The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING

[brianaleighblt]

I don't know if I'm doing this correctly, but what I would do is apply to 1-2 "safety," "semi-reach" and "reach schools."  That way, you are doing a maximum of 6 applications. Also, you never know! There is an issue of Time magazine from last week that discussed the new entrance exams for undergraduates. Schools are changing their entrance rubrics to make the standardized tests worth less. I can't imagine it would be different for the GRE.  You should definitely apply! 

Did I reply to your post correctly? It's embarrassing, but I have no idea how to post in these forums.

 

Are there actually schools in this list that might accept me, or should I set my sights much lower, or even focus on looking for a job?

Program MPP/MPA

Schools Applying To:  UC Berkeley, U Wisconsin, Syracuse, Michigan, U Texas, U New York, UGA, Ohio State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, American University, University of Maryland

Undergraduate institution: Georgia Tech

Undergraduate GPA: 2.5

Undergraduate Majors: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Law Minor

GRE: 168 V, 159 Q, 4.5 Essay

Age:  24 when entering

Years of Work Experience: None

Published Work: "The Bridge over the Abyss", a fantasy novel

Languages: English, Spanish, and basic German

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 

All are internships or part-time.
Developed the Speakeasy, an interface that allows paraplegics and amputees to control touch screens with their breath for less than 200 dollars, and reached the semi-finals of the Georgia Tech Inventure competition

Technology and Development Intern at Vendormate - GHX
Implemented a project to automate manual reports through Tableau Dashboards, added extra measurements to gauge company performance, and saved the company over 200 man-hours per month with this project.

Business Analyst at Eviday Inc. 
Researched competition for a start-up Android loyalty program
Created user stories to capture the eventual experiences of the customer, the clerk, and the business manager. 

Analyst at Dundora Inc. 
Conducted analysis of group-buying products such as Groupon and their various merits and demerits. 

Staff Writer at the Georgia Tech Pioneer 2012-2014
Wrote articles on the current and future state of the biomedical industry as seen through economics, the "America Invents" patent law, manufacturing techniques, software and healthcare, politics, and nanotechnology. 
Wrote profiles on the research activity of professors at Georgia Tech.

Quant Experience: Frequentist Statistics, Quantitative Modeling, Fluid Dynamics, Physiology, Bio-mechanics, Organic Chemistry

Strength of SOP:  My SOP will be focused on my desire to apply engineering and design principles gained from my undergraduate experience to help craft policies that can benefit inventors, and encourage the formation of more alternative energy start-ups. 

Strength of Personal Statement:  I intend to address my low GPA here through my serious and periodic bouts of depression, compounded with a loss of direction in my life midway in my undergraduate career, and the late discovery of the field of public policy as an area where I can apply both my quantitative skills and general creatively to impact people's lives. I also intend to touch on my struggles with severe hearing-impairment, and possibly mention the lessons learned from my immigrant parents from India.  

Strength of LOR: 
1) I have a letter of recommendation ready from my orchestra director, who was in the closest position to view my aid in the transformation of Georgia Tech's orchestra from a side note to one of the strongest ensembles on campus.
2) I intend to earn a letter of recommendation from my American Government professor, who currently works at the Center of Non-Proliferation, and in who's class I did very well.
3) I will have a letter of recommendation from people I've worked for in start-ups. 

Concerns:  I have an embarassingly low GPA and no research experience, and only decided I wanted to work in policy the summer before my final year. These are my two worst qualities, and I am not sure if the difficulty of my degree at Georgia Tech, my life experiences, GRE scores, and written samples will be enough to overcome my setbacks for schools of this level. My quantitative skills are polished from my years at Georgia Tech, and I have shown facility in analyzing statistics, especially in lab groups, but I consider these abilities inferior to my reading comprehension and writing skills. 

Other: I elected to pursue one of the toughest engineering majors at Georgia Tech, one of the toughest engineering schools in the world, without enjoying the subject. Honestly, I chose the major because I wanted a steady job, even though my parents were happy with funding me to study at a liberal arts school.  Most of my time at Tech has been characterized with struggles with depression and resulting lack of motivation and direction, which I only overcame at the beginning of my final year. That being said, my depression can't cover up years of bad school performance. I am mainly posting this to get a feel for how much of a long shot my applied schools are, and to decide whether to put a hold on these applications, aim for lower ranked graduate programs, or go find a job.

Thanks. 

[BushSchoolStudent]

 

Schools I'm aiming toward: La Follette, Humphreys, Bush, Truman, Evans, Portland State. 

The schools fluctuate, but La Follette or Humphreys have consistently been the dream. In addition, getting fellowships/assistantships would be fairly critical. What are the (calculated) probabilities I could get into and get fellowships/assistantships at these schools (top 20) based on this resume, assuming GRE scores within the range of admissions? Advice for how to get into the range of getting assistantships at these schools if I'm not already?? Or is work experience really that overpowering?

Thanks y'all. 

 0

 

•  

Hi CCD2016! I'm currently on an assistantship at the Bush School! If you have any questions about admissions / assistantships / scholarships here feel free to send me a PM and I'll be happy to chat to you

-Jennie

[obrien_blue]

So, I'm making a possibly insane decision to go back to school after what will be 7 years of legal practice, and nearing the end of my debt repayment, but for reasons listed herein (spoiler alert: not because I hate the law), I'm going for it.

