Anonymous_2019

GradSchoolGrad, you and I have attended Georgetown McCourt and Tufts Fletcher respectively so we are biased. That’s why it’s important to be objective in our statements by providing specific examples. Grand statements such as the case in point here aren’t helpful. I can equally respond by saying that a lot of people outside of the Northeast do in fact know what Tufts is. For example, for the class of 2024 the Tufts admission rate was 13.99% (2,831 accepted / 20,223 applied). Conversely, Georgetown stood at 16.37% (3,276 accepted / 20,002 applied). So, more applications came to Tufts than Georgetown and Tufts was more selective than Georgetown.

Please see post below.

To clarify comment below from GradSchoolGrad: “Yes... you can take Harvard graduate school classes from Fletcher. HOWEVER... A: that will be a logistical pain to get from Somerville to the Harvard schools (especially if you end up living in Medford like many Fletcher students). B: Yes... you take a class, but what really makes an experience meaningful is collaboration and involvement. Hypothetically you can... but realistically, you don't get all the benefits of being a Harvard student and all the involvement opportunities.” Indeed, there is a logistical issue. For example, I took a course at Fletcher ending at 1130 and I had another one at HKS starting at 1215. It was generally ok to get there within the 45 minutes. I walked from Fletcher to the Davis Square T stop (around 15 minutes) and then took the T for two stops (Porter and Harvard) which took some 10 minutes. Getting out at Harvard Square meant an additional 5 minutes walk to HKS. I had a 15 minute buffer which sometimes was necessary if I needed a bathroom break or the T was late. More than 45 minutes is perfect. Less than 45 minutes will be challenging. The location of your residence many of course further negatively impact this scenario. The real issue is not the logistics so much as is the overlap of class schedules. Due to this, one has to choose between classes that are interesting leading to difficult decisions. Regarding the second point, I disagree. Fletcher students have access to all Harvard groups and events. For example, the European Conference at Harvard, which brings high-level European politicians to the school, is actually a joint Harvard-Fletcher effort. One doesn't hear about Fletcher too much because the school doesn't market itself as well as Harvard does (the latter has a much larger budget to do so). For the networks, for example the Harvard Club of Boston (for alumni only) accepts graduates from Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Fletcher (not Tufts). Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “School affiliation” to see the drop-down options: https://www.harvardclub.com/memberships/

Hello Bubba94. Yes, I am regularly checking the website. More than happy to discuss with you. PM me and we can organize a call. Normally, I hold them on Mondays at 1000 Boston time.

Hello! I didn’t apply to SAIS for various reasons: - Significant exposure to Asia, not of interest to me. - Wanted to link my academic and post-academic work locations so not interested in Italy / China Erasmus options. - SAIS cohort is huge. I would get lost in the crowd. - SAIS more expensive than comparable options. - I didn’t want to necessarily focus on political risk. - Branding was important. Fletcher - Harvard collaboration has wider and stronger network. Georgetown also strong due to huge cohort.

Hello all, I am currently at Fletcher. I act as an “alumni Ambassador”. I have held a number of meetings on campus with prospective students and already admitted candidates. I am also cross-registering for courses at Harvard. I had also applied to Georgetown and Yale (not SAIS and Columbia for specific reasons). More than happy to answer any questions you may have about Fletcher as well as the other universities I mentioned.

Did anyone receive any news since my last post?

I applied to the MC/MPA, I was waitlisted, and I received an email saying that I will not be offered admission so - further to all those rejected from the specific program this year - I too “am out”. The way I read the email from Admissions I understood that no additional offers (to those already made) will be extended so I would be surprised if anyone else who has applied to the MC/MPA received different feedback.

I received an update: no additional offers of admission will be possible this year so I am out too.

From my side, nothing further to the email of 25 April (mentioned above). Expected update remains mid-to-end May (so basically this week). I’ll let you know once I receive feedback.

Hks19, I am really sorry to hear your news as well. Take care!

amaka26, I am really sorry to hear that. All the best to you!

