Potential MPA applicant (HKS/WWS)

[consideringmpa]

Hi all,

New to these forums and the application process. Am considering applying to an MPA program end of this year (for 2020 fall intake) and would love to leverage the knowledge and experience of members here on:

- whether an MPA is right for me

- likelihood of success

About me: currently working as an engagement manager/project leader at one of McKinsey/BCG/Bain. Been working here for around 6 years. Work on a lot of public sector/government projects and have strong interest in the topic. Have also completed my MBA couple of years back. 

Reasons why I'm considering an MPA:

1) Interest - passionate about and worked on numerous government projects, would like more holistic and academic knowledge on it

2) Network - helpful to get wider network of folks working in government

3) Personal - wife is pregnant and due end of year. Would like to take some time off to spend time with family and possibly consider alternative careers beyond consulting

Will either go back to consulting specializing in government work or explore careers with international organizations after the MPA.

Does an MPA make sense given my goals? 

Also, what are my chances of a successful application? I am considering HKS and WWS for their full time programs. Slight preference for HKS because they accept the GMAT and I still have a valid score from my MBA application. But WWS is also appealing financially - will have to pay for the MPA myself (firm unlikely to sponsor) and understand HKS isn't as good with financial aid. 

30 year old male, 6 years work exp as a consultant, MBA from top 3 school and undergrad from top 5 school and 770 GMAT (q51/v43 split). Should be able to get solid recs from bosses and MBA profs. 

I have slight worries because MPA admissions appear more opaque than MBA; also my work experience is all in consulting, nothing working directly in government. Another slight concern with my age - am I too old for these programs?

Thanks in advance!

Edited April 30, 2019 by consideringmpa

[went_away]

6 hours ago, consideringmpa said:

Hi all,

New to these forums and the application process. Am considering applying to an MPA program end of this year (for 2020 fall intake) and would love to leverage the knowledge and experience of members here on:

- whether an MPA is right for me

- likelihood of success

About me: currently working as an engagement manager/project leader at one of McKinsey/BCG/Bain. Been working here for around 6 years. Work on a lot of public sector/government projects and have strong interest in the topic. Have also completed my MBA couple of years back. 

Reasons why I'm considering an MPA:

1) Interest - passionate about and worked on numerous government projects, would like more holistic and academic knowledge on it

2) Network - helpful to get wider network of folks working in government

3) Personal - wife is pregnant and due end of year. Would like to take some time off to spend time with family and possibly consider alternative careers beyond consulting

Will either go back to consulting specializing in government work or explore careers with international organizations after the MPA.

Does an MPA make sense given my goals? 

Also, what are my chances of a successful application? I am considering HKS and WWS for their full time programs. Slight preference for HKS because they accept the GMAT and I still have a valid score from my MBA application. But WWS is also appealing financially - will have to pay for the MPA myself (firm unlikely to sponsor) and understand HKS isn't as good with financial aid. 

30 year old male, 6 years work exp as a consultant, MBA from top 3 school and undergrad from top 5 school and 770 GMAT (q51/v43 split). Should be able to get solid recs from bosses and MBA profs. 

I have slight worries because MPA admissions appear more opaque than MBA; also my work experience is all in consulting, nothing working directly in government. Another slight concern with my age - am I too old for these programs?

Thanks in advance!

An MPA makes less than 0 sense for you unless you're extremely wealthy and interested in the degree for its own sake. Gates Foundation is the type of place you could go work with your background. There are also any number of higher tier international development organizations that would consider you at the director level.

[woolscarves]

1 hour ago, went_away said:

An MPA makes less than 0 sense for you unless you're extremely wealthy and interested in the degree for its own sake. Gates Foundation is the type of place you could go work with your background. There are also any number of higher tier international development organizations that would consider you at the director level.

Agreed. Just work with any partners that do the kind of work you're interested in to see if you can get staffed and then find an exit opp. Another route is to see if there are alums from your MBB at the kinds of places you want to work. I'm sure you've heard this repeated about any other kind of exit at your firm and this really isn't any different. Don't undersell the doors that are already open for you.

[consideringmpa]

4 hours ago, went_away said:

An MPA makes less than 0 sense for you unless you're extremely wealthy and interested in the degree for its own sake. Gates Foundation is the type of place you could go work with your background. There are also any number of higher tier international development organizations that would consider you at the director level.

 

2 hours ago, woolscarves said:

Agreed. Just work with any partners that do the kind of work you're interested in to see if you can get staffed and then find an exit opp. Another route is to see if there are alums from your MBB at the kinds of places you want to work. I'm sure you've heard this repeated about any other kind of exit at your firm and this really isn't any different. Don't undersell the doors that are already open for you.