Program: MPP

Schools: HKS, UC-Berkeley (Goldman), Michigan, NYU

Undergrad School: Honors College at an SEC Public University (2002)

Undergrad GPA: 3.94 (journalism and political science, summa cum laude)

Notes: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, ran an after school tutoring/mentoring program for at-risk elementary students, mock trial (national team), had two other jobs to pay for my life

JD: Same SEC Public University (Second tier)

JD GPA: 3.45 (cum laude)

Notes: Moot Court (vice-chair; numerous advocacy awards at national level for both writing and oral argument), state bar litigation award

Current Job: USDOJ Trial Attorney, hired through 2009 Honors Program (have been here ever since).  Handle primarily bankruptcy litigation, all appellate lit for three offices.  Will have seven years of federal trial experience by the time I would start back in school.

GRE: Around 160 Q and 165 V.  

Other notes: Exec board member of leading Alzheimer's Association fundraiser in the state for three+ years, member of the board for leading education policy non-profit in the state for five years (board chair for 1.5 years, during which time our capital quintupled), adult kickball team captain (seriously.  It's fun).

Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement: I love the law.  I love being a lawyer.  But the march through the Justice System is too slow for some things, and growing up in the poorest region of one of (if not the) poorest states in the country, then following that up with six+ years of bankruptcy litigation during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression has made me realize that I want to do something more than what I'm currently able to do with my JD alone.  I anticipate that I'd want to focus on domestic economic development/poverty reform.

LORs: executive director of aforementioned education non-profit (and HKS alum), law professor who has been my mentor through my career (HKS alum), and my immediate supervisor

Am I insane?  Should I broaden my school list?  I really want places that have strong interests in domestic policy, so that's why I've chosen the ones I have.  I also don't want to take on a whole lot more debt (I got out of law school with relatively manageable debt, due to staying in state at my original alma mater), so any notes on what that profile would look like for funding purposes would also be great!

[chocolatecheesecake]

o'brien_blue, you have a really strong profile! I think the JD to MPP degree is not as rare as you think, but definitely less traveled. I also know quite a few people in my cohort well into their 30s, so don't fret about being the oldest either. Your work experience, fields of interest, GRE scores, and SOP story should make you quite competitive for funding, IMHO. I would also suggest you consider Duke, which I'm certainly biased on. It has both domestic and international strengths. =) I think it's okay to have a relatively small list of schools, because you know what you really want. I would suggest you look even closer into the kinds of programs these schools run - for example, HKS and Goldman look very, very different in terms of cohort size, core requirements, student activities, etc., etc. 

[sp108]

@‌manutdftw I got 158q/154v...I tried studying for a GRE retake but I just couldn't find the time due to work, other commitments.  I figured I hit my peak.  But I am going to apply and see what happens!  I just do not feel like taking them again for any reason whatsoever.  I am going to solely concentrate on my essays and see if that helps!  Considering we have work experience, we are able to speak more to that in the essays.  Not everyone is going to perform well at standardized tests.  I plan to address my GRE scores in the optional essays...on there we can mention our lower GRE scores.  I, for example, have to do a lot of writing and documenting at my work.  So I can mention those things to address my lower GRE verbal score.

 

p.s. Good luck to us on Sunday against City!

Edited October 23, 2015 by sp108

[ajak568]

 

 

 0

 

 

Obrien_blue,

Have you given WWS a look? I would recommend it. Like. Seriously. I'm not on the admissions board or anything, but I it sounds like you might be a strong candidate for the program. (Stronger than I was, for sure!) I'm a first year at WWS, and I think the MPA program (or maybe even the mid-career MPP program?) may fit what you're looking for. WWS is a small school, but has both international relations and domestic policy concentrations and it's not uncommon for lawyers to come through the program or for MPA students to seek a dual MPA/JD with Princeton and another university. Princeton has a Law and Public Affairs (LAPA) organization on campus that is geared toward policy students. (You can Google and find out some info about it!) As an added bonus, if you get in, WWS provides financial aid for the vast majority of its students so -- zero debt for graduate school!

I mean, I've only been in the program for a couple months, but I could gush to you about it if you have any questions.

Edited October 23, 2015 by ajak568

[Elvidi]

Alright, I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon as I'm currently procrastinating working on applications!

 

Program Applied To: IR Masters 

Schools Applying To: GWU Elliott - MA Global Comms,Tufts Fletcher (MYF) - MALD, LSE - MSc Global Politics

Undergraduate institution: Decently-ranked (but not top-tier!) public university (Class of 2016)

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

Undergraduate Majors: International Affairs (candidate for honors), German Studies; also a Certificate in Middle East and Islamic Studies

GRE: 149 quantitative/162 verbal/5.5 written (planning to retake)

Age: 23 at entry

Future Goals: to study and ultimately work in leveraging public diplomacy and communication for civil society development in fragile and post-conflict states

Work Experience: a hodgepodge of internships - a political campaign (4 months, 40-50hrs/week), a service learning internship in Israel (5 weeks, ~10 hrs/week), an advocacy internship for a development org in DC (semester, full-time), and a development & outreach internship with a local nonprofit (summer, full-time)

Languages: German (proficient - formal instruction through C1 + in-country experience), Arabic (MSA, lower intermediate - currently in 5th semester of formal instruction)

International Experience: Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship program in high school; semester in Germany (took the equivalent of 36 credits in 5 months) and summer seminar in Israel during college

Quantitative Experience: Coursework in Macro- and Microeconomics, Quant. Research Methods

 

SOP: At this point it could honestly go either way. Focusing on my international experiences as the foundation for my interest in intercultural communication and public diplomacy and talking about my undergraduate thesis research.

