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Revolutionary

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  1. Revolutionary
    I assumed the works cited page would not count towards the 4 page limit? I have it as page 5 :/
  2. Revolutionary
    On one of their blog posts, they said the resume should be annotated. What does an annotated resume mean? A resume with citations?
  3. Revolutionary
    Your guess is as good as mine, but that would be the logical explanation. Just double-check your ETS score receipt on their website, that's what I did.
  4. Revolutionary
    Yes, the section isn't there.
  5. Revolutionary
    Hey, thanks for the reply. I was caught up in work so was unable to answer earlier. 1. Cornell. It's free education plus I get a living stipend BUT I'll be leaving a stable well paying job at an MNC that leads to management levels in the future, plus there's the opportunity cost of the 2 years that I could have something else, that would actually lead me to a work-visa track in North America 2. Harris is a good option but I don't know if they'll take me considering my weak quant score of 156 and CGPA 3.04. Not aware of others, imo if you want to go for a STEM option then go machine learning/data science/AI, not hybrid policy programs. Any opinions from the community on this? 3. Did your friends who went to WWS/HKS WANT to come back or HAD to come back?
  6. Revolutionary
    Dear Gradcafe community, As an international student, I can not afford to study at the US on my own funds. So I looked towards other means of funding and I have secured the Fulright award in a second tier policy program for 2018. HOWEVER, there is a big downside to Fulbright - grantees have (and I've made it bold to show that staying in the US is simply not an option legally) to return immediately to their home country right after the program ends. This means the US job market is off for me. Because of this (I really, really want to gain professional work experience in the US), I was considering applying to graduate policy programs that are known to give aid, for 2018, and then compare them as alternative options to my Fulbright. The most well known of these, of course, is Princeton's WWS and the fully funded program if offers, the MPA. Now, what I want to know is what kind of people WWS admits, and whether I have a shot at it or not, no matter how small. You see, if you look at the MPA statistics on the WWS "Graduate Admissions Viewbook", you see some pretty intimidating numbers. Like, really, off the chart numbers, on a whole different league compared to other programs. 65% of applicants have 4 or greater years of work experience. Only 15% have less than 3 years of work experience. 76% have GPA above 3.7, and the highest percentiles on the GRE are also pretty average for the WWS MPA applicant. Now, what would really help me out is if someone already enrolled in the WWS MPA program or a graduate of the program could tell me about the class profiles at WWS. Of course, I would also appreciate advice from the rest of the Gradcafe community. If the WWS seems like a bit too competitive for my profile, what would you guys recommend I do? Take the Fulbright and just do the second-tier program and then return to my home country, squashing my dream of working in the US (and keep in mind that there is not much use of my MPA degree in my home country)? Or forfeit the award this year and try my luck next year by improving my profile for WWS? Please keep in mind that I just can not afford self-financed programs and am certainly not going to take debt for any unless they are solid return-on-investment options (which are those by the way? HKS? SAIS? Or do none exist - its a gamble with all of them?) And of course, also keep in mind the H1B visa issue - is it true that even if one is a top profile candidate, a WWS MPA graduate or HKS MPP graduate with a job or two already secured, the H1B lottery and simply send him home despite all his achievements? In other words, is studying the US to look for work afterwards in the country just not possible anymore? Especially after a policy degree? Thanks, Fulbright award grantee who wants to spend some years working in the US PS One last thing, what programs other than WWS MPA are know to give substantial amounts of aid?
  7. Revolutionary
    ^regarding the speech; can't one worship the pursuit of knowledge? Yearning to know more, striving to keep uncovering the mysteries of life and the universe, and all that jazz? Because that may be the only thing we may be left with if all else seems superficial or not worthy to be "worshipped".....
