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

[MalenkiiMalchik]

Hi,

I'm hoping that this is the right place for this. I'm planning on applying to an MPP program, and while I'm sure that there are some schools out there that would take me, I'm having a hard time 'placing' myself. That is, I'm not sure which schools are out of my league, which I should apply for, and which I shouldn't bother with. Any advice on this or on otherwise bolstering my profile would really be appreciated.

-

Program: MPP

Education: Undergrad at Oberlin College, 3.2 GPA, Major in Russian/Eastern European Studies. (Bonus: Middlebury Summer Language Intensive, studied abroad at the Bard/Smolny program in St. Petersburg)

GRE: I haven't taken it yet, but my most recent practice test score was 166 quant, 162 reading. None of my essays have been judged, but I'm fairly confident in my writing.

Work Experience: I'm a little worried that this lets me down. I spent ~1 year in ESL administration (in the US), ~1 year in marketing and 5 months in a FOIA journalism internship. After this, I lived abroad for almost a year in New Delhi (with my folks), doing a little bit of freelance journalism, a brief internship with Reuters India, volunteering at a dog shelter, travelling, and preparing for the GRE. I'm moving to DC now, and plan to find a job doing policy research or (ideally) writing for a policy org. The only plus is that a lot of my (handful of) published work is mostly policy oriented.

Language: I speak and read decent Russian, but it would be a stretch to call me fluent. I also took a little Hindi in Delhi, but my Hindi isn't even conversational.

Additional Questions:

1. First and foremost for me is getting a sense as to which schools I'm qualified for, and how qualified. (i.e. Which programs are a reach? Which are safe? Where would a student like me normally find himself?)

2. I'm particularly interested in innovation policy. I read Mazzucato's The Entrepreneurial State when it came out, and it really helped to solidify what I want to accomplish with public policy. Are there any schools that would be particularly well-matched for this focus?

3. I've read that I'll need economics and probably statistics. Really kicking myself for not planning my career better while I was still in school. I've heard that some schools will accept you provisional on your completing pre-req courses before matriculating. Is that something to bank on, or should I take the classes first and apply in a year? (I'm already 26 and looking at starting a program at 27, so I'm a little unhappy at that prospect, but if I have to...)

4. It's been a while since I graduated, and I haven't stayed in touch with my professors. Any advice on getting back in touch with my professors and convincing them that I'm a good horse to back?

5. Does anyone know anything about the RANEPA public policy program in Moscow? I met the head of that program and he encouraged me to apply. I'm attracted to the idea of studying in Moscow, but I'm a little uneasy at how new the program is.

-

Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can give - it means a lot.

[chocolatecheesecake]

8 hours ago, MalenkiiMalchik said:

Hi,

I'm hoping that this is the right place for this. I'm planning on applying to an MPP program, and while I'm sure that there are some schools out there that would take me, I'm having a hard time 'placing' myself. That is, I'm not sure which schools are out of my league, which I should apply for, and which I shouldn't bother with. Any advice on this or on otherwise bolstering my profile would really be appreciated.

-

Program: MPP

Education: Undergrad at Oberlin College, 3.2 GPA, Major in Russian/Eastern European Studies. (Bonus: Middlebury Summer Language Intensive, studied abroad at the Bard/Smolny program in St. Petersburg)

GRE: I haven't taken it yet, but my most recent practice test score was 166 quant, 162 reading. None of my essays have been judged, but I'm fairly confident in my writing.

Work Experience: I'm a little worried that this lets me down. I spent ~1 year in ESL administration (in the US), ~1 year in marketing and 5 months in a FOIA journalism internship. After this, I lived abroad for almost a year in New Delhi (with my folks), doing a little bit of freelance journalism, a brief internship with Reuters India, volunteering at a dog shelter, travelling, and preparing for the GRE. I'm moving to DC now, and plan to find a job doing policy research or (ideally) writing for a policy org. The only plus is that a lot of my (handful of) published work is mostly policy oriented.

Language: I speak and read decent Russian, but it would be a stretch to call me fluent. I also took a little Hindi in Delhi, but my Hindi isn't even conversational.

Additional Questions:

1. First and foremost for me is getting a sense as to which schools I'm qualified for, and how qualified. (i.e. Which programs are a reach? Which are safe? Where would a student like me normally find himself?)

2. I'm particularly interested in innovation policy. I read Mazzucato's The Entrepreneurial State when it came out, and it really helped to solidify what I want to accomplish with public policy. Are there any schools that would be particularly well-matched for this focus?

3. I've read that I'll need economics and probably statistics. Really kicking myself for not planning my career better while I was still in school. I've heard that some schools will accept you provisional on your completing pre-req courses before matriculating. Is that something to bank on, or should I take the classes first and apply in a year? (I'm already 26 and looking at starting a program at 27, so I'm a little unhappy at that prospect, but if I have to...)

4. It's been a while since I graduated, and I haven't stayed in touch with my professors. Any advice on getting back in touch with my professors and convincing them that I'm a good horse to back?

5. Does anyone know anything about the RANEPA public policy program in Moscow? I met the head of that program and he encouraged me to apply. I'm attracted to the idea of studying in Moscow, but I'm a little uneasy at how new the program is.

-

Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can give - it means a lot.

You have a promising profile, so don't knock yourself! I say so because the practice GRE scores are great (getting above 160 in quant is desirable), and you have what sounds like interesting journalism experience. When it comes to age, you're in the middle of the pack for public policy grad students. Our average age was like 27, and there were more than a few people who were 30 years old in my cohort, so don't worry. Age and experience are real assets when it comes to public policy grad school.

