fishpoo

I attend Heinz now, and I LOVE it!! I can't say anything about Harris, but Heinz offers very application-based quant courses for most students, with the option to take way more challenging courses at the PhD level or at Tepper Business school. It's all what you make of it. The selection of courses is broad. If you have a particular area of interest (machine learning? economics? optimization? Large scale data analysis?), explore our faculty/research list (not just at Heinz, but other CMU schools as well) and check out what courses you could take with them.

Yes! Contact admissions to see if Heinz will reimburse some of your travel costs. Some of you may be eligible. I had a GREAT time at my admitted students day weekend - I hope you have an equally awesome time!

So to continue...ya, depends on what u can deliver. Hardest part at the big consulting firms is getting that first interview so going to a school with good ties to your firm of choice is very important. The interviews are easy cheesy.

Hi, a response to the original post: Private sector is hiring, hurray! The number of hires each year depends on the specific fields the firms r hiring for. Last year, for example, I heard healthcare was a huge deal. This year, not so sure about straight up public policy degrees but I heard A LOT of talk from current consultants about the need for familiarity with SAP and ERP systems. So basically, yea they're hiring, but your employability will depend on 1) what school u attend- consulting firms have fave schools they like to hire from. I go to CMU, where Deloitte heavily recruits. E&Y, PWC, IBM and other smaller firms also like CMU students for the types of skills our grads can deliver. So when considering your school, it would help to look up: what firms hold info sessions at X school, whether your choice firm holds a case competition at X school(as Deloitte does at cmu), what skills u'd gain at X school, etc. Sadly, Booz does not recruit heavily from CMU yet. They were my top choice coming into cmu, but after talking with cmu alums in all the big firms, it really doesn't matter to me that Booz doesn't have a heavy presence yet- I know I can get in via networking. I'm on my iPad and can't scroll down to the next part of my MSG, lol..... To be continued... 2) who u are- ur experiences, your skills, ur familiarity with their industries of focus

There are forum discussions on this board about the value of a dual JD/MPP degree. Word on the street is that THAT degree may have little use. (I'm not knowledgable on the topic of dual degrees, by the way. I suggest you find those other discussions).

Hrm.... I just reread your initial question - Why ask if you're already going to a top law school? hahaha

hehehe, that's kind of how I feel about a law degree anywho, here is some evidence of some people working in educational reform with their worthwhile MPP degrees: http://www.studentsfirst.org/blog/entry/meet-the-staff-nithya-joseph-says-shes-inspired-by-those-working-for-change# http://www.all4ed.org/about_the_alliance/susan-lusi http://democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/newsroom/2011/02/miller-announces-promotions-to.shtml An MPP/MPA will open up a lot of doors for you, as will a law degree. The prestige of those opportunities and payscale (and a whole slough of other details) will depend most on who YOU are and the type of experiences you gather under your belt while in school, and after graduation. It will also depend on which school you attend (moreso for law school than for public policy schools): - some schools have better employment rates for graduates than others - Some schools are targeted more heavily by big consulting agencies or federal agencies depending on the quality/prestige of the program (and location, e.g., DC)

Oh yea, i can't speak for your schools, but for mine having a high GRE score made it possible to be awarded scholarships (my schools typically had a min GRE bar for scholarships). I never took a econ course. Studying for the GRE totally paid off for me.

I would highly recommend just studying for the "old" test for the following reasons: 1) Historically, scores drop on avg some 30% with the implementation of a new "version" of a test. 2) You're time is limited, so just TRY with the old one. Really, I think you'll regret more if you never take the "old" test and bomb the "new test", than if you were bomb the old test - You can always retake the new test. 3) I was getting 500s on my practice tests, and scored with with a 700+ on my actual GRE. It's possible to dramatically improve your score. Kaplan has a couple of speed courses (couple days), but I don't know how effective they are - I didn't take an prep courses. I would HIGHLY recommend the following to prep books to independently study from: - http://www.kaboodle....ation-paperback - you MUST get the 2008 version of the book. The 2009 one is way different and does not provide the clean crisp explanations as the 2008 book does. - http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/1889057592 --- SERIOUSLY GOOD. Best wishes

Congrats on your fellowship! If you haven't received a response yet, it might be b/c you're question is too vague. Without knowing what school you're attending, what field you're in (public policy is broad...), the prestige of the fellowship, I can't say. Give a little more and you might get a more worthwhile response. -fishpoo

