thex11factor
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Posts posted by thex11factor
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HKS obviously given its brand name will get you in the job hunt anywhere
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9 hours ago, RS- Tz said:
Thanks. Super useful. I just wrote to them Wonder how it would pan out. Did anyone hear anything ???
what scholarship is this?
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you could always ask for an extension and explain your situation
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I think that happens all the time with wait lists and such
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18 hours ago, Jane312 said:
Hello RS-Tz,
I sent my mail to scholarshipapplicants@worldbank.org.
what scholarship is this?
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may I ask which World Bank Scholarship you applied to? are these geared towards students from developing countries and not domestic US students?
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I highly recommend looking at syllabi at both schools and do a comparison for yourself
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54 minutes ago, QK91 said:
For those accepted with funding - were the details of your funding in your admissions letter? I was accepted but it doesn't say anything about whether I received any scholarship aid.
yes it was in the letter. I had to scroll down
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1 minute ago, zling said:
@thex11factor Thank you so much!! Both for sharing your impressions / contrasts between the two schools after the visit, and for the advice on personal fit and career plans. I'm currently drawing up a comparison between the two schools and seeing how they match up, and of course, trying to figure out if I want to work in IR specifically or keep options more open.
I'm pretty amazed by how helpful and generous people are on this forum in sharing their advice and providing feedback - thank you & @3dender again!
(P.S. Is UChicago the Socratic style, or just its law school?)
I think that is just Law school
you should join the Harris alum webinar
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18 hours ago, sleeplesswithcoffee said:
Georgetown (McCourt):
- As a DC school, the program is designed to allow you to work during the day with lots of once a week evening classes. And it may be best positioned for a future career in DC. Obviously, the school LOVEEEEES to play up its DC advantage. Problem is, I can almost certainly not work off-campus the first year (international organizations only) and believe a rigorous, academic structure would be good for me. Anybody out there take classes in a program like this without working? What's it like to have this kind of schedule?
- Known for being quant-heavy. 5 required quant. classes with 3 of them specifically focused on public policy.
- A lot of flexibility in the curriculum due to 18 credits allocated for electives + Georgetown's other great graduate schools like SFS and their law and business schools.
- School is relatively new though it existed as an Institute and program before 2013. This suggests that its reputation, quality of faculty and alumni may be weaker than more established schools. Then again, new schools are more adaptable so it would be cool to get information on McCourt's "newness" if this is the case.
18 credits at McCourt equates to 6-8 electives. Compared to Chicago (11 electives), it's not as flexible. I've spoken to McCourt students who wished they had more options.
I can't disagree with you enough on the 2nd bolded point. Just because the name of the school is different (Frank McCourt donated a ton of money as a naming gift in 2013), doesn't mean faculty and alums are weak. Georgetown has been around since 1789. It's KNOWN in DC for public policy. It's a name of a school. What difference does it make?
- SenNoodles and nahuja32
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15 hours ago, zling said:
@thex11factor Thanks for sharing your experience on visit day!
I saw from your other posts that you're also deciding between Georgetown-McCourt and Chicago-Harris - did you feel there are other major differences between the schools, and which program do you think you're likely to pick? (Sorry for asking so many questions - I was excited to see that you're making a similar choice, and hope to get pointers in making my own decision!)
I felt that these are complete opposite programs:
- quarterly (Chicago) vs. semester (Georgetown); 11 electives at Chicago vs more requirements at Georgetown (thesis/capstone and only 18 credits left for electives)
- Chicago is more research center focused. Georgetown's research centers were an afterthought in their presentation to us. You will also learn from researchers vs practitioners.
- local/municipal policy vs DC/federal
- Harris expects cohort size to be twice the size of McCourt - expect class sizes to be different
UChicago is known to have a distinctive teaching/learning style. I recommend you read up on that. The type of quant you learn in each program is different. I recommend you look at syllabi and compare/contrast.
It's choice of personal fit, ultimately. I will second @3dender: think about what you want to do after the program. You have to think like an MBA student and do some career planning. At least for me, I saw a clear difference in each admitted student FB groups (join them if you are not in them already).
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so, both admit days are complete. what did everyone think?
here are my highlights:
- there was a singular consensus from all speakers (staff, faculty, students, alums) about being in DC and being in the center of everything (I wondered how they really differentiate from other DC programs like American, GW and SAIS)
- students are encouraged to seek semester internships & part-time jobs beginning their 2nd semester on campus (students end up averaging 3 internships prior to leaving the program)
- emphasized 3-semester quant sequence as part of core (basically teaches you all stats, and how it can be applied to real policy applications)
ultimately it's an applied program (use what you learn as you intern) with loads of networking opportunities b'c of its location advantage, where you can learn from practitioners
it's very DC, and you have to be prepared for and want that
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My two cents about Georgetown after visiting: they really tried to sell students on their location advantage in DC in the same way that Harris sold themselves on UChicago's reputation/swagger. I didn't get a sense of how it set itself apart from GW, American or the other DC programs.
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5 hours ago, 3dender said:
I think this comes down to what you want to do for your career. If you know you want to do IR, then Georgetown seems like the place to go. If you're not set on IR, then few places are better than Harris for an MPP, especially going into private sector outside of DC. If you definitely see yourself in DC, then Georgetown would probably be the way to go (though tbh Harris's DC network is nothing to scoff at either).
