MPP/MPA - Final Decisions

[abogs78]

Alright, I am sure a lot of us have gotten our admits/rejects by now. I hope you all got into your dream school and if not, I hope the decision you will make regarding the school you will ultimately decide to attend will give you an opportunity to make new friends, work with great faculty, enjoy school life again (exams, mid terms, annoying undergrads (lol...kidding), papers, presentations..etc) and a chance to have a fulfilling professional and rewarding personal lives! For the sake of those who might be looking at this forum to get an idea of the reasons behind your choices regarding to where to go for your MPA/MPP program, I have decided to create this forum...please feel free to share using the following information:

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier):

Previous Degrees and GPA's:

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing):

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):

Math/Econ Background:

Foreign Language Background:

Intended Field of Study in Grad School:

Long Term Professional Goals:

Schools Applied to & Results:

Ultimate Decision & Why:

Any advice to Future Applicants?

Edited March 19, 2011 by abogs78

[tdpoulos]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Macalester College, top tier undergraduate liberal arts college

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, 3.53

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 670/710/4.0

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0, but a lot of relevent internship/volunteer experience

Math/Econ Background: intro econ course, intro stats course

Foreign Language Background: 2 years of French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Social Policy, Employment and Labor Policy

Long Term Professional Goals: improve lives of LGBTQ individuals and families and women

Schools Applied to & Results: USC SPPD (accepted, but missed the funding deadline), UCLA SPA (accepted), UChicago Harris (don't know yet, but will no doubt be too expensive even if I get in), Columbia SIPA (don't know yet, but will no doubt be too expensive even if I get in), UMinnesota Humphrey (accepted)

Ultimate Decision & Why: UCLA; in-state tuition, great program, great city, gets me back to Cali

Any advice to Future Applicants? Make sure you know why you want to go to grad school, be practical in your decisions but retain the idealism that probably made you want to go into public policy, and be straightforward but heartfelt in your SOP

[abogs78]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Hobart College (private institution)

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Economics and Public Policy, 3.42 CGPA, 3.54 (Major),

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 610/730/3.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4 years total - two internships in college (financial regulatory authority organization and research with professor), 3 years @investment bank and 1 year in W. Africa working with a state government on an infrastructure development initiative in rural areas.

Math/Econ Background: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economic Development, Calculus 1, Econometrics, Statistics, Political Economy, International Trade....

Foreign Language Background: Fluent in English, Yoruba (mother tongue)

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Economics and Public Policy

Long Term Professional Goals: Consulting - International Development/Infrastructure financing in emerging markets

Schools Applied to & Results: UMD Maryland - MPP (Accept, no funding), Columbia SIPA - MIA (Accept, no funding), HKS - MPP (Rejected), LSE - MPP (Rejected), Berkeley GSPP - MPP (Accept, $), CMU - PPM (Accept, $), NYU Wagner - MPA (Accept $), U Michigan Ford - MPP (Accept, $$), WWS - MPA (Accept, $$$) and Harris MPP (Still waiting),

Ultimate Decision & Why: WWS. A very very generous financial aid. I like the fact that they have a small class size, career services are well structured to help students with internships/post gradute career and I wanted a program with a quant focus. Also, Princeton is a lovely town with a nice colonial tone plus it is less than 3 hours away from DC, NY, Phila and Delaware (for career and internship opportunities).

Any advice to Future Applicants? if you think you have a very low GPA or GRE scores, don't let that stop you from applying to your dream schools. I was told not to apply to the top schools since my GPA is less than 3.7, low verbal and AWA. Do what your mind tells you, have a great story for your SOP, wonderful recommendations and start your search on time. Good luck!

Edited March 19, 2011 by abogs78

[jph5125]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Penn State (public)

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA East Asian Studies, BA International Politics, 3.6 GPA

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): Not the best - 530V, 590Q, 4.5AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Only part time jobs; Had one security research internship and one public affairs internship

Math/Econ Background: Calculus, Statistics, Programming, Microeconomics and some Int'nl Political Econ classes

Foreign Language Background: 2 years of Japanese

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Public Admin (with a focus on finance) & IT (focus in information architecture)

Long Term Professional Goals: Job placement in government managing IT. Hope to combine public admin knowledge with IT to more efficiently use public resources and depending on the sector improve access to public goods (i.e. health care, social services, etc).

Schools Applied to & Results: Only one, University of Indiana--Bloomington (IUB) dual degree MPA/MSIS (MSIS = MS Information Sci). Accepted to both.

Ultimate Decision & Why: Indiana because I only applied to Indiana. There are few schools that offered this dual degree combination I was seeking. I was considering UPitt because it was in state, I live in Pittsburgh, and their programs were ranked similarly--but their Information Science school did not feel right at all and their MPA program was not ranked for financial management like Indiana. Because both programs at Indiana were rolling I decided to just apply and if things didn't work out I would apply elsewhere. Also when I visited their school it felt really similar to Penn State (both are big 10 so no surprise) and it was rather comforting especially since this is a "big move" for someone in my family.

Any advice to Future Applicants? As others have said make sure you know what you want and why. This will help you immensely on your SOP and when you ask your recommenders, the more clearly you can describe your future goals and purpose to them the better your LORs will match your SOP. If you are applying to a dual degree program make sure you pick the best recommenders for each degree if the degrees are in different fields

Edited March 19, 2011 by jph5125

[Diesel2011]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 20, U.S., Private

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA in Political Science and Islamic Studies, 3.93 (3.96 major)

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V680, Q740, AW4.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): nearly 2.5 years with an NGO - primarily in Darfur and also in Egypt and Jordan; most recently working as an economic development consultant for a bank in the US

Math/Econ Background: macroeconomics, microeconomics, 2 years of calculus

Foreign Language Background: 5 years of French, 5 years of Arabic with knowledge of multiple dialects

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Development

Long Term Professional Goals: work for UNDP, USAID....

Schools Applied to & Results: WWS ($$$), Fletcher ($$), GWU ($$), Korbel ($$), LSE ($), MSFS (accepted), SIPA (accepted-no funding), Emory (pending)

Ultimate Decision & Why: probably WWS b/c of proximity to NYC for internships with the UN but I also like actually living in a small town; school's commitment to public service; focus on public policy; small classes and variety; and funding

Any advice to Future Applicants?

1. SOP is the most important thing. I spent many hours crafting my personal statements - beginning early in September. I also wrote a new SOP for each school, researched the details for every school, and explained how their programs could help me achieve my goals. I was very open and honest in my personal statements about my background, worldview, goals, and motives. I decided that I would let who I am - my individuality - shine through in my SOP, knowing that they would either love it or hate it. You must exude passion, a clear sense of your future goals, and give details about how your previous experience has prepared you for grad school and those future goals. Get multiple individuals to read the SOP and give you feedback. It is not easy - so start early.

2. Contact your references early - give them a copy of your SOP and CV and share with them some of the distinctions for each program so they know why you want to apply there and can be more targeted in their letter writing.

3. Have at least 2 years work experience in a relevant job - it shows maturity, practical experience, and evidence that you really are interested in your intended field of study.

4. Start taking macro and micro economics right now if you have not already.

[abogs78]

I guess a lot of folks haven't decided.

[StellaHaiti2]

I guess a lot of folks haven't decided.

I can't possibly decide until April 1, when Harvard's funding comes out. Also waiting on a later fellowship for Michigan. WWS people have it relatively easy since it is a great school with great funding!

[jp47]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 10 Liberal Arts

Previous Degrees and GPA's: Public Policy Analysis, 3.7

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 700/610/5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 0 years, but internships all through undergrad

Math/Econ Background: Intro macro and micro, intro stats

Foreign Language Background: Fluent in Spanish, studied abroad in South America

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Education policy or non-profit management

Long Term Professional Goals: Work in government or non-profit sector

Schools Applied to & Results: Berkeley GSPP- rejected, UCLA- accepted, $1,000 scholarship, USC SPPD-accepted, half tuition

Ultimate Decision & Why: USC SPPD-only about $5,000 more than UCLA per year and seems like the much better program.

Any advice to Future Applicants?

Don't underestimate yourself. I applied to only three schools kind of on a whim and at the last minute and thought I'd be rejected everywhere because of my limited quant background and the fact that I'm right out of undergrad. I almost didn't even put myself in the running for USC funding but ended up with 40 grand.

[sgoodspeed]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 20 private liberal arts

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Political Science, GPA 3.7

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680V 790Q 5.5W

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3.5 years (1.5 years as US Senate staffer (current), 2 years as management consultant at USAID)

Math/Econ Background: Math - through Calc 3 and some stats; Econ - intermediate micro/macro

Foreign Language Background: Decent French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/MPA - focus in international security policy

Long Term Professional Goals: Position in federal government - International security analyst of some sort.

Schools Applied to & Results:

Accepted: Columbia SIPA MPA (67% tuition), Chicago Harris (full tuition), GW MPP (full tuition), University of Maryland MPP (full tuition, grad assistantship), Syracuse Maxwell MPA (80% tuition), Georgetown MPP (40% tuition), Duke MPP (40% tuition)

Rejected: Harvard MPP, Princeton MPA

Ultimate Decision & Why: I'm leaning Columbia because (1) it's the most internationally-focused MPA program I applied to, (2) I find the academic structure of the program (core, concentration, and specialization) incredibly appealing, (3) a wealth of interesting public policy and international affairs courses to choose from, (4) incredible scholars and professors.

The major downside of SIPA is financial - I'd be turning down better offers from other very good schools (Chicago, GW, Maryland, Maxwell) and taking on a bunch of debt due to the expense of New York..... any/all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck to everyone!

[greendiplomat]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 20 private liberal arts

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Political Science, GPA 3.7

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680V 790Q 5.5W

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3.5 years (1.5 years as US Senate staffer (current), 2 years as management consultant at USAID)

Math/Econ Background: Math - through Calc 3 and some stats; Econ - intermediate micro/macro

Foreign Language Background: Decent French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/MPA - focus in international security policy

Long Term Professional Goals: Position in federal government - International security analyst of some sort.

Schools Applied to & Results:

Accepted: Columbia SIPA MPA (67% tuition), Chicago Harris (full tuition), GW MPP (full tuition), University of Maryland MPP (full tuition, grad assistantship), Syracuse Maxwell MPA (80% tuition), Georgetown MPP (40% tuition), Duke MPP (40% tuition)

Rejected: Harvard MPP, Princeton MPA

Ultimate Decision & Why: I'm leaning Columbia because (1) it's the most internationally-focused MPA program I applied to, (2) I find the academic structure of the program (core, concentration, and specialization) incredibly appealing, (3) a wealth of interesting public policy and international affairs courses to choose from, (4) incredible scholars and professors.

The major downside of SIPA is financial - I'd be turning down better offers from other very good schools (Chicago, GW, Maryland, Maxwell) and taking on a bunch of debt due to the expense of New York..... any/all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck to everyone!

Yes, you'll be going into more debt if you go to SIPA, despite the relatively generous funding offer that you got. That being said, you need to be thinking about whether the other programs set you up for the career that you want (i.e. international security policy). While you could take electives in that area at Harris, Maryland, the GW MPP, and the Maxwell MPA, you won't be able to mold your curriculum around (and, more importantly, concentrate in) international security policy at those schools as you will at SIPA. As such, I think that the sticker price of SIPA is marginally higher due to the less aid that you got from it, but thinking in terms of return on investment, I'm sure that the difference in price will pay itself back relatively quickly (again, given the small price difference given the funding that you got, and given that it's the only program out of those that you list that's suited to your career interests).

[soupcann314]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Pittsburgh (public)

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Political Science & English, Minor in French, Certificate in West European Studies. GPA 3.5

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680 V / 720 Q / 5 AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 5 years nonprofit program work in DC and Pittsburgh

Math/Econ Background: laughable

Foreign Language Background: fluent in French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Public Policy & Management, focusing on policy analysis

Long Term Professional Goals: management in nonprofit, research center, or government (any level)

Schools Applied to & Results: Heinz School at CMU - accepted, 70% tuition scholarship

Ultimate Decision & Why: Heinz. It's the only place I applied to, it's one of the best schools in the nation (conveniently right in my backyard), and the scholarship really sealed the deal.

[Momentarylapses]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): UC Berkeley, London School of Economics

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA Political Economy - 3.83 at Berkeley, MSc Environment and Development - GPA N/A at LSE

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): Not needed

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Many, many years service sector management.

Math/Econ Background: Pre-calc and stats, intermediate macro/micro.

Foreign Language Background: Spanish (German soon!)

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Environmental and regulatory policy, public management.

Long Term Professional Goals: PMF or FSO (haha - slight shot). UN/EU/US Gov/NGO

Schools Applied to & Results: Hertie School of Governance - admitted to MPP program + 25% scholarship.

Ultimate Decision & Why: Will accept depending on availability of federal loans (still up in the air). Great opportunity to study and live in Berlin, learn German, good curriculum, professional year option, and some great dual degree (SiPA, LSE, Sciences Po) and exchange opportunities. Offering a new ATLANTIS program with Syracuse that I will possibly pursue - dual MPA at Syracuse/MPP at Hertie. Very inexpensive relative to US schools.

