nab190

golonghorns, i got a generic email from them back in late january/february saying that admission decisions would be made in march. i just assume that i haven't gotten in at this point, but its still annoying to hear nothing. uw wasn't my top choice, but had i gotten in my decision would be more difficult. oh well. i'm happy enough with my other acceptances.

i've had problems with u washington too, public affairs. i STILL haven't heard back from them regarding a decision. i emailed, got no response. called, no one was there. its kinda ridiculous. i put in my application at the beginning of january and while i patiently waited through out the month of march, it is now well into april and still nothing.

Look, its not like your choice is between Harvard and Boise State. Georgetown is a widely respected school and has an extremely reputable program and a great location. If its the emotional attachment to Harvard that is compelling you to go, then by all means, I can completely understand why Harvard is such a tempting option. But if you're only worried about reputation, then I feel like your focusing on the wrong thing. When you're dealing with top ranked programs, going to Harvard vs Georgetown isn't what's going to get you places, its the work you do while you're there. If its honestly worth it to you to go to Harvard (and you feel like its the only place you'll be able to accomplish what you want), then go, take advantage of what they offer you. But I agree with other posters, logically, rationally, GWU or Georgetown makes sense, both financially and professionally.

Grades/GRE scores are not the only thing that matters. Especially for IR, your experience in "the field" will be one of the most important parts of your application. Having experience in Tanzania, working with underprivileged kids, these are important experiences that have not only shaped your interest in IR (which you should definitely talk about) but will also give you a unique perspective that can set you apart from other candidates. Keep doing well in school and try to establish some contacts in the field, either through your extracurriculars or academics. Also, there a number of schools that offer joint Peace Corp/IR degrees, where you do the Peace Corps and then come back and study.

Having good scores is important, but its not the only thing that matters. Your GPA is high enough to offset a lower GRE score, although a 1300 is certainly respectable enough to get you into good schools, despite what people are saying. Since you're applying to MPA programs and not MPP, there will be less of a focus on your quantitative background. But, of course, its good to either have classes in statistics/finance/math, or do well on the GRE math section. As far as LOR's go, try to get them from people who you have a strong relationship with. Professors/teachers are always good, but if you're heavily involved in, say, community service, and you have a supervisor or the director of the organization who could speak well to your qualifications, that would be good too. My LOR's were from a variety of backgrounds (not all faculty) and I had different relationships with them, but as a result, the adcom's were able to get a more rounded picture of me. They don't have to be uber famous professors with wikipedia pages, its more important that they are genuine, can speak well to your strengths, and can effectively convince the adcom's that you are right for a program. Its also extremely important, especially for the schools that you are applying to, to have a developed sense of why you're interested in obtaining an MPA degree, and what experience's you've had that strengthen you as a candidate. You don't have to have worked in politics to get into the programs you're interested in. I, for example, work in direct human services (I'm an entry level counselor in a youth shelter), I interned with Amnesty International one summer, and I did a lot of advocacy work at my undergraduate campus regarding LGBTQA issues. None of them were directly related to policy, but through those experiences I was able to develop an overall desire to get into public service. In many ways, through those experiences, I was able to see how policy affected the work that I could do and that made me interested in moving beyond advocacy and into policy. I'm also applying to MPP/MPA programs and I've had a lot of success. Granted, your programs are generally more competitive than the programs I applied to, but the basic principles apply no matter where you are applying. Top tier schools are looking for well-rounded candidates, and some schools in particular (like Harvard) are looking for candidates who are strongly interested in public service. If you can use your community service, internships, or even fraternity membership to show how you've developed your interest in in public service, you would certainly be a competitive candidate. I think the most important thing to emphasis is; having good scores, recommendations, SOP, etc, will never hurt your chances, but even if part of your application is weaker in some areas, that doesn't necessarily exclude you. Try to strengthen as many areas of your application as possible. You don't have to have the best scores, the most reputable LOR's, but find something in your experiences that makes you stand out, makes you a little different than other candidates. And definitely, definitely, spend a lot of time on your SOP, its really the best way to sell yourself. Don't write something generic, find an interesting angle to present your case in.

