2022 Results

[trurl]

Leaving this here for posterity:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA, MPP, MEM
Schools Applied To:  UT Austin MPAff, Princeton MPA, Goldman MPP, O'Neill MPA, Ford MPP, Heinz MSPPM-DA, Nicholas MEM, CU Denver MPA
Schools Admitted To: UT Austin (75%), Goldman MPP (0%), O'Neill MPA (50%), Ford MPP (25%), Heinz MSPPM-DA (80%), Nicholas MEM (3/5 reduction I think?)
Schools Rejected From: Princeton
Still Waiting:  CU Denver
Undergraduate Institution:  Small unknown public school in the Midwest
Undergraduate GPA:  3.6
Undergraduate Major:  History & English
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  161q / 170v / 5.5
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5
Years of Work Experience: 5 (1.5 full-time, rest is part time)
Describe Relevant Work Experience:  1 year AmeriCorps, substantial political volunteer experience
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Likely strong. I may have strained credulity by trying to stich my disparate work history into a coherent story.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  Two professors and one former supervisor. All of them knew me well and seemed willing and able to provide strong recommendations.
Other:

I think I'm going to CMU! For what it's worth, I'm not attached to any name-brand institutions. You've never heard of my college or my employers. However, I had some interesting accomplishments that I was able to add to my SOP.

Edited March 21, 2022 by trurl

[SappyStudent007]

Good luck to all future applicants! 

 

Programs Applied To:  Princeton SPIA MPA, Penn Fels MPA, Georgetown Walsh MSFS, Georgetown Walsh MGHD, Columbia SIPA MPA-DP, JHU SAIS MAIR, Syracuse Maxwell 
Programs Admitted to: Princeton, Georgetown Walsh MGHD (25%), SAIS MAIR (50%), Penn Fels MPA (10%), Maxwell (75%), SIPA MPA-DP (0%)
Still Waiting: Georgetown Walsh MSFS
Undergrad / Grad Institution: Top 40 US institution
Degrees: Bachelors in Civil Engineering / Masters in Structural Engineering 
GPA: 3.53 (undergrad) / 3.11 (grad)
Minors in Undergrad: Asian Studies, Global Citizenship
GRE: 163Q, 157V, 4.5AW 
Work Experience: 4 years
Policy Area of Interest: international development with infrastructure and engineering solutions
Relevant Experience: 2 years Full-time engineer (civilian) at US Army Corps of Engineers, 2 years volunteer English teacher at refugee center, volunteered at United Nations to represent an NGO in grad school
Quant experience: Engineering background - numerous math classes in school, programming skills learned independently; Licensed Professional Engineer 
Strength of SOP: I told my story about my long term career plan of developing a technical skill set to address international development issues and that a degree will help me develop nontechnical skills. My resume is paved with tons of relevant experiences. Looking to work in governmental agencies addressing development programs. 
LOR: Two LOR from current mid-level chiefs at my agency and one from an old professor in Global Studies
International and Expeditionary Experience: Deployed to construct  temporary field hospitals during COVID pandemic, study abroad in India, internship in Abu Dhabi, study abroad in Italy, shadowed missionaries with development projects in Thailand, one week surveying trip in Panama for bridge construction (undergrad)

[MPAGANG]

2 hours ago, SappyStudent007 said:

Good luck to all future applicants! 

 

Programs Applied To:  Princeton SPIA MPA, Penn Fels MPA, Georgetown Walsh MSFS, Georgetown Walsh MGHD, Columbia SIPA MPA-DP, JHU SAIS MAIR, Syracuse Maxwell 
Programs Admitted to: Princeton, Georgetown Walsh MGHD (25%), SAIS MAIR (50%), Penn Fels MPA (10%), Maxwell (75%), SIPA MPA-DP (0%)
Still Waiting: Georgetown Walsh MSFS
Undergrad / Grad Institution: Top 40 US institution
Degrees: Bachelors in Civil Engineering / Masters in Structural Engineering 
GPA: 3.53 (undergrad) / 3.11 (grad)
Minors in Undergrad: Asian Studies, Global Citizenship
GRE: 163Q, 157V, 4.5AW 
Work Experience: 4 years
Policy Area of Interest: international development with infrastructure and engineering solutions
Relevant Experience: 2 years Full-time engineer (civilian) at US Army Corps of Engineers, 2 years volunteer English teacher at refugee center, volunteered at United Nations to represent an NGO in grad school
Quant experience: Engineering background - numerous math classes in school, programming skills learned independently; Licensed Professional Engineer 
Strength of SOP: I told my story about my long term career plan of developing a technical skill set to address international development issues and that a degree will help me develop nontechnical skills. My resume is paved with tons of relevant experiences. Looking to work in governmental agencies addressing development programs. 
LOR: Two LOR from current mid-level chiefs at my agency and one from an old professor in Global Studies
International and Expeditionary Experience: Deployed to construct  temporary field hospitals during COVID pandemic, study abroad in India, internship in Abu Dhabi, study abroad in Italy, shadowed missionaries with development projects in Thailand, one week surveying trip in Panama for bridge construction (undergrad)

