2022 Results

[GradSchoolGrad]

2 minutes ago, Yengsterhoo said:

I wanted to stay in the Midwest and especially in MN since it is where my hometown is. After receiving my offers, I thought a lot about financial aid, location, being able to serve my communities both locally and abroad, etc., and I figured that going to Humphrey would help me find better work in MN but won't necessarily limit me if I ever choose to go federal or international since I already have the means to do so right now if I wanted to. Looking more and more at Heinz, the only reason I would go there now would be for it's quant-based focus and finding jobs easier if I want to stay on the East coast, but I don't really see where I fit in that. Heinz would provide better job opportunities, sure, but for for-profits, I don't see how their work aligns with my goals. I also spent enough time with federal orgs to dislike most of the work (and like I said, I really did not like DC lol), tbh. And if I wanted to work local or nonprofit, I'd rather stick to MN. Consulting work is probably the other thing that makes Heinz more competitive than Humphrey for me, but that isn't enough considering my roots with MN and my people. 

The biggest downside about Humphrey given my interests is that it is not a rigorous and as quantitative as I would have liked it and has actually downgraded it's quant in the recent years (this is actually the biggest reason I might defer for a more academically challenging school that can offer more career benefits than Heinz could). Harris would have been my decision had I received over 75%, but it did not go that way lol. So yeah, that's why I said no. If anything I said here is inaccurate and you believe that Heinz could still offer me the same and even more opportunities, do explain! I really appreciate all your advice no matter how blunt it may be because I wish I had someone like that to help me when I was applying for my undergrad school.

My only thought is that you might be facing a now or never situation. If the economy gets worse, which it might as the war drags on and interest rates rise, you probably will have a rough chance getting into a better school, or even the schools you just got into. Also, nothing wrong with vegabonding it (doing your own thing) when you got a good brand behind you.

[mnbvcxzlkjhgfds]

45 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

My only thought is that you might be facing a now or never situation. If the economy gets worse, which it might as the war drags on and interest rates rise, you probably will have a rough chance getting into a better school, or even the schools you just got into. Also, nothing wrong with vegabonding it (doing your own thing) when you got a good brand behind you.

Thanks! I will consider that as well. I still can't really gauge Heinz brand level, but would you consider that a good brand to vagabond with outside of tech or the new age policy?

[GradSchoolGrad]

22 minutes ago, Yengsterhoo said:

Thanks! I will consider that as well. I still can't really gauge Heinz brand level, but would you consider that a good brand to vagabond with outside of tech or the new age policy?

I consider it good enough to do most things nationally.

[mnbvcxzlkjhgfds]

22 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

I consider it good enough to do most things nationally.

What's not included in most things? Do you know how Heinz compares to other programs internationally?

[GradSchoolGrad]

11 minutes ago, Yengsterhoo said:

What's not included in most things? Do you know how Heinz compares to other programs internationally?

You are not going to get MBB or a top tier think tank. Doing state and local is super easy. Heinz is also involved in a lot of comparative research domestically - especially around labor and education.

Internationally it is not as well known for a policy school, but you can kind of get around that with CMU. So basically, I'm saying, I haven't heard about it too much as it relates to iDev. 

Look, no school will be perfect, but I think you are shooting for perfection when you should be looking for good enough. Heinz in terms of people you'll meet, academics, and doors it will open massively outweighs the U. Its not Harris or HKS, but unless you or do or die MBB, or top Think Tank, everything else in the US - if you don't get within your first job after grad school, you can bound to with your 2nd or 3rd. 

[mnbvcxzlkjhgfds]

7 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

You are not going to get MBB or a top tier think tank. Doing state and local is super easy. Heinz is also involved in a lot of comparative research domestically - especially around labor and education.

Internationally it is not as well known for a policy school, but you can kind of get around that with CMU. So basically, I'm saying, I haven't heard about it too much as it relates to iDev. 

Look, no school will be perfect, but I think you are shooting for perfection when you should be looking for good enough. Heinz in terms of people you'll meet, academics, and doors it will open massively outweighs the U. Its not Harris or HKS, but unless you or do or die MBB, or top Think Tank, everything else in the US - if you don't get within your first job after grad school, you can bound to with your 2nd or 3rd. 

Thanks! I will reconsider, especially if I want to work somewhere else in the nation in the future. 