Program Applied To: MPP Schools Applied To: Georgetown- GPPI, Carnegie Mellon (DC track) - Heinz, GWU -Trachtenberg, USC - SPPD, University of Maryland at College Park Schools Admitted To: All Schools Rejected From:None Undergraduate institution: Undergraduate GPA: 3.40 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (ifapplicable): 3.8 Undergraduate Major: PublicHealth GRE Quantitative Score: 700+ GRE Verbal Score: 600+ GRE AW Score: less than 4! (haha, and I thought I'd come out with a 6! I just bombed on this one. Note:even if you're a good writer, if you haven't done any literature analysis inthe last 6 months you may want to consider brushing up on your skills) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):2 Years of Work Experience:Full-time, about 1.5 years. Describe Relevant Work Experience: international humanitarian/medical aid volunteer, policy work in ecosystem preservation Strength of SOP (be honest, describethe process, etc): Wow, sucked! I was working on each oneabout 5 minutes before each deadline (I had other work obligations at thetime). Process involved reviewing these old boards, and just following thedirections for each school very carefully. For tips, I read Berkeley graduate division's articles on SOPsand Personal Statements. In the end, every single one of my SOPs were submittedwith at least a few errors (grammatical, or otherwise). I called out POI or specific programs/classes of interestin each of my statements. Essays included details on my international aidexperience, why I want to study public policy, and my past policy experience. Strength of LOR (be honest, describethe process, etc): 3 writers: former professor, current supervisor, and mentor. Though Ididn't see the first two, I think they must have been pretty good; the last was... probably, less good. I gave each letter writer a summary of my experiences since I hadknown them, and discussed with them why I wanted to head into public policy.I’m pretty close with all of them so they were able to include details on mybackground and personal hardships. Other: Figure out the differencebetween SOPs and Personal Statements first! Speak w/ POIs before applying. Knowwhy you are applying for each school you apply to. I feel as though my situation is a bit of an exception compared to others: I don't have years and years of super relevant experience, and I've never taken an econ class in my life; my calc and stats grades were mediocre, and well... let's just say there's more not so great things to say. I think what I had going for me was the following: I know exactly why I want to go into public policy and I know what fields I want to work in; I had strong letters of rec; I did well on the GRE; I REALLY wanted to attend each of the programs I applied to. Bottomline: tell 'em what you want, why you want it, and be sincere. Oh, and, I prayed a lot.

You're welcome, YeahGS! I am really torn about where to attend. I would say my gut is telling me to go to CMU, but for personal reasons, I am unable to commit at this time. So, maybe you will see me there in the fall - given some strength and courage . Oh, but I REALLY do LOVE the DC track. I'm sure it'll give you everything you need!! Congratulations to you on committing - must feel good ()

haha, I got that email too! I like them enough to possibly hold out, and my other programs under consideration have generously agreed to an extended deadline.

Oh! And CMU's gym is really small!! well, compared to the HUGE RIMAC at UCSD and gyms at other large UC campuses where they spend ridiculous amounts of money on activities to lure students in. But there are private gyms nearby, including LA Fitness.

Hey MPPgal! Please allow me to clarify that my comments were intended to be objective - not negative - in case that's how my comments are being read. That said, thank you for your input on all these aspects of the MSPPM program and staff! It's much appreciated (certainly better-informed than from my 2days alone at CMU). Your enthusiasm is obvious, and you support the program very well. Martin was super awesome during the alumni panel, but I'm surprised that he is the go to guy in Pittsburgh if Anita (as I'm told), is the designated coordinator for the DC program. I didn't expect Marie to attend, but I didn't see Anita anywhere. Martin may have explained her absence during the beginning of his presentation, which I missed due to a long lunch line (where I got a delish sandwich!) You know, i thought that internships weren't required until I asked about it this weekend. The alumni panel had mentioned that it was, so I asked either Gladys Perez (Director of the MSPPM program) or Martin (i can't remember which... maybe it was Wil Gorr, Chair?) directly whether summer internships are required for DC track students. Gladys (or Martin or Will! haha) confirmed that in the past internships were not required, but are now a required part of the curriculum. I guess whomever I asked may have misheard my question... I'll have to verify this then. Regarding competitiveness and studying: I agree with you - I don't think the DC track is any more competitive than other top-notch schools. I could have left that part out. My comment on the "study A LOT" was meant to be reflective of the program's rigeur, which I appreciate. I'm confident that the program will equip me with the skills I need to be an amazing super analyzer Lastly, thanks for the info on faculty. Approachability and mentouring is something that is always beneficial when researching faculty.

