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Podrick Payne

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Everything posted by Podrick Payne

  1. Hey just a heads up, if you decide to go to Yale you need to get in contact with the folks at Middlebury fast! They told me they are almost full for Russian (and Chinese.) I just submitted my app to them for French, but still unsure on Yale.
  2. I would choose Tokyo. The cost savings is so much better. The only downside is that opportunities post grad will be more geared towards Asia. Not a problem if you want to stay in Asia. $65k in debt is a lot. Don't put yourself in the hole.
  3. From my previous chats with current students, that's the norm for Yale's program. Every student (35 in the program) will receive full funding. Everyone I know in this program has received $18k - 23k in a stipend as well.
  4. Thanks Confusion123 for starting this thread. I too am having a hard time deciding which school to attend. Coming from: Atlanta, GA Deciding between: Yale Jackson MPP - 100% Tuition +stipend Columbia SIPA MIA - 100% Tuition + $18k refund check HKS MPP - Still awaiting results, but I was an interviewee for the Equity Fellowship. If received, it would be a full ride + stipend. UChicago Harris - $35k per year scholarship. (I would owe $30k per year) Future Goals: I currently work for FAANG and I'm hoping to transition back into G with a policy based role. I will be exploring other roles such as working for the State Department as an FSO, or possibilities with the UN NATO, etc. Other factors: Just like confusion123, my main goal was no debt, so I can pretty much eliminate UChicago. I visited Yale and Harvard this past fall for their open house and fell in love with both schools. I love Yale's small cohort system, flexibility on which courses to take, and how nice the faculty were when I met them. IDK how to explain it but I truly felt like I belonged there. Harvard was also a pretty amazing visit. I have a good networking relationship with one of the admissions leads and he has really been drilling it into me on how I am exactly what Harvard is looking for in a student, potential leader, etc. I have not visited Columbia SIPA. I actually applied to the program after they visited Atlanta for a grad school event. One fee waiver later and here I am haha. How I'm leaning: I honestly feel like all three schools will give me a great education. Right now I'm leaning towards Yale as I generally liked my time there during my visit. I am a bit concerned over the programs "newness," but I'm sure there are some pros to being in a new program. Living in New Haven isn't going to be the best though. My fiancée will be moving with me and I'm sure New Haven will bore her to death. She's been pretty onboard with wherever I go, but I don't want these two years to suck for her. If we choose Yale she will be able to go remote work with G and still make $100k +. She is currently going for a hail mary and applying for Yale MBA R3. Columbia is currently in 2nd place. The MIA program seems very interesting and the possibility of living in NYC is very cool. My fiancée and I both have many friends living in NYC, so socially we'll be able to fit right in. Her salary will actually increase to about $150k if we move to NYC so that's a plus. If we choose Columbia she is going to wait on her MBA and try for next year's cycle with NYC schools: Columbia, NYU, Cornell Tech My main concern for Columbia is housing. NYC apartments are too d*mn expensive, and even with the pay raise we would be cutting it close. I don't want us to struggle too bad. Harvard is in 3rd place. I love the feel of the school and I'm really excited about having the "Harvard" name on my resume, but I'm not a big fan of how the MPP classes are structured. Like HKS students take a ton of classes many are quant based, and some of these required courses I'm just not interested in taking. On top of that, housing in Cambridge is on-par with San Francisco prices. Although my fiancée will be able to transfer to the Cambridge office, we might struggle with housing. And honestly folks...I'm really really nervous about attending Harvard. I don't want to get there and fail. IDK why I'm thinking like this now, when in December I was so pumped. I worked my butt off last year to put together a great application for HKS. I don't want to miss out on the opportunity to attend Harvard for free, but I'm afraid I won't have a good time there. IDK.... Head: Yale Heart: I love them all lol Wallet: Yale
  5. Hey! I'm new to discord. I'm getting an error when I click the link stating, "No Text Channels." Anything I should do to be able to join?
  6. Hello! Just starting a thread for Yale Jackson 2023 applicants. Results should be out early March. Good luck to everyone that applied!
  7. I'm hoping it's a slow year... If it helps, I attended HKS' Fall Visit Day. There were only a handful of MPP applicants. Many of the perspective students were going for the other 3 majors offered by HKS. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us.
  8. Just wanted to follow up my post from a few months back. Just took the GRE for the last time and I received a 162 V and 170 Q. I'll be applying to HKS, Yale Jackson, Columbia SIPA, and UChicago Harris. Wish me luck!
  9. First off, thank you so much for your insight! This was great and I truly appreciate it. A. So my GPA in UG was a 2.72. Yes, yes, awful. No excuses but I honestly dealt with a lot in UG -- major depression, working 3+ jobs to support myself and send money back home, 1st gen college and poor so no help from family, and my cousin was killed in our dorm freshman year by someone from HS. (I completely left the school for a semester after that incident) While my GPA is awful I do plan on explaining why in my optional essay. B. Would you recommend Columbia's Masters of International Affairs? Also, I've heard mixed reviews regarding Georgetown but I am giving them a look soon. C. I would like to work in a federal agency or the foreign service but I'm honestly open to whatever career path graduate school leads me to. Random Question: Are there any schools I should absolutely avoid?
  10. My career since UG has been all over the place and honestly my saving grace has been my current FAANG job. Good pay and it's secure but it's not really fulfilling and growth has stopped. I've reached the max level I can get promoted in this position and unless I take a new role I can no longer move up. I cannot get a new role on my team as I do not have a Masters (or higher) degree. Over the past 2 years I've researched what would work best for me, MPP/A or MBA, I landed on MPP. I'm hoping I can use the degree to career pivot into either the Foreign Service or to work for a Federal Agency such as the Dept of Energy. Dream goal is to research and work on immigration reform both in the USA and EU.
  11. Hello All I'm just starting the process to apply for MPP programs for Fall 2023. I currently work at a FAANG company and I have about 7 years of work experience split between it and another FAANG company. I plan on applying to HKS, Yale Jackson, USC Price, and possibly UChicago Harris, all for MPP. I'm still open to considering other schools. Random Stats: 7 Years of post grad work exp Currently working in an Admin/Program Manager role at FAANG on a "Policy Team" Other work experience in HR, Recruiting 4 UG internships (business related) Agri-business degree from Big Ten School Trash UG GPA Diverse candidate (Black American) Letter of Reqs have been informed and are ready to write strong recommendations All are professional reqs Years of volunteer and leadership exp 1st gen college Have not taken GRE yet but studying Questions: Any advice on the application process? Anything you wish you would have done more/less? Which should I focus on more: GRE, Letter of Req, or SOP/Essays? Should I spend money to attend in-person events such as UChicago's in-person speaker series? (They waive the app fee if I attend) Second, should I tour schools while in the application process? Does this help get you "known" by admissions? Should I bother with reaching out to professors? If yes, does anyone have a template? Does school ranking matter? What MPP/A programs should I absolutely not look at? I've heard Penn Fels is a no-go. Are you happy about pursuing your Policy Degree? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank You
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