LOR: one strong rec from a teacher/advisor/mentor from my DC semester, professional rec from development director at small nonprofit (her evaluation of my skills will be strong, but it wasn't an internship directly related to IR so that might weaken it a bit), and academic recs from the two profs on my thesis committee

 

Other: I know that applying straight out of undergrad isn't necessarily the best choice, but I'm applying to these programs plus nonacademic fellowships, internships, etc - just keeping my options open for post-graduation! I'm also debating whether I should play up my current position as the president of a student advocacy group - I'm afraid this will make it sound like I don't have skills outside a campus context.

 

Thanks for any input! It's greatly appreciated.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Elvidi

[pubpol101]

Hey all, I’m applying to a number of public policy programs, but I’m particularly concerned about Princeton’s WWS school since I need to be admitted to a fully-funded program. That’s the only program I’m asking particular questions about, though you can give an overall evaluation if you’d like.

Program Applied To: Public Policy/Public Affairs

Schools Applying To: Princeton WWS, among others

Undergraduate institution: Public university—ranked 150ish according to US News and World Report

Undergraduate GPA: 3.77

Undergraduate Majors: Biomedical sciences

GRE: 165 quantitative/164 verbal, written pending

Age: 20 (completing undergrad in 2 years; will have completed just 1.5 years of undergrad by time of application)

Work Experience: various internships. Research on Boko Haram received strongly positive responses from US Central Command, SOCOM, State Dept., etc. Did some at #1 think tank in Bolivia  (INESAD). Biophysics at university research. My best work experience however comes from writing—I’ve written for the Huffington Post and many other outlets, where my articles have led to fact-based public retractions for original sources used by outlets like the Washington Post. They’ve engaged scholars at Harvard, the Brookings Institution, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and more. Some other “work” done via on-campus fundraising/awareness campaigns via the Borgen Project and ONE campaign campus presidencies.

Languages: NA

International Experience: NA

Quantitative Experience: Top AP scores in macro, microeconomics, Calculus AB/BC, statistics

SOP: Pending, though I’ve written SOPs that have gotten me interviews with a US-UK Fulbright Summer Institute

LOR: 3 professor recs (1 supervisor for Boko Haram research; 1 philosophy professor, likely very strong and personal; 1 chemistry professor, likely fairly strong; I haven’t read any of them however)

Awards: Nothing national unfortunately. Various school awards (e.g. one for extraordinary leadership--50 selected from class of 3,000).

Edited October 24, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[Ben414]

Hey all, I’m applying to a number of public policy programs, but I’m particularly concerned about Princeton’s WWS school since I need to be admitted to a fully-funded program. That’s the only program I’m asking particular questions about, though you can give an overall evaluation if you’d like.

Program Applied To: Public Policy/Public Affairs

Schools Applying To: Princeton WWS, among others

Undergraduate institution: Public university—ranked 150ish according to US News and World Report

Undergraduate GPA: 3.77

Undergraduate Majors: Biomedical sciences

GRE: 165 quantitative/164 verbal, written pending

Age: 20 (completing undergrad in 2 years; will have completed just 1.5 years of undergrad by time of application)

Work Experience: various internships. Research on Boko Haram received strongly positive responses from US Central Command, SOCOM, State Dept., etc. Did some at #1 think tank in Bolivia  (INESAD). Biophysics at university research. My best work experience however comes from writing—I’ve written for the Huffington Post and many other outlets, where my articles have led to fact-based public retractions for original sources used by outlets like the Washington Post. They’ve engaged scholars at Harvard, the Brookings Institution, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and more. Some other “work” done via on-campus fundraising/awareness campaigns via the Borgen Project and ONE campaign campus presidencies.

Languages: NA

International Experience: NA

Quantitative Experience: Top AP scores in macro, microeconomics, Calculus AB/BC, statistics

SOP: Pending, though I’ve written SOPs that have gotten me interviews with a US-UK Fulbright Summer Institute

LOR: 3 professor recs (1 supervisor for Boko Haram research; 1 philosophy professor, likely very strong and personal; 1 chemistry professor, likely fairly strong; I haven’t read any of them however)

Awards: Nothing national unfortunately. Various school awards (e.g. one for extraordinary leadership--50 selected from class of 3,000).

You have a unique enough profile that it's going to be hard to give an accurate evaluation.  Your age and lack of full-time professional work experience will definitely be a negative, but your internships/writing experience sound like they might be impressive.  What role did you play in the Boko Haram research?  By your writing, what do you mean by "they've engaged scholars?"

Even more important than those reasons, though: what do you hope to get out of grad school, and why is now the best time for you to go?  Princeton will have no problem rejecting you if you can't produce a strong answer for these two questions.

[pubpol101]

You have a unique enough profile that it's going to be hard to give an accurate evaluation.  Your age and lack of full-time professional work experience will definitely be a negative, but your internships/writing experience sound like they might be impressive.  What role did you play in the Boko Haram research?  By your writing, what do you mean by "they've engaged scholars?"

Even more important than those reasons, though: what do you hope to get out of grad school, and why is now the best time for you to go?  Princeton will have no problem rejecting you if you can't produce a strong answer for these two questions.

