Ethical Realist

Public Policy Expert, I hope you were being sarcastic. I'm a second-year MPP at HKS and I can't agree more with the idea that comparing HKS to HLS and HBS is ridiculous. HKS is great at what it does, preparing its students to serve at the highest levels of government and public service. The resources at the school are unbelievable and the opportunities following graduation are amazing. Dozens of alums have gone on to become White House Fellows, work at MBB (and not just dual degrees), became Ambassadors and even heads of state. The median (not mean, median) starting salary for MPPs in the private sector is $122,000. If that doesnt signal the value that the private sector places on K-School grads I dont know what would. Furthermore, the professors are top notch, very accessible, and most are willing to use their contacts to help students get jobs and internships. One professor helped a friend get an internship at the White House last summer. This also goes for professors across campus. In addition to my HKS professors, I've able to meet with professors in HLS, HBS, the college and they were consistently interested in providing guidance and willing to offer assistance. In the less than two years at the school, I've met and had substantive conversations with four current or former governors, two senators, the head of the World Bank (K-school grad), and many many other dignitaries. These interactions along with those I've had in class have been invaluable to my training. Many students from HLS, HBS, HMS, the college, HGSE, HDS, etc. cross-register to take HKS classes and vice versa. As is the case anywhere, students fall along continuum of impressiveness and there is substantial amount of overlap in student quality between schools. In addition, many students have very impressive backgrounds and have been highly successful before coming to HKS. The main difference in applicants is that those who apply to HKS are primarily interested in public service. You should be proud of your accomplishment and know that this will be one of the best experiences of your life. One final point: I was self-conscious like you were when I first got here but I quickly learned that my concerns were unwarranted. I will confirm that there is an informal "hierarchy" b/w schools based on the "competitiveness" of entry but you should know that this is just the nature of elitism and exclusion. Harvard attracts a subset of students who define themselves based on the exclusivity of the group they are apart of. Even within HLS or HBS the exclusion doesn't stop it just shifts to different criteria like: are you coming from i-banking or class rank or where you went undergrad. There is a word for people like this: snobs. News Flash: There are snobs at Harvard. But it's okay! The vast majority of people arent like that. Once you get here you will quickly realize that the snobs are irrelevant to your experience at HKS and to your future opportunities.