mildlyconfusedmar

Hi everyone,
I've received some good news from schools, and I think I've narrowed it down to the Harvard Kennedy School Master of Public Policy and Columbia School of International and Public Affairs Master of International Affairs. No funding from HKS, $30K/year from SIPA. My interests are international human rights and development, 5 years work experience & hoping to stay in progressive INGO spaces after graduating.
Since admit days are cancelled due to COVID, would appreciate advice!
I'm drawn to SIPA's many courses and opportunities specific to human rights and development. And I'm drawn to HKS' sense of community: campus, core first year curriculum structure, and extracurricular engagement. Does one have a significantly better reputation within the sector? (Harvard certainly has a stronger household name.)
Fwiw I've also been admitted to Berkeley GSPP (no funding), SAIS ($26K/year), Fletcher ($18K/year), MSFS (no funding), AU SIS ($11K/year). Funding is a consideration and it's hard to turn down programs that would be less expensive, but feels like it might be worth it for the career advancement particularly with a recession coming.
Thank you!

Hi Everyone, I got accepted into SIPA with 40k annually for the MPA program and also got an acceptance to the MPP program at HKS (no funding though). Has anyone got any idea on how similar/dissimilar would the experience be?

For those who applied for CPL Fellowships that they didn't get, but did get admitted with no aid (??‍♀️), how are you feeling about everything, when compared with other offers that do have aid? I'm so happy to have been admitted and recognize the value--and for anyone who wasn't admitted, have full confidence that you also deserved to be...this is such an impressive group from what I've seen! But since HKS doesn't have concentrations the way that some other programs do for me, an MC/MPA candidate, I'd really been hoping, beyond the money, to be part of a close cohort through CPL. The money is important too. So, trying to stay positive about it, but feeling much more "wanted" by the two other programs that accepted, provided funding, and are actively reaching out to me.

I'm wondering the same thing. I have an okay scholarship at Georgetown, which would mean I only need about $60k loan (Canadian) but it was at the bottom of my list and I'm pretty sure I'd regret going there knowing that I got accepted to my top choice schools even if I didn't get funding at them. Going to Harvard would mean about $150k CAD loan, but the way I'm thinking about it is that I currently have a good job as a public sector consultant at $100k-$110k/year, and the range of projects I've worked on is definitely what got me accepted to the MPP and would help me get a job afterwards. So I figure that absolute worst case is getting the same job after school for the same pay as I have now, and $100k salary with $150k debt doesn't sound too scary (but I could be wrong). If I were coming from a different job or straight from undergrad I'd be more worried since employers may still be hesitant to take a risk on someone who hasn't proven themselves in the workforce (Harvard degree or not), but I'm feeling somewhat confident that I'll be doing alright when I graduate.

Are there any circumstances under which it makes sense to accept the HKS offer with no scholarship funding? I have 50% to near full funding offers at Syracuse, Michigan, Georgetown, and Columbia but am feeling majorly hung up on Harvard based on that gut feeling I had when I opened my admission letter.
Was hoping to do a joint MPP/JD degree program but was rejected from HLS last week. Would enrolling and doing well at HKS improve chances for reapplying or is that an absurd gamble? 

Here! Tough decision, I’m also looking for advice
 
congrats on your acceptance!

Anyone in a similar boat of being accepted with no funding to HKS MPP with no aid vs SAIS and SIPA  with $$? What are the tradeoffs? How are you thinking about it?

Hi, new member of the forum and just got into MPA2 (but with no financial assistance)
Congrats to those who got admitted! Fingers crossed for those on WL (I was in a similar boat before and understand the excruciating wait). For those who didn’t get accepted - it’s really hks’ loss! 
What has been common ways to fund your hks program? Loans? Certain scholarship organizations friendly to hks students? 
Are there platforms where admits can chat with each other and/or with current students on questions? Eg fb, slack, whatsapp 
many thanks! 
 

Similar situation here. Accepted for the MPP program with no financial aid attached. Makes the 75% SIPA MIA offer an easy yes (considering my current financial situation and career aspirations). 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw a large amount of money on the MYFAID system.....turns out that's just the amount of loans I'm eligible for. Guess no financial aid for me

Anyone with experience/ has done some research in comparing HKS MPP vs. SIPA MPA? I got in SIPA with very generous funding (I am aware how privileged the choice I have to make is) but is HKS —possibly on less aid than SIPA— still make sense? Or am I crazy for considering shutting HKS down, and go for SIPA?

Accepted: Columbia SIPA ($$), Johns Hopkins SAIS ($$), Tufts Fletcher ($), Georgetown SFS, NYU Wagner ($), LSE
Rejected: Princeton SPIA
Still waiting: HKS
Anyone have any advice on negotiating funding?

I am leaning towards SAIS tbh. I feel like to an employer, it’s likely splitting hair which one is better. I just don’t know if New York is right for me or worth the cost of living. But I really don’t want to make a mistake here and am a little worried about potentially shutting down this Ivy League opportunity.

https://sais.jhu.edu/academics/degree-programs/master-degrees/master-international-economics-and-finance-mief/employment
 
In the private sector there's like 3 or 4 recognizable names and half the companies are Chinese, and in the multilateral sector they only placed into the IMF (and I have no idea how many students placed in there, nor whether it's an internship, a short term consultant gig or an actual staff role) whereas before I remember they used to place into the World Bank and IDB.
 
Not to mention a 79% employment rate isn't ideal (but, again, these results come during a global pandemic so maybe it's actually really good? idk)

Yeah, that 3.4 GPA requirement is a bit intimidating. I received a 50 percent scholarship, which would be the driving factor in me attending SAIS, but if I lost the scholarship because my grades slip, then SAIS would by far be the most expensive program for me. It's hard to gauge the difficulty in maintaining that GPA until classes start...

Nice. Thanks for digging up the data. Guess we’ll hear back Friday the 19th. SIPA’s the final program I’m waiting to hear back from can’t wait to have this all done haha

I thought I got rejected at first because every other school says congrats before anything else and they didnt lol

Ah well, congrats on getting in. It's a great accomplishment for sure. Looks like it will be SAIS or GWU for me (pending SIPA results).

I thought I got rejected at first because every other school says congrats before anything else and they didnt lol

I thought I got rejected at first because every other school says congrats before anything else and they didnt lol

Any advice for negotiating for more funding? Slash do we know what the process is?

Im in to MSFS (congrats to all the other admits!) -- but no mention of funding. Does anyone have any details on how we get funding notifications?

This is mine. No links other than "Return to Application Status"

Not seeing another link on portal so must mean I did not get anything -- congrats on your scholarship!

Hey guys, funding details are on the portal as well, at the bottom of the page (there should be a separate link)  
International student, got into MSFS with a $20K scholarship!