don't like/won't use. If you feel like you don't really want to do a masters in economics, then just take a few economics/quant classes to fill the gap. Either independently or through some sort of certificate program. Lots of people fulfill the requirements by taking long-distance or community college classes, these will be enough. TLDR: Choose whichever path you will enjoy the most and will be most helpful to your career regardless of whether or not it will get you into an MPP. You have to make sure you are happy with your choices and your life in the present as there is no guarantee when it comes to the future.

I see it too! No results yet. The actual tab name also changed to: View Application/Make Payment/Submit Reply on Offer of Admission. Should I feel optimistic by this Submit Reply on Offer of Admission? My app status still says N/A though... Is everyone seeing this?

@DogsArePeopleToo omg, thank you so much! This seems around the same as I've read from other countries but I can't find any for my own. Btw how long did it take you to get your response after the interview? Mine's this thursday so your message is right on time

@mfmpp would you mind telling me how strong the international focus/classes are? I'm really interested in Goldman but I also want a program that mixes domestic policy and international affairs including economics, law, human rights, etc. Would you say Goldman has a good mix of that or no? I've heard that that's one of the weakest points of the program from previous years but don't know if it has improved at all..

@nahuja32thank you for the kind words! We'll find out soon enough if LKY thinks so too ; ) @Amir ShehzadI have no idea since I never had one, but since so many people talked about their connections dropping as well I would assume there's no point, if they said it won't impact you negatively I doubt they will agree to do it again. Results should be out within the next few weeks now, we'll know soon.

Sure, for posterity Toefl - 120/120 No GRE Undergraduate degree - B.A. in International Relations, GPA 3.78, Honors for highest GPA of graduating class Study abroads in France (Sciences Po) and Korea University 6 month internship at a european embassy, two years of full time as a political advisor at an asian embassy and later as a representative of a delegation of the Mexican Ministry of economy focused on trade and investment in the U.S. Currently working as an advisor at the federal Ministry of Tourism (LKY does not now this). Volunteering work - 1.5 years as a teacher/tutor for adults finishing high school and learning English Languages: Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, all advanced LoRs - One professional and one academic (I'm certain both were extremely well written) Essays- rushed through them because I decided to apply last minute, I'm a good essay writer but they could have been stronger. Worries - didn't submit a GRE, applied on a whim last minute, I was actually gonna wait for next year so if I have to wait another year and apply I will be fine since I've also found a ton of other programs that sound amazing.

Hi all, I've been researching Georgetown programs and although I know the emphasis for McCourt vs SFS is different I'm wondering if both are equally as good and offer as many opportunities. I am interested in a program that joins together Public Policy and International Affairs. I want to learn about both domestic and international issues and how they meet and influence each other. I'm interested in some quantitative training while also having freedom to learn about international law, human rights, diplomacy, and history. Which program do you think is best and how do they compare? I'd also appreciate any recommendations of any other programs that meet the criteria. Thanks EDIT: I'm mainly looking at the Master of International Development Policy and the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS)

Hi, the place to post this is AM I COMPETITIVE? We don't make new threads for this sort of thing. Just at a glance though I would say your GPA is very low and your GRE is just okay, if one of these is low you have to make up for it with the other or have extremely impressive work experience. Since there's nothing you can do about your GPA now I would say study a lot and retake the GRE and maybe take some community level econ and stats classes if you didn't do well on those in undergrad. Also focus and pumping up your work ex as much as you can on your CV and getting good letters of recommendation and essays. If you do all that you will be competitive, as is, I couldn't say.

Personally if I got a full scholarship to both I would probably do HKS because of the brand and I prefer Boston. However, do take into account that even if you get a full scholarship the stipend is a big deal and that alone adds up to around 50k for living costs over the two years. That's a lot of money to give up and will make a difference unless you get a fellowship or some work/study type of situation. Congratulations on your acceptances! Those are phenomenal! I'm sure you will be happy and do great no matter what you choose. Also, it would be great if you could post your stats to see what it takes to get into these schools! Good luck

So it appears your choices are between Fletcher and GWU so far. Take into account that Medford is much cheaper than DC so the tuition different might not be so large after all. Are you interested in World Bank, OAS, think-thank sort of jobs? If so GWU will have an edge for internships but Fletcher has lots of placement in those as well. If you're planning on working in another country (not through an IO) both are good choices and Fletcher offers summer internships abroad that are quite good. Neither of these are meant to get you to a phd but I believe that Fletcher does include a thesis. I would do a full outline of how much each program will run you and take a good long look at the curriculum. Also take into account which city you like more. Medford is a sleepy little town without much to boast for, yes it's 15 min from Boston but even that doesn't compare to the hustle and bustle of DC. Do you want to chill for two years and focus on school or do you want to be in a fast paced environment that allows you to work/intern part time and spend a considerable amount of time in traffic? It's up to you.

fairly certain it's a holistic process. No part is more important than the other necessarily, the app is viewed as a whole

well I'm not very clear on what you want to do after. What is your ultimate career goal, past whichever degree you get? Do you want to research policy and its effects or do you want practice policy yourself? If it's the former I guess go for Brown even though you yourself don't seem very convinced about this, if it's the latter go for Columbia and then an MPP. If you're not entirely sure go for Columbia because transitioning into a PhD after an MPP is much easier, you could even take a few years to practice policy and then go into a phd, maybe part time or something. Take into account that having a phd can sometimes be a hindrance if you're not going for jobs that actually require it because they'll worry you're over qualified and will want to much money for the job or that your profile doesn't add up. Hope this helped at least a little.

Hi Harrisite, so I think both degrees are great, and congrats on getting in. I will say, even though you probably don't want to hear it, that doing a masters just because you worry you won't be able to get a good job right away is not a good reason to do one. Neither of these are meant explicitly to be paths to a PhD program and it seems like going into so much debt for a degree that you don't really need is unwise. That said CIR is definitely the best choice for a future phd and is way more theoretical and intellectual than SAIS. I really think you are overestimating the importance of your undergrad institution. It honestly doesn't matter all that much, especially after a couple years of experience. I would also think about how you will repay that debt if you go into a phd and are out of the workforce for a while. I would however recommend considering applying to 1 year masters in Europe which would be so much cheaper and could just as easily pave the way for a big name phd program. If despite all this you really want to go do Chicago all the way.

OK so I'm no expert but your GPA is good, GRE is quite high except maybe for the writing. I would say that without the Africa work ex your experience is a little weaker but still fairly strong. If you got significant funding from the other two unis and you would be happy going there I would say go, but if you didn't get much funding and you could put off grad school for a year or two maybe reapply later. Although you have to take into account that no one can ever bank on getting into HKS (with funding) or WWS, both schools are fairly unpredictable and top tier so even reapplying later with more work ex won't necessarily get you through the door.