For suggestions, I would say:

• Take care of econ and stats sometime in the next year. Take them through an online course (like UCLA or Berkeley's) or community college. As long as it's an accredited school, and you receive course credits for them, it doesn't matter what institution or name. Get an A to show you can handle the classes, and you'll also go much further during school with them - coursework will be a LOT easier. 
• Your resume could use some sustained full-time work. I suggest you spend at least a year at your next job in DC. 
• Don't feel bad about getting in touch with old professors. Four/five years is nothing. Some people come back after a decade, after all. (I've heard stories!) Maybe attach samples of your work from back then. If you attend your econ/stats classes in person and develop a good relationship, you could even use one of those professors.
• Once you have a firmer idea of your subject area (maybe through more work experience), you'll get a better sense of what schools are best. Starting by just going through websites for the top 30-40 schools should help you identify which have focuses/ professors I was interested in. I will be frank and say I've never even heard innovation policy, but you may want to look for social entrepreneurship focuses, which may be the closest thing. 
• New programs aren't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the people involved, and where it is. IMHO, I'd go for a more established program, because what I mainly value about higher ed is the alumni network that it comes with. That's how I've gotten every single job in my career so far. 

Good luck! 

[mpamppquestions]

Want to see how strong of a candidate I would be for Carnegie Mellon's MSPPM program. Specifically, I am interested in taking the environmental policy concentration. 

Program: MPP

Education: Undergrad at Allegheny College, 3.6 GPA. Major in English with double minor in Philosophy and Psychology. I spent a semester abroad in Australia where I took and Environmental Science course with a lab component. 

GRE: 161 V, 4.0 W and 150 Q. The quantitative score is the big black mark here, and I am currently studying to retake and hopefully improve my score by at least 3-4, which would put me at least among average accepted students to Heinz College. I should be able to improve my writing score to a 4.5 as well, but it doesn't look like CMU cares about the score from what I can tell.

Work Experience: This is an area of concern for me. I have a 3.5 month internship doing trail work for Americorps in the Catskills for New York Department of Environmental Conservation, worked for a semester at a local conservancy near my college, and have for the last two years been working full time for an environmental advocacy organization (watch dog group for the Delaware river watershed, essentially) doing social media/It and fundraising. While I haven't done any real policy work directly, I now have a general understanding of the mechanisms through which local and state level environmental legislation gets passed, as well some firsthand experiences with current major environmental issues affecting the region, many of which are relevant in Pittsburgh. I've definitely learned a good amount, but I don't want to be deceitful about my work experience when it comes to relevancy here. Lastly, while this isn't work experience, I am an Eagle Scout which may slightly improve my application in terms of experience doing service work. I am enrolling to take statistics in the spring at a local college, which is something CMU likes to see.

Language: No foreign languages, I am a native English speaker.

Additional Questions:

In addition to CMU (by far my top choice) I am looking at Syracuse, Suny ESF and Pitt's MPA program. Syracuse seems like an excellent school as well, but I think my lack of a quantitative background might make me more or less ineligible. CMU offers a course to get students without this background up to snuff before starting the program. Do you guys think I have a good shot at getting accepted to CMU? Also, are there any other similar programs in the area that you would recommend looking at?

Edited August 15, 2016 by mpamppquestions

[coconnor13]

Hi Everybody, Prospective Economics PhD applicant here.

I did the GRE recently and scored lower than I did on the practice exams. My scores were essentially 155Q and 154V. Now, I could take the test over, but with my work load at my job and the extra work I will need to put into the GRE to improve my score I dont think I would have enough time for the rest of the year to do the exam. Also, I have very good work experience applying economic concepts, and I have very good scores in almost all my math courses from College. Therefore, I am thinking about just going ahead and applying with with the score I already Have, 

My question is, who got into an Economics PhD program with similar scores? Where do you guys think I should apply?

[hopeful88]

38 minutes ago, coconnor13 said:

Hi Everybody, Prospective Economics PhD applicant here.

I did the GRE recently and scored lower than I did on the practice exams. My scores were essentially 155Q and 154V. Now, I could take the test over, but with my work load at my job and the extra work I will need to put into the GRE to improve my score I dont think I would have enough time for the rest of the year to do the exam. Also, I have very good work experience applying economic concepts, and I have very good scores in almost all my math courses from College. Therefore, I am thinking about just going ahead and applying with with the score I already Have, 

My question is, who got into an Economics PhD program with similar scores? Where do you guys think I should apply?

I don't have personal experience applying to Econ PhD programs, but that seems like a really low and problematic quant score, considering how quant heavy an Econ PhD is. For reference, I got a 157Q and found that I was on the bubble for top MPP programs. I did get in, but it affected my funding options. And I'm more focused on qualitative research and had a 168V. If you're posting in this forum, I assume you're interested in econometrics, which requires substantial statistical expertise. Hence the red flag from your quant score. You  might want to consider pushing back your application cycle, since it is totally doable to raise your quant score if you can set aside the time to study (see Magoosh!). Plus, more work experience never hurt anyone. Just my two cents.

[coconnor13]

10 minutes ago, hopeful88 said:

I don't have personal experience applying to Econ PhD programs, but that seems like a really low and problematic quant score, considering how quant heavy an Econ PhD is. For reference, I got a 157Q and found that I was on the bubble for top MPP programs. I did get in, but it affected my funding options. And I'm more focused on qualitative research and had a 168V. If you're posting in this forum, I assume you're interested in econometrics, which requires substantial statistical expertise. Hence the red flag from your quant score. You  might want to consider pushing back your application cycle, since it is totally doable to raise your quant score if you can set aside the time to study (see Magoosh!). Plus, more work experience never hurt anyone. Just my two cents.