Any advice to Future Applicants? Keep essay clear and to the point. Apply before Feb 1st to be considered for scholarship.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Momentarylapses

[drgunjansrivastava]

Hey all..

I am Dr.Gunjan Srivastava from India and had applied to MPA at Wagner !!

Now the interesting story is, i havnt received ay confirmation yet via email or postal mai...but i have been receiving varios emails from the school as invitation to "admitted student events', it also says "congratulations once again on being admitted to robert f.wagner...." etc etc !!

has any of you, aswell received such emails...I tried calling them and even mailed them, but havnnt received a reply yet !!

ANXIOUS ANXIOUS !!!!!!!!!!

[UrbanWonk]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Syracuse University

Previous Degrees and GPA's: B.A. in Policy Studies, B.S. in Economics, GPA: 3.92

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680/800/5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2 years (nonconsecutive) work as research asst for think tank & research asst for econ prof

Math/Econ Background: Math minor...I've taking everything but Real Analysis! (B.S. Econ is our quant. econ degree)

Foreign Language Background: Semi-fluent in Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Urban policy/economics

Long Term Professional Goals: Consultant for non-profit to help cities revitalize

Schools Applied to & Results: Econ PhD: Duke ®, Brown (A w/o 1st year $), CMU (A, mucho $); MPP: CMU (A, $), Brown (A, $), HKS (A, no $)

Ultimate Decision & Why: CMU for the dual PhD in Econ/Policy. I picked it mostly because of financials, but the program is a really good fit for me and I'm stoked about the city. I might have spent more time looking at apartments and faculty mentors than working on my thesis of late...

Any advice to Future Applicants? Name schools are nice, but don't let them rule your application list. Only apply to schools that you'd actually attend with the amount of funding you think you might get (that perception might be off, but it's a better guide than U.S. News & World Report). Also, write your personal statement over the summer. I wrote one for a fellowship application, and I ended up tweaking it for my MPP apps. I wrote the one for the PhD apps right before their deadlines...look at my results... =)

[jjay]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Medium sized, more "selective" state university in Missouri, Small private university in Kansas

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA German/BS Linguistics; MBA, International Business

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 620/560/6 (yeah...quant is embarrassing)

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): Fulbright TA in Berlin (1yr), Private Sector/Aircraft - Procurement (4yrs)

Math/Econ Background: Calc/Stat in undergrad; several econ/finance classes for MBA

Foreign Language Background: Fluent in German, nearly conversational Spanish, beginning French and Italian (2yrs study of each but it's been awhile)

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: IR/MPP

Long Term Professional Goals: This is still quite up in the air but my interests include: foreign policy (have considered foreign service exam), human/immigration/refugee rights, LGBTQ policy, public health; work with International Organization for Migration, International Rescue Committee, UN; also considering law school

Schools Applied to & Results: SIPA MIA (Rejected); Fletcher MALD (Accepted, 33% tuition); Hertie School of Governance MPP (Accepted, 25% tuition); GWU MIA (Accepted, no funding); The New School MIA (Accepted, 40% tuition); UCLA MPP (Accepted, $1000 fellowship); Korbel Masters International (dual with Peace Corps) (Accepted, Peace Corps fellowship); Seton Hall Whitehead School of Diplomacy (Accepted, no word yet on funding); American Univ of Paris MIA/MPP (Accepted, no word yet on funding); Univ of SF MIA (no word yet on decision)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Well, despite not having heard from two of the schools on funding and one on even the decision (not sure what the deal is with USF but didn't really like the school when I visited anyhow), I had had my heart set on UCLA for quite some time. The funding isn't so great unfortunately but I like the school and the program and how you can basically create your own degree. I also like the applied policy project requirement, which seems to allow you to "get your hands dirty" with any topic of your choice and really be involved in that particular field. I also have a budding interest in public health and to be able to work closely with that department is a plus. Similarly, as I mentioned, I'm considering law school, and the dual degree option at UCLA is extremely enticing and I can still apply this fall. I also really like LA and the UCLA campus. I'm from Kansas...sorry, but the idea of living in near perfect weather and by the beach year round played a huge part in my decision. Whether or not I'll actually have time for the beach is a different story, however.

Any advice to Future Applicants? Don't apply to so many schools! I casted out a big net just hoping I'd get a couple choices, never expected to have so many choices. It made the decision extremely difficult. In hindsight, I wish I would have narrowed my list a little further and been more confident about each of those fewer choices. Also, should you apply to a lot of schools, be prepared with a good list of pros/cons. Though in the end, as you will most likely really like each school you apply to, it will just be a gut feeling...but you should still be prepared for your own sake with good reasons as to why you (don't) want to go to a particular school. As for the application process, spend time on your SOPs and don't do them at the last minute. It made it so much less stressful for me to be able to go back at several different points and revise/improve my essays. I also think my GRE score did probably hurt me when it came to fellowship money, but I can't be sure. That was the second time I took it and just didn't have the energy (or money) for a third. So, study hard for it!

[StellaHaiti2]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Washington University in St. Louis

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA in Architecture, 3.5 GPA

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 650/750/4

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2.5 years, community redevelopment and microfinance

Math/Econ Background: 2 semesters each of Calculus and Statistics in high school (community college), no Econ

Foreign Language Background: not fluent in anything, but learning Haitian Creole

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP- Policy Analysis or Urban Policy

Long Term Professional Goals: City Revitalization- govt consulting or think tank?

Schools Applied to & Results: Princeton, UC Berkeley: rejected, GSPIA, Michigan: accepted, no $ Harvard: accepted, 50% funded

Ultimate Decision & Why: Harvard, MPP in Urban Policy, Fellowship in State and Local Govt. Barring a full fellowship offer from Michigan that is still being decided, my choice is extremely obvious. Harvard values my experience, commitment to service, and research interests, and has lots of classes co-taught by HKS and GSD (Planning). I felt extremely welcomed by many students, faculty, and staff, and have received an email almost every day from the school. In contrast, Pittsburgh sent me some follow up emails, and Michigan, almost none.

Any advice to Future Applicants? I gotta admit, I find my results a little confusing, so I don't even know what advice to give. I had a strong narrative tying together all my experiences and how public policy school would enhance my ability to serve communities, which I delivered to all of my LORs so they could bring evidence to support that. Honestly, I felt pretty low pretty often throughout the application process, receiving all my rejections first. If I could take my own advice: Take the praise personally, and the lack of it, impersonally. Either a school gets you, or it doesn't.

[antonis]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Piraeus (Greece), London School of Economics

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA in International Studies (3,7), MSc in European Politics (A-)

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 600/650/4,5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 1 year municipal finance and tax policy consulting, 3 years international experience in EU funded projects (public administration reform, public finance, private sector development)

Math/Econ Background: micro, macro, international econ, linear programming, statistics

Foreign Language Background: Greek, English, French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Health policy, social policy

Long Term Professional Goals: work either for consulting firm or for international organization

Schools Applied to & Results: SIPA (accepted), Harris (accepted), JHU (IPS) (accepted 60% tuition), GWU (accepted), American (accepted), U. Toronto (pending), Georgia Tech (pending)

Ultimate Decision & Why: JHU (IPS), good scholarship and excellent health policy concentration. Actually the only school that gave me any funding. Also great deal of flexibility in tailoring the degree.

Any advice to Future Applicants?: be brave, shoot high and show great dilligence in GRE preparation (contrary to me) and SoP.

[yeahgradschool!]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Large public research

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA in Political Science, focus in Public Law, and Psychology; GPA: 3.84

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 620/770/5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 4.5 years; 2.5 years working in finance; 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working in Tourism and English education

Math/Econ Background: Calc 1/2/3 and 2 Stats courses; No Econ

Foreign Language Background: Fluent in Spanish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Policy Analysis

Long Term Professional Goals: Consulting; Interested in education and budget reform

Schools Applied to & Results: USC SPPD (Accepted, $$$), Carnegie Mellon Heinz DC track (Accepted, $$), Michigan Ford (Accepted, $$), Penn Fels (Accepted, $$), Duke Sanford (Accepted, $$), Syracuse Maxwell (Accepted, No funding)

Ultimate Decision & Why: Carnegie Mellon DC-track!! In the end, it came down to program fit and funding and CMU offered the best combination, especially with the nearly full-time apprenticeship (hopefully paid!) in D.C. the 2^nd year.