I see. Thanks for your input. Main thing here is that I want to highlight any particular weaknesses other the obvious work experience deficit, which you pointed out in your final two questions. For the research with Boko Haram, I compiled Nigeria-wide analysis on a weekly basis for State Dept/SOCOM/etc. that was developed into a bimonthly report. This was a collaborative initiative with nine other researchers. One half (my half) of the team focused on general governance, corruption, development, etc. while the other half focused on developments on the military situation. By "engaged scholars" I mean that my essays have been featured by organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

My essays will very likely focus on 1) the specific perspectives at Princeton (e.g. specific professors, courses, extracurriculars) and 2) how I'm hoping to translate my work with the media and think tanks into a more direct and specific way to shape real policy. The issue of certainty (scientific, due to moral concerns) would also be a key issue--knowing how to be prepared to prevent any potential failures prior to entering the full time workforce. Do you think these central ideas would suffice, barring any issues with my delivery? My initial thoughts on your final question was that now is certainly the best time to go, as it's simply a logical way to prepare prior to entering the workforce, with a degree of certainty that my background will truly contribute to the field. But with everyone's feedback, I'm having second thoughts on this narrative since work experience that truly grounds SOPs seems to be practically universal here.

Edited October 25, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[Ben414]

I see. Thanks for your input. Main thing here is that I want to highlight any particular weaknesses other the obvious work experience deficit, which you pointed out in your final two questions. For the research with Boko Haram, I compiled Nigeria-wide analysis on a weekly basis for State Dept/SOCOM/etc. that was developed into a bimonthly report. This was a collaborative initiative with nine other researchers. One half (my half) of the team focused on general governance, corruption, development, etc. while the other half focused on developments on the military situation. By "engaged scholars" I mean that my essays have been featured by organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

My essays will very likely focus on 1) the specific perspectives at Princeton (e.g. specific professors, courses, extracurriculars) and 2) how I'm hoping to translate my work with the media and think tanks into a more direct and specific way to shape real policy. The issue of certainty (scientific, due to moral concerns) would also be a key issue--knowing how to be prepared to prevent any potential failures prior to entering the full time workforce. Do you think these central ideas would suffice, barring any issues with my delivery? My initial thoughts on your final question was that now is certainly the best time to go, as it's simply a logical way to prepare prior to entering the workforce, with a degree of certainty that my background will truly contribute to the field. But with everyone's feedback, I'm having second thoughts on this narrative since work experience that truly grounds SOPs seems to be practically universal here.

I think there are a number of advantages to getting work first.  One, it increases your chances of being accepted.  What you stated about it grounding your SOP fits in here.  Two, some of the positions you may want to apply for out of grad school by require years of work experience in that area.  The MPP/MPA is not required in the same way as a JD or MD, so having that prior work experience can help you land a better job out of the gate.  Three, it can help you narrow in on your areas of interest/what kind of job you would want from the degree.  This can help you take full advantage of your two years, and it can prevent you from focusing on a area/job that you won't like in the real world.

I'm not an expert on what constitutes excellent answers to those two questions, but your answers seem like they might be good enough.  Maybe another member with more knowledge in this area can step in to give you more advice.

Because you have a unique profile, I can't really estimate what your chances are of being accepted at WWS.  WWS does accept a small amount of people without full-time work experience, so I think you have a chance.  If it were me and I felt very confident that I knew what I wanted to do, I would apply
 now.  Worst-case scenario, you get some work experience and then reapply next year.

[manutdftw]

@‌manutdftw I got 158q/154v...I tried studying for a GRE retake but I just couldn't find the time due to work, other commitments.  I figured I hit my peak.  But I am going to apply and see what happens!  I just do not feel like taking them again for any reason whatsoever.  I am going to solely concentrate on my essays and see if that helps!  Considering we have work experience, we are able to speak more to that in the essays.  Not everyone is going to perform well at standardized tests.  I plan to address my GRE scores in the optional essays...on there we can mention our lower GRE scores.  I, for example, have to do a lot of writing and documenting at my work.  So I can mention those things to address my lower GRE verbal score.

 

p.s. Good luck to us on Sunday against City!

@sp108, thanks for the reply. Yes, it's a good idea to talk about your lower GRE scores if you think it's needed on the additional essay part. I probably won't do that since I don't want to make any excuses. My scores are in the median range for most entering classes and they are what they are! I just don't feel like it's worth it to retake them for the additional 2 points. ps a pretty boring game today. It's gonna be a close league this year.

Anyone else? Any feedback? 

Edited October 25, 2015 by manutdftw

[chocolatecheesecake]

@sp108, thanks for the reply. Yes, it's a good idea to talk about your lower GRE scores if you think it's needed on the additional essay part. I probably won't do that since I don't want to make any excuses. My scores are in the median range for most entering classes and they are what they are! I just don't feel like it's worth it to retake them for the additional 2 points. ps a pretty boring game today. It's gonna be a close league this year.

Anyone else? Any feedback? 

I suggest re-taking the GRE. It's one of those tests you can really learn how to take, and I think some more test prep could significantly improve your performance. Your own goals are good goals that will probably get you accepted with the rest of your work experience and profile, but even higher scores (low to mid 160s) can make you very competitive for better funding. Aim high, and don't undersell yourself! 