[PolicyApplier]

On 10/22/2021 at 5:32 PM, PolicyApplier said:

All applications will be submitted on December 1st, except for Chicago which was submitted in August.

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP
Schools Applied To: Georgia Tech (MPP), CMU (MSPPM-DA and MSPPM), Chicago (MSCAPP and MAPP with Research Methods), USC (MPPDS), Minnesota (MPP), Georgetown (MPP-DS), Berkley (MPP), Michigan (MPP), Duke (MPP) 
Schools Admitted To: 
Schools Rejected From: 
Still Waiting: All
Undergraduate/Graduate Institution: Top 40 USNews school/Directional southern school 
Undergraduate/Graduate GPA:  2.79/3.25
Undergraduate/Graduate Major: Microbiology/Biology: Computational Biology 
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 157(62%) / 164(94%) / 4.5(80%)
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 9 years out of full-time graduate school.
Years of Work Experience: 9+ years of work experience. I've worked as a software engineer throughout that time and as a technical project manager and people manager in varying degrees as well. 
Describe Relevant Work Experience: I'm presenting myself as a technically competent person interested in creating robust data sets for national and state-level policies regarding voting rights and reproductive rights.
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think it's pretty good. I've had them read over by about three people, all of who have had pretty good academic success, and have put them all through several edits. My general angle is bringing up policy lifecycles and the need for professionals that can sift through the noise to find signals for x or y outcomes. Generally, talking over these points with advisors from the above schools has gotten me positive comments, so I presume as long as they are well-written, I'm in a good spot.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): More professionally focused than otherwise, but they show me as a civically active, compassionate, and capable person. One is the social worker contact that I have through some volunteering I did in the previous year, focusing on my ability to see that problems in society are often multi-faceted and my general sense of empathy. The other two are from my coworkers, one is my manager of two years, and the other is a staff-level software engineer who was previously an academic and 15+ year FAANG employee. Those two letters focus on my ability to achieve consistently, my fondness for learning, and my compassionate approach to business.
Other: Given that I am a working professional and well out of school, I am at a point where I want to apply to these schools and figure out where I'd like to be, depending on the schools I get into. Should I decide against those above because I don't get in or decide that full-time isn't for me, I am also looking at the Minnesota MPA and UChicago MAPP programs. I know that my GPA is lacking, but my additional essay accounts for that and my hope is that my history of consistent promotions makes that less of a scare.

Though it all feels a little anti-climactic since I got notification of my status in December from UChicago for the MSCAPP program, that's where I am going to go. There are some things I need to settle with where I currently where work before I make the decision on whether or not I defer my enrollment to next year, but UChicago seemed to have all of the things that I was looking for and access to all of the areas I was looking to study/participate in. Through some external connections I should also have access to much more of the political machine in Chicago than where I currently, which makes the transition feel less stressful.

Edited April 11, 2022 by PolicyApplier

[Policy UN]

Hi everybody! This forum has been great help during this past admissions cycle and it's time for me to finally pay my dues. I hope this helps, but please please keep in mind that grad school applications are much more than what you read in thegradcafe (more complexities, more variables, more opportunities...), so don't think everything you read here is 'the only truth'!

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP
Schools Applied To: HKS, Goldman, SIPA
Schools Admitted To:  HKS ($$), Goldman (nada), SIPA ($$)
Schools Rejected From:  None
Still Waiting:  None
Undergraduate Institution:  Russell Group UK
Undergraduate GPA:  3.8
Undergraduate Major:  Political Science

