therunaround

Yeah, the 12 Belfer Fellows thing annoyed me a little. It's disingenuous to promote it like they do and then provide nothing for so many of the IGA students. I think I probably will reassess whether I want to do the IGA program but I'm not concerned about the HKS education. Too easy...I don't know. I am really excited at Harvard but I think I might just take IGA env courses and do another PAE. Maybe they will change it for next year. Let's wait and see what happens when we get there!

Some serious concerns about the IGA program from current students...: http://harvardcitizen.com/2009/04/29/ig ... ar-at-hks/

Congrats Don and thanks for making extra $$ available!

My theory is that there are two things at play: the admission to HKS and the offering of an essay-based scholarship. (We should talk to Don about the particular scholarship he received because, while some have found a specific scholarship whose named coincides with the language used by Don, I initially thought he was just saying that he got a grant from Kennedy - meaning any grant). I do NOT think that anyone should assume admission and scholarships/grants processes are conducted by the same people. The question would be, is scholarship consideration conducted blindly. This would make sense in the essay-based scholarships because then an administrator would be relying solely on the quality of the essay to determine award, and not the general admissions materials. (The specifics are no doubt declared by the benefactor). Further, I would hazard that different staff are impressed by different characteristics. Thus it would be possible for one to be accepted with flying colors and denied aid, or be waitlisted and awarded 20k. While it is not the same where comparing across schools, I've found it really interesting that some schools like SAIS and GPPI offered me a comparatively high about of $$ while other schools like Ford and GW offered me none. Further, I was accepted at HKS and denied at GSPP. Of course, the "full class" argument also makes sense. I'm not sure about the talk of desiring a high yield. I would caution against assuming that this board has an accurate grasp on the yield for WWS and HKS. I do agree that the predominate sentiment on this board has been to decline HKS because of $$ and go to WWS or GPPI or somewhere else, but that certainly does not mean that will happen for the rest of accepteds.

You know what I think is going on here with the waitlist aid? I think they probably have individual committees that look at each scholarship (for the ones that require an essay) and the committees rank candidates. This is separate from admissions. My guess would be that don was chosen by a scholarship committee to be an alternate for a specific scholarship that he applied for. The 1st student that was offered the scholarship probably declined acceptance and thus they went to the alternate list. When don was accepted, he also received a scholarship. I get the feeling that most of the essay-based scholarships are set up by benefactors that specify assessment processes, mandating unique scholarship committees.

Scotty, I'm doing the IGA to focus on climate change and environmental policy as well. I was very sad about Holdren leaving but hopefully they will take that as evidence of the importance of these issues and find a suitable replacement to teach similar courses. I do believe that those who have left HKS to work in the administration will serve as "storm troopers" in washington for current students (i believe that is what was said in the open house, IGA discussion). How about assistant to science and technology advisor to the white house...? So excited to start in the fall!

Haha, sounds good zourah! See you in the fall. Money is an easy criteria because we have a good concept of its material (obviously!) and emotional worth. The other factors like community, friends, professors, location, experience, etc. are much harder to evaluate. Consequently, I think we overweight financial issues when making decisions like these. I just meant to remind those still deciding that money is only one of the factors!

I had the same decision...only i got 15k/yr from GPPI and none from HKS. I'm going to HKS. I think it's just that great.

Money is not everything!

THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING TO ATTEND: Harvard Kennedy School of Government (MPP) OTHER SCHOOLS I CONSIDERED: Duke, GPPI, SAIS WHY I CHOSE MY NEW SCHOOL: A couple reasons, some are pros for HKS, others cons for GPPI and SAIS 1. The students! The accepted students I met at the DC and Cambridge receptions were amazing people. Everyone had done something unique and impressive and I learned so much from just chatting with my peers. These are the people I want to grab lunch with. 2. The institution. The Kennedy School is a big place with lots of opportunities. I went to a small high school and a medium sized undergrad uni. I want a connected, powerful, well-endowed institution for my graduate studies. 3. The reputation. There's a lot of complaining on thegradcafe about HKS and the Harvard brand and yadayadayada. Whether you like it or not, Harvard is a great brand name. I am inclined to believe that it has deserved this distinction. Its students are well educated, smart, and capable. The Harvard name opens doors. Sure you can make it without HKS on the resume, but I'm going for everything I can get! 4. I hated the GPPI admissions and scholarship team. They were awfully unresponsive and didn't convey any respect for their applicants. 5. I didn't want the "opportunity" to intern during the year while at GPPI. To me, this is an indicator that the program is not rigorous enough. The MPP is a two-year degree with a nice summer internship block inbetween. I want to be working hard while in school. Heck, I'm paying for an education, right? 6. Taking a breather from DC can be a good thing. Initially, I was convinced that DC would be the best place to study public policy. After thinking about it for a little while, I changed my mind. I've worked in DC for the last two years and plan to work there for a decade after my MPP. I think I will be more effective at navigating the DC policy mind field after taking a couple years off and getting some perspective. 7. I want to do the presidential management fellows program. Harvard sends all of its applicants directly to the test taking stage, not prelim evaluation at the school. This is one step down. 8. SAIS is great. I like the program a lot EXCEPT for the Econ and language req. I don't really feel like repeating (if I can't pass out) my undergraduate econ education. I don't question the importance of a language requirement but for me this would be one additional course every semester that I could have devoted to electives. 9. I think SAIS is a terrific IR program but I'm not sure I want an IR program. Instead, I want an MPP program that has bits of IR. The MPP at HKS combined with the international and global affairs (IGA) concentration is just this. Further, HKS is invested in having successful IGA graduates because it wants to promote the program. To me, this means that they will work hard to make sure I am successful. Not a bad little agreement, eh? 10. The money thing: Look, I got $$ from all the schools I declined and not HKS. This doesn't matter to me. It would be nice to have some extra $$ and not go 120,000 in debt but I am unwilling to sacrifice a top education because of money issues. That is not how I will begin my life and it is not how I will end it. Money is money, but my education's value is priceless. The people I meet at HKS, the experiences I have, and the education I receive at invaluable to me.

