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cannotdecide

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Posts posted by cannotdecide

    Help!! CIPA MPA vs Maxwell MPA vs Maryland MPP

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    I'll be starting CIPA in the fall for the following reasons:

    1) Flexible curriculum. I know exactly what I want to study and have access to every graduate department at Cornell. I'm interested in environmental finance and market-based environmental policies, so having access to Johnson finance classes in addition to atmospheric science and ecology classes is fantastic. If you can argue that a class aligns with your interests the administration is willing to listen.

    2) Very generous funding. You won't find funding this good at other programs. Instead of facing debt and penny counting in grad school, I'll be able to relax a bit.

    3) Strong faculty/alumni support. There are some unique perks to CIPA being newer; CIPA has every reason to make sure you're successful because they want to grow the program. After speaking with CIPA folks I was impressed by their level of personal involvement and interest in my career.

    4) Close program internally. Ithaca's isolated, but this also forces you to become very close with your fellow CIPA's. The fellows I spoke with were very friendly, welcoming, and mentioned how strong their internal network was.

    5) Cornell's network/brand. It's not just restricted to CIPA---Cornell's alumni are very supportive and the network is huge (I was an undergraduate there). I wouldn't worry too much about the ranking; it's a top university with stellar professors and alumni and you will work your butt off. Furthermore, Cornell's future direction will be more internationally focused ($2 billion international NYC tech campus is evidence of this) and Cornell already has strong presence abroad (Ithaca also has some pretty good Asian food because the campus is so diverse--it's like a little multicultural microcosm).

    How to think about rankings:

    MPA rankings by US News are a function of peer assessments of other MPA educators (deans, facutly etc). The quality of peer assessment is usually the result of academic visibility in public affairs publications. And here is where CIPA is unique among MPA programs; it's an institute rather than a school. The strength of this is that CIPA is interdisciplinary, flexible, and you have access to every graduate class at Cornell. The weakness of this is that CIPA faculty are usually published under different departments of Cornell! Thus, although the work that CIPA folk do are the same, visibility of CIPA is lower because this work is published under different titles. That's not to say MPA rankings are entirely worthless--peer review is very important. HKS and WWS are ranked high because they are, indeed, amazing programs. However, when considering CIPA, the nature of the program is likely a barrier to higher rankings, when in reality, in terms of quality, CIPA is likely much higher than what the rankings show. Also, after attending open house, about 25% of this year (so 2014?) applicant pool was accepted. That's pretty solid.

    Consider this fact; Cornell's grad programs consistently rank in the top 10. CIPA is in many ways a focused slice of the "Grad program" pie at Cornell. Just a simply heuristic like this makes me think that MPA rankings, in general, are far less accurate than MBA or Law school rankings (but once again, the top of the top MPA programs are up there for good reason even if ranking methodology is imperfect--think of peer review as a endogenous variable; if there is an overwhelmingly strong correlation of other "hidden" variables like in HKS and WWS, the effect of these variables will eventually be strong enough to influence "peer review" in that direction).

    In terms of quality and opportunity, I wouldn't worry about CIPA's rankings if you think about it. But regardless of your decision, I firmly believe your success is ultimately up to you. "Ivy league" universities can only put a few more opportunities in front of you; ambition, hard work, and tenacity are the values that really matter.

    PS; With CIPA, you can spend a semester in Nepal, DC, Rome, and I think somewhere else...

    this was great! i have been going back and forth between CIPA and SIPA but have always leaned towards cornell. i couldn't even visit the campus so this was great.

    SIPA or CIPA

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    Wow I am in the exact dilemma between SIPA and CIPA! I also got 28k and no funding from SIPA and seriously considering CIPA....It is a thriving, growing program, and I feel that if you work hard enough and make connections, you can get the internships you want, and CIPA (unlike SIPA) seems to really try to help their students because they realize the distance and such could be an issue. And both schools don't have that much of a huge margin in terms or career placements, especially given CIPA is newer.

    I also got almost full ride at UMD and up for a fellowship, but biting and thinking of more known names...though I can't say UMD hasn't crossed my mind.

    Help! SIPA vs GPPI vs Brown vs Sciences Po

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    I would love to hear what people have to say on this regard...

    I am facing a similar situation. I would love to go to SIPA, but not funding, and thinking seriously about CIPA, which is a growing, rising program, and which has given me 70%! Both are Ivy names, but SIPA obviously ranked higher and in a better position location-wise, but the 100k loan/debt is freaking me out. Thinking that if I work hard enough, I can potentially get a similar job and opportunities from CIPA with less loan intake.

    Fletcher vs. SAIS vs. SIPA

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    Given it seems many of us got into SIPA without funding, is it worth it to spend SO much money to go there and earn an MIA degree? I am extremely interested in SIPA, and the name of the school and the wide array of opportunities certainly help. However, I just don't know if spending so much money to go to Columbia is worth it if one has been accepted to other, very good institutions with some funding.Given the current economy and job potential after a two year master's...and I am not lucky enough to have a company sponsor me either.

    I mean, there is a saying that it's not the place you go to, but what you make of your experiences with the resources given. I have been hearing a lot about SIPA's 'impersonal' style, and how it is a place where you have to really work hard to be noticed, and the "cash cow" sentiment has certainly been emphasized. Furthermore, if you look at career placement statistics, it is not that drastically different from Tuft's or Chicago's numbers....

