Advice and Insight for 2011

[pushpin]

Congrats to all of you who have completed the application process!

I know there are tons of info out there regarding applying to grad school and several threads on admissions results, etc. I would still like to ask advice and insight specifically for MPP programs for those of us will apply for 2011. I think this is a good time especially since many of you have just completed the process (it's still fresh in your mind), have your results/made decisions and will soon probably disappear from these forums to pursue your endeavors.

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Anything would have done differently?

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

[fadeindreams]

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

The applications themselves took me the better part of two days for the four schools I applied to. I probably could have written a better SOP had I dedicated more time to it. I'm not complaining, however, as I got into 3 out of 4 schools that I applied to. The only difficulty I had was getting a reference from a former supervisor in from Japan and that wasn't really difficult at all.

All the same, I would recommend spending significant time refining your SOP. I am convinced now more than ever that the number one thing you must demonstrate in your SOP is fit for the specific program and institution. Knowing about the faculty, research centers, students and history of a program would help you in so many ways. While researching for your SOP you may even find, as I did, that a school you were only marginally interested in at first becomes your top choice.

Don't be shy about getting input from friends, family and professors. An excellent SOP could be part of your ticket to funding. It's your chance to distinguish yourself.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Not really, no.

Anything would have done differently?

I would have spent more time studying for the GRE. I would have taken it early enough to have enough time to take it a second time if necessary (my verbal score at 560 isn't what I expected/desired and my quant score at 710 could be better). My GRE scores are adequate but not stellar. The test is as much a test of preparation as it is knowledge.

I should have spent more time on my SOP. I think in the end I wasted too many words in my SOP talking about my past. I needed to focus more on articulating my goals and why I would be able to achieve them by attending a given program. I would have used more specific examples about the program itself to impress upon the adcom that I had done my homework and that I was seriously interested in attending their program.

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

Study for the GRE and take the practice tests provided when you register. If you take the two practice tests seriously you will have a pretty good indication of what your final score range will be. Strive for a 750+ quant and 600+ verbal at minimum. While I don't know what your GPA is, it is likely that many other students have a similar, indistinguishable, profile to yours when it comes to GPA, work/volunteer/intern experience. The SOP and GRE are two places you can easily distinguish yourself if you put in the time and effort.

Finally, be open to MPA programs as well. There are often very nuanced differences between the two names, MPP and MPA. Define your interest as domestic or international as many programs divide themselves at that point. Further refine your career goals so you can look at the university as a whole to see other programs (Social Work, Education, Environmental Sciences, Business, Law, etc) that would be of interest to you for electives or dual degrees. US News and World Report isn't perfect but it's a good starting point to discover peer institutions to those that you are already considering.

Edited April 27, 2010 by fadeindreams

[tejano]

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

For me, the statement of purpose and recommendations were the most time consuming aspects of the application process. Everything was pretty straightforward, though.

Besides my transcript from Mexico never arriving (see below), I'd say letters of rec were kind of tricky for me. I had to switch two of the three at the last minute because I wasn't getting responses to my emails.

As you might guess from the many posts on this forum, the "waiting game" is the most agonizing part.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Not really.

Anything would have done differently?

1. Study for the GRE. I took the test sort of on a whim a year ago, and my scores reflected (V:530, Q: 320). I'm pretty sure that's why I was only admitted to 2 of the 6 schools I applied to.

2. Request transcripts from foreign schools now. I never actually received the transcripts I requested in early November of last year. Fortunately, admissions officials were very understanding.

3. Had I done number one, I probably would have applied to a few more schools.

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

Take some time to think about why you want to grad school at all. In writing my SOP I basically made up a bunch of "goals" that probably weren't very convincing because I didn't have an idea of what I wanted to do after grad school. I still don't.

Volunteer experience is great, but, as my former supervisor once advised: "You have to think about how to distinguish yourself from the other people who served in the peace corps."

If a school has rolling admissions, apply well before the deadline. By "early" I mean November-December of the year before you plan to attend. In my experience, this goes doubly for IU-SPEA.

