NYU Wagner Alternative Admissions: How common is it?

[refinedsmarts]

 

I have a background in Data Analytics. I’ve been working in the field for 3 years. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in Analytics. I decided I wanted to work on the public policy sector so I applied to the NYU Wagner Master of Science in Public Policy Analysis (MSPP) program for Fall 2021. I was denied admission to the MSPP program but offered an alternative admission to the Master of Public Administration in Private and Nonprofit Management and Policy (MPA-PNP) program. I didn’t even know schools could do this. Has it happened to anyone else here?

I don’t want to be typecast and stuck working in the non-profit world. Occasional community service is fine and maybe a fellowship to help the organization solve a problem but my career is in public policy in the public and private sector, not non-profit. I want to be a lobbyist or senior congressional staffer or government contractor with top clearance. 

To add insult to injury, the letter invited me to have a conversation about the decision. When I had a Zoom conference the Admissions Officer with whom I spoke was rude, condescending and kept mentioning GRE scores that the university waived and wouldn’t even accept due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also said I didn’t have enough statistics course work in college which wasn’t true. And their admissions a pages says they use a holistic model that looks at education, GPA, career  and volunteer experience. It just doesn’t make sense to me that a data analyst can’t get into a policy analysis program that’s based on “analytics”. I call bull crap. 

I think it’s a money gimmick. The MSPP program is 1 year long and they threw me in a 2-year program to stretch out the money. I’ll probably look into Princeton’s program. If I’m going to be forced to shovel out more money than I planned and take twice as long to get a degree it’s going to be the degree I want. And it never hurts to go Ivy League. 

 

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Edited May 7, 2021 by refinedsmarts
Additional content and clarifying questions added.