Westpolicy
-
Posts
22 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Posts posted by Westpolicy
-
-
Honestly it depends on each program. Some MPA/ MPP programs are quant heavy. Harris ( U-Chicago) has quant/ Econ heavy programs. Also, Princeton MPA has Field IV Economics and Public Policy which is more economics/ quant heavy than the other fields for their MPA. Check with each school about your desire to focus on economics and see what they say about their programs.
Do a bit more research, attend online sessions, speak with admissions, etc. I think it is fine to also apply for MA in Economics if you want to do that.
I think it is important to quantify what you have done professionally and academically and why you need this degree at this time and how the degree will get you to where you want to go career-wise.
I wouldn’t compare yourself to other profiles. Having an economics degree from a university is great and you sound like you have good work and volunteer experience. Focus on what you want and what you need to do to get there. Good luck!
-
I would do some research - attend information sessions online, read blogs, brochures, etc. each school and program will have tons of information on their websites.
Some of the top PP schools are Princeton SPIA (fully funded and also gives enrolled students a living stipend and health insurance), Harvard HKS, Yale Jackson (also gives good funding). Other top schools including Columbia SIPA, Uchicago Harris. It really depends what you want to study and where you want to be. John Hopkins SAIS has good programs in DC. There’s Michigan and Syracuse and many others.
Some programs have application due dates in December and some in January so take that into consideration. Princeton SPIA wrote on their blog if you apply before October 30th they will waive the application fee. https://spia.princeton.edu/blogs/interested-learning-more-about-princeton-spia-join-us-information-session
Try to get as much funding as you can (Princeton and Yale give great funding), taking out tons of debt for graduate school is not great.
good luck! -
Some schools have areas where you can add transcripts for these classes. Some programs also have sections where you can explain what you took. I think good grades help especially if you are going to a program that is quant heavy or requires the GRE/ stats/ Econ/ calc classes in their program. That is if you are taking these types of classes at community college and show you have a good grade/ know the material.
You might also look into programs you are interested in and attend virtual sessions / read online material to see what will help you with your admission to the program. Even if you aren’t interested in applying for 1-2 years attending these sessions may help you determine if the program is the right fit. Many top public policy degrees want to see you know how to do quant. -
Agree on the above esp. the quant.
If you want to pivot you might explain why/ what you have done in order to start achieving that goal. If you write about immigration, have you done anything in your roles? Did you work on visa sponsorship in your previous HR/ recruiting job? Did you volunteer at an immigration non-profit/ ACLU, etc?
I agree on GW Elliot and Georgetown Walsh. Also, look at Princeton SPIA, they give full tuition + stipends to all enrolled students. Yes, they focus on public service, but if you look at student + alumni bios some have worked at FAANG jobs. Yale Jackson has good funding, too.
Admissions have in-person and virtual sessions some with just admissions some with students/ alumni/ faculty. I would attend if you are able even virtual sessions as it gives you an idea of the program.
-
11 hours ago, sanctaphrax said:
Decades to pay off a max 180k loan? I think this might be an exaggeration..
with inflation and a possible recession on the horizon I do think for some large graduate school debt might take decades to pay off. Especially for those who still have loans from undergrad. Debt also impacts other aspects of your life such as buying a home. I think it’s something to seriously consider.
-
Did you receive a stipend at HKS or just tuition funding?
Princeton SPIA gives everyone full tuition funding +stipend+funded internships (MPA). At SPIA you won’t have classmates taking out 6 figure debt that takes years (or decades) to pay back. There is plenty of information on graduate school debt if you look it up.
SPIA students get jobs at the big consulting firms (look around on LinkedIn) but it isn’t advertised as much since their focus is on public service.
Do your own research and ask admissions to be connected to an alum who has an interesting career or area of expertise. Good luck! -
SPIA also mentions work experience on their blog posts including— https://spia.princeton.edu/blogs/tips-strengthen-your-application
-
Just FYI HKS does offer a one year mid-career masters as does some other policy schools including Princeton (if you are admitted to Princeton SPIA you receive 100% tuition paid for and living stipend for graduate degrees).
