oldfuturehoya

Creating a 2025 Public Affairs results page. Haven't seen one for this year's cycle yet. I am including the typically requested information: Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): Schools Applied To: Schools Admitted To: Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: Undergraduate Institution: Undergraduate GPA: Undergraduate Major: GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): Years of Work Experience: Describe Relevant Work Experience: Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Other: MY RESPONSE: Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP and MPA Schools Applied To: Georgetown McCourt (MPP), Harvard Kennedy School (MC/MPA), Princeton SPIA (MPP) Schools Admitted To: Georgetown McCourt with 55% Scholarship (deferred my enrollment last year.) Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: HKS and Princeton SPIA Undergraduate Institution: Top 5 Public University Undergraduate GPA: 4.0 Undergraduate Major: History and Politics GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: Georgetown waived it for me. It is not required for my programs at HKS or Princeton SPIA. Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): I'm a nontraditional student and first-generation graduate who finished my degree late in life. Years of Work Experience: 20 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Senior Positions on Political Campaigns, Capital Hill, and Nonprofit Sector Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm a gifted writer and believe this is where my application shines. Lots of stories to tell, given my extensive professional journey and complicated early life! Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had a former colleague, a former boss, and a former professor write my LORs, and they all turned out pretty well. Other:

I found out today that I was admitted to the McCourt School’s Master of Public Policy and Master of Policy Management programs with 55% and 50% merit aid, respectively. Now I must make a decision. I work full-time and applied exclusively to McCourt because I cannot move for grad school. I have many years of work experience in and around government and policy-focused non-profits — I’m a… mature student who doesn’t fit the student profile at all. This isn’t so much about improving my career trajectory as it is about sharpening my policymaking skills and earning a degree I wish I’d pursued much earlier in life. What should I do? I’m particularly interested in the opinions of folks who earned their MPP or MPM several years ago and have perspectives about how each is viewed by their contemporaries.