pillow

Sure! I was offered full funding from HKS (MPP), and I made my decision after comparing the curriculum at both schools. My area of focus in international development is very specific, and even though I love so many things about WWS, HKS offered more electives that are directly related to my future career. WWS offers all of its students full funding (plus additional funding for networking, internships, and language learning), a stronger core curriculum, and a more intimate and tight knit community/learning environment. Its students come in with years of work experience, and its graduates overwhelmingly go into the public sector. I consider all of these strengths. But because it’s a smaller school, it doesn’t offer as many electives as HKS. IMO, that’s the only downside of WWS. WWS staff are so responsive and have been so transparent during this challenging time. If I wasn’t interested in this narrow area of international development, I would’ve gone to WWS in a heartbeat. I don’t know much about the MPA/ID program at HKS, but I’ve heard that it’s a very quant heavy program and comparable to the quant skills you would gain at WWS. You probably know this already but HKS is thinking about how classes will proceed in the fall. Because it’s waitlisting students who it initially rejected, I think it is expecting many students—especially students who did not receive funding and international students—to defer. The bigger question is, if classes are online, will HKS still charge full tuition? Would you be okay with taking these classes online? Before taking out loans to pay for HKS, seriously consider what career you want after graduation. Harvard is a bigger brand abroad, but six figure debt will make it harder for you to take a job at an NGO or in the public sector. What are you specifically looking to gain from your graduate program? For me, it was strengthening my quant skills, studying the specific topics I’m interested in, and leaving with the least amount of debt possible. Follow the funding, if you can. If you can’t, look at employment statistics, think about your future career, your projected future earnings, and how much debt you would personally be okay with. If you are taking out loans, go into your grad program with a game plan and make the most of your time. Apologize for rambling but I hope that helped!

I turned down my offer at WWS for HKS. I really hope you get in! It's an amazing program with amazing people.

@GradSchoolGrad thank you for your perspective and thoughts!

Congratulations @spnfiim and everyone else who got admitted! @Spunkydudette I'll send you a DM!

@limeorange, international development with a focus on democracy and governance! Based on that, it seems like HKS would make the most sense, but I love what I've read about WWS's community. I know I should wait until the virtual admitted student day events for more information, but I feel that April 15th is going to come real fast, especially with everything that's happening right now. What about you? Which program are you leaning towards more?

Hey all! I’m bumping this topic because I am in the same situation as @somewhatslightlydazed this year. I’m having trouble deciding between these two schools since the in-person admitted student day events have been cancelled. If anyone else has more insight on these schools (e.g. vibes/culture, student life, opportunities), I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts!