UCSD GPS 2019

[hammyc]

Decisions are rolling out. Got a message from the GPS admissions office that my application has been "nominated for admission"! Now I'm just waiting for official communication after review by UC San Diego's Graduate Division. Anyone else got in?

Edited February 28, 2019 by hammyc

[Thirteen]

I was an early decision admit but am still waiting to hear back about financial information. Definitely near the top of my list though, maybe see you in the fall!

Edited February 28, 2019 by Thirteen

[lafcfan]

I also received the message informing me that I have been "nominated for admission"! Still awaiting official acceptance letter from the Graduate Division, as well as funding information, although per what I've gathered from reading these forums from prior years, it appears that funding info is released in mid-March, and separately from admissions decisions. 

Still excited about the prospect of attending this program at GPS though, and happy at the early positive sign!

[Tako]

First acceptance but I'm (hoping) to weigh financial packages here and UofWashington Seattle. What track did everyone choose (I selected International Politics with a Japanese language focus).

[Thirteen]

5 hours ago, Tako said:

First acceptance but I'm (hoping) to weigh financial packages here and UofWashington Seattle. What track did everyone choose (I selected International Politics with a Japanese language focus).

International Environmental Policy and Chinese here. Good luck with UofWash! 

[MidnightSkywalker]

I also received the "nominated for admission" message for MIA program a few days ago. I am really surprised that I heard back from them so early! It's only been like 2 weeks since I applied. I applied to the MIA program after being rejected from the PhD program in political science on February 11. The graduate coordinator contacted me to apply to the MIA program instead, so I took my chance! Little did I know that GPS might be a better fit for me than a PhD program in political science. The curriculum seems amazing, as well as the job prospect and faculty members.

My only concern is money. I wouldn't be able to afford it unless I receive some substantial amount of scholarship. And I guess the merit-based scholarship is only for those who applied before January deadline, right? I am an international applicant as well, so I feel like I won't be getting some fellowships that will actually make it possible for me to attend. Does any of you know how much funding you could get as an international student? It's truly frustrating to give up on my dream to pursue higher education because of finance. Do you think I would have any chance of getting a full ride? I know it's ridiculous to seek answers here, but who knows

Congratulations everyone! I hope to see you all in San Diego 

[Tako]

1 hour ago, MidnightSkywalker said:

I also received the "nominated for admission" message for MIA program a few days ago. I am really surprised that I heard back from them so early! It's only been like 2 weeks since I applied. I applied to the MIA program after being rejected from the PhD program in political science on February 11. The graduate coordinator contacted me to apply to the MIA program instead, so I took my chance! Little did I know that GPS might be a better fit for me than a PhD program in political science. The curriculum seems amazing, as well as the job prospect and faculty members.

My only concern is money. I wouldn't be able to afford it unless I receive some substantial amount of scholarship. And I guess the merit-based scholarship is only for those who applied before January deadline, right? I am an international applicant as well, so I feel like I won't be getting some fellowships that will actually make it possible for me to attend. Does any of you know how much funding you could get as an international student? It's truly frustrating to give up on my dream to pursue higher education because of finance. Do you think I would have any chance of getting a full ride? I know it's ridiculous to seek answers here, but who knows

Congratulations everyone! I hope to see you all in San Diego 

I don't know if this will help much but I believe the February 11 deadline was for financial consideration specifically for those who were denied PhD admission. I hope you receive substantial funding! That is the largest factor for me as well (not quite international but will move from SC to CA if I can secure funding) but we'll find out soon enough. I have heard of fellowships and other opportunities that fully fund students for the first year. 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Tako

[Tako]

14 hours ago, Thirteen said:

International Environmental Policy and Chinese here. Good luck with UofWash! 

Thank you so much! I like your focus so hopefully we can share a coffee (or tea) in San Diego over Mandarin conversation (trying to learn Mandarin, Korean, Tagalog at a conversational level in addition to Japanese). :) 

[MidnightSkywalker]

On 3/1/2019 at 2:12 PM, Tako said:

I don't know if this will help much but I believe the February 11 deadline was for financial consideration specifically for those who were denied PhD admission. I hope you receive substantial funding! That is the largest factor for me as well (not quite international but will move from SC to CA if I can secure funding) but we'll find out soon enough. I have heard of fellowships and other opportunities that fully fund students for the first year. 

Oh that's reassuring to hear. I wish to see you all in San Diego

[lafcfan]

Has anyone received the official acceptance email from the Graduate Division yet? According to the Results page here on The Grad Cafe, some people who were notified of their nomination for admission have received the official letter, but I haven't got anything yet. I'm assuming the Graduate Division will send out the official emails in chronological order?

[TheSAfiltercoffee]

Received an email for the Admission Director regarding a full funding for the MIA program! I am so happy!

[lafcfan]

4 hours ago, TheSAfiltercoffee said:

Received an email for the Admission Director regarding a full funding for the MIA program! I am so happy!

Congrats!! Do you mind sharing your profile? Also, what was your timeline? When did you learn of your nomination for admission, when did you receive the official acceptance letter from the Graduate Division, and how long did you wait before hearing about funding?

