blueduck

Programs Applied To: Georgetown McCourt (MPP), UChicago Harris (MPP), UC Berkeley Goldman (MPP), Oxford (MPhil in Development Studies), Harvard Kennedy (MPP)Programs Admitted to: Georgetown McCourt. ($$), UChicago Harris ($$)Still Waiting: Harvard Kennedy Undergrad / Grad Institution: Large State SchoolDegrees: Bachelors in Business EconomicsGPA: 3.91Minors in Undergrad: Political Science, Economics GRE: N/AWork Experience: 1 yearPolicy Area of Interest: international development, transportation policyRelevant Experience: 1 year as a public sector management consultant in transitQuant experience: 3 semesters of stats/econometrics, several economics classes, linear algebra, calculus 3 Strength of SOP: Pretty okay. I'm not the best writer but I had a clear vision of what I want to study and why.LOR: 1 from prof I had two idev classes with, 1 from thesis advisor, 1 from faculty mentor/advisor

This is all really helpful, thank you! I definitely didn't know there are tiers of think tanks though it seems to be similar to how consulting firms are ranked. This is makes my decision pretty easy to be honest. Although I've heard UChicago grades tough so I am worried about getting a good GPA.

I've been accepted into both MPP programs and have the same amount of funding (overall UChicago is slightly cheaper due to lower COL). My eventual goal is to work as a researcher at a think tank or continue onto a PhD. Policy areas of focus are international development and urban policy. I'm torn between the two. Does anyone have reasons to avoid or choose one over the other.