Boolakanaka
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Posts posted by Boolakanaka
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On 3/29/2023 at 4:27 PM, ess33 said:I have recently rediscovered a possible career goal for myself that I once had in college that may be worth pursuing: creating and running a thinktank advocating for changes to the American system of governance, or joining such a thinktank if it already exists.In light of this potential career path, a few questions present themselves.First, is this a good idea to pursue and devote much of my time/life to? I know of no thinktank considering such a course of action, except possibly on the margins (e.g. a movement to "get money out of politics" by passing a constitutional amendment overturning recent SCOTUS campaign finance rulings). The thinktank I would join or create would seek to change the nature of American representation and judicial selection/requirements, both fundamental to the country's fabric, which I anticipate will take a lot of time and focus to do, especially in building up support for it all, hence the thinktank, so I am curious if you think this would even be a good career pursuit, and what the benefits and drawbacks might be.On a related note, are you aware of thinktanks already in existence (not common cause) that aim to fundamentally transform American governance and how the US gov operates at the level of political representation and judicial selection? I would also be open to joining such an institution if one already exists.Second, which do you believe would be most helpful in starting or joining such a thinktank: a political science Masters, political science PhD, or a JD degree? I believe some thinktanks have JDs at the helm and among the employees, but could an MA or PhD lend the thinktank a greater degree of credibility given the years of subject specialization their additional years of study give them? Would a PhD degree be significantly better for credibility's sake than an MA for building up a thinktank; alternatively, would a PhD degree open the door wider in applying for an established thinktank than an MA degree? Also, would a PhD find it more difficult to establish or work at a thinktank compared to an MA, since such activities are so far outside of the realm of academia? Are there other factors involved here that I might need to consider?Third, assuming I do end up wanting to start this thinktank and a version of it does not already exist, and assuming I do decide to go with either graduate degree, should I also take a JD as well, or just pursue the grad degree, (i.e. should I go PhD only or Masters only, or JD/PhD or JD/MA)? And on a related note, would an MA allow more career flexibility and options (thinktank + academia?) as opposed to a PhD (academia only?), or is the reverse usually true? I assume there is some flexibility for both, but which has more?I have already been accepted by one MA program, not sure if I should take it or not because of the above questions I have.Looking forward to your responses.
I will say the top PHD in law programs ( and I would not consider some of the lesser known programs) are very competitive. Now, that said, they are all very nicely fully funded. The big challenge is to obtain admission.
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12 hours ago, envirogal said:
Has anyone on the waitlist heard back from YSE or have any information if there are any open spots in the MEM program?:)
Faculty here at YSE---people do get off the waitlist and it goes through the summer.
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On 3/5/2020 at 4:41 AM, kingsdead said:
Hey all,
This forum has been very helpful to me the past year or so. I think this will be my last time asking you all for help. I've been admitted to Washington and Hopkins for a PhD in biostatistics, and while I'm aware of how lucky I am, I'm also feeling anxious about the choice I have to make now. I was hoping you all could help me compare and contrast the two. I have looked but haven't seen any threads comparing these two explicitly.
About me: I don't really have fixed research interests. I think I would like to work in global health, but beyond that, it isn't clear what I'd like to do. My background is not in statistics so I know very little about what kind of stats I'd like to research. I'm also undecided about what I'd like to do after graduating, though I think academia would be appealing.
Some more details: the money at Washington is around 34k/year. In addition I've received a fellowship from Washington at the ARCS foundation which will give 7.5k, 5k, and 5k in years 1, 2, 3 (as far as I can understand). At JHU, the funding year 1 will be 25.5k plus 6.5 to move in/other expenses. The base funding seems like it will increase slightly years 2 and 3 with the possibility of further funding (5-10k extra per year)
Some questions I am hoping for help with:
1. Washington seems to have access to more NGOs, eg Gates, while Hopkins has the stronger public health program. Where do you think options for global health research would be better?
2. It looks to me like Washington has a larger faculty and hence broader research interests, which I think might be good for me given that I don't know what I want to study. Is that accurate/does that make sense?
3. While the funding seems better at Washington, I can't tell where would be better after factoring in living expenses. Although I don't want money to be a large factor in my decision, the past two years have made me more conscious of the (lack of) money in my bank account than before. I also know very little about the ARCS fellowship and can't really tell much about what that would entail so any details would be helpful.