[TheSAfiltercoffee]

10 hours ago, lafcfan said:

Congrats!! Do you mind sharing your profile? Also, what was your timeline? When did you learn of your nomination for admission, when did you receive the official acceptance letter from the Graduate Division, and how long did you wait before hearing about funding?

Thank you!  My GRE scores were very low - 143 Q and 154 V, but I made sure that my recommenders mention my quantitative work experiences in the LORs so that seemed to have worked for me. 3.63 GPA, 3 years of work experience in anti-human trafficking organisations in Southeast Asia and as a Policy Analyst at a Parliamentarian's Office. 
I had an interview on Feb 7th where I was told that I will need to attend Match Camp before Fall classes start. Received an email on MArch 9th stating that the Admissions Committee hae elected to fully fund 2 years of my study and that official letter will be released this week.

[hammyc]

On 3/11/2019 at 9:15 AM, TheSAfiltercoffee said:

Received an email for the Admission Director regarding a full funding for the MIA program! I am so happy!

Holy crap I just got the same email too! Full funding for the MPP. This is going to make my decision extremely difficult now. 

[Ajb415]

Just received email for full funded MIA program. Super exciting news. Tough decisions ahead. Anyone know the likelihood of getting a graduate assistant position? 

[MidnightSkywalker]

3 hours ago, Ajb415 said:

Just received email for full funded MIA program. Super exciting news. Tough decisions ahead. Anyone know the likelihood of getting a graduate assistant position? 

 

On 3/10/2019 at 8:15 PM, TheSAfiltercoffee said:

Received an email for the Admission Director regarding a full funding for the MIA program! I am so happy!

CONGRATS! That's such an amazing achievement  I wish I could get the same email soon too.

Is any of you guys an international applicant by any chance? Did your letter mention what award/fellowship/scholarship it is? When did you apply and hear back from them about the admission result?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions all at once lol. My application was originally submitted for the Ph.D. program in political science, and the graduate coordinator suggested I transfer it to GPS for the MIA program. I received an email from GPS that I was nominated for admission, but after that, I didn't hear anything back yet. This makes me so nervous.....

[TheSAfiltercoffee]

18 hours ago, Ajb415 said:

Just received email for full funded MIA program. Super exciting news. Tough decisions ahead. Anyone know the likelihood of getting a graduate assistant position? 

Congratulations! I have the same questions too.

[Ajb415]

Sounds like about 30% of students work as RA or TA. Not sure how many hours per week however.

Unrelated note, does anyone know the ability to transition to a ph.d program after completion of the masters. 

[mapiau]

Hey everyone, I graduated from the GPS MIA program last year and am happy to try answering any questions you have about the program. I'm an American and work in the energy industry, so I can't speak to the international student experience, the security/international politics side of things, or continuing on to PhDs, but can probably answer some more general questions.

[hammyc]

15 hours ago, mapiau said:

Hey everyone, I graduated from the GPS MIA program last year and am happy to try answering any questions you have about the program. I'm an American and work in the energy industry, so I can't speak to the international student experience, the security/international politics side of things, or continuing on to PhDs, but can probably answer some more general questions.

Hey thanks for taking the time. I was wondering if you could shed some light on how strong the energy / environmental specialization is at GPS. For some context, I got an admit to the MPP program with full funding, and I’m looking at a career in climate change policy.

I also got admits to UCSB Bren and Duke Nicholas. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons between a program that is dedicated to environmental management/energy vs. a broader MPP, with a specialization in energy/environment. UCSB and Duke are my top choices, but I can’t ignore a full ride offer from UCSD so I’m looking to learn more. Thanks so much. 

[mapiau]

On 3/16/2019 at 9:50 AM, hammyc said:

I was wondering if you could shed some light on how strong the energy / environmental specialization is at GPS. For some context, I got an admit to the MPP program with full funding, and I’m looking at a career in climate change policy.

I think energy and environment is one of GPS' strongest fields. The program has been increasing its focus on this area recently, and there are a lot of alumni who get jobs in the field afterwards. This is also one field where the California location is an advantage and not a disadvantage. 

There are several GPS faculty who specialize in energy and environmental policy, with David Victor, Joshua Graff Zivin, and Kate Ricke being the main ones. I found the energy and environment course offerings to be strong. GPS is also adding new classes and faculty in the energy area especially. Additionally one of four MIA capstone options is a consulting class focused on energy, where students work with external energy companies. I found this course to be very useful in my career and definitely helped me get a job coming out of the program, but like all consulting classes the attention from the clients can vary. It's a very useful learning experience though. MPP students can take this class but I don't think it counts as the MPP capstone.

If you take Quantitative Methods 1-4 and the two GIS courses I think the GPS data offerings are also head and shoulders above other programs, which could be a big advantage on the job market.

I'd encourage you to look at alumni in the energy/environment space on LinkedIn. I can speak less to environmental policy, but in energy there are a ton of GPS alumni at California utilities, independent power firms, and other roles. 