Something to complicate your decision is Harris's relatively new Pearson Institute for Global Conflicts. They are trying to ramp up their brand in IR as well, and a significant amount of students at their Admitted Students Day were there specifically for Pearson. My impression (though I'm no expert) is that the Harris brand will open more doors outside of DC, possibly even internationally.
Have you attended the Admitted Student events at both schools? Because I think gut reaction is an important factor too. I was personally pretty turned off at Harris -- I just sensed a pervasive snobbery about the place. Friends I've talked to in academia have corroborated that feeling. If you've attended events at both places then you know how they made you feel. Otherwise, you may try to talk to people who attended each one.
does this impact your decision making process to pick a different program?
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On 4/15/2016 at 10:43 PM, dean3837 said:
It's likely you already made a choice but in case you have not and others that might find themselves in a similar position in the future I will comment. First, when pondering a career in public service, you must consider how much the degree costs. Most public policy graduates don't land lucrative jobs right away like our counterparts at top MBA or Law schools. For example, the equivalent consulting position offered to a UVA or Georgetown MBA will start with a salary over $50,000 higher than their MPP counterparts. You can't undervalue cost of attendance. An MPP graduate from either Georgetown or UVA will lead to a successful career, and you will make enough money to pay your student loan and live a comfortable life.
bump
I'm wondering what this difference is: $100k vs. $50k? $150k vs100k?
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5 hours ago, MarieG. said:
I applied to Harris and got about a little over 10,000 annually in scholarships. Is this standard for everyone else?
based on what i read up thread and in the self reported results, Harris ranged from $10-$20k. They seem willing to negotiate though.
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Money aside, job placement and academics are also important factors (if not more important). Every MPP seem to tout how strong their quantitative curriculum, but what does that mean to you? Can you ascertain how rigorous the quantitative courses are? If the quant program/reputation is really rigorous, how much rigor do you need for your career choice? e.g. CMU and UChicago as universities have a reputation for rigorous quant - how important is that for your job interviews/function in education policy etc
Academically, how much time will you spend in class/on coursework vs networking, attending conferences, recruiting etc. You don't want to burn out in grad school even before you hitting the job market. Will the quarterly or semester schedule fit you better?
Finally, what does your gut tell you when you visit admitted student day, talking to fellow admits, current students, and alums? Do you feel you will fit in? Can you see yourself working late on a group project and not be annoyed by your future classmates (aka 4am airport test)? Can you stand being with your classmates for the next two years?
It's a tough art to master. It is going to be the next two years of your life. It's potentially the next set of lifelong relationships.
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22 hours ago, nahuja32 said:
@thex11factor, it's quite expensive! I wish I could come.
Aah. That's sad. I hope they increase my aid (currently 15k per year)!
How high is McCourt on your preference list?
it's a choice b/w Harris and McCourt
I heard from a friend today that some acceptances went out today
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2 hours ago, nahuja32 said:
@thex11factor, I'm an international student and therefore won't be able to make it for the Open House. However, I will be attending the online chats organised for admitted students.
The words 'McCourt community' at the end of one of the emails we've received is a link to a Facebook group for admitted students. Are you part of that group yet?
Also, in my negotiation email I requested for an enhancement in the scholarship by making a need-based plea.
still time to book logistics to visit!
I contacted them about reconsidering and all I got was an offer to extend my decision deadline
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@nahuja32 are you going to the Open House on 24th or 31st? seems like you and I are the only two admits to the program!
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6 hours ago, tinpants12 said:
I've been frustrated with their communication. Other schools have provided more information to admitted students (HKS has a admitted students website with tons of information and GSPP sent out a long document that answered many of my questions). Also, other schools have been more responsive. For example, I emailed HKS with questions yesterday and received a response in 20 minutes. By contrast, I wrote an email to Harris with a number of questions two and a half weeks ago and am still waiting for an answer.
I'm sure they are busy with 2nd round applications, but still... I mean, I'm trying to decide whether to give them tens of thousands of dollars! Has anybody had substantive communication with Harris staff? If so, whom did you communicate with? What's the trick?
I agree with you on the admin front; however, you will find better success in the Facebook group of admitted students. There are a number of threads with some excellent questions being asked - and current students are very responsive!
The perception I have of Harris is that it is a very self driven program, as demonstrated by the flexible course selection and ability to choose your course of study at UChicago. The lack of response by admin is a red flag for me, but I really like the course offerings. But as I understand, Harris staff is not as large in number as other programs (or at least public facing).
In comparison, I've been in contact with McCourt admin and faculty in recent weeks, and they are enthusiastic to respond. Not many admits use the FB group, but current students are very happy to respond.
All else being equal, I think you are in fantastic shape with HKS. I'd pick that any day over any other program.
At the end of the day, this is grad school. As current students told me as I visited different programs, no one is going to hand hold you in course selection and networking. We are adults now and you get treated like adults. In the real world, you will be at organizations with varying degrees of support and aid. Better get used to it.
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I've also heard that some applicants who applied by the 1/15 deadline have not heard back yet...do we know if everyone has heard back?
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any recommendations on negotiating for more funding? should one include documentation of all offers that are more generous? include offers that are less generous? play it slow and have a back and forth negotiation?
what has been this community's most successful tactics?
Has HKS Lost Its Way? (Article)
in Government Affairs Forum
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whoa, renouncing the Kennedy name during the Regan administration...will they do it again with Trump as President?