sal41
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Posts posted by sal41
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Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP/MSPP/MSSP
Schools Applied To: UChicago Harris, Georgetown McCourt, NYU Wagner (MSPP), Penn SP2 (MSSP), Duke Sanford, Michigan Ford, HKS
Schools Admitted To: UChicago Harris ($), Georgetown McCourt ($$), NYU Wagner ($), Penn SP2 ($), Duke Sanford ($$$), Michigan Ford ($)
Schools Rejected From:
Still Waiting: HKS
Undergraduate Institution: Top 10 public university
Undergraduate GPA: 3.93
Undergraduate Major: Public policy
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 160/159/5.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3.5
Years of Work Experience: 3.5
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Leadership/policy role with small state-level nonprofit focused on education
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): About a 7/10, I grounded it in my experiences in the workforce and the types of social policy issues I now want to take action on, but it was pretty broad -- I spoke of my interest in social policies that impact children and families broadly and the types of skills I hope to gain from a graduate program.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): 9/10, one was from my current CEO who I directly report to, one was from my senior year capstone advisor, and one was another former professor who I am still in contact with and knows me both personally and academically. I asked them to specifically speak to my leadership skills + previously expressed interest and work on social policy issues.
Other: I am torn between the more traditional two-year MPP programs compared to NYU and Penn's newer one-year programs. I like the idea of being in graduate school for two years, but I'm weighing that against the additional costs + loss of another year in the workforce. The range in aid offers that I've received is also giving me pause -- right now, Georgetown and Duke are substantially more affordable than my other options. Any advice is welcome! -
On 3/2/2021 at 3:53 PM, van_96 said:
Yeah, I'm not sure either. One year saves a ton on the cost of living and eliminates the opportunity cost of not working full-time for another year, but the combination of how new the program is and how small it is means there's basically no alumni network. I don't know if it's smart to pay 80k+ to be a guinea pig. My current plan is to wait for the other schools I've applied to and use the best offer to leverage more scholarship money from the rest of the schools. If NYU doesn't pony up more (and I don't expect them to) then I'm probably leaning towards turning it down in favor of a more established/bigger program. Curious to hear your thoughts as well.
Agree with everything you said here. The Wagner MPA alumni network seems a lot stronger relative to the MSPP being so new, and I wonder if the Wagner name on its own would be enough to access that same network. I also think the intensity and pace of the MSPP program is both a benefit and a drawback -- we'd learn so much so quickly, but I worry about not getting to experience other important aspects of graduate school like networking, attending events, getting involved in the community, etc. that it seems like a two-year program would more readily allow for.
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1 hour ago, van_96 said:
I applied to the MSPP, which is only a one year program but still has basically the same tuition as the two-year MPA since it's a 42 credit program, and got 15k off tuition from a "MS in Public Policy Scholarship."
I also received this offer for the MSPP program. Wondering what your thoughts are about the cost/benefit of the program with it being one year + relatively new.
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On 9/4/2020 at 1:46 PM, GradSchoolGrad said:
So from a pure baseline perspective, you are what admissions committees have referred to as a star candidate - as in you really check the block for the major categories. Your GRE is a bit lower than normal star candidates, but given your high GPA, I don't view it as a problem. I think for you, the challenge is more so about what works best for your career interests.
So some things that would be good to know about you to help guide you.
1. How comfortable are you with Calculus and Calculus based econometrics? Academically? Professionally?
2. I just want to make sure that you aren't trying to target for a PhD... you border line sound like you might be tracking for that as a possibility... but just want to make sure.
3. Where do you want to take you career? Focused on data analysis + research, or being a policy mover and shaker (basically some level of operations of some sort
4. How dedicated are you to K-12 education? I say this because of all the policy areas across grad schools, I saw the highest proportion of policy area pivots from K-12 education to another policy area (including myself) due to how crazy competitive it is + very clique community + oversaturated it is with talent + limited NEW innovation / multidisciplinary aspects with the field which made it rather unattractive
5. How much do you care about scholarships? Of your listed options so far, I would imagine McCourt and Penn to probably most willing to grant you scholarships, but I view those (at this point) as some of the weaker options for you.
Right now... my general thoughts are:
1. UPENN MSPP-DA does not make sense unless you are trying to pursue a PhD + are interested in one of their niche programs/projects/connections ongoing. From a pure career perspective, it probably has the least range of career flexibility
2. HKS MPP / Chicago Harris MPP - are probably the top notch programs for your area - broadly speaking. Terry Sanford is great if you want to have a more state and local focus.