Can I ask when you heard back from Penn Fels? They are the only program I'm still waiting on.

[GradSchoolGrad]

33 minutes ago, MPAGANG said:

Can I ask when you heard back from Penn Fels? They are the only program I'm still waiting on.

You might want to avoid Penn Fels like the plague (unless you are doing something very Philly specific). Sure, it has the Penn brand, but it is essentially Penn's money grabbing adventure via grad school profit taking (since graduate students are profit centers). The substance is far lacking in so many ways, even in comparison to 2nd tier policy schools.

[MPAGANG]

35 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

You might want to avoid Penn Fels like the plague (unless you are doing something very Philly specific). Sure, it has the Penn brand, but it is essentially Penn's money grabbing adventure via grad school profit taking (since graduate students are profit centers). The substance is far lacking in so many ways, even in comparison to 2nd tier policy schools.

Oh wow, I didn't know Penn Fels had such a bad connotation. If I wanted to work at a federal agency in Washington DC would it be better if I went to UW Evans MPA/Brown Watson MPA over Penn Fels? I got full acceptance to UW Evans and waitlisted for Brown. 

[GradSchoolGrad]

Just now, MPAGANG said:

Oh wow, I didn't know Penn Fels had such a bad connotation. If I wanted to work at a federal agency in Washington DC would it be better if I went to UW Evans MPA/Brown Watson MPA over Penn Fels? I got full acceptance to UW Evans and waitlisted for Brown. 

I mean for you, it will all come down to networking. UW Evans MPA is probably the best school academically out of all of them, but the challenge is that it is ultimately a West Coast school and other than things they are good at like Environmental Science, your biggest advantage is will be out west.

Brown Watson is also like Penn Fels and Stanford MPP, great university name, but not a good program (though they are trying, they are coming from way behind). Ultimately, I recommend you think long and hard about what policy area you are most interested in + your networking strategy for DC and what school can help you get there best.

One good way to think about it is which school has the best rates of getting people into PMF (Presidential Management Fellows - the fast track to the Federal Government from grad school).

If it doesn't look good, you might want to wait a year or two with a stronger resume to get into better schools. 

[MPAGANG]

31 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

I mean for you, it will all come down to networking. UW Evans MPA is probably the best school academically out of all of them, but the challenge is that it is ultimately a West Coast school and other than things they are good at like Environmental Science, your biggest advantage is will be out west.

Brown Watson is also like Penn Fels and Stanford MPP, great university name, but not a good program (though they are trying, they are coming from way behind). Ultimately, I recommend you think long and hard about what policy area you are most interested in + your networking strategy for DC and what school can help you get there best.

One good way to think about it is which school has the best rates of getting people into PMF (Presidential Management Fellows - the fast track to the Federal Government from grad school).

If it doesn't look good, you might want to wait a year or two with a stronger resume to get into better schools. 

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely be doing some more research on this.

[GradSchoolGrad]

7 minutes ago, MPAGANG said:

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely be doing some more research on this.

Just doing some hasty research for you (so I could be wrong). It looks like There were 2 from Penn Fells in 2020 and none from 2021. Given how American SPS (a Tier 2 school in my opinion) gets like at least a dozen every year (not sure their student size though, though I think they are pretty big and highly domestic focused) and McCourt gets like 9 a year (about 250 total students size... but keep in mind that a lot of military or IR related), that should give you an idea for comparison.