Hey there! I went. I enjoyed. Here's the dish: - MSPPM program has it's own career services set up. The DC track has their own coordinator, but I'm not sure if she splits her time with other duties as well b/c she has been busy enough to not respond to me for the past 2 weeks, and: 1) she didn't bother to make an appearance this weekend, 2) She was busy doing some kind of interview on Friday so she didn't even meet with students. - Current students: nice, friendly! helpful. They study A LOT. - Activities: the socials planned for the weekend were fairly disorganized, but they were hosted by the busy students themselves so you can understand the situation. Extra points for great food and free booze! CMU in general seems a bit lacking in the social arena... - DC track alumni panel: I think all 5 of them already have jobs secured for this fall. Well-spoken. Confident in their curriculum. Confident in the CMU-DC network. Seems a bit competitive between students. Internship (in addition to the year-long apprenticeship) is required. - Faculty: I had a really hard time getting a feel for the faculty... they are all amazingly accomplished, but I'm still unsure about how accessible they are to students. Perhaps MPPGAL can provide more insight on this? Side notes: - Campus is small, boring, clean - The city is fantastic! Again, small, but very urban - lots to eat and see. Beautiful rivers and bridges. You can definitely live here without a car (bus access depends on which neighborhood you live in). Great bakeries and coffee shops are OK! - Staff: warm, friendly, helpful - Erm... I thought I had more to say but i can't think of any for now! Feel free to ask questions and I will try to answer as time permits!! Overall perspective on the MSPPM-DC track: I know I will get a decent job if I go here. Quant work is doable by all (albeit can be very challenging considering the courseload for DC students).

To be honest, if they try to jerk you off by saying they don't know, I would ask to speak to someone else that CAN provide you the info. The way I see it: you just paid a buttload of money for them to evaluate your app. If they're not going to accept you, they should tell you why. Good luck!

I attended a regional reception this week and found all the alums to be extremely happy with the GPPI curriculum and the skills they learned there. Staff was very engaging and easy to talk to. I didn't hear as much about the "brand" as I expected. Most of the alums who attended emphasized the merits of the curriculum and how it made them more flexible/marketable on the job market. Loved it. Love GPPI.

I contacted Gtown regarding my lack of funding, and they were kind enough to peek at my application and provide the exact reason. I even found success at the undergrad level calling UCSD for a friend. Never hurts - go for it!

SDMPP, Thank you for the low-down from your experience at UMD's open house! I too am pretty impressed by the caliber of their faculty and I'm confident the curriculum (for enviropolicy) is well-suited for my goals. And, you're entirely right about the, "big question" - it really just boils down to where I expect to be after graduation. I do want to spend a couple years in DC post graduation, but I'm strongly leaning towards working in the private sector and b/c UMD grads are so much more inclined towards federal govt positions, I just don't know if it's the right fit for me (i.e., whether they have the network connections I may need one day). It's funny that you mention their great alum connections - I spoke with someone in Career Services about this last week and I came away from the conversation still wondering whether alums would be enthusiastic about helping out graduating students in the end, so I'm glad to hear that your your positive impression on this topic. When I was at USC, their connections in DC seemed sufficient so if I (or you) do eventually want to sway towards the east during the summers and post grad, it seems entirely possible to do so (though perhaps a bit more time-consuming than if you were graduating from Gtown, persay). Ahhhh.... sooooo much to think about. I'll probably making some more calls and would be happy to share any new juicy details I find. Good luck to everyone on the 15th's deadline!

Worth a shot - thanks!

Gadzooks! I wasn't expecting so many more details but thank you thank you all for sharing! So much to think about... Wish you all the best!

Hey everyone! Did anyone attend the UMD Open House last week? If you have any comments to provide on the event, I'd love to hear! It would be especially helpful for me b/c I'm in LA, and I'm just not sure if I can make a visit eventually. I was hoping i could go, but $$ made that a no go. Is anyone considering UMD v. any big name schools? I'd like to focus on the environmental track, but I have some concerns about employability after graduation. The private schools have such great networking opportunities and I hope to have an equally good pull with private sector employers with the strong foundational skills i'll get at UMD. Thank you!

Hi Laurbor! Your recap on the GWU Open House was very helpful. Did you also attend Gtown's Open House? I'm from Cali, and I don't think I'll make it to Gtown's 2nd Open House either. If you (or any others out there ) had any other details to provide on both schools (e.g., student comraderie, how alumni felt about their programs, any other interesting details i would only know by seeing and believing) I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Your scores are fine! I got V670, Q750, W 3.5 and I still got into GTown, GWU, CMU. I think these schools are pretty good at looking at applicants wholistically, though I can't speak the the admissions decisions of the Ivies.