Interestingly, I got very good grades in two econometrics courses I did in undergrad, and 2 advanced econometrics courses I did for my MSc. I think that my best option is just to do the test over next year. However, just to get an idea, does anybody know of someone else that got through for an economics PhD with such a low quant score even to a lowly ranked school (NOT top 100)?

[Neist]

19 minutes ago, coconnor13 said:

Interestingly, I got very good grades in two econometrics courses I did in undergrad, and 2 advanced econometrics courses I did for my MSc. I think that my best option is just to do the test over next year. However, just to get an idea, does anybody know of someone else that got through for an economics PhD with such a low quant score even to a lowly ranked school (NOT top 100)?

 

I've stumbled into a corner of the forums that I cannot directly relate, but I can speak of the GRE more generally. Generally, schools use the GRE as a gate-keeping mechanism to arbitrarily reduce a gigantic pile of applicants. For these schools, GRE scores are simply a metric which facilitate heuristic strategies, and how reliant a program will rely on these strategies will vary widely. It's an over simplification, but one can probably suppose that more competitive programs will more heavily rely on heuristics (because they get a lot more applicants and have much lower yields).

I'm sure people have gotten into economics PhD programs with lower quant scores, but I'm guessing that it's going to probably be either in a program that does not require or consider GRE scores or is much less competitive. Now, as to what those programs are, I have no idea.  I'm a history person. Sorry!

But, like I stated, this is a corner of the forums I probably shouldn't have wandered into, so take my comments with a measure of cynicism. 

[hopeful88]

On 8/18/2016 at 11:25 AM, coconnor13 said:

Interestingly, I got very good grades in two econometrics courses I did in undergrad, and 2 advanced econometrics courses I did for my MSc. I think that my best option is just to do the test over next year. However, just to get an idea, does anybody know of someone else that got through for an economics PhD with such a low quant score even to a lowly ranked school (NOT top 100)?

Don't mean to imply any incompetence on your part :). I think the Math GRE maps better onto HS level concepts. Annoying, but nevertheless a barrier one must overcome. Good luck with the admissions process!

[cb1215]

Always helpful reading through this thread! Planning on applying to matriculate fall 2017:

Program: MPA / MPP

Education: 3.3 over all GPA from top 30 (LAC): BA in History/Psychology (3.6 GPA in major) completed senior thesis on US Foreign policy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  Received an A- for written portion and ‘high pass’ on my oral presentation.  Was a funded student summer research fellow.

Schools (in order of preference): This is what I am currently trying to narrow down... WWS/HKS (?? I think these are out of reach with my GRE Q score but curious to see opinions), Fels, Tufts, Sanford, Ford, CIPA, USC.  Not against looking abroad, either.

 GRE: 160v (85%) / 158q (72%) / 4.5 (82%) AWA

Coursework: Calculus I - A 

Years of Work Experience: (~5 total) just now finishing up my 27 month service with the Peace Corps.  Hold several committee/leadership positions here in country. Prior to serving, I worked in the private sector for 3 years working in regulatory control for large hedge fund clients. 

Languages: Native English, Advanced Spanish

Other: Designed/implemented programs here during peace corps service; Extensive volunteer experience (many in positions of leadership) through undergrad and while working in financial management mostly focusing on youth development/mentoring and the lgbtq community;  4 year NCAA DIII athlete (served as team captain my senior year); completed thesis, funder researcher

LORs: strong-- From direct managers from financial work and Peace Corps

SOP: Working on this now—I think its pretty strong and links my financial management background with my peace corps service and volunteer experiences and how I want to combine this to bring more pragmatic, effective management to government and NPO.

Questions/Concerns: Having a difficult time narrowing down appropriate/realistic programs based on my stats/work experience.. any input on school selection would be a GREAT help. GRE Q score + lack of quant courses in undergrad a red flag?  

Edited September 8, 2016 by rpcvstp16
typo

[Ella16]

On 8/8/2016 at 8:14 PM, chocolatecheesecake said:

A side note: I've actually never heard of int'l applicants only being asked for TOEFL instead of GRE. If anything, in my experience, int'l students are usually asked for more qualifications, not less. 

Georgetown MSFS for one does not require a GRE score if the university where you studied your bachelors was in a language other than English, they only ask for a toefl/ielts

[Ingo93]

I'm planning on applying for fall 2017 and would very much appreciate some input as to what my chances are.

Program: International Relations

Interests: Security studies/human security, diplomacy

Schools Applying To:  TAMU (Bush), UT (MGPS), Wisconsin (La Follette), Georgia Tech (Nunn), Pittsburgh (GSPIA), and probably Penn State.

Undergrad Institution: Pac-12 school known for partying

Undergraduate GPA: 2.94, my political science GPA is ~3.4

Undergraduate Major: BS in Economics (focus on public policy) and a major in Political Science. I think I took a good amount of quantitative classes though I suspect the grades I obtained won't impress anyone.

GRE: 161V, 157Q, and 5.5W

Years of Work Experience: Going on one year now full time though I worked consistently during undergrad as well.

Languages: English, advanced but not fluent Spanish and rudimentary Turkish.

Work Experience:  Currently work as a public servant, fairly high stress job that's giving me grey hairs. With that being said I do appreciate the fact that I have regular interactions with the public (both domestically and abroad).

LORs: One strong one from a former political science professor (non-tenured), a strong LOR from my academic adviser, and a fairly generic one from a professor who I've taken two classes with. Unfortunately, the third LOR I had lined up got recently disgraced and I don't think a letter of recommendation from him will do me much good.

