Ace001 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Anyone heard from Fels yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinkled.sentiments Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Nope. I was supposed to have a phone interview with an alum but she had an "emergency call" and didn't pick up my calls! But anyway, she said she had to submit interview reports by Feb. 20th so I would imagine decisions to come out by early March? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaAce Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I applied to Fels on January 14 (just before the deadline!!!). Do you know if everyone gets contacted for interviews? I'm worried my chances are low since they didn't called me for an interview :S I really like Fels, is one of my top choices!!!! Ace001 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crippling Anxiety Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 @ sprinkled.sentiments - I haven'tbeen contacted for an interview. Does that mean anything? Any insights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace001 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Fels is my top choice! I applied on 17th January (deadline was extended because of MLK Day). I have heard that the application volume has risen this year, more than the school anticipated.. so expect tougher competition (for the 30-35 spots in the full time program) and perhaps a delayed decision announcement... Re interviews, I think an interview is mandatory for the executive applicants only, From website: (http://www.fels.upenn.edu/admissions) "Personal Interview - All executive applicants are required to meet with us in person. Interviews are not required for full-time applicants; however, full-time applicants may request an interview." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinkled.sentiments Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) @Crippling Anxiety: You actually should have had the option to request an interview but they do not have any bearing on the final decision of admissions. They aren't mandatory for regular MPA applicants but Ace001 says it is mandatory for the Executive MPA program. I received the following e-mail on January 12, 2012:Thank you for applying to the MPA program at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government. Although we have received a record number of applications this year, we are still looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you. We are aware that there is more to you than what can be expressed in an application; therefore, we would very much like to connect with you in person or over the phone for an interview. Fortunately, we have a dedicated group of alumni who regularly support the Fels Admissions Committee by conducting interviews. They are available to meet with applicants who live in their region or to conduct interviews over the phone. To request an interview, please fill out this Request Form. A member of the Fels Admissions team will be in touch in the next few weeks to schedule your interview. Edited August 21, 2014 by bgk remove link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace001 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Interesting... How was your interview sprinkled.sentiments, have you received the decision yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinkled.sentiments Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) @Ace001: I have not heard back yet and I actually rescinded my request for an interview.. the alum they paired me up with was not very accommodating at all and left me with enough of a bad/unfriendly impression that I decided it was not worth it to go through with it, especially since it would have no bearing on their admissions decision AND also because Fels is not one of my top choices. After I notified the coordinator (who helped set up the correspondence between myself and the alum) of my decision to rescind the interview, she replied via e-mail: Please rest assured that this will have no negative impact on your application. All decisions will be sent out in mid-March. Edited February 21, 2012 by sprinkled.sentiments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace001 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 That's odd... I'm glad it's settled. btw I never received any interview mail but admissions team acknowledged that the application is complete. This waiting game is very hard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinkled.sentiments Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I know what you mean! My stomach turns up in knots every time I think about it, so I try to distract myself. Good luck!!!! Ace001 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkzheng Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Crying a river..... I applied Fels, but I didn't get the interview request email. I think I have been rejected.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedandfazed Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 @Ace001: I have not heard back yet and I actually rescinded my request for an interview.. the alum they paired me up with was not very accommodating at all and left me with enough of a bad/unfriendly impression that I decided it was not worth it to go through with it, especially since it would have no bearing on their admissions decision AND also because Fels is not one of my top choices. After I notified the coordinator (who helped set up the correspondence between myself and the alum) of my decision to rescind the interview, she replied via e-mail: Please rest assured that this will have no negative impact on your application. All decisions will be sent out in mid-March. sprinkled . . .are you an executive mpa applicant because i have heard nada from fels and i was applyign for the normal mpa. Website says that Exec mpas are the ones who might be interviewed . . idk if their pattern is changing . . getting a bit anxious , can you tell me which program you are shooting for? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinkled.sentiments Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 sprinkled . . .are you an executive mpa applicant because i have heard nada from fels and i was applyign for the normal mpa. Website says that Exec mpas are the ones who might be interviewed . . idk if their pattern is changing . . getting a bit anxious , can you tell me which program you are shooting for? thanks! I'm not an Executive MPA applicant, just the normal MPA. Did you guys apply to any of their fellowships? I think their pattern may just be kind of random or somehow linked to their fellowships because I applied to the FLAS Fellowship. I honestly don't know but please don't worry too much about it! There may be so many factors that we don't know about. As for inkzheng, it may be because you're international? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedandfazed Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 oh god! psshh i dont know , is FLAS for american people only? i think i did check the box that says please consider me for aid. TOO MUCH ANXIETY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace001 Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Don't fret over checking the FLAS check box... They haven't sent out decisions to anyone yet. Lets stay hopeful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace001 Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 @inkzheng I'm an international applicant, didn't receive anyinterview request form... It seems plausible that they sent it out to locals.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedandfazed Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 @inkzheng I'm an international applicant, didn't receive anyinterview request form... It seems plausible that they sent it out to locals.. dude i am international too but studying in USA right now . . . so i think we could rule out that possibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crippling Anxiety Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Does anyone else's status still say "incomplete"? Also, I haven't received any e-mail from them telling me that my application is complete and has been forwarded. They haven't replied to either of the two emails I sent (I sent the first e-mail on Feb 1 and the second one on Feb 15). Should I be worried? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPAprospect12 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I emailed about this and was told it's because I uploaded a copy of my transcript. She said that my application was complete, but that the system still thought it was incomplete because I didn't send in a hard copy. It's totally fine to upload a copy for admissions purposes, but if accepted, they'll want a hard copy. I would email them just to be sure, but that was my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanson's Fan Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Same as MPAprospect 12 but I needed to call. Never received email response from Fels.. I think it doesn't seem like a personalized school as it claimed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crippling Anxiety Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 When will Fels release the admission decision this year, any insights/educated guesses/random predictions? Looks like some people have heard around March 9 in previous years (based on grad cafe survey results) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw528 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Long-time lurker here, so I'm happy to actually be able to answer this question (I visited Fels last weekend). They're expecting to send admissions decisions around March 15th. Hope this helps ease some of the anxiety I'm sure we're all feeling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crippling Anxiety Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) @ sjw528 - If you don't mind me asking, I have a few questions about Fels (I am hoping you can answer these questions based on your visit) 1) I am under the impression that their incoming full-time MPA class size is extremly small (30-35). Is this true? 2) How big of an endowment do they have as far as scholarships are concerned? Did it seem like they give out a lot of full scholarships? 3) Does their admission decision letter also contain scholarship decisions? 4) Could you kindly share your feelings towards Fels based on your visit? Were you pretty impressed? Edited March 4, 2012 by Crippling Anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw528 Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 @Crippling Anxiety (and anyone else who's curious): 1) The full-time MPA class is pretty small. They emphasize this 30-35 person cohort model so that full-time students take core courses with their cohort and get to know them well as they do group work in various classes. I also got the impression that this small number of full-time Fels students gets to be very close with faculty (group breakfast or dinner gatherings with faculty members is a common occurence). Of course, that means the admissions decisions are much mroe selective! 2)This is a really good question that no one in my visiting group raised, but I get the impression there are few full scholarships given. Current students I spoke with discussed other means to financing their education, like graduate research assistant opportunities. You can even get free housing if you are an advisor in one of the college houses (this is like an undergrad RA with less responsibility). I think Fels gives partial fellowships or scholarships to a greater percentage of the incoming student body, but very few full scholarships. 3) Not sure about the answer to this one. 4) In general, I came away impressed. Most of the programs I applied to were MPP, so I was interested in Fels' appraoch to the MPA curriculum. As many MPA applicants already know I'm sure, that curriculum takes more of a focus on management and leadership than policy analysis. The Director of Grad Programs at Fels spoke about the core courses really focusing on practical application of each of the skills taught in core courses (stats and econ, management, public finance, and politics). I'm also a dual-degree applicant (in Fels and the School of Social Policy and Practice), so it was nice for me to get a sense of how dual degree students adjust and manage the courseload to maximize their Fels experience. Depending on your area of interest, you can take elective courses at many of Penn's graduate schools. There are also lots of opportunities to get firsthand experience in Philadelphia local and regional policy, which is great (like Fels' research and consulting positions). Penn has the benefits of a centralized campus but is also located in a busy and thriving section of West Philly, which is a plus too. Fels is not my top choice (I'm from Philadelphia and work there now), but I came away feeling confident in the skills and experience I would develop and acquire in the program if I'm admitted and decide to matriculate. I hope this is helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eclectic4 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Hi everyone, Fels admit here for Fall 2012. Currently trying to decide between Fels, Columbia SIPA, and the new MBA at Johns Hopkin. Anyone here going to Fels for sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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