mpp2011

Wow linden, from what I recall of your profile, I'm really surprised you're not getting some kind of award. I wonder if they're short on funds at GPPI this year. Anyway, be thankful you already have another good offer lined up. I never received the email either. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was hoping for at least a half-tuition scholarship. That would have made GPPI financially doable. Now, I'll have to side with Linden and say that it's looks prohibitively expensive. I'm not completely giving up on them though. I will still probably attend the open house, and I'll probably call the admissions office at some point and ask if there are any other opportunities for funding (fellowships, work study, etc.). I've never been to D.C., so this will at least give me an opportunity to see if it's a place I'd like to live and work eventually. All that being said, I imagine I'll end up elsewhere for grad school. And I'm really kicking myself right now for not applying to GW. Finally, does anyone else feel like GPPI could have handled all this a little better? Like, if they had sent an email notification to the people who didn't receive funding, wouldn't that have made this process a lot less painless for you? It would have for me at least. And good luck to policy_applicant and whomever else on the board got an email. Things are looking very good for you.

Well, I didn't even receive the message yet, which makes me think I might be out of the running. You're still alive for sure, as little consolation as that may be right now. Thanks for sharing.

I hope you're kidding, but something tells me you aren't. I haven't received this email though, at least not yet. What does it say exactly?

Has anyone heard anything yet?

Yeah, that's right Linden. I think they sent it around 10 p.m. local time. In fact, I've received several communications from schools at late hours in the evening. I really thought I would handle the waiting O.K., but this is quite excruciating. I'm kind of disappointed in myself actually.

GT says that 35-40% of their class gets scholarships, so given some of the profiles I've seen on here, I'm sure at least a few people on this board are going to get something. I'm guessing word will come through around the end of the workday, but at this point, who knows? And will we all hear at once, or will the notices come in waves?

Past decisions have come through during the last week in February. Does anyone think we'll hear anything today?

Nothing here either. Antsy like the rest of you.

Linden - This is definitely more excruciating. This program offers such amazing opportunities to build a great resume during the program, but it is so expensive. I'm really hoping that they come through with a good offer. I'm also hoping that someone will post a message here when they hear something, especially if it's sooner than Friday.

Indiana SPEA's MPA program has notified. And I saw a few notices for Cornell MPA, Syracuse MPA, and Minnesota MPP on the results page.

Definitely, I was admitted to SPEA last month. Have you received a funding decision yet? Any insight into how much might be available?

It sounds like there's a consensus on here that taking out six-figure debt (or anything approaching that) for an MPP/MPA is a bad idea. I wouldn't disagree, and I'm thankful that I applied to three relatively inexpensive public schools in addition to some expensive private ones. But I'd like to hear some of you, especially those who have already earned the degree and are out in the workforce, address the long-term earnings potential for an MPP/MPA graduate. We've established that we can expect to earn between $45-60K per year after graduation (unless we take a private consulting job), but what can we expect to make 5, 10, 20 years later if we stay in government, nonprofit, or NGO work? Of course this will vary depending on the individual, but what can we expect if we're at least moderately successful and are progressively promoted into higher-level positions? And does anyone know much about the private consulting track? What is the long-term salary potential for that? Is it necessary, or helpful, to attend one of the top programs to land a job in that realm? Of course, I doubt any of us are going into this for the money. But at the same time, personal finances are important too, as is not owing more money than you can afford to pay back.

Demetrios - My take is that if I'm looking at more than $40-50K in debt from an MPP/MPA program, I may just skip it and apply to law school next year. Right now I have a difficult time imagining going to a program at a private school without at least a half-tuition scholarship. I've been accepted to two programs thus far, but no word on funding yet. So I'm in a wait-and-see mode at the moment. Once all the admissions and aid decisions come back I'll see which options are workable and which aren't, go on my visits, learn more about the programs and about long-term earnings potential, then make an informed decision. I really like the curriculum of these programs and the different options you have after completion, but my wife and I already have a lot of student debt, so I want to make sure that any additional debt we take on is manageable. Does anyone here think it would make good financial sense to attend a program like HKS or GPPI financed 100 percent by loans? I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts, as I'm keeping an open mind.

Normajean, Thanks for coming back and answering our questions - I've appreciated your answers. I also applied to Harris and have a few questions. - Are job prospects in DC favorable for graduates? Are students graduating this spring having much success finding work? - You mentioned going on for your Ph.D., and Harris being excellent preparation for that. Would you recommend Harris for someone who probably won't go on for a Ph.D., and plans to enter the workforce after earning the MPP? - How demanding is the program? Is there time for a part-time job? - Is the faculty and student body conservative, moderate, or liberal? Does Friedman still heavily influence the school's economists? - Which schools did you choose between and why did you choose Harris? - Do you know anyone pursuing a joint law degree? Would first-year MPP students have a leg up in law school admissions? - And finally, any insight on when we can expect an admission decision? Thanks again!!!

