HKS 2021 GRE Requirement

[columbia09]

Have they still not made a decision on whether the GRE will be required for their MC/MPA program this application cycle ? I check their tumbler blog and all I see are posts saying “applicants are excited to start the application process, however, we do not have a decision on whether we’ll make changes to our application process”. Harvard College and Harvard Business are not requiring the SAT and GMAT, and they made that decision in July, this year so what gives with HKS?

Edited August 31, 2020 by columbia09

[GradSchoolGrad]

I'm going to speak based off my general understanding of HKS and HBS.

The difference between HKS and HBS s the level of quant intensity required necessary to graduate. Bottom line is that the HKS curriculum requires a depth of math that IMO is a shade higher than HBS (in terms of basic graduation requirements). This is why HKS requires you to have quantitative portfolio. Sure, you can live without the GRE to make that assessment. However, given the large number of applicants to HKS + limited pool of admissions support (we can go on and on about how HKS has budgetary challenges - counterintuitive, but true). Taking away the GRE makes their ability to assess that much more difficult. 

Yes, the quant requirement has been a historic source of struggle for many in HKS - especially those years removed from undergraduate education, and the admissions wants to make sure they get people that can legitimately graduate the curriculum.

The system isn't designed to cater towards one individual. it is designed to balance the many types of individuals that apply to HKS. Compared to how primitive I have seen a few Admissions programs be, I would say HKS' is rather robust and done well with competing challenges in mind. 

Logistics is the mother of all operations... even admissions. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by GradSchoolGrad

[columbia09]

46 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

I'm going to speak based off my general understanding of HKS and HBS.

The difference between HKS and HBS s the level of quant intensity required necessary to graduate. Bottom line is that the HKS curriculum requires a depth of math that IMO is a shade higher than HBS (in terms of basic graduation requirements). This is why HKS requires you to have quantitative portfolio. Sure, you can live without the GRE to make that assessment. However, given the large number of applicants to HKS + limited pool of admissions support (we can go on and on about how HKS has budgetary challenges - counterintuitive, but true). Taking away the GRE makes their ability to assess that much more difficult. 

Yes, the quant requirement has been a historic source of struggle for many in HKS - especially those years removed from undergraduate education, and the admissions wants to make sure they get people that can legitimately graduate the curriculum.

The system isn't designed to cater towards one individual. it is designed to balance the many types of individuals that apply to HKS. Compared to how primitive I have seen a few Admissions programs be, I would say HKS' is rather robust and done well with competing challenges in mind. 

Logistics is the mother of all operations... even admissions. 

I’m guessing NYU Wagner and Columbia SIPA aren’t  as quantitatively centered if they allow you to waiver it 

Edited August 31, 2020 by columbia09

[GradSchoolGrad]

52 minutes ago, columbia09 said:

I’m guessing NYU Wagner and Columbia SIPA aren’t  as quantitatively centered if they allow you to waiver it 

Again it is more than just being quantitatively concerned, but you have to add on to how those schools simply have less people applying to them than HKS per admissions officer, so it is easier for them to discern graduation ability. Also, HKS broadly speaking has a wider range of applicants in terms of unique professional and international school backgrounds... adding to the level of complexity. 

NYU is less quant intense though. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by GradSchoolGrad

[columbia09]

2 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

Again it is more than just being quantitatively concerned, but you have to add on to how those schools simply have less people applying to them than HKS per admissions officer, so it is easier for them to discern graduation ability. Also, HKS broadly speaking has a wider range of applicants in terms of unique professional and international school backgrounds... adding to the level of complexity. 

NYU is less quant intense though. 

I mentioned this before in another post, with all this emphasis on quantitative skills they make it seem like we’re going into a chemistry or physics program, not a MPA one. I don’t even think my biology undergrad was like this, we took up to calc 2 and a semester of statistics (along with chem, organic and physics). 

[GradSchoolGrad]

56 minutes ago, columbia09 said:

I mentioned this before in another post, with all this emphasis on quantitative skills they make it seem like we’re going into a chemistry or physics program, not a MPA one. I don’t even think my biology undergrad was like this, we took up to calc 2 and a semester of statistics (along with chem, organic and physics). 

In all fairness, that is because so much of HKS' MPA is constructing and interpreting data for policy purposes. This quant focus will differentiate you in the job market / give you more job opportunities. There are plenty of MPAs that are less quant focused. 

[columbia09]

On 8/31/2020 at 4:31 PM, GradSchoolGrad said:

In all fairness, that is because so much of HKS' MPA is constructing and interpreting data for policy purposes. This quant focus will differentiate you in the job market / give you more job opportunities. There are plenty of MPAs that are less quant focused. 

Is that true for the MC/MPA ? Or the regular MPA?

[GradSchoolGrad]

1 hour ago, columbia09 said:

Is that true for the MC/MPA ? Or the regular MPA?

BOTH... unless my MC/MPA friends lied

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by GradSchoolGrad

[columbia09]

On 9/2/2020 at 10:03 PM, GradSchoolGrad said:

BOTH... unless my MC/MPA friends lied

 

They still haven’t made a decision on their gre policy for this year 

[GradSchoolGrad]

Just now, columbia09 said:

They still haven’t made a decision on their gre policy for this year 

That likely indicates that given their risk profile, they expect a robust application pool and have no incentive to. If I were you, I would emotionally establish them as GRE requiring and work with that. 

[columbia09]

14 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

That likely indicates that given their risk profile, they expect a robust application pool and have no incentive to. If I were you, I would emotionally establish them as GRE requiring and work with that. 

Looks like it’s Princeton’s MPP for me. 

Edited September 5, 2020 by columbia09

[columbia09]

“The Admissions Committee continues to engage in the planning process for the upcoming cycle, but we still have more work ahead of us before we make the application available. Although the application is not yet available and all of our policies for the coming cycle have not been finalized, the goal of this series is to help you get a head start in your planning and preparation. As policies are finalized and we get a better idea of when the online application will be available, I will post updated entries in this series.” -HKS

 

really ? We’re in mid September and they still haven’t finalized admission requirements? Harvard College and Business School finalized their requirements months ago. 

[prepedonline]

Due to COVID-19, we will not require you to submit your GRE scores if you are applying for fall 2021.  There is no minimum GRE score requirement. We do not accept the GMAT or LSAT. This highlighting message by HKS official site I hope this information help those are planning to apply for 2021.  

[2711383]

13 hours ago, prepedonline said:

Due to COVID-19, we will not require you to submit your GRE scores if you are applying for fall 2021.  There is no minimum GRE score requirement. We do not accept the GMAT or LSAT. This highlighting message by HKS official site I hope this information help those are planning to apply for 2021.  

That is only for the PhD programs (so far, they might announce the change for master's programs soon)

[columbia09]

4 hours ago, 2711383 said:

That is only for the PhD programs (so far, they might announce the change for master's programs soon)

I got excited for a second. Will they keep it that way or will they go back to the gre ?

[columbia09]

“Harvard Kennedy School is offering a temporary suspension of the GRE or GMAT test score policy for all applicants to the Mid-Career MPA program, due to the unique challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. For the 2020-21 admission cycle only, GRE or GMAT score submission will be optional for applicants to the Mid-Career MPA program. Applicants may, if they choose, submit GRE or GMAT scores for consideration in the application process, but test scores are not required.”

 

oh yessssss.