Other Things: Have spent some time abroad though probably not enough to emphasize on a resume. Also have a fair amount of experience volunteering for partisan campaigns and GOTV efforts (volunteered in 2012, 2014, and 2016). Spent four years in economics club, chaired several committees while in hall government (my dorm was full of sticklers for procedure), and two years in mock trial (served as treasurer). As a candidate looking at my numbers I'm not very strong, but the two skills I'm hoping will make the difference are my ability to craft a good essay and the fact that I'm a good interviewee.

Additional Questions:

1. Is it worth it for me to retake the GRE? I'm confident if I retook it I could hit at least 164V and 160Q if not higher, at the same time retaking the GRE requires time and money both of which are things I don't have in abundance.

2. Are there any particular programs that I may realistically be able to attend that suit my particular interests that I might be overlooking? On that note are there any programs where I may be a little too optimistic by applying to? I understand that a sub 3.0 can be an albatross around the neck though I'd prefer not to go to school later if only because going back to school becomes more challenging when you're older and more settled in.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice I receive.

[went_away]

On 9/8/2016 at 0:05 PM, rpcvstp16 said:

Always helpful reading through this thread! Planning on applying to matriculate fall 2017:

Program: MPA / MPP

Education: 3.3 over all GPA from top 30 (LAC): BA in History/Psychology (3.6 GPA in major) completed senior thesis on US Foreign policy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  Received an A- for written portion and ‘high pass’ on my oral presentation.  Was a funded student summer research fellow.

Schools (in order of preference): This is what I am currently trying to narrow down... WWS/HKS (?? I think these are out of reach with my GRE Q score but curious to see opinions), Fels, Tufts, Sanford, Ford, CIPA, USC.  Not against looking abroad, either.

 GRE: 160v (85%) / 158q (72%) / 4.5 (82%) AWA

Coursework: Calculus I - A 

Years of Work Experience: (~5 total) just now finishing up my 27 month service with the Peace Corps.  Hold several committee/leadership positions here in country. Prior to serving, I worked in the private sector for 3 years working in regulatory control for large hedge fund clients. 

Languages: Native English, Advanced Spanish

Other: Designed/implemented programs here during peace corps service; Extensive volunteer experience (many in positions of leadership) through undergrad and while working in financial management mostly focusing on youth development/mentoring and the lgbtq community;  4 year NCAA DIII athlete (served as team captain my senior year); completed thesis, funder researcher

LORs: strong-- From direct managers from financial work and Peace Corps

SOP: Working on this now—I think its pretty strong and links my financial management background with my peace corps service and volunteer experiences and how I want to combine this to bring more pragmatic, effective management to government and NPO.

Questions/Concerns: Having a difficult time narrowing down appropriate/realistic programs based on my stats/work experience.. any input on school selection would be a GREAT help. GRE Q score + lack of quant courses in undergrad a red flag?  

Your academics are a little weak, but would expect Fletcher to give you a decent scholarship for their MALD program bc of your professional experience. Legit experience doing compliance work in financial services + peace corps is a stronger than average professional background. 

 

[went_away]

On 9/11/2016 at 4:23 PM, devx said:

Program: MPP/MPA

Interests:  International Development, Development Economics

Schools Applying To:  WWS, HKS, SIPA, GSPP, Fletcher, Georgetown, SAIS. Will be applying to a basket of schools to have the best odds.

Undergrad Institution: A top 10 tech school in India

Undergraduate GPA: 8.04/10

Undergraduate Major:  Chemical Engineering

GRE: Haven't taken yet. Confident of a 320+

Years of Work Experience: >3 years

Languages: English, Hindi, Urdu

Work Experience:  Worked for a year in the corporate sector. Thereafter, pursuing a fellowship (selection rate ~ 2%) that places professionals in India's most underdeveloped regions to give development a push. Have been working with the government on issues related to public works, poverty, conflict resolution, health and education. The experience is my USP. Engaging with the community, government in some of planet's most conflict prone/underdeveloped regions has been an enormously rich learning experience.

Questions/Concerns:

Do I legitimately have a chance right now with any of the schools listed above?

Who would be the best people in my life to choose LOR from?

Is there a way I can get someone to look at my SOP and see if it is strong?

Which schools offer the best funding for international applicants?

You have a shot at all of the schools and could get quite a large scholarship from some. Make sure you do some very serious research into recommendation letters - don't pick someone because they're famous - make sure you get people who know you well (ie direct supervisors/mentors/profs) and who can write glowing, Amerian-style recs (in the top 1-5% of all the people I have supervised for these 3 specific reasons....).

[went_away]

On 9/9/2016 at 9:44 PM, Ingo93 said:

I'm planning on applying for fall 2017 and would very much appreciate some input as to what my chances are.

Program: International Relations

Interests: Security studies/human security, diplomacy

Schools Applying To:  TAMU (Bush), UT (MGPS), Wisconsin (La Follette), Georgia Tech (Nunn), Pittsburgh (GSPIA), and probably Penn State.

Undergrad Institution: Pac-12 school known for partying

Undergraduate GPA: 2.94, my political science GPA is ~3.4

Undergraduate Major: BS in Economics (focus on public policy) and a major in Political Science. I think I took a good amount of quantitative classes though I suspect the grades I obtained won't impress anyone.

GRE: 161V, 157Q, and 5.5W

Years of Work Experience: Going on one year now full time though I worked consistently during undergrad as well.

Languages: English, advanced but not fluent Spanish and rudimentary Turkish.

Work Experience:  Currently work as a public servant, fairly high stress job that's giving me grey hairs. With that being said I do appreciate the fact that I have regular interactions with the public (both domestically and abroad).