I would look at the classes at each program and do some research on each program by attending sessions they have/ speaking with current students and go from there. Good luck!
-
I think some schools don’t connect interested people with students until admitted because most students are busy. Always good to ask though. I agree to check your network to see if a friend of a friend knows someone who has a few minutes to talk or answer a couple questions. It’s a good idea to check the program website so you ask questions not already answered on the website/ blog/ virtual event. Many answers can be found on the program website. I would also recommend unless you know the person well to keep the convo short.
Most programs have virtual events where students participate and speak about their experience/ where you can ask questions. Good luck!
-
I believe some schools only allow you to apply to one program/ degree a year.
-
All schools have information and requirements on their website and every school is conducting plenty of virtual events where I suspect you can ask questions. It is a better idea to read up on each program and attend a virtual event instead of listening to someone who has never attended the program they are discussing. “Knowing” someone is not that same thing.
-
I would highly recommend working for a couple years before applying to policy graduate programs. It will only strengthen your application. Internships are great, but professional experience is better. Your field sounds interesting, but will probably get into better programs with better funding with more professional work experience. Also, you will probably be on a better career path after you graduate if you have a couple years of work experience under your belt before you attend graduate school. Good luck!
On 11/29/2019 at 10:00 PM, woodscommaelle said:I will finish my undergrad program in May and I'm honestly looking at potentially making a complete education volte face (sorry mom and dad). I'm really interested in the distribution of our most limited resources intersecting with the fact that everybody's gotta eat, but also really interested in policy- I kind of shoved that aside when it came time to choose my undergrad in fear that I wouldn't be able to hack it. Now, a career in policy seems to play to my strengths a little more and I'm a lot more excited about where it could take me, though I know that's not everything. I was not seriously considering applying to grad school and was semi-content to be chained to an excel sheet of soybean prices somewhere deep in corn country for the rest of my life until I took my GRE two weeks ago and talked to some people. I'm really late to the game in applying to graduate schools and I would love any perspectives on a) if I wanted to pursue an MPP, what schools would I have a shot at? I have no frame of reference at all, but if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right! b) is this a good idea/any advice? If I go to grad school, it will be directly out of undergrad.
Program Applying To: MPP/Equivalent
Schools Applying To: No idea, please help! I'm applying for a few MS agricultural economics programs (would want to focus on policy, but I still think that would be very narrow in terms of career prospects), but honestly I'm not sure how competitive I am for them either
Undergraduate institution: T1 flagship state school
Undergraduate GPA: 3.85
Undergraduate Major: Agricultural Economics
GRE Quantitative Score: 162
GRE Verbal Score: 167
GRE AW Score: 4.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0
Years of Work Experience: 0
Describe Relevant Work Experience: very involved internship with a congressional committee (adored DC!), internship with a state government agency (involving federal grant programs, development, and agricultural policy), Director of Development for school's high-profile, student-run policy lecture series (responsible for obtaining $60k contributory funding goal, multiple policy symposia, had the Secretary of State for our major program this year. We've brought heads of state/Presidents/Cabinet members in the past, so it's pretty high caliber and I had exposure to a lot of different policy topics), represented school at higher education advocacy day at state legislature, finalist in a solution-pitch competition, and a handful of less-applicable other activities.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think I have a relatively unique perspective and background to offer and that could be a strong point in my favor. I plan on talking about my experience relating nonpartisan policy issues to a 60k+ student body and learning from them, how my experience with resource distribution directly aligns with public policy as a whole, and how I've been quantitatively analyzing the effects of policies but I want to learn about the human factors too.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One absolutely glowing from my internship supervisor, a policy professional. One from my quantitative analysis prof who has been a big proponent of my attending grad school so I think fairly strong letter, and one from a prof that doesn't necessarily relate to public policy but knows the enthusiasm I put into my work.