Get commitments on letters of rec early.

[mppgal55]

The application process took kind of a long time for me. I started in early October, as I wanted to turn in my apps very early (some schools are on rolling admissions). I took the GRE early, and I spread things out because I applied while finishing my undergrad. I also wanted to give my letter writers plenty of time.

Nothing really surprised me, surprisingly.

For doing things differently, I definitely would have spent more time studying for the GRE. I literally spent 3 hrs reviewing vocabulary, did one practice test, and spent 5 hrs reviewing math - all the day before I took the exam. I got a 630 Q and 590 V, and I'm sure that my verbal could easily have been 680/700 and my verbal could have been a 650 had I spent more time studying. That said, I got in at 8/10 places I applied, so it didn't work out too badly. I know that one of my rejects was due to being straight out of UG, and the other was due to my GRE.

Advice:

GRE matters, but doesn't mean everything. My scores were not awesome, but they weren't bad either. EVERYthing is looked at. I had a very high UG GPA (3.9) and a record of awards/honors. I had no work experience, but 6 internships and lots of independent research. I had 4 letters of rec, and I know 3 were great. Pay very close attention to who you ask for letter writing - make sure they know what your goals are. Also, make sure you show through your SOP, letters, internships, etc. that you have a clear purpose, then show how that program can help you achieve that goal. My SOP was very direct, discussing my passion for public service, my history of internships and experiences that led me to my current goal, then discussing the individual program's research centers/faculty/classes that interested me and how they fit in with my interests.

Edited April 28, 2010 by mppgal55

[Minerva473]

All the same, I would recommend spending significant time refining your SOP. I am convinced now more than ever that the number one thing you must demonstrate in your SOP is fit for the specific program and institution. Knowing about the faculty, research centers, students and history of a program would help you in so many ways. While researching for your SOP you may even find, as I did, that a school you were only marginally interested in at first becomes your top choice.

Here's my bit (not in order -- sorry)

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

I agree about the above very much. Every program has its own special qualities and in your personal statement you need to show that you know what these are. You also need to be able to link your experience and background with your goals and there needs to be a clear narrative to this. MPPs/MPAs/IR degrees are very flexible in terms of what you can focus on, and sometimes unless you need to apply for a specific concentration in order to do it, it's best to say you're going to concentrate on what your background is best suited towards (even if you ultimately want to actually concentrate in another area -- but make sure switching is possible and perhaps warn your recommenders). If a school has an admissions blog, read it. I thought I had answered Columbia's questions correctly, but a few weeks after submitting I read the blog entry on personal statements and realized I had done it completely wrong. Not surprisingly, I was rejected. I read the Tufts Fletcher School's blog entry before submitting (in part because I was more interested in Fletcher than Columbia) and learned from this that they felt some of the applications submitted early were a bit dry -- so I pushed myself to write an eye catching (but relevant to the degree) first paragraph. I think this really made a difference -- along with the fact that the statement was much more geared specifically to the program than my Columbia statement -- and I was accepted there.

I applied to 6 schools and got rejected from the 3 with the earliest deadlines, probably in large part because my personal statements were a lot less focused/ interesting for the first ones. Those first three were arguably more selective than the others, but comparing the funding I got from the last three with other people on these boards (and where those people also got in), I think I could have gotten in to 1 or 2 of the first three with a better application. That said, I'm very happy with where I'm going and would probably have followed the funding anyway.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

How much more I cared about the money after receiving my acceptances. I knew from the start I didn't want to go $120,000 in debt for the degree, but when I got my acceptances it really hit me that being accepted was not enough for me and until I knew about funding, certain options would not be viable. One acceptance that came with a small scholarship (and which would have entailed almost $100,000 of debt after taking into account that funding) almost felt like a punishment instead of an acceptance. I think I am more debt averse than some people on these boards but if you're like me, apply to some lesser-known, more generous schools in addition to your top choices (U of Maryland, for example). Also, not all schools charge $40,000 in tuition -- some charge a good bit less and you could save $10,000 or more, even before any funding they offer.