LORs: One strong one from a former political science professor (non-tenured), a strong LOR from my academic adviser, and a fairly generic one from a professor who I've taken two classes with. Unfortunately, the third LOR I had lined up got recently disgraced and I don't think a letter of recommendation from him will do me much good.

Other Things: Have spent some time abroad though probably not enough to emphasize on a resume. Also have a fair amount of experience volunteering for partisan campaigns and GOTV efforts (volunteered in 2012, 2014, and 2016). Spent four years in economics club, chaired several committees while in hall government (my dorm was full of sticklers for procedure), and two years in mock trial (served as treasurer). As a candidate looking at my numbers I'm not very strong, but the two skills I'm hoping will make the difference are my ability to craft a good essay and the fact that I'm a good interviewee.

Additional Questions:

1. Is it worth it for me to retake the GRE? I'm confident if I retook it I could hit at least 164V and 160Q if not higher, at the same time retaking the GRE requires time and money both of which are things I don't have in abundance.

2. Are there any particular programs that I may realistically be able to attend that suit my particular interests that I might be overlooking? On that note are there any programs where I may be a little too optimistic by applying to? I understand that a sub 3.0 can be an albatross around the neck though I'd prefer not to go to school later if only because going back to school becomes more challenging when you're older and more settled in.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice I receive.

The Bush school might be the best fit for you. I'd recommend you also check out Georgetown's security studies program and SAIS. Your academics are atrocious, but it sounds like you are savvy and are in a high-prestige job (if it really is so high-stress and people oriented) - that work experience counts for more than anything else. 

You might also consider doing 1-4 more years of work to get some more distance from your irresponsible undergrad days and further establish yourself in your career; could also be an opportunity to take a few more economics classes at community college and get a few more As on your transcript. 

 

Edited September 14, 2016 by went_away

[devx]

3 hours ago, went_away said:

You have a shot at all of the schools and could get quite a large scholarship from some. Make sure you do some very serious research into recommendation letters - don't pick someone because they're famous - make sure you get people who know you well (ie direct supervisors/mentors/profs) and who can write glowing, Amerian-style recs (in the top 1-5% of all the people I have supervised for these 3 specific reasons....).

Thanks. That's encouraging. Yes, I was in two minds whether to go for big names v/s people who'll be able to write in detail. A major issue is that, a lot of people who I have worked with are from bureaucracy, politics and civil society in hinterland India, who won't be adept at writing LORs. However, I think I can manage some LORs from academia and people in the government.

[went_away]

1 hour ago, devx said:

Thanks. That's encouraging. Yes, I was in two minds whether to go for big names v/s people who'll be able to write in detail. A major issue is that, a lot of people who I have worked with are from bureaucracy, politics and civil society in hinterland India, who won't be adept at writing LORs. However, I think I can manage some LORs from academia and people in the government.

You're going to have to bite the bullet and coach them carefully through the process. It's absolutely vital that you get strong, detailed recs. 

A very common misconception from Indian applicants is they think if they can a big name who knows them vaguely (like a member of parliament) it will help their admissions chances - it won't help; on the contrary that can hurt you quite a lot. 

I would recommend reading poets and quants and checking out sandy kreisberg's stuff on their with john byrne - they focus on MBA apps, but it's all quite transferable to international affairs. 

[plddp]

Hi everyone, I'm new here (applying for the first time for Fall 2017) and would very much appreciate any feedback and advice. The whole application process has made me feel quite anxious, given all the very impressive people on this forum as well as all the high achievers that I work with, but at the same time I acknowledge that parts of my profile seem quite strong - so I hope I don't intimidate anyone else or sound ridiculously insecure!

My main concern is consistency; I have a good academic record, but am more mediocre in other aspects (I'm quite introverted/shy by nature so have not put myself out there as much as I should have, but am slowly trying to change this).

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): US MPP/MPAs and some UK MSc/MPhils as backups if I don't get any offers with funding for the former (which are so expensive!)

Schools Applying To: MPP/MPAs: WWS, HKS, Chicago Harris and possibly GSPP and Heinz.

Undergraduate institution: One of the higher profile Australian unis

Undergraduate GPA: 3.98

Undergraduate Majors: Economics (incl. Honours year) and Psychology, with a minor in Computer Science.

Study Abroad: none

GRE: I lucked out and got 170Q, 170V and 6.0 AWA

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6

Years of Work Experience: 6

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 5 years working as an economist/analyst at a central bank and a year working on financial regulation/consumer policy at a federal government department.

Languages: none really - I really struggle to learn new languages. Have some basic fluency in my parents' subcontinental language (not one of the more common ones) and have tried to self-teach Spanish and French in the past but have no conversational ability.

Quant: first year linear algebra/calculus/discrete maths (for science undergrads); advanced undergrad micro/macroeconomics and 'mathematical economics'; and a bunch of compulsory econometrics/applied stats from my economics and psychology majors.

Strength of SOP: Working on this; don't have too much unique experience to draw on and will have to explain my desire to change direction from macroeconomic analysis and policy to more microeconomic/social policy development and evaluation (all with a focus on incorporating a better understanding of human behaviour and well-being). Rather than wanting to build on existing experience, my main motivation for wanting to pursue graduate study is to shift direction and apply my skills to a broader range of policy issues. I also can't convincingly say that I have a specific area of public policy that I'd like to focus on. Instead, I want to develop my expertise in behavioural science and policy evaluation since these seem to be relevant to a wide range of domains.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I've approached a former immediate manager in the public service who I suspect will write a very positive letter; the head of my department (who is very enthusiastic about my behavioural science interests but is keen to have me stay at my current institution) also offered to write one but it might not be as personal since I haven't worked directly with her. My main concern is my third, academic reference, who supervised my economics Honours thesis but strongly recommended I pursue a US economics PhD rather than an MPP/MSc since he considers the latter to be a waste of time/money apart from the uni's brand. I am about to write an email to him explaining the decision I've come to and hopefully he respects my choice and writes positively about my academic ability and initiative.

Other: I've done a bit of volunteering, including a couple of years tutoring high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds in maths and physics, tutoring and social development outings with younger children from refugee backgrounds, and a bit of data analysis for a charity, but none of it on a long-term/frequent basis. I have also co-authored a couple of journal articles in economics and data analysis, plus co-authored central bank publications if that's worth anything at all.

Thanks a bunch for reading

Edited September 15, 2016 by plddp
serial self-editor

[chocolatecheesecake]

5 hours ago, plddp said:

Hi everyone, I'm new here (applying for the first time for Fall 2017) and would very much appreciate any feedback and advice. The whole application process has made me feel quite anxious, given all the very impressive people on this forum as well as all the high achievers that I work with, but at the same time I acknowledge that parts of my profile seem quite strong - so I hope I don't intimidate anyone else or sound ridiculously insecure!

My main concern is consistency; I have a good academic record, but am more mediocre in other aspects (I'm quite introverted/shy by nature so have not put myself out there as much as I should have, but am slowly trying to change this).

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): US MPP/MPAs and some UK MSc/MPhils as backups if I don't get any offers with funding for the former (which are so expensive!)

Schools Applying To: MPP/MPAs: WWS, HKS, Chicago Harris and possibly GSPP and Heinz.

Undergraduate institution: One of the higher profile Australian unis

Undergraduate GPA: 3.98

Undergraduate Majors: Economics (incl. Honours year) and Psychology, with a minor in Computer Science.

Study Abroad: none

GRE: I lucked out and got 170Q, 170V and 6.0 AWA

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6

Years of Work Experience: 6

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 5 years working as an economist/analyst at a central bank and a year working on financial regulation/consumer policy at a federal government department.

Languages: none really - I really struggle to learn new languages. Have some basic fluency in my parents' subcontinental language (not one of the more common ones) and have tried to self-teach Spanish and French in the past but have no conversational ability.

Quant: first year linear algebra/calculus/discrete maths (for science undergrads); advanced undergrad micro/macroeconomics and 'mathematical economics'; and a bunch of compulsory econometrics/applied stats from my economics and psychology majors.

Strength of SOP: Working on this; don't have too much unique experience to draw on and will have to explain my desire to change direction from macroeconomic analysis and policy to more microeconomic/social policy development and evaluation (all with a focus on incorporating a better understanding of human behaviour and well-being). Rather than wanting to build on existing experience, my main motivation for wanting to pursue graduate study is to shift direction and apply my skills to a broader range of policy issues. I also can't convincingly say that I have a specific area of public policy that I'd like to focus on. Instead, I want to develop my expertise in behavioural science and policy evaluation since these seem to be relevant to a wide range of domains.

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): I've approached a former immediate manager in the public service who I suspect will write a very positive letter; the head of my department (who is very enthusiastic about my behavioural science interests but is keen to have me stay at my current institution) also offered to write one but it might not be as personal since I haven't worked directly with her. My main concern is my third, academic reference, who supervised my economics Honours thesis but strongly recommended I pursue a US economics PhD rather than an MPP/MSc since he considers the latter to be a waste of time/money apart from the uni's brand. I am about to write an email to him explaining the decision I've come to and hopefully he respects my choice and writes positively about my academic ability and initiative.

Other: I've done a bit of volunteering, including a couple of years tutoring high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds in maths and physics, tutoring and social development outings with younger children from refugee backgrounds, and a bit of data analysis for a charity, but none of it on a long-term/frequent basis. I have also co-authored a couple of journal articles in economics and data analysis, plus co-authored central bank publications if that's worth anything at all.

Thanks a bunch for reading

You have a really strong profile: good GPA, a lot of work experience, and the best GRE scores it's humanly possible to get. You're in a great position! What doesn't come across clearly in your summary (and you note a little about this) is what you hope to do when you're done with this degree. I think many adcoms will be happy to accept you even without a super compelling story, but it will certainly supply the missing ingredient in your application. What kind of job do you envision going into afterwards? What kind of organizations do you want to work at? Weave a good story about how exactly you feel restricted by what you're doing now, and what has pushed you to go in other directions. Saying behavioral science and policy evaluation is certainly a good beginning, but the more detail you can add to it, about why you want to get at those, the better.

Two other things you mentioned: 1) I think the academic reference is really to testify to your academic experience, but your GPA and GRE scores show that you're a more than able student, so I think it will be okay if the academic rec letter is the weakest of the bunch. 
2) It sounds like you may not be a US citizen. I suggest you add Duke and USC and maybe something else as private institutions that typically give generous aid packages. I may be wrong on this, but I don't think public institutions like GSPP will be able to give int'l students as much. Otherwise, your list looks very reasonable.

[mpamppquestions]

On 8/15/2016 at 3:28 PM, mpamppquestions said:

Want to see how strong of a candidate I would be for Carnegie Mellon's MSPPM program. Specifically, I am interested in taking the environmental policy concentration. 

Program: MPPSM

Education: Undergrad at Allegheny College, 3.6 GPA. Major in English with double minor in Philosophy and Psychology. I spent a semester abroad in Australia where I took and Environmental Science course with a lab component. 

GRE: 161 V, 4.0 W and 150 Q. The quantitative score is the big black mark here, and I am currently studying to retake and hopefully improve my score by at least 3-4, which would put me at least among average accepted students to Heinz College. I should be able to improve my writing score to a 4.5 as well, but it doesn't look like CMU cares about the score from what I can tell. 

