HKS 2019

[Hks19]

Hi, is there anyone here who is going to decline or defer  the MPA/ID? It would be nice to know. Thank you guys!

[SC88]

43 minutes ago, Hks19 said:

Hi, is there anyone here who is going to decline or defer  the MPA/ID? It would be nice to know. Thank you guys!

I am almost 99% going to decline because of zero funding 

Edited March 29, 2019 by SC88

[Hks19]

36 minutes ago, SC88 said:

I am almost 99% going to decline because of zero funding 

Thank you so much for sharing! Sorry to hear about the funding!  I'm sure you have other terrific options! Best of luck!!

[SC88]

54 minutes ago, Hks19 said:

Thank you so much for sharing! Sorry to hear about the funding!  I'm sure you have other terrific options! Best of luck!!

Thanks a ton. 

If its any good news for you, I know another guy who is accepted in MPA- ID who is also going to decline due to the same reason

All the best to you too

[TuDream]

1 minute ago, SC88 said:

Thanks a ton. 

If its any good news for you, I know another guy who is accepted in MPA- ID who is also going to decline due to the same reason

All the best to you too

I reviewed last year's financial report, which mentioned that 44% MPA/IDs received funding. I think people who got funding did not use this forum? It is really a tough decision given the financial hardship

[Hks19]

21 minutes ago, SC88 said:

Thanks a ton. 

If its any good news for you, I know another guy who is accepted in MPA- ID who is also going to decline due to the same reason

All the best to you too

Thanks a lot !!!! I am sure both will do great!

[cactus_taco]

I bet many mpa/id ers have sponsorship from their governments. I’m 50-50 between this and another program. Will decide soon though 

[nomnomnomnom]

On 3/28/2019 at 8:13 PM, lego89 said:

No update here as well.

$$$ decisions are out... 

[Hks19]

20 hours ago, cactus_taco said:

I bet many mpa/id ers have sponsorship from their governments. I’m 50-50 between this and another program. Will decide soon though 

Yes , I think so. Maybe not all of them. I hope you make the best decision for you! Best of luck

[publicpolicy2019]

My question is to other waitlisters on this thread - how many of you are planning on accepting a place on the waitlist, given that it means absolutely no funding from the school should you be admitted? 

[leafsixnorth]

21 hours ago, publicpolicy2019 said:

My question is to other waitlisters on this thread - how many of you are planning on accepting a place on the waitlist, given that it means absolutely no funding from the school should you be admitted? 

I’ve accepted a waitlist spot - but only because I have a 3rd party sponsorship option that I can access.

[Alras]

On 3/15/2019 at 3:33 AM, Anonymous_2019 said:

Hi leafsixnorth, I am also waitlisted (for the MC/MPA). You? Indeed, any information (waitlist pool, chances, etc.)  would be helpful.

Where else did you apply/receive offers? I am in at Fletcher/MA and McCourt/MPM and waiting for Yale/MAS. 

Hi all - Thesis/capstone procrastination got me here. Last year, this time, I was in the same boat as you. Its no fun and there are indeed many factors at play but the best choice will present itself, hang in there for few more weeks. 

Re: HKS waitlist: I remained on the waitlist till early July until a final notice of closing was sent out by HKS. The email said that no one was accepted off the waitlist. However, there were 1-2 MC/MPAs here on the forum who had declined the offer, so not sure how the calculus of that change worked out with the admissions. 

 I am currently attending the Fletcher School/MA, happy to share my experiences. Feel free to message. Good luck! 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Alras

[invincible49]

MPP Applicants (or anyone admitted), I just wanted to get some small information.

Does it say "Your admission and registration for the fall are contingent upon receipt of all required official admission documents. Please arrange to have official transcripts and any other required documents delivered to our office..." in your offer letter irrespective or whether you submitted your application or not? The reason I'm wondering if everyone has this paragraph is that I am thinking if this turns into a Conditional offer of admission rather than unconditional-- which would be very bad news for a scholarship application of mine.

If everyone has that in their letter I think I might be safe. Anyone willing to help out?

[nomnomnomnom]

6 hours ago, invincible49 said:

MPP Applicants (or anyone admitted), I just wanted to get some small information.

Does it say "Your admission and registration for the fall are contingent upon receipt of all required official admission documents. Please arrange to have official transcripts and any other required documents delivered to our office..." in your offer letter irrespective or whether you submitted your application or not? The reason I'm wondering if everyone has this paragraph is that I am thinking if this turns into a Conditional offer of admission rather than unconditional-- which would be very bad news for a scholarship application of mine.

