escondido41

Thank you. This gives me a bit of a chance I guess. Its been so long since I looked at my transcripts and had almost forgotten that I was a C student. Somehow I never felt inadequate or wanting in the professional world. GRE? I'd probably do better straight out of college than now. The program doesn't require it(though you can volunteer to submit it), but I am also thinking that a stellar GRE would be the best way to allay worries about intellectual capacity. Then again, it's just been so long since I did any sort of math!

Thanks for the reply. I am referring to the HKS MC/MPA actually. Unfortunately, even law school was C country. Of course I would still try but I just have to manage my expectations.

It has been 10 years since my LLM. 20 years since my JD and 24 years since my College degree. I had horrendous grades (classic C student) except for LLM which was almost perfect. Since then I have had a long professional career which, in my estimation would put me in a good position in applying for a mid-career MPP/MPA from the top schools. But just how much will my grades pull me back? Are they given much weight in mid-career programs? Most say that there is no minimum cut-off for grades, but in reality is there such a things as really bad grades that would just stand out in an application regardless?

I just saw your reply. Would your opinion also apply for international applicants with no plans to work in the US?

Despite the Goldman reputation I have seen no discussion about their Master in Public Affairs course. Is it a newly offered degree? Also, they say you can do the Fall and Spring semesters online but I counted about 3 courses in Goldman that are available online.

So some mid-career MPPs still require a GRE (hello WWS). Been taking some practice tests and I feel I have a long way to go. Most reviews focus on letting you do things quicker, but I think I need to re-learn the concepts in the math part. Any tips form people who were on a similar boat? While I am at it, might as well gauge my quant capabilities when I am in the program. Will I really need to learn GRE level quant to get by?

Thanks. An anecdote about me is the that I almost always get the jobs when I do a personal interview but 99% of my phone interviews don't end well. I guess my charming personality doesn't come through. I did ask once why I was not selected and they just said someone else's qualifications were a better bit. They could just be being nice though.

Thanks. You are right. I am unhappy with my career. In applying for jobs I often get shortlisted but never hired, so I feel there’s something missing in what they are looking at. Perhaps another masters could serve as an extra push, and also widen the job options that I can apply to, or ultimately learn a few tricks and go the self employed route, or public service. Though I don’t know how I can recoup the tuition with a public servant’s salary. But he, I think a vigorous job search should run parallel to my school applications.

I'm a mid-career lawyer with JD and LLM and I feel that my career is stalling. Thinking of getting further education to jumpstart it. Perhaps a US/UK LLM to add to my LLM will make me more attractive to employers or improve my capabilities in my own practice, but what I really see myself wanting to do is public service, advocacy and perhaps eventually go back to government (I have had stints as a government lawyer) so I am leading towards MPP or an MPA. I am 44 years old, so age wise, the HKS MC/MPA seems to be the only one whose average age (still) fits my age group. A lot of other good programs seem to attract the younger crowd. I also have no plans of working in the US so I don't think I will easily earn back what I spend. On the other hand I see more financial upside to another LLM. I could expand into another legal specialty or join a better firm/company. But this doesn't bring me any closer to my long term goal. I guess my question is will an MPA bring me closer to my goal or should I just keep earning money (or study more to earn more)? Thanks so much.