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lunarphase

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  • Pronouns
    She, Her
  • Location
    The Midwest
  • Application Season
    2019 Fall

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  1. This website really helped me out- leaving my stats here so they can hopefully help a few more in the future :") Program/Schools Applied To: Cornell MPA, Penn MSSP, Brown MPA, Pepperdine MPP, Columbia MPA-ESP, Johns Hopkins MS-ESP Schools Admitted To: Columbia (12% tuition), Cornell (50% tuition), Pepperdine (40% tuition), Penn, JHU Schools Rejected From: None Still Waiting: Brown Undergrad Institution: Large non-flagship state school, ~200th in USNWR Undergrad GPA: 3.64 Undergrad Major: Political Science GRE Quantitative Score: 150 GRE Verbal Score: 154 GRE AW Score: 4.5 Years out of Undergrad: 0, graduating in May Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Lengthy internship with state-wide political party, internship with a national environmental organization, internship on Capitol Hill, volunteering with local environmental group. Other: Student-athlete, club co-founder, wrote for school newspaper. With the exception of SIPA, I know the schools I applied to aren't traditionally thought of as Public Admin/Policy powerhouses, but I am thrilled at how things turned out. Especially given my GRE, undergrad institution, coming straight from UG... so basically everything ? I decided to pass up Columbia ($$, family, not a NYC fan), Pepperdine (accepted to better programs), and Brown, pending a funding miracle. I'm leaning toward Cornell, but I still have a few weeks in which things could change.
  2. Hi all, I’ve been lucky enough to be accepted to my top two programs, the Master of Public Administration at Cornell and the MPA- Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia. I am kind of torn as to what to do, as both programs have strengths that seem equally important for me, so I was hoping I could get some advice from a forum I have religiously stalked this entire process ? With the funding I have received, what I have saved, and living expenses factored in, Cornell is about 13k cheaper, but I would be alright paying a little more for the program from Columbia if that was a better opportunity. So while finances are important, they’re not a huge factor at this point in my decision. I’m planning on entering the field of environmental policy/management (in the public or nonprofit sector), and because Columbia’s program actually includes some environmental science I thought this might be beneficial. However, Cornell’s program seems to be more well-rounded in all aspects you’d typically expect to find in an MPA/MPP program. Columbia’s program is also only a year long, which is great for the financial aspect of things but does condense the material into a much shorter span of time, and I worry will not be as in-depth. On the flip side of the coin, I think Columbia’s degree is (obviously) more geared toward the environmental side of things and could be a good opportunity to really specialize, and the degree seems very marketable as such. As far as location of the program, I am really not a huge NYC fan- I know, it might not have seemed like the smartest decision to apply to Columbia then, but the MPA-ESP program seemed absolutely worth it to me. The only other school with this option is Harris, and that seemed was way too expensive for me. I could be ok with NYC for a year, but honestly that’s it. I visited both campuses and found Cornell and the Ithaca area to be very comfortable and much more of my ideal grad school experience, however I don’t know how much weight this should hold on my decision. Finally, although I feel like this is very superficial detail, I’m a little worried about the benefits each degree would hold to employers. By all means Columbia is traditionally a more prestigious school, but at this level is it important? Would it hold weight between these two schools? I went to a big commuter school that was somewhere from 200-300 in the rankings, and although I think I made up for it with work experience, I don’t know if this would be worthwhile grounds to choose a more prestigious school, even amongst Ivies. I really don’t think it is, but again I’m not an expert and wanted a second opinion. I don’t have that long to make my final decision, so I would really appreciate any input you guys have on either of these schools or this decision. Thank you so much in advance!
  3. Hi all! I’m new to this site (although I’ve been stalking the acceptance rates here for far longer than I’d like to admit), and after reading the disclaimer at the start of this forum, I still had a few questions regarding my application. So here ya go: Age: 22 Undergrad Institution: Around #100 in Public Universities UGPA: 3.65 Major: Political Science with minors in English and Mathematics Quant Courses: Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Calculus 3 Years since Undergrad: Currently finishing my Senior Year Work Experience: interned with state political party for one year, interned with a committee in Congress for one summer, interned with an environmental non-profit for a semester, interned with an educational government organization for a semester, worked with an elder rights group for a semester. Awards and Publications: two photography awards in my university’s literary magazine GRE: 158 V, 162 Q Interests: Environmental Policy, Social Issues, American Politics Schools considering: UChicago (MPP), Columbia (MPA/EMPA), Cornell (MPA), Brown (MPA), Washington (MPP), Northwestern (MPPA), NYU (MA Politics), Georgetown (MA American Politics) Other information: I am a division one student athlete, a founding member/secretary of a club, and volunteer with a few political and environmental organizations as well. I know that I match at least an ideal GPA and Quant score, and my undergrad involvement is strong, but I am worried this will not be enough to pursue an MPA/MPP straight out of undergrad, even with a lot of internship experience. I’d love any feedback on my application if anyone gets a free moment. Thanks!
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