any less reputable public admin schools out there? Subpar GPA..

[Nadia88]

Hey guys! new to the forum...,

cutting to the chase here.. but im really interested in persuing a masters in public admin/HR management in the public sector. However, my gpa when rounded off is a bit below a B, however my major GPA (public admin and history) is a B and thats primarily because i always get A's in history, never in my public admin classes (highest B+, lowest C). I do however have almost 3 years of experience working for the canadian federal government as a human resources coordinator. I also speak 4 languages including French, and have excellent volunteer project management experience in the non-for-profit sector.

I've been taking additional courses to help boost my gpa, ive taken 2 so far in which ive recieved an A and a B.

A masters in a relevant field will really help me in my employment.

Are there any less reputable public affairs/admin/HR programs that I have a shot at? Im willing to pay my way through 100%

[palabared]

I think I was in a similar boat as you this year. I was applying to International relations and MDP programs, but still my gpa was 2.7 with a major of 3.0. I thought I wasn't going to get in anywhere, and have been surprised to say the least that I've been admitted by two and am still waiting on the 3rd. While GPA is important, and it depends on the school on how they weigh it, if you do decent on your GREs and you obviously have great experience, youll be fine.

And the fact that your taking school again to show the Admissions commission that you are driven is HUGE. In an interview I had I was told that if I took just a couple courses, and got As, that would be a great boost to my overall application. Depending on how you do on your GREs, I would try and shoot fairly high in terms of schools to apply to. I was admitted by Syracuse under MAIR, but I may take up the MPA/dual program masters as well after the first semester, and I don't know if I would have been admitted to (USA Todays #1 MPA program for over a decade) Maxwell if I had applied to the MPA Dual program in the first place.

I guess what im trying to say overall is you should do quite well as long as you score decent on GREs, and write a convincing SOP that shows a clear path as to what led you up to (your past) and how it connects with why you want to study for an MPA. Good luck!

[Nadia88]

wow congrats on getting an acceptance from syracuse.. and thanks for the advice, I dont think i would of even considered applying to a ranked MPA program, people keep telling me my low GPA has cut me off at the knees. Definately has given me hope. Thanks!

[palabared]

Looking back on it, I wish I had applied to more schools, even though I am very excited about Syracuse. I just didn't think I would have gotten in anywhere! Florida was my backup, and I thought there was slim chance of getting into the other three. At the end of the app process, i realized how easy it would have been to apply to just a few more schools. Once my SOP was sorted out, I made minor adjustments for each program I applied too, so applying to a few more of the similar type programs wouldn't have taken too much time.

I would also suggest you take GREs in early summer, as to give you ample time to work on applications and not be worried/distracted by the looming GRE test date...as I was taking it in November. I was studying a lot for the test and working abroad, and so I didn't think I would have ample time to apply to many places while writing good SOPs for each. But the actual application process wasn't half as bad/didn't take as long as I had predicted.

check out the full list online of APSIA rated professional programs http://www.apsia.org...?section=member

Some other schools I was looking at applying to (I wouldnt call them top tier but still great programs) you should check out: University of Washington Evans MPA, University of Michigan Ford School MPP/MPA, University of Maryland MPP, University of Minnesota MPP, University of Texas (austin) MPAff, UC Berkeley etc

I guess you would have a great shot of getting into the schools above, and with a very strong GRE/SOP/Reference combo (and if your not too worried about cost) I would try and also apply to a couple of the well known DC/NY programs at schools like Columbia MPA, American and Georgetown. Hope this helps!

On 3/18/2011 at 10:35 AM, Nadia88 said:

wow congrats on getting an acceptance from syracuse.. and thanks for the advice, I dont think i would of even considered applying to a ranked MPA program, people keep telling me my low GPA has cut me off at the knees. Definately has given me hope. Thanks!

[dgtxsg]

wow congrats on getting an acceptance from syracuse.. and thanks for the advice, I dont think i would of even considered applying to a ranked MPA program, people keep telling me my low GPA has cut me off at the knees. Definately has given me hope. Thanks!

I would take a look at the University of North Texas' MPA program. It is well ranked and pretty easy to get into, especially with past work experience.