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I have been unemployed since graduating last December. Do I stand any chance at getting into an MPA/MPP program?


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I want to begin this post by saying I probably come across as another "going to grad school because I don't know what to do with my life" person. The truth is, however, that I've been interested in grad school for years. I also have numerous internships, part-time jobs, and research experience (all related to my intended policy field) from my undergrad years. My GPA is a 3.8 and I attended a top-25 university. That being said, my Achilles Heel is a complete lack of work experience between December 2019 and the present. (Reasons are largely pandemic-related but that's besides the point.)
 
My question is pretty straightforward: Despite the strengths in my undergrad record, will having no work experience for nearly a year likely disqualify me from most reputable MPA/MPP programs? Is there a possibility they will be more lenient due to this year's circumstances, and would an addendum explaining my gap help at all?
 
Respectfully, I'm not looking for feedback as to whether or not pursuing grad school without post-undergrad work experience is a good idea. I understand if you think it isn't but my admissions chances are my main concern right now. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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1 hour ago, GoldenLight2020 said:
I want to begin this post by saying I probably come across as another "going to grad school because I don't know what to do with my life" person. The truth is, however, that I've been interested in grad school for years. I also have numerous internships, part-time jobs, and research experience (all related to my intended policy field) from my undergrad years. My GPA is a 3.8 and I attended a top-25 university. That being said, my Achilles Heel is a complete lack of work experience between December 2019 and the present. (Reasons are largely pandemic-related but that's besides the point.)
 
My question is pretty straightforward: Despite the strengths in my undergrad record, will having no work experience for nearly a year likely disqualify me from most reputable MPA/MPP programs? Is there a possibility they will be more lenient due to this year's circumstances, and would an addendum explaining my gap help at all?
 
Respectfully, I'm not looking for feedback as to whether or not pursuing grad school without post-undergrad work experience is a good idea. I understand if you think it isn't but my admissions chances are my main concern right now. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

So the answer is no one knows because we haven't been through something like COVID-19 before. 

That being said, 1 big question will be if you have been productively doing something between Dec and now, be it volunteering, working for the census bureau, or something.

Generally speaking, an undergrad with no work experience comes with a disadvantage for top MPP/MPA programs bar none. Ball-park speaking, with the exception of HKS and Princeton (which pre-covid had next to none straight from undergrads who didn't have some sort of special sponsorship), top programs had a ballpark of 5-10% straight from undergrad (major exception being UVA Batten, which tends to lean higher with straight from undergrad - people can debate of it is a top tier program or not). With you, you have under leveraged time, which will be seen as a negative unless you can justify that time with things other than employment. 

No matter what, all indications are that the odds are going to be even more stacked against you as grad school applications for many programs are going up to surging. MPP/MPA programs won't publish their applications generally speaking, but MBA programs do. Not a perfect proxy for MPP/MPA, but it serves as an indication. The amount of slots available is shrinking as the schools have to cater to deferrals, special population programs (like the 5 year program, designated sponsorships, and etc.). 

Bottom line, feel free to apply, but odds don't look good if history is an indication.

Edited by GradSchoolGrad
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Thank you for your direct and straightforward response. I have some volunteering experience during this time - nothing that is likely to make me stand out, although I certainly hope that will lessen the impression I have done absolutely nothing of value during my time throughout this year. 

Do you believe an addendum explaining that I wanted to take a few months off to study for the LSAT (as law school has been a consideration) along with mentioning the impact of COVID-19 would help alleviate this red flag? I feel that any mention of the pandemic wouldn't be viewed as a serious excuse since it affected countless people who are still applying to the same program as me, albeit with more experience. 

 

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Mentioning that you spent several months working towards admission to law school wouldn't give public policy grad programs confidence that you are serious about an MPA/MPP, so no, I wouldn't bring it up.

Ultimately, I would suggest you spend some time looking at this thread, bearing in mind that it's pre-pandemic with the concerns that GSG said about the competitive application pool:

You will see that candidates that are competitive for the top schools (and get substantive scholarships) typically have interesting and relevant experience. You say that you want to attend a "reputable" program, which feels pretty vague. Would you be able to get into Wisconsin which is a solid program in the Midwest? Sure, you have a shot at schools in that range as programs outside the top ~10ish aren't that competitive to get into. Are you likely to get into UChicago Harris or Duke Sanford with any sort of scholarship? Magic 8 Ball says "unlikely".

Edited by woolscarves
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8 hours ago, GoldenLight2020 said:

Thank you for your direct and straightforward response. I have some volunteering experience during this time - nothing that is likely to make me stand out, although I certainly hope that will lessen the impression I have done absolutely nothing of value during my time throughout this year. 