 

Thanks guys, very helpful feedback. I've done projects for similar types of organizations - was incredibly interesting!

To be clear - I'm not set on leaving my firm. I do enjoy my work and the place. Whole thing was really driven by impending fatherhood and desire to spend more time at home, at least for the next 2 years. Will also take this time to reflect and decide what to do longer term. As things stand, default option would be back to my firm unless something compelling comes up.

Couple of options available for me - one is to take a leave of absence and work at a slower pace in an international organization for a while, the other is a MPA.

Between the 2, I consider the MPA to be more beneficial if I go back into consulting (boosts credentials, broadens network, improves knowledge).  

Does my logic make sense, and would the MPA still be a poor option?

Thanks!

Edited April 30, 2019 by consideringmpa

[woolscarves]

1 hour ago, consideringmpa said:

 

 

Thanks guys, very helpful feedback. I've done projects for similar types of organizations - was incredibly interesting!

To be clear - I'm not set on leaving my firm. I do enjoy my work and the place. Whole thing was really driven by impending fatherhood and desire to spend more time at home, at least for the next 2 years. Will also take this time to reflect and decide what to do longer term. As things stand, default option would be back to my firm unless something compelling comes up.

Couple of options available for me - one is to take a leave of absence and work at a slower pace in an international organization for a while, the other is a MPA.

Between the 2, I consider the MPA to be more beneficial if I go back into consulting (boosts credentials, broadens network, improves knowledge).  

Does my logic make sense, and would the MPA still be a poor option?

Thanks!

Glad you liked it! I've always enjoyed reading MBB public sector projects that come out, they're fascinating stuff.

Completely understand the desire to spend more time at home with a child on the way. The discussion is just focused then on whether the decision of an MPA is actually beneficial vs the alternative. If you look at it along the lines of the three elements that you identified (credentials, network, and knowledge), none of these are superior to what you would get by transitioning straight into a top-tier public sector job (and that's not even counting in the lost income + any school expenditures). Think about it in comparison to your MBA. Do you think you benefited more in the network and knowledge space more than you did in your first two years at your firm? Obviously the credential helps, but you've still got that MBA (assuming from M7 or the like) and the MBB name on your resume. WWS or HKS don't really add anything to your credentials. You'll learn more by actually working on projects for the Gates Foundation or something as well as meeting actual stakeholders in your areas of interest.

We're not trying to say that an MPA would ruin you or anything, just that it seems to add very little in your scenario and costs two years of your life. If you really want to do it, go for it. You'd likely be an extremely strong candidate at HKS and WWS, but if I was in your position, I would at least put out feelers for jobs in your area & region of interest and see who bites. If you find the kind of job you want that provides you with time to spend with your family, then that's your answer.

[consideringmpa]

59 minutes ago, woolscarves said:

Glad you liked it! I've always enjoyed reading MBB public sector projects that come out, they're fascinating stuff.

Completely understand the desire to spend more time at home with a child on the way. The discussion is just focused then on whether the decision of an MPA is actually beneficial vs the alternative. If you look at it along the lines of the three elements that you identified (credentials, network, and knowledge), none of these are superior to what you would get by transitioning straight into a top-tier public sector job (and that's not even counting in the lost income + any school expenditures). Think about it in comparison to your MBA. Do you think you benefited more in the network and knowledge space more than you did in your first two years at your firm? Obviously the credential helps, but you've still got that MBA (assuming from M7 or the like) and the MBB name on your resume. WWS or HKS don't really add anything to your credentials. You'll learn more by actually working on projects for the Gates Foundation or something as well as meeting actual stakeholders in your areas of interest.

We're not trying to say that an MPA would ruin you or anything, just that it seems to add very little in your scenario and costs two years of your life. If you really want to do it, go for it. You'd likely be an extremely strong candidate at HKS and WWS, but if I was in your position, I would at least put out feelers for jobs in your area & region of interest and see who bites. If you find the kind of job you want that provides you with time to spend with your family, then that's your answer.

Thanks woolscarves, very valid and insightful comments. Really appreciate it and extremely illuminating for someone new to this area!

Much needed reality check on the incremental value of an MPA especially. Original plan was to explore both options in parallel, with the MPA slightly preferred. Looks like I'll still explore both in parallel, but with a public sector job (if I can find one) as the preferred option now. Might be difficult finding an interesting role on a part-time or less hectic project basis, but at least there's plenty of time!

Will also start work on the MPA applications in the meantime - probably taking the GRE just to have the option of applying to WWS.