invincible49

PubPol. For the past two and a half years I worked with a think tank and now I'm going for a year long fellowship in a rural area of India to work with a Member of Parliament. I don't have any geographic preference honestly. But if I have to take a loan out or the degree, I really need to be working in the US. If not, then I'd love to work anywhere in the world. Is the Sanford's reputation worldwide or is it generally very well regarded only in the US? I'd really want to stay away from risks right now because I'm almost nearing 30 and want to pay as less as possible for this degree. It's the sole reason I chose not to apply this year and wait until August 2018 to apply. Another question I've wanted to ask you was regarding the programme. What do you think about Sanford's MPP curriculum? Is it a practical curriculum? What are its strengths and weaknesses compared to other schools? What do they emphasise on? Finally, can you please tell me the difference between the MIDP and the MPP programmes? What does the MIDP teach that the MPP doesn't and vice-versa? PS: Thanks for this, man! Great help!

Hey thanks for doing this! 1. I'm keen on applying but I have a terrible GPA. I graduated engineering from India (in 2011), and since I have taken stats for grade (A+), and will soon start micro and macro. Also my GRE is 323 (166q/157v) and have about 4 years of work ex in the sector. What do you think my chances are? My GPA sucks and theres nothing I can do about it, but I've tried to make up for it. How do you think the adcom would look at the GPA from someone with my background? 2. Like you said no one should be paying for the degree, what are the scholarship chances for international students? Are they the same as every other student? 3. As an international applicant from India, how hard is it find a job in the states after graduating? I know private sector jobs are not easy to come by since the lottery and everything, but what about jobs with multilaterals like the UN, WB etc?

I'm also in a similar predicament (Indian applicant) without the Fulbright. Here's the thing: MPP and MPA degrees are not STEM and I've seen many LinkedIn profiles of students who studied at HKS and WWS and are back in India. The H1B is really hard to get for non-STEM programmes. Two options the way I see it: 1. Which is the mid-tier university you got into? If it's free education it is worth considering, in my opinion. You can always end up working in another country which isn't the US. 2. If you aren't going to use the Fulbright, then apply to some STEM programmes which gives you a 3 year OPT. Research Berkeley's MDP. Harris also has one (if you know more, do let me know). WWS isn't a guarantee you'll be working in the US so you need to remove that notion from your head. But if you are hell bent on going to WWS reassess your application and see where you are weak and spend the next year strengthening your profile.

Thank you! Avoiding getting the transcript makes no sense and can have potentially disastrous consequences. Thanks!

Hi, I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from India in 2011. In 2012, I completed a diploma course in Marine Engineering from a school in another part of the country. I since changed careers, and am wondering if I can omit the diploma course from my application. I have the official transcripts from my Mechanical Engineering bachelors programme ready, no issues with that. But getting the transcripts for the diploma (non-degree) course is turning out to be a challenge and I would like to just not declare it. I also feel it might just end up being a distraction from everything. I know I have to submit a transcript for my degree programme but is it alright to neglect my non-degree, diploma course?

No, I'm too old for that unfortunately. This is a fellowship where I'll be working with the MP in his constituency doing development work. I start next month

I have decided to not apply this year. By next year, when I do apply, I'll close to four years of work experience (2.5 years in a think tank, and close to 1 year in a fellowship working for a Member of Parliament in his constituency, and some volunteer work). I would like to think my work ex post Jan 2015 is substantial but pre Jan 2015 was completely unrelated. The only reason I'm not applying this year is that I'd like to make myself as competitive as possible to top schools, be in contention for fellowships at these schools and gain more work-ex. Applying to schools are by themselves an expensive process (in terms of time and money) so I'd like to make the most of it.

You seem like a good candidate to get in anywhere. Why don't you work for 2-3 years? You're still young and you have time. Working for 3 years will not only increase your chances of admission but will increase your chances of funding which is critical if you're planning to get back to India and have a loan on you. My 2 cents? Just work at a good place for a couple of years without even thinking about a Masters for the time being. Your interests are in politics so continue full time work at a place like PRS or even a political party of your interest.

