pasale

Turning down Harvard Kennedy for Notre Dame Keough. PS: see inbox!

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP/MPA, MPA/MAIR, MPP, MGASchools Applied To: HKS, Maxwell, Ford, WWS, Keough, Vanderbilt GPED, Korbel Schools Admitted To: HKS (0), Maxwell ($$$$), Ford (0), Keough ($$$$$), Vanderbilt GPED ($$), Korbel ($$)Rejected: WWS Undergraduate institution: regional liberal arts college Undergraduate GPA: 3.51 Undergraduate Majors: BusinessGRE Quantitative Score: 163GRE Verbal Score: 160GRE AW Score: 4.5Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2Years of Work Experience: 2 years full-time directly relevant, research assistant during undergrad. Describe Relevant Work Experience: Schools Admitted To: Teaching and mentoring low-income and underachieving students at a public high school (under a non-profit and city department of education). Raised thousands of $ for a socially driven startup.Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Very strong. Talked about my multicultural background, my solid commitment and impact in low-income communities I have made so far. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Amazing. Two from very close professors who are highly ranked in college. One from director of the non-profit that works with the high school.Other: I had solid quant background. Took some courses in college. Led a startup, so the social entrepreneur background was a game changer in my application. Have a lot of diverse background as well - research assistant in college, editorial intern at a magazine company, sustainability advocate etc. Decision: Notre Dame's Keough. 1) DEBT FREE! Full tuition with stipend for all like WWS, making it relatively competitive than other programs. 2) the small class means intimate learning and the program resources will be focused on you. 3) The program looks amazing - strong faculty and will get to partner with an org (depends on your specialization) and fieldwork 2-5 months with them.

Yes, I did. They acknowledged it, and wished me best of luck as I make my decision. haha.

@rapswell I emailed them. Heard back - they're fixated on their no financial reconsideration policy.

anyone turning down HKS? disclosure: i'm turning it down for notre dame's keough (full ride + stipend). couldn't justify $100k+ debt.

This sheet might be useful, (also pinned in the government affairs section): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NQ73cGtG8IrL0eBCUdCydKUd3hF0MbbTNRDt-X1H06A/edit?usp=sharing

The dual degree seems the obvious winner. Less money, looks good on resume and international education.

Yeah, thanks! Added the student result page, and people are adding into it. It's open to anyone, so make changes as you please.

Hey thanks so much for the advice. I did build a google sheet. Please edit/change the format and add on to the list. This is a quick version I created, so definitely need inputs and edits. I hope this serves as a useful tool for people applying and seeking financial aid. Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NQ73cGtG8IrL0eBCUdCydKUd3hF0MbbTNRDt-X1H06A/edit?usp=sharing

I'll start. School and Program: Princeton WWS Financial aid info: Everyone gets full ride + living stipend In the program/Accepted?: No

Financial generosity and aid is one of the most important factors that we consider when we apply and make our decisions. I am hoping to start a thread where we post about programs that give out generous funding. This thread will be resourceful to the future applicants who want to know about the schools and their aid policy. Let's compile it in this format - School and Program: Financial aid info: (for example, based on what you've heard about the program and what you've seen. info like only 1-2 people gets full ride, everyone gets minimum 15k, everyone gets full ride etc. of that sort) In the program/Accepted?: Yes/No (if possible with your aid info as well)

@binil_m I'd say NUS. Harvard brand name isn't worth the $140k you'll be taking for loans (total cost of attendance for MPP), which you'll end up paying for most of your life. NUS is a great brand name too for that matter. Go for NUS, since you want to work in Asia as well.

I'd rather WWS. I was accepted to HKS and rejected to WWS. Given I don't have that choice, and you do, think about it from your position. Students from WWS choose interesting and great career paths. The faculty is amazing (people like Daniel Kahneman; i'm sure HKS has faculty of the same caliber tho) and the intellectual environment there would be so much better. And especially since most people do not get aid at HKS, but get full ride at WWS, the stronger applicants end up choosing Princeton over Harvard. So figure where you want to study and who you want to share your academic environment.