Hey all, I’m applying to a number of public policy programs, but I’m particularly concerned about Princeton’s WWS school since I need to be admitted to a fully-funded program. That’s the only program I’m asking particular questions about, though you can give an overall evaluation if you’d like.

You sound pretty competitive, which is great. My advice is that as long as you're really interested in going to grad school and only secondarily interested in not going into too much debt, you should apply to all the schools you are strongly interested in. Most schools have one or two full-ride scholarships and some well-subsidized funds. USC and Duke are two schools that do typically shell out a lot of money. (Private schools have a leg up on this, no surprise.) Restricting yourself to typically fully-funded programs really narrows your field, and as long as you do want to go to grad school, you should open yourself up to more opportunities on the front end, and evaluate them critically on the basis of how much aid you get on the back end. Good luck!

[sp108]

@‌manutdftw good point on the essays, thanks!

[ajak568]

Program (MPA(affairs)/MPP)

Schools Applying To:  Princeton WWS, Harvard HKS, and UC-Berkeley Goldman

Undergraduate institution: The New School

Undergraduate GPA: 3.8 (includes average 3.8 on 5 graduate courses taken during undergrad, which include 'International Human Rights Law', 'Critical Security Studies', 'Social Entrepreneurship', 'Displacement, Asylum, and Migration, and Human Rights Research and Advocacy Methods')

Undergraduate Majors: Global Studies (Rights, Justice, Governance) with minor in Journalism + Design

GRE: I am taking it soon. Currently scoring around 155-158 quant and 158-162 verbal on practice tests. 

Age:  22 when entering

Years of Work Experience: None, but 'prestigious' internships

Published Work: Hurwitz, Storm. "From Churches to Mosques: We Need to Include Every Faith Community in the Fight Against HIV." Poz Magazine, 2015.

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 

-Global Strategy Intern, DoSomething.org (part-time internship where I managed a strategic partnership with a not-for-profit in Ghana, designed and created a Global Youth Advisory Board, surveyed 100,000+ members on global systemic issues and presented a DoSomething.org action plan, and created all global response campaigns)

-Host Country Affairs Intern, United States Mission to the United Nations (full-time internship where I archived 4,000 pages of documents and created a memorandum that is serving as guidance for US Ambassadors regarding Travel Restrictions placed on DPRK, Cuba, Syria, Iran, Russia, and PRC) 

-Assistant Producer of University Showcases, Telsey + Company Casting (part-time job for over 2 years)

-Crisis Counselor, Crisis Text Line (certified Crisis Counselor with over 30 hours of training. Serve as a Crisis Counselor weekly)

-Public Policy & Affairs Intern, Gay Men's Health Crisis (wrote public comments on the NY Medical Marijuana Bill)

-Paralegal Intern, Children's Rights

-Legal Intern under Judge Felicia A. Mennin, A.J.S.C., New York City Criminal Court

-Policy Intern, Midtown Community Court

Languages: French (intermediate)

Quant: Micro, Macro, Stats with SPSS, Quant. Methods

Strength of SOP: I plan to focus my SOP on my experience on insight gained from co-facilitating cognitive behavioral group therapy with ex-convict and non-custodial fathers and interviews conducted with GMHC clients, who were HIV positive. My SOP is focused on my desire to move into Domestic Policy (Urban/Health/LGBTQ-focused). 

Strength of LOR: 

LOR 1: The Chief of the Counterterrorism & Sanctions Unit @ US Mission to the UN, a WWS alum, who negotiated the Iran Nuclear Deal with Kerry (known for over 1 year will use for all applications)

LOR 2: The Chief of the Research Unit @ US Mission to the UN, a UC-Berk a PhD alum (for UC-Berk app)

LOR 3: Director of Public Policy & Affairs @ Gay Men's Health Crisis, an MPA alum (will write LOR for HKS/WWS)

LOR 4: Professor of Legal Studies @ The New School, wife of the President of TNS and past-director of Int'l Human Rights Law Clinic at Northwestern Law School (Will write academic LOR for WWS/UC-Berk)

LOR 5: Professor of Religious Studies @ The New School, Harvard Divinity Alum (will write academic LOR for HKS)

Concerns: Lack of full-time work experience. GRE scores being below median. 

Other: Semi-finalist for Point Foundation (re-applying this year), Co-Chair of University Government, member of University Security Advisory Committee, University-wide Student Leader of the Year Award, and  member of the University Disciplinary Review Panel

I would recommend adding some safety schools as well. Your application has some strong facets, but when it comes to admissions in programs like HKS/WWS/Goldman, you never know! Also, there are other solid quant programs (Ford School, Sanford School) that can give you a really good basis in policy analysis that are easier to get into (and get funding!).

[rgm56]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here after discovering the grad cafe.  I fall into the typical student who wants to be ruthlessly evaluated to see if I stand a chance at getting into my desired program...

Program: MPP 

School Applying to: Michigan, USC, still looking for safety schools

Undergrad Institution: Texas State University

Undergrad GPA: 3.77

Major/Minor: History/Political Science

GRE: ???? Test date is November 14th. 

Age: 23

Years of Work Experience: 2

Published Work: None

Languages: French, certified to conduct business in French 

Other: National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Specialist. Member of my university's Organization of American States team. Just to clarify, it's like a Model United Nations but in the Western Hemisphere.

Work Experience: I previously worked with a university program that partnered with the city my university is based in. This program sought to implement health policy with faculty and staff at my university. They were given access to free group exercise classes and nutrition demos. Every few months objective assessments were ran on the clients to see if the program was working in order to request more funding. After leaving my old work I started my own small online and in person personal training business and am still running it.