  8. Revolutionary
    Dear Gradcafe community, I am leaning towards a second degree after doing my MPP/MPA. You see, I have received the Fulbright scholarship award and will be coming from my country Pakistan to the US on a free ride for my MPA/MPP, so my "investment" in the degree is little, that is, I will not be graduating with any debt. The caveat is that, I will be unable to get work in the US after the program due to a clause in the scholarship. Taking into consideration some other factors, it is likely that I may go for a master's in economics or economic policy after my MPA/MPP is over. Why am I not going into economics straight away? 1. My award is only for MPA/MPP. I would like to make use of it, particularly, because policy programs do impart a lot of knowledge and learning, and the ones I'm looking into offer substantial international internship experience. If the financial cost is near zero, why not? 2. With my current academic and professional credentials, no decent school would take me into their economics program. Why am I going into economics after an MPP/MPA? After browsing the forum here and doing my own research, it seems to that policy careers, on the global as well as local scale, are hard to get into without substantial work experience. I will have 2 years of work exp, only one of which in the public sector, by the time I'll be going for my MPA in Fall 2018. Despite this lack of work exp, I feel an economics degree, would make me much more "hireable" in a much more diverse range of careers due to the universal use of economics and put me in a better position because of the specialist knowledge that it implants. The combined MPA+economics branding would show my versatility plus specialized knowledge. Anyway, the big question is, is doing an MPA/MPP and then a masters in economics or economic policy (or for that matter, a masters in any specialized field, for example environmental policy, health-care economics, etc.) a good idea?
  9. Revolutionary
    Hi guys, I'm from Pakistan and am interested in pursuing a graduate policy degree abroad. Can you guys share a list of universities which are known to either give significant amount of scholarship/aid or have inexpensive base tuition rates, specifically for international students? Include universities from all over the world, but please do mention universities in the US as well. Also, is HKS known for giving aid/scholarship for its MPP program? And if so, how much? Thanks!
  10. Revolutionary
    Hi all! I'm from Pakistan and would be very grateful if you could analyze my profile!! Thanks so much guys Program: MPP/MPA/data analysis+policy degree, Fall 2018 Schools Applying To: Harvard MPP, Princeton MPA, UChicago MSCAPP, Carnegie Mellon MSPPM DC Interests: Data-driven policy analysis/ public policy and business development Undergrad Institution: The no. 1 university (LUMS) in my country (Pakistan), not too highly ranked in the world though. Undergraduate GPA: 3.04 Undergraduate Major: Management Science (a mix of business and quantitative courses, including business analytics where we were taught basic data warehousing and machine learning) GRE: V 162 (90th), Q 156 (about 70th), writing 5.0 (93rd) Quantitative Courses: Calculus 1, Statistics & probability, Quantitative research, Decision Analysis, Business Analytics, Optimization methods in Management Science, Data-driven marketing, Introduction to programming in C++ Years of Work Experience: 2 years by end of July 2018 Age: 23 (next month 24) Languages: English (I'd like to say on the level of native speakers), Urdu (Native), French (Very basic), Punjabi (Basic), Arabic (very basic) Work Experience: 1 year as a "research and strategy associate" in a non-profit organization in the agriculture, agribusiness and agri-financing industry. The main work of this organization is to catalyze business development in these industries, i.e. it is a business incubator, so to speak, in agriculture and agribusiness. The work it is doing however, is bringing revolutionary change on a national level in my country Pakistan, and I feel that my involvement in it will add a lot of value to my SOPs/essays. LORs: 1 from my immediate supervisor in the organization, 1 from my main boss who is from Princeton WWS and a former world bank employee, and currently a consultant to the world bank as well as being the strategy advisory of this organization SOPs: I am confident in my ability to write good SOPs/essays Concerns: Low GPA (3.04), low quant score on GRE (156), but most of all, only 1 year of work experience as of now (although I feel it is good, relevant experience for a public sector degree). Problem is, Harvard and Princeton have stated on their websites that applicants must have at least 2 years of work experience. I'm banking on the fact that at the time of joining, I will have 2 years of work experience. Also, I will have to rely on scholarships, my max. budget for the entire endeavor of studying in the US for 2 years is only $60k. One other (important) thing: I want to find work abroad after my degree. Is a policy degree good for this? Or should I look elsewhere? Perhaps in more data-focused degrees, since data science is all the rage these days? One more thing: I am quitting my current job and going to work for GSK Pakistan in their commercial division for the August 2017-July 2018 period. This is because I want to explore the health care+pharma industry and add an MNC brand name to my CV, for more flexibility in post-grad career opportunities abroad after my masters (that is, keep both the public as well as private sector open)
  11. Revolutionary
    @kb6 Alright, thanks for the insights. I guess deferring is the more reasonable option.
