macropolo

Your advice is very much appreciated! Can I ask what sort of funding (if any) you were offered by Sanford, Goldman & McCourt? And did they mention if there are opportunities to be a TA/RA? Thanks again.

Hi all. Another international student here. Would be very grateful if anyone could give me feedback on my profile. I've listed my main stats and then put some questions/concerns at the end. Program: MPP/MPA/MA Schools Applying To: Still deciding, but most likely SAIS MA, Princeton WWS and HKS MPP. Maybe Columbia SIPA MPA. Undergrad Institution: One of the top universities in my home country (globally it usually ranks somewhere around 30). Undergraduate GPA: First class honours (I think it equates to around 3.9 in US system). I did study abroad at a well-known US college for a semester and got A's in my econ classes. Undergraduate Major: Econ, but took quite a few maths classes from the math & stats department. GRE: Haven't taken yet. Years of Work Experience: Around 4 years of full-time work experience. Languages: None (native english speaker) but plan on starting one this year. Work Experience: Since graduating I've worked as an economist/analyst in a national government department. Worked in several different areas and published a few policy/research papers. All very relevant to areas I plan on concentrating in during the MPA/MA. Questions/Concerns: I probably won't be able to attend SAIS/SIPA/HKS if I don't get some funding - can anyone recommend other programs that have good econ/quant training that may provide some funding? (Chicago Harris?) I haven't had any contact with any of my former professors since I graduated, so I'm not sure if I can get a strong academic letter of recommendation. Is it normal to only have professional LORs? Does it matter that I got less than A in a few 'soft' courses (think poetry etc) that I had to take while on exchange in the US? Or do people only care about grades in econ/quant/IR courses? Worth mentioning in the SOP? Does it matter if I don't speak a foreign language for any of the schools listed?