    I am just not sure what to do at this point I guess (similar situation, where I am thinking about SIPA, Tufts, and CIPA as well....). Lots to think about!

    The Fletcher MALD Thread Spring/Fall 2012

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    I don't think it's random- I think it really speaks to the fact that admissions decisions are made beyond just GRE scores and GPAs. Schools are looking at the candidate as an entire package. It means you can be a really great fit at one school and not at another. It also reinforces how important the SOP is- to really emphasize why you are a great match at that one particular program- not grad school in general.

    random in the sense that I knew the SOP/work experience matters, but until you go through the process, you really don't know. In my case, I think I had a very, very good SOP and I had the Fulbright, among other factors which helped, but my GREs were definitely not 'amazing', nor the quant background. Anyways, happy about this one!

    SIPA page

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    Prepared for the bad news, but hope a good thing will happen.

    good luck! anything can happen, i have been surprised at how for some schools the SOP/experience has mattered more than the numbers this year, etc., the opposite on others. At least in my perspective.

    Cornell CIPA Waiting List

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    Did you take the video interview? How did it go? What kind of questions did they ask you? How long was the interview? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

    the video interview is not one on one and asks only one question and you have time to record and rerecord, etc. has to be less than 4 minutes long. pretty simple.

    Official Admitted Thread

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    So, is it that if you were accepted and being considered for funding that you got an email from GPPI? I applied jan 17 and haven't heard anything...email or post wise.

    Also, as I am abroad but applied as a US citizen, I am guessing that I will receive all of my notifications later than everyone else. Are schools that strict about notifying their candidates only by post? I also applied to Maryland but have not heard anything thus far.

    Help! Accidentally reported my GRE scores wrong by a percentile. what do I do now?

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    I don't think you need to do anything. GRE percentiles are constantly changing. What you sent out WAS probably accurate when you sent it out. Schools must see this happen ALL the time, as it is very common.

    In other words, DON'T worry about it -- look here: http://www.ets.org/g...res/understand/

    Quoting (emphasis added):

    Each GRE test score is reported with a corresponding percentile rank. A percentile rank for a score indicates the percentage of examinees who took that test and received a lower score. Regardless of when the reported scores were earned, the percentile ranks for General Test and Subject Test scores are based on the scores of all examinees who tested within a recent three-year period.

    You are always being compared to everyone who took the test within a certain period of time -- regardless of when YOU actually took the test.

    As an afterthought -- you could stick with the percentile ranks you got with your printed score report or you could try to send the most up-to-date one. Either way, there is no guarantee it won't change again before the committee meets and actually reviews your application. Fortunately, your actual SCORE won't change, so as long as that is reported correctly, you'll be fine.

    Thanks for this.

    I ended up emailing two of my schools, and not one of them. This makes me calmer. It was, yes, by a percentile. and more importantly, my scores themselves were the same, just the percentiles which seems to change all the time.

    indeed, a very stressful application process. at least i was able to change the reporting for my other applications in time. too bad my percentiles now make me look worse in the quant and verbal. :(

    Help! Accidentally reported my GRE scores wrong by a percentile. what do I do now?

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    I am applying to MPP programs and I just submitted an application, and as I did, I double checked my GRE scores, the hard copy that was recently sent to me and saw that I have been reporting the percentile wrong all this time! All this time meaning, I have submitted two applications already to top tier universities, and one of them wants self reporting, the other wants hard copies and self reporting.

    I could have sworn that when I looked online at my GRE scores, they were the way that I reported and I am not someone who makes such petty mistakes.

    Anyways, I have no idea what to do. The difference is small- my verbal score percentile rank according to the hard copy is one percentile lower, my quantitative one percentile lower, and my AW two percentile higher.

    My apprehension in sending an email to the admissions office is a) I don't want to bring attention to my less than average GRE scores in the quant and verbal department to the schools, especially since the new percentiles are lower, and B) I have already emailed them so many times and they know me and I don't want it to seem like I am bothering them and remembering my application as such [which may sound stupid, I know].

    My actual scores were reported correctly, and just not my percentiles, apparently. And one of the schools will receive my official scores and reported scores and see that they are different!

    Will this hurt me? If I get into my school that just required reporting, would they reject me after they get official scores?

    Please evaluate for HKS, Harris, GPPI, Sanford, SPA

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    If you guys don't mind, would love to be evaluated as well since I am applying to similar schools:

    Schools applying to: HKS, Chicago Harris, GPPI, Columbia SIPA, Brown, and looking to add...

    Undergraduate institution: Top 10 liberal arts college

    Undergraduate GPA: 3.37 (much higher in my last two years)

    Undergraduate majors: Poli Sci-IR, minor: south asia studies

    GRE scores: 680 Q 520 V (ouch) 5.5 writing

    Work experience: 2 years: Fulbright Fellow, + extensive internships in large NGOs, congressional office, and consulting abroad.

    Misc,: Speak 4 additional languages (one I studied as an award from the state department)), been to 21 countries, studied abroad in two countries in the middle east, have taken micro, macro, stat, math (though not high grades in any), journalist for a paper, highest (multiple) leadership positions in college that range from editorial, academic, governance, to cultural.

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