Harvard Kennedy MPP 2021

[bruyeres]

4 hours ago, sms3 said:

Are there any circumstances under which it makes sense to accept the HKS offer with no scholarship funding? I have 50% to near full funding offers at Syracuse, Michigan, Georgetown, and Columbia but am feeling majorly hung up on Harvard based on that gut feeling I had when I opened my admission letter.

Was hoping to do a joint MPP/JD degree program but was rejected from HLS last week. Would enrolling and doing well at HKS improve chances for reapplying or is that an absurd gamble? 

I'm wondering the same thing. I have an okay scholarship at Georgetown, which would mean I only need about $60k loan (Canadian) but it was at the bottom of my list and I'm pretty sure I'd regret going there knowing that I got accepted to my top choice schools even if I didn't get funding at them. Going to Harvard would mean about $150k CAD loan, but the way I'm thinking about it is that I currently have a good job as a public sector consultant at $100k-$110k/year, and the range of projects I've worked on is definitely what got me accepted to the MPP and would help me get a job afterwards. So I figure that absolute worst case is getting the same job after school for the same pay as I have now, and $100k salary with $150k debt doesn't sound too scary (but I could be wrong). If I were coming from a different job or straight from undergrad I'd be more worried since employers may still be hesitant to take a risk on someone who hasn't proven themselves in the workforce (Harvard degree or not), but I'm feeling somewhat confident that I'll be doing alright when I graduate.

[bruyeres]

13 minutes ago, sup5505 said:

Whoa, such an impressive profile. Admissions truly is a black box. Not too sound totally obnoxious but I have a similar profile, but with 4 years experience - part of which is in impact investing. I'm wondering what went wrong - high GREs, super quantitative undergrad (although I had quite a few Bs but the school is MIT/Stanford), 3 awesome LORs (albeit from the same workplace). Maybe the "why MPP" wasn't clear. 

Would my chances of getting in improve if I apply next year for the MPA instead and as a MIT MBA student? Anything y'all would suggesting changing in the above?

It really is a mystery. My colleague was rejected from every school he applied to, including a few Canadian schools that aren't that difficult to get into, except for HKS, which gave him a full scholarship and then funded him to do his PhD there afterwards. I guess it's luck as much as it is anything else

[StudentUSA]

Waitlisted. But would accept my offer if I were offered. 

Congratz to those admitted!! I hope to join you guys this year! Fingers crossed!

[columbia09]

For those who heard back from the mid career MPA program, can you reply to this with your stats ? GPA, undergraduate background, if you submitted a GRE, work experience, etc? Applying next year with seven years of experience with duel employment 

[William_1982]

1 hour ago, columbia09 said:

For those who heard back from the mid career MPA program, can you reply to this with your stats ? GPA, undergraduate background, if you submitted a GRE, work experience, etc? Applying next year with seven years of experience with duel employment 

Waitlisted for MC/MPA. Can’t remember exact GPA but it’s nothing mind-blowing, I think around 3.2 and from a totally average school. I did submit GRE’s: 157V, 158Q, 4.5 AWA. About 13 years or work experience. 

[columbia09]

30 minutes ago, William_1982 said:

Waitlisted for MC/MPA. Can’t remember exact GPA but it’s nothing mind-blowing, I think around 3.2 and from a totally average school. I did submit GRE’s: 157V, 158Q, 4.5 AWA. About 13 years or work experience. 

What was your undergrad major in if you don’t mind me asking ? 

[William_1982]

11 minutes ago, columbia09 said:

What was your undergrad major in if you don’t mind me asking ? 

Poli-sci 

[midcmpa21]

1 hour ago, William_1982 said:

Waitlisted for MC/MPA. Can’t remember exact GPA but it’s nothing mind-blowing, I think around 3.2 and from a totally average school. I did submit GRE’s: 157V, 158Q, 4.5 AWA. About 13 years or work experience. 

work experience in non-profit?

[Emrada]

For those who applied for CPL Fellowships that they didn't get, but did get admitted with no aid (??‍♀️), how are you feeling about everything, when compared with other offers that do have aid? I'm so happy to have been admitted and recognize the value--and for anyone who wasn't admitted, have full confidence that you also deserved to be...this is such an impressive group from what I've seen! But since HKS doesn't have concentrations the way that some other programs do for me, an MC/MPA candidate, I'd really been hoping, beyond the money, to be part of a close cohort through CPL. The money is important too. So, trying to stay positive about it, but feeling much more "wanted" by the two other programs that accepted, provided funding, and are actively reaching out to me.

[William_1982]

5 hours ago, midcmpa21 said:

work experience in non-profit?

No, mostly government. A little experience with volunteer work through board service and fundraising with non-profits, which I noted in my application, but none as an employee. 

[hopeful_sloth]

Congrats to all of those who are admitted! I was admitted to MPP and got a notification late last night (US time) about a welcome event on Monday morning 3/22. Wanted to post here so others check their email and don't miss it. Cheers!

