paxi

Sigh no funding. Oh HKS why you so cruel? Awaiting feedback from my some external scholarships that I had applied for. But in all likelihood the Harvard dream seems to be over

Hello everyone! Is anyone here applying to the scholarship this year? I applied for the scholarship a couple of years back but was very disheartened that there was no response at all from the committee. Applying again this year. My Profile: 3-4 Years of experience in the UN system: UNFPA/UNRCO specifically. One year with Doctors Without Borders. Deferred admission to KSG MPA2. The quality of my references won't be too strong.

Deferred my admission to the MPA2 in 2015 so hopefully will be attending in 2016. I'm hoping that something falls through with funding this time around. Otherwise won't be able to attend. Fingers crossed.

Thanks guys! I'll definitely look into applying to Yale!

Yeah exactly. Thats why i'm looking at alternate programs. To be really honest if I get even half the tuition waved off at Kennedy I will still go there. Let's see how the fellowships play out.

My current profile is: MA in Economics (USA) : 3.67 GPA Undergrad from South Asia: 3.01 GRE : 88% Quantitative 84% verbal and 4.5 AWA Owner of a startup - running strong for three years. I have around 3-4 years of work experience in the UN. I also run a small business on the side. In the future i'm looking towards running my own social enterprise ventures (either related to health/nutrition or education). I've already gotten admitted into the Kennedy school - the MPA2 - (deferred admission) and i'm hoping that something works out with funding. It really is my dream school and i don't think that any other program offers the same sort of flexibility that it does. But if it doesn't then I would ideally want to go to a program that has certain courses on management. Ideally the place should fund. The maximum that I can possibly spend is 30k on tuition plus living. Time also presents a significant constraint and I would be able to take a year out - possibly two - if the program is really good. The main reason why I want to get out and do another degree is to take a break from the monotony that has set in with work and also to expose myself to new ideas and views. I think the open ended nature of the MPA2 was the perfect fit for my profile and I don't think that there's any other program that allows you that flexibility and exposure. So to be honest i'm not really that focused on the particulars of the programs , future employ ability or even that bothered about the "type" of program. I think that anything related to health, management, policy, psychology or a program that allows for an interdisciplinary approach would be useful. I can see them all feeding into my future entrepreneurial plans (one way or another) I will probably, after this, go back to working in the same sector (back home) so future employ-ability doesn't really make much difference. Suggestions are welcome!

Still no news. There's still hope

Good luck @economixed! I'm from Pakistan - haven't received any funding but will be deferring my decision. I'd say, though my assessment is limited to my own experience, base the decision on what you want out of the 2 years and the degree. If you're looking purely in terms of the post degree job potential, and from a returns on investment point of view, then yes Georgetown and Harris might be worth it. I however wouldn't turn down HKS, because for me a great attraction that HKS offers is the ability to take courses in the Divinity School .. and that is something that can't be quantified.

Admitted to the 2 year MPA!

Hi! I'm applying to the Harvard MPA program. Would appreciate some advice on my chances there: From South Asia Undergrad GPA: 3.0/4.0 from probably the best university in my country. Graduate GPA: 3.67/4.0 - Dropped out of a Phd econ program in the US - cleared Micro cores at the Phd level. Didn't find academia to my liking. GRE: 780 Q(87 percentile), 610 V(84%), 4.5 AWA (74%) 1 Year experience working for Doctors Without Borders in South Asia 2 Years of experience working for the UN in South Asia Entrepreneur with established successful business. Main reason for choosing an MPA over the MPA/ID is that i don't want to go the academic route. Also, want to pursue something in social entrepreneurship in the future so the option of taking business courses at HBS is appealing.

Hi! I'm applying to the Harvard MPA program. Would appreciate some advice on my chances there: From South Asia Undergrad GPA: 3.0/4.0 from probably the best university in my country. Graduate GPA: 3.67/4.0 - Dropped out of a Phd econ program in the US - cleared Micro cores at the Phd level. Didn't find academia to my liking. GRE: 780 Q(87 percentile), 610 V(84%), 4.5 AWA (74%) 1 Year experience working for Doctors Without Borders 2 Years of experience working for the UN in South Asia Entrepreneur with established successful business. Main reason for choosing an MPA over the MPA/ID is that i don't want to go the academic route. Also, want to pursue something in social entrepreneurship in the future so the option of taking business courses at HBS is appealing.

Are these ranges for the quantitative scores?

Ah well i retook it anyway. Got 780 610. Still awaiting AWA results but expecting them to be around 4.5/5 at least. Should've done just a bit better on the verbal part but still i'm happy. Well, now i know IF i work on the other aspects of my profile i am qualify to a lot of these programs.

Can you please elucidate your answer ?