Helpplease123

There's a stats requirement. I'm a first year MPA at USC (1/2 merit scholarship) - let me know if you have any questions about the program. In advance, I don't know if you'll get in but happy to answer anything else.

I wish i'd spent an extra year in my undergrad...in fact, I wish i'd spent 10 more years. Life will probably never be as fun once you leave, so don't be down about the opportunity!

Did you not enquire about your status back in March when all the Masters decisions were released? If you applied in November you should've heard a long time ago, i'm sorry to say it doesn't sound like it's likely to be good news. Just wanted to be honest - I hope i'm wrong though! Unless maybe you were on the waitlist and someone has now dropped out.

"Good Luck buddy and sorry to see your country on the verge of some kind of internal disaster." "it happened at a time the country was heating up (were you their for the war in 2006 btw)" "since it was at AUB and in the midst of the action" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is it necessary to pepper your posts with such glib remarks about something serious?

Unless you have done something seriously exceptional in your career so far (think set up a non profit in Africa and provided clean drinking water to thousands, not worked in a consultancy firm for 4 years) then you're going to need a strong GMAT for any of the top 20/30 MBAs - I would aim for above 680 at least, with a stronger emphasis on the quantitative section.

You have already done an MBA? You won't get a student visa for the US, probably better to look elsewhere. The US don't give visas out for academic levels you have already attained - especially a Public Admin/IR Masters which may even see as a somewhat lower qualification than an MBA in terms of career progression.

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 10 UK Previous Degrees and GPAs: BSc. Psychology; 3.5 GPA GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 165V (96%)/159Q (82%)/5.5AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year Events/Production; 2 years management and operations roles in retail. Math/Econ Background: None from undergrad - studying calculus, stats, micro, macro now online. Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): Good German, average French, basic Spanish Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Nonprofit management Long Term Professional Goals: Start own nonprofit Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted - USC (1/2 tuition), NYU, Columbia SIPA, Texas LBJ Rejected - UNC Chapel Hill Ultimate Decision & Why: USC. The program is really established and international. There are professors doing some really great research in the field that I am particularly interested in and the course seems to have a good focus on nonprofits rather than just on government policy. Since I don't want to work in Washington afterwards this was positive for me as some of the other programs were all about the policy side. Advice for Future Applicants: Don't let people freak you out about directly relevant work experience. Picking up necessary skills such as leadership, organisation etc. can be done in any field and your interest in public admin/policy can be shown through volunteer work and your SoP. Make sure you have clear goals and can articulate them well in your essays.

Also in off the waitlist but will be attending USC... congrats everyone!

If you're worried about finding work on the continent come to the UK, where it is very normal to take time off between undergrad and masters... Work for a year/couple of years and try again (if you still want to).

I wouldn't... you don't have much space as it is, focus on the professors in your school. I thought about the same thing and concluded that I didn't want anyone reading the essay to question whether or not i'd applied to the appropriate school for my interests.

If you did well, yes. If you did badly, no.

The job market is incredibly competitive in London right now - especially finance and consulting, finding a sponsor now is virtually impossible but hopefully by the time you're graduating it will be a little better. I think you have a few months after graduating to try and find a job or there's a post grad study visa you can apply for without a sponsor. That visa category is closed for new applicants now though - don't know if they'll reopen it (we're having some real problems with bogus students etc and so things are getting much harder at the moment), if they don't you'd need a sponsor.

I didn't look too much into Fels - when I first shortlisted schools I used the US New rankings and it was lower down on the list (at the time I didn't realise that they were not very highly regarded rankings). Ultimately I discounted it because it appeared to focus more on government agencies than nonprofit management from what I could see, there isn't much research going on in my area of interest either and finally, as you mentioned, it isn't very internationally focused.... basically all of the issues I had with Fels were the opposite at Price (much more international, more nonprofit focused, research in my area), so I don't think Price is especially suited to someone that wanted to work in DC in policy areas etc. I think that's a fantastic aspect of Columbia as you said - a degree from there is going to be seriously respected in any place in the world you might ever want to live. On top of that, it seems to be the better fit academically and the debt problem is at this moment hypothetical... you never know what's going to happen after graduation and what kind of job you'll get. The only thing you can do now is pick the school that will help you get the most from your degree. I agree on LA not being the best place in California but there's still a beach and sun and that's good enough for me...leaving my family and friends in London is going to be hard enough, I need to at least have warmth waiting for me on the other side! Did you think about applying to Berkeley loving San Francisco so much?

