dwestlakeg
Members-
Posts
16 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Profile Information
-
Location
Memphis, TN
-
Application Season
2017 Fall
-
Program
Masters in Public Policy
Recent Profile Visitors
The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.
dwestlakeg's Achievements
Decaf (2/10)
2
Reputation
-
sturdyelm reacted to a post in a topic: The (un)official Duke Sanford MPP Thread!
-
The (un)official Duke Sanford MPP Thread!
dwestlakeg replied to mppbluedevil13's topic in Government Affairs Forum
Same here, @LizaBee and @dollybird. Submitted my deposit yesterday, I'm headed to Durham this fall! Anyone else decide on Sanford? -
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: UT LBJ 2017
-
dollybird reacted to a post in a topic: Michigan Ford 2017
-
Same as y'all @Garcia, @sandover, and @dollybird! Anyone planning on going to the visit day?
-
Based upon the past timelines @sandover posted, it looks like tomorrow is a likely possibility.
-
I've been trying to figure that out as well. Hesitant to call their office and ask, too superstitious haha. I think assuming the weekend of the 7th is a solid bet, especially considering how late their notification date is relative to other programs.
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: Michigan Ford 2017
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: HKS 2017
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: HKS 2017
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: HKS 2017
-
They just posted a Student Life Insight series post on the blog... now they're just trolling us haha
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: HKS 2017
-
dwestlakeg started following SDtoMPP
-
The (un)official Duke Sanford MPP Thread!
dwestlakeg replied to mppbluedevil13's topic in Government Affairs Forum
@fallmpp2017 Looking through the official results from last year, looks like they released decisions on March 4th, 2016 (which was the first Friday of the month). And Duke's spring break starts after this upcoming week, so I'd be really surprised if we don't hear back sometime next week. -
@fallmpp2017 @MLB87 I'm in the exact same boat as y'all -- accepted with $5k in funding, but McCourt is way, way too expensive for that to be anywhere close to enough. Where else are you considering?
-
dwestlakeg started following Georgetown McCourt 2017
-
dwestlakeg started following The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING , The (un)official Duke Sanford MPP Thread! , Michigan Ford 2017 and 2 others
-
The (un)official Duke Sanford MPP Thread!
dwestlakeg replied to mppbluedevil13's topic in Government Affairs Forum
Just wanted to start this back up in case anyone else is considering the Sanford school. I applied for the MPP program. They said to expect to hear back in mid-March, which I'm hoping takes places before they let out for spring break on March 10th. Anyone else out there applying to Duke? -
@thex11factor @dollybird I'll be there as well! Hoping to hear a lot of specifics around further funding opportunities. Even with some scholarship and other outside funding I've secured, as of right now Harris is just too expensive. Likelihood of TA, GRA, work-study, etc will be a big deciding factor.
-
Got a call this morning -- accepted with $15k / year funding! I'm going to go to the accepted student's day in two weeks, but with the total cost of attendance being over $70k / year I'm going to have to hear some reassuring things about graduate or teaching assistantships, work-study, etc. to make it financially feasible.
-
Same here -- accepted, no funding. But it's by far the cheapest of the schools I'm considering, so even with funding from others it might be the smart choce.
-
I applied for Round 1 this year as well -- nothing yet. From the email last week it sounds like we shouldn't expect anything until exactly 5:30pm CST tomorrow.
-
dwestlakeg reacted to a post in a topic: The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING
-
The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING
dwestlakeg replied to fenderpete's topic in Government Affairs Forum
Program: MPP Schools Applying To: Harvard - Kennedy, Duke - Sanford, Georgetown - McCourt, Chicago - Harris, Michigan - Ford, Texas - LBJ Interests: education policy, social policy, economic inequality / policy Undergrad Institution: top 100 liberal arts college Undergraduate GPA: 3.54, major GPA 3.76 Undergraduate Major: History GRE: 162V (90th %), 160Q (76th %), 4.5W (82nd %) Quantitative Courses: Intro to Microeconomics (A+), Statistics (B), Intro to Computer Science (A), Calc I (C+) Years of Work Experience: 5.5 Age: 27 Languages: English Work Experience: Teach For America alumnus, taught middle school social studies for two years. Then worked in administration and operations at a high performing non-profit charter school network (I was part of 4 person leadership team that founded an elementary school) for two years. Recruiter with Teach For America for past year and a half. Solid quantitative results in each role. LORs: I anticipate they'll be strong -- one from my current manager at TFA, and two from former teammates that I managed. SOPs: Addressed my identity as a straight, white male and how I seek to advocate for / raise the voices of those that do not share my identities of privilege through the skills and experience I would gain through an MPP program. Concerns: I have a number of concerns about my competitiveness. Lack of quantitative background: I took some introductory STEM-related courses in college and have mixed results from those classes. That, combined with my middling GRE quant score, gives me pause about my chances. Undergraduate record is not outstanding. Low-ish GPA from a decently respected but relatively unknown liberal arts school. No foreign language fluency. I used have very basic Spanish proficiency but I am no longer confident even listing it at a low level now. No academic letters of recommendation. I was close with some of my history professors in college but thought I was too far removed from undergrad for them to be able to speak to my current credentials and experience. Only real professional experience is in education. I have interests and passions beyond education, thus part of the reason I'm looking to branch out with an MPP, but no policy experience in different realms. Would love feedback on my potential competitiveness (especially from you @Connie @ TheArtofApplying and @chocolatecheesecake!) as I anxiously await decisions on admissions and funding!- 1,791 replies
-
- competitiveness
- gpa
-
(and 5 more)
Tagged with:
-
As we wait, I'd love any feedback on whether or not my profile would be competitive for the MPP. Strengths: Professional experience: almost 6 years working in public education (Teach For America alum, worked on leadership team at a high-performing non-profit charter school, now a recruiter for TFA) Letters of recommendation: 1 from my current manager, 2 from former teammates that I managed. I feel confident that they'll speak well to my passion and credentials for public service and policy. Weaknesses: 3.54 GPA from a small, relatively unknown liberal arts college (top 100 ranked among liberal arts colleges) Non-quantitative background. History major in college, only a few quant. classes taken (B in statistics, A in microeconomics, A in intro to computer science, C+ in calculus) Neutrals: GRE scores: Verbal = 162 (90th %ile) Quantitative = 160 (76th %ile) Writing = 4.5 (82nd %ile) Essays: mostly focused on my privilege and identity as a white, straight male and what I can do to lift voices / advocate for those who don't share my identities of privilege.
-
I also received both the two-step verification and the error email, at 11:12am EST and 11:56am EST, respectively.