Do you believe an addendum explaining that I wanted to take a few months off to study for the LSAT (as law school has been a consideration) along with mentioning the impact of COVID-19 would help alleviate this red flag? I feel that any mention of the pandemic wouldn't be viewed as a serious excuse since it affected countless people who are still applying to the same program as me, albeit with more experience. 

 

If you have perfect GREs (and I do mean perfect), you might have a shot at Oxford or Cambridge MPP. Those programs arguably values academic performance more than professional experience. As long as you come up with a compelling story about your lack of work experience (like more than COVID... and not studying for LSAT) --> you might have a more reasonable shot than the big names in US MPP/MPA country. 

Edited by GradSchoolGrad
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[quote] will having no work experience for nearly a year likely disqualify me from most reputable MPA/MPP programs?[/quote]

No. Programs will be lenient, most of all, because academia is facing some very lean years and professional grad schools in particular are struggling to attract and retain enough students to stay open. If you're a legal person and you're willing to hand them money, they'll take you.

That said, all the discourse about being cautious when investing in this degree applies doubly to anyone without work experience. Pandemic or no pandemic, it's going to take you time to build your CV up (unless you luck into the foreign service or consulting). The real hurdle you're facing is convincing employers to hire someone with a master's and no experience (which isn't so much about being overqualified - the job market in policy being what it is, employers can pretty much set any terms they want - as it is about convincing the employer that you can bring value). The other thing is, MPAs and their ilk aren't versatile degrees at all, so if you're going into this without holding an evidence-based conviction that you are right for this field and want to stay in it for the next decade or so, don't assume that it'll be easy for you to sell the policy degree if you decide that policy is not for you. Finally, if you will need to take on student debt, think really, really hard about whether you need this. Maybe read some of the many horror stories on this site. 

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2 hours ago, ExponentialDecay said:

[quote] will having no work experience for nearly a year likely disqualify me from most reputable MPA/MPP programs?[/quote]

No. Programs will be lenient, most of all, because academia is facing some very lean years and professional grad schools in particular are struggling to attract and retain enough students to stay open. If you're a legal person and you're willing to hand them money, they'll take you.

That said, all the discourse about being cautious when investing in this degree applies doubly to anyone without work experience. Pandemic or no pandemic, it's going to take you time to build your CV up (unless you luck into the foreign service or consulting). The real hurdle you're facing is convincing employers to hire someone with a master's and no experience (which isn't so much about being overqualified - the job market in policy being what it is, employers can pretty much set any terms they want - as it is about convincing the employer that you can bring value). The other thing is, MPAs and their ilk aren't versatile degrees at all, so if you're going into this without holding an evidence-based conviction that you are right for this field and want to stay in it for the next decade or so, don't assume that it'll be easy for you to sell the policy degree if you decide that policy is not for you. Finally, if you will need to take on student debt, think really, really hard about whether you need this. Maybe read some of the many horror stories on this site. 

So @Latte machiatto does have a really strong point that if you do care about return on investment in your degree, you better have a good game plan to:

A. Target career options that have great earnings potential (if not immediately, at least a great trajectory)

B. Target career options that will actually hire you given your work gap (I mean if you are not signing up to be a census worker or poll worker or some alternative easy job right now - you are missing out) - granted there might be some level of understanding due to the situation, but you are coming off disadvantaged.

otherwise, you could get in a prestigious program (which I still think is really unlikely) and struggle with career opportunities. 

MPPs/MPAs have landed non-traditional MPP/MPAs jobs regularly and I have seen it up front. Examples - Facebook Product Manager, Ed Start up, and etc. So I would say there is some room for versatility if you work your but off. However, traditional routes from MPP/MPA school jobs have been vary based upon hiring trends. With Non-Defense federal hiring down for the past 5 years or so + drop in IGO/policy oriented non-profit budgets, there aren't as many opportunities as previously. It could swing back up next year with a new administration, but only partially at best. I wouldn't bet your career on its unless you have done your homework and know what you are targeting - career wise. 

I do disagree with the comment about how "they will take you if you hand them money". Yes, grad schools want tuition dollars. However, what they want more are quality students that will elevate the reputation of the program + add to the alumni base + can actually graduate. Like I previously mentioned to @GoldenLight2020, there is a lot of unknowns going on with different "top tier" schools and their attitudes towards applicants with COVID. However, however forgiving they might be, it won't matter if there is a surge of applicants that do have work experience that will be tiered higher than you. 

Honestly, what makes your case more difficult to present to an admissions committee is that you were unemployed in December not April or May. That means you can't for being unemployed in December, just blame it for staying unemployed. 

Edited by GradSchoolGrad
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