Hearing from the Kennedy School?

[don]

I believe these are need-based grants. HKS barely offers any merit-based scholarships. Lots of students are deferring from Kennedy for a year, which may be freeing up previously committed need-based funds. I deferred matriculation to HKS to pursue some research abroad and I know some friends are doing the same.

I definitely do understand where you coming from younglions/zourah. I'll definitely feel the same way if I was in your position. Actually, I don't know how the financial aid process operates...I applied for all fellowships/grants I was eligible for. Did any of you submit the extra essays for these scholarships/grant? Either way, I'm really excited. I enjoy the breadth of HKS' Political & Economic Dev't courses. I believe the PED courses have a great appreciation for the problems facing developing countries, and I believe I'll benefit a great deal from the program. Hopefully, someone at the Ford School will get my full ride + stipend...

[younglions]

I definitely do understand where you coming from younglions/zourah. I'll definitely feel the same way if I was in your position. Actually, I don't know how the financial aid process operates...I applied for all fellowships/grants I was eligible for. Did any of you submit the extra essays for these scholarships/grant? Either way, I'm really excited. I enjoy the breadth of HKS' Political & Economic Dev't courses. I believe the PED courses have a great appreciation for the problems facing developing countries, and I believe I'll benefit a great deal from the program. Hopefully, someone at the Ford School will get my full ride + stipend...

Thanks for understanding our bickering--I would be excited in your position too. My perspective isn't so much one of bitterness, rather it's one of confusion. (I'm thrilled with where I will be come August.) It would be quite interesting to hear from the admissions/financial aid office with an explanation of their award process. Anyways, congratulations again on the offer.

BTW, I agree with your assessment of the PED courses... I applied for the same concentration myself.

[OD09]

This would make more sense, however I imagine that most Kennedy admits have a ton of unmet financial need. For example, as a a Peace Corps volunteer from a very modest background, I have a mountain of need, but Harvard offered me half of what they offered Don. I'm not trying to say Don isn't deserving of the award--I have no idea what sort of background s/he has--but the very fact that Harvard admitted someone like zourah in the first round indicates they view him/her as a better fit for the program. If additional funds have opened up, I think they should award those who accepted first round offers. I am just confused about the thinking of HKS' financial aid office, that's all. There's a good chance that I'm missing something, and my criticism is completely unwarranted.

Oh, I know what you mean. They offered me the same amount (half of don's) despite my being from a very modest background. I admit their lack of support was one of the reasons why I felt deferment was needed (I'm hoping to find alternatives sources of funding outside of HKS). I think you need to call the financial aid office and ask for an explanation. A call certainly wouldn't hurt. In fact, it could persuade them to change their offer post-acceptance.

[linden]

I believe these are need-based grants. HKS barely offers any merit-based scholarships. Lots of students are deferring from Kennedy for a year, which may be freeing up previously committed need-based funds. I deferred matriculation to HKS to pursue some research abroad and I know some friends are doing the same.

Actually, about 85 percent of HKS aid is merit based; need plays no role in the allocation of these fellowships and scholarships, according to info I received from the financial aid office soon after funding offers were released. And, I am sure most applicants--including most of the initial admits here--don't have 37K in savings that would render them ineligible for need-based aid. Given that, it kinda honks that waitlist admits are getting money when initial admits did not. (Don, nothing against you.)

[therunaround]

You know what I think is going on here with the waitlist aid? I think they probably have individual committees that look at each scholarship (for the ones that require an essay) and the committees rank candidates. This is separate from admissions. My guess would be that don was chosen by a scholarship committee to be an alternate for a specific scholarship that he applied for. The 1st student that was offered the scholarship probably declined acceptance and thus they went to the alternate list. When don was accepted, he also received a scholarship. I get the feeling that most of the essay-based scholarships are set up by benefactors that specify assessment processes, mandating unique scholarship committees.

[younglions]

You know what I think is going on here with the waitlist aid? I think they probably have individual committees that look at each scholarship (for the ones that require an essay) and the committees rank candidates. This is separate from admissions. My guess would be that don was chosen by a scholarship committee to be an alternate for a specific scholarship that he applied for. The 1st student that was offered the scholarship probably declined acceptance and thus they went to the alternate list. When don was accepted, he also received a scholarship. I get the feeling that most of the essay-based scholarships are set up by benefactors that specify assessment processes, mandating unique scholarship committees.

If this were the case, my questions would definitely be answered.

[policy_applicant]

If this were the case, my questions would definitely be answered.

I highly doubt that. I think it's much more likely that a number of people that received a large scholarship from HKS declined it for WWS (ahem, 78% yield) and some people that received middling scholarships declined for full rides elsewhere. This left HKS with a lower-than-expected yield and some money on hand to sweeten the deal for waitlisters so the school is sure to get the right class size.

This is purely speculation, of course, but I think it's more reasonable than guessing that someone who wrote a good enough essay to earn a $20k scholarship would end up on the waitlist.