Yep - I love everything about Price! I want to go into nonprofits caring for a very specific vulnerable population (I don't want to mention which because people on here have gotten me so paranoid about being "identified" haha ) not government etc. so luckily didn't need to factor the DC/East Coast thing that we talked about on the other thread into my decision making because I can't wait to live in the sunshine. Columbia is such a strong name across the world and I wouldn't worry about the newness of the program, I can't imagine Columbia doing anything in half measures. Am I right in thinking SIPA gives more aid to second years than first? Maybe you won't end up with as much debt as you thought? I don't know but regardless.. you may as well do the thing you've been dreaming about - you're more likely to regret not doing that than you are following your dream but accumulating some debt. Sorry... that sounded so cheesy but you know what I mean

I think you said it all in your post - live your dream and reach your long term goals all the way!

Definitely agree with that, apologies if I ever came across as not. Good luck for your decision of where to go - you have some great admits!

Thanks - i'm looking forward to it! Apologies to everyone else for how this thread has deteriorated... I am sorry for answering the last message, I just felt that a public attack warranted a public defense on my part, nor did I wish to start PMing. Apologies rdr06001 - It sounds like Penn will be a great school for you, best of luck.

Nice that you feel the need to make the conversation into a personal attack and then announce this should stop - funnily enough I did mention that this discussion was not helping the OP several posts ago but you felt a need to carry on. Well I couldn't agree more but I will first address some of the things you felt necessary to attempt to insult me about. Yes I am aware prep school is in England - I did in fact mention previously that prep school is the word we use for up to the age of 11. You however used it to refer to high school, something only done in the US. I was also privately educated but don't feel the need to brag about it at every turn, as you clearly do. For the purpose of demonstrating the ignorance in your post however, I will openly do so. My school was also one of the best in the country and although I shouldn't have to repeat myself, yes if I had wanted to go to Oxbridge, I could have gotten in - i'm not sure what you gain by arguing with me over that point. It is a highly pressured system, that I don't believe always works, instead I want to one of the next most highly ranked Universities and had a fantastic experience. Not once have I felt I missed out academically or otherwise from not going there. Belittling my work experience is again ridiculous and petty, yes I worked in events for a year after University when I wasn't sure what else to do and then I spent two years in retail. Now I work for one of the UKs largest charities. Can I ask what is so inferior about that? Is Phillip Green a lazy nothing to you? I never said I spent two years working in a shop, in fact I spent the time working in a management and operations position for the biggest retailer in the UK - so I feel pretty happy about my work experience. It was enough to get me into one of the top MBA programs regularly mentioned on this forum last year. My only concern with my work experience was ever regarding its relevance to Public Administration - not its overall strength. Frankly, even if I had spent two years working in a shop - who are you to be so condescending about it? Again, I hate you drawing me into these boasting wars but you are so arrogant it hurts - I didn't say "I know someone who did what someone else did" - I actually said that whatever you personally have achieved, I know people in more senior roles in top UK sectors. This is because I also have access to networks of parents, their friends, siblings husbands etc. many of whom have incredibly high profile roles - this is not meant as insulting to you but I can only assume that since you are discussing grad school you have a way to go up the ladder. Funny that you need to imply I went around asking idiots where might be a good place for me to study. I chose to apply to USC for a reason - I did quite a lot of research into the subject. I chose not to apply to Penn, not because I did not think I would get in, as i'm sure you'll jump to the conclusion. My problem is not that you are American and have opinions on viewpoints in the UK - it is the fact that you have delusions that your background in the UK system is somehow superior to mine, when it quite simply isn't. You may feel that your work experience is superior to mine but I can guarantee I know many people whose work experience is infinitely superior to yours, even if mine is not worthy of recognition in your eyes. Boring to have to harp on a point - I am from London and no, no one uses the word Chav anymore. Penn is an AMAZING school and it really frustrates me to be brought into this discussion that is making it sound like I think otherwise - as previously stated - I was simply trying to give the OP an authentic international perspective on which Public Admin program is more well known over here. Quick logistical question: how were you asking whether your GPA was good enough for MA IR at SIPA, WWS etc. in May last year and yet in Feb this year you said and I quote "Full disclosure, I went to graduate school in IR in the UK" and you managed to study at Science PO according to another thread too and a top British Uni yet elsewhere you said top 50...i'm confused as to what you've actually done and in what countries and how you've become and expert on absolutely everything.

