Advice on MPP Programs

[nightjars]

I graduated in 2009 with a B.A. from a highly selective private school where I double-majored in English and rhetoric. Since then, I've worked a variety of administrative jobs in order to pay the bills and stay afloat in the future employability pool. At one point I was seriously considering law school and was working as an assistant at a financial planning and estate planning firm. I did learn some very useful skills while I essentially ran an estate planning practice for one of the attorneys, but the majority of my roles have heavily involved simple administrative tasks and some marketing work (article writing and proposal editing).

I'm very interested in an MPP program where I can concentrate in environmental policy. I've done some soul searching and realized I really wasn't interested in being an attorney, so law school would have been a monumentally disastrous mistake. Not to mention the debt. I volunteer with a few non-profits focused on environmental advocacy and at least one good LOR should come from there.

Although I love my current employer, I realize I'm only in a low administrative management position and I've already taken the initiative to involve myself in other projects. Unfortunately, these projects are not relevant to my policy career goals. I've looked into possible internship opportunities to gain some relevant experience, but my options are limited when I have a lease contract on a house and can't take an unpaid job. I'm hoping to start my MPP in Fall 2011.

Where should I apply? Should I try to find a better entry-level job with very limited relevant experience? Or should I just wave the white flag and permanently relegate myself to the ranks of the underutilized admin assistants?

Thanks!

[adaptations]

I can't tell you where to apply, but I wouldn't be so stressed about the relevance of your work experience to MPP programs. You're looking to get your MPP so you can get the job you really want in the future, not because you already have it. I would bet that you can come up with a few key things you've done in your current and past positions that will be somewhat relevant on your resume (topic research, writing basic reports, multi-tasking in a high pressure environment, etc.). I wouldn't advise you to seek out a new job, just to become a stronger applicant. Instead, focus on getting good GRE scores, securing letters of rec. from people who you know will do a good job, and write a strong statement. The admissions committee isn't going to punish you for having a largely administrative job - most people aren't writing policy or saving the world in their first three years after finishing college, so don't sweat it. Good luck.