On 3/16/2019 at 9:50 AM, hammyc said:

UCSB and Duke are my top choices, but I can’t ignore a full ride offer from UCSD so I’m looking to learn more.

I can't speak to the other programs, but I also got a full ride from UCSD and not having debt to pay off is just very, very nice. I think the chance to avoid debt matters a lot more than program fit, since these programs are really what you make of them anyway. 

[hammyc]

Thank you @mapiau for the detailed response.

I think the newness of the MPP program is a concern for me that I won't be able to get over. I feel extremely privileged to have been awarded full-funding, but I have offers from other programs that suit my goals better. Am I insane to turn down a full-ride?

[lafcfan]

On 3/15/2019 at 5:53 PM, mapiau said:

Hey everyone, I graduated from the GPS MIA program last year and am happy to try answering any questions you have about the program. I'm an American and work in the energy industry, so I can't speak to the international student experience, the security/international politics side of things, or continuing on to PhDs, but can probably answer some more general questions.

Thank you @mapiau for taking the time to answer some questions!

I guess I have the following questions on my mind:

1) What's your assessment of the curriculum/coursework? Is it really practical/"real world", and do you feel students are able to acquire concrete skills that they can use in the workplace? How flexible are degree requirements? Are students able to pursue their interests with relative ease given the degree requirements?

2) How is looking for internships and other professional opportunities that correspond with your career interests? How is Career Services, etc?

3) How are the student organizations? A quick look on the GPS website, some organizations, in particular the professionally-focused ones, pique my interest, but in my experience student orgs can often be hit-or-miss.

4) Can you describe how the Prep Program runs?

5) How is the student body as a whole? Are students generally of a very high caliber, or does the quality of students really run the gamut? Is there a "competitive" or "cutthroat" environment, are many students really ambitious?

Thank you again for the time, I know it's a bit much!!

[mapiau]

21 hours ago, lafcfan said:

1) What's your assessment of the curriculum/coursework? Is it really practical/"real world", and do you feel students are able to acquire concrete skills that they can use in the workplace? How flexible are degree requirements? Are students able to pursue their interests with relative ease given the degree requirements?

The GPS courses are for the most part very practical. The school seems to pride itself on being professionally oriented, and I do not think it is a good fit for people who want to go on to PhDs. Many courses teach practical skills (the data courses for example, or case studies in the international management courses), many have very valuable presentation requirements, and the capstone classes are explicitly professionally focused and work with external clients. The curriculum is also pretty open, and within the MIA/MPP degrees the individual career tracks don't have very many course requirements and there is a lot of room to take what you are interested in, though this is easier if you test out of the language requirement and have more room in your schedule.

21 hours ago, lafcfan said:

 2) How is looking for internships and other professional opportunities that correspond with your career interests? How is Career Services, etc?

Career Services is one of the major strengths of the program. The GPS career services team had four full-time staff members when I was there, which given the program's relatively small size made them very accessible. The career services staff knew most students' names and career goals, and would review cover letters or arrange coaching sessions on a day's notice. The career services trips to major job markets were also very helpful, though students do have to pay for the travel costs. Most students got summer internships, but you have to hustle and be proactive to get them.

I've heard that the longtime head of Career Services is retiring though, so unfortunately the department might not be as strong in the future.

21 hours ago, lafcfan said:

3) How are the student organizations? A quick look on the GPS website, some organizations, in particular the professionally-focused ones, pique my interest, but in my experience student orgs can often be hit-or-miss.

They're fine social opportunities and I guess can help you network, but don't count on participating in student orgs to help you get a job.

21 hours ago, lafcfan said:

4) Can you describe how the Prep Program runs?

The prep program is six weeks, with courses throughout the day. Most students are required to take prep and I thought it was very useful, particularly if you haven't done calculus for a few years. It's also a good opportunity to meet the other students early on, and career services has seminars interspersed throughout.

21 hours ago, lafcfan said:

5) How is the student body as a whole? Are students generally of a very high caliber, or does the quality of students really run the gamut? Is there a "competitive" or "cutthroat" environment, are many students really ambitious?

I would realistically say that the student body is one of the weaker aspects of the programs. Students are generally smart and motivated, but the student body tends young, with a significant portion of the cohort either with only a year or two of unrelated work experience or straight out of undergrad. There are many students with impressive work histories or life experiences, but it has to be said that the student body feels younger than I assume you'd find in some other programs.

I did not find it to be cutthroat at all, though I suspect that this varies by cohort. Very few students in my cohort wanted to do PhDs and most did not care about grades. Students were very collaborative, and professors encouraged working together on assignments -- this is basically the only way to make it through QM II. There is a big focus on group work in the program, which is another way the courses are professionally-orientated and less academic.  

[MidnightSkywalker]

Gahhhhh I just checked my email, and the funding info came. NO FUNDING at all! Really disappointing  I am going to try to negotiate it with the program director, but I really like GPS.... I'll have to go to Chicago then. Anyone received the no funding email and trying to get some more money from the department?