van_96

You can be hateful all you want, but it might help if you were my curious rather than judgmental. This video might help illustrate it for you: 
Because if you were curious and asked my why I give my thoughts in a blunt manner, I would say something like.
- I graduated from graduate school 3 times (full scholarship each time)... twice focused on higher ed in different ways
- Had the six figure salary out of grad school twice
- Had the press clippings/social media postings for my accomplishments set
but I wish much of it never happened. I wish someone could tell me the cold hard perspectives about how I could have not wasted my time and just done grad school right the first time rather than the third time. I know I am not alone. So many of my friends from grad school wish someone would have stepped up and gave their perspectives bluntly. 
Like many - I chased the pressure to just get get grad school done (with brand being a plus) without really figuring out why I really went to grad school. People just shook my hand and applauded me because they were too nice to really give me meaningful candid advice. I want to be the change that I want to see. In fact, one of the best off people I know is someone who never showed up to grad school after getting admitted because someone was there for her to tell the hard truth. 
Feel free to challenge my perspectives (I am of course very respectful and curious about your background and intents for this forum) and I apologize if I come off as blunt at times (I'll blame it on my current negotiations heavy job). But being being judgmental rather than curious means you are missing out on so much. I want to thank the many people on this forum who have messaged me with their appreciation (regardless of if you agreed with me or not). It is a honor to have helped you with you life's journey.
 

Applying to: Chicago Harris MPP, Georgetown McCourt MPP, Duke Sanford MPP, Harvard Kennedy MPP, NYU Wagner MSPP 
Admitted to: Harris ($), McCourt ($$), Sanford ($$), NYU ($)
Rejected: HKS
Undergrad institution: Non-HYP Ivy
Undergrad Major: Government, Minor in Public Policy
Undergrad GPA: 3.81 (haven't calculated major GPA separately, but it's probably pretty close) 
Years out of undergrad: 1 at the time of application
Quant Background: College credit for AP Calc,  intro micro (B)/macro (A) econ, intro stats with R (A-), Mathematics in Politics (A), plus some light Stata training in an internship.
Relevant Work Experience: Research internship with a high profile think tank in DC, interned with a local campaign, the NY state assembly, and an NYC DA, been a constituent liaison in NYC ever since I graduated undergrad last year.
GRE: 165/167/5.5 (Verbal/Quant/AWA)
Strength of LOR: I think all three were decently strong. Two were from college professors who taught research methods courses that I did well in, the other was from my current supervisor.
Strength of SOP: I think they were solid, I talked about how important voting rights and electoral reform (which were my current focus areas, though I've begun to heavily consider health policy) have been to me from a very young age, how it influenced my extracurriculars in college, and customized them by discussing how I plan to use the tools/unique policy centers/connections from each school to further my career. 

Extracurriculars/Leadership: I was elected to the executive board of one of my school's largest political clubs, and I helped to train volunteers on a campaign I interned for. 

I chose McCourt mostly based on the location, as I have my heart set on working in the federal (or federal-facing) sector and don't have much of a DC network, plus I loved living in DC for a few months during undergrad. I don't have a car, or even a license, and I heard from many Sanford students that life at Duke without a car is doable, but tough, and the idea of being so far from a major city with such a small cohort in a small town was a dealbreaker for me. Harris didn't offer me nearly as much aid as I was hoping for, and the recently-ballooning class size (which seems to be primarily drawing inexperienced people right out of undergrad) was a bit of a red flag for me. I also despise cold weather, and going through another harsh winter between when I applied and decision time reminded me how much it affects my mental state. Although I'm aware of (and appreciate) the criticism that some people on this forum have for McCourt, I believe I'm adaptable and energetic enough career-wise to make up for its weaker career services and rumoredly-lackadaisical peer environment, and since I know I want to work in DC after I graduate, it seemed like the deficiencies would be compensated for by not having to start my DC network from scratch after graduation. Thank you to everyone (especially @GradSchoolGrad) for all the information you have shared.  

