Harvard MPA/ID Without Funding - Defer and try for WWS/funding or go this year

[meshoome]

Hello all,

I was fortunate enough to get into HKS's MPA/ID program with zero funding. I am a 28 year old  India male. I have a bachelors in engineering, have worked for a year in a consulting firm, a year in grassroot rural development and for 3 years at J-PAL. I was nominated for the World Bank Joint Japan Scholarship for MPA/ID but I did not apply for it as I didn't think I would be admitted (idiotic, I know!). Other than MPA/ID I applied for Paris School of Economics for both their APE and PPD programs but the results are pending.

I am also fortunate enough to be in a situation where my parents can fund the $170k I need to attend MPA/ID without much difficulty. 

I am considering deferring the admission to apply for Princeton (WWS) MPA next year and to apply for the World Bank Joint Japan Scholarship. Additionally, I have no background in economics and hence I think spending a year being a teaching assistant for econ courses in a university in India will be a good way for me to study basic microecon, macroecon and econometrics as well as brush up on programming before going for the MPA/ID in case I defer my admission. I am considering doing a PhD after the MPA/ID but am unsure at this stage since I have never really studied economics formally and so don't know if I will enjoy the subject enough to go for a PhD. Given this, could someone help me work through this decision.

Apologies for the long post but I have been agonizing over this decision for the past three weeks and have made no headway. 

Thank you all for the discussions on this forum. They have informed the way I have thought about my applications and kept me sane though the process. I hope you are all moving on to bigger and better things in your lives too

[cactus_taco]

Hi, wanted to chime in as I am an admit to both of the programs and attended both visiting days.

 

1. I got a very strong sense that if you are admitted, you can handle the math. The entire first year is focused on core training. There is no need to spend another year of your life learning what you will be learning at hks (many students with strong Econ backgrounds found the first year redundant). I got the sense that the learning environment is very supportive and everyone gets through.

2. I got the sense that WWS is very focused on preparing students for domestic policy circles, meaning jobs in domestic policy or IR/idev jobs out of US organizations (gates, usaid). No professor from the idev field showed up at the hosting weekend, which was kind of disappointing. In contrast, hks is a hotbed of dev practitioners and academics. Honestly besides the money, wws doesn’t appear to have an advantage over mpa/id- both are small, tight knit, quant-y, with mpa/id being way more international and stronger in its ID curriculum (plus ability to take classes at MIT, HBS).

3. How much does money matter? Can you find something meaningful to do for a year while you look for funding - and would it increase your chance of getting funding? If so, sure! Otherwise, honestly if your parents can afford it (and won’t mind), you might be better off starting the program now and save this extra year for (hopefully more exciting/valuable) work experience after you graduate. 

4. Are you thinking of applying directly to ph.d? If so, the added one year research exp makes sense. Otherwise, there might be less reason to wait another year (if funding is not a huge concern).

[meshoome]

Thanks for the detailed response @cactus_taco! Congratulations on getting offers from both programs! Did you get any funding from MPA/ID? Which way are you leaning personally?

1. I spoke to some more people and they echoed what you have said. So I'm feeling much more confident in my ability to handle the coursework and in-fact do well there even if I go this year.

2. Sorry to hear about the WWS new admit day. I did not know about the strong orientation of WWS to funnel people into US domestic policy jobs. Could you expand a little on "IR/idev jobs out of US organizations (gates, usaid)" I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean. One aspect of WWS that attracts me is the fact that since everyone is more or less fully funded, the vibe of the cohort will be significantly different from MPA/ID where a large bunch of people would be working towards landing relatively well paying jobs to pay off debt as opposed to figuring out the best pathways to create value for society at large. Though this might be a very naive view. Other than this, the perspective you shared definitely makes me lean towards the MPA/ID.

3. It matters a little bit. I would have to take around 65k USD as debt to attend the program with my parents covering the rest. My parents are saying that over time they will help pay that off too. In its entirety, it will cost my parents 12-15% of their net worth to fund my education. I have to find a new job as I have spent more than enough time at my current job and my learning stopped a year back. There is no particularly exciting job I can think of applying for. I am going to apply pretty broadly and hopefully explore a sector that I do not have much experience in till date - like program management in a NGO or an entry level role in impact investing. I'm pretty open to new things right now.

4. I can't apply directly for a PhD right now. Indian candidates typically must complete a masters degree before becoming competitive for US econ PhDs. One of my professors also suggested the Pardee RAND Graduate School for a three year PhD instead of a 5/6 year PhD post masters. I like this option as I am not looking for academic jobs long term, but more applied research.   

Thanks again for your reply. It really helped. Which country are you from (if you don't mind answering)?

[Westpolicy]

Interesting assessment.  The information from the WWS viewbook shows different data. Looks like a bit more go into international work for summer internships and first jobs.  

[cactus_taco]

55 minutes ago, Westpolicy said:

Interesting assessment.  The information from the WWS viewbook shows different data. Looks like a bit more go into international work for summer internships and first jobs.  

Perhaps I am wrong!  I'm basing my judgement on representation of current MPAs and admitted students, as well as conversation with advisors (on who used to teach there). The sense I got was that, within field 2 (international development), most "international" jobs are still US-based (mostly DC and NY).

@meshoome  I am fully funded at both. I am a new american/immigrant, with domestic and international experience. This is my personal opinion and I urge you to speak with others: I was also concerned that the ID crowd would be a bit "stuffy" or "elite", and I loved the public service ethos of the wws. But, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited. Everyone I spoke with seemed down to earth, and critically interested in promoting the public good. Several people I spoke with were funded via extra funding (e.g. japan/WB, host country). There was, however, a fair bit of people coming in from ibanking and management consulting (mostly joint degrees), but even these had career aspirations to apply their skills to a developing context (e.g. impact investing). Honestly, the biggest difference in vibe was an intellectual and geographical one. I loved how the students at hks thought critically about what they were being taught in the class, and discussed the merits of different lenses of thinking. Perhaps this was more apparent at HKS because everything in the curriculum was directly related to development (and that's what excites me). The students at WWS were also brilliant, kind, and social. But I felt more comfortable and inspired by the international-nature of the students at HKS.  When I say domestic circles, I mean careers focused internationally but based in U.S. offices. For example, the world bank headquarters in D.C. or Gates in Seattle. Perhaps this is the goal for many, but I am more attracted to field work/offices and getting closer to the people I am supporting. 

I feel like I'm really talking down the woo. It really is a fantastic program.  I have a rather specific career interest, so I'm leaning HKS. I guess, it really comes down to how much tolerance you have for debt, and if you can find something interesting to do for a year. I know you can easily defer your ID offer and look for funding. You might do some research and see if you can find a cool job. 65K is a lot still. On the other hand, an ID alum said no one he knew has ever regretted going there, so..  Best of luck!

Edited April 12, 2019 by cactus_taco