chellie99

Stephen33 or xnormajeanx, Not to harp on the theoretical bent of Harris that everyone keeps mentioning, but that's still one of my major concerns vs. more practical programs. What's your take on the availability of opportunities to make the program more practical/applied? I know there's a practicum offered each quarter, but since it's only open to a few students, I'd be concerned that I might not get in or that the particular project wouldn't interest me. Does anyone do an applied/consulting capstone-like project, like many of the other schools require? Do courses offer the chance to apply the skills taught in the class to the policy areas you're interested in through papers or projects? Thanks!

I was at the GSPP day yesterday and came away with a positive impression of the program. Two class visits (Econ and Quant) were incorporated into the day - which was a nice touch. I didn't have the opportunity to attend courses at other schools, so it is hard to compare but, regarding what pepper12 said, I would bet that the core econ and quant classes at all the top schools are pretty similar and, like most other places, if you have a strong econ background you can place out of the core courses and take more advanced ones. GSPP tried to sell that they were incredibly strong in quant. GSPP's program seems to be a very practical/applied one - there are lots of great opportunities to apply your policy skills to real world situations, including a group consulting project in 1st year spring (IPA) and a thesis type individual consulting project in 2nd year spring (APA). The core classes also offer opportunities to apply the theory to the policy issues you're interested in through papers group projects. GSPP is a small program, which has it's pros in that the community is very close-knit. However, because the program is small, they don't have a large amount of faculty - or electives - within the school. Classes at all of the Berkeley schools - Law, Business, Education, Social Welfare, Econ & PoliSci depts, etc - are open and easily accessible to GSPP students, and most students take their electives outside of the school. Students who are interested in international issues noted that it can be hard to find appropriate electives because the faculty's interests tend toward domestic policy. The GSPP campus (a house with the "Living Room" that students can hang out and study in and a newer building) was nice and intimate. The career services people seemed top notch, and all the current students I talked to agreed. I didn't get an opportunity to talk with or hear from any alumni, which is too bad because I found the alumni panels at other schools to be a really helpful part of the day. I also noted that the group of admitted students was a lot more diverse than some of the other open houses I've been to - both ethnically and life experience/age-wise.

Has anyone noticed that HKS's estimated living expenses are quite a bit higher than other schools, even those in more expensive areas (HKS is $26K vs $20K for Georgetown, $21K for Berkeley), which drives up estimated cost of attendance. For the sake of making my comparisons as accurate as possible, do people think that it really costs that much more to live in the Cambridge area than DC or SF area? Why?

I'd say the US News list is a pretty good start - although I wouldn't put Wisconsin so high and Syracuse seems more focused on public management/administration than social policy analysis. I'd put Harvard, Chicago, and Berkeley as the top three in terms of overall domestic social policy, although some of the other programs have specific strengths in particularly social policy areas (urban, health, education, etc).

One thing I worry about with this income-based payment plan and the 10 yr debt forgiveness plan - which would work out very well since I know I will be in public service for at least 10 years - is whether it will absolutely be there by the time I need it. Presumably a future Congress could change the law or eliminate the program. So, I don't know if we can count on it - I'd hate to expect to have my loans forgiven after 10 years but actually end up with $100K more to pay. Anyone have thoughts on that?

Checking in as someone with a HKS vs. GSPP decision to make (with a few other schools thrown in). In terms of alumni network, it's probably fair to say that HKS has a more expansive network, if only because they have a larger class size. I think location of where you want to end up working makes a big difference though. I work in the policy sector in SF Bay Area right now and the GSPP network is really strong here and in Sacramento. Plus, it people in the area look very highly on GSPP graduates. But, if you want to work in DC, Harvard's network certainly has Goldman's beat. GSPP - both their official admissions people and current and past students I've talked to - emphasizes that it's a "generalist" program. Does anyone have a concrete idea of what that means? They do seem to have more core classes and less elective that HKS and other schools, but does it mean anything beyond that? For me, the cost issue is going to be big - especially since I'd get in-state tuition at GSPP. But the amount of amazing resources and networks at Harvard... hard to turn down.

I don't have a great answer for you skz, but my area of interest is also education, child & family and social policy (different schools for me: HKS, Harris, GPPI, GSPP, Duke), so I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on which programs are particularly strong in education policy. I have had some exposure to GPPI - and they have a Center for Research on Children in the US (CROCUS) that is really strong and some great professors focused on social policy -- Education, Social and Family Policy is a policy track option. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the other schools you're considering.

Just got my congratulations email! Just as I had resigned myself to not hearing until after their spring break... Financial awards will be available online after April 3. So excited!

Hopefully a current GPPI student will jump in to provide some real insight, but in the meantime, as someone who went to Gtown undergrad and took a few classes at GPPI here are some thoughts. The admissions people have been pretty non-responsive and disorganized, but I never found to be the case with the staff and faculty I interacted with at GPPI. Again, not even close to an expert, but my experience suggests that the program is really strong, heavy on quant (you take 3 semester of it vs. 2 in a lot of programs) and very practice-heavy - both in having faculty that are former practitioners and movers and shakers from DC, and in the fact that a lot of students have part-time jobs or internships at nonprofits or government agencies. It is expensive to live in DC - especially if you want to live in the Georgetown area - but still cheaper that the SF Bay Area where I am now. Any actual GPPI students lurking in here that can help us out?

Just got the email - in, also with a half-tuition scholarship.

I haven't heard anything either. I'm hoping number35 is right and they haven't sent them out yet.

No, but pressing refresh on your email is scientifically proven to make you feel better... or more anxious. I'm not sure which!

So, those of us in the second batch of scholarship decisions are supposed to hear today (Wed Mar 11). Not that I'm expecting much given how they flubbed it last time, but has anyone gotten an email or update?

Hi MCneelified - I'm in a similar place - accepted but no funding and wondering if the program is worth the debt - I got a full tuition scholarship at Duke so GSPP would be considerable more expensive. Just a few thoughts in response to your post. First, I don't think it's fair to view the lack of fellowship as a rejection, because GSPP was really stingy with funding this year (the CA state budget is in big trouble and higher ed got hit badly) and apps were way up. Plus, as mentioned above, all the programs look for different things in applicants, so no funding doesn't mean you're not going to get in at other top-notch schools. Second, apparently there are opportunities to be a graduate student instructor (GSI) - mostly in the second year - which I believe comes with a tuition remission and some stipend. So that may be an option to keep costs down. Anyway, congratulations on the acceptance - don't be so down on the lack of fellowship that you don't take the time to be proud of even getting in!

I was talking to a current GSPP student yesterday, and she said that they'd heard applications this year had increased by more than 50% since last year - and that there's some joking talk among current students that a lot of them wouldn't have been able to get in this year. They do seem to have rejected some great candidates this year - their loss!

Just came home to a big envelope acceptance for GSPP - no funding though, which is disappointing. There's some information enclosed about graduate student assistantship opportunities, but it doesn't look like those are likely to go to first year students. FYI, it was postmarked 3-04 - I live nearby so it came quickly. According to the letter, there will be new student receptions on March 30 in Washington DC and April 8 in Berkeley.