[Hina]

13 hours ago, columbia09 said:

For those who heard back from the mid career MPA program, can you reply to this with your stats ? GPA, undergraduate background, if you submitted a GRE, work experience, etc? Applying next year with seven years of experience with duel employment 

I applied for MC/MPA (not Mason) and received admission but no funding. Undergrad major in government, minor in business from University of Texas at Austin with a 3.5 gpa. Have worked in nonprofit/government sector for 11 years - started off in Thailand, then Bangladesh, then Houston, and now DC. My focus has been financial inclusion for disenfranchised communities (microfinance, financial literacy, etc). Have held leadership positions for the past 5+ years (Executive Director and Senior Program Director). Didn’t take the GRE. Hope that helps! 

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Hina

[Hina]

2 hours ago, hopeful_sloth said:

Congrats to all of those who are admitted! I was admitted to MPP and got a notification late last night (US time) about a welcome event on Monday morning 3/22. Wanted to post here so others check their email and don't miss it. Cheers!

Has anyone heard of anything like this for MC/MPA students? I just wanna make sure I’m not missing any fun events!  

[Emrada]

7 hours ago, Hina said:

Has anyone heard of anything like this for MC/MPA students? I just wanna make sure I’m not missing any fun events!  

Hi Hina! I'm an MC/MPA and also got this email...I'll DM you.

[columbia09]

10 hours ago, Hina said:

I applied for MC/MPA (not Mason) and received admission but no funding. Undergrad major in government, minor in business from University of Texas at Austin with a 3.5 gpa. Have worked in nonprofit/government sector for 11 years - started off in Thailand, then Bangladesh, then Houston, and now DC. My focus has been financial inclusion for disenfranchised communities (microfinance, financial literacy, etc). Have held leadership positions for the past 5+ years (Executive Director and Senior Program Director). Didn’t take the GRE. Hope that helps! 

 

Great ! It’s good to see they’re admitting students without the gre, if the policy sticks , I’ll apply this fall with no scores

[intlapplicant]

I got into Harvard Kennedy School (MPP) and Columbia SIPA (MPA), but received 60k of funding for SIPA and 25k for Harvard... As an international student, I really can't take any loans, but wondering what you all think. Is HKS that much better than SIPA in terms of experience, or are they similar?

[StudentUSA]

I really don't get it. why does the results page (see the link below) show only half page for 2021 so far, especially given we had record number of applications this year? Looking at 2020 on page 2, the results came right on March 19th were almost one page! There is of course a selection bias that those accepted tend to self-report, but then it says more that the rejection rate this year is much higher. https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=harvard+kennedy+school&t=a&o=&p=1

Why did Matt leave all of a sudden? such a crazy year...

[escondido41]

18 hours ago, Hina said:

Has anyone heard of anything like this for MC/MPA students? I just wanna make sure I’m not missing any fun events!  

Hi Hina,

Yes there is. I received the email a day after the admissions email. Make sure to check your mail. Its probably the same even they mentioned for MPP as its the same date, but they said there are breakout rooms for degree programs.

[escondido41]

Any MC/MPA or Masons admits who didn't get funding and have a family?    I am struggling to make sense of the costs of either bringing the entire family (i.e. two sources income go dry), or a year of being separated from them!  (p.s. Shouldn't we start a new thread for MC/MPA 2021?)

[columbia09]

2 hours ago, escondido41 said:

Any MC/MPA or Masons admits who didn't get funding and have a family?    I am struggling to make sense of the costs of either bringing the entire family (i.e. two sources income go dry), or a year of being separated from them!  (p.s. Shouldn't we start a new thread for MC/MPA 2021?)

I’m behind you making a thread for those applying in the fall for the MC/MPA!

[columbia09]

4 hours ago, StudentUSA said:

I really don't get it. why does the results page (see the link below) show only half page for 2021 so far, especially given we had record number of applications this year? Looking at 2020 on page 2, the results came right on March 19th were almost one page! There is of course a selection bias that those accepted tend to self-report, but then it says more that the rejection rate this year is much higher. https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=harvard+kennedy+school&t=a&o=&p=1

Why did Matt leave all of a sudden? such a crazy year...

Clemons left ?

[escondido41]

6 minutes ago, columbia09 said:

I’m behind you making a thread for those applying in the fall for the MC/MPA!

Your wish is my command, kind sir.  Thread created.

[Mpp2021]

Did we ever figure out if the mysterious magazine deliveries actually correlated with acceptance? Can anyone who received a magazine and didnt get admitted let us know by posting? Curious to know if we can add it to the repository of information for future HKS aspirants to pore over.

[Zeppelin17]

5 minutes ago, Mpp2021 said:

Did we ever figure out if the mysterious magazine deliveries actually correlated with acceptance? Can anyone who received a magazine and didnt get admitted let us know by posting? Curious to know if we can add it to the repository of information for future HKS aspirants to pore over.

I am an international applicant from a post-Soviet state - got admitted to MPP program of HKS but did not receive the magazine. 

[William_1982]

2 hours ago, Mpp2021 said:

Did we ever figure out if the mysterious magazine deliveries actually correlated with acceptance? Can anyone who received a magazine and didnt get admitted let us know by posting? Curious to know if we can add it to the repository of information for future HKS aspirants to pore over.

Got the magazine and got waitlisted.