Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP Schools Applied To: Berkeley MPP, UPENN MPA, Harvard MPP, Cornell MPA, Columbia MPA, U Michigan MPP, U Chicago MPP, Brown MPA Schools Admitted To: Berkeley MPP(in-state, $10k/first year, $5k/ second year), UPENN MPA ($15K), Cornell MPA ($15k/year), Columbia MPA ($20k/year), U Michigan MPP (100%+ stipend/health coverage), U Chicago MPP ($25k/year) , Brown MPA ($15k) Schools Rejected From: N/A Still Waiting: Harvard MPP (waitlisted) Undergraduate Institution: nationally-ranked public school Undergraduate GPA: 3.7 Undergraduate Major: 3.9 GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: Didn't take because of COVID Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5 Years of Work Experience: 3.3 full-time; 3 part-time (worked throughout college) Describe Relevant Work Experience: Worked as a research assistant in behavioral economics, worked as a policy intern, big finance institution, UN organization, etc. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I haven’t written an essay in 5 years, so you can imagine… my writing sucked. Berkeley, UPENN, and Harvard essays suffered the most because they were due first. I was conveniently unemployed and dedicated 3-4 months to writing and editing. This process was brutal but worthwhile. I recall spending three days rewriting two sentences (granted… it was the introduction). I spent most of my time refining each paragraph and carefully considering each word I used.
Strength of LOR’s (be honest, describe the process, etc): INCREDIBLY STRONG! For the first rec letter, my professor told me she tailored each letter for each school. For my second rec letter, I was able to read an older version from 2016. My professor mentioned I stood out of 400 undergrad students in a GE class, excelled in his upper-division class, and subsequently hired me for the remainder of my undergrad career. I worked for his start-up until it busted then as his research assistant. Eventually, I assisted in the Econ lab for experiments my senior year. My 3rd rec letter is from a professor with who I have become close friends.
Other: I was apprehensive of asking only my professors for rec letters because I have been out of school for 5 years. After undergrad, I worked at a financial institution that made me deeply unhappy, and my dissatisfaction eventually showed through my work performance. I had a gut feeling a rec letter from my boss wasn’t going to be a good idea, and I am happy I trusted my instinct.
