HKS Waitlist 2020

[MPAdreams2020]

4 hours ago, Jenjenlx said:

I just heard back from HKS today, and I am admitted! But no scholarship though. I was already mentally prepared to go to Harris (they raised my scholarship to $30k per year).

I am super excited, but don't know what to choose. I am from China, so the Harvard brand is worth way too much than everything. Any thoughts?

Good luck to everyone! Look forward to hearing some good news.

Congratulations!! I too was admitted today. Very happy to receive the news.

[Yass]

Congrats!!! Me too yay!!! I was also mentally prepared to go to SIPA and this game in as a total surprise ? I’m so excited!!!

[WorldChanger]

OMG ME TOO. I GOT OFF THE WAITLIST!!

 

[Bdaly96]

I just got put on the waitlist after being rejected. I think the coronavirus has caused tons of students to decline acceptance.

[WhoaThereWombat]

5 minutes ago, Bdaly96 said:

I just got put on the waitlist after being rejected. I think the coronavirus has caused tons of students to decline acceptance.

Same. Would love to know how their enrollment/yield numbers are looking right now.

It's probably causing a lot of deferrals, too. Or it's making students who got into HKS without much money choose another option with more funding.

How much is the HKS brand worth if a chunk of your degree was over Zoom?  

Edited April 10, 2020 by WhoaThereWombat

[lisbonb]

Hi All! I was also just put on the waitlist after being rejected. I know HKS mentions that they will review no supplemental materials for those put on the waitlist, but curious if others have communicated at all with admissions to provide any sort of update and/or simply thank them for the waitlist consideration?

I was also accepted to Michigan's Ford School MPP program w/ a full tuition scholarship and have to make a decision next week. So lots to consider. Any thoughts?

[WhoaThereWombat]

49 minutes ago, lisbonb said:

Hi All! I was also just put on the waitlist after being rejected. I know HKS mentions that they will review no supplemental materials for those put on the waitlist, but curious if others have communicated at all with admissions to provide any sort of update and/or simply thank them for the waitlist consideration?

I was also accepted to Michigan's Ford School MPP program w/ a full tuition scholarship and have to make a decision next week. So lots to consider. Any thoughts?

I got a full tuition scholarship for the USC Price MPP and... I find myself skeptical that an HKS MPP would be worth the debt/opportunity cost. But I haven't yet done the HKS research/drank the Kool-Aid yet. There's lots of debt discussions on Gradcafe from the last few years and I feel like consensus is generally that an MPP is not worth 100k+ in debt, no matter where it's from. That sounds pretty reasonable to me, having not done a ton of further research. 

[PP2020]

I just got put on the waitlist after a rejection. Any one know when we'll be hearing back? I had already mentally prepared for rejection, so this is a pleasantly surprising plot twist. 

[WhoaThereWombat]

40 minutes ago, PP2020 said:

I just got put on the waitlist after a rejection. Any one know when we'll be hearing back? I had already mentally prepared for rejection, so this is a pleasantly surprising plot twist. 

The waitlist online form says: "...a place may become available for you later this spring or in early summer. We will have a better idea of your prospects for admission in late April or May, after admitted candidates have responded to our offer. We will notify you of any action on your application as soon as it is taken."

Not the firmest of timelines, but understandably so. 

[prokem]

2 hours ago, lisbonb said:

Hi All! I was also just put on the waitlist after being rejected. I know HKS mentions that they will review no supplemental materials for those put on the waitlist, but curious if others have communicated at all with admissions to provide any sort of update and/or simply thank them for the waitlist consideration?

I was also accepted to Michigan's Ford School MPP program w/ a full tuition scholarship and have to make a decision next week. So lots to consider. Any thoughts?

Personally I would go Ford all the way. It's a great program in its own right, maybe just a notch below HKS, and having full funding is huge. Unless HKS places immensely better in the location and specific sector you want to go into (and even then Ford would still look pretty good) or is weak in your specific policy area, it would be a no brainer for me. 

[justaname]

Previously rejected applicant got put back on waitlist here! Does anyone know if there's any chance for scholarship off waitlist? I guess it's slim?

[Yass]

5 hours ago, justaname said:

Previously rejected applicant got put back on waitlist here! Does anyone know if there's any chance for scholarship off waitlist? I guess it's slim?

As far as I know, waitlisted candidates aren’t not eligible for funding or a deferral at HKS. But even lots of candidates that were accepted right away don’t have any funding so probably not.

[Yass]

10 hours ago, lisbonb said:

Hi All! I was also just put on the waitlist after being rejected. I know HKS mentions that they will review no supplemental materials for those put on the waitlist, but curious if others have communicated at all with admissions to provide any sort of update and/or simply thank them for the waitlist consideration?

I was also accepted to Michigan's Ford School MPP program w/ a full tuition scholarship and have to make a decision next week. So lots to consider. Any thoughts?

Hey! I was previously waitlisted and just got accepted. I did not communicate with them in any way nor did I submit any new material. I’d also not put all my eggs in one basket and hope for HKS admission. If I were you, I’d accepted the offer from Ford and pay the deposit on the last possible day. If you get accepted by HKS after you’ve already paid the deposit, then just see that as a sunk cost and decide whether you wanna pay full tuition for HKS or not with your option of full funding from Ford. 

[CrystalDolphin]

Huge Congrats Yass and other newly admitted ones!! I just got waitlisted after rejection. May I know when is the ddl for your HKS decision-making and deposit so that I can have a better understanding of when can I hear a confirmed decision from HKS. Thx so much!!!