Quant Experience: One Stats course in undergrad.

Strength of LoR 1: Professor who went to Michigan and has a firm grasp on my writing and critical thinking abilities.

Strength of LoR 2: Chair of Business Department at my school and was a client of mine for over a year.

Strength of LoR 3: Chair of French Department at my school, watched me go from not knowing French to a working professional knowledge of it in 2.5 years.

Concerns: My GRE scores will probably be a little low (around 159 verbal, 158 quant). I also worry my work experience is not serious enough for a program as selective as Michigan.

Edited October 27, 2015 by rgm56

[sp108]

I would recommend adding some safety schools as well. Your application has some strong facets, but when it comes to admissions in programs like HKS/WWS/Goldman, you never know! Also, there are other solid quant programs (Ford School, Sanford School) that can give you a really good basis in policy analysis that are easier to get into (and get funding!).

I live in NC and despite the ideal location of Duke, I ruled it out solely because of the fact that it's definitely not a quant program..

[wanderlust_0]

Hi guys! I don't have much of an idea of how competitive I am for programs out there, so I was thinking I'd throw out my stats and hear some feedback! Thanks in advance for help

Program: MPP/MPA/MALD etc

School Applying to: UC Berkeley Goldman, Tufts Fletcher, Columbia SIPA, etc, all for their environmental policy concentrations

Undergrad Institution: a top LAC

Undergrad GPA: 3.4

Major/Minor: Economics & biology

GRE: 167 V/170 Q/ 5.5 writing

Age: 22

Years of Work Experience: 1 year by next fall

Published Work: None

Languages: Mandarin

Other:

Work Experience: research experience at uni and at fairly well known government consultancy

Quant Experience: Econometrics, linear alg, AP math creds

Strength of LoR 1: Econ prof, should be decent

Strength of LoR 2: Probably another econ prof, I only took one course with this prof but he seemed to like me? I loved the course

Strength of LoR 3: Haven't thought this far yet

Concerns: GPA, lack of quant background

[went_away]

Hi guys! I don't have much of an idea of how competitive I am for programs out there, so I was thinking I'd throw out my stats and hear some feedback! Thanks in advance for help

Program: MPP/MPA/MALD etc

School Applying to: UC Berkeley Goldman, Tufts Fletcher, Columbia SIPA, etc, all for their environmental policy concentrations

Undergrad Institution: a top LAC

Undergrad GPA: 3.4

Major/Minor: Economics & biology

GRE: 167 V/170 Q/ 5.5 writing

Age: 22

Years of Work Experience: 1 year by next fall

Published Work: None

Languages: Mandarin

Other:

Work Experience: research experience at uni and at fairly well known government consultancy

Quant Experience: Econometrics, linear alg, AP math creds

Strength of LoR 1: Econ prof, should be decent

Strength of LoR 2: Probably another econ prof, I only took one course with this prof but he seemed to like me? I loved the course

Strength of LoR 3: Haven't thought this far yet

Concerns: GPA, lack of quant background

GPA is a bit problematic, but you'll get credit for solid majors. For most schools, work experience trumps all else. They want successful graduates who will be employed by or shortly after graduation, not disgruntled burn-outs. If you are currently employed at the 'well known government consultancy' (ie it's a real, permanent job) and your function is even vaguely related to your desired career goals, I'm gonna guess you'll have a better than even shot at Fletcher/SIPA types (I don't know anything about Goldman). If your work experience is more on the internship level (unless we're talking truly name-brands eg CFR) absent stellar test scores/GPA, you may need to get a little more work experience under your belt.  

[chocolatecheesecake]

I live in NC and despite the ideal location of Duke, I ruled it out solely because of the fact that it's definitely not a quant program..

I respectfully disagree with that assessment. I think Sanford is known for its domestic policy and national security focuses, but it definitely also gives you a thorough grounding in quant. Sanford has a core curriculum that is as rigorous as most highly-ranked MPP programs and requires all students to take two semesters of both statistics and microeconomics unless you test out of one of them. That's the same number of quantitative courses as required by Goldman, WWS, and HKS. There are many more quantitative classes you can take on top of that, of course. I'm a current second-year, and some of my friends are taking two cost-benefit analysis classes this semester, which speaks to how many we offer overall here. I was told by potential employers that they thought I was covering quite advanced material in stats. Not to mention the fact that my classes prepared me well for a quantitative internship where I ran t-tests with STATA all summer! If you're applying for next year, I highly suggest you take another look at Sanford, and considering your location, maybe come for a visit! (We don't bite.)

[Colocho]

Program: MA in IR, MPA

School Applying to: WWS, SAIS, Fletcher

Undergrad Institution: Large state public

Undergrad GPA: 3.91, with honors.

Major/Minor: Double major in Anthropology and International Relations, focus on Economic Development. Thesis topic: The Double Bottom Line of Microfinance in Guatemala: Economic Development and Implementation of the 1996 Peace Accords

GRE: 158 V, 159 Q, 6 Writing

Age: 26

Years of Work Experience: 4 years. 