You actually don't know anything about my life so i'm not sure you can really comment on what I have or have not done or who I do or do not know. I can guarantee you that whatever you have done, I have family and friends who have far more senior roles in the hardest sectors to work in in this country and therefore, I do know better. You are American, you refer to going to "prep school" this term does not exist over here except when referring to being under the age of 11 so please stop trying to pretend you know more about England than an English person...its laughable. Good job throwing in the word chav makes you sound so authentic, except no one over here says that - nor would anybody who has spent much time here refer to anything as British. My undergrad University was in the top 5 in the country and my high school had a majority of students going to Oxbridge, so again, I guarantee I know more of their graduates than you (and before you suggest that I was not academically capable of going to Oxbridge - I did not apply) - suggesting I have only been associating/discussing grad school with chavs and third tier university graduates just goes to emphasise how little you know what you're talking about.

Not really since I am actually from England and have not only done all of those things but have spent my life surrounded by people doing those things considering, as mentioned, I am from England. I don't presume to tell you how the school is viewed in the US but I can tell you with confidence views from over here. I have not criticized the University in any way and wouldn't - rankings will speak for themselves, as will the views of people from the US, which as I already said, clearly favour Penn (although on that note in Public Admin rankings Penn is about 40 places below USC - however I know that those US News rankings are not highly regarded). Anyway, I posted on this thread to give the OP my thoughts from an international perspective, since choosing between USC and elsewhere was something I recently did myself (both when deciding where to apply and where to attend - having spent time finding out how various programs are viewed here). Maybe we can just agree to disagree at this point, rather than clogging up this thread with an argument.

Do go on...

Well I can speak from the international perspective - as I said on another thread, USC is very well regarded in Europe - definitely more so than Syracuse. It looks like from what i've seen on here that if you want to live/work on the East coast, USC is not the school but for what you want to do (California/Abroad) USC would be a good fit. That's if all other things are equal i.e academically/research interests it's as good a fit.

Interesting that this is the case over there...in England, USC has a much better reputation than UPenn (except Wharton). Since I want to go back to Europe that is obviously important to me but it looks like for your plans Penn is better so I will retract my earlier suggestion! Good luck!

USC has one of the strongest alumni networks in the world...when I did my research into what schools to apply to, it came out almost top for number of people employed within a certain period after graduation from Price. UPenn has a better reputation in other areas, sure, their business school for example but when it comes to public affairs, USC is far more well known/regarded from my experience. As OregonGal said, looking for a summer internship in the northeast would probably overcome any location restrictions USC imposed (if there are any). It was also one of the few programs I came across with a consulting project abroad which is obviously great experience and opens up more doors outside of Southern California.

Well i'm off to USC this fall because I think the program looks better than any other i've seen! Part of what drew me to USC was the international focus (I am from the UK) and I don't personally think job placement outside of LA will be an issue... I wouldn't be going there if I didn't feel confident I could get a job back in the UK with the degree.