Edited April 11, 2020 by CrystalDolphin

[ch442]

11 hours ago, CrystalDolphin said:

Huge Congrats Yass and other newly admitted ones!! I just got waitlisted after rejection. May I know when is the ddl for your HKS decision-making and deposit so that I can have a better understanding of when can I hear a confirmed decision from HKS. Thx so much!!!

HKS's deposit deadline is April 30 this year. Good luck, y'all!

[WhoaThereWombat]

Some more discussion here on Reddit's law school admission subreddit re: this HKS MPP waitlist movement and what it could mean for law schools/waitlists generally.

The 28% international student statistic is a really interesting one. 

[Yass]

9 hours ago, WhoaThereWombat said:

Some more discussion here on Reddit's law school admission subreddit re: this HKS MPP waitlist movement and what it could mean for law schools/waitlists generally.

The 28% international student statistic is a really interesting one. 

Why do you think is the international student % so low for the MPP program as compared to other schools like SIPA (50-70%) or SAIS (30-40%)? The other MPA programs at HKS also has a very high % of international students...

[Yass]

On 4/11/2020 at 11:41 AM, CrystalDolphin said:

Huge Congrats Yass and other newly admitted ones!! I just got waitlisted after rejection. May I know when is the ddl for your HKS decision-making and deposit so that I can have a better understanding of when can I hear a confirmed decision from HKS. Thx so much!!!

Thanks! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[WhoaThereWombat]

9 hours ago, Yass said:

Why do you think is the international student % so low for the MPP program as compared to other schools like SIPA (50-70%) or SAIS (30-40%)? The other MPA programs at HKS also has a very high % of international students...

I don’t know much about SIPA or SAIS but maybe because they have a more explicit international focus?

[Anathema]

10 hours ago, Yass said:

Why do you think is the international student % so low for the MPP program as compared to other schools like SIPA (50-70%) or SAIS (30-40%)? The other MPA programs at HKS also has a very high % of international students...

Probably because the MPP attracts a much younger candidate than say the MPA - a candidate who is much less likely to be able to afford to pay for the program him or herself given the limited number of fellowships that a younger candidate can reasonably expect to be competitive for. Also the MPA/ID probably reduces the number of international applicants/candidates as well.

[GradSchoolGrad]

On 4/12/2020 at 6:16 AM, Yass said:

Why do you think is the international student % so low for the MPP program as compared to other schools like SIPA (50-70%) or SAIS (30-40%)? The other MPA programs at HKS also has a very high % of international students...

So the reason is what people go get an MPP for. Move aside the children of world leaders that go to HKS (yes that is a real thing) + well off international people who come for prestige + connections + a fun 2 years in the US + lets be honest they want to learn a few things too and then you have people that go chiefly for the MPP. Of that remaining group, it makes sense they are largely domestic, because the academic topic / strengths cater more towards domestic US interests (emphasis on interests, not policy). By this I mean, domestic policy, national security, business interaction with policy, US foreign policy type stuff, and etc. that obviously cater more towards the domestic crowd. Yes, you have a Political and Economic Development track that targets more of an international audience, but besides that it really attracts a domestic audience.

And yes, there other Master's degree programs at HKS (and don't forget a PhD) that also attract international students of different stripes more. 

[Mppirgradschool]

21 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

So the reason is what people go get an MPP for. Move aside the children of world leaders that go to HKS (yes that is a real thing) + well off international people who come for prestige + connections + a fun 2 years in the US + lets be honest they want to learn a few things too and then you have people that go chiefly for the MPP. Of that remaining group, it makes sense they are largely domestic, because the academic topic / strengths cater more towards domestic US interests (emphasis on interests, not policy). By this I mean, domestic policy, national security, business interaction with policy, US foreign policy type stuff, and etc. that obviously cater more towards the domestic crowd. Yes, you have a Political and Economic Development track that targets more of an international audience, but besides that it really attracts a domestic audience.

And yes, there other Master's degree programs at HKS (and don't forget a PhD) that also attract international students of different stripes more. 

This is true, although I would argue that SIPA may attract more of the “children of world leaders/well off international people” demographics because of NY’s draw as a world-class city and Columbia’s brand strength internationally.

[justaname]

any previously-rejected waitlisted student heard anything?

[GradSchoolGrad]

On 4/9/2020 at 8:38 PM, Jenjenlx said:

I just heard back from HKS today, and I am admitted! But no scholarship though. I was already mentally prepared to go to Harris (they raised my scholarship to $30k per year).

I am super excited, but don't know what to choose. I am from China, so the Harvard brand is worth way too much than everything. Any thoughts?

Good luck to everyone! Look forward to hearing some good news.

Go to Harris... 60K scholarship... and we are entering a global recession. The Harvard brand is not worth that debt. Oh and The University of Chicago brand is also really strong in China... (understand it is no Harvard). Also, it is extremely difficult for Chinese international students to get scholarships (unless it is research or teaching based). I am really impressed you got one to Harris. 

[Mppirgradschool]

4 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

Go to Harris... 60K scholarship... and we are entering a global recession. The Harvard brand is not worth that debt. Oh and The University of Chicago brand is also really strong in China... (understand it is no Harvard). Also, it is extremely difficult for Chinese international students to get scholarships (unless it is research or teaching based). I am really impressed you got one to Harris. 

Second this, it’s an easy decision and Harris is an excellent brand and arguably offers the strongest training out of any public policy program. This will help differentiate you when competing for jobs in the midst of a recession.