  12. Revolutionary
    @ExponentialDecay Alright, alright, no need to be so bitter. I'd appreciate some guidance on how I can reconcile my passion for public policy rather than "IT or finance" with my plans to eventually immigrate out of Pakistan. Sure, "growing pains" may have something to do with my desire to leave this country, but at the deeper level, the social-cultural-disillusionment, identity crises, and especially, my complete lack of and discomfort with religion in one of the world's biggest victim countries of Islamic extremism places me at a vulnerable, dangerous, socially and mentally depressing position.
  13. Revolutionary
    @rising_star That would be the ideal option, but most job vacancies at international orgs like UN, etc. that I've looked at require masters degrees and usually 3-5 years of work experience. Entry level jobs at these orgs (for example UN's YPP program) are not open to Pakistani nationality And non-international orgs want nationals of the country that they are based in If you are aware of any platform or organization where entry/min. experience level jobs are available for international job-seekers, esp in Europe, do let me know. But my own internet research tells me that it's a lost cause.
  14. Revolutionary
    @DogsArePeopleToo Thank you very much for going over this so thoroughly. You are right in saying that I don't face the same problems as most young Pakistani men do, like having to provide for many dependents from a very early age (although sooner or later I might find myself in that position as well!) I fully agree that taking some more time is for the best. Thanks for the advice.
  15. Revolutionary
    @fuzzylogician Thanks for the message. I didn't mean to be offensive and I agree that doing a PhD requires incredible focus, commitment, passion and planning. I agree with you, though I'd like to add that you shouldn't underestimate the will-power and tenacity of us Asians (including especially the Chinese and Indians) to just simply do anything and everything to climb out of the ditches that the cosmic lottery blessed us with. I'm showing a bit impatience and immaturity by wanting to come just 1 year out of grad school, but I'm sure that completing a PhD once I set my mind to it won't be the biggest challenge I'll have to face in the world, or that it's insurmountable. You may be right about the North American academic job market, but this bit; "Sorry to be harsh, but you have no experience and no actual academic interests"... that's not true. The problem is I have a lot of academic interests, I'm just confused about what to specialize in. For example, I'm passionate about socio-economic structures and policy instruments, inequality and welfare economics, but at the same time I'm also interested in natural resources and food policy. My very attraction towards an MPA/MPP degree is that I'm an inter-disciplinarian, as most people are in this field.
