jbyrne

Hey everyone, I'm very new to this so I'm trying to figure out a gameplan for which MPP/MPA programs I should apply to for the Fall 2021 cycle. Schools Applying To (Considering): Harvard MPP, UChicago Harris, Princeton MPP, CMU Heinz MPP, a few others Undergraduate institution: University of Notre Dame Undergraduate GPA: 3.58 Undergraduate Major: IT Management, concentration in finance & accounting Extracurricular and Electives: Progressive campaign data analysis organization - worked with several political campaigns and organizations during the 2020 election cycle and helped them with data analysis related to voter persuasion, campaign finance, and issues research Previously volunteered for the associate board of a homeless outreach charity During undergrad, I was on the board of a student nonprofit consulting organization and did quantitative analysis for a marketing consulting firm for ~8 hours/week GMAT: 780 - 51 Quant, 47 Verbal (my understanding is that this is roughly equivalent to a 169 Q and 169 V on the GRE, though it is not an exact science of course) Also curious if only having a GMAT will hurt me here - I haven't had time to take the GRE, and the GMAT is from 2018 when I was considering business school down the road. Languages: English Quantitative requirements: Intermediate Macroeconomics, Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Statistics, Corporate Finance/Accounting, Data Analysis in Python, Domestic Politics of Global Policy, various other less relevant courses in political science, philosophy, and finance/accounting Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 Years of Work Experience: 3 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Initially worked in management consulting at one of the top firms in the country, then switched to economic consulting, which is what I've been doing for the last 2 years. At my previous job, my projects consisted of doing light data analysis and creating presentations for business clients. At my current job, most of my time is spent analyzing large datasets in R - I perform statistical and econometric analysis pursuant to complex financial/economic litigation. I also write reports, do research/review academic literature review, and conduct lighter data analysis in Excel. Have worked in housing/labor discrimination, consumer finance, IP protection, and securities. Strength of SOP: Moderate, I think I can tell a compelling story about the general refinement of my interests and how my career has progressed to the point that I now see a quantitatively rigorous MPP as a logical next step. But I'm not sure I have anything that truly sparkles here. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): 1. I intend to get one academic LOR from my economics professor in college. It has been a while since he and I have been in touch, but I think he'll remember me fondly. Generally, I don't think I made strong academic connections in college, so this could be a weak point. 2. My professional LOR should be strong - I have performed well at a highly-quantitative position and have a couple managers who really like me. 3. I'd like to get a LOR from that progressive data organization since I'm close to the executive director, though she is my age (25) so I'm still weighing whether or not that is a good option. I could always get another professional LOR to replace this. Thank you for reading!