neverever

Have you thought about doing an MPH? Your background sounds similar to people I know who went to JHU/Bloomberg, and now that they're graduated, they're doing jobs that very much build on those experiences/skills (but for higher pay and the opportunity to work on projects with a wider reach). On the upside, some of the ppl I know who went to Hopkins did have strong quant backgrounds (MDs, etc), but many *didn't.* A lot of people were doing the MPH as a dual degree with their JD, and others were strong in policy, like you, but had only taken a couple intro econ/intro stats classes in UG and weren't all that interested or strong w/r/t quant. It didn't seem to affect their admission or ability to complete the program. Another plus of the MPH is that it's only one year, so tuition won't be as steep as for an unfunded 2-yr MPP/MPA. An upside of going to Bloomberg specifically is that based in Baltimore, so the cost of living is low *but* you'd be living close enough to DC to commute in and definitely to get to interviews, conferences, etc, there. However, there are some cons: nobody seems to get money for their MPH unless they're already enrolled in Hopkins Med or some other program that specifically offers a tuition waiver. Also, they do require a few semesters of stats and other quant classes. Since the program is only a year long, it starts in the summer and ends late the following spring, so you won't be able to intern for credit unless you do it during the semester (nobody I knew was able to work or intern while in there). Fwiw, the people I know who went through Bloomberg (this is a group of about 6 who I know personally), all are currently working in health-related policy, most for the federal govt. Otherwise, I'm also interested in domestic issues, more in terms of advocacy and not so much in terms of working for the govt, and Ford at U of M seems especially friendly (it's shaking out to be my #1 pick). *However,* I'm very early in my research, so I could be completely wrongheaded right now. For what it's worth, the reasons I'm liking Ford so far are: relatively generous in terms of funding, located in a low cost-of-living area, located near Detroit (urban poverty is my primary area of interest), the stuff they're doing at the National Poverty Center looks fascinating, not *impossible* to get into but a solid school and part of a solid university. The big cons for me at the moment are: terrible winters (live in LA now and wish it were more tropical), isolated from other major cities (I've only lived in major cities, so again, this might be a personal issue that other people wouldn't have). Also, how come you have Georgetown on your list, out of all the DC schools? I'm interested because I'm still trying to figure out which DC schools to apply to, and they all are running together for me.

You're right, the quant is low. I was actually surprised at how low it was when I took the test, because I was a long term sub in math and generally know basic math pretty well. Maybe I've got a shot at doing a fair amount better at another go-around? You're probably right that I should retake it. In terms of schools to apply to, so far, I'm thinking: UCLA, since I already live here in LA and can get in-state tuition...same for Berkley, as a reach...and I wanted to put in some DC schools since my housing situation would be a good deal (family, etc). I'm still figuring out which ones would be a good fit, though, so I'm open to suggestions...

Hi guys -- I'm switching my focus from the entertainment industry, and I need to know how to give myself a shot at getting into a reasonable MPP (so far, I'm hoping for Ford) with funding. If nothing else, my stats are going to make you all very happy with your own application package A lot of this might only be applicable for me, but hopefully it'll also be helpful for other people trying to make career shifts? Undergraduate Institution: top 20 Undergraduate GPA: 3.8 general, 3.9 major Undergraduate Major: English & Creative Writing GRE Quantitative Score: 650 GRE Verbal Score: 780 GRE AW Score: 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4-5 Years of Work Experience: 4-5 Describe Relevant Work Experience: none of it is relevant, so here's what I've been doing in general (extra points if you can spin any or all of this): property manager, assistant & coverage writer in entertainment industry, substitute teacher, legal assistant. Internship & study abroad (France and Russia/England, respectively) during college, and was also an intern and then guest lecturer for a writing workshop for ex-offenders. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): haven't started writing it yet (of course). I'm interested in issues relating to domestic poverty and I'm drawn to anything having to do with the penal system. I'd like to work for an advocacy organization, and maybe (much) further down the line, as a consultant. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I still have a tight relationship to a professor from UG, and I'll have to think about the others. Other: I'm a DC native, so I'm not *terrible* in terms of connections. My French is near-fluent and my Russian is...well, I can still read cyrillic, anyway. My customer service and mediation skills are top-notch . My strongest asset is probably my writing ability. My story: I went to school for writing. Loved my political economy and law classes. Decided to become a lawyer, then worked for a (small, specialized in special needs trusts) firm and *hated* it (endless paperwork and little problem-solving nearly killed me), ended up never accepting my place at law school. Became a substitute teacher because it freed up my time for writing, moved to LA (from DC) for writing, worked in the industry for a bit (very low level), needed a break from the self-importance and desperation. Got blue collar jobs (property manager, waitressing) to pay the bills. All the while, obsessing over political economy blogs until I not only believed the bloggers' crackpot theories, I formed my own. Decided the industry wasn't for me -- it felt hollow -- but the blue collar work was driving me nuts from boredom. A friend, who does health policy for the federal govt, said I should think about going into policy, too. I think she's right -- not so much about going into policy per se, but about me going into work related to the public interest. I'm not sure yet what I want to do specifically, though, because I'm not sure what I *can* do. Things I'm already planning on doing: -Volunteering in a prison here (this is mostly just because I want to) -Taking micro and re-taking macro econ (I got a fairly good grade, but I took it at age 17, so...) -Considering volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, since I did a little house-building for them in college and am currently a property manager (8 mo) (?). I'm also leaving for a 3-week-long (pleasure) trip to India next week, and I'd like to do some kind of research or *something* productive while there. Any ideas? (I'll be with grad students and a Fulbright who are all there to work, so being "productive" isn't totally off the wall). I'd like to get a job that's more related to a public interest/policy field, but what kind of job could a BA like me even get? I also don't have a high standard of living, but I make roughly $50K and am nervous about tossing that aside. Please don't beat me up for having such a weird and incomplete application. I know there's a limit to how much it can be salvaged, but what should I do to maximize my odds?