Applying to: Chicago Harris MPP, Georgetown McCourt MPP, Duke Sanford MPP, Harvard Kennedy MPP, NYU Wagner MSPP 
Admitted to: Harris ($), McCourt ($$), Sanford ($$), NYU ($)
Rejected: HKS
Undergrad institution: Non-HYP Ivy
Undergrad Major: Government, Minor in Public Policy
Undergrad GPA: 3.81 (haven't calculated major GPA separately, but it's probably pretty close) 
Years out of undergrad: 1 at the time of application
Quant Background: College credit for AP Calc,  intro micro (B)/macro (A) econ, intro stats with R (A-), Mathematics in Politics (A), plus some light Stata training in an internship.
Relevant Work Experience: Research internship with a high profile think tank in DC, interned with a local campaign, the NY state assembly, and an NYC DA, been a constituent liaison in NYC ever since I graduated undergrad last year.
GRE: 165/167/5.5 (Verbal/Quant/AWA)
Strength of LOR: I think all three were decently strong. Two were from college professors who taught research methods courses that I did well in, the other was from my current supervisor.
Strength of SOP: I think they were solid, I talked about how important voting rights and electoral reform (which were my current focus areas, though I've begun to heavily consider health policy) have been to me from a very young age, how it influenced my extracurriculars in college, and customized them by discussing how I plan to use the tools/unique policy centers/connections from each school to further my career. 

Extracurriculars/Leadership: I was elected to the executive board of one of my school's largest political clubs, and I helped to train volunteers on a campaign I interned for. 

I chose McCourt mostly based on the location, as I have my heart set on working in the federal (or federal-facing) sector and don't have much of a DC network, plus I loved living in DC for a few months during undergrad. I don't have a car, or even a license, and I heard from many Sanford students that life at Duke without a car is doable, but tough, and the idea of being so far from a major city with such a small cohort in a small town was a dealbreaker for me. Harris didn't offer me nearly as much aid as I was hoping for, and the recently-ballooning class size (which seems to be primarily drawing inexperienced people right out of undergrad) was a bit of a red flag for me. I also despise cold weather, and going through another harsh winter between when I applied and decision time reminded me how much it affects my mental state. Although I'm aware of (and appreciate) the criticism that some people on this forum have for McCourt, I believe I'm adaptable and energetic enough career-wise to make up for its weaker career services and rumoredly-lackadaisical peer environment, and since I know I want to work in DC after I graduate, it seemed like the deficiencies would be compensated for by not having to start my DC network from scratch after graduation. Thank you to everyone (especially @GradSchoolGrad) for all the information you have shared.  

Applying to: Chicago Harris MPP, Georgetown McCourt MPP, Duke Sanford MPP, Harvard Kennedy MPP, NYU Wagner MSPP 
Admitted to: Harris ($), McCourt ($$), Sanford ($$), NYU ($)
Rejected: HKS
Undergrad institution: Non-HYP Ivy
Undergrad Major: Government, Minor in Public Policy
Undergrad GPA: 3.81 (haven't calculated major GPA separately, but it's probably pretty close) 
Years out of undergrad: 1 at the time of application
Quant Background: College credit for AP Calc,  intro micro (B)/macro (A) econ, intro stats with R (A-), Mathematics in Politics (A), plus some light Stata training in an internship.
Relevant Work Experience: Research internship with a high profile think tank in DC, interned with a local campaign, the NY state assembly, and an NYC DA, been a constituent liaison in NYC ever since I graduated undergrad last year.
GRE: 165/167/5.5 (Verbal/Quant/AWA)
Strength of LOR: I think all three were decently strong. Two were from college professors who taught research methods courses that I did well in, the other was from my current supervisor.
Strength of SOP: I think they were solid, I talked about how important voting rights and electoral reform (which were my current focus areas, though I've begun to heavily consider health policy) have been to me from a very young age, how it influenced my extracurriculars in college, and customized them by discussing how I plan to use the tools/unique policy centers/connections from each school to further my career. 