Other: Didn't study for the GRE at all-planning to retake! -
Work experience is important. I would look on the websites for info on work experience, GRE, etc. I think many of the programs ask for at least two years of work experience after graduating college. But again, check the websites to get the correct data for each program and school.
-
On 3/15/2019 at 12:26 PM, acerbicb said:
I received my rejection email just now. This was my first and weakest application! I feel kinda down, but I know that these processes can be a crapshoot and that the stuff I turned into the other schools was superior in quality. I wonder if they offer feedback?
New post up for feedback
https://wws.princeton.edu/admissions/wws-blog/item/can-i-get-some-feedback
-
Interesting assessment. The information from the WWS viewbook shows different data. Looks like a bit more go into international work for summer internships and first jobs.
-
Mg522
I would recommend working for a few years and applying again to possibly get more funding. Many of the programs say on their website the number of years they recommend having before you apply. This will also help you with the job market because you will have experience and not just internships under your belt and that says just as much about your ability as a graduate degree. Many of the job data these schools have will probably be for students with at least a few (or more) years of work experience. Working will also give you another network when you leave graduate school which is also important.
The policy and non-profit job market can be tricky and doesn’t pay the greatest especially not for entry level. I recommend taking out the least amount of loans as possible.
Really think about what you want to concentrate on and then start applying for jobs in that area. If you have a goal and you demonstrate that through your work experience that is important too. I know working for a few years seems long, but it really isn’t and it may help secure more funding, get into better programs, and better jobs after graduation. Good luck!
-
Have you thought about getting more work experience and then applying again in a couple years? For WWS the 2-year MPA program asks for 2-4 years while HKS MPP is minimum 2-3 years of work experience. I think if you do a little more research on what each school wants (check their websites and View books) and work a couple more years then you would be a stronger candidate to the more selective schools with better funding. So try and find what places you think will be the best fit and tailor your resume and statements, but I would strongly suggest working for a few more years if you really want to get into WWS or HKS. I know it seems like you have to attend grad school right after undergrad, but gaining work experience is important for your career as well as classroom discussion. Good luck!
-
This seems helpful four out you competitive for policy schools. http://wws.princeton.edu/admissions/wws-blog/item/countdown-our-application-deadline-december-1-2018-are-you-well-positioned
-
I would think it’d be okay but change/ add your application to show why now.
-
I didn’t do the WFP pool but I know UN rosters can take a long time and sometimes you have more than one exam and interview. So I would recommend working elsewhere or have something else lined up. I always think it’s a good idea for UN staff to have been on the NGO side at one point in their careers. I find those who have only been UN don’t have a full view of the aid world and are not as equipped as those who have been on the other side.
There are plenty of NGOs that have short term gigs or even consultancies so check them out while waiting. It is also good to have in case the pool doesn’t work out.
I’d also recommend researching bc some agencies are better than others with regard to becoming long- term/ perm staff.
-
I agree be concise but make sure you put everything in you want to say, but also make sure you don’t repeat. I would also spend time editing and see someone (or multiple people) would mind reading it and giving you comments and feedback. This takes time though. Good luck!
Lack of development experience for IDev/MPA-ID kind programs?
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
if you have good grades from your Econ undergrad that will be a big + for quant heavy programs. Add in a good GRE and relevant work experience ++.
I understand you’re worried about your work experience. I might be wrong but based on your writing you have worked about 4 years (2 years policy position for mining and 1 year 8 months for IGO). Is this correct? What are you doing now? Volunteering is also good. Most people understand grants end so only having 1 year 8 months is understandable if explained. What were your accomplishments in this time? Why did it end after 1 year 8 months (lack of funding, project finished)? You don’t need to answer me just something for you to think about.
You don’t necessarily need a fancy name brand, it is more about the professional experience and showing you can do the quant work.
It is also ok to speak to the difficulty in obtaining IdEV roles in your country and how you would like X degree and experience from X school (internships, network, working with X professor) in order to pivot into those types of roles in your home country.
GL.