cmp2541

I don't know yet! We're supposed to find out in the next month or so.

Past editions of this thread were incredibly helpful to me when I was going through the application process, so I thought I'd pay it forward! Schools Applied To: HKS (MPP), SIPA (MPA-DP), Georgetown SFS (Global Human Development), UC Berkeley (Master's in Development Practice), IHEID (Development Studies), Oxford (MPhil Development Studies) Schools Admitted To: HKS (no funding), SIPA ($$), Georgetown ($$), UC Berkeley (funding tbd), IHEID (no funding- but tuition is only ~$9,000 per year, so it still comes out to be a relatively affordable option), Oxford (funding tbd) Schools Rejected From: none Undergraduate institution: Top 20 private university Undergraduate GPA: 3.9 Undergraduate Major: Public Policy Studies & History GRE Quantitative Score: 156 GRE Verbal Score: 169 GRE AW Score: 6 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 Years of Work Experience: 3 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Immediately after college, I spent 2 years working in the federal practice of a big 4 consulting firm. There, I worked with a variety of international development and nonprofit clients, including USAID, some defense clients, and a few smaller nonprofits. I then received a fellowship through a US-based foundation to work at an NGO in rural India for one year. I've been working at a women's handicraft cooperative doing grant-writing, digital marketing/advocacy, and brushing up on my (previously nonexistent) Hindi. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I spent an enormous amount of time on these, and I think this was by far the strongest part of my application. I built my SOPs around the essays I wrote for HKS (since those were due first). The first one centered on my learnings in the field in India around gender-based development, the second one focused on my experiences working at a management consulting firm and the potential for impact with public/private partnerships. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I didn't get to read them, but I think they were really strong. I had two from Professors I was very close with in undergrad, and one from my direct supervisor at my first job. Other: I also applied for the Payne Fellowship, and was selected as an "alternate", but I didn't ultimately get it Decision: Honestly, I am freaking out about trying to make this decision. Perhaps I was underestimating myself, but I truly had not anticipated getting in many places, let alone every single school. I thought that my (relatively) low quant score and lack of extensive field experience was going to sink me. I suppose it's a good problem to have, but its made the decision a lot harder because there are so many factors to consider. If money were no object, I would choose HKS. Buuuut since they didn't give me any funding, and I was accepted to some really strong programs elsewhere, I'm having some doubts about whether I can really justify that cost. At this point, it's difficult to say where I'm leaning, because my mind changes about five times per day! Any thoughts/insights would be much appreciated!

Hi all, long-time lurker on here as well! I was accepted, and am absolutely shocked/thrilled. This is truly my dream school, but I am getting so nervous about funding. I've heard that HKS is not particularly generous with their financial aid. Can anyone confirm/deny? What are other people thinking in terms of funding options if financial aid doesn't come through? For some background, I applied to the Payne Fellowship and got through as an "alternate", but wasn't ultimately selected

@CurrentGHD I received word a few days ago that I was accepted into the GHD program! I'm really excited, as this was one of my top choices. I'm wondering, though, if you have any advice on how to negotiate increased financial aid. I received some, but not quite enough for the program to be affordable for me at this point. I''m not really sure how or when to broach the topic with the Financial Aid office-- should I wait until I have aid offers from other schools in hand? And should I come in with a specific request for how much I think I need? Also, I would love to connect with you individually to discuss your experiences with the program further!