sanctaphrax

Hi all! First time applicant here from India. So far I have submitted applications to three schools and I am really not sure where I stand - some days I am confident about my candidature and some days I just look at this thread and get intimidated/ disillusioned with my ability and what I represent.. Schools / Programs: HKS MPP, Princeton SPIA MPA, Columbia MPA (to these so far) Oxford MPP, Fletcher MALD, UChicago MPP, LSE MPP (plan to complete this month) Undergrad: Top Public University in India where my course's intake rate was less than 2% Degrees: Bachelor in Business, followed by a PG Degree in Liberal Arts from a private liberal arts university, which is considered the best for the discipline in India GPA: Undergrad did not have the GPA System, however it is obvious I did poorly in some semesters. The grading in my particular course is a bit peculiar, and I hope my low scores are not misinterpreted, because even while performing low, I was not doing so poorly relative to the class, Postgrade GPA was 3.6/4 GRE: 163Q, 160V Language Skills: English, and 3 Indian languages Work Experience: 3+ years 1.5 years in a large philanthropic organization in India working in public health strategy Nearly 2 years as an RA at a Research Centre. I mainly study gender, rural development and entrepreneurship. This is a quant heavy job, and has increased my interest in econ and demography. Policy Area of Interest: International Development LOR: from my supervisor at my previous workplace from a known economist (was a teaching assistant for his course a few years ago) UG professor who taught law International Experience: all work restricted to India Quant Experience: the RA job is as quant heavy as a job can be. I did poorly in a few quant courses in UG, especially econ, but have taught 2 introductory econ courses as a teaching assistant. Leadership / Extracurricular Roles: Editor of the Uni Newspaper Member of the Academic Committee in my postgrad Won a few policy awards, completed a fellowship in political economy from a University in the USA SOP: I draw on the development story in India and relate to my work. I also focus on the agrarian crisis and farmer protests in India and tie it to my identity, as someone coming from the peasant class in India. Would love to know what y'all think.