[SilkCat]

1 hour ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

Just doing some hasty research for you (so I could be wrong). It looks like There were 2 from Penn Fells in 2020 and none from 2021. Given how American SPS (a Tier 2 school in my opinion) gets like at least a dozen every year (not sure their student size though, though I think they are pretty big and highly domestic focused) and McCourt gets like 9 a year (about 250 total students size... but keep in mind that a lot of military or IR related), that should give you an idea for comparison.

I hope it's alright for me to jump in on this conversation. I am looking at PMF success rates as well, just for for AU SIS (regional studies). I made a thread about it a while ago but didn't get any replies. Since you seem rather knowledgeable about these topics I was wondering if you had any advice. I got 0 money from GWU and Georgetown but a bit over 50% tuition from AU SIS. I already have a top tier undergraduate degree, just in a different field. I'm wondering how much the program will matter for going into work as either an FSO or in the IC. 

This was the thread I made if you need more info. Thank you in advance if you have time to reply! 

[GradSchoolGrad]

19 minutes ago, SilkCat said:

I hope it's alright for me to jump in on this conversation. I am looking at PMF success rates as well, just for for AU SIS (regional studies). I made a thread about it a while ago but didn't get any replies. Since you seem rather knowledgeable about these topics I was wondering if you had any advice. I got 0 money from GWU and Georgetown but a bit over 50% tuition from AU SIS. I already have a top tier undergraduate degree, just in a different field. I'm wondering how much the program will matter for going into work as either an FSO or in the IC. 

This was the thread I made if you need more info. Thank you in advance if you have time to reply! 

So there are two ways to look at this.

In terms of pure entry into a job in IC or FSO, it really doesn't make that much of a difference between the schools if you have a strong pre-school background (and I'm assuming you are referring to GWU Elliot and Georgetown MSFS). If your goal is to get your foot in the door and hope your skills/performance carry you through, then AU SIS makes sense, especially since they given you money.

However there is an impact in terms of long term career prospects (and only if you take advantage of it, which a shockingly large number of people don't). So that happens in one of two ways. One is the amount of favors you can call/access to friends in high places. Bottom line is that both Georgetown MSFS and GWU Elliot have more high rollers in IC and FSO than SIS does, but more importantly they do kind of act like a alumni mafia at times (like politely) that helps each other out. Yes, there are SIS people who reach high places, they come in ones and if you are lucky twos in teams. I have seen entire teams in IC, FSO, political risk, and etc. be proportionality Georgetown MSFS, SAIS, or GWU Elliot. 

The other is that if you end up wanting to pivot into something else, you'll have a strong network to help you out down the line. This is especially true for MSFS, as a lot of people are going into private sector and they are doing a lot more stuff with business. So basically - I recommend you think long and hard about the risks you want to take. Because on the flip side, you can go into MSFS or GWU Elliot and be too saddled with debt to actually take advantage of the opportunities those schools have afforded you. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by GradSchoolGrad

[SilkCat]

1 minute ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

So there are two ways to look at this.

In terms of pure entry into a job in IC or FSO, it really doesn't make that much of a difference between the schools if you have a strong pre-school background (and I'm assuming you are referring to GWU Elliot and Georgetown MSFS). If your goal is to get your foot in the door and hope your skills/performance carry you through, then AU SIS makes sense, especially since they given you money.

However there is an impact in terms of long term career prospects (and only if you take advantage of it, which a shockingly large number of people don't). So that happens in one of two ways. One is the amount of favors you can call/access to friends in high places. Bottom line is that both Georgetown MSFS and GWU Elliot have more high rollers in IC and FSO than SIS does, but more importantly they do kind of act like a alumni mafia at times (like politely) that helps each other out.

The other is that if you end up wanting to pivot into something else, you'll have a strong network to help you out down the line. This is especially true for MSFS, as a lot of people are going into private sector and they are doing a lot more stuff with business. So basically - I recommend you think long and hard about the risks you want to take. Because on the flip side, you can go into MSFS or GWU Elliot and be too saddled with debt to actually take advantage of the opportunities those schools have afforded you. 