4. If anyone could comment on differences regarding the cultures of the department I'd really appreciate that. Any information contrasting the two in general would be awesome.
Thank you everyone for all the help so far. I hope to pay it forward on this forum in the following years as I gain more experience!!
Hmmmn, so to be transparent, my youngest D is in her 3rd at Udub in computational biology, and she had a similar decision to make. Udub had better research opportunities and in some instances, more resources. As to locale, that was easy, Seattle is a great place to go to school even with the rain---she loves it.
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1 hour ago, bazoid said:
Thanks so much for your detailed response! I responded to some of your comments above, in orange. A few follow up questions:
- I think of Georgetown as definitely having a stronger brand than GW on the national level, but is this true when you're applying to policy jobs in DC? I'm especially curious because Trachtenberg's program actually ranks slightly higher than McCourt's according to US News (not sure how much stock people put in that, though).- (I'm making the assumption you're a Georgetown alum here, sorry if I'm wrong) Did you find that Georgetown made it difficult to get academic support as well as career support? Other students/alums I've talked to have mentioned some frustration on the career side, but I hadn't heard any grumblings about their academic support systems, and I'd heard faculty are generally helpful and approachable.
- What exactly do you mean by "prestige jobs"? I don't see myself pursuing an elected position and I'm not too concerned with climbing up the ranks in an organization to some sort of powerful role. At the same time, I want to set myself up for opportunities to do challenging, interesting work that is reasonably well compensated. (I know the MPP isn't the degree to pursue if you're hoping to make a lot of money...I don't need to strike it rich; just hoping to make a comfortable living.)
In other words - I'm trying to clarify whether you think GW will set you up for mediocre job opportunities in a broad sense, or if it just won't be the best program for a specific set of highly coveted positions (also trying to clarify what those positions are).I hate to say it, but for many folks, whether it's true or not. GW, is meet with, how come he/she didn't get into Georgetown---it has that much of a name value.
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49 minutes ago, jellybean45 said:
I have been accepted into UChicago's Harris School of Public Policy MPP with $30k/yr scholarship.
Unfortunately, I'm not able to accept it because I'm planning on working and applying for MBAs next year and then deciding whether or not to take this MPP.
I want to understand the risks associated with deferring admissions -- risk of deferral application getting denied, risk of losing some scholarship if deferral request is accepted etc.
I'd also like to understand how I should explain my reason for deferral.
What have you stated is not a usual or legitimate reason for deferral. Thus, you are potentially exposed to losing both your seat and scholarship.
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On 3/27/2023 at 4:16 PM, Spiltteeth said:
The academic job market looks bleak, and I’m not the Priest type….
What other jobs can one get with an Mdiv ?
Is anyone doing something different with one ?Many folks I know pursue jobs in advocacy roles, with many involved in issues related to equity and conservation.
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5 hours ago, elderflower35 said:
I got my Bren letter on 3/9 – it's really odd that they're staggering decisions like this! No word from them on funding, though, so I also assume it's zero.
From the info sessions, it seems that Yale in particular liked seeing years of work experience on applications (they mentioned they took students straight out of undergrad too, but must've been pretty exceptional to choose that.) In any case, good luck!
I teach at YES. I would like to think all the admitted students are exceptional, that said, students admitted straight from undergrad usually have a demonstrative history of a career in the environment.
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29 minutes ago, Ideyst said:
Hello guys, appologize if this is a silly question.
I'm an international student in an M.A. program in the US, with a merit aid of about $10,000 per year. This is a small number compared to the costs of tuition and housing. So I searched if there's any possibility to reduce this burden and discovered that applicants can argue for more merit aid with the admission office. I started to do research, read passages and posts where people share how they negotiate with schools successfully. The more I've read, the stronger sense I've got that it's easy and common to get more aid. However, after sending the negotiation email, my request was rejected straightforward.
It'll be a lie if saying that I'm not down, but I'm down mostly due to the suspicion in my heart that "is it because I'm not good enough?" I know it may be a wrong impression that the successful negotiation for more aid is very common, but I still want to hear your thoughts about it. Is it common, or normal, that I failed to argue for more merit aid?
