HKS MPA/ID 2021

[2711383]

Thought it would be a good idea to open a thread now that the application is about to open. Anyone else here considering applying? 

[columbia09]

Did HKS update any of their gre policies?

[2711383]

2 hours ago, columbia09 said:

Did HKS update any of their gre policies?

I really don't know if you're a troll, but you really need to find something else to comment here besides this. Really, anything.

[columbia09]

5 hours ago, 2711383 said:

I really don't know if you're a troll, but you really need to find something else to comment here besides this. Really, anything.

What a nasty comment. I see you favor that they keep it in place 

Edited September 10, 2020 by columbia09

[2711383]

4 hours ago, columbia09 said:

What a nasty comment. I see you favor that they keep it in place 

A little, but honestly I don't care. What bothers me is that this feels like the third time I (or someone else) try to start a conversation about a program and you come in and make it all about the GRE. It's really the only thing you seem to ever post about.

No, HKS hasn't changed their GRE requirement yet. And you would know this if you took the 5 seconds it takes to open up their website and check. Even if they did get rid of it for other programs, there's a 99% chance they won't do it for the MPA/ID because they've made clear that it's an important part of the application for this specific program.

[columbia09]

i was simply asking a question, they haven’t updated anything on the website or their tumblr (which I don’t even know why they use tumbler being with how unprofessional it is). People here have gotten inside info before it’s made public, which is why I aske

Edited September 10, 2020 by columbia09

[columbia09]

And not to get political (although MPA/MPP programs get political) but I see all this protesting about cops and systemic racism and all the crap they get. You know what’s systemic racism? Standardized tests 

[GradSchoolGrad]

1 hour ago, columbia09 said:

And not to get political (although MPA/MPP programs get political) but I see all this protesting about cops and systemic racism and all the crap they get. You know what’s systemic racism? Standardized tests 

Actually MPA/MPP are actually less political than you would think. So much of it is the technical aspects of interpreting data + plus developing structures for policy. My ex-Boss (HKS guy) noted how a Human Rights activist and conservative firearms lobbyist became best friends over surviving quant classes in their MPA program. 

[2711383]

3 hours ago, columbia09 said:

And not to get political (although MPA/MPP programs get political) but I see all this protesting about cops and systemic racism and all the crap they get. You know what’s systemic racism? Standardized tests 

This is a common misconception.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/no-one-likes-the-sat-its-still-the-fairest-thing-about-admissions/2019/03/22/5fa67a16-4c00-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html

"It has become a mantra in some quarters to assert that standardized tests measure wealth more than intellectual ability or academic potential, but this is not actually the case. These tests clearly assess verbal and mathematical skills, which a century of psychological science shows are not mere reflections of upbringing. Research has consistently found that ability tests like the SAT and the ACT are strongly predictive of success in college and beyond, even after accounting for a student’s socioeconomic status."

"The fairest reading of the evidence is that the SAT and the ACT have tremendous value, precisely because they are the only truly uniform, objective and predictive ways to compare candidates with widely varying academic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Even after the scandal, standardized tests are popular with the American public. Advocates of eliminating them should realize that SAT scores don’t just block students from elite colleges — for every privileged student whose bad SAT score keeps them out, there is another student whose SAT helps get them in. Indeed, at one time the SAT opened doors for Jewish students who were intellectually qualified yet essentially barred from attending Harvard, Yale and Princeton. And the recent movement to make tests optional does not seem to have increased student-body diversity."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/upshot/how-universal-college-admission-tests-help-low-income-students.html

https://www.brookings.edu/research/act-sat-for-all-a-cheap-effective-way-to-narrow-income-gaps-in-college/amp/

"In Michigan, in 2007, the ACT became part of the test required of juniors in the public schools. As a result of this shift in policy, the share of Michigan’s high school students taking a college entrance exam rose from 54 percent to nearly 99 percent. The growth was even sharper among low-income students, of whom only 35 percent were previously taking the test."

Standardized tests are actually the *least* inequitable part of college admissions. 

 

...so much for making a thread for MPA/ID applicants..

Edited September 10, 2020 by 2711383

[columbia09]

3 hours ago, 2711383 said:

This is a common misconception.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/no-one-likes-the-sat-its-still-the-fairest-thing-about-admissions/2019/03/22/5fa67a16-4c00-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html

"It has become a mantra in some quarters to assert that standardized tests measure wealth more than intellectual ability or academic potential, but this is not actually the case. These tests clearly assess verbal and mathematical skills, which a century of psychological science shows are not mere reflections of upbringing. Research has consistently found that ability tests like the SAT and the ACT are strongly predictive of success in college and beyond, even after accounting for a student’s socioeconomic status."