 

Thank you for such a detailed (and quick!) reply.  Just to clarify a bit, for Georgetown it's the Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (MAERES) program, and the equivalent at GWU. I figured since I have language skills and an interest in the region, finding a niche within Eastern Europe and Russia was good. In terms of networking, I didn't know about the mafia...sounds intimidating! I do have access to the Yale network (from undergrad), but I'm not sure how much that will help in D.C. 

My alternative is to reapply next year, as I was unsuccessful in some of my applications to regional programs outside of D.C. Then again, would getting a regional studies degree from Harvard (REECA) or Columbia open up more career opportunities in the federal government than going to AU SIS and doing internships/working while studying? I know prestige is important, but I do wonder how much it actually matters outside of academia or more research-focused roles. 

[blueduck]

Programs Applied To:  Georgetown McCourt (MPP), UChicago Harris (MPP), UC Berkeley Goldman (MPP), Oxford (MPhil in Development Studies), Harvard Kennedy (MPP)
Programs Admitted to: Georgetown McCourt. ($$), UChicago Harris ($$)
Still Waiting: Harvard Kennedy
Undergrad / Grad Institution: Large State School
Degrees: Bachelors in Business Economics
GPA: 3.91
Minors in Undergrad: Political Science, Economics 
GRE: N/A
Work Experience: 1 year
Policy Area of Interest: international development, transportation policy
Relevant Experience: 1 year as a public sector management consultant in transit
Quant experience: 3 semesters of stats/econometrics, several economics classes, linear algebra, calculus 3 
Strength of SOP: Pretty okay. I'm not the best writer but I had a clear vision of what I want to study and why.
LOR: 1 from prof I had two idev classes with, 1 from thesis advisor, 1 from faculty mentor/advisor

[jooodz]

Programs Applied To:  Stanford CEE SDC, UC Berkeley CEE E&PM, UCLA CEE Structural/Earthquake Eng, UWashington CEE CESI, Cornell CEE EnvEng SES concentration, Columbia CEEM CDEM
Programs Admitted to: UC Berkeley (1/2 tuition scholarship), Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, UWashington
Schools Rejected From: N/A
Still Waiting: Stanford
Undergrad / Grad Institution: Top 100 in the world
Degrees: Bachelors in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering concentration
GPA: 3.1
GRE: N/A
Work Experience: 1 year full time, 18 months internship
Relevant Experience: ~1 year full time as Structural EIT at a top 10 eng consulting company, 12 month internship at another top 10 eng consulting company as PM, summer internship at a famous chocolate giant as PM, summer internship at local nonprofit
Strength of SOP: strong imo; closely related my diverse work/life experiences to the programs I applied to and explained how they effected my career path/interested areas of research; named professors, their work, and labs/institutes each school offered that I'm interested in; explained what I can offer to each program and why this is the perfect time to admit me
LOR: didn't read but assumed 2 average ones from senior year professors & 1 very strong one from former manager

[GradSchoolGrad]

11 hours ago, blueduck said:

Programs Applied To:  Georgetown McCourt (MPP), UChicago Harris (MPP), UC Berkeley Goldman (MPP), Oxford (MPhil in Development Studies), Harvard Kennedy (MPP)
Programs Admitted to: Georgetown McCourt. ($$), UChicago Harris ($$)
Still Waiting: Harvard Kennedy
Undergrad / Grad Institution: Large State School
Degrees: Bachelors in Business Economics
GPA: 3.91
Minors in Undergrad: Political Science, Economics 
GRE: N/A
Work Experience: 1 year
Policy Area of Interest: international development, transportation policy
Relevant Experience: 1 year as a public sector management consultant in transit
Quant experience: 3 semesters of stats/econometrics, several economics classes, linear algebra, calculus 3 
Strength of SOP: Pretty okay. I'm not the best writer but I had a clear vision of what I want to study and why.
LOR: 1 from prof I had two idev classes with, 1 from thesis advisor, 1 from faculty mentor/advisor

If you want to touch transportation policy at all - you go to Harris. McCourt doesn't do infrastructure or transportation academically (as in good luck finding a professor to mentor you). As for international development, if you want academic angle with lots of support - Harris will be better. If you want to network your way into the Fed on your own. McCourt will be better.

[waterweirdo]

Thanks to everyone who's shared on this forum. It was very helpful as I decided where to apply and coped during the waiting game. In the interest of helping those applying next year, I am sharing where I was admitted (including amount of merit aid awarded) and rejected.