Extracurriculars/Leadership: I was elected to the executive board of one of my school's largest political clubs, and I helped to train volunteers on a campaign I interned for. 

I chose McCourt mostly based on the location, as I have my heart set on working in the federal (or federal-facing) sector and don't have much of a DC network, plus I loved living in DC for a few months during undergrad. I don't have a car, or even a license, and I heard from many Sanford students that life at Duke without a car is doable, but tough, and the idea of being so far from a major city with such a small cohort in a small town was a dealbreaker for me. Harris didn't offer me nearly as much aid as I was hoping for, and the recently-ballooning class size (which seems to be primarily drawing inexperienced people right out of undergrad) was a bit of a red flag for me. I also despise cold weather, and going through another harsh winter between when I applied and decision time reminded me how much it affects my mental state. Although I'm aware of (and appreciate) the criticism that some people on this forum have for McCourt, I believe I'm adaptable and energetic enough career-wise to make up for its weaker career services and rumoredly-lackadaisical peer environment, and since I know I want to work in DC after I graduate, it seemed like the deficiencies would be compensated for by not having to start my DC network from scratch after graduation. Thank you to everyone (especially @GradSchoolGrad) for all the information you have shared.  

If you are trying to anything Federal government of Federal consulting - yes McCourt makes sense for you. 

If you are trying to go non-profit, depending how you define Non-Profit, McCourt and MPP in general makes less sense for you. Non-Profit is one of the most over-credentialed spaces out there.

I actually am in a somewhat similar situation and think I have made up my mind to go to McCourt, although I have the additional factor of already living in DC and being able to do McCourt's program part-time and keep my job. I think you're right that if you want to work in the federal government McCourt and Harris seem to stack up pretty equally (although maybe a bit less so for the PMF program as @went_away mentioned). Also I'm not sure what your background is, but if you haven't had experience with the federal government already the opportunity to get that experience through internships during your time there will definitely be valuable. 
I think the cost and your personal reasons for leaning toward Georgetown also make a lot of sense, although I will say Chicago is a great city and personally I would take frigid winters over the miserable DC summers (I'm from Michigan though so take that with a grain of salt haha).
That said, if you're at all unsure about wanting to end up in the DC area and/or the federal government, especially if there's a chance you'd be interested in the private sector, then I think it may be worth reconsidering Harris.
I've lived in the DC area for almost 3 years now and have been working for the federal gov for 2, so feel free to message me if you have any questions about the area or that experience! 
 

Hi! I'm also a UK Student who has been admitted to McCourt for the MPP
From what I can tell they have two terms in the US, but they're longer than ours (I'm assuming you did your undergrad here), so the funding is for each term
I also emailed admissions and they confirmed that the amount is renewable in the second year if I maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
Hope this helps

Nothing yet...apparently we will hear back by April 10 so just a few days left!

Jumping in to say that I spoke to someone who graduated in 2020 who told me that they were increasing the size of their programs every year for 3 or 4 years, which started with the 2019 incoming class, so those numbers are right. I think they aim to have very large incoming class sizes from now on, so take that for what it is...

I haven't received anything yet! I submitted mine on the 18th.

@Kaz_KV It's definitely hard to extrapolate from one year of DSPP data, but keep in mind that the first cohort only had about 20 students so the difference between 75% and 85% is literally two students. In my current DSPP graduating cohort about half of students already have jobs lined up, from what I know, and most of the rest are at least in the interview process with several organizations. I have no doubt that in a non-pandemic year, that 75% would probably be at least 90%.

it's no longer there

Day trade some GME

Just wanna add that the other schools I've applied to who have divulged some info have said that their plan is to be in person with the exception of large lecture classes, since those present the highest COVID risk and are hurt the least by the shift to Zoom. 

it is interesting though that I can see appointment slots starting at 3:15 pm today!

