policy_applicant

Barely sneaked into the top option with my 750. And yes, verbal is much more difficult that quant. My 750 was only 84th percentile, while my 740 verbal was 99th.

Economist, your GRE scores are a bit low, but your MA and work experience should help. I think you're stuck in the wait-and-see category like the rest of us.

Yay! I'm "definitely" getting into Berkeley. Phew, I can stop worrying now.

...and now I'm nervous, too. I've recently been really getting my hopes up about GSPP.

This seems to be a not uncommon theme. I actually breathed a little sigh of relief that Obama didn't tap Robert Reich for a position, since I am looking forward to taking his class next year (assuming I'm admitted to Goldman).

From the Results Search, it looks like as early as early to mid February. Does GPPI have rolling admissions? I submitted my application in late October, so if they do, I should hear on the early side.

I have not. But with the law degree, those GRE scores and the work experience, I imagine it'll come down to your SOP and having a compelling reason for wanting the degree.

This was less of a concern for me since I'm a California resident, so it's already a pretty good deal without funding. I visited the school in September and sat in on two classes. The campus is amazing, and the Goldman School's 2-building nook is tucked away cozily in the southeast corner. The professors and students both seemed positive about the program and both were very kind and accessible. That said, the admissions person I met with said they only provide funding to the top third of acceptances, and all packages are only for the first year. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have applied to Duke and U of Chicago. Both seem to have really strong quantitative focuses. It would have been tough to make cuts from my (admittedly long) list, though.

The wait is killing me. And I've become superstitious like you. My coworkers keep asking when I'm leaving or saying, "When you're gone in August...," and I just have to cover my ears and tell them not to jinx me.

Linden, are you the American U acceptance listed on the results page? I'm also applying to MPP programs. My stats: 3.6 at west coast catholic university with 3.7 in econ (major). 740V/750Q/5.5AW on GRE. 3.5 years work experience in public finance (private company). I am cautiously optimistic.

I've seen some acceptances as early as the second week of February for NYU and, I think, GW. But I'm not counting on it. The bulk is definitely in mid March.

Good. Let's get some discussion in here. The wait is killing me. I've had most of my apps complete since late October, but just finished the last one at the beginning of January. Now there's nothing to do but wait...and fill out my FAFSA. I'm waiting to hear from: WWS, GPPI, GSPP, USC, UCLA, LBJ, GW, NYU and Rutgers I'm praying to get an acceptance or two in February since I applied back in October, but won't start holding my breath until March.

Yeah, Princeton's MPA is the equivalent of an MPP.

I'm currently applying and have similar interests. Princeton WWS has a strong econ program and top-notch professors. Berkeley GSPP prides itself on a strong quantitative focus. I believe U of Chigago also has a strong quantitative program. That should at least give you a place to start.

Huh. Interesting perspective. I listed them on my applications, and I hope it won't backfire. As mentioned by FSIA, I would hope that any respectable adcom wouldn't let it affect their decision.

Looking at class profiles, it seems that most respectable programs accept students with a mean verbal score in the mid 600s. It's my sense that quantitative scores are a bit more important, but a sub-600 verbal score won't help your chances. Do the programs you're looking at post admissions statistics?

I'm applying to WWS as well and have been putting this off. I'm not currently working in policy, so I don't have any concrete examples to work from. Also, I'm wonder how much research, etc. is required, or if they're just looking mainly for reasoning skills. That is, are they looking for concrete answers or just logical reasoning and proposed solutions?

NYU Wagner has them as well. I believe some others I'm applying to do, but I'll have to check. Where are you applying?

I'm trying to whittle down my list of schools to 6-8, but I'm having trouble cutting schools that might end up being my only acceptances, or at least the only ones with decent funding. I'm curious to see, for those who applied for Fall '08, where everyone applied, who accepted them, and who rejected them. Maybe if I'm seeing a lot of crossover between certain schools, I can more confidently discard the less desirable ones. Thanks!

Hmm...I don't know what the 5 Cs are, so I don't think so. My undergrad doesn't have much of a national reputation. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I switched to economics a little late in the game (from english major), so i'm a little worried about my recs. but i should be able to get one from my current employer, one from the head of the econ dept and one from another professor (this is the one I'll have to dig for a bit). I'll PM you about your policy work.

Hi all. I'm applying for public policy programs for Fall 2009 and am currently considering the following programs (and will probably apply to a few others): UCLA, NYU-Wagner, Berkeley-GSPP, USC, UT - Austin-LBJ, U of Chicago-Harris, Georgetown-GPPI, GWU UGPA is 3.62 from a small, West coast Liberal Arts College with an econ major. GREs are 740V / 750Q / 5.5AW. I've been working in public finance for 3 years, but would very much like to move into social economic policy analysis. What do you think my chances are of getting in to the above mentioned schools? Are there any programs I'm missing that I would have a shot at getting in to? Thanks in advance!