Bumping this thread to find out more about Berkeley's MDP course. I know it's a new course but Im really interested in finding out how willing Berkeley are at funding their students. $48k/year does seem a lot. Do many students get aid here? Berkeley's MDP is a STEM course and being an international student, that factor is simply too big to ignore. However, the cost of the programme is overwhelming! Any current MDP students here? Or anyone with any idea how one can possibly fund this course?

Bumping this thread to find out more about Berkeley's MDP course. I know it's a new course but Im really interested in finding out how willing Berkeley are at funding their students. $48k/year does seem a lot. Do many students get aid here? Berkeley's MDP is a STEM course and being an international student, that factor is simply too big to ignore. However, the cost of the programme is overwhelming! Any current MDP students here? Or anyone with any idea how one can possibly fund this course?

Hey guys, I could really use some guidance. I'm an applicant from India who graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 2011. I worked for two years in the engineering sector and in January 2015, I started working at a public policy think tank working on health and education. Right now I have about 2.5 years of experience in that. I'm wondering if I should apply this year to some MPP schools this year or next. Personally, I think I should wait because I end up having more work experience, but people around me inclined to thinking I might have a shot next fall. My main concerns are my GPA. I got 6.38/10 with couple of Fs and a few Cs and Ds. To make up for that, I took UCLA Stats (got an A) and will take micro and macro. I also took the GRE recently and got 166q/157v/4.0aw. Another concern is that Im right now 28 (will be 29 in Nov)-- does age really matter? What do you guys think? Should I apply this year and see what happens? Or take an extra year, building work experience (possibly retake the GRE). Will that make a difference? My aim is to ideally go to a top school, spend as less money as possible and work for a few years abroad, ideally in an international NGO or multilateral.

A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Education is key to the development of a nation and it is crucial that every child receives proper, well-rounded education. However, instituting a nationalized curriculum brings together a host of problems, both immediate and for the future. Implementing a nationalised curriculum has the potential to increase drop-out rates, decrease the number of well-educated children entering the work force and, perhaps most importantly, decreases thought sharing and innovation. Today all research suggests that education must build upon what a child already knows: that education must supplement his/her environment. He/she should be able to make sense of what is going on around them. However, a national curriculum just assumes all children’s surroundings are the same. Would a child in a village really know what a pizza is? Let alone calculate what fraction of the pizza is left after eating 4 slices. As such, a national curriculum has already placed a huge disadvantage on children who are less exposed to the outside world, than say a child in a metropolitan city who can immediately Google and learn something he/she has never heard off. Moreover, the fact that not all children understand what a lesson is trying to teach them, makes them quickly lose interest in their studies. As seen in places like India, this causes high drop-out rates. Children simply tend to leave schools and end up working as daily wage labourers. Such a situation is highly detrimental to the economy. Loss of well qualified students leads to a decline in the work force which, ultimately, results in huge losses to the nation. It is, therefore, important a nation ensures a holistic education curriculum, which is localised. But, even if students did all learn from the same national curriculum and make it to college, how productive would their time there be? Clearly college and university life is about debates, about sharing ideas and about innovation. If everyone studies the same subject, the same way, there would be a severe shortage of such ideas. It is imperative that debates and interactions take place for if everything is stagnant and agreeable, there would be nothing novel coming out of our universities. In time, research and innovation is sure to decrease or worse, stop. Having said that, it is understandable why many have called for a national curriculum. The idea that it allows all students to be graded equally is tempting. The country could then decide where the students are strong and what concepts needs improving. However, these are nothing but short-term goals and understanding grades of students plays no role in gauging their interest in a subject, which is far more important. Implementing a national curriculum is certainly a contentious issue and one which will not die down soon. However, if students are not taught a curriculum which they are familiar with, interest would soon be lost. This is not good for anyone, neither the child nor the country.

