soaps

I think the discussion of the relative prestige of an MBA or JD vs MPA/MPP measured in terms of competitiveness is rather depressing, not to mention off-topic. If you think in terms of this bizarre calculus, you discount very important and precious life experiences that a high LSAT score and corporate success don't measure; namely, the dedication to public service that makes many MPP/MPA candidates stand out. You don't need to live a world away from home sleeping on bed-bug infested cots eating terrible food with inadequate shelter in order to get into HLS or HBS; you would need to do that, however, if you wanted to help a displaced community in a remote part of the planet. Maybe that person doesn't score high on the LSAT, or doesn't have a 4.0 GPA, but he/she has a proven dedication to public service, and I think that's what Harvard in particular wants in its HKS applicants. Americans focus too much on numbers and profitable careerism and need to give more deference to interesting life experiences. Even getting into HKS doesn't matter much in comparison to what drives/motivates people to accomplish the things they're passionate about in the first place. But when a graduate program and those motivations are in-sync, I think it can produce excellent leaders, particularly for those whose public service career advancement depends on having graduate school credentials. At a certain point, the returns for an HLS/HBS/HKS degree are marginal in comparison to the life experiences of those who have them, so I think we should stop thinking these comparisons matter and refocus on HKS and its admissions process.

I'm also applying to programs with a low quant score (148). I think it's weird that some people think these additional essays are traps of some sort. I used those essays to highlight evidence of quant. ability in other ways without making excuses like you said, and with HKS I practically made it into another personal statement. In short, (in my view) they wouldn't put those options there if they didn't want you to utilize them... if you had a weak quant. score and didn't take advantage of the essay, you are just making their decision easier. Good luck!

Ah, thanks for clarifying. Strange that the threshold is lower for Princeton's MPP, given that other schools seem to require more quant for their MPA programs. I'll be applying to GTown for the MSFS if I actually end up applying there. I'm really hoping Oxford likes me so I don't have to worry at all about my GRE score.

Thanks for the input. I know the odds are against me, but I'm used to that. I just didn't think I'd be put in a slush pile because of the quant. score. I wish I had similar stats for HKS since I wouldn't get into WWS anyway. The PDF you gave actually shows 19% in the 147-151 range, but it's definitely scary that I'm hovering right above that cut-off.

They would consider that, but most people they admit who are still undergrads have stellar academic records, scores, and a lot of internship experiences. That pool is smaller than the people who have full-time experience, so it is more selective based on academic criteria.

I point it out only because it's bad advice to everyone on these forums. Every program I've researched and talked to has said to submit a CV with 2-4 or 2-5 pages. They don't want a professional, condensed resume.

Where is the evidence there is a cut-off score? I got 168v/148q. The quant score is terrible, but I have a 3.89 GPA, good internship/professional/volunteer experiences, etc. I find it hard to believe I'd be put in a slush pile without anyone even reviewing my entire application.

Why would you do one page when every admissions page of every school literally says to not keep it to one page? It just shows you didn't do basic research into the programs.

HKS just sent out a flow chart saying applications won't start getting processed until the day after the deadline, so these guys seem to have disadvantaged themselves with less time for no reason.

Why are so many people submitting their apps so early? Am I at a disadvantage for waiting until the deadline?

I'm confused. Is there an advantage to submitting before the deadline?

Thanks for the reply. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Hi all. No one seems to pay attention to the "Am I Competitive?" thread, so I thought I'd create my own because my situation is a bit unique. It's unique in the sense that I have a huge disparity between my verbal and quant scores: 168V/148Q. Applying to: HKS (Harvard), SIPA (Columbia), MPhil/IR (Oxford) Undergraduate GPA: 3.89 at a Big State University Undergraduate Majors: Political Science and Philosophy Study Abroad: Italy GRE Quantitative Score: 148 (600, 35%) GRE Verbal Score: 168 (730, 98%) GRE AW Score: Haven't gotten official scores back yet Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2 Years of Relevant Work Experience: 2 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Several internships and a job with that same foreign policy think tank. Most recently volunteered abroad in northern India. Languages: Latin (I'm an idiot), Italian (very basic) Quant: None, really. Currently taking micro- and macroeconomics classes at a local university to improve my chances. I have in A in both classes at the moment. Strength of SOP: Haven't written it yet, but I'm sure I'll pull it out. I know exactly what I want to write, how to connect the dots, etc. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): They'll be strong, but I'm deciding to use a professional reference from an internship rather than a full-time job. The reason is that I did a lot more policy-related work at my State Dept. internship, and I also completed a project there that involved compiling statistics on different countries (I'm trying to prove I can do math). With my most recent experience in India, neither of the guys I worked for are capable of writing a letter on their own (as in, I'd have to help). I'm not sure if that's honest or not. I'm looking to study human rights as a subfield. I feel like my range of experiences might be unique enough to qualify me, and I know I can tell a compelling story. I also know I'm capable of doing math in an applied environment. I don't know why I'm so horrible on GRE quant. I studied quant for a month beforehand and didn't improve much at all, and I didn't do any verbal preparation except a couple practice tests. I know some of you might just say to take the GRE again, and I definitely will be, but I don't have time before Harvard's deadline. Any advice/opinions? Thanks!