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

I would say that normal applications each probably took me about three/four days total (with space in between those days to have friends/family read statements), but those that required a policy memo (Princeton and Harvard) took much longer. The last day was all checking, making sure everything was uploaded properly, etc. It's a lot harder to submit an electronic application than you think! Uploading transcripts can be a pain, especially if their file size limit makes it impossible to make your transcript legible -- it's a good idea to check this stuff early in the process so you don't have to worry about sending hard copy transcripts at the last minute.

Getting transcripts / recommendations sent to all the schools probably adds 2 full days of work to the whole process (including follow ups, etc). Do this early. One of my transcript requests took almost a month to process and get sent.

Also, make sure to check that your application materials have been received. Some schools won't have an answer for you until well after you've submitted, but stay on top of it. The person checking your application materials won't necessarily read the explanatory notes you've sent and may not notice that X transcript is not available because the coursework is in progress. This happened to me and it took some persistence on my part to have them recognize my application as being complete -- if I hadn't done that I would have missed the boat and my application would not have been considered until it was too late.

Anything would have done differently?

I would have made more time to apply for external funding opportunities and possibly applied to some cheaper schools. I would also have been more strategic in those earlier personal statements (see above).

[egmpp2010]

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

As someone working full-time, I thought it integrated into my life pretty fluidly. I studied for and took the GREs in August/September, drafted an SOP and looked for letters of recommendation in October, and then refined my SOP/drafted other essays in November and December. It really doesn't have to be too stressful if you do it a little bit at a time. I had a good variety of people read my SOP -- friends in grad school, people with knowledge of MPPs, and family/friends who were kind enough to proofread.

Don't stress if a recommender or two is a couple days late; it won't be held against you. I would say give them at least a weekend or so to get it in before you follow-up to ask what happened. And, generally, I think a reminder a week or two before the deadline is appreciated.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Not really. It did take me a while to shift my SOP from a focus mostly on my past history of accomplishments to something that better articulated my future goals. I think it's critical to achieve that balance. It was so much easier to be concrete about what I'd done rather than what I wanted, which isn't entirely clear for me. But I do think programs are looking for what you'll contribute and what you'll get out of their program, not just why you deserve to be admitted, and you need to make sure you cover that information. Push yourself to create a clear narrative from what you've done, through what you'd learn in their program and on to what you hope to do afterwards.

Anything would have done differently?

I don't think so. Maybe applied for more the fellowship from Kennedy, even if they were long shots.

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

You don't have to rewrite your whole SOP for every school. I recommend starting with the longest length you'll have to/get to write and then cutting it down for the other schools. Have a paragraph where you talk about the specifics of the program and modify that for each school. I had a pretty simple formula for that paragraph: mention one aspect of the curriculum I liked (a project or a requirement or a way of tailoring it that with the goals I'd stated for my education, then two specific professors or research centers that fit with my strengths/interests and add anything else (if there was anything) that I felt about that program. A little research goes a long way, I think, towards showing how you fit in there.

Work experience -- I think it's fairly straightforward. Go get yourself a job or a fellowship or an Americorps/Peace Corps position or an internship in public service. And even in this economy, I encourage current undergrads to go take the leap and go try to find work. If you do, you're almost definitely going to have better options for grad school -- better programs, better financial assistance. You'll probably have a better sense of what you're looking for out of grad school.

[devastator]

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

It's a process of about 7-8 months. If youre applying for fall, start in about August. Narrowing down the schools to apply to and the preliminary work of reading about the schools themselves takes time. Plan for that time.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Statistics don't matter as much as you think. Try not to get to hung up on rankings and average GPAs etc etc. Don't remember an average GPA of say 3.3 means there's some people with 3.9s and if the average is 3.3 there have to be some 2.7s in the mix somewhere.

Also I was surprised by how different programs within the same school, let alone among different schools, can be. For example, even though they're both International Relations, development at SAIS is NOTHING like Foreign Policy at Georgetown.

Anything would have done differently?