  16. Revolutionary
    @MBR Thanks for your perspective. You are right about CIPA's thesis flexibility, though phd is a fall-back option for me. @ExponentialDecay Thank you very much for covering my query in such comprehensive detail. I really appreciate it man. Couple of points I wanted to touch on, and seek further advice; I'm not sure what I want to concentrate in, but I'm dead sure I want to go into policy. What I want to do is, concentrate/specialize n the field that is the most in-demand job wise in USA and abroad. I can only fully discover this when I actually go there and start my program. But I get your point, these degrees need pre-planning and a clear focus in mind when one starts them. I understand that 2 years or more might be more optimum, but 1 more year is the most that I can stay here in this godforsaken place. I am hovering near depression. I see no meaning to life here, no reason to function. Also, 1 year is the most that Cornell will allow me to defer. Yeah man, it's a lot of money, and it is for this reason exactly that I've come here for help. Another option for me is to apply in the Fulbright program for next year and take my chances. It will let me do my MPA at Cornell/some other American university at zero financial cost but will bind me to return home (the US job market would be completely off the shelf for me - though I wanted to ask - can I work in Canada/Europe/elsewhere other than my home country before meeting Fulbright's 2 year-home-residency requirement?) I have heard that there are H1B cap-exempt organizations in the US (the H1B cap does not apply to them). How do I find these and can't they offer a solution to my problem? Can't I find a job in one of these after CIPA? You mentioned that you had a similar profile to mine but you work in policy now (in USA?) Can you briefly tell me how you were successful? There's this idea that: "If I secure a good GPA at the MPA, and I don't get a job at the end, I can always do a funded PhD at a good place since I now have Cornell's brand name on my academic profile. And by doing a PhD, even if the professional job market is not open to me, the middle/lesser tier (if not the high tier) universities in US as well as Canada will value me and might even employ me if I can network successfully with professors. Therefore, the worst that can happen is that I'm setting on an academic career but at least I don't have to return to my home country where I know FOR SURE that a policy degree won't get me a job that could provide me adequate return on investment (or even a job in the first place)". How true is this idea? Thanks man, I'm very grateful for your advice.
  17. Revolutionary
    Thanks for the advice guys. Actually, that was the original plan for me; I was going to study policy in Canada for cheap. But when Cornell's offer I came I was blinded by the greed of studying at an American Ivy League university. I applied to one other university; SFU in Vanc, Canada and I got admission there but I turned it down. It was hell cheap but the program wasn't on par with Cornell's. I figured that Cornell gives the chance to make connections with some of the world's best academics and it also gives the chance to work at the World Bank, FAO, and in jobs across the world etc. If I went to SFU now, I believed that I would loose this opportunity. I can always go to Canada/Europe/Australia later to study a funded phd/cheap masters in a related field after Cornell. With the Cornell stamp on my profile, I believed that at the very least, an academic career would be cemented since Cornell's brand name is known throughout the world (Am I right in thinking this?) From what you guys are saying, it appears to me that I can have just one of my 2 wishes fulfilled as policy programs don't have the broad professional application as MBA programs have; either I can study want I'm passionate about (policy) but forgo my chance at a job in the US, or I can sacrifice my passion and study something that has more practical value for me in the states, like a data analytics/programming/MBA degree, and even then it's a gamble due to the H1B lottery. One other option could be to wait an year and try my chances at Fulbright, which means zero financial investment from my side, but binds me to return to my home country. Also, while I found Canada to have developed programs in policy (Ryerson, UoT, SFU), honestly, related programs in Australia appear to me like a joke. In fact, after researching universities and programs in Australia, I get this vibe from the country that it's just not a good place to study academically, as compared to North America and Europe. I've heard that the Australian job market values work experience over higher education, and coupled to that Australian universities seem to be stingy with aid and look like cash-cows. Furthermore, for immigration purposes, Australia's govt. publishes this list every year called the SOL which mentions "skills in demand in Australia". I haven't seen policy-related fields on this list. Instead, they want programmers, accountants, carpenters and plumbers. They want technical craftsmen, not policy analysts/leaders/advocates. Lastly guys, can I have some perspective on the CIPA program itself, in comparison to other programs? CIPA's international opportunities appear not so bad actually, and the Cornell alumni base is all over the world.
  18. Revolutionary
    Thanks for the comprehensive and attentive answer; appreciate it, that's very helpful.
