MPP/MAIRHopeful2019

Hi everyone, I'm having a difficult time deciding between two potential options. For some background I'm interested in the application of data science to policy, specifically at some point to foreign policy. The two offers I'm struggling between are: Heinz MSPPM - Data Analytics - 80% tuition scholarship Harris MPP - 25k per year tuition scholarship Heinz and Harris have from what I have seen the best data policy options, but Heinz offers a more direct path with the MSPPM - Data Analytics track, and it is mostly paid for. With the impending economic fallout from coronavirus, this is more important now than ever. Harris has more robust international policy options and has a data analytics certificate. It's difficult to dent the draw of Chicago, but they also had the opportunity to display their offering at an unperson Admitted Students Day whereas CMU didn't. My goal is to ultimately work in NYC in data analysis of policy preferably either focusing on policing or on international development and global conflict. I love both schools but am unsure about which school to ultimately choose. A couple questions I have: Do both offer the same degree of opportunity in NYC where neither is native to? Can you get into an IR focused data role without an IR degree specifically? I know CMU is more management based on Chicago more theory based, but do they offer the same quality of instruction. Are they both well regarded in the the policy community, and will the lack of policy oriented classes at CMU hurt me or will the less specific focus on data analysis at Chicago hurt me? Any and all graduates please weigh in as well as anyone stuck in a similar dilemma.

The obvious question in my mind is, do you know what you're getting into? What is it that you think we do here, hold hands and sing kumbayah? Banks and big corps are the biggest players in this arena, second only to governments (and that's only in certain areas). If you have a disdain for corporations, don't go to public policy school, quit your job, go work at a small-time NGO or get a humanities PhD, and you will find yourself in excellent company. If you're ready to join us in the real world, your banking experience will be extremely valuable. But think carefully about whether you can see yourself advancing the same interests for half the money. Actually this is kind of a relief, a number of admission booklets were pretty explicit about strong preference for public sector experience over private sector experience. As for the alliance between public and private sectors I am well aware they can play together, and they can work in unison to do some meaningful things. My disdain isn't for corporations; it is for corporate malfeasance. I'm unhappy with the trajectory my employer has taken, but that is not due to them being a corporation or a bank. It is the methodology they seem to adopt when doing business that can omit important information and manipulate data. There's certainly useful information, practices, lessons, to be mined from my time in the private sector. In fact a large part of my application will hinge on that very fact, but those practices can be applied more proactively, and with broader awareness of the world and to serve the interests of a much larger group. If I can advance interests that serve that broader population; doing so in an honest way, than yes, I'm more than happy to advance those for half the pay.

Hi all, Just made an account as I'm planning to apply to MPP programs and MAIA programs in 2019. I have some concerns about my application though which I'm wondering if anyone could potentially address. The first is my undergraduate GPA. I went to a strong public school, and had difficult classes (BA in Politics and Philosophy, and BS in Computer Science) but I slacked off a lot back then. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life and felt disillusioned by the prospect of a career in a field I wasn't in love with. I also went through a nasty breakup which combined tanked my GPA and brought it down to a 2.9. I know, yikes. Since then though I have cleaned up my act, matured quite a bit and have been a member of the workforce, and am a high performer in my job. Which brings me to my second concern, currently, I work in the private sector, for a bank, a big crappy corporate bank. While the name carries some prestige and I do have a strong understanding in economics due to it ( I worked on the creation of a robo-advisement investment platform and a product to get high net worth people to pump money into charity), it's still a bank. The obvious question I'm sure in many people's minds is why, and the answer is I was never happy with it, but don't have any fiscal support and had to make ends meet at 21. Still, I'm worried it will raise questions about commitment to public service, and about the level of relevance schools may see it as having. I've volunteered all throughout the years working there and long before it, and the advisors of a couple of these volunteering programs have agreed to write recommendations. Will it be a problem though, and how would you go about addressing it in you statement of purpose? Other than that I should have an overall decentish application. I have a good deal of economics knowledge and background, and am not bad at math. GRE: 165 Verbal 161 Quant Still waiting on AWA (Is the Quant too low? Should I retake it for a higher quant?) I've taught english in Costa Rica, volunteered doing the same and teaching civics courses, did Model UN all throughout college, and have plenty of classes from undergrad in latin american politics, Chinese economics, and cybersecurity and antiterrorism. I have interests in a number of programs and am hoping to get a sense if I stand a chance. Thanks everyone