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lottesnk

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  • Application Season
    2013 Spring
  • Program
    MPP

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  1. Are any out of staters going to preview weekend? Friday or Saturday? Both? I'd really like to attend, but flying into Detroit has presented to be more cumbersome than I expected.
  2. Thanks for the links, Type A! Taubman's coursework in economic and community development is exactly what I had in mind. At this point, I'm sold on the Ford School! In fact, I've already picked student groups and centers I'd like to join - even summer internships! I figure if a program is willing to make an investment in me through such a generous award, then I should take a chance on them too. (And I probably should have done my homework before starting this thread. lol).
  3. Update: Admission confirmed! Thanks for the feedback! I perused old threads, and saw that there is an element of dissatisfaction among Harris School students (actually, it reminded me why I didn’t apply to begin with! Haha!). But I’m sure most programs have a handful (or more) discontent students who haven’t “drank the Kool Aid” – even Ford! It’s comforting to hear that there are other urban/local/state policy folks (possibly) joining me at the Ford School! My initial reservations stemmed from the concern that I wouldn’t find my academic niche within the school, like in undergrad. Or the program's focus and most students were int'l and federal policy oriented. However, I have spotted several professors in other U-M departments and in the Ford School that I hope I can take a course or two with. And I also checked out the Institute for Social Research, which has a long list of current projects. That said, I'm happy with my choice and am attending Ford this fall! Woot! P.S. @state_school'12 No, really, what is the deal with Harris?
  4. Recently, I was accepted to the Ford School's MPP program and awarded a fellowship covering full tuition, $18,000 living stipend plus health insurance. Amazing! However, after more thorough research into the program I've realized it's not quite a fit for me. My interests is in urban and state policy, and the Ford School's strength is in federal and international relations. When browsing the faculty list, I find only 1 whose research piques my interest. And I'm struggling to find elective courses that I'd like to take. On the plus side, there is a local and state policy research center, but it now seems defunct (at least the website). The Harris School clearly has a leg up on urban policy as it is THE policy school in Chicago. There are so many elective courses that I am eager to take on family policy, workforce development, education, and human potential. I find the courses less traditional, more interdisplinary (e.g., psych and policy), and more innovative than other schools (i.e., social policy isn't limited to only welfare reform and poverty). And I would love to take classes with at least 4 professors, based on their bios. Plus, there's the option to do a master's thesis! The caveat: I didn't apply to the Harris School this application season. In order to attend, I would have to turn down Michigan's generous offer, wait a year to be accepted at the Harris School, and pray for a comparable financial aid package (rumor has it Harris is stingy with the $$$). When I graduate, my goal is to work in city/local/state government, ideally in Chicago or NYC. Can someone please tell me I'm a fool for not accepting the Ford School's offer? They both seem to offer the basic skills, which is what matters, right?
  5. It depends on what you want out of the program and your preference for location after graduation. Although both school are nationally reputable, the MPA programs are local in reach. Majority of USC Price School graduates stay in California and majority of NYU Wagner School graduates stay in NY. Both schools' curriculum has a strong emphasis in NY and CA policy issues and numerous local internships in NYC and LA, respectively. This could be a reason why most grads stay in-state. Where do you see yourself working afterwards? What kind of work? At this point, it may be helpful to thoroughly compare employment statistics, syllabi, research centers, guest lectures, and overall quality of life. Both are terrific programs. Congrats!
  6. Does anyone have any tips on what content I should pay special attention to in regards to the quantitative section? The Kaplan prep chapters that give me the most problem are probability, and permutation/combination. But I don't want to put all my energy and time into material that will only have 2 questions at most. Is there a bulk of GRE Q material in geometry, algebra, or arithmetic? I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
  7. Nope. There's no way of knowing what or where the experimental will be. You'll either get an extra quantitative or verbal section. Even if you suspect it's the experimental section, answer it to the best of your ability. It could actually be the regular scored section, and you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot.
  8. My opinion is don't worry about the AW section, concentrate on proving your quantitative capabilities to public policy programs, especially if you're applying to ones that emphasis math/analysis. The AW section is subjective unlike the quantitative (Q) section, and admissions committees know that the AW is a complete crap shoot. As a result, I believe they lend far more weight to Q than AW, particularly for those without a strong quantitative academic history. If you don't think you can boost your GRE math score, try supplementing your app with a stats, econ, or math course this fall. Additionally, you can always prove your writing skills in your SOP and the like. As one admissions director told me, all adcoms want is some evidence, reassurance, that you'll be able to hang in their stats/econ heavy program -- courses, gre score, something. If one is lacking, then they'll weigh the other more heavily. As cliche as this may sound, every application is unique and one component shouldn't make or break it.
  9. Algebra DeMystified has helped me a lot in the quant section. I realized that I kept making errors because I forgot fundamental math rules. My Kaplan course was useful in teaching me strategies, but they proved futile without knowing arithmetic and math rules (e.g., simplifying radicals and exponents, factoring, etc).
  10. Bump. If you find out the answer to this, please let me know. I'm interested in UMichigan MUP program that is housed in the architecture school and is very arch/design influenced, and UMaryland's that seems more policy-oriented. I'd also like to get an MPP... Did you purchase the 2012 Planetizen Guide online? I can't find it at my bookstore or library.
  11. Georgetown MPP also has a research center for produce safety (produce safety project).
  12. Does anyone know what are typical criteria for receiving scholarship financial aid? What do you believe is the median GRE and GPA? What is the cut-off? Schools I'm considering include the Ford School, University of Maryland MPP, U Wisconsin, and possibly Duke Sanford. Thanks!
  13. If you were to ask this question to an MPP/MPA admissions director, he/she probably would encourage you to take courses in other colleges within the university as I believe food policy is still an emerging field that traditional public policy schools have been slow to adopt into the curriculum. The only food policy programs that I'm aware of are Tufts School of Nutrition Science and NYU Steinhardt School in Food Studies. To find schools with electives, maybe check out public health programs and universities with schools of agriculture such as the University of Maryland or UC Davis. Also, I would search this topic in the public health forum. Good luck! And keep me posted on what you find as I am interested in this specialization, too.
  14. These are my concern too. I think in the absence of a reliable scoring scale, adcoms will lend more weight to percentile rankings. Like you, I wonder how ETS will create percentile rankings. I presume that it will be based on the guinea pigs who test in August-September. But that doesn't seem like a large enough sample. Maybe I should email ETS..
  15. Thanks for your responses! It's really encouraging to hear your positive thoughts. I will continue to study for the current version. If I don't feel confident and comfortable the week before the exam, then I will reschedule. Although, I am leaning towards taking the revised GRE in late Sept or Oct, which buys me more time to study. I really just don't want something like circles inscribed in squares hindering me from getting accepted and awarded scholarships. Will keep you posted come fall! And I am will def. contact admissions coordinator to discuss my concerns. Thanks, again!
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