Plus, other ways of getting financial aids I know are applying for need-based, extra fundings, being TA. If there's any other ways, please don't be hesitate to let me know! Also, I still wonder that is there any drawbacks of applying for a need-based scholarship? In my country, applying for a need-based financial aid is, well, a bit not good to be presented on a stage, so students often avoid applying except for the real poor ones. But I feel like the culture is a bit different here in the US?
Thank you for the replies, and many best wishes to all of your graduate lives!😘
I would keep in mind that the majority of aid is set aside for US citizens and then, PhD students.
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On 3/15/2023 at 2:37 PM, Podrick Payne said:
Thanks Confusion123 for starting this thread.
I too am having a hard time deciding which school to attend.
Coming from:
Atlanta, GADeciding between:
- Yale Jackson MPP - 100% Tuition +stipend
- Columbia SIPA MIA - 100% Tuition + $18k refund check
- HKS MPP - Still awaiting results, but I was an interviewee for the Equity Fellowship. If received, it would be a full ride + stipend.
- UChicago Harris - $35k per year scholarship. (I would owe $30k per year)
Future Goals:
I currently work for FAANG and I'm hoping to transition back into G with a policy based role.
I will be exploring other roles such as working for the State Department as an FSO, or possibilities with the UN NATO, etc.Other factors:
Just like confusion123, my main goal was no debt, so I can pretty much eliminate UChicago.
I visited Yale and Harvard this past fall for their open house and fell in love with both schools. I love Yale's small cohort system, flexibility on which courses to take, and how nice the faculty were when I met them. IDK how to explain it but I truly felt like I belonged there.
Harvard was also a pretty amazing visit. I have a good networking relationship with one of the admissions leads and he has really been drilling it into me on how I am exactly what Harvard is looking for in a student, potential leader, etc.
I have not visited Columbia SIPA. I actually applied to the program after they visited Atlanta for a grad school event. One fee waiver later and here I am haha.
How I'm leaning:
I honestly feel like all three schools will give me a great education.
Right now I'm leaning towards Yale as I generally liked my time there during my visit. I am a bit concerned over the programs "newness," but I'm sure there are some pros to being in a new program. Living in New Haven isn't going to be the best though. My fiancée will be moving with me and I'm sure New Haven will bore her to death. She's been pretty onboard with wherever I go, but I don't want these two years to suck for her. If we choose Yale she will be able to go remote work with G and still make $100k +. She is currently going for a hail mary and applying for Yale MBA R3.
Columbia is currently in 2nd place. The MIA program seems very interesting and the possibility of living in NYC is very cool. My fiancée and I both have many friends living in NYC, so socially we'll be able to fit right in. Her salary will actually increase to about $150k if we move to NYC so that's a plus.
If we choose Columbia she is going to wait on her MBA and try for next year's cycle with NYC schools: Columbia, NYU, Cornell Tech
My main concern for Columbia is housing. NYC apartments are too d*mn expensive, and even with the pay raise we would be cutting it close. I don't want us to struggle too bad.
Harvard is in 3rd place. I love the feel of the school and I'm really excited about having the "Harvard" name on my resume, but I'm not a big fan of how the MPP classes are structured. Like HKS students take a ton of classes many are quant based, and some of these required courses I'm just not interested in taking. On top of that, housing in Cambridge is on-par with San Francisco prices. Although my fiancée will be able to transfer to the Cambridge office, we might struggle with housing. And honestly folks...I'm really really nervous about attending Harvard. I don't want to get there and fail. IDK why I'm thinking like this now, when in December I was so pumped.
I worked my butt off last year to put together a great application for HKS. I don't want to miss out on the opportunity to attend Harvard for free, but I'm afraid I won't have a good time there. IDK....Head: Yale
Heart: I love them all lol
Wallet: Yale
Two of out three in life in not bad at all. Plus I teach at Yale----go with the college of Eli.
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As a follow-up, if any school is receiving federal funds, thus most every school, it must abide by the conditions of the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and the D.C. Human Rights Act, which prohibits any kind of discrimination based on age.
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7 minutes ago, rockclimberenthusiast said:
Just curious, do you know approximately what the admittance rate is for YSE?
I'm more familiar with business/law/policy programs so I'm not sure how YSE's program stacks among other environmental programs.
I am not super exact with these numbers, but I recall reading something around 12-14 percent, but that was precovid, and I know there is a lot of interest in graduate environmental programs, so it might be closer to about 10-12 percent.
