Fruit

Application Details
Programs: Public Policy or Public Affairs, see signature for all schools. Schools Applied To:  Accepted to all ranging from half to full tuition. Rejected from none. Attending: Princeton MPA Undergraduate Institution: Top 5 U.S. private school Undergraduate GPA:  < 3.3 Undergraduate Major: STEM GRE: 80% Q / 93% V / 99% AW. Sent to all schools. Years Out/Work Exp.: 4 Relevant Work Experience: Government agency closely aligned with my interests and goals. Lots of energy dedicated to community organizing in my area of interest. Worked in civic tech-esque part of private sector before. Strength of SOP: I had an air-tight narrative that connected my upbringing, academic background, and current/future endeavors specifically for the school. Very public service oriented and clear vision of impact I want to realize. Strength of LORs:  Extremely strong letters from professor, current supervisor, and community organizing mentor. Wrote a LOR packet for each writer to ensure each letter testified to a different parts of my work in and commitment to public service. General Advice
Get feedback: Asked for feedback from literally anyone I could on grammar, tone, and content. I only wish I had asked for it earlier, instead of waiting until my drafts were completely done. I also enrolled in some mentorship or student feedback programs geared towards underrepresented students, I would recommend looking into these if you don’t have friends or peers to give you feedback: UCLA PPDE, USC MAP, HKS. Write about what you know: I wrote it about a law I work with every day and firmly believe my familiarity with my chosen topic made it a strong memo. I also referenced it multiple times throughout my application. Letters of Recommendation: I debated veering a bit more academic with my LORs at first, but ultimately decided on asking letters from those I felt could best convey who I am as an entire person and not just an academic or practitioner. This resulted in three extremely strong letters as my recommenders  knew my journey and heart and were rooting for me from the moment I told them about my goals. This journey has been deeply personal for me, and pursuing further education was not a decision I made lightly and I never thought I’d be able to attend Princeton after a difficult undergraduate journey. Please, please, please don’t let the profiles on here deter you from applying to more competitive schools. If you know why you want to go to policy school, make it abundantly clear through your writing and work and do not leave anything on the table. Grateful for folks on this forum for the advice and camaraderie—will try to revisit this website to pay it forward so future applicants, please message me questions!

Same--guess they're running a bit late in starting.

Hey all - just FYI, I just heard back with an acceptance for the MPP and a pretty generous scholarship, and since people started hearing back last week it suggests they’re not necessarily going in order of funding and/or going fast (as we knew...) - so don’t lose hope  (it was all in the email and I applied a few weeks before the priority deadline fwiw!)

Nope. Still waiting as I think most Dec 15 applicants are.

Was admitted yesterday with a 50% scholarship!

I am also waiting for it! I hope we hear good news within the next week.

Current SPIA student here with a reminder that whether or not you got in is not reflective of your worth or your potential to make positive change in the world! The person you are, and your drive to make people's lives better in whatever way you are passionate about, is not determined by what school you end up at or if you even go to graduate school at all.
Also, a word of encouragement to the wait-list folks, since I was one in 2019 - it is possible. My best advice for dealing in the meantime is to send in whatever supplemental materials they ask for (for me it was a statement about my continued interest in the program) and then start making plans you're excited about somewhere else. Great things are ahead, wherever you end up.

Also I was majorly close to having a breakdown this morning (from the stress of not knowing), but chatting with everyone here on the forum really helped ease my anxiety. It feels good to know I'm not alone. Thank you so much!!! I hope we all get what we applied for!!

Got the email this morning (PT) with the subject "YES from Princeton SPIA." This feels so unreal; I'll collect my thoughts later after I'm done crying ?
Edit: This was for the MPA.

Okay I spoke too soon! Just got an email saying I was recommended for admission (for MPP), and would be receiving official notification within the next two days. Scholarship information was included in the email. Super excited and got half tuition but it's still pretty expensive so I'm not sure if it's worth it ?

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

No, I did not send them physical transcripts and my letter still said my admission was pending final approval until I send them final materials. My acceptance had this generic language:
You have received a fellowship, and will receive an official letter from the fellowships office via DocuSign within the next week. Please refrain from asking questions about fellowships until you’ve received your fellowship notification.
and then the official letter from the fellowships office came a few days later. 

I'm in the same boat as you. I also haven't seen anyone who has heard back from the program. 

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

Was accepted to Austin-based MPAff around 9 AM PT! Adding my bit here so that future lurkers will know how staggered these results are and that it's not over until it's over. Time to wait for funding information.
Good luck everyone!

@Berber, if it's of any help I did some extensive research and informational interviewing for Stanford joint degrees earlier this year and can add a bit more to the MPP discussion.
I second most of what @GradSchoolGrad mentioned, especially since I know a good number of public policy undergraduates, 1-year MAs in public policy (co-terminal degree graduates mostly), and MPPs and it's an unfortunate chicken v. egg situation. Given the small number of students in a program that doesn't give/get as much funding as other policy schools, Stanford's less invested Haas Center of Public Service that has to serve all students, and the Bay Area's focus on tech, most students will go into consulting/tech-oriented/quant roles. There's more information on job placement on their webpage that reflects GRG's statement that few students go to DC, but enough find their way into more local policy spaces if they so seek it. 
FWIW, the joint degree I'm pursuing requires some flexibility, and when I spoke to the team they seemed very lenient on some MPP requirements. This seems like such a program will benefit students who are not so much in the exploratory phase, but rather using the MPP as a time to accelerate their career; you would also benefit from having a stronger joint-degree cohort than working alongside students who are coming straight from Stanford's undergrad and presumably have less work experience.
That being said, the folks leading the program and its admin (Greg Rosston, Kelly Walsh) are incredibly responsive and will connect you with joint degree students, alumni, and certain opportunities without hesitation, and as with most elite private schools, there's definitely money to fund your internships if you ask or look for it. In my analysis of programs I've been accepted to, Stanford seems to require a student be more proactive than they otherwise would be at larger policy schools if they're looking for a specific outcome. Just some things I considered during the application/outreach process, hope that helps!
Edit: I didn't consider or apply GSPP in this response, and I know they're clearly a contender in Bay Area policy spaces. By sheer numbers, I've met more GSPP alumni but I can't speak to their joint degrees.

no official letter from masia this week was definitely a choice 

I thought the same thing but this week has been very anticlimactic. 

Has anyone got any news on Stanford MIP decisions? I’m getting anxious ?

Just heard back a couple of hours ago that I have been admitted to the DC MPAff program!! Crossing my fingers for everyone else still waiting ??

I'm just going to put this out there in case anyone else feels similarly: being in limbo at this point is making me even more anxious. I already have several responses from some of my top choices, but I still just want to know so I can move on with the next step of my professional and academic career and spend the next few months figuring out how to move in the middle of a pandemic!
Definitely remaining grateful for the opportunity to even pursue higher education, but on top of the pandemic and the state of vaccine distribution in the US... everything feels so unknown. Just hoping for plans to solidify a lot more so I can stop existing in this state of waxing and waning anxiety.  I know we've all worked our asses off for this month and the decision(s) we'll all have to make by April 15th, but I wish these next three weeks or so weren't so painful ?