pubpol123

Would you be able to articulate on some of the criticisms you have of the program? I'm sure many of us (including myself!) would love it know. Thanks!

Ha, that's kind of incredible at the last minute. Hope someone else gets a great email today!

Me too. Tried to negotiate by providing other offers but nothing. I haven't heard of anyone successfully negotiating but seems worth a shot anyways, there's really no harm and it is quite a bit of $$ on the line.

I will likely turn it down for GSPP. I actually know some profs at HKS quite well through my job and they agreed it was a bit absurd to pay full tuition, and strongly insinuated that the quality of the teaching at places with smaller cohorts like GSPP is actually better than HKS for master's students due to HKS's size / many degree programs / other obligations of HKS profs.

FYI--I just heard back. I had 15K per year, and requested 20K more per year. I ended up getting 10K more per year, for a total of 25K per year. I will say I gave them both a job update (I was recently promoted), as well as an update of the other schools I was considering. Hope this helps!

Honestly, I would just ask for how much you would need to be offered for you to realistically consider the school. Even if it's a really high amount, worst-case scenario is that they'll just offer you less money. I ended up asking for $20K more a year ($40K total) which is exactly how much I'd need for it to be worth it for me to go there (waiting to hear back from them though).

Do you guys know if they'll reconsider funding if there's a change in your application since you last applied? I got promoted recently at work, and am unsure if I should see if they might reconsider any sort of funding because of it, or if its just a lost cause...

Agreed--I applied but am not expecting anything. We don't hear about scholarship money until July, correct? I actually talked to one alum of the program (from the States). She only had positive things to say about the program and didn't mention anything about problems with finding a job--now works for the US government. She mentioned that employers look at the degree like an MPP.

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, etc.) : MPP or MPP-equivalents Schools Applied To: LSE (MPA), GSPP (MPP), HKS (MPP), WWS (MPA), Harris (MSCAPP), Ford (MPP) Schools Admitted To: LSE (tbd funding, but probably none), GSPP ($), HKS (no funding), Ford ($$), Harris ($) Schools Rejected From: WWS Undergraduate institution: Top 15 university Undergraduate GPA: 3.6-3.7 Undergraduate Major: Economics GRE Quantitative Score: 167 GRE Verbal Score: 162 GRE AW Score: 5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4 Years of Work Experience: 4 years full-time Describe Relevant Work Experience: Worked for a federal agency for a year via a fellowship doing public health work; then worked at an urban policy think-tank for 2.5 years as a manager Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): They were okay, not amazing. I honestly didn't have a ton of time for grad school apps so didn't put a lot of time into these, but am a decent writer and had good, specific reasons for going back to school. They could have been better if I'd edited more but they were fine enough. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good I think! I got them from 3 supervisors at my current org, all of whom (I assume) wrote great recs. I didn't get to read them but can't imagine they wouldn't have said anything but good things. Other: No funding at HKS is really killer. Will likely go to GSPP because of the amazing RA and TA-ship opportunities that offset the cost.

Hi all-- Any chance anyone here applied for the LSE MPA for fall 2018? I was accepted a few weeks ago and am trying to see how this program compares to other policy programs in the U.S. (i.e. HKS/Berkeley/Harris). I can't seem to find a lot of info on the program. Also, does anyone know if there's any potential to receive any scholarships for this?

Yeah, I am just really wary of programs that say they want to train folks who are interested in "giving back", but then charge $100K+ to do so. It seems to a bit (slash very) hypocritical. (and agree--congrats to all with fellowships!!)

GSPP ($15K for the first year) and Harris for MSCAPP ($30K for both years). Will likely negotiate between both schools to get more $$. But honestly, GSPP has so many great TA/RA opportunities that save so much $$ that it seems like it'll be the cheapest by far. How about you?

Yep, no funding here either (MPP). Really struggling with whether it's worth the $$, when I know I'll be going into the public/NGO sector. Frankly, its probably not.