Admitted to: Johns Hopkins SAIS ($35k/yr), GW Elliot ($23k/yr), Denver Korbel ($21k/yr), American SIS ($17k +$3,000 stipend/yr), Syracuse Maxwell ($41k + $17,750 stipend 1st yr, $0 for 2nd yr,) Georgetown SFS ($28k/yr)
Rejected from: Yale Jackson

I will be attending Georgetown in the fall. I respectfully ask you to withold any comments/advice/judgement on my choice, as I've put a lot of thought into my decision.

Congratulations all on your hard work!

Edited March 23, 2022 by waterweirdo

[dev0900]

On 3/9/2022 at 6:18 PM, dev0900 said:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MA, MSc, MIDP
Schools Applied To: GW Elliott, Johns Hopkins SAIS, American SIS, Georgetown McCourt, UC Berkeley, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, London School of Economics, Queen's University Belfast, University of Sussex, SOAS University of London (deferred '21 offer)
Schools Admitted To: Georgetown McCourt (28k), UC Berkeley (8k), GW Elliott (34k), Johns Hopkins SAIS (50k), American SIS (34k), Middlebury Institute of International Studies (18k), London School of Economics (waiting), Queen's University Belfast (4k, waiting on additional scholarships), University of Sussex (0), SOAS University of London (4k, deferred '21 offer)
Schools Rejected From: None yet
Still Waiting: UC Berkeley, Georgetown McCourt
Undergraduate Institution: R1 state school
Undergraduate GPA:  3.9
Undergraduate Major: International Studies and Arabic
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: Didn't take it
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3
Years of Work Experience: 4
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Relevant federal government work experience, numerous internships and volunteer experience with regional studies centers, nonprofits
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Pretty strong I think, worked on it for a couple of years and had the help of a fellowship advisor since I applied for some national level fellowships which are a long process.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Pretty strong I think. Professors I have a good relationship with and my government supervisor for some schools.

Updating this - in at Georgetown and UCB. I'm leaning towards LSE, SOAS, or QUB mostly, but I'm nervous about it not working out somehow (visas, student loans, not sure, I'm just anxious). Probably going to decline SAIS today and potentially UCB as well. I was very excited about UCB but over 100k in tuition and only 8k aid is just not doable. 

[GradSchoolGrad]

16 hours ago, dev0900 said:

Updating this - in at Georgetown and UCB. I'm leaning towards LSE, SOAS, or QUB mostly, but I'm nervous about it not working out somehow (visas, student loans, not sure, I'm just anxious). Probably going to decline SAIS today and potentially UCB as well. I was very excited about UCB but over 100k in tuition and only 8k aid is just not doable. 

How did Georgetown McCourt get on your list because they don't really do anything international other than IDEV?

[birk3947]

7 minutes ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

How did Georgetown McCourt get on your list because they don't really do anything international other than IDEV?

All of the programs I applied to are IDEV related. Same poster I just can’t seem to log back in to my account, lol. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by birk3947

[sanctaphrax]

Programs Applied To:  Princeton SPIA MPA, HKS MPP, UChicago Harris MPP, Oxford BSG MPP, Fletcher MALD, Columbia SIPA MPA
Programs Admitted to: Fletcher MALD ($$$), Harris UChicago ($), HKS MPP (nothing), Columbia SIPA (nothing)
Schools Rejected From: Princeton SPIA, Oxford BSG
Undergrad / Grad Institution: University of Delhi (India)
Degrees: Business, with a PG concentration in liberal arts
GPA: 3.6
GRE: 163Q 160V
Work Experience: 3.5 years
Relevant Experience: 1.5 years at a philanthropy (India's largest), 2 years as RA at a research centre doing field experiments
Strength of SOP: strong narrative in my opinion tying my identity to my work in social inclusion. strongest versions were written for Princeton (shame I didn't get a waitlist which I was hoping as a best case scenario) and HKS. Oxford SOP was drastically different as I was told by alumni that they pretty much look for a straightforward narrative and no storylines and punches as american policy schools do. 
LOR: Manager from my first organisation, professor/economist I TA'ed for recently and a law and ethics professor from UG.