Published Work: None

Languages: Spanish

Other:

Work Experience: Internship with microfinance agency in Latin America during study abroad in college. First year out of college with an environmental NGO, and since then working for a human rights/advocacy NGO in Latin America for 2 years, living in rural communities with human rights defenders, aiding them with legal proceedings for human rights abuses in front of the inter-american system of human rights. First year was in the field, the second was in the office in the capital city doing more advocacy/communications type work. The last year teaching English in Latin America.

Quant Experience: Took AP Stats and AP Calc in high school. Got college credit, but bad grades (A in stats, Bs in Calc). Intro to macro economics, and advanced level agriculture and resource economics.

Strength of LoR 1: From the NGO that I worked with in Latin America. I think it will be good, probably not outstanding.

Strength of LoR 2: From a professor with whom I wrote my thesis. Good, not exceptional.

Strength of LoR 3: One of a handful of other professors, good, not anything exceptional.

Concerns: GRE scores, lack of quant experience, LORs. I write well and have a great policy memo for WWS, my SOPs will be great and unique. I'm confident about my chances at SAIS/Fletcher, but $ is a concern. Don't want to go heavily into debt for a MA. Are my goals too lofty?

I'm also worried about the institutional culture at top IR institutions. SAIS seems like a trade school in some respects (pumping out state department, world bank employees), and I'm worried that I won't fit in politically. I tend to be very critical of institutional development initiatives, and the neo-liberal economic models upon which they are founded. I've seen first hand how they, more often than not, simply don't work. I've seen many more harmful effects of World Bank projects than benefits (harmful as in complicit in genocide, literally). Trade agreements generally seem to streamline human rights abuses. Aid packages generally seem to be politically motivated and benefit business interests over promoting the wellbeing of the people they are supposedly helping. Free market to me means economic imperialism. While I feel like the education will be helpful in allowing me to understand and construct policy, and the quant focus at SAIS for example will be helpful to the extent that it will allow be to be fluent in the language and critique what I see. I've been in what I guess are politically radical circles in Latin America, and I'm worried that I will be intellectually isolated at top IR programs.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Colocho

[ajak568]

I respectfully disagree with that assessment. I think Sanford is known for its domestic policy and national security focuses, but it definitely also gives you a thorough grounding in quant. Sanford has a core curriculum that is as rigorous as most highly-ranked MPP programs and requires all students to take two semesters of both statistics and microeconomics unless you test out of one of them. That's the same number of quantitative courses as required by Goldman, WWS, and HKS. There are many more quantitative classes you can take on top of that, of course. I'm a current second-year, and some of my friends are taking two cost-benefit analysis classes this semester, which speaks to how many we offer overall here. I was told by potential employers that they thought I was covering quite advanced material in stats. Not to mention the fact that my classes prepared me well for a quantitative internship where I ran t-tests with STATA all summer! If you're applying for next year, I highly suggest you take another look at Sanford, and considering your location, maybe come for a visit! (We don't bite.)

Cosign, I definitely couldn't have said it better. Duke was on my shortlist for grad school decisions, and for anybody looking for a quant program, I'd definitely give Duke a good look.

[Meghna296]

Hi Everyone,

I am interested in MPP programs with courses focussing on Economic Development. 

Please could someone tell me how important is work experience in getting into a good MPP program? I graduated in 2014 from a top institution having majored in Economics. I went on to work for a year at a hedge fund. I have 3 internships and several volunteering experiences during my undergrad. 

I fear that I have limited work experience which might put me at a disadvantage compared to many other applicants who apply.

Any inputs on this?

[internationalaffiars88]

 

I am really desperate for some brutal honesty from strangers please!! Like everyone, I want to know if I am competitive for top international affairs masters programs, and if I am not, I would really appreciate some recommendations on safety schools where I definitely would have a good shot at admission that I could consider!

My first choice is Columbia SIPA MIA, concentration in Int Finance and Econ Policy, and since I know it's tough to get into Columbia even if you have the perfect profile (just a matter of space), I really also like Fordham's IPED program. I feel like my background is a bit of a mixed bag (some very positive aspects, and a few particularly negative aspects ), so I am really unsure how I stack up. Thanks in advance for taking a look and any advice you can give!

First Undergraduate Degree: Univ of Delaware – Graduated Jan, 2011

-GPA: 2.6 (Might as well not beat around the bush and start with the most obvious blemish, but I think (and hope) that what follows below will help make up for this.. again don't hesitate to let me know if I am wrong!!)

-Major - Mechanical Engineering

-Minors - Mathematics, Economics, and Civil Engineering

-Extra-curricular activities/ awards: none

If goes without saying that I was not very mature while in college, only doing the bare minimum necessary to pass my classes. I will address this immaturity in my application in the “extra statement paper” option, but I don't have a good "excuse" (like a serious illness or hardship of any kind), I was just foolish. I hope that the admissions committees at least take into consideration that a 2.6 in mechanical engineering, in my opinion, is still a more impressive GPA than a 3.0+ in many other majors (I won’t name which ones as to not offend anyone’s sensibilities).

Any thoughts? Agree? Disagree? "A 2.6 ? fugetaboutit..." All comments are welcome.

Work Experience:

-Following graduation lived and worked in Mexico City for 4 years on a financial technology start-up. It wasn't my idea and I am not a "founder" but I played a major role in getting the venture off the ground and I'm still the 4th largest stakeholder today (in the beginning everyone was paid in equity since we had very little funding, and I invested some of my own money as well). The company was nothing when I moved to Mexico City (the team was a very small group of entrepreneurs between 3 and 10 depending on at what point in time you measure, and who qualifies as "part of the team"), but has had some impressive accomplishments since, including a $10mm Series A financing with a group of high-profile angels led by the former CEO and Chairman of Citigroup, and most recently an executed $10mm Series B term sheet with a $2billion publicly traded company in our space (still in due-diligence process).