I can only access internationals MPP/MPA and domestics A-K. Wouldn't read too much into it considering I'm an international MPA/ID applicant and can't access that one...

So I checked the blogs from the start (2012) till 2020. Sharing a few insights with everyone to help them function in life (I've been there, so I know how miserable these days must have been).
Decision day: 
2012: Tuesday
2013 : Wednesday & Friday  (Once upon a time, they used to release MPP/MPA-ID on different dates)
2014 : Thursday
2015-2017 : Wednesday
2018-2020 : Thursday
(Not so much of a Thursday monopoly, is it?)
The sequence of mails leading to D-day have differed over the years, but some core mails have been absolute certainties (The frustrating/scary part is that they haven't even begun yet for this year. Maybe today's the day it starts)
1. Three types of decisions, starting with not admitted
2. Waitlisted
3. Admitted
4. Application update (Basically showing candidates how the screenshot of an application status update will look like in the portal)
5. An informal take on the behind the scenes of the admissions process (Matt's computer, the room, etc)
Look out for 'Decision Process' series of mails. Frankly, I'm confused about the 25th as D-day because all the previous years had multiple entries in this series (15+). If I consider 25th as the date, you should be getting at least 4 mails on consecutive dates starting from 22nd (could be from 20th/21st as well). They usually avoid sending on Sat/Sun, but have done in the past on some occasions. 
Bottom line: If you see a 'Decision Process' blog hitting today, it is safe to assume that the real countdown has begun.
I encourage all to go through the archives to take some stress out and see how it has been over the years. There are pictures and all, which humanizes the admissions process. Gotta feel for Matt and his team.
Hope this helps.
 
 
 
 

For people who asked for templates--there's no cookie cutter way to do this! I know it may feel awkward or uncomfortable, but there's nobody to tell you exactly what to write to the program. Just make contact with them, be honest and explain your situation. The worst they can do is refuse additional aid. They're not gonna be like "this person is annoying, rescind the offer!" As long as you're not rude about it, don't be afraid to ask!

I agree with this. Additionally, a friend of mine is a 2nd year in the MPP class and says that there has been much discussion amongst the administration and faculty that they are not doing a good enough job admitting people from across the political spectrum and that it has been heavily favoring very progressive candidates.  This is why they added the political spectrum question to the application this year.  Disclosing your place on the spectrum may very well help you greatly. 

I checked the HKS status sheet. Of the 45 candidates who had filled, only 5 were given the deferral to 2021. That's 11.1%. Don't know if this is the appropriate sample to take, but kind of tells the story.

Yeah, this is somewhat anecdotal, but I was at a Tufts Fletcher admitted students webinar yesterday where they said that 80% of 2020 grads had jobs within six months (compared to 93-98% usually). So McCourt might well not be outside of the realm of normality here.

WORLD IS MULTIPOLAR . TOMORROW IS 18 TOO 

love THY spirit.. I am going to believe in you fellow Indian.  I don't necessarily subscribe to the view on blog post series. Princeton typically does too, but there was none this year. Since most schools have announced, Its possible that HKS is under some pressure to as well.
Worst case it wouldn't come out tomorrow and we'll know we have to wait another week or 2. In the larger scheme of things one week is a breeze, right guys?

I would say no harm in asking, but also very little to gain. I simply cannot imagine a scenario in which someone’s admission status changes because they sent a friendly email inquiring about the announcement date. That being said, do we really think they know the date and whoever is monitoring the inbox is going to respond with the exact date and time of the announcement to some random applicant who just happened to ask? 

Guys I might take one for the team and email HKS today asking if we can expect decisions this week or next, while justifying the email to "ease my anxieties" lmao. Assuming it won't effect their decision re: my status at this stage...right ?