Well, if it helps (or maybe it won't), I visited GWU and spoke directly with the Assistant Director and Director of the Philosophy and Social Policy. I was really impressed; I have been to some other schools who try very hard to "sell" the program, but Dr. Brand-Ballard and Dr. Griffith are very down to earth. They admitted that they don't market the program, but that the right students seem to find it. They talked a lot about how the PSP program has both theoretical and applied aspects. They said that all of the faculty, including themselves, integrate the theoretical aspects of policy/philosophy into their courses, but with the intention of having students take that theory and apply it in the field. Its meant as a terminal degree, where people, upon graduation, enter the field instead of using it as a segway into academia. They also don't take PhD students, so the master's students (and there's less than 30) are very central to them. All of the other programs I applied to were MPP, except UW which is MPA, but I am most excited about GW's program. Most of the other programs have a class or two in ethics, but are more focused on the quantitative aspects of policy. When I asked an advisor at American about the potential to take more theoretical classes, she just kind of stared at me, it was actually pretty awkward, lol. For me personally, its important to have that humanistic background. There was no pretense at GW. Dr. Griffth and Dr. Brand-Ballard were really knowledgeable and seemed genuinely interested in working with the students in their program, and in bringing in new students who were looking for a program that is a little off the beaten path. Not sure what the Media and Public Affairs school is like though! Good luck in your decision!

I visited AU's admitted day yesterday (for MPP) too, and I visited GWU today. I definitely like GWU better. Granted, I'm not in the MPP program at GWU, I'm in the MA program in Philosophy and Social Policy, which is affiliated with Trachentberg, but housed in the Philosophy Department. As well, I got to meet directly with the director and assistant director of the GWU program, so it was a different experience than at American. I got the same feeling as mppyayouknowme, American seemed more work focused and GWU seemed more academic (although nearly everyone in the program works/has an internship). To me, it seemed like AU was very run of the mill, I didn't feel a connection to any of the advisors or professors I met and the way the day was structured probably didn't help (with them sort of filtering us through rooms and having people talk at us for awhile). They were constantly trying to play up SPA and the whole thing just seemed generic and uninspired. Granted, Trachtenberg's day may have had a similar structure. But consider this, the faculty members at American said that their favorite part about working there was the other faculty members. When I asked people at George Washington the same question, they said, unanimously, the students. They loved that they worked with engaged and intelligent students who were challenged by the program, but also challenged them (the professors) as well. I honestly left GWU very excited about the school (both Trachtenberg and the Philosophy Department). You could chalk it up to being a very personal choice, but its the way I felt. Sometimes something just feels right.

Pshhh, I haven't even heard back about being accepted/rejected. I even emailed them, nothing. Its extremely irritating. I'm mostly assuming I didn't get in at this point.

going to the one in DC. information i got says business casual.

Anyone going to American's admitted students day on Thursday? I am!

I agree. One of my schools advised us to wear "business dress" on their admitted/potential students day. Granted, I'm not going to roll out of bed and show up in my sweats, but business wear? That's definitely over doing it for me. Dress codes in general irk me to a degree. Especially since this isn't a work place environment. Clothing is a status symbol, not a marker of how dedication or work ethic.

dunno about about grad housing, but i would look for a place as soon as possible. housing can be really hard to find in state college once you get into the summer months.

ebee, did you apply to the mpp program at oregon state or the university of oregon? i applied to oregon state, so i was just curious. if you did apply to oregon state, what attracted you to the program? and would you definitely consider going there if you were accepted?

yeah, haven't heard anything either. but i've only seen like two admits on this board, no rejections. maybe they're just being super slow? ugh.

The board is so inundated with school specific posts right now, I thought I might shift discussion a bit and pose the question: what first made you interested in public policy/administration/IR, whatever your respective field is? What sort of policy work makes you feel all giddy, tingly, and excited inside? I started out being involved in a LGBTQA political organization on campus. We focused mostly on campus related issues, but a big thing happened my junior year: the women's basketball coach was accused of discriminating against a player on the basis of sexual orientation and the University found her guilty. It opened up a can of worms and a whole history of discrimination revolving around the coach was brought to light. The group I was in held rallies and community discussions around the issue, but I realized I was most interested in the legal and policy aspects of the case, a former player had filed a law suit against the coach. Learning about university policies and local and state laws that shaped issues of discrimination was really fascinating for me and I eventually started getting involved in policy discussions that dealt with other university and community issues as well. I joined student government, had an internship with Amnesty International, all of it contributing to my growing interest in policy related things. A some point during my second senior year (lol) I found grad programs in policy and realized that my academics (I studied psych as an undergrad) and extracurriculars didn't have to be separate any longer! It is a pretty awesome moment, when you have that sort of "Aha!I know what I want to do and I'm really excited about it!!!" revelation. My work in policy hasn't been very academic or theoretical, but very hands on, so I'm just excited in general to be able to go to school and formally work with scholars and peers who are interested in the same thing I am. So...what about everyone else?.....