Any advice to Future Applicants? Like most people have been saying, don’t sell yourself short! Sometimes I wish I had applied to a few crazy reaches like Harvard or WWS. Focus all of your energy on finding really great programs that match your interests. I narrowed down my list of schools to only the ones that I would actually attend (and be excited about attending!) if admitted. Don’t apply to a school just to apply. Also, no point in stressing over your college GPA or anything beyond your control at this point. Spend your time worrying about the parts of the application that you do have control over. Study hard for the GRE and ace it; awesome GRE scores can lead to some nice funding. I’d say around June or July, start contacting recommenders and get working on a draft SOP. Reach out to the recommenders to see if they’re interested and once they say yes, send them copies of your resume/SOP/info about the various programs and why they interest you/things that you’d like them to touch upon in the reco/etc. Most importantly, remember that a rejection isn’t the end of the world. For one reason or another, the school just didn’t think you were a good fit, but that doesn’t mean you won’t do amazing somewhere else!!! It’s always their loss!!!

[mako06]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Top 20 private liberal arts

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Political Science, GPA 3.7

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680V 790Q 5.5W

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3.5 years (1.5 years as US Senate staffer (current), 2 years as management consultant at USAID)

Math/Econ Background: Math - through Calc 3 and some stats; Econ - intermediate micro/macro

Foreign Language Background: Decent French

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/MPA - focus in international security policy

Long Term Professional Goals: Position in federal government - International security analyst of some sort.

Schools Applied to & Results:

Accepted: Columbia SIPA MPA (67% tuition), Chicago Harris (full tuition), GW MPP (full tuition), University of Maryland MPP (full tuition, grad assistantship), Syracuse Maxwell MPA (80% tuition), Georgetown MPP (40% tuition), Duke MPP (40% tuition)

Rejected: Harvard MPP, Princeton MPA

Ultimate Decision & Why: I'm leaning Columbia because (1) it's the most internationally-focused MPA program I applied to, (2) I find the academic structure of the program (core, concentration, and specialization) incredibly appealing, (3) a wealth of interesting public policy and international affairs courses to choose from, (4) incredible scholars and professors.

The major downside of SIPA is financial - I'd be turning down better offers from other very good schools (Chicago, GW, Maryland, Maxwell) and taking on a bunch of debt due to the expense of New York..... any/all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck to everyone!

I am a career Marine officer looking at PhD programs in Security Studies/IR. You would be crazy to not go to school in DC. There is nothing security related in NYC (forget about the UN) . Georgetown has a fantastic program and every think-tank, government agency, and defense contractor have offices there. Just my two cents...probably a little late anyway.

[Nimesis]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Small private university

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BS in Political Science, minor in History, GPA: 3.78

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 640V, 730Q, 6AW

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 3 years, working in various health related non-profits/organizations

Math/Econ Background: Calculus 1 & 2, Elementary Stats, Intro to Microeconomics (both taken at community colleges after graduating, I would highly recommend doing this if you're applying to Berkeley, Harris, WWS, or the other really quantitatively oriented programs)

Foreign Language Background: None

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Health Policy, Education Policy

Long Term Professional Goals: I want to work in the public sector in SF or the Bay Area either at the local, state, or federal level. Probably in health policy, but I'm open to other areas as well.

Schools Applied to & Results: UC Berkeley GSPP (MPP, Accepted, $$), USC (MPP, Accepted, $$$), UCLA (MPP, Accepted, $), UT Austin LBJ (MPAff, Accepted, $$$), UW Evans (MPA, Accepted, $$)

Ultimate Decision & Why: UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. This was my dream school all along, I wasn't sure whether I would get in, and when I did it immediately became my top choice. Visiting the program beforehand and then also visiting at the Open House cemented my excitement for the school and I was blown away by the quality of the program itself, the faculty, the career services, and the group of people in the cohort both already in the program and entering. My ultimate goal is to live and work in the Bay Area (preferably in SF) and Berkeley is my ticket to achieving that goal. I was deciding between Berkeley and USC in the end, and I feel that both programs are very strong, but USC doesn't have the same level of prestige/brand as Berkeley, and the campus itself just isn't as exciting. As a political science major I really feel that I need to boost my quantitative skills to boost my future job prospects, and I feel very strongly that GSPP will provide me with that and more. It also doesn't hurt that their placement rate is extremely high (with estimates of 90-100% by the summer following graduation). Regardless of whether that is exaggerated or not, I feel like I can't go wrong going to the best public school in the world.