Yes, I received the same. The message adds that if I wish to stay on the waitlist I have to send my agreement to do so up to May 9th. The next update would be around mid-to-end May. The message also noted that for MC/MPAs there is a mandatory session starting mid-July so I would also implicitly confirm that I could attend. On this point it’s up to HKS to get my visa in order. If they can organize my visa in one month, I will be there.

Thanks and best of luck to you too!

Hello, I am on the MC/MPA waitlist. I have not heard anything back yet. In my decision, there was no specific date for a reply of the Admissions’ Committee but rather a range from end-April to May (without specifying when in May). The decision also said that the Admissions’ Committee would have a better idea of my chances for admission sometime in end-March beginning-April. Which program are you in and what feedback have you received to-date?

Hi Alras and thank you for the reply. Indeed, it sounds like our trajectories are similar. The current situation is that I am still on the waitlist for the HKS MC/MPA (no news since the original offers went out). I am planning on accepting the Fletcher MA offer tomorrow. I said no to the Georgetown MPM offer. I was rejected at Yale MAS (but I most probably would have said no as Fletcher is a better fit for me). If I were to be accepted off the HKS MC/MPA waitlist, I was wondering whether I could combine the two options into a dual or joint mid-career degree (the two universities seem to already be closely collaborating in this domain) - any ideas? To be honest, I have learned so much about Fletcher over the past weeks, they have been excellent in communicating and making me feel included. I really didn’t expect such a warm welcome. I would have difficulty in giving up the opportunity. Some ideas from my side, looking at both university programs, it seems that, - Kennedy has a more branded name and global reach (I mean for the random person living outside the US, as professionals in the field and people knowledgeable with the subject are well aware of Fletcher). If you look at the numbers, both universities seem to have produced Presidents and super-high flyers in both the public and private spaces (ok Kennedy somewhat more than Fletcher but I don't think the quantity matters too much in this regard). - Fletcher’s courses seem much more arts and legal-related and Kennedy’s much more analytical (of course you can mix with courses in HBS and HLS which would give more options overall). Professors seem to be equally amazing at both universities. Some teaching at Fletcher are Kennedy graduates and I can understand that a Harvard degree is important for those who wish to embark upon an academic career path as research is probably better at Kennedy than at Fletcher - I am speaking without any evidence here. Otherwise I think the professional options will be largely the same with some advantages for Fletcher on international organizations and some advantages for Kennedy on US politics. - In terms of network, it appears that Fletcher is really tight and people (I specifically mean those outside your specific study year who you would approach for the first time) will do their best to help you find a job (more than giving you an interview as courtesy, I mean) as well as act in an open and inclusive manner. I do not know whether alumni of Kennedy would react the same way and would appreciate feedback on this point. - Then there is the question of cost, Kennedy is much more expensive (about 15,000 - 20,000 USD more as regards the MC/MPA degree just because they have a mandatory refresher session (that you cannot avoid or test-out of) which alone costs more than 10,000 USD and to that you need to add the expenses for that additional time) which again I do not know whether it is warranted. - Lastly, I want to address the stories I have heard about the importance and prestige of the Ivy League. While I can understand why a 21 year old graduate who is copy/paste with all other 21 year old graduates and needs to find a job in a competitive economy will be helped by an Ivy League name on the CV, I truly wonder whether this is so important for mid-career professionals who already have established themselves with decades of academic and professional experience and thus have a lot to offer on their own merit. The same goes for rankings, which I throw into this point as well as I deem them largely insignificant for mid-career candidates. Any opinions on this post is very much welcome.

Unfortunately I was rejected. No worries and all the best to those who made it.

Hi leafsixnorth, I am also waitlisted (for the MC/MPA). You? Indeed, any information (waitlist pool, chances, etc.) would be helpful. Where else did you apply/receive offers? I am in at Fletcher/MA and McCourt/MPM and waiting for Yale/MAS.

Thank you alee8001! I called them and they hope to announce the MAS decisions before the end of this week.

Hello, new member. Congratulations to all who made it. I also applied but have not received any update yet, while I thought that all decisions are announced together. Can I ask whether you applied to the MA or the MAS? Thanks in advance.