 

 

Most likely attending HKS this fall. My circumstances might lead to be dropping the offer or deferring it if they allow it. Let's see.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by sanctaphrax

[GradSchoolGrad]

11 hours ago, sanctaphrax said:

Programs Applied To:  Princeton SPIA MPA, HKS MPP, UChicago Harris MPP, Oxford BSG MPP, Fletcher MALD, Columbia SIPA MPA
Programs Admitted to: Fletcher MALD ($$$), Harris UChicago ($), HKS MPP (nothing), Columbia SIPA (nothing)
Schools Rejected From: Princeton SPIA, Oxford BSG
Undergrad / Grad Institution: University of Delhi (India)
Degrees: Business, with a PG concentration in liberal arts
GPA: 3.6
GRE: 163Q 160V
Work Experience: 3.5 years
Relevant Experience: 1.5 years at a philanthropy (India's largest), 2 years as RA at a research centre doing field experiments
Strength of SOP: strong narrative in my opinion tying my identity to my work in social inclusion. strongest versions were written for Princeton (shame I didn't get a waitlist which I was hoping as a best case scenario) and HKS. Oxford SOP was drastically different as I was told by alumni that they pretty much look for a straightforward narrative and no storylines and punches as american policy schools do. 
LOR: Manager from my first organisation, professor/economist I TA'ed for recently and a law and ethics professor from UG.

 

 

Most likely attending HKS this fall. My circumstances might lead to be dropping the offer or deferring it if they allow it. Let's see.

 

 

I know the Harvard brand is shiny and all (I have family who have it), but you might want to look on LinkedIn or something to see where Indian students that went to HKS have ended up. Assuming you want to stay in the US, your best shot is focus on something data oriented, for which HKS is good at, but not the best at for MPP - actually the quant instruction quality is probably the greatest weakness from HKS from close friends and family that went). U. Chicago Harris can be more quant intense and help you wiggle through a policy data job that way better than HKS can (unless you are crazy enough to try to get a PhD from MPP). 

Unless you want to do something in IGO or non-profit Fletcher doesn't make the most sense. 

[sanctaphrax]

1 hour ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

I know the Harvard brand is shiny and all (I have family who have it), but you might want to look on LinkedIn or something to see where Indian students that went to HKS have ended up. Assuming you want to stay in the US, your best shot is focus on something data oriented, for which HKS is good at, but not the best at for MPP - actually the quant instruction quality is probably the greatest weakness from HKS from close friends and family that went). U. Chicago Harris can be more quant intense and help you wiggle through a policy data job that way better than HKS can (unless you are crazy enough to try to get a PhD from MPP). 

Unless you want to do something in IGO or non-profit Fletcher doesn't make the most sense. 

Thank you - you would be correct that the Harvard brand outshines others, especially in the job market in India. I met a few HKS alums a few days ago here in India and they told me that they have actually never not heard back from jobs and internsips they applied to because Harvard grabs everyone's attentions. It's kinda the 'foot in the door' in policy spaces in low/middle income countries. One of my goals is to end up in technical committees within the government of India - and unfortunately branding and networking matters a lot here.

If I end up at HKS, I plan to take more technical courses beyond the core curriculum of the MPP - thankfully I have many friends who have gotten through the MPA/ID course and they can guide me. However, I do get your point about Harris being quant intense and more suited for a data job - I was indeed very attracted to the cross-school collaboration possible at UChicago but the scholarship they gave me is a little bit of a joke (and I missed the reconsideration deadline which is on me) so I am keen on sticking to HKS

Regarding Fletcher - it was pretty much my "safety school" - I have been told by a current student that the 'flexibility' the MALD degree offers is useful only when I have full information on what I want to learn and specialize in - I do not. I am going to policy school with an open mind, and I think in that way SIPA and HKS are the best for me. But SIPA is lethally expensive, so is HKS, but at least HKS is not NYC expensive.