Nah no word. You should call your financial aid representative.

That's just confusing writing on my part. What I meant was that there is probably no advantage to studying at HKS over SAIS, Fletcher, SFS if you are interested in a purely international relations degree. I think some of the concerns regarding HKS's international relations credentials are misplaced. The Kennedy School is not an International Relations school. Sure, there are many areas where public policy and IR cross paths but this is an MPP degree not an MA in IR. For me, this is actually a plus. I am interested in working for the US gov't on international and domestic issues so I am looking for a balanced education that provides domestic and international prospectives. The IGA concentration at HKS is perfect for this because it provides 6 classes focused on IR to complement my core courses and some domestic electives. I did get a good impression from the new IGA focus. Harvard seems to recognize that it is losing students to IR programs and is currently beefing up its IR reputation. It created the IGA to do this and views the program as an alternative to IR schools. They are funding the program heavily and are invested in getting its graduates to respected positions in order to develop the reputation of the program. Seems like a good opportunity for students. But I still think IR people who are more interested in a traditional MA in IR should look elsewhere.

Thanks, zourah. Nice summary. Did anyone else go to the HKS open house? I went and loved it (as most of you probably expected, ) I was especially impressed by the Institute of Politics and the JFK Forum. In fact, I went to the Forum friday and saw Ken Bruns, Doris Kerns Goodwin, and Peter Gammons talk about baseball as America's pasttime. Last monday, barney frank spoke. Next week, David Plouffe is speaking. This experience confirmed for me that the Kennedy School is an incredable place to study that offers more than just a great breadth of courses and a top-notch credential.

Oh man, just live a little and go with it. Or don't. But stop agonizing, everyone. Look, life's an adventure and you don't know how it will turn out. Just go through it and make the best decisions you can at the time. If you think Harvard is for you and you want to deal with the risk (like me) then go for it! If you are nervous about making the decision and want to play it safe, then don't! Ultimately, none of us know what the "right" decision is, not you, not me, and not a person from DoE. Only time will tell. Everyone just relax, make a choice, and don't look back! Be excited. We have our whole lives ahead of us. It's a great time to start a career in public service. In the words of Bobby McFerrin, "Don't worry. Be happy."

I've noticed this too. Having gone to school for undergrad in boston and having lived in DC for the past two years, I have some experience with this. First of all, I estimate for myself that I spend about 250 a month on food. I cook at home a lot and am frugal when i go out. Add in another 50 a month for the occasional happy hour beer and you've got 300 a month for essential food items. This is the case in both cities. Restaurant costs don't differ that much between boston and DC, nor do grocery store prices. Housing is actually similar in both cities. If you want to live in Dupont/Georgetown or Harvard Sq, you are going to spend a ton. I would say around $1000 - 1200 a month for your apartment. If you live a little further away from the cool areas (but still in nice, safe neighborhoods), you can get away with $800 a month in DC or Boston. For less expensive DC options, check out: Rosslyn, Ballston, Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase, Tenleytown, and Columbia Heights (can get a little dicey but is improving). You can add about $200 to either of these estimates if you aren't serious about finding a good place. I took a while and I have an awesome house with three other roommates for $750 a month in the Friendship Heights area. In Boston, look at: Porter, Somerville, Davis, Central Sq, and Kenmore. In Boston, you have to get a little more lucky but it is always possible to find some place that's reasonable. I have a friend from undergrad who lives in Porter and pays $700 a month. Another that lives in Central by the T and pays $750. I think it's reasonable to expect to find some place for around $800 if you look. Remember these are year leases, so you have to find a subletter in the summer. So that gives us an estimate of about $1100 a month, or for nine months that's $9,900. A lot! less than the $26k that they predict. This doesn't take into account travel costs, etc. But I don't see that coming to $16k. I think they are generous with their predictions to make sure that they don't underestimate for the purpose of loans. Remember, you don't have to take out the full Harvard estimate! Conclusion: You can live on a lot less than $26,000 in Boston and the $18,000 or so that most schools estimate for DC. But you have to be smart about what you eat and where you live. We're grad students, it comes with the territory. PS There are a ton of Happy Hour deals in DC, I will say that. I'm geting to half priced beer and hamburgers right now. =)