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4 minutes ago, rockclimberenthusiast said:
Hahah alright, thanks for the confidence boost. Would it be too much to ask what course you teach? If I accept, I'm just curious what the probability will be that I'll be in your classroom haha.
On a different note, I will be going to the Open House later this month to envision myself on campus and get a feel for the community so maybe I'll run into you there!
I will reach out to you later, as I prefer to preserve some element of anonymity.
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1 hour ago, rockclimberenthusiast said:
That's awesome to hear, thanks! The definitely appeals more re: non-finance specialty because most B schools are concentrated more in finance/consulting, with marginal differences among different programs, of course. Perhaps in the future when I have more work experience...
As a professor at YSE, do you see students with non-scientific backgrounds struggle with the coursework there? I'm a bit scared of the MODs/Interdisciplinary Conversancy/any required science-focused coursework but to some degree I'm sure I'll be able to curate my coursework based on the specialization I choose.
It's funny, all non-science, non-quant folks all have the same trepidation and all do just fine. There is a reason YSE took such care and time with your admission process--you are more than up for this challenge.
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41 minutes ago, rockclimberenthusiast said:
Ah thanks for your input! I unfortunately did not take the GRE/GMAT so I'm not sure if I'll be able to prepare and take the exam in time haha (I'm horrible at standardized tests).
But based on your teaching experience there (I'm assuming SOM?), how's the community like? Are there certain specialties or areas of strength the program has, especially at the intersection of the environment? I'd love to immerse myself a bit more in the innovation space or sustainable development.
TYSM in advance!
Actually, I'm at YSE and YDS. Your fear is common to many students who have test anxiety, but I am confident you would be able to do it. While I am not formally at SOM, we have many partnerships and collaborations with the school--it's very collegial. Of all the top B programs in the nation, SOM has a historical and present commitment to non-profit, non-finance (though if finance were your goal, you would get a fined education there) and thus is uniquely placed to operate in the sectors of conservation/environment.
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8 hours ago, rockclimberenthusiast said:
Hi everyone,
I'm new here but I wanted to get your thoughts on what program I should go for (commitment will need to be made in the month). I have a background in policy but want to venture into the environmental/business field and I've narrowed down the likely programs I'd go to: YSE MEM or Columbia SIPA MPA. I'm not going to disclose any funding details as they are pretty equal, so I want to ask about the quality of the programs, specialties (if any), strengths, student life, etc.
For Yale, I'm hoping to specialize in Business/Environment but I'm afraid that I lack scientific knowledge/skills for the courses and perhaps it leans more toward sustainable/environment. But obviously it's a reputable place to go for the environmental field.
For Columbia, I'll concentrate in EE but I'm afraid I'll be pigeonholed into policymaking, but perhaps my impression of the programming is wrong. From what I hear, they're quite strong in the energy field and having a big network can be helpful — especially if I don't know exactly what I'd like to do in the environmental/energy field.
Any and all insights are super helpful, thank you in advance!!
I would lean to YSE. I think the depth of the education and its intersection with the SOM are more aligned with your objectives. Also, if you decide you want to do a dual degree at SOM, you can apply during your first year. Last, I teach there and thus biased--wink.
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1 hour ago, Spiltteeth said:Yes, anyone can do it, I know a few elder persons who have...and there's antidiscriminatory laws...
But I'll be 48 when I get my Mdiv.
Who would go to bat, mentor, or give a full PHD scholarship to someone who isn't going to be in the feild that long?
Also, who would hire someone in their late 50's fresh out ?
In the real world.So, I have an appointment at a Divinity school and as well an attorney. One, there is no age limits for any PhD programs. I think this is some insinuation to this assumption, but I can tell you from both a faculty and/or legal level, if any comment were made, implicitly or explicitly, it can be actionable and result in real legal action against the school.
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21 minutes ago, letsgo2policyschool said:
I just received an acceptance to SPIA a couple of days ago, but I want to know where I want to go by the time Harvard releases their decisions in the next couple of weeks.
Assuming funding wasn't an issue, how would you rank the two schools for someone who's interested in domestic policy?
Nothing for nothing nothing....and for transparency I teach at Yale, but I think HKS has got a bit bloated, and as a school, has some signs of mission creep. It is still very strong--yes, but for me, and in answer to your question, Princeton is a tad stronger. Also, if I was a student the smaller class instruction would be attractive.
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On 2/10/2023 at 5:03 PM, Anonymous8_8 said:
Just received all rejection from safeties(not even shortlisted, no interview, no wl)-
I think this is the end of my application season and I grew more and more puzzled when I hear other people’s admission results. Many of my graduate cohort got into decent programs with lower grad GPA and lower GRE score. I know I have a pretty decent writing sample and I have at least two very strong letters from this institution (one was really surprised that I didn’t get any ad and recommended all the top programs for me to apply; the other is my thesis supervisor who consistently gives me support and advice) the third one was nice when I asked for the letter, comply with the deadline promptly but never follows up, wasn’t even surprised when I told him I need to apply for more schools. Really suspecting that he didn’t write me a good one.
Easy answer don't use he/she. As a prof, I am fairly straight-forward in providing to the student as to the expectation of such a letter. Further, did you ask the prof whether they could merely write a letter or did you ask if they would be comfortable writing a very strong letter--huge difference.
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14 hours ago, elderflower35 said:
Might as well continue with getting the ball rolling – I'm also waiting on Yale MEM, UCSB Bren, Hopkins, Imperial College, and Northeastern. Currently I've been accepted into University of Washington MMA, Columbia SIPA MPA-ESP, Tufts, and ASU. Good luck to everyone with this decision cycle!
Good luck all applying to YSE, maybe you will be in my class next year---wink!!
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3 hours ago, Gaara said:
First off, thank you so much for sharing all of this info! I think it's so unfair that people in person met with current students and faculty and had one-on-one convos. How can they make a decision on who to pick when your experience sounds like they had hours to feel you out as a person and we Zoom people had 20 minutes. Having hours could be a disadvantage for someone with social anxiety but it could also be a huge advantage for people that have amazing social skills. They said there was no advantage over coming in-person vs. Zoom but I just don't see how that's actually true.
21 is crazy tho 😭 that gives each of us about a 5% chance of getting picked. I was hoping it was 10 finalists LOL, of the 21 applicants, how many did you see interviewing in person?
And no problem! This could be a life-changing experience for anyone, I'll do anything I can to help even if that means someone being picked over me.
I've noticed that NW's studios with poor lighting have been a dealbreaker for people in the past. Out of the 5 people they accept, I'm sure at least 2 will end up declining the offer because of the studios. Personally, I'm a night owl, I'm used to drawing at 2 AM while using unnatural light
Frankly for any type of competitive graduate/professional education, it always super competitive, and sadly, just a few get accepted. By way of specific example, for Yale Law, 4,202 applicants; 236 new offers, John Hopkins Medicine, 4547 applied, 280 admitted. It has and always will be the nature of the beast.
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On 3/29/2015 at 12:07 PM, rising_star said:
This is really field dependent. In my field, a lot of people have tattoos (though probably more women than men), some of which are visible and some of which are not. When I think about my coworkers, I think a few of them have visible tattoos (think inside of the forearm) but very few do. It may limit your options for future employment, which is something to consider.
It should not. My wife is the Director of Medicine for a major hospital, my daughter is a post doc in computational biology at one of the leading programs in the nation, my youngest is an Ivy law school graduate and doing a prestigious federal clerkship, and I'm a prof at an Ivy. Between us there is over 2 dozen tattoos, with some being very large pieces....
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On 2/10/2023 at 11:11 AM, Valar_Morghulis said:
Starting a thread for anyone out there waiting to hear back from the Ford School of Public Policy's MPP Program!
I think this best in the professional (govt affairs) section.
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On 2/8/2023 at 3:43 AM, sussy.spacek said:
Are you sure you're not conflating students with faculty? Faculty members and core critics definitely commute but they don't go in everyday. But I think, majority, if not all students, live in New Haven during their time in the program.
Hmmm, as an owner of apartments in NYC, three of my renters are Yale graduate students....
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On 2/6/2023 at 9:40 AM, blueangel said:
Rejected from Yale ? not hugely upset about it as I do want to live in NYC. Now I'm really praying for Pratt and Columbia!!
More than a few folks who do a Yale MFA actually live and commute from NYC.
When to apply for MBA
in Business School Forum
Posted
Your quant is a tad low for at least Penn and NYU. Further, many programs prefer about 4 years of substantive work experience. Just went through the application with my D who will be attending SBS in the fall.