rakitarakita

Hi everyone! Really hoping to see more footfall on this thread. Very nervous about my pending decisions! I'm an international student and need good funding offers to be able to attend any of the schools I've gotten into. Good luck with all your applications:) We've got this!! Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP, MPA Schools Applied To: Michigan Ford, USC Sol Price, Berkeley Goldman, Sciences Po, NUS LKYSPP, Hertie (all MPP); NYU Wagner (MPA-PNP), Schools Admitted To: NYU Wagner (partial scholarship), USC Sol Price (awaiting scholarship info), Hertie (partial scholarship) Schools Rejected From: Sciences Po Still Waiting: Michigan Ford, Berkeley Goldman, NUS LKYSPP Undergraduate Institution: An architecture school in India Undergraduate GPA: 8.43/10 Undergraduate Major: Architecture GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 163/160/4.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 Years of Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Urban Analyst at an urban/transport planning firm supporting state and local governments in a metropolitan Indian city to plan and deliver the city's newest metro rail line. Have reviewed policies, master plans, planning tools; developed planning proposals for multimodal transit integration and transit-oriented urban planning; organised workshops with government officials, elected representatives and the public; co-led community discussions for participatory planning in neighbourhoods around the metro; developed planning processes, frameworks and toolkits for government agencies to use; lots of work with QGIS and excel, handling spatial and demographic data. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Could speak about the complexities of working with governments and delivering an public transit infrastructure project from policy review to implementation; could also leverage my relevant fieldwork + research experience in social safety nets for the informal employed and the quality of water supply in Indian cities. I feel this spoke to my areas of interest (the intersections of public transit, basic infra and social safety) and also the variety of settings in which I have experience. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): My professional LoR came from my boss, with whom I've worked for 2 years. She's been really impressed with my work and I think has spoken to that. Not sure beyond that, honestly. Other:

Hi! Hoping you'll see this four years later. I've applied to all 3 of these schools for a Fall 2024 start. If you ended up taking any of these offers, would you mind sharing your thoughts on whether this school might be a good fit for what I am looking for? About me: From India; got my undergrad degree in architecture in 2021; transitioned to urban policy and governance with a post-grad study/research programme from 2021-22 Interested in policy design and programme implementation for public transit (with intersections in housing, basic infrastructure and social safety) for low-income populations 2 years of work ex right now; worked at a planning firm advising state and local governments in a metropolitan Indian city on how to plan/deliver a new metro rail line for the city Want to use the masters to: a) build strong quant skills (econometric analysis, data analysis) + skills in public finance, programme eval; b) explore whether I want to be a generalist working at the intersection of the areas I listed, or if I want to dive deep into one Want to build a career in India but keen to work for 2-5 years in the US/internationally to gain experience/pay off possible loans Want to work at non-government organisations/think tanks/research organisations where I get to both do research/contribute to policy analysis and design but also do fieldwork and drive implementation. Think World Resources Institute or Mathematica Funding is a HUGE deciding factor. I cannot afford to study in the US without at least 70% tuition covered by internal/external scholarships or fellowships (all of which I have applied for) Would be super grateful for any insights!! Thanks:)

Hi, I've also applied for the 2024 MPP at LKYSPP. Haven't heard anything from them yet! A bit about me: got my undergrad degree in 2021. 2 years of work ex + 9 months in a post-graduate study/research certificate programme. Good luck on hearing back from them! And do post if you do:)