Eclectic4

You know, SIPA's energy program is amazing. A number of my best friends are in it. The internship opportunities too are ridiculous. For example, my two closest friends in the program are interning with a Russian oil firm or something in Moscow and the other with a new energy center in Brazil. Also, as a SIPA student (not energy) I can say the opportunities all around are top-notch.

MPA-Development Practice at Columbia SIPA. I'm currently entering my second year. Very focused on practical skills. Amazing professors, colleagues, and connections. Being connected to and within the greater SIPA community, I can take so many different amazing classes. And, the amount of doors open to you both at Columbia and in New York City are really key. It is roughly comparable to the MPA-ID at Harvard but perhaps a tad bit more practical.

Hello, I'll weigh in. I am starting an MPA at Columbia SIPA this fall. My background is not quant heavy. Here is the sum of my quant experience: Honors statistics course College Algebra 2 years of lab research applying basic stats. With this, I was accepted to Upenn Fels, Berkeley GSPP, and Columbia SIPA. With the exception of people doing the Economic Development concentration at SIPA and similar concentrations at other schools, having a high level of calculus is not required. It seems that stats is desirable though.

Yes, I agree with you and also want to make clear that joining TFA or any public service program if it is just to "do something" or get something on the resume is not a good reason to join. And, as you said, Teach for America is amazingly intense, even for those who love it. I don't think people who have not done it can quite fathom the sentence I just wrote and what you said. For me too, even though I had already been working in educational research, and joined because I really did care about education, my first year was hell on Earth and even the second year was exhausting. One thing people joining should know is that in most cases, in order to fulfill the mandate of really making an impact in the classroom, you will be working 60 hours a week easily. If you add on top of that the teacher certification process (often with a masters degree if teaching middle school or high school) and the mandatory TFA trainings, your schedule can bump up to 70-80 hours a week.

Just for reference here. I noticed some people saying that a person cannot get into a top tier IR school unless they have actual IR experience and went to a tier one undergrad. This is not true at all. I went to a middle tier undergrad (University of Arizona, not famous but the best school in Arizona), I worked really hard there as an honors student doing psychology research, studied abroad in Central America, followed up with Teach for America, and then taught high school in China. Also, I got a high gpa in undergrad. These schools, both public policy, IR, and also other professional schools such as law or business, highly value serious work experience and prior achievement. I got into several Ivy Leagues and also UC Berkeley, including mba and mpa programs. Therefore, it is possible to get into a tier-one IR or policy school given a non-IR, non tier-one undergrad background.

There is one that I know of. University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government (MPA and Executive MPA). They require an interview for the executive mpa and offer an optional one for the regular mpa.

Agreed. The "holy" triad often mentioned for MPA's consists of Teach for America, Peace Corps, and Americorps. Teach for America is actually under the umbrella of Americorps now days. There are obviously many other amazing organizations involving public service. Also, with TFA, Americorps, and PC, you receive education credit in the form of $4-6000 a year for every year that you work, meaning that you basically are guaranteed a small scholarship that you can apply towards grad school. I have one of my yearly scholarships still left that I can cash in from my Americorps/TFA years. Furthermore, a lot of public policy and or administration programs offer scholarships, no application fees, and other extras specifically for the public service alumni I just mentioned. A part of deciding what to do in between college and grad apps is yes, really trying to envision what you would like to do in grad and after. I am going into interrnational affairs and thus, wish I had done the Peace Corps. Similarily, if someone wishes to go into domestic education policy or even domestic politics, I would argue that Teach for America is a better option. However, one can go back and forth. For example, I will be now attending a very international public service program (SIPA). I know Peace Corps people who decided to study at a more domestic focused MPA/MPP school for grad school. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hello! That's great. Did your friend take the offer and live there? If so, did they give a good review of the experience? I'm set to move in there on the 27th if I take it.

Ah yes, I am living in Washington Heights and paying $850 which will go up to $950 in the fall. Unfortunately, I am a student at Morningside, not the medical campus. Its a bit far, although not prohibitively so, to get to Morningside every day. Anybody know if $1200 a month for a room in a nice area of Morningside is too much? I'm probably going to go with International House over there but it is $1180 for a room in a 3-5 bedroom apt.

Yes, yes it will help your chances of getting into an MPA program. I did Teach for America in Phoenix from 2008 - 2010. I also taught a third year in China. However, I attribute this combination in allowing me to get into some great MPA/MPP programs as well as MBA's. Several of the admissions letter specifically stated that they valued my TFA experience and wanted people with a public service background. Similarly, many professional programs including MBA's require 2-3 years of work experience, but only accept professional work experience. Teach for America is universally accepted as professional work experience.

Hello, Well, I think I can give a little bit of visibility into this as I went through the same search. Other people may know more but here are some of the ones I know of: Harvard, especially with MPA/ID focus. Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) Johns Hopkins School of Advanaced International Studies (SAIS)- This is rated higher than the first two and definitely is tier one for international. Stanford University University of California San Diego London School of Economics MPA or Masters in IR (Also has a dual degree program with Columbia SIPA's MPA/MIA). I'm sure there are much more but keep up your search. The ones I named are definitely some of the well known and quality ones, but there are a few more that escape me.

Yeah, I do think that the Morningside Heights area is nicer than Washington Heights. However, it is a bit busier and more expensive. I think the sublet room I have up here near the medical campus would be easily $100-200 more in Morningside Heights. Having said that, I am hoping to live nearer to campus this fall as it is critical for being involved in campus life.

Yeah, that can be helpful although at times even though I got people on the phone or email, their answers were elusive at best. I found it to be true that I wasn't able to make much headway until I just showed up in New York. As it stands for housing: waitlisted for general Columbia housing BUT I got into the International House! Is anyone else contemplating living in the I-House or has been accepted?

I had originally thought that priority as given to physical distance, including across the country such as on the West Coast. According to the liason, it had more to do with whether someone was a U.S. citizen. She was saying that because citizens, regardless of distance, find it easier to get a cosigner or what have you for a normal apartment, Columbia gives priority to non-citizens for student housing. I too am crossing my fingers being that I am not in the citizen category.

Hey DaveE, As to housing, I was able to get the SIPA housing person on the phone. She said that mostly the priority goes to international students primarily because they can have difficulty getting a cosigner for a normal apartment/house. Following that, priority goes to returning students.