  19. Revolutionary
    Thanks for the suggestions guys. Every day is hard here though, in Pakistan. I am an outcast to this society. I was born here, but don't believe in the social thoughts, religion and the culture here. There is no life. There are no recreational activities, no girls, no relationships, no fun. Just conservative, religious folks and 8 to 6 dull office life amidst the traffic, dust, pollution and broken roads. I want to escape badly. It is why I want to work in a developed, more liberal country. I feel like I'm wasting my life here, putting it through the grinder unnecessarily when I can leave now. That is why I felt the urgency to apply right out of undergrad. But you are all right, it is more mature to wait and put in the effort. But consider this; all the effort and time I'll be wasting in things like the GRE (improving my quant score will be tough for me while doing my job), SOPs, IELTS scores submissions, recommendation letters gathering, etc. - I could be putting that effort in USA at Cornell to get a high GPA, land good internships and eventually a job, if not in USA, then in Canada or in Europe. And if the job-hunt fails, perhaps I can look towards a phd? Will that help me in my goal of immigration? I would love if more people can offer their perspectives on this. Also, for suggestions that I do an MBA instead - MBA's from good schools are too competitive (my quant skills are not on par) and too expensive. Also, I feel that my undergrad covered everything that an MBA teaches (Statistics, business, maths, marketing, supply chain, management, strategic thinking, decision analysis, BI? Have done it all, don't want to chew on the same fodder again and again). An MBA is a shitty program imo that just helps you get careers. I want to learn stuff as well from my 2 years program, and enjoy every tiny course and internship that it offers, not just use it as springboard for a job, and I will honestly enjoy CIPA's program. Really, I couldn't express enough hate for MBA programs and their ideology. But then it's also true that beggars can't be choosers and I can't have everything in life. I understand why you would recommend an MBA to me.
  20. Revolutionary
    Guys? Even some brief advice on whether or not I should choose CIPA this year would do. The total 2-year cost is about $70-80k. Breakdown shown below: 1. Tuition per year: $20k (after reduction) 2. Living & misc. per year: $15k-$20k (I'll try to bring this down to $10k by working part-time) PLEASE TELL ME IF IT'S A GOOD DEAL OR CAN I RISK THE AWARD AND APPLY ELSEWHERE NEXT YEAR. I'll be investing all this money to try to get a career in North America or Europe.
  21. Revolutionary
    Dear friends, I am stuck in a MAJOR dilemma and my life has been majorly messed up because of it. I would appreciate some responses urgently, as I have to make a decision as soon as possible. So I am a Pakistani student with a passion for policy and development, but still confused about what to specialize in. I completed my undergrad in June 2016 and have worked in an NGO in agriculture since (1 year). I applied to Cornell CIPA in Jan, 2017 and got in with a 40% tuition reduction. Because CIPA's base tuition is $34k, my per year tuition is $20k (which is very little compared to competing programs, I think). But I can also defer my offer (the 40% reduction will not be deferred and I will compete with next year's batch for it) and get 1 year of more work experience before coming. The problem is that I am coming to USA exclusively to get a job there, and getting a job in Trump's America for a south asian with a very Muslim name is near impossible, I've heard. Especially considering all the paperwork employers have to do to sponsor my H1B. So I was advised by some people that I should get more work experience before coming, since I only get one shot at this, and employers value more work experience. But the risk is that I don't get this much financial aid from CIPA next year (no one knows how funding will change by next year due to the political situation in US), and some people advised me not to take the risk as I can't afford to come without aid. The upside is that I can get the chance apply to competing programs as well next year. But my GPA is pretty bad (I've given my profile at the end). Am I competitive for HKS with funding/WWS/UChicago with funding, if I improve my GRE score?? Basically I can't afford to come without funding and Cornell seems to be among the few in financial range (I heard Uchicago and WWS give good aid) Also, I'm concerned about Ithaca's distance from major cities. Being in Boston, NYC and DC to me seems very important for a policy program. Is this a valid concern? What are your thoughts about CIPA? Can someone offer me some advise? Is CIPA's offer worth deferring and the award worth passing over for a more work experience and a chance at UChicago/HKS/Princeton next year? Or should I come to CIPA with my 1 year of work experience? My profile: GPA: 3.04, LUMS BSc Management Science (less emphasis on economics but more on business and quantitative skills, such as statistical modelling, R, data mining, BI, etc.) GRE: v162, q156, w5 WE: 1 year full-time at an NGO as a research and strategy associate, where I interacted and worked with government, farmers, corporations, consultants. 2 years part-time running and managing a small, subsidized school for poor children
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