Any advice to Future Applicants? Start the process early and approach it with a holistic approach, because the elite schools will also judge you holistically for the most part. If you have a strong GPA that's great, but you can always offset that with good work experience or GRE scores or other parts of your application. Make sure you put together the best package you can. I felt like having at least 3 years of work experience was really beneficial for me, and allowed me to get into all the programs I applied to. As I said before, if you are applying to the heavily quantitative programs like Goldman, Harris or WWS, I would recommend taking calc, stats, and econ to boost your credentials. Do not be concerned if a certain piece of your application is weaker than others, just make sure you appear well rounded to the admissions committee. Reach out to professors and/or work supervisors so you can cultivate relationships which will result in stronger letters of recommendation. As far as studying for the GRE, I would recommend focusing heavily on vocab and I personally found the ETS CD they send to be a good resource because its practically the only way to gauge how you will actually do on the test with computer adaptive conditions in effect. Doing paper problems doesn't give you that same experience. Lots of people on these boards applied to 10-11 schools, but I feel like 5-6 is a good number, unless you're exceptionally paranoid. Whether you apply to 5 or 15, at the end of the day its likely to come down to 2 choices or so, so what's the point of having all those extra options cluttering your decision-making process? I would also recommend visiting the programs either before or after the application process, because there's no replacing the actual experience/understanding of a program you get from visiting personally. You will get a strong sense of the quality of the program and the career services/support staff by visiting. If you are unable to visit, then having these forums around as a resource is invaluable. I've kind of rambled on here, but hopefully what I've said so far can serve as a good starting point for future applicants.

Edited April 14, 2011 by Nimesis

[Nimesis]

Lots of people on these forums solicited help on making their decisions, but not enough people have posted about where they ultimately have decided to go. Since the April 15th deadline has passed, I'm sure many of you have made a decision. I'd like to hear where other people ended up going and why, so I'm bumping this thread.

[abogs78]

Appreciate the bumping Nimesis!

Lots of people on these forums solicited help on making their decisions, but not enough people have posted about where they ultimately have decided to go. Since the April 15th deadline has passed, I'm sure many of you have made a decision. I'd like to hear where other people ended up going and why, so I'm bumping this thread.

[Ahab]

I was looking for this topic when I posted in the MPA applicants thread... Anyways, here goes mine.

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Well known international albeit small university.

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Politics and Public Administration (92/100)

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 690V, 600Q, 4W

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2.5 years full-time at time of application (research and information system design and management). almost six years as a volunteer EMT.

Math/Econ Background: Two semesters of college calc, one stats, two microeconomics, one macroeconomics, one budget and public finances and one economic regulation.

Foreign Language Background: Spanish (native), English (fluent), French (intermediate), German (intermediate).

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP/MPA - focus on information management

Long Term Professional Goals: If I work abroad, I would like to end up in consulting or government affairs offices in the private sector. If I return to my home country, I'd work in the federal government. I'm not sure whether I would like to pursue a PhD in some years.

Schools Applied to & Results: Applied and accepted to:

1. Hertie School of Governance in Berlin MPP - 50% tuition scholarship
2. Erasmus Mundus MPP - Waitlisted for scholarship
3. Syracuse U MPA - 65% all expense scholarship
4. NYU MPA - 30% tuition scholarship
5. UT MPAff - 100% tuition scholarship
6. CMU MSISPM - 60% tuition scholarship

Ultimate Decision & Why: I committed to LBJ School at UT Austin. Unless the European schools offered me a 100% scholarship, I was not going to attend, so I ruled them out. Wagner's MPA was great and its location is awesome in terms of the opportunities it provides, but I just couldn't justify paying 80k more than anywhere else. CMUs program is the best in its category; if I had received more aid or were eligible for loans, I'd attend.

In the end, finances made me narrow my options down to Maxwell and LBJ. While I understand that Maxwell alumni network is really strong, Syracuse U is not as recognized in my country as UT. Furthermore, UTs is a two-year program, so, even if in the end UT is going to cost me around 10k more than Maxwell, I wanted a longer program with internship/work opportunities while attending. Location also played a major part in my decision.

Any advice to Future Applicants?

