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Does anyone else feel a little conflicted about attending Admit Day on Friday now that we have our financial aid decisions? I didn't get any funding, so there's about a .01% chance that I'll go (especially with a full ride from a different, equally good school.) The problem is that I've already bought my plane ticket etc.

Received no financial aid from Harvard. No way in hell am I paying $162,000. As someone else mentioned, "I've been 'awarded' $81k in loans'"

Well, this really all depends on how much aid you received from HKS and GSPP. If none from either, I would say you should choose GSPP.

Honestly, you'd likely get into HKS with your background (even without much work experience) but I'm not really sure you need it. A Yale JD means a LOT, and as long as you take advantage of opportunities while at Yale (e.g. join a policy-oriented club, take econ and foreign policy analysis classes as a 2L/3L, etc.) you'll be fine.

Was this an email or just on their admissions blog? I didn't receive an email...

I wonder where Peterson's gets their information from. For example, I know HKS does not give out information on their acceptance rate, so why does Peterson's show 35%? I would definitely take that website with a grain of salt.

Thanks for starting this, @PubPolPal-- it's an important discussion to have. To expand on this: it looks like 27% of graduates (at HKS) go into the private sector and that the median salary in that sector is $125,000, which seems a lot more reasonable than the ~$60,000 you'd be making in the public sector or ~$70,000 in the nonprofit sector [clearly this can vary quite a bit depending on your particular circumstances.] For those with any experience, is it difficult to find a job in the private sector with an MPP? What does the 'private sector' typically mean, other than consulting firms? I know it's sort of comparing apples to oranges, but is someone with an MBA really that much more qualified? My understanding is that an MPP program teaches you many of the same skills as an MBA program. I would love to work for a nonprofit or in the public sector, but it'll really depend on how much debt I graduate with (assuming I would even be able to get a decent job in the private sector...)

This is correct. I read somewhere that we wouldn't receive a confirmation email. It does, however, say "submitted" (with a green checkmark) on the application page.

Just as an example, at Chicago Harris about 1/3 don't work at all, 1/3 have a research assistant type job (e.g. do research with a professor), and 1/3 have jobs outside of the university (e.g. work with a local nonprofit in Chicago, etc.). Typically (of those who work) first year students work about 10-12 hours per week and during the second year maybe even 15-20 hours per week. Another question: Does anyone know how accurate the "Tuition and Expenses" pages are on school's websites?? I've heard they tend to underestimate so as not to scare people off, but I have no idea. Surely the tuition/fees are accurate...I guess I'm asking more about the room/board/personal expenses/books&supplies/transportation (any other hidden expenses that one may not be thinking about?) Example: http://harris.uchicago.edu/admissions-and-aid/tuition-and-expenses Edit: this is regarding the MPP program. Also note that the total in that link does NOT include summers (at the bottom, in tiny print, you'll see it says ~$75,000 for 12 months -- not $70,000)

Yep, still working on this. Does anyone know if this has any bearing on your admissions decision? I assume that if they see that you did not at least attempt to apply for a fellowship, they will look at your application less favorably(?) It seems as though they are concerned (to some degree) that you are able to secure some outside funding, if not at least from your own savings. From the Harvard Financial Aid application: "It is expected that students seeking funding are researching external funding opportunities so as not to rely solely on HKS for providing the full cost of attendance." Also their "HKS Financial Aid Philosophy": https://www.hks.harvard.edu/degrees/sfs/prospective-students/hks-financial-aid-philosophy

Haha...yeah - interesting way to think about it. Thanks for the link! Extremely competitive indeed...

Regarding the HKS financial aid application (which is due this Friday): it seems like it's pretty straightforward/easy to complete unless you're writing an essay for one of the fellowships. I'm assuming the fellowships are extremely competitive and I'm not sure that I want to spend the next couple of days writing an essay for something I likely won't get -- not to mention I'm not even sure if I'll get into the school itself! Does anyone know how competitive these fellowships are? Of course, I'm sure it varies depending on which fellowship you're talking about (I'm thinking about the "Center for Public Leadership" fellowships in particular.) I think most of the merit-based aid that is awarded comes from a different pool of money(?)

Pretty sure they're still offering it, even if you didn't reply by 2/17. At least that's what I was told. Try reaching out to whoever contacted you regarding the $20K.

It seems like most people (at least in this forum) were accepted with ~$15k of funding. With $140k--150k for two years and not-so-great post-graduation salaries (even from schools like HKS), I'm not sure this is financially feasible without good graduate/teaching assistantships, work-study, etc. to defer the cost. Source: see page 4 of the "Employment Overview" PDF on this page: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/degrees/office-of-career-advancement/prospective-students/after-hks

Did you also get some funding? I'm assuming they only call if they're offering some funding. If they don't offer funding they probably only notify via email.