Graduate Institution:  Oxbridge
Graduate GPA:  4.0
Graduate Major: International Relations
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  N/A (only applied to schools that would waive in light of COVID as I couldn't take the exam)
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  4 years in the fall
Years of Work Experience:  4 years in the fall
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  2 years with the UN in Nairobi headquarters, 1 year with EU in Brussels, 1 year as independent consultant
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Extremely clear professional plans after graduation (to enter UN system as permanent staff, with a specific thematic focus), and also a clear link with past professional experience and academic plans during MPP. It was a long process, started last summer and went through many revisions. I'd advice to share your narrative with friends and see how they react - they might point at any missing element (in my case it was a lack of personal/ emotional connection to my professional and academic plans, which I was then able to reframe!).
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Very strong - one from my UN boss, one from my EU boss, and another one from an Oxbridge professor. All know me very well and were extremely kind! I made sure to stress the things unis are looking for when I asked them for the reference (mostly on leadership potential).
Other: A few things that I have thought about throughout this process that might hopefully inform others' decisions and preparation: 1) I already have another masters, an MPhil from Oxbridge. Whereas I considered pursuing a PhD at some point, my commitment to a UN career made me ultimately choose the MPP. 2) I applied to A LOT of fellowships and scholarships both offered by the universities and from external sources. I sent something like 8 different scholarship essays to Harvard, and was offered great financial aid from the very last application that I submitted. The process is long and tiring, but please go through it till the very end and don't give up. 3) A part of me really wanted to choose Columbia (long-standing dreams of living in NYC, great connections with the UN, absolute love for the energy&environment specialisation...). I didn't in the end because I feel like SIPA is admitting a lot of students straight out of undergrad/ with very few years of work experience (feeling based on linkedin research plus conversations with friends at SIPA). It still is an amazing school though. Goldman is an excellent school too and I know I would have loved it there, but its focus on domestic policy does not match my UN plans that well. I discovered Stanford's Ford Dorsey and the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship too late to apply this academic cycle, and I still regret it to an extent (it is a very competitive programme, though). In any case, all three unis would have been great choices and I know I have been very lucky getting these offers.

Choice: HKS - and I am very excited about it!

[Spoonforkknife]

After lurking here for the past season, time to do my part and add to prospective applicants' anxieties. Sorry if my writing isn’t so organized, I’m on my phone and just typing whatever's on my mind. 

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.):  MPP
Schools Applied To:  Duke Sanford, HKS , UChicago Harris
Schools Admitted To:  All.. Duke Sanford ($$$), HKS (none) , UChicago Harris (technically none, because using GI bill)
Schools Rejected From:  none
Still Waiting:  n/a
Undergraduate Institution:  Top 140 USNWR.. lol
Undergraduate GPA:   2.26 first bachelors, 3.98 second bachelors
Undergraduate Major:  International Relations
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  161V / 158 Q / 4.0 AW
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):  1 year
Years of Work Experience:  9 years
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  Five years in military, 4 years as a defense contractor
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  The essays were where I spent most of my time during the application. As should you. Don’t underestimate how much time you can spend. I started one year before the deadline and went through dozens of revisions, word per word. Cut out unnecessary fluff, be straight to the point so that the readers will easily recall you. You will have blind spots, so have people familiar with the process review your essay. Rummage through subreddits and youtube videos for concrete advice on succinct SOP writing.

Spend a ton of time thinking about your goal, do research on your topic, which people you want to impact, and what you will do to make that change. Search people on linkedin with a similar trajectory related to your goal and see what steps they took to get there. The plan has to be realistic.

In my HKS essay, since I was an MPP applicant with over 9 years WE, I had to make a clear justification why I am making this shift in my career. My career plan was totally unrelated to my work experience.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  I had strong relations with all of them, my professor, my current supervisor, and my former supervisor in the military. I made sure that each recommender wrote qualities that the other recommender haven’t mentioned—so no overlap. This gives room for adcom to know you front and back. Approach this systematically. Spend time helping them understand your career goal and what you want written. This will take time.

I made a spreadsheet of all the qualities I want them to address to keep track of whether the letters met the criteria, and gave them a comprehensive do’s and don’ts guideline. I gave them bullet points of specific things I wanted them to mention that give them a good clue of who I would be in the classroom. I also provided some great examples of LORs and my essay drafts. Each LOR mentioned my career goal and what I plan to do with the MPP program. Don’t have them just state a certain quality (e.g. he was hardworking), ask them to give specific anecdotes to back it up. Most importantly, I asked them to speak from the heart.

Because I was worried about my GRE quant, I made sure that two of my LORs made comments about my analytical/quant skills academically and professionally.

Other: Was going to apply to Columbia SIPA, UVA Batten, and Georgetown McCourt, but only applied to three after I found out that I got into Harris early decision.

I was an enlisted military and also a more—senior applicant with 9 years WE..I thought this was a disadvantage to HKS—it is absolutely not.

Don’t spend so much time working an unimpressive GRE score unless your scores are awfully low or have no analytical background. I tried four times improving my quant score and failed. But I now believe that this is the least of my concern.

 

 

Good luck all!

Edited June 1, 2022 by Spoonforkknife
forgot the scholarship amount