3. Another option is to M.ED. program with a data focus at Peabody, Stanford, or Johns Hopkins - again depending on your dedication to K-12.
4. McCourt can be a good option if you want to do heads down in DC area think tanks / research firms with a data focus, but little else besides that (basically not really operational stuff) or innovation stuff unless you want to dual degree.
5. Another option for you is if you want to do a data focused policy program. Chicago, Heinz, and McCourt all have them (I would say Heinz and Chicago are probably tied for quality... McCourt Data Science Policy Master's is a much better organized program than the straight MPP.
Lets carry the convo from here.Thank you for this feedback! It's incredibly helpful. Some quick responses to your questions:
1. How comfortable are you with Calculus and Calculus based econometrics? Academically? Professionally? Not very comfortable - my last calculus course was AP in high school. How big of a weakness is this? Would it be helpful to take a calculus course at a local community college and if so, should I state plans to do that in the spring?
2. I just want to make sure that you aren't trying to target for a PhD... you border line sound like you might be tracking for that as a possibility... but just want to make sure. I don't think I'm interested in a PhD.
3. Where do you want to take you career? Focused on data analysis + research, or being a policy mover and shaker (basically some level of operations of some sort. I want to be a policy mover/shaker, but I feel that my weak quantitative skills could be a barrier to entry in the first few jobs directly out of graduate school, w hich is why I'm hoping to strengthen them. I recognize they wouldn't be as necessary for my long-term goals of working high up at a nonprofit/think tank/government org.
4. How dedicated are you to K-12 education? I say this because of all the policy areas across grad schools, I saw the highest proportion of policy area pivots from K-12 education to another policy area (including myself) due to how crazy competitive it is + very clique community + oversaturated it is with talent + limited NEW innovation / multidisciplinary aspects with the field which made it rather unattractive. I am not dedicated to only K-12 education -- my experience the last few years has opened my eyes to how much I care about all types of social policy (education, food, transportation, housing, etc.) and the intersection that all of those play. For my interest statement, how much would you recommend I focus in on K-12 since that's where my experience is vs. explaining my interest in other policy areas?
5. How much do you care about scholarships? Of your listed options so far, I would imagine McCourt and Penn to probably most willing to grant you scholarships, but I view those (at this point) as some of the weaker options for you. Scholarships are important but not a deal breaker if they are unavailable. This is super helpful, thank you again!
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Applicant: White female
Undergraduate institution: UNC-Chapel Hill
Undergraduate GPA: 3.93
Undergraduate Major: Public Policy, minor in Media & Journalism
GRE Quantitative Score: 160
GRE Verbal Score: 159
GRE AW Score: 5.5Schools applying to: Still deciding for sure, but currently looking at: UPenn MSPP+DA, HKS MPP, McCourt MPP, UChicago MPP, Duke MPP
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3
Years of Work Experience: 3
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Serve in a leadership/policy research role for a small, statewide nonprofit that provides news, policy research, analysis, and data on K-12 education. Extensive experience researching and writing about K-12 education issues, including a focus on education data systems and child nutrition programs.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Medium -- strong rec coming from CEO, strong rec coming from one professor, third letter is pending -- possibly coming from a second professor who doesn't know me as well but who supervised my senior policy capstone project in undergraduate that focused on child nutrition programs
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Still writing, but expected to be strong -- can trace a line between the focus of my undergraduate policy degree on food security/education with the work I'm doing now, will speak to specific aspects of each program that are appealing to me.
Other: Studied abroad during a summer of undergraduate, strong community service record, took applied microeconomics + policy statistics and learned STATA in undergrad but am hoping to deepen my quantitative skills in MPP
Decision time: share your dilemma
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
Coming From: 3 years of work experience in nonprofit sector
Deciding Between: Six programs, four of which are two-year MPPs, two of which are one-year MS in policy. Listed below from least expensive to most expensive.
Leaning: I have a sense that the HKS MPP is on a different playing field that the other MPP programs I've been admitted to -- even more so because I've received a full tuition scholarship. However, I'm trying to get a sense of how big the gap in experience/prestige/future opportunities is between HKS and the other programs because I have a complicating personal factor that would make living in Cambridge more difficult than the other cities.