lookwhathappened

Thank you @Becks_Psych That is very helpful!

Hello I am currently pursuing Masters in Public Policy and I am in my first year. I would like to pursue a cross disciplinary PhD in Public Policy with concentration in Psychology. I like NYU's PhD in Psychology and Social Intervention and Northwestern's PhD in Human Development and Social Policy. Are there any other programs that I need to know about ?

I would think that a well written SOP with a clear narrative as to why you are looking at grad school NOW and what you hope to do after graduation should be able to get you a CMU admit. Invest a couple of months into drafting it and get it proofread by people who know you well. CMU has a great course albeit very pricey. Looking at your profile do not expect more than a 30% scholarship if you are accepted. I think your chances are good. Do not miss out on applying to a couple of out of reach colleges, you might be surprised with an admit.

In my experience, your undergrad GPA, GRE scores, a strong SOP that communicates your narrative of what your academic interests have been, what your research interests are in and why you are applying to THAT SPECIFIC college and course, strong Letters of Recommendations, work experience ALL together contribute to your application being considered. Most schools have the average GRE and TOEFL scores and undergrad GPAs of current class listed on their websites. In most schools, the amount of funding you eventually end up getting will also depend on your GRE score. My advice to you would be: Your GPA looks good, your GRE is yet to be taken so ensure you get the best score that you can, do some good research on which of the 'top schools' on your list have professors who're focusing on your area of interest in research and reach out to them, narrow down your options based on which of these schools will be a good match for you course wise and research interest wise. Good luck!

You've mentioned very few specifics about your profile for me to make any guesses on your chances in specific programs. What I suggest you do is look at the 'Am I Competitive" thread under government affairs, it will give you a fair idea about the factors that go into consideration while evaluating your profile. Knowing (and having applied to and gotten accepted at) CMU's MSPPM and being a computer science engineer who made a shift into the MPP space, I think you could stand a chance at the MSPPM program. Again without knowing your undergrad GPA, GRE scores and the details of the kind of SOP you'll be writing and the LORs you'll be getting, it's hard to say. For job prospects, please do the required research. You're not going to get an answer for 'what are the job prospects' kind of questions. Go to the school's website, and make a thorough study of the career reports published, see which firms have hired in the past, what job roles, how many international students got jobs that you're hoping to do, take a look at what the current students or Alumni are doing, find a few current students and maybe request to get in touch with them through facebook, go through the posts on government affairs threads and DM folks who got admits to and eventually attended the programs you're eyeing. Yous till have a lot of time before the deadlines roll in. Make good use of the time. Doing the research on which schools to apply to is an investment. Good luck!

They still haven't gotten back to me with a decision. My application was submitted with letters of recommendation and all test scores by mid-January. I have emailed them and not got a reply yet. The applications portal still says' Under Departmental Review'. I have not experienced this kind of unresponsiveness from any of the schools I have applied to. Well, I have made my decision to go elsewhere. Thanks but no thanks UMD. I wonder if I can ask for the 75$ of application fee back from them.

I haven't heard a decision from them at all. Is this normal? It's almost April 15th and I have to make a decision. Anyone else waiting on hearing from Maryland?

Yeah, you're so right ?

For anyone with a conditional acceptance, how do you feel about accepting the admissions offer knowing that you still have to get a B on one/two courses and have that hanging above your head as opposed to accepting an offer without conditions? Duke's my top choice, but I will be a little anxious in the months leading up to the completion of my online courses and submissions of the transcripts before August.

Hey did anyone hear back from them? I haven't heard anything. Still waiting.

@Fall007 I feel your pain! Although I did receive an acceptance, there is a lack of clarity around funding. I'm confused by the ambiguous language used in their emails after I've contacted them and that's leading to a lot of confusion right now. When asked, I've been told that fellowships could be released later, but there's no time frame.

Also, there is a condition on the acceptance offer. I have not taken an economics course in my undergrad and I need to get a B on a economics course taken from an accredited institution. I'm an International student and there isn't any such facility available in my country here. My options are online courses. Can anyone recommend a few? I'll be emailing the university, of course, but I would like to know from someone who has fulfilled prerequisites in this way in the past years.

I would like to know the same thing. Any current Duke students, what are the chances of me securing financial aid once enrolled( TA/RA positions)? Is there any other aid available?

Got an email a few minutes ago, got rejected. Was my dream school. Well, decision time now. Glad the wait is over.

Accepted with $21k funding. Just got an email to check the admissions portal. I'm so pumped !

Can't do this waiting business anymore!! I'm so restless.

I got a generic rejection email on the 3rd of March

Got an email an hour ago. Got accepted to the Pittsburgh track with 30% scholarship ?

@avocado48 @dollybird Did either of you get in touch with the school to find out if we can send in our reply by April 15th? I'm waiting on hearing from 6 schools and I don't think all of them will send in their decisions before March 15th. And LBJ hasn't offered me funding either so I'm hoping for some funding offers from other colleges. Is it okay for me to send them an email asking for extension on the deadline for a reply?

@PaulRR What role does name recognition of a program play versus your accomplishments like grades, research, projects as a grad student in finding a job? I agree that programs like Georgetown, GWU, Chicago are well heard of but would that guarantee any success in the future? And if one looks at jobs outside the federal government(in INGOs, Private) would name recognition hold value over accomplishments, previous work experience, etc? I'm an International Applicant and don't know how this works in the USA. I would like to gain some insight into this. Should name recognition be a criteria I should consider while deciding on a program?

Congratulations, dollybird! You mentioned that you received a letter about funding. If you are okay with sharing, could you tell us what kind of funding you received? I emailed LBJ asking for information on when funding decisions will be released(I applied to MGPS) and they said anytime during spring/summer and I will be informed if and when it happens. Any idea what this means?

I got my letter today too- accepted, no news on funding yet. My letter did mention that the offer does not include one of the 'limited fellowships'. Does that mean no funding? I had applied to MGPS, by the way.