If everyone has that in their letter I think I might be safe. Anyone willing to help out?

You're fine bro - it's part of the template. And it's still an unconditional offer - conditional offers are typically things like "you need to take a stats course before you can come" or "you need to retake the GRE and get above 160 for quant before we accept you."

The clause is just there to make sure we don't doctor our transcripts etc. Just make sure you send stuff in by June! 

 

[Anonymous_2019]

Hi Alras and thank you for the reply. Indeed, it sounds like our trajectories are similar. The current situation is that I am still on the waitlist for the HKS MC/MPA (no news since the original offers went out). I am planning on accepting the Fletcher MA offer tomorrow. I said no to the Georgetown MPM offer. I was rejected at Yale MAS (but I most probably would have said no as Fletcher is a better fit for me). If I were to be accepted off the HKS MC/MPA waitlist, I was wondering whether I could combine the two options into a dual or joint mid-career degree (the two universities seem to already be closely collaborating in this domain) - any ideas? To be honest, I have learned so much about Fletcher over the past weeks, they have been excellent in communicating and making me feel included. I really didn’t expect such a warm welcome. I would have difficulty in giving up the opportunity.

Some ideas from my side, looking at both university programs, it seems that,

- Kennedy has a more branded name and global reach (I mean for the random person living outside the US, as professionals in the field and people knowledgeable with the subject are well aware of Fletcher). If you look at the numbers, both universities seem to have produced Presidents and super-high flyers in both the public and private spaces (ok Kennedy somewhat more than Fletcher but I don't think the quantity matters too much in this regard).

- Fletcher’s courses seem much more arts and legal-related and Kennedy’s much more analytical (of course you can mix with courses in HBS and HLS which would give more options overall). Professors seem to be equally amazing at both universities. Some teaching at Fletcher are Kennedy graduates and I can understand that a Harvard degree is important for those who wish to embark upon an academic career path as research is probably better at Kennedy than at Fletcher - I am speaking without any evidence here. Otherwise I think the professional options will be largely the same with some advantages for Fletcher on international organizations and some advantages for Kennedy on US politics.

- In terms of network, it appears that Fletcher is really tight and people (I specifically mean those outside your specific study year who you would approach for the first time) will do their best to help you find a job (more than giving you an interview as courtesy, I mean) as well as act in an open and inclusive manner. I do not know whether alumni of Kennedy would react the same way and would appreciate feedback on this point.

- Then there is the question of cost, Kennedy is much more expensive (about 15,000 - 20,000 USD more as regards the MC/MPA degree just because they have a mandatory refresher session (that you cannot avoid or test-out of) which alone costs more than 10,000 USD and to that you need to add the expenses for that additional time) which again I do not know whether it is warranted.

- Lastly, I want to address the stories I have heard about the importance and prestige of the Ivy League. While I can understand why a 21 year old graduate who is copy/paste with all other 21 year old graduates and needs to find a job in a competitive economy will be helped by an Ivy League name on the CV, I truly wonder whether this is so important for mid-career professionals who already have established themselves with decades of academic and professional experience and thus have a lot to offer on their own merit. The same goes for rankings, which I throw into this point as well as I deem them largely insignificant for mid-career candidates.

Any opinions on this post is very much welcome.

[amaka26]

For the waitlisters out there, I started a separate thread:
 

 

 

[Alexandre Avelino Pereira]

Hi! Does anyone knows the amount of the allowance since it varies depending on the host country? 

[Mcdreamy]

I have applied for dubin and cpl and two other. But I have not received any email regarding fellowships yet . I am heartbroken. I tried my level best to get maximum information for the application and financial aid process as in my state internet has been snapped since August 2019. I will be totally devastated if I am not through .

[spnfiim]

On 2/23/2020 at 9:22 AM, Mcdreamy said:

I have applied for dubin and cpl and two other. But I have not received any email regarding fellowships yet . I am heartbroken. I tried my level best to get maximum information for the application and financial aid process as in my state internet has been snapped since August 2019. I will be totally devastated if I am not through .

CPL invites have already been sent, as told by HKS FinAid team. 

[lmappers]

Question for MPA applicants: I've read that you must also have completed at least four graduate-level courses similar to those in the Master in Public Policy core curriculum, including at least two courses that are quantitative in nature to apply for the MPA program. Does this essentially mean that you must already hold a graduate degree in order to be considered? What classed did you take that fulfilled this requirement?

Thinking about applying this year for next year's cohort, any advice you have would be much appreciated!

Edited April 21, 2020 by lmappers