Applied to a few more programs. I only applied to 4 total. Probably one more safety, and one of the more elite schools in DC. Apply to at least two top top elite schools if the programs are appealing (with a qualification which I'll explain below). Apply to 2 safeties, and to about four schools that are out of your comfort zone.

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

SOP--Go all in on the SOP. Start drafting it early. Don't have too many people reviewing it, it's unnecessary. You want it to be YOUR voice, the extra eyes si just to verify that it makes sense and to steer you straight. I stuck to one person through the entire drafting fo the Statements of Purpose. Be BOLD and demonstrate that you know where your career is and show how the school will help you get there. It's cliche advice, but its very important. I was told too many statements of purpose are to generic. A good statement of purpose can only have been written by you, and shouldn't be able to be used for more than 3-4 programs (there might be ane xception if your'e applying to two Middle East Studies programs, but if you're applying to a general IR program for example, and you feel the same SOP can be used for 10 different schools, it's too general).

Recommenders--Give an outline of your SOP to your recommenders, and do all the gruntwork for them--only thing they should have to do is write and print the letter. Also this will be controversial, but if you ahve work experience, get more of them rather than professors. If 3 recommendations needed for example, get 2 or all from work. Better effective letters from work (assuming your'e working in the broader field) than neutral ones from professors you haven't seen in years.

Work experience--definitely helped me, I didn't have a strong undergrad GPA at all, which was way below the median GPA of the school I was accepted into. However, i work at a major multilateral organization, not even a big shot at all, basicaly an admin, but I expressed with conviction what I've learned here and how it's given me insight into how the world works and where things will be in the future.

Misc advice:

- Study the programs, more than the schools. The top schools in NYC, Ivy League, and DC are all reputable. Study the degree programs, not the schools.

[sunnydog]

really helpful! Thanks for all above!

[carpecc]

What was the application process like for you? (i.e. how long did it take you? what kind of road-bumps did you run into?)

I spent about half a year on the application process during a time in between jobs. Give yourself as much time as possible, you can always benefit by starting early.

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

I was surprised at how flexible admissions is, and how even some of the best programs will accept students with below average GPAs if they can make up for it in other parts of the app.

I was also surprised how much a good GRE score relies on studying.

Anything would have done differently?

I would've written a completely different SOP for each program, or at least for some of the programs, instead of using a modified single draft for all schools. The SOP questions and word limits are quite different from school to school, some asking "What makes you qualified to study here?" and other asking "Why do you want to be at our school and what will you do with the degree?."

I also would've taken some econ courses over the summer so I could include these in my app. I really wish I'd got a better nights sleep before the GRE.

What advice can you give regarding SOPs, GREs, gaining work experience, etc?

That SOP can take a long time, so be prepared to draft and redraft and have time to step away from it. These things are easier for some people than others. For me it was a really important part of my app, so I spent a long time on it. Same with GRE's, study and take as many practice tests as you can, use a book or two, and focus in on your week points. You can always benefit by spending more time studying. Also get a lot of sleep before the test and take it early enough so you can retake if necessary.

My work experience and work recommendations were deciding factors in my app, so work hard to get good jobs and take advantage of any opportunities you can get, they might decide your career.

[SdeS]

Dodging piles of homework to write this )

Was there anything that surprised you about the process?

Several things! I found it quite difficult to balance my [demanding] job and the [equally, if not more stressful] application process. I also underestimated the amount of time and energy that goes into organizing the administrative requirements (transcripts, recommendations etc.) and doing background research on the school, it's faculty and programs.

Anything would have done differently?

1. Actually studied for the GRE. It turns out my scores were just fine, but I was nervous throughout the application process about them potentially being the one factor that prevented me from being admitted.

2. Started working on my essays earlier! I found myself editing essays 10 minutes before the submission deadline. Again, not very good for the nerves.

3. Explored the financial side of the equation including performing a more thorough search for fellowships and scholarships.

I'd also recommend using this forum as a resource-it was incredibly helpful to know that I wasn't alone in my anxiety about the application process. That said, take everything said here with a pinch of salt, especially as it gets closer to admission decision day!