Work Experience: This is an area of concern for me. I have a 3.5 month internship doing trail work for Americorps in the Catskills for New York Department of Environmental Conservation, worked for a semester at a local conservancy near my college, and have for the last two years been working full time for an environmental advocacy organization (watch dog group for the Delaware river watershed, essentially) doing social media/It and some fundraising. While I haven't done any real policy work directly, I now have a general understanding of the mechanisms through which local and state level environmental legislation gets passed, as well some firsthand experiences with current major environmental issues affecting the region, many of which are relevant to Pittsburgh. I've definitely learned a good amount, but I don't want to be deceitful about my work experience when it comes to relevancy here. Lastly, while this isn't work experience, I am an Eagle Scout which may slightly improve my application in terms of experience doing service work. I am enrolling to take statistics in the spring at a local college, which is something CMU likes to see.

Language: No foreign languages, I am a native English speaker.

Additional Questions:

In addition to CMU (by far my top choice) I am looking at Syracuse, Suny ESF and Pitt's MPA program. Syracuse seems like an excellent school as well, but I think my lack of a quantitative background might make me more or less ineligible. CMU offers a course to get students without this background up to snuff before starting the program. Do you guys think I have a good shot at getting accepted to CMU? Also, are there any other similar programs in the area that you would recommend looking at?

Just bumping

 

Would love a critique.

[chocolatecheesecake]

On 9/16/2016 at 1:56 AM, mpamppquestions said:

Just bumping

 

Would love a critique.

 

On 8/16/2016 at 3:28 AM, mpamppquestions said:

Want to see how strong of a candidate I would be for Carnegie Mellon's MSPPM program. Specifically, I am interested in taking the environmental policy concentration. 

Program: MPP

Education: Undergrad at Allegheny College, 3.6 GPA. Major in English with double minor in Philosophy and Psychology. I spent a semester abroad in Australia where I took and Environmental Science course with a lab component. 

GRE: 161 V, 4.0 W and 150 Q. The quantitative score is the big black mark here, and I am currently studying to retake and hopefully improve my score by at least 3-4, which would put me at least among average accepted students to Heinz College. I should be able to improve my writing score to a 4.5 as well, but it doesn't look like CMU cares about the score from what I can tell.

Work Experience: This is an area of concern for me. I have a 3.5 month internship doing trail work for Americorps in the Catskills for New York Department of Environmental Conservation, worked for a semester at a local conservancy near my college, and have for the last two years been working full time for an environmental advocacy organization (watch dog group for the Delaware river watershed, essentially) doing social media/It and fundraising. While I haven't done any real policy work directly, I now have a general understanding of the mechanisms through which local and state level environmental legislation gets passed, as well some firsthand experiences with current major environmental issues affecting the region, many of which are relevant in Pittsburgh. I've definitely learned a good amount, but I don't want to be deceitful about my work experience when it comes to relevancy here. Lastly, while this isn't work experience, I am an Eagle Scout which may slightly improve my application in terms of experience doing service work. I am enrolling to take statistics in the spring at a local college, which is something CMU likes to see.

Language: No foreign languages, I am a native English speaker.

Additional Questions:

In addition to CMU (by far my top choice) I am looking at Syracuse, Suny ESF and Pitt's MPA program. Syracuse seems like an excellent school as well, but I think my lack of a quantitative background might make me more or less ineligible. CMU offers a course to get students without this background up to snuff before starting the program. Do you guys think I have a good shot at getting accepted to CMU? Also, are there any other similar programs in the area that you would recommend looking at?

General feedback:

Work experience: Your work experience looks fine. Make an effort to speak directly to professors and adcoms from schools that you're interested in, and I'll bet you'll find that many people have a similar background to you - maybe worked in a non-profit and did something unrelated to policy work, but got plenty of exposure and understood what it was all about. We all got interested in policy school *because* we didn't have an in for policy work. If you could just go ahead and do it, you probably wouldn't need to attend policy school.

SOP: So the exact nature of your work experience doesn't matter - what does is how you tell the story of getting interested in policy. Make sure you connect the dots explicitly between what you did and what you want to do (after grad school) and show that their program can help you get there. 

GRE: If you have the extra time, double down hard on this, and make your quant score the most outstanding it can be. It's one of the parts of the application that can be gamed, albeit with time and effort, and really broadens the amount of schools you can be competitive for. After all, there are a number of better known environmental policy schools out there (see Yale and Duke for starters).  

One more note: It's hard to judge whether you're competitive for a specific program if it's not one of the more well-known/top ranked ones. If the program isn't big, or doesn't have a lot of alums, or doesn't have a lot of applicants, we just won't have the knowledge in the GradCafe pool to contribute. I would say that looking at the stats that the CMU admissions office puts out would be your best bet, and that you want to end up in the top quartile of people for most numbers. If you're not, beef up on the SOP and letters of rec! 

[makingtheleap.back]

First, I owe a big thank you to the entire gradcafe community. As a lurker, I learned quite a bit about everything from GRE prep to which programs are more academic vs. more professionally oriented. I'm returning to school after a few years working, so it's been really nice to have a support system (even if none of you know me). 

Current List: UC Berkeley (Goldman), Georgetown (McCourt), Chicago (Harris), UVA (Batten), Michigan (Ford), Washington (Evans) -- also, I'm interested in MIT's MSci program, but that might be OT. 

GPA: 3.65, 3.9 Major GPA (International Studies, Focus on US Foreign Policy, Top 10 program for field, but definitely not Ivy). 

