misterrpiketty

I am not a SIPA-admit but curious to understand this policy, as I think other universities may be considering it too. Have a few doubts. From the wording of this letter, it appears that students would have a choice whether to enrol in Fall and take classes possibly remotely, or defer to Jan 2021. Suppose in-person classes do not resume in the Fall due to covid-
Does that mean that some people in the batch would start the degree over Zoom and others would start in Spring? How would that even work, as people within the same batch would have done different amounts of coursework in the first year. Would spring starts in a 2-year program get 2 summer breaks? Basically, i would think that either the course itself starts in Jan 2021 for everyone or that people defer to the next academic year. Managing two groups of Fall and Spring students within the same batch seems quite strange. Or maybe I'm missing something here. 
 
 

I am not a SIPA-admit but curious to understand this policy, as I think other universities may be considering it too. Have a few doubts. From the wording of this letter, it appears that students would have a choice whether to enrol in Fall and take classes possibly remotely, or defer to Jan 2021. Suppose in-person classes do not resume in the Fall due to covid-
Does that mean that some people in the batch would start the degree over Zoom and others would start in Spring? How would that even work, as people within the same batch would have done different amounts of coursework in the first year. Would spring starts in a 2-year program get 2 summer breaks? Basically, i would think that either the course itself starts in Jan 2021 for everyone or that people defer to the next academic year. Managing two groups of Fall and Spring students within the same batch seems quite strange. Or maybe I'm missing something here. 
 
 

It's also possible and increasingly likely in my opinion, that the Fall semester gets pushed online. If that happens, the value of the degree will go down everywhere. And tuition is not likely to decrease because master's programs are cash cows and university endowments are crashing. I seriously doubt that the HKS brand is worth that kind of money. Infact, if you are planning to spend the full amount, it makes much more sense to defer by a year and try for external funding and reconsideration for aid next year. You have nothing to lose. 

Thanks @pillow. Your arguments are very compelling and I wish you the very best! Of course it helps that you had the no-debt option at both places  If I had to make the same choice, I would probably choose similarly. The main advantage of the MPA/ID to my mind is its quantitative focus - as that's what I am looking to do, options of taking classes not just across Harvard departments but at MIT too, and its international focus (this is my perception honestly - compared to WWS which seems to be a bit US focused). But having said that, WWS is a fabulous school and the community is absolutely great. My career plan is to work in the public sector, so debt is a major factor. And therefore if one considers the significant debt at Harvard vs no debt at Princeton, then I think I would choose WWS. Which is why I am here  Thanks and good luck to you!

Hey guys, in case any of you haven’t noticed it the call for scholarship is up. You’d be surprised with the list of preferred unis though. All the best x 

I just heard that one of my schools is offering students the option to defer by one semester i.e. start Spring 2021. Obviously this would involve a lot of administrative changes for schools, but personally is a great option. Wondering if you guys are hearing this too?

Thanks @heidi91 that's very encouraging  . Fingers crossed! 

I applied to the MPA/ID program at Harvard Kennedy School, which has traditionally been a partner program under the World Bank scholarship. Was informed that this year MPA/ID is not on the list of partner programs. However, no news from World Bank on what is the list of partner programs and preferred programs this year. They seem to be really delayed this year, even before COVID-19 struck.