Weight of work experience for MPP programs

[415mrr617]

I thought I'd try to start a discussion on the relative weight given to work experience in the MPP application review. Where do you think work experience ranks in importance vs. GRE scores vs. GPA vs. LORs?

Of course this would differ from school to school and from applicant to applicant, but I was wondering if people had any insights into how it plays out for MPP programs in particular.

Thanks!

[salome]

I thought I'd try to start a discussion on the relative weight given to work experience in the MPP application review. Where do you think work experience ranks in importance vs. GRE scores vs. GPA vs. LORs?

Of course this would differ from school to school and from applicant to applicant, but I was wondering if people had any insights into how it plays out for MPP programs in particular.

Thanks!

I think you're right that it'll depend a lot on the program and applicant. However, I think that particularly relevant work experience (work specifically in the field of policy you're interested in) may stand out more to admission committees than great GRE scores, GPA, LORs. An MPP is a professional degree so having that professional experience is important. It would demonstrate that you know specifically how you would use this degree post-graduation.

[kleisthenes]

I thought I'd try to start a discussion on the relative weight given to work experience in the MPP application review. Where do you think work experience ranks in importance vs. GRE scores vs. GPA vs. LORs?

Of course this would differ from school to school and from applicant to applicant, but I was wondering if people had any insights into how it plays out for MPP programs in particular.

Thanks!

Part of the reason I chose an MPP over more academic courses is because I feel it weights more towards practical application and practical experiences. That being said, I'm beginning to realise that the award system seems to be weighted towards academic merit rather than work-based merit.

Again, different universities seem to have different priorities. GWU is weighted towards service and SIPA work experience, whereas other universities focus on academic research. So it varies from school to school.

Back to what I said though, I think the MPP's seem to be more work-related that other similar degrees, so focus more on what you have going in and what you want coming out.

[415mrr617]

Thanks for your responses - I'm curious about this because of the demographic shift in professional grad school applications across the board. I have the general feeling that the average applicant to MPP, MBA, etc. programs will have more experience than previous cohorts. In other words, some people will be seeking shelter in grad school because of dwindling employment options.

On a similar but unrelated note, does anyone have an opinion on the value of a previous Masters degree in the application process? Again, it would vary school to school and would also depend on what kind of degree you have, but I'm just curious.