• Timing is everything. Start early -I missed a couple of deadlines at schools I really wanted to apply because I booked my GRE in mid november (since I'm an international, most deadlines were earlier for me).
• Only apply to schools that, for any reason, you are really interested in attending. If you end up with more than one acceptance, you'll be troubled -but in a good way.
• Choose your recommenders carefully. Not only ask for a letter, but ask for a strong letter. If they can't write it, ask someone else.
• Research the curriculum of each program and if financial aid is important to you (it was for me), do your homework on where to apply. I only did it for the European schools and while I lucked out with the US schools, a more targeted approach would've been better.
• I had very little time to prepare for the GRE, so I was aiming for a 1200. I think if all other parts of your application are stellar, you can get into great programs with that score. Obviously, if you score higher and all other parts of your app are great, you're golden. Don't sell yourself short.
• I was not too concerned with rankings. Where you get your degree will only help to open doors on the first couple of jobs, then you're on your own -with the help of the network you built. And you can network efficiently even if you did not attend top schools, so of course take ranking into consideration for your individual goals, but do not base your decision on where to attend/apply solely on ranking/prestige.
• Finally, enjoy the application process. Think of it as exciting, rather than stressful. Sometimes I thought I was losing it, fortunately, my friends and professors whom I kept in touch from my undergrad kept me on the ground: even if you belong in the academy, grad school is just a small part of your life.

Congrats on making your decision. I'll see you at LBJ!

[sterlingcooperdraperprice]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): William and Mary

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Public Policy and Spanish

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V: 660 Q: 780 AW: 5.5

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 2: AmericorpsVISTA for 1 year, political consulting firm in DC for a few months during election cycle, low income housing redevelopment in DC

Math/Econ Background: 21 credits in Econ undergrad plus 2 statistics courses (short of econometrics)

Foreign Language Background: Studied Spanish in undergrad and spent a semester in Spain

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Health Policy/Social Policy focusing on inequalities

Long Term Professional Goals: Federal level research/reform on these issues

Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: GPPI, GW, American, JHU and U of Maryland - all with some form of funding

Ultimate Decision & Why: GWU Trachtenberg School. I was offered a Graduate Assistantship which sweetened the deal, but I love the location in downtown DC, the flexibility of the program accesses to the fantastic Public Health School, friendliness of students, professors and staff as well as the focus on a culminating project rather than a thesis. The opportunity to do research and have 3/4 of my tuition covered is a huge plus! I already live in Arlington, and am really happy I do not have to move again.

Any advice to Future Applicants? Build relationships with professors as an undergraduate, work for a year or two exploring your interests, and then decide what your dream job would be and where you want to live. Get the degree that makes that happen for you. Study hard for the GRE's. It's a game, but that means there are tools out there to help you succeed. I think GPA, GRE's and LOR have big impact of funding.

[arsenal]

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Mid-size state school/decent, not great reputation

Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA double major Philosophy and Political Science - GPA: 3.3, Relevant Coursework: 3.75

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): V: 590/Q: 740/AW:4

The verbal and AW scores were frustrating. I'm much better at the Verbal parts than that (all of my practice tests were much higher) and I truly do not understand the AW score. Oh well, I did okay anyway!

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 5 total: mixture of teaching English abroad, non-profit work, and environmental protection work.

Math/Econ Background: I had a very weak background in Econ so I took Micro and Macro at the local university. This was hugely important as I did extremely well, got to know the professors well, and got two good LORs out of it! I also took stats in undergrad and did well.

Foreign Language Background: Moderate level of Spanish and Polish

Intended Field of Study in Grad School: MPP with a focus in international policy analysis.

Long Term Professional Goals: State Dept. ideally.

Schools Applied to & Results: Accepted: GPPI, Chicago Harris, SIPA, GW Elliott, NYU, King's College London, UCL Erasmus Mundus

Rejected: Duke Sanford, American SIS - This is a perfect example of how unpredictable admissions can be! How do I get into these other schools but not American?

Ultimate Decision & Why: GPPI! I love the program, location, reputation, and I got some funding from them. Other schools were in the running, but the funding tipped it for me.

Any advice to Future Applicants? You probably aren't the perfect candidate at the beginning of the admissions process (some of you may be, I guess!). The goal is to do what you can to make yourself as close as possible to being a perfect candidate. Taking Econ courses, studying a lot for the GRE (I didn't study for the verbal because I was doing so well until the actual test came!), get good LORs (do so by demonstrating your ambition and clearly explain your goals to the potential writers). My cumulative GPA wasn't amazing, but relevant coursework was great, I have lots of international experience, decent language skills, and a pretty good GRE. Most importantly, though, be very clear in your SOP. They want to see focus and determination. Even if you're not sure what you want to do, pick something close to what you'd like and stick with that for the SOP (they won't make you work in that field upon graduation if you change your mind!) Good luck to all in the future!