[Zeppelin17]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP, MPA
Schools Applied To: HKS, SPIA, Jackson, Sanford, LBJ, O'Neill
Schools Admitted To:  HKS (0$), LBJ (Fulbright scholarship), O'Neill (Fulbright Scholarship)
Schools Waitlisted At: SPIA, Sanford
Schools Rejected From: Jackson
Undergraduate Institution: Some obscure university in a post-Soviet state
Undergraduate GPA: 3.85
Undergraduate Major:  Economics
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores:  163 Q, 158 V, 4.5 AW (IELTS 8.0)
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3
Years of Work Experience: 3.5
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Worked for the leading think-tank in the region, researching topics related to economic development.  
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): It is my third year applying (whoops), so I worked on them so much. I believe they are pretty good - 8/10. 
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  one from a former boss who is currently an MP, one from the head of Economics department from my previous university, one from a former professor of Econometrics - 7/10
Other: Fingers crossed for waitlists of SPIA and Sanford. If not, I will be heading to (most likely) LBJ. 

[mnbvcxzlkjhgfds]

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP, MSPPM, MPA
Schools Applied To: McCourt ($$$), Trachtenberg ($$), UMD SPP (? weird case here idrc anymore cuz I made a decision), AU SPA ($$), Harris ($$), Humphrey ($$$$), Heinz ($$$$), GSPIA ($$$$)
Schools Admitted To:  All
Schools Waitlisted At: N/A
Schools Rejected From: N/A
Undergraduate Institution: Okayish Midwestern public university
Undergraduate GPA: 3.74
Undergraduate Major:  Economics and International Studies
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: N/A
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0
Years of Work Experience: 3 including full-time, part-time, and internships
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Service in the military, internships at state and federal agencies, and nonprofit internships
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Personal life story tied to my experiences so far and why I want a grad degree now. This was probably my best selling point as I am not too into making friends and connections for references.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  As I mentioned, I am not too keen with making connections, but when I do, they are strong enough I guess. One from a mentor who was also a professor and well known in his profession slightly tied to my interests. One from a professor who I don't really know much, but it worked out somehow. Another from military folks.

Note: I was hoping one of the DC schools would work out, but I visited DC and wasn't digging it, so I am not considering those. Aid is also a big deal, and although Harris is great, going over $50k in debt just isn't worth it. Prestige also is not a big deal as I have relevant experience and connections to help me break through where I want to go (for now lol). It was between Humphrey, Heinz, and GSPIA. After reevaluating my life goals, I've decided on Humphrey! I'm still waiting to visit them, and if it isn't promising, I may reapply next cycle or the one after with GRE scores to more prestigious programs for sake of self-improvement instead . Good luck everyone else with your decisions!

Edited April 7, 2022 by Yengsterhoo

[GradSchoolGrad]

10 hours ago, Yengsterhoo said:

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPP, MSPPM, MPA
Schools Applied To: McCourt ($$$), Trachtenberg ($$), UMD SPP (? weird case here idrc anymore cuz I made a decision), AU SPA ($$), Harris ($$), Humphrey ($$$$), Heinz ($$$$), GSPIA ($$$$)
Schools Admitted To:  All
Schools Waitlisted At: N/A
Schools Rejected From: N/A
Undergraduate Institution: Okayish Midwestern public university
Undergraduate GPA: 3.74
Undergraduate Major:  Economics and International Studies
GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: N/A
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 0
Years of Work Experience: 3 including full-time, part-time, and internships
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Service in the military, internships at state and federal agencies, and nonprofit internships
Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Personal life story tied to my experiences so far and why I want a grad degree now. This was probably my best selling point as I am not too into making friends and connections for references.
Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):  As I mentioned, I am not too keen with making connections, but when I do, they are strong enough I guess. One from a mentor who was also a professor and well known in his profession slightly tied to my interests. One from a professor who I don't really know much, but it worked out somehow. Another from military folks.

Note: I was hoping one of the DC schools would work out, but I visited DC and wasn't digging it, so I am not considering those. Aid is also a big deal, and although Harris is great, going over $50k in debt just isn't worth it. Prestige also is not a big deal as I have relevant experience and connections to help me break through where I want to go (for now lol). It was between Humphrey, Heinz, and GSPIA. After reevaluating my life goals, I've decided on Humphrey! I'm still waiting to visit them, and if it isn't promising, I may reapply next cycle or the one after with GRE scores to more prestigious programs for sake of self-improvement instead . Good luck everyone else with your decisions!

Why did you say no to Heinz?

[mnbvcxzlkjhgfds]

4 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

Why did you say no to Heinz?

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.

Edited April 7, 2022 by Yengsterhoo