Brown MPA Career Advice (Jobs, Academia)

[mk8410]

I got a great scholarship at Brown and am headed there in a month. I was wondering if anyone had experience or advice with which to maximize my career/job search as it is just a one year program.

About me - 3.9+ political science at a state school. Decent GPA, 5+ work experience in just a no-name company.

I'm looking for anything policy or government-work related. Consulting would be good, even experience as a contractor for a World Bank type organization would be fine with me. I don't have much debt since I have savings from my years of working. I'm mainly aiming to gain more "big" organization/company experience, ideally related to policy.

Finally, (forgive me for being a little open ended) but academia is something I'm kind of considering. Any advice would give me a sense of the landscape ahead of me: In the off-chance anyone knows anything about how hard/easy it is to go from an MPA to a poli/sci or IR PhD from non-top tier policy program like Brown (but which might have some pull in academia due to its overall reputation), this would help me a lot in thinking about whether its even worth considering.

 

[GradSchoolGrad]

12 hours ago, mk8410 said:

I got a great scholarship at Brown and am headed there in a month. I was wondering if anyone had experience or advice with which to maximize my career/job search as it is just a one year program.

About me - 3.9+ political science at a state school. Decent GPA, 5+ work experience in just a no-name company.

I'm looking for anything policy or government-work related. Consulting would be good, even experience as a contractor for a World Bank type organization would be fine with me. I don't have much debt since I have savings from my years of working. I'm mainly aiming to gain more "big" organization/company experience, ideally related to policy.

Finally, (forgive me for being a little open ended) but academia is something I'm kind of considering. Any advice would give me a sense of the landscape ahead of me: In the off-chance anyone knows anything about how hard/easy it is to go from an MPA to a poli/sci or IR PhD from non-top tier policy program like Brown (but which might have some pull in academia due to its overall reputation), this would help me a lot in thinking about whether its even worth considering.

 

So the problem for you is that going to the workplace and going into academia is two different strategies with potential for some parallels but it doesn't fit neatly --> especially with a 1 year program. So let me paint this out.

Academia:

1. GPA, research, Professor/key researchers recommendations (which you usually can only get after you work with a professor on something)/and occasionally teaching

a. so with GPA you kind of have to get an awesome GPA... AGAIN... if you slink below 3.7, you can kiss a top tier program goodbye. Here is the deal... unless you want to go into Academia and a major research org, going to a prestigious PhD matters a lot... and even that isn't even still a sure thing.

b. research - the research and your research product (it helps if you have portfolio to highlight) should be part of your story about doing a PhD and show your technical skills

c. professors/researchers - in your application packet you'll need someone to vouch that you are capable with research period.

When you go below prestigious, you can still strike good, but the probability is a lot less (but of course it happens frequently). And trust me, I loved my high school teacher with a PhD from Oxford... but just saying your job opportunities prospects shift. I will also so that at the end of the day it also kind of depends on what your research top is. If you hit a research topic that is cool at the time and you are one of the few people that know about it, you can also win that way. However, that is heavily luck, because no one knows what will be cool tomorrow. 

d. not necessary but seen as a bonus --> experience being a TA

Professional workplace / Consulting (what is available to you...)

a. Project experience... the more consulting similar it is, the better

b. Networking... expanding your network period... 

c.  Technical skills that is valued in the job market at the time you are seeking to enter the job market (i.e. data analysis skills, cloud skills, intelligence design, and etc.)

d. Applied Research (this is the only kind of crossover... and note this is different than theoretical research)

Something to think about

The federal government and sometime state government officially gives preference hiring to veterans (and their spouses), peace corp/americorp alums, and unofficially --> sometimes Teach for America. 

Since I'm assuming you don't have any of these, one way to get this preference is getting fellowships to get equivalency for preference. Two options are the Presidential Merit Fellowship (it used to be really hard to get, but not so much anymore) or the Boren Fellowship. 

Most important... the sooner you figure out what you want to do in life, the easier grad school will be for you.

[mk8410]

GradSchoolGrad,

Really great advice, I appreciate it. I have a few follow-up Q's:

Academia:

1) Top-tier Program - what constitutes a "top-tier" program? You mention Oxford's PhD not being top-tier (which is surprising to me). Where is the line drawn here in terms of top tier vs below that?

1A) Competitiveness - what does it take to get into a top-tier program? If I have a 3.7+ grad GPA, good recs, research, is it still a slim shot?

