theory_philosophy

Thanks for your comprehensive reply. Is it at all possible that what you are describing is specific to your industry/company/organization (e.g., government agency or international nonprofit, or whatever)? I'm not saying this has to be the case; just asking. Secondly, do you find that HKS suffers from these things too? I have friends there now (and I took a class there last semester; nothing impressive), and it really doesn't seem like there is any sort of direct mentoring or pipelines into government or nonprofits apart from the usual career services/fairs, etc. Also, any professor who is even mildly famous or who students think can help Finally, I think there are several categories of people attending, and their choice of school will likely be determined by their personal career trajectories (e.g., international government officials would likely care A LOT more about overall university prestige and reputation; those competing for US government and/or think tank-type roles would likely want, as I think you're describing, the most robust pipeline directly into government or quasi-government service). None of this applies to me (as I'm going to be heading back to my own country to consult/advise), but I'm curious. I look forward to your thoughts!

What you're saying obviously makes sense - but I'd like to disagree with the extent of your conclusions. All employers should probably know about the Jackson curriculum, selectivity (much more selective than HKS, which has become somewhat of a joke due to massive cohort sizes, especially in terms of international students getting in with lackluster credentials), and general Yale reputation as a university overall (which is objectively better than many of the universities housing the top non-Harvard/Princeton policy schools). I'm sure employers also know, or will soon know, that everybody who gets into the Jackson MPP can get into HKS, whereas it's not necessarily true vice versa (just check the incoming stats, like GPA and GRE, etc.) It seems to me that anybody from any of the top policy schools would have a roughly equal shot getting an interview if the rest of their job application is strong. Non-school factors seem to matter a lot too, like self-branding (cringe) and commentary in FP/FA, etc. I feel the presence of the MAS people and the Global Fellows (or whatever they're called) probably evens out the breadth, and there's something to be said about smaller class sizes (vs. 50+ people type large lectures at HKS). Again, I didn't enroll in the Jackson MPP because I decided not to do a policy degree altogether last year, so I'm not defending 'my school.' There is no doubt in my mind that Princeton likely has the best reputation (as it should) and HKS is probably second (just for its size and influence, because everything else sort of sucks).

Absolutely. Jackson seems ideally placed to leverage broader Yale networking as well, which is top notch. I think Jackson being new is actually its biggest advantage. It allows the administration to consciously design all elements of the program after studying limitations/drawbacks in what it calls its two 'peer programs' (HKS and SPIA) for years. If being super nit-picky, I'd say that SPIA still has more prestige (because of being older, not necessarily 'better') and a stronger network too - but the MPP there is stifling with way more requirements. It's all about what you value more. Good luck!

I agree with everything that you've said. I think Jackson is already top-tier (I say this as somehow who chose not to attend it, as I decided to skip a policy degree altogether and do an academically-oriented research degree instead), and things will only get better from here. Re: the cohort size, I think the addition of Jackson fellows and the MAS mid-career folks should round things out. Beyond cohort, class mix matters a lot too. In the class I took at HKS, for example, the guy to my right was an MPA/MC from the military, the guy next to him was a fellow with an intel background, the girl to my left was from the Graduate School of Education (?!), and the guy below me was an MPP candidate from a developing country. The wide range of experiences/backgrounds/ages made things fun. I think all policy schools strive to achieve such a class. I would imagine things are not too dissimilar at Jackson - though cohort still matters, of course.

Everybody has different opinions about this. In the policy wonk world, I'm sure HKS and SPIA (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School) likely have the best reputation. This is mainly because Yale's program is so new. I was in FAS at Harvard, the main 'academic' part of the university. Nobody took HKS seriously. Nor did anyone at the Law School. It's all about perspective. This is mainly because HKS is so much easier to get into relative to the JD program or the 'academic' programs at GSAS, which have much, much higher median GPAs and standardized test scores. I actually had a professor tell me that HKS courses weren't academically rigorous enough so I couldn't get credit for them (unless they were cross-listed with GSAS). On the other hand, I am getting credit for a course I'm taking at the Law School. On the other hand, Jackson is trying to remain exclusive. It's flagship degree only takes 30 people (max) and gives them all aid. It's harder to get into than HKS. It also lets you take courses across Yale's schools, including the Law School. The only requirements for the MPP are the 2 or 3 required courses in Year 1. Jackson is also officially going from an 'Institute' to a 'School' later this year. Lots of money has been earmarked. They are consciously gunning for HKS and therefore doing something unique --- not simply aping what HKS has been doing. My sense, therefore, is that Jackson is better respected within the Yale academic community and will eventually be considered more prestigious than HKS, even if HKS has a 'bigger' name. This is to say that the Jackson MPP is actually harder to get into than the Harvard MPP/MPA, with higher admitted student stats. If you're comparing the midcareer programs (HKS MPA/MC vs Jackson MAS), then I'd say Harvard is a better option because the rest of Harvard's schools, where you can take classes, are all (minus the Law School) higher rated. You can also take some courses at MIT's Political Science department / Security Studies Program, which is very close by/easy to get to, for credit. SPIA is my personal favorite. I've applied for an MPP there this year. Let's see what happens. In my opinion, the Princeton degree is special because - unlike Yale and, especially, Harvard - Princeton has not kept any money-making 'backdoor' degrees across any of its schools. It doesn't have any professional schools other than public policy and, even there, the programs are small, rigorous, and generous with aid (therefore highly competitive). Just my 2c after agonizing where to attend. My background: I got into the Jackson MPP, never applied to HKS for the reasons above; I have taken an HKS course with Professor Stephen Walt and attended a study group there while I was a student at Harvard. I hope this helps.