"The fairest reading of the evidence is that the SAT and the ACT have tremendous value, precisely because they are the only truly uniform, objective and predictive ways to compare candidates with widely varying academic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Even after the scandal, standardized tests are popular with the American public. Advocates of eliminating them should realize that SAT scores don’t just block students from elite colleges — for every privileged student whose bad SAT score keeps them out, there is another student whose SAT helps get them in. Indeed, at one time the SAT opened doors for Jewish students who were intellectually qualified yet essentially barred from attending Harvard, Yale and Princeton. And the recent movement to make tests optional does not seem to have increased student-body diversity."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/upshot/how-universal-college-admission-tests-help-low-income-students.html

https://www.brookings.edu/research/act-sat-for-all-a-cheap-effective-way-to-narrow-income-gaps-in-college/amp/

"In Michigan, in 2007, the ACT became part of the test required of juniors in the public schools. As a result of this shift in policy, the share of Michigan’s high school students taking a college entrance exam rose from 54 percent to nearly 99 percent. The growth was even sharper among low-income students, of whom only 35 percent were previously taking the test."

Standardized tests are actually the *least* inequitable part of college admissions. 

 

...so much for making a thread for MPA/ID applicants..

https://otherwords.org/standardized-tests-are-biased-and-unhelpful/
 

here I won’t copy and paste the whole article like you did. You could’ve had one if you ended the conversation a post ago instead of pasting an opinion article. Btw, I did awful on the SAT (bottom quartile) and graduated with a 3.8 GPA from a top state school and have two successful careers currently. They predict nothing for some people 

Edited September 10, 2020 by columbia09

[2711383]

17 hours ago, columbia09 said:

https://otherwords.org/standardized-tests-are-biased-and-unhelpful/
 

here I won’t copy and paste the whole article like you did. You could’ve had one if you ended the conversation a post ago instead of pasting an opinion article. Btw, I did awful on the SAT (bottom quartile) and graduated with a 3.8 GPA from a top state school and have two successful careers currently. They predict nothing for some people 

Love how you complain about me linking an opinion article (that cites multiple studies) and then you link to a blog that cites opinion articles. Good job.

[columbia09]

55 minutes ago, 2711383 said:

Love how you complain about me linking an opinion article (that cites multiple studies) and then you link to a blog that cites opinion articles. Good job.

Well it doesn’t matter anyway, from the verbiage they used on tumblr, there isn’t going to be any “major changes”. So as much as I would like for them to revise their admissions criteria, at least for the MC/MPA, it won’t happen. I didn’t mean to hijack your post. Go about talking about the MPA/ID program 

[zingmarx]

9 hours ago, columbia09 said:

there isn’t going to be any “major changes”.

aren't*

[columbia09]

6 hours ago, zingmarx said:

aren't*

Thanks 

[Fruit]

Not to derail from the current conversation, but I'll be applying in this cycle. Happy to talk through the process or try not to get super anxious about it with anyone else!

[2711383]

On 9/12/2020 at 3:29 AM, Twiste said:

Not to derail from the current conversation, but I'll be applying in this cycle. Happy to talk through the process or try not to get super anxious about it with anyone else!

To the MPA/ID? Nice! What's your background? It seems like around 60% of the class usually majored in economics, so a lot of my stress with this program definitely stems from having a political science background.

[Fruit]

On 9/13/2020 at 3:49 PM, 2711383 said:

To the MPA/ID? Nice! What's your background? It seems like around 60% of the class usually majored in economics, so a lot of my stress with this program definitely stems from having a political science background.

I have a computer science background, so there are some transferrable quantitative skills but definitely lacking in the economics background (compared to say, econ majors.) I haven't had a chance to listen to an admissions webinar to hear their answers on how quant they want applicants or students to be. That being said, I do believe the general statement, "We want to see if you can learn what we teach you" probably has some truth. Hopefully other folks have a better understanding of what they're looking for in the quant realm.

[2711383]

Does anyone know of any comparable programs (both in terms of content and prestige), either in the US or in Europe? Only the Princeton MPA's econ track seems to be close in the US and there certainly doesn't seem to be anything similar in Europe. 

[2711383]

HKS confirms that the GRE/GMAT will be required of those applying to the MPA/ID this cycle. 

https://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/631261704288911360/2021-application-long-term-planning-series-post

[realist2020]

Does any-anyone  know of any colleges/ programs  ( not the MOOCs from edX, coursera and the like) that offer the Multivariable calculus course online for college credit without complicating things for international student? 

I am applying for MPA/ID but have not fulfilled its Multivariable Calculus prerequisite. To complicate matters, I am currently in Nepal and , as per my understanding so fat, colleges here do not allow students to take individual courses part time. 

[InternationalStudent]

Harvard Extension offers multivariable calculus for credit, but it's pretty expensive. They also offer Linear Algebra/Real Analysis.