GRE: 169V, 161Q, Writing unknown (took it yesterday). 

Work Experience: 2 political campaign cycles in leadership positions (plus an internship in '08), 2 years in small business leadership (non-founder but with some policy overlap), 1 year as an academic coach at a community college (with experience setting/implementing new training/assessment policies). 

Quant Background: Calc I, II, Stats, Econometrics, Applications of Econometrics in a Professional Capacity

Languages: Intermediate in two beyond English (but they are very common, nothing crazy). 

SOP: I do and will have very clear, well articulated reasons for being interested in policy, but don't want to share too much on the interwebs. 

LOR: Reaching out to a couple undergrad professors who knew me very well at the time; hopefully that goes well (if anyone has experience doing this and has suggestions, that would be wonderful). Will have at least one very good professional rec. 

Do you think the schools I'm looking at are reasonable? I'm also very interested in the possibility of a PhD in Poli Sci after a MPP/MPA program (I have a deep and unfortunate love of teaching, but have zero peer-reviewed, published research experience). Are there certain programs I should look at/stay away from? 

[cb1215]

On 9/14/2016 at 8:17 AM, went_away said:

Your academics are a little weak, but would expect Fletcher to give you a decent scholarship for their MALD program bc of your professional experience. Legit experience doing compliance work in financial services + peace corps is a stronger than average professional background. 

 

Wasnt considering that program before but will look into it now, thank you for the feedback!  For my lsat 2 years of study I have around a 3.6 with lots of research experience (one funded program and lots of coursework with all As or A-s), hoping that is taken into consideration  to make up for my not great overall GPA.  Was thinking of writing a supplemental essay to try to highlight this upward trend and success in my last two years.

[went_away]

1 hour ago, rpcvstp16 said:

Wasnt considering that program before but will look into it now, thank you for the feedback!  For my lsat 2 years of study I have around a 3.6 with lots of research experience (one funded program and lots of coursework with all As or A-s), hoping that is taken into consideration  to make up for my not great overall GPA.  Was thinking of writing a supplemental essay to try to highlight this upward trend and success in my last two years.

Yep, definitely should highlight all your good sides; if an optional essay is available that might be a component to include. A good gre/gmat/whatever it is poor kids have to take these days, would also be helpful for pushing your competitiveness for a decent scholarship. The 3.6 for your last 2 years is decent, still not great - they'll be much more interested in your experience doing research in conjunction with glamorous/reputable people and institutions and - especially - any history you have of securing funded research.

Remember everyone - these programs are outrageously expensive and the job market is weak for everybody these days (except for - as always - the untouchables). Buyer be aware. 

Edited September 19, 2016 by went_away

[mpamppquestions]

On 9/17/2016 at 10:28 PM, chocolatecheesecake said:

 

General feedback:

Work experience: Your work experience looks fine. Make an effort to speak directly to professors and adcoms from schools that you're interested in, and I'll bet you'll find that many people have a similar background to you - maybe worked in a non-profit and did something unrelated to policy work, but got plenty of exposure and understood what it was all about. We all got interested in policy school *because* we didn't have an in for policy work. If you could just go ahead and do it, you probably wouldn't need to attend policy school.

SOP: So the exact nature of your work experience doesn't matter - what does is how you tell the story of getting interested in policy. Make sure you connect the dots explicitly between what you did and what you want to do (after grad school) and show that their program can help you get there. 

GRE: If you have the extra time, double down hard on this, and make your quant score the most outstanding it can be. It's one of the parts of the application that can be gamed, albeit with time and effort, and really broadens the amount of schools you can be competitive for. After all, there are a number of better known environmental policy schools out there (see Yale and Duke for starters).  

One more note: It's hard to judge whether you're competitive for a specific program if it's not one of the more well-known/top ranked ones. If the program isn't big, or doesn't have a lot of alums, or doesn't have a lot of applicants, we just won't have the knowledge in the GradCafe pool to contribute. I would say that looking at the stats that the CMU admissions office puts out would be your best bet, and that you want to end up in the top quartile of people for most numbers. If you're not, beef up on the SOP and letters of rec! 

Thank you for your feedback, it is encouraging! I've been spending 2 hours more or less everyday and, by the grace of my generous parents, have a very solid tutor helping me through the quantitative section. My GPA and verbal scores are luckily at the upper end of accepted students (though still in the 50th percentile), but if I can manage to go from a 150 to a 155 on the quantitative section, my scores won't stand out as much. I had several email exchanges with the admissions counselor at CMU Heinz who more or less said that improving my quant score, and thus my overall GRE score, will mean thousands of dollars more in scholarship if admitted. 

Edited September 22, 2016 by mpamppquestions

[Sam992]

Thanks in advance -- would appreciate an assessment of my profile below:

Undergrad: BA Economics / Political Science from a good non-Ivy US school (Duke/UChicago/Northwestern/etc)

Work-ex: 2 years at one of the elite management consultancies (McKinsey/Bain/BCG) and one year at an IFI (World Bank, IADB, etc)

Nationality: American

GMAT: 760 [will take the GRE as well]

GPA: 3.9

Shooting for:

KSG
WWS
SIPA

Basic "story" is that I'm passionate about bringing private sector efficiency to inefficient public sector institutions. Will likely apply to MBA/MPP and MBA/MPA programs, but only at the top ~3-5 public policy schools. 

Main concerns/questions is that my profile is very private sector-heavy. Any thoughts on how to make sure the commitment to public service comes through? I also have an F on my transcript from when I slept through a class final exam, but I retook it the next year and got an A in the course...it ended up having no impact on my GPA, but I am still nervous that it will affect my chances since it is an F nonetheless.

Appreciate your help!