avocado9

Might have missed this, but when do financial aid notifications come out? I deferred last year, so haven't received any info lately except for how to log into email.

I am in the same boat ... full ride at Michigan and a few other schools, while looking at taking out $60,000-$100,000 loans for HKS. The brand power of Harvard is amazing to me though, especially coming from a mid-level state school ... even though I had a lot of accomplishments in undergrad, it seems like the people in my life are more impressed with this admit to Harvard than anything else I've ever done. Am trying not to get blinded with the prestegious name though, and have begun researching more in-depth about classes, faculty, extracurricular opportunities, etc. Didn't make it out for their visit day though, were you able to go? If so, would love to hear your impressions! I can definitely relate to your feelings of regretting passing up on the opportunity to go to HKS ... right now I am leaning towards defering, and using the additional year to save money and apply for scholarships. Perhaps the visit day at Ford will change my mind, though ...

I visited Humphrey twice, back in 2010 for a recruitment weekend, and then just this past Monday for the admitted students visit day. Both times, I have been incredibly impressed by the friendliness of the student/alumni community, and the accessibility and dedication of professors and administrators. However, I will probably decline my offer at Humphrey for another school with more diversity (particularly geographical diversity, but age and ethnic as well). I am not from the Midwest and don't have any ties there, and I feel that some of the other programs I'm considering would provide better alumni networks and classmates with a wider range of perspectives and experiences. Humphrey would be a great place to attend if you are planning to settle down in the Twin Cities - the majority of students are from Minnesota, do their internships in the TC, and stay there after graduation.

I don't know much about Harris, but I attended the Heinz visit day this past weekend - it was different from other public policy programs in that it was very application-based, like fishpoo said. The director of the MSPPM described it as a "soft MBA" basically ... lots of technical courses such as database management, process analysis, management science, etc. My advice would be to identify what kind of skills you want from a grad program, and really review the curriculum and courses offerred I almost feel like you can't compare Heinz's MSPPM program with other MPP programs, because the curriculum is so different. As someone who is interested in social policy, I don't think the MSPPM is right for me, but it would be a great program for someone who is looking to gain technical skills in analysis and management.

I did an exchange at the Goldman school, and California public policy/state government is heavily emphasized ... it would be a good place to go if you're interested in building connections to work in Sacramento or the bay area. My sense is that Ford is more quantitative (calculus is part of the core curriculum, which isn't the case in most other MPP programs I think). I have lived in both Berkeley and Ann Arbor, and it will probably be easier for your gf to get a job in the Bay, since Ann Arbor is a small college town. However, by "food service industry" if you mean a cafe or coffeeshop, there are plenty of those in both places.

Hi urbanrenewal - yes I had access to the new admit tab yesterday, after receiving the acceptance email. At the top, there are 3 tabs now: Home Applicants New Admits

Accepted to HKS! Then rejection email from WWS 20 minutes later. At least the waiting is over!

The long-awaited email to check my application status finally arrived - accepted to the 3-semester track! Does anyone know if Heinz offers travel grants for the admitted student weekend?

Just received an invite to interview with HMP today, whew! TypeA - do you know if the interview is mandatory for admission? Also, did Michigan provide any financial assistance for travel, by any chance? They asked me to come next Monday or the following week, which would be about $500 for flying on such short notice...

Nice, congratulations! Were you notified by email? I am still waiting .... it is agony!

There was a good article in the NYT yesterday about free on-line courses available to everyone: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html Nothing mentioned specifically about an econ/math course available, but the University of Michigan offers one on Model Thinking that might be interesting for public policy folks: https://www.coursera.org/modelthinking/auth/welcome

Haha yeah I wish there was some juicier info too I wonder why they are starting a blog now, when decisions are (hopefully) supposed to come out in 2 weeks? Along with the extended financial aid deadline to March 1, do you think notifications will be later this year?

To the Heinz admits - first of all, congratulations on getting in, w/funding! Which track did you guys apply for? I submitted my application for the 3-semester MSPPM track in early December, still waiting anxiously to hear back ...

I am applying to Minnesota's MS in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration - the curriculum is really interesting, and the deadline for Fall 2012 is 4/15/12, so there is still time to apply. Check it out! http://www.sph.umn.edu/programs/hsrpa

Thank you for the info TypeA, and congratulations on your acceptance! I am applying for the joint MPP/MPH at Michigan as well My application was mailed out only this week (even though I e-submitted on 12/5/11 - am harboring so much animosity towards SOPHAS these days!!) - UM said they would still consider my application, but I was curious about where other people were in the admissions process. Thanks again!

Basic background: BA in Sociology (3.7 GPA). 3 years of work experience in child health/nutrition, currently a CRA for a NIMH study on children’s mental healthcare access in underserved communities. GRE: 166V (97%), 155Q (69%), 4.5 AW (72%) The school and concentrations you are applying to: Columbia MPH for Sociomedical Sciences / Minnesota MS for Health Services Research / Michigan MPH for Health Management & Policy Are you still submitting or done with apps? Done, but thanks to the tragically slow and inefficient processing of SOPHAS, they were mailed out on 2/21 (when I e-submitted in early December, so frustrating). Michigan and Minnesota were still accepting applicants, not sure if Columbia will consider my application though. Interviews and acceptance: Accepted at Minnesota for the MPP, otherwise waiting anxiously!

MIT Open Courseware: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm Haven't tried yet, but Utah State University has audio lectures/homework assignments for introductory economics courses (as well as other subjects): http://ocw.usu.edu/economics/index.html If you google "open courseware (subject)" there are a lot of results ... amazing that so much information is available for free on the web!

Have people started hearing back from Heinz? I applied to the MSPPM (3-semester track), but nothing yet ...

For those who applied to the MPH program at the University of Michigan, have you received an invitation to interview? Or, have you already received an acceptance to the program? Any info would be much appreciated!

I took the oral exams when I was 21, and was surprised at the age and level of experience of most the other applicants ... mostly folks in their mid/late 30s who were already very accomplished and established, and considering the Foreign Service as a career-change. Not sure if this was a representative sample, but it made me realize that I needed to get more work experience and go to grad school before considering the FS again. My takeaway from the FSO applicant process is that they are looking for people who are willing to prioritize American interests and American citizens above anything else while abroad, so make sure this is the type of international relations work you want to do.

On the SPARKS page under Apply for Financial Assistance, it says that "In order to maintain a need-blind admission process, the financial assistance application is separate from admission consideration." However, this doesn't mean that low-income applicants that in get financial aid (like at WWS) - they get weeded out from enrolling b/c of costs, which leaves a higher # of self-funded students to enroll instead.

I think one of the main advantages of going to AU is the location - I know a lot of students who worked during the day for the federal govt or at a nonprofit, and then took classes at night. It takes longer to graduate, but at least you'll be making some money and getting relevant work experience. I've heard that most of the full-time (day) students in the AU MPP are younger (went straight to grad school from undergrad). In regards to $ - since a MPP is a professional degree it'll probably cost at least 50k unless you get scholarships.

I can definitely relate to the SOPHAS frustration ... submitted my application on 12/5/11, and it STILL hasn't been mailed to my designated schools. There was a lot of back and forth with them wanting transcripts from community college for classes I audited like 10 years ago, it's ridiculous.