Some people believe that government funding of the arts is necessary to ensure that the arts can flourish and be available to all people. Others believe that government funding of the arts threatens the integrity of the arts. Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented. The question of whether the government has a role to play in the arts is certainly fascinating and one which has plenty of proponents on both sides. We know that the subject of arts constitutes everything from literature to architecture, a subject so diverse that we would be foolish to lose it. Let alone loose, due to a lack of government funding. One of the main reasons government support is essential to the arts is simply to keep it alive. Today, many students enrol in art schools to become future Picassos, Stephen Kings and Marlon Brandos. It would be a shame if we had to stop passionate young individuals from pursuing their dreams simply because funding at public universities diminished. Further, the new book we read, the new buildings that come up and new films we watch would all but gradually disappear without the government supporting these programmes at universities. Moreover, it is not just our schools we should be worried about. Art has a major role to play in boosting the economy as well. The same economy which benefits everyone, including the government, stands to gain tremendously from tourists all the way from China to Mexico. Thousands from cities like Florence now have stable full time jobs, as translators and museum tour guides. Many more have opened up shops and restaurants to cater to the tourists. The income generated from these revenue sources is by no means small. In India, the entire city of Agra is built around catering to thousands, who flock every single day to see the Taj Mahal. It is certainly in the government’s best interest to maintain these sites and ensure the support structure is intact. Additionally, arts as a subject is increasingly becoming important to foster debates. We all get much of our information through the media. From journalists, who more often than not have completed an arts degree. Every day, we read high quality opinion pieces and editorials. These are the very ideas which encourage people to debate. It is essential for a democracy, that ideas and debates are encouraged. The number these debates would surely drop down if governments decided to discard these subjects. However, there is validity when some say the government has no place in funding the arts and that it is beyond their purview. Their view is not entirely without merit. But like it or not, the government’s role in fostering and supporting the independent arts is extremely important for a well-rounded country, which encourages free thinking. There are high chances that a country, whose government, does not actively support the arts is in all probability, poor, dictatorial or heading nowhere or some combination of the three.

Sorry for slightly derailing this thread, but Mr. David King, I was hoping you could advise me on a couple concerns I have. I'm from India and have a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering. I'm keen on pursuing my MPP/MPA in a couple of years time. However, my main concern is my GPA. I have a GPA of 6.38 on a ten point scale. Im afraid I have no excuses for that. But I was hoping you could help me in advising how I can overcome a bad GPA in order for me to become a more "strong" applicant. I'm currently working at a think tank and do plan on taking some additional courses (UCLA Extension is what I'm looking at). Do you think it would help me overcome my past failings and make me more competitive?

Thanks, Shrimps! How do you find the courses? As a guy working full time, how much time do you think one needs to spend on the courses to get an A?

So what would happen if a person in India would want to take the course? Would they have test sites here? As for UCLA, any person, any where can take the courses, am I right?

df___ Any chance you can share your profile with us? Like where you applied, your work experience etc Thanks in advance

Meril, do you mind sharing your profile? Your back ground, work ex, and where you applied?

Yeah I suppose that's true. But I'm beginning to wonder how much my work as a researcher will take me places.

Yes. I am an Indian citizen. After graduating I'm keen on working with international development organizations like the UN or the World Bank etc I will look into the Fulbright program. Have you done it? If you haven't, do you know how it has been for people who actually did it? Yes, I'm not an american citizen. I do have a degree and fluent in English, but not very keen on working with the education sector. Disaster Relief and Monitoring however seem incredibly interesting! Any recommendations?

Hello, I'm currently working in a think- tank as a researcher in India, but in a few years I was looking to get some hands on experience abroad. Wanted to know what others did and how did you find it? Where did you work? Also, what organizations were you involved with? PS: Being an India, the Peace Corps is not option for me.

Thanks alot! But was wondering where did you take your online stat course? Im currently looking at UCLA Extension.

First of all, thank you very much for this. Can you tell us what profile you applied with? I am currently working as a policy researcher in India but would apply in a few years after gaining some more experience. What kind of work ex did you have? How are the job opportunities, in particular, for international students?

As horrendous as it looks, I have come to the realization that there is nothing I can do about my transcripts. That being said, I am hopeful that adcoms can see I am trying to make a cogent argument for myself through extension courses and my work ex in policy research. Any ideas if I should start the courses immediately or wait closer to when I actually apply? Thanks

Thank you everyone for your advise. Do the extension course come with transcripts as well? We do not have such a system in India so I am unaware. Secondly, the Open University in India has an MA in Economics. Would anyone be able to suggest if it would be better to do a bunch of online modules (from UCB, UCLA etc) or a distance MA Economics, from India. It would be extremely expensive for me to do an online Masters from an american university. At this stage I just cannot afford it.