HDPFDan Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Although most respondents on the results survey don't include GPA and GRE information (I have no idea why; if you don't include that information, your post is absolutely useless) those who did share their results thus far show something interesting. The GPA numbers for most of the accepted applicants are in the low 3's, and several rejected applicants are in the high 3's. It can only point to SIPA favoring extensive work experience over undergraduate performance. This gives me a measure of comfort having an objectively bad GPA but lots of experience with a foreign government while living abroad. I hope some of my fellow nailbiters feel the same way. Certainly gives me some hope! I have good-to-excellent work experience (SIPA has taken people with my exact position from my firm before, and we also employ several SIPA grads in more senior positions.) My GPA was god-awful, but much much better in the second 2 years of college. I was also able to effectively work the GPA improvement and professional experience into a cohesive narrative in the SOP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eigenvector Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Although most respondents on the results survey don't include GPA and GRE information (I have no idea why; if you don't include that information, your post is absolutely useless) those who did share their results thus far show something interesting. The GPA numbers for most of the accepted applicants are in the low 3's, and several rejected applicants are in the high 3's. It can only point to SIPA favoring extensive work experience over undergraduate performance. This gives me a measure of comfort having an objectively bad GPA but lots of experience with a foreign government while living abroad. I hope some of my fellow nailbiters feel the same way. On the same boat. I aimed for all extremely competitive programs (devil knows why), with exceptionally bad GPA, but very relevant work ex , and strong LOR's, GRE etc. Reality dawned as I started receiving one rejection after the other... though lucky apparently to have got through Harris. It's a relief in case SIPA decisions are relatively sympathetic towards grades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonGal Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Putting my own two cents in on the GPA vs GRE vs WE/SOP weighting at SIPA... I don't think the reliance on WE over academics is as clear-cut as some are making it out to be, though that may just be sour grapes on my part. I had a low-to-middling undergrad GPA but strong work experience and LORs (including the head of dept at my undergrad) and got my rejection letter this morning. I know some have speculated about them holding back on decisions where people were up for funding; that may mean the rejected people with higher GPAs were unsuitable for other reasons and therefore the first tossed into the pile. Also, when I checked the survey the sample size for SIPA was what, 5 people including grades and scores? A bit small to be drawing conclusions. Still, at least it's going to show that they aren't putting in a GPA cutoff for the admissions pool for those who are still waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudwa Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Putting my own two cents in on the GPA vs GRE vs WE/SOP weighting at SIPA... I don't think the reliance on WE over academics is as clear-cut as some are making it out to be, though that may just be sour grapes on my part. I had a low-to-middling undergrad GPA but strong work experience and LORs (including the head of dept at my undergrad) and got my rejection letter this morning. I know some have speculated about them holding back on decisions where people were up for funding; that may mean the rejected people with higher GPAs were unsuitable for other reasons and therefore the first tossed into the pile. Also, when I checked the survey the sample size for SIPA was what, 5 people including grades and scores? A bit small to be drawing conclusions. Still, at least it's going to show that they aren't putting in a GPA cutoff for the admissions pool for those who are still waiting. OregonGal, you make a good point. Although the sample size is small, you can still make a comparison between SIPA and the first few accepted applicants from its so-called "peer schools." By that measure it holds up quite well, at least in terms of accepting more students with less than stellar GPA numbers (I don't look too deeply into GRE numbers because how important they are depends on lots of factors like international student status, desired program, etc.). I was trying to figure out a behavioral reason why possibly hidden high-GPA candidates did not report their scores, but I can't think of any; one would think that those with better grades would want to brag, especialyl if that could be done anonymously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzdzcca Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 just got rejected...reason is i don't have enough work experience since i am straight out of undergrad got in sais yesterday though.. thought sais is more selective and should be able to get in sipa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudwa Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 A word on why admissions to IR and PP/PA programs are less of a numbers game (and thus more accomodative of applicants with less than stellar academic records) than the big professional grad schools, law, business and medicine. SIPA seems almost proud of not releasing statistics like acceptance rate, enrollment yield, average GRE, average GPA and the like, while taking equal pride in voluminous and easily accessible post-graduation employment numbers. The earlier revelation of less than impressive acceptance rates and the lower than stellar GPA numbers for accepted students that we are now seeing could be the reason; it would take away from the prestige of the institution to advertise 52% acceptance rates and average undergrad GPAs of anything less than 3.8. Another reason could be the nature of the programs and what they prepare you for. By and large, employment in government (in civil service, at least) and NGOs is less about prestige of one's credentials and more about what one has done or what they can prove competence in. Regardless of what a person's scores are, if they have worked their tail off volunteering or doing any other type of work pertinent to a particular NGO, they are better placed for employment there than someone without the requisite experience. But the answer might also be economic. The positions at top IR and PP/PA schools may be in simply less demand than the spots at top business, law and medical schools. If you don't need as stringent a GPA, GRE and work experience regime to choose between students, then there's no need to advertise such statistics or create numerical rubrics. While there's no doubt that an education at SIPA or HKS is as high-quality and class-leading as CBS/CLS or HBS/HLS, why taint the formers' reputations by admitting that it is simply easier to get into those schools than it is to get into the other professional programs, at least from the perspective of GPA, test scores and overall acceptance rate? This was all thought up in the moment while thinking and overthinking any shred of information I could find about SIPA over the alst few months and particularly today. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts while we all lie in patient agony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adollarninetynine Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) an education at SIPA or HKS is not even close to the quality and opportunities available at the respective business schools and law schools. you are kidding yourself if you think so. Edited March 14, 2012 by adollarninetynine JAubrey, delight, Coloradical and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alainray Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Got in! No funding, three years work experience in private sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudwa Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 an education at SIPA or HKS is not even close to the quality and opportunities available at the respective business schools and law schools. you are kidding yourself if you think so. I never said the opportunities were on par, though comparing opportunities is an apples and oranges proposition, anyway. What I said was "high-quality and class-leading". The public policy and international relations graduate programs and Columbia and Harvard are as dominant and respected in their respective fields as their business and law counterparts. The fact that all the schools mentioned (IR/PP/PA, business and law at Columbia and Harvard) have world famous faculty members including Nobel Prize winners and former government leaders, heads of state, judges and prominent businesspeople, I feel completely justified saying that the quality of the education across these three very different types of institutions is about equal. I guess it's easy to let your "rah-rah my MBA eats all" mentality get in the way of rationally thinking through a statement and what it means. But I guess you don't learn how to do that in business school, do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mximedc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I just applied to three schools and have already been rejected from two of them (WWS and GPPI). I think that SIPA making me wait is just a way of saying that I have not been accepted... I am SO FRUSTRATED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpplease123 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 an education at SIPA or HKS is not even close to the quality and opportunities available at the respective business schools and law schools. you are kidding yourself if you think so. Well in that case it's probably lucky we aren't after the same "opportunities"... Coloradical 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armychick Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Is anyone else extremely confused as to why the MPA program at SIPA got ranked #29 in US News? Is this affecting anyones decisions? I understand US News ranking isn't everything (I personally think their methodology is ridiculous), but #29?! Really?! FYI- I got an email this morning, got into SIPA with 0 funding. I'm not too worried about funding though. Stats- 3.82 GPA honors, US Army Iraq war veteran, non-profit experience and a ton of volunteer work. GRE- terrible, average at best. Still waiting on USC and NYU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coloradical Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 i was confused until I realized that USN&WR is scientifically created bullshit designed for upper middle class white parents. hudwa and Coloradical 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudwa Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Foreign Policy has a much better ranking available: http://www.foreignpo...asters_programs It's based solely on a survey of opinions of international relations scholars. Though it doesn't talk about public policy programs, and basig the ranking on that one measure isn't exactly scientific, it is a much better ranking than anything US News can come up with. Here it is: 1. Georgetown SFS 2. JHU SAIS 3. Harvard Kennedy 4. Princeton WWS 5. Tufts Fletcher 6. Columbia SIPA 7. GWU Elliot 8. American SIS 9. LSE 10. Chicago CIR Edited March 14, 2012 by hudwa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mximedc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I just heard that schools do not send emails after 5pm EST. Is this true???? Does anyone know if it is true for SIPA? I´m interested in knowing if the wait is over- at least for today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mximedc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Got in! No funding, three years work experience in private sector. alainray: Since you are international just as I am, may I ask what your strengths and weaknesses were- (GPA, GRE, SOP and 2nd Essay, and letters of rec.) in your application? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwsapp Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I just heard that schools do not send emails after 5pm EST. Is this true???? Does anyone know if it is true for SIPA? I´m interested in knowing if the wait is over- at least for today... Columbia has sent emails at 6 pm in the past, but not sure if that would be the case this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose1 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Three of my acceptance letters have come after 5pm, EST (although my SIPA email came in the morning) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangesplease Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Is anyone else extremely confused as to why the MPA program at SIPA got ranked #29 in US News? Is this affecting anyones decisions? I understand US News ranking isn't everything (I personally think their methodology is ridiculous), but #29?! Really?! FYI- I got an email this morning, got into SIPA with 0 funding. I'm not too worried about funding though. Stats- 3.82 GPA honors, US Army Iraq war veteran, non-profit experience and a ton of volunteer work. GRE- terrible, average at best. Still waiting on USC and NYU. Those rankings are trying to fit the field of public affairs in a cookie cutter that it can't fit in. Take a look at this IR survey (page 26/27) to get some more insight on schools and what the perceived strengths are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sietval Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 so if you haven't heard back right now should you assume it's a rejection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangesplease Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you haven't heard back yet, you're fine. Check out their blog for updates: http://blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/sipa/ In some cases, not hearing back is better b/c you may be a candidate for scholarships/fellowships since no one has reported receiving either, similar to last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmbeckham Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 No more people got any decisions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alainray Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 alainray: Since you are international just as I am, may I ask what your strengths and weaknesses were- (GPA, GRE, SOP and 2nd Essay, and letters of rec.) in your application? Mmm sure, let me think. I'm an engineer so I've got a lot of quantitative courses and experience. My GRE was Q:790 V:660 And W:4.0. I don't know how to calculate my GPA but it was probably decent (top 17% of class). LORs were 2 from private world and 1 from a teacher. I work for an airline so I've had opportunity to travel. I'd guess my main weakness is not having any experience on the public sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raayah Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Still waiting... still waiting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coloradical Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 What was the earliest hour people started hearing today? I feel like it was before 8am ET... and yeah, it is getting that desperate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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