-During a period of time when the company was particularly financially stressed (there were many moments of financial stress in the beginning, but this period was really bad), I returned home for about 6 months to take a job as a senior financial analyst at a local medium size non-profit (about a $20mm dollar non-profit), but it was basically a second full-time job because I never stopped working for the start-up (as is typical in the world of start-ups, I was broke and simply needed the cash). Once the startup regained a financial footing, I quit (amicably) and moved back to Mexico.

So my work experience I believe is pretty unique, impressive, and very in-line with what Columbia’s SIPA seems to look for in their applicants, significant (4 years in my case) real-world international experience, no?

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

Second Undergraduate Degree: Rutgers – Expected graduation Aug, 2016

GPA – TBD (but it should be very good, let’s say 3.7+)

Major – Economics

Extra-curricular/Awards – Model UN, Debate Team, and Economics Honors Society. (I have made a point to get involved at school this time around). No awards yet, but hopefully I will have some soon.

So realizing my undergraduate GPA was clearly going to be an issue, I decided the best way I could prove that I have significantly matured was to return to school and prove it. I moved back from Mexico in august to begin school this fall semester and because of the economics minor at Udel, I can complete the economics degree in less than a year (using transfer credits).

When I apply this winter, they will have my fall semester results which I believe will be, barring any disaster on my finals, straight A's (or very close). I am taking 6 courses, 18 credits, and they are not in "basket weaving" type classes: two 400/300-level courses in math department (probability theory and linear optimization), three 300-level courses in econ department (econometrics, int econ, and comparative econ systems), and lastly Stat II which, and hopefully I don't come off as arrogant, is rather trivial but is necessary to complete the degree. It could have been worse but luckily I was able to talk my way out of having to take Stat I, even though I have never taken any formal statistics course.

They won't have my spring results, but they will see another 6 course, 18-credit course load, 5 of which will be challenging senior level math and econ courses (the sixth will be a "breadth requirement" necessary to complete the degree). Of course, if I am accepted, they are likely to check-up on those results once they become available (which is fine, I have no intentions to slack off whether I am accepted or not).

Thoughts on the second degree and a high GPA kind-of/maybe/sort-of making up for the dismal results the first time around? Maybe just a little? Or maybe there is simply no making up for a 2.6 GPA?

GRE

12/2014- Verbal – 166 (96%), Quant – 165 (90%), Writing – 4.5 (80%)

11/2014- Verbal – 164 (94%), Quant – 164 (88%), Writing – 5.0 (93%)

I am taking it one last time in early January because I think I can do better on the quant. A lot of what I have learned this semester in school is actually very applicable to what they test on the GRE, so it should help. Hopefully I can get the quant into the 95%+ percentile.

Any thoughts on submitting multiple test scores? Columbia says on the website that they will consider the best score from each section, not just the best single set of scores from one test, but I find it hard to believe. I don’t mean to say it is a lie, just that it’s impossible to ‘un-see’ things. We’re all human. For example, would it make sense to submit the 11/2014 results, just so they see a 5.0 on the writing (which is generally considered to be the least relevant section), but risk them seeing (and not being able to omit from consideration because they are human) the slightly worse scores on verbal/quant?

So my scores are definitely in "the range", no? Or would I need a 180 (not a typo) on both sections to make up for a 2.6?

Language

I lived in Mexico for 4 years so my Spanish is quite good (native speakers often tell me I am fluent, but I don’t know if I would say fluent just yet).

If you have read this far, wow, and thanks!! And if you go as far to lay some brutal honesty on me, it will be so incredibly appreciated.

Also, I realize that even if my background was perfect, it’s kind of a crap-shoot with these top schools because there are just too many good applicants, and too few seats. So, if anyone has some safety schools they would recommend, that would be great as well.

Thanks!! And best of luck to everyone!

 

Edited November 21, 2015 by internationalaffiars88

[StyLeD]

@internationalaffiars88 I think you are over-stressing your first undergraduate results. From your GRE scores, work experience, and second undergraduate scores, I think you will be a strong candidate, provided you craft a compelling SOP and secure three solid LORs.

Columbia SIPA is not an exceptionally difficult school to get into (around a 40% acceptance rate per semester), but that's because (according to general consensus) it gives less financial aid than the average graduate IR program. As a result, I imagine that many admitted candidates choose not to attend SIPA because they cannot afford 100k+ in student loan debt. Cast a wide net to catch the richest fish, I suppose. If you have enough saved to attend regardless of aid, then you can rest easy.

If, however, you would like to be considered for 1st-year or 2-year funding, I would focus on raising your GPA at Rutgers and acing the GREs. Several students in Fall 2015 received 70k+ packages, which I imagine can only happen if you are truly a stellar applicant. I think you've demonstrated enough maturity and personal growth to be competitive for aid - perhaps not 70k+, but something to show you're a cut above the other accepted students. 

Do a lot of research into which combination of specialization and concentration would best assist you moving forward. Answer the prompt, and make sure you talk about why you want to apply to SIPA, and why right now. You have the background and the scores. All you have to do is make sure you come across as mature and focused in your SOP and LORs.