Nonprofitguy

As there is no $$$ to really discuss & unless Fletcher has a unique program that you are interested in, this seems like an easy decision for Columbia SIPA: Infinitely more fun to live in NYC, esp. if you're in your 20s Networking opportunities Access to Columbia & its resources Now if you haven't actually visited both schools, I highly recommend it as it's really hard to assess fit based on info you find on the internet.

I don't really understand this part. If as you say, an MBA can get you the same opportunities (if not more) as an MPP, why are you set on SAIS? Or why not aim for a dual degree with the MBA? I know Wharton & Tuck both have a dual degree program with SAIS (MBA/MA).

I'm sure you have already but if not, I would highly encourage you to look at the employment report (& LinkedIn) for both schools and actually see the % of alumni who find jobs at the companies you are thinking of. Talk to the career management office and talk to current students to see if this is a viable pathway. What do the OCR opportunities look like? Finance recruiting is highly formalized and they heavily target their target schools. In many cases, neither SIPA nor SAIS are target schools for finance firms. Does that mean it's impossible to land a job? No. But you are at a significant disadvantage and you will have to rely heavily on networking to even get an interview. Between the two, I would argue that Columbia SIPA is a better choice as many top financial institutions will have a NYC headquarters so you have more chances at networking. But frankly, you will be at a disadvantage when competing for these positions with Columbia & NYU MBAs (not to mention the other top business schools that place well in NYC, like HBS, Wharton, Dartmouth Tuck, etc.) If you are truly set on international finance, why not apply to business schools?

If you're seeking a career in finance, why are you looking to go into either SIPA/SAIS?

I wonder what the record for negative reputation is

Very salty about not getting any funding. Strange - how you have such negative opinions about HKS but 1) include HKS in your username; and 2) apply in the first place I sincerely hope you're in your early 20s because otherwise it would be quite alarming to see someone more established in a professional career to put this much weight into rankings & prestige.

Is your whole schtick complaining about HKS funding? If you are genuinely thinking about pursuing an MBA and still want to get an MPP/MPA from HKS, you can go to HKS for the first year and apply to the partnering schools (Stanford GSB, UPenn Wharton, MIT Sloan, Dartmouth Tuck). Note that these are 4 of the top business schools in the world and incredibly difficult to get into. My 2 cents: frankly it doesn't seem you've actually thought through why you want to pursue an MBA and the b-school AdCom will sniff it out.

So I come from nonprofit background and got into several M7 schools and will be attending one of H/S/W this coming Fall so that's not necessarily the pitfall. Applied using GRE scores too. You can always try deferring a year and applying R1 to business schools. That being said, you're really going to have to work at your application essays because from your brief profile, it's a bit difficult to figure out why you need an MBA.

Do you have 3-5 yrs of good work experience (in eyes of b-school AdCom)? Otherwise you're not getting into a top MBA program.

Full disclosure: I am attending HSW business school and decided to pursue a concurrent degree with HKS so everything below comes from that perspective: First off, getting into HKS is not as difficult as getting into a top law school or business school so don't worry too much there. From what you described, it sounds like you're a K-JD so the lack of work experience can be troubling but use the deferred year to take on volunteer/leadership roles in the community to show interest in public interest, if seriously interested in pursuing a concurrent degree. Obviously use the essays to explain your interest in pursuing a concurrent degree and why it makes sense for your professional career. I stress the 2nd point - and it seems you've already started the thinking process on this - but you need to seriously think about all the reasons why you are pursuing a concurrent degree. Frankly, the ROI of such a venture is quite low. You are right - you will be able to pivot into policy jobs with a Yale JD, assuming proper networking (not vice versa). Only you will know if it's worth the extra year + opportunity costs (e.g. moving between Cambridge & New Haven for that split year, complications with OCI). If you're just interested in taking some policy classes, you're probably better off taking some classes at Yale SOM or Jackson Institute. Years ago I also considered Yale Law School and one of the many positive aspects about Yale was the flexibility in taking classes across grad schools - apologies if this isn't the case anymore! TL;DR: in the short-term you have nothing to lose by applying to HKS except it's a bit annoying having to study for GRE, ask for recommendations again, working on application essays, etc. but nothing too hard. In the long-term, you have to seriously consider why you even want to pursue a concurrent degree and only you will come to that conclusion.

Received travel stipend. Traveling from east coast.

According to my friends in DC, it's viewed as: WWS > HKS > SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher > Everything else Purely anecdotal so don't get mad

I'm in. For the record, I got the email about the Harvard Key and my profile page was changed. It was weird to see people trying to see people read between the lines.

Anyone else receive an email about two step verification process today?