Another Yale rejection. Wasn't happy with my application - terrible, all-over-the-place statement of purpose as a result of applying at the last minute. I probably wouldn't have admitted myself if I was on the committee!

Continued radio silence from Yale. They seem to have released by this time last year and the year before...

Tough luck. You have great acceptances! I'm at Harvard right now and took a graduate seminar at MIT last semester - honestly, I know they have a Security Studies specialty, but I liked everything about Harvard better! I wonder how long Yale is going to make us wait...

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing. I'll look out for an update. For some reason, I recall coming across previous results that indicated end Feb (though there were 1-2 candidates who got calls/emails a few days earlier). I also remember thinking that it was nice of them to notify admitted/rejected/waitlisted candidates more or less together!

Still waiting on Yale. Seems like they wait till the very last day of Feb for most decisions. That would mean Monday, Feb 28, I suppose... another weekend of anxiety! Congrats to everybody who got into their top choice schools. Looks like @honeymoowis a fellow Harvard/gov applicant!

I would add the MIT SSP program to the list. I believe it's a 1 or 1.5-yr master's program in their political science dept. I took a graduate seminar there (while enrolled at Harvard) and it was pretty good.

Jackson is excellent, but this is their tier two program. The general feeling is that it's more of a pay-and-you-get-in type gig (like Harvard MC/MPA), provided you have an interesting story/work experience. The flagship program is the 2-year MPP, which has a class size of about 30 and almost everyone who asks for it gets financial aid (I had full tuition covered and they were willing to give more). It is going from the Jackson Institute to (officially) the Jackson 'School,' and it has a very bright future as Yale is committed to carving out a niche from Harvard and Princeton.

There is a good chance they'll take people from the waitlist! Hang in there. And thank you

Insane!!!

Hi Esther. I'm at Harvard now and there was somebody in one of my classes from the HKS PhD program who was complaining about not having enough funding for all five (+) years. The HKS PhD program is not considered as prestigious (not saying this should matter; just stating a fact) on campus as the polsci one in the Dept of Govt. She said she would have gone to Princeton's Public Policy PhD program in a heartbeat had she gotten in. To answer your question: my feeling is that several people turn it down. The story with the more 'academic' PhD in Government in GSAS is different --- I doubt many would turn that down. Either way, congrats! You have many tough decisions ahead.

Understandable! I was hoping you'd share general information now, so others may assess their chances (e.g., high undergrad GPA, high quant GRE, excellent letters of rec). Of course, I totally understand if you don't feel comfortable doing so. Congrats again! Any top pick, provided you get in everywhere?

Congrats! Never lose hope

Congrats! We are patiently awaiting your stats for context --- if you're comfortable sharing them. I've been at both Princeton and Columbia and I would humbly recommend Princeton. I'm currently at Harvard for a master's degree and one of the advantages here, I feel, is access to courses and seminars at the Law School (relevant to pol sci) and over at MIT, where I took a graduate seminar last term.

Does anyone know when Yale typically sends out offers/rejections? I've been trying to find information from last year. I was surprised to learn that they receive 600+ applications, and their application deadline is later than the Dec 1 programs (like Princeton, Harvard, etc.), so I'm guessing it's going to be later this month...?

EDIT: Wrong subforum; please ignore. Has anybody received an offer from the Dept of Pol Sci at Yale? I wasn't super competitive for it (horrendous GRE quant score) but thought I'd check...

Hi everyone. This is my first post on this forum! I have applied to the DPhil in Public Policy at Oxford and the PhD in Political Science at Yale. I have also applied to the MPP at Princeton (since I have the requisite work experience and I'd rather do a 1-year program) The reason I didn't apply to other schools is because I'd rather go back into government/related work if I don't get into the programs that I feel are the best fit.