2) Timeline of Application - as a one-year program, I would only have a summer of grades (and maybe the Fall for Jan deadline applications). I'm guessing that it would probably be better to apply in the year after I graduate from the MPA? If so, what kind of position should I aim for (or can I get) for the application year following the MPA that is advantageous to get into a top tier PhD?

Work:

1) Consulting - What kind of consulting opportunities are there out there? At Brown the careers person  mentioned that Booz Allen, Deloitte, etc had hired students. Are these really hard to get/and generally go to students with prior experience in these areas?

2) PMF/Boren - i looked into this and it seems hard to parse out what they're looking for (except the obvious in veterans preference etc). Are the exams they administer the most important part?

Thanks. I really appreciate the answers.

 

[GradSchoolGrad]

4 hours ago, mk8410 said:

GradSchoolGrad,

Really great advice, I appreciate it. I have a few follow-up Q's:

Academia:

1) Top-tier Program - what constitutes a "top-tier" program? You mention Oxford's PhD not being top-tier (which is surprising to me). Where is the line drawn here in terms of top tier vs below that?

1A) Competitiveness - what does it take to get into a top-tier program? If I have a 3.7+ grad GPA, good recs, research, is it still a slim shot?

2) Timeline of Application - as a one-year program, I would only have a summer of grades (and maybe the Fall for Jan deadline applications). I'm guessing that it would probably be better to apply in the year after I graduate from the MPA? If so, what kind of position should I aim for (or can I get) for the application year following the MPA that is advantageous to get into a top tier PhD?

Work:

1) Consulting - What kind of consulting opportunities are there out there? At Brown the careers person  mentioned that Booz Allen, Deloitte, etc had hired students. Are these really hard to get/and generally go to students with prior experience in these areas?

2) PMF/Boren - i looked into this and it seems hard to parse out what they're looking for (except the obvious in veterans preference etc). Are the exams they administer the most important part?

Thanks. I really appreciate the answers.

 

Academia: My entire point about Oxford is that you can go to a top tier program (and yes Oxford is a top tier program in English) and still not succeed getting the prized post-PhD jobs in academia and or research. The market is pretty terrible for PhDs period those two traditional post-PhD jobs. Now I will say it is increasingly popular to work for industry post-PhD, but your opportunities depend on which PhD you go for... and honestly a lot of those opportunities you can acquire with just a Master's degree.

As of which is a top-tier program, that totally depends on which type PhD you go for. Poli Sci (and depending on which area in Poli Sci) and IR. The traditional answer has been what US News and world reports says, which isn't completely accurate but its is an okay outline. Sometimes it is just about following a celeb professor. But generally speaking, the celeb professors usually align to the better schools.

Oh and a little secret hat is under utilized is doing your PhD in UK (especially, Oxford, Cambridge, and London School of Economics).

Yes... if you achieve those achievements you should be in good shape for a top tier PhD. All they are looking for is continued academic achievement. It helps if you start doing research (or have a research fellowship or a research assistant-ship) right off the bat. As for timeline... correct... they just want to know whatever you can provide whenever you apply.

Work:

So Booz and  Deloitte GPO are the two government operations focused consulting firms have larger market share. Deloitte is probably the best option in terms of prestige of exit opportunities. I will say that everyone I know who went there hated and used it as a vehicle to leave, not as something to get excited about. I personally think that both are great options out of undergrad, but not the best post grad. I am concerned that they are focusing on consulting firms so much. Great MPA/MPP school can reference a wide range of employment opportunities and don't have to anchor on just consulting. Bottom line is that Brown as an MPA school is like Stanford MPP. The University might have a great rep, but the program is kind of 2nd tier. The University brand might help you at cocktail parties, but compared to the big hitters of MPA/MPP schools, pales in comparison for academic quality, presence, and job placement. 

PMF and Boren are to different things. First of all, the competitiveness for each depends on how the applicant pool. PMF competitiveness has done down dramatically (anecdotally speaking) because the luster for working for government as diminished. PMF is about working in the Federal Government, so you have to highlight competency and passion to work for the Federal Government. Boren is basically being funded to study abroad in a non-English speaking country and doing some sort of research. You have to identify what research you want to do and how that contributes to your intellectual goals. PMF and Boren Fellowship really help for federal jobs. 

DM me if you want to set up a call... 

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by GradSchoolGrad