It's hard to say, but I would guess you'll get in to one or two of the programs. The master's in economics should be a huge asset.

Traveler - Relax. I'm applying to many of those same programs, and if you have decent work experience, essays, and recommendations, I think you'll do quite well. Your Q score is slightly lower than average for schools like KSG, GPPI, and WWS, but yes, I get the sense that your transcripts are more important than your GRE, especially for a recent graduate. The fact that you got As in Calculus III and those other classes, and graduated SCL and PBK, is very impressive, and should more than offset any worries over the Q score. I think the folks who posted their stats in this thread - yourself included by the way - represent the far right end of the bell curve. I'm guessing that a lot of you will be getting into your top choices in a couple of months. Best of luck!

Slothrop, I think the local community college is probably the norm for this type of thing - I'm sure that will be fine. I'm wondering if anyone has gone the online route though - curious to hear what that's like. With your credentials, I'd be very surprised if things don't work out for you this time. And if they don't this time, if you do well in your courses and reapplied next year, I'm sure you could get in pretty much anywhere.

I think I'd like some feedback as well. Now I'm beginning to think that taking a microecon and a calculus course this semester might be a good idea. There are two reasons for this: one being that it might help me with admissions and the other being that it would help me when I started a program. I've applied to eight MPP/MPAff programs. Most of them have a heavy quantitative focus, and half of them are very selective. A few also "strongly recommend" statistics, pre-calculus or calculus, and microeconomics. As an undergrad (graduated several years ago) I took an introductory econ course that covered macro and micro (got an A) and stats (took pass/fail and passed). I also got a 780 Q score on the GRE, have a 3.8 overall GPA, and feel okay about the rest of my credentials. Will my quantitative background combined with my GRE Q score satisfy Princeton, Georgetown, and Duke? Would it help my chances if I was able to email the admissions offices an attachment showing that I was registered for microecon and calculus? I also think that this coursework would help me prepare for a program in the fall. But I could also prepare on my own with my wife's help (she's a math major and helped me prepare for the GRE), and this would be much less expensive. Two courses would cost at least $1,000. Also, for those of you who have already done this, how did you do it? Did you take the courses at a local college or online? Would an online institution like the University of Phoenix be frowned upon for this purpose?

Younglions - Frankly, I'd be shocked if you didn't get in to any of your programs. I expect applications will be way up this year, but your profile puts you in a very select group.

I'm applying to a few of the same programs and have similar concerns. I took courses in introductory economics and statistics, and my GRE scores are good (700V/780Q), as is my GPA. Prior coursework in economics, statistics, and sometimes calculus is a big deal at many programs, but I'm hoping my econ/stats combined with my GRE score will be good enough. If not, I'm hoping they'll at least admit me under the condition that I'll take calculus and/or microecon over the summer. In the meantime my wife (a math major) will be teaching me the math I'll need so I'll be ready in the fall. So that's my situation. I'm hoping to get into at least 5 or 6 programs. My guess, from what you're telling us, is that you'll get into most or all of yours. Those GRE scores are exceptional, the two years in the Peace Corps will help a lot, and I think the fact that you're currently enrolled in those three courses will help as well. Best of luck.

I posted this message a couple of months ago, and wanted to give everyone an update. Just as I suspected, these practice exams can be way off the mark. In addition to the results posted above, I took a written practice exam at a Kaplan testing center six days before my test date and scored a 580V/530Q. My results on test day were 700V/780Q/5.0W, and my percentiles are very consistent with my ACT scores from years ago so I don't consider this to be a fluke. The GRE Powerprep exams are the only ones that came close to predicting my score. Anyway, if your scores are low on these practice exams, don't worry about it too much. And make sure you study the writing section. I didn't spend too much time on that and it cost me.

Linden, Are you also applying to the MPA program at Princeton? If so, that's what I figured as far as it being a general guideline. Thanks for the tip - and best of luck to you as well.

Thanks for the feedback. I have the statement down to 3-1/4 pages, 1050 words. I switched to Times 12 pt. since this is the old standard, it is double spaced, and my margins are 1.2" at the top and 1" elsewhere. Should I take it all the way down to 1000 words? I can't imagine why they would say 4 pages if 3-1/4 pages is too long.

Good plan technocat - I'm doing the same. This discussion makes me wonder who is getting the 5.5s and 6s. It doesn't make sense that so many people with 700+ verbal scores are writing essays they feel very confident about and scoring in the 3.5 to 5 range. Based on the essay examples I've read on the GRE Powerprep software it seems that someone with a 700+ verbal score should get at least a 4.5 just from staring really hard at the keyboard. Something is really messed up here...

I just got my scores: 700 Verbal, 780 Quant, 5.0 Writing. When I was taking the test I felt most confident in the writing portion. I have worked as a professional writer and copy editor for the last two years. I felt very confident that I had scored at least a 5.5, but probably a 6. I don't get it. I noticed someone said something about indenting at the start of a paragraph. I double spaced between my paragraphs (the same way I am in this message). Could this have created a problem?