[abcdefg]

I highly doubt that. I think it's much more likely that a number of people that received a large scholarship from HKS declined it for WWS (ahem, 78% yield) and some people that received middling scholarships declined for full rides elsewhere. This left HKS with a lower-than-expected yield and some money on hand to sweeten the deal for waitlisters so the school is sure to get the right class size.

This is purely speculation, of course, but I think it's more reasonable than guessing that someone who wrote a good enough essay to earn a $20k scholarship would end up on the waitlist.

Well, most of the scholarship essays are different from the admission essays. So, u might be considered for the scholarships you applied for, but be rejected by HKS altogether. So u might as well write a good fellowship essay and be rejected. FYI " Post by poodles123

[zourah]

Yeah, but the Kennedy scholarship, whatever it is, isn't a separate essay-application fellowship. It's not on the list. I think with a name that generic, it really is straight from the school - for better or for worse, and whatever it means about finaid's willingness to screw people like me (accepts with limited but not zero savings who went ahead and committed despite no "sweeteners"). The simplest answer is a pragmatic one that, while effective, is pretty unfair. Let's be happy for Don, seeing as there's no way to ever really know (transparency in financial aid? never), and seeing as any hard feelings we do bear aren't directed this way - and then let's let it drop. Checking back in on this thread only makes me feel bad now.

[junebug62]

So what kind of magical person would actually get a full ride to KSG? I haven't seen any examples of such an offer in the boards. Or even a two-thirds ride...If an applicant that is good enough to get into WWS with its 10-15% acceptance rate doesn't qualify for much merit aid at KSG, I'm confused as to just who KSG hopes to entice with aid...Are they competing with PhD programs or something for this student? What's the typical profile for a full-ride offer to KSG?

[abcdefg]

Well, I did some research on the kennedy scholarship and here we go " ...Kennedy Scholarships, usually around twelve in number, and tenable for one year will be awarded for the academic year 2002-03 at Harvard University and MIT. In certain circumstances, students who are applying for Ph.D. or two year Masters' programmes may be considered for extra funding to help support a second year of study. A Kennedy Scholar admitted to MIT in the School of Engineering or School of Science, who is in good standing at the end of the first year of study, will normally be able to get support for a second and subsequent years by appointment as a Research Assistant or, in some departments, as a Teaching Assistant. Kennedy Scholars registered on Ph.D. programmes at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are also sometimes able to fund further study by obtaining Research or Teaching Assistantships...." So if Don can get a Kennedy Scholarship, then he's definitely a qualified candidate bcoz it seems the scholarship is competitive

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/200 ... 6/105.html

[younglions]

I definitely imagine if you're an under represented minority with good experience and an impressive academic record, you stand a great shot at getting money from HKS (or pretty much any other school). I think this is a good thing--it's always nice to have a diverse class with a wide range of experiences to draw upon. I know that I want my program to recruit the best and the brightest from all backgrounds.

Honestly, I thought I had a good shot at full tuition from HKS, but only because they have a Peace Corps specific scholarship. In the end, it wouldn't have mattered, and I'm glad a different Peace Corps alumnus will have the opportunity to enjoy HKS without the huge price tag.

Also, I think someone on this board got a full tuition from HKS (maybe sisepuede?) but s/he turned it down for WWS.

[linden]

I highly doubt that. I think it's much more likely that a number of people that received a large scholarship from HKS declined it for WWS (ahem, 78% yield) and some people that received middling scholarships declined for full rides elsewhere. This left HKS with a lower-than-expected yield and some money on hand to sweeten the deal for waitlisters so the school is sure to get the right class size.

This is purely speculation, of course, but I think it's more reasonable than guessing that someone who wrote a good enough essay to earn a $20k scholarship would end up on the waitlist.

I agree with policy_applicant's assessment. If a candidate is deemed good enough to be the alternate for fellowships/scholarships, that candidate is by definition stronger than candidates who were not named as alternates. Shouldn't that candidate have been admitted initially instead of applicants who were not offered funding? Again, HKS' administration--by admitting therunaround, zourah, and others and wait-listing don--implied that they think that the former are better candidates than the latter. If we believe that don was an alternate for funding as a wait list student it also means that if the initial recipient declines admission, but the school does not have to turn to its wait-list, that the scholarship would go unused. That seems odd, and it's the reason most schools pick alternates from the pool of admitted applicants. So, yeah, if this award was really given to a wait-listed candidate, it seems to me that this decision reflects HKS' pursuit of a high yield and a full class.

[therunaround]

I agree with policy_applicant's assessment. If a candidate is deemed good enough to be the alternate for fellowships/scholarships, that candidate is by definition stronger than candidates who were not named as alternates. Shouldn't that candidate have been admitted initially instead of applicants who were not offered funding? Again, HKS' administration--by admitting therunaround, zourah, and others and wait-listing don--implied that they think that the former are better candidates than the latter. If we believe that don was an alternate for funding as a wait list student it also means that if the initial recipient declines admission, but the school does not have to turn to its wait-list, that the scholarship would go unused. That seems odd, and it's the reason most schools pick alternates from the pool of admitted applicants. So, yeah, if this award was really given to a wait-listed candidate, it seems to me that this decision reflects HKS' pursuit of a high yield and a full class.

My theory is that there are two things at play: the admission to HKS and the offering of an essay-based scholarship. (We should talk to Don about the particular scholarship he received because, while some have found a specific scholarship whose named coincides with the language used by Don, I initially thought he was just saying that he got a grant from Kennedy - meaning any grant). I do NOT think that anyone should assume admission and scholarships/grants processes are conducted by the same people. The question would be, is scholarship consideration conducted blindly. This would make sense in the essay-based scholarships because then an administrator would be relying solely on the quality of the essay to determine award, and not the general admissions materials. (The specifics are no doubt declared by the benefactor). Further, I would hazard that different staff are impressed by different characteristics. Thus it would be possible for one to be accepted with flying colors and denied aid, or be waitlisted and awarded 20k. While it is not the same where comparing across schools, I've found it really interesting that some schools like SAIS and GPPI offered me a comparatively high about of $$ while other schools like Ford and GW offered me none. Further, I was accepted at HKS and denied at GSPP.

Of course, the "full class" argument also makes sense. I'm not sure about the talk of desiring a high yield. I would caution against assuming that this board has an accurate grasp on the yield for WWS and HKS. I do agree that the predominate sentiment on this board has been to decline HKS because of $$ and go to WWS or GPPI or somewhere else, but that certainly does not mean that will happen for the rest of accepteds.

[undersec]

Unless Don wants to share the specific scholarship, there is really no way of knowing. One of my good friends deferred HKS for a year and saw his scholarship (a restricted university scholarship) reduced from full tuition to only half. This has been a crazy year for the endowment and part of the new funds may be a more optimistic outlook on the part of the various fund managers at Harvard...

[abcdefg]

Well, we all do not know how the admission/financial aid committee operates, until we sit in one. So we can go on speculating all day long, that will just cause more frustration. I remember another gradcafe blogger from the wait list forum was admitted from the waiting list with full funding, how do you justify that? Just as you might get admitted by one school and be rejected by another top school, you will never know what's going on in that room... Well, life is never fair...

[don]

Unless Don wants to share the specific scholarship, there is really no way of knowing. One of my good friends deferred HKS for a year and saw his scholarship (a restricted university scholarship) reduced from full tuition to only half. This has been a crazy year for the endowment and part of the new funds may be a more optimistic outlook on the part of the various fund managers at Harvard...

Hi undersec, I called the financial aid office to find out if I was considered for any of the scholarships/fellowships I applied for. I was in turn directed to my financial aid advisor (I don't think it will be a wise decision to release his/her name), who was surprise I couldn't see my package on MYFAID page. So he/she told me to check back after a few minutes, and there was my package Anyway, I guess I will be declining the scholarship soon, after finalizing a new deal. Hopefully,someone else will be considered for the award. I was offered a full scholarship + stipend from an international organization-not HKS related...I've been lucky so far

[therunaround]

Hi undersec, I called the financial aid office to find out if I was considered for any of the scholarships/fellowships I applied for. I was in turn directed to my financial aid advisor (I don't think it will be a wise decision to release his/her name), who was surprise I couldn't see my package on MYFAID page. So he/she told me to check back after a few minutes, and there was my package Anyway, I guess I will be declining the scholarship soon, after finalizing a new deal. Hopefully,someone else will be considered for the award. I was offered a full scholarship + stipend from an international organization-not HKS related...I've been lucky so far

Congrats Don and thanks for making extra $$ available!

[fes_alum]

Hi folks, I was just wondering if any admits with scholarships have been offered any additional funding. My financial aid advisor says it is possible that HKS could go back and reconsider students for more funding but since they overaward scholarships by 20%, more than 20% of scholarship funds need to be declined before they can do this. Have any admitted students with scholarships been awarded additional scholarship funds yet?

[pritinsp]

Hi Everyone

I deferred my KHK admission(MPA program) for a year. I am hoping I might be more successful with the financial assistance next year.

What in your opinion is financial need?

Though I have corporate banking experience for arnd 5 years since nov 2007 I have been unemployed.

When they assess financial need, what would you say constitutes need? Does that mean lots of debt or zilch savings?

[yuhoolio]

For all the people on this thread who are already going to the Kennedy School (HKS) but didn't apply to Princeton WWS at all, did you NOT apply to WWS because you think you couldn't get in or because you wanted to go to HKS anyway? I am thinking that if you were qualified enough to go to HKS, then you also had a semi-good shot at WWS.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[zourah]

For all the people on this thread who are already going to the Kennedy School (HKS) but didn't apply to Princeton WWS at all, did you NOT apply to WWS because you think you couldn't get in or because you wanted to go to HKS anyway? I am thinking that if you were qualified enough to go to HKS, then you also had a semi-good shot at WWS.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Princeton, NJ - part of not applying to Woody Woo was the location. Another part was the competitiveness (obviously, I didn't know starting out that I'd get in at HKS, and WW is more competitive yet), and a third was that I just didn't feel attracted to the program in quite the same way, though for the life of me at this point, I