Boolakanaka

WWS....there is a very good reason why their name was changed—Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Glad to see you are  enlightened and cognizant of the profound historical vitriol and public policy that dictated this long awaited change....nothing like the  premium of expediency and brevity to trump over being on the right side of history. 

You are fine. I’ve been on admissions committees and by and large, given the other degrees you have, they are placed in appropriate context. The committee knows evaluating you juxtaposed against someone just graduating or even 2-3 years out of undergrad is not a similar or analogous comparison. You career and the previous degrees you hold will be primary factors.
 
And there are specific mid career programs in which the criteria I just mentioned are pretty much the standard versus the exception. By way of specific example, at the Yale School of Forestry (I consider this public policy with a specific area interest) they have such a program, and one of friends in his mid 40s has an almost identical background to you and he had no problem gaining admission.

The context of my suggestion was the availability and quality of dual programs at Yale. But, I’m partial as both an alum and faculty member.

Thanks for your answer. It helped me a lot.

Yup. Harvard has over marketed itself, and thus programs like HKS are now going to be in an acute financial situation for at least the next 2-3 years. The programs that are more nimble and have existing resources will now claim those pieces in which HKS was dominant. Make no mistake about it, HKS is sort of already heavily leveraged, and it’s not like we are talking about a grad operation with well a balanced and deep endowment, e.g. for instance like Yale Law School , many do not realize YLS has a distinct  endowment that supports under 700 students in a school year, the amount of this endowment, over a billion , yes, over a billion supporting just 650 students or so....sheeeesh!

Yup. I had two two folks that work for me that were going to do an executive training,  one at Stanford and the other at Yale, both were intensive 7-8 day course, at roughly 10k plus. Despite the pleas of the schools to still enroll my staff (albeit at a slight discount) I’m passing....

I would say Harris is near HKS level of quality and not worth the $60K total difference.

An advantage that Jackson has, is that other graduate schools within Yale (Yale SOM, Yale Law School), view it as a true equal. You'll have great chances to network, cross-register and develop your skills as needed. At HKS, other graduate programs at Harvard (HBS, Harvard Law School), look down, albeit slightly, at HKS because not everyone in it views it as a true equal, since it is easier to get into -- and many of its students are eager to break into the same fields as HBS grads, like management consulting. I also think that some incoming HKS students compute the potential of using HBS OCR when accepting their offer heavily, which may create a rift between them and HBS students.

I have both degrees and work in public policy for over three decades (I lead my own consulting firm, but have also previously worked for several US Senators, US State Department,  large law firms and consulting firms), and while I have done both, I would say for most, both degrees are usually superfluous. Few folks actually work in both areas, and thus it’s more economically efficient and prudent to choose the area in which you have the most interest and let your educational decisions symmetrically follow.

Haha yeah my Mason Fellow recommendation was intended for @spnfiim ! Sorry for the confusion, was echoing your advice...

Oh thanks! Not sure if this is for me or the original poster—as I have more degrees than I now know what to do with (lol) and have my own small consulting firm (about 10 folks)—but thanks again.

Unless you and your family have their own resources, I would seriously reconsider that option. I work in this field for over 25 years, and well, employment for the next 2-4 years is going to reflect the rest of the economy—ie it is going to profoundly shrink and that is a large amount of debt to be holding during a probable recession.

Unless you and your family have their own resources, I would seriously reconsider that option. I work in this field for over 25 years, and well, employment for the next 2-4 years is going to reflect the rest of the economy—ie it is going to profoundly shrink and that is a large amount of debt to be holding during a probable recession.

Easy ... go to Yale. While Jackson is the new kid on the block to public policy, Yale is not. Whatever connections you need, prospective employers and the depth of the total institution, Yale will more than meet all your needs.

This is a simple choice, head to Jackson. You’ll drastically minimize debt at an excellent program. Paying sticker price at any policy program, especially these days, is insane.

Lol at Kennedy / SIPA prices. Such an easy choice. Go to Jackson. 

It’s Yale-period. And no worries that Jackson is the new kid on the block,  Yale itself will carry whatever aspirations or connections you might need,

It’s Yale-period. And no worries that Jackson is the new kid on the block,  Yale itself will carry whatever aspirations or connections you might need,

If you are waiting on acceptances from Udub for PhDs in Genome Sciences, they are coming out today—D got an admit earlier this afternoon.

I am 43 years old. I have always wanted to study theology since I graduated from high school, but preferred to give a secular direction to what I thought was my calling. I have a B.A. in Education and an M.Ed. in Guidance & Counseling. I don't know if I'm experiencing some kind of middle-age crisis, but I'm dissatisfied with the way I have been living my life. So one night I was having a couple of glasses of wine alone at home, and the idea about applying to theology school came to my mind. I researched a little bit about some schools and found one with reasonable admission requirements and generous financial aid. I don't belong to any church and loved the fact that I didn't need a letter from a pastor. The school is also affiliated to a secular university and accredited by the ATS. After seeing the academic offering, I decided to apply for a Master's in Theology. I was really drunk.

It took me five weeks to write two required essays and gather the required documents like transcripts and recommendations. I am actually a community organizer and my recommendations were strong. I abstained from drinking while I was completing everything, and submitted the application by the priority admission deadline. Well... to my surprise, I was admitted with a tuition scholarship and the chance to be considered for a merit scholarship. I was in shock! The additional requirement for merit scholarship was challenging, but I did my best. I was awarded a merit scholarship with a stipend. WOW... I couldn't believe it!! I was asking myself if it was because I am a great candidate or it was just because the school was too easy. 

I have to admit that I am really excited and proud of myself. The curriculum content is so interesting, but the fact that I was drunk when I decided to apply makes me doubt my decision.

Accepted at Yale! Rejected by everything last year, this year accepted to my two top choices.

See:http://pfforphds.com/negotiating-phd-funding-offers-this-grad-student-did-it-successfully/
Also, I have personally seen it done across peer institutions...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: going through January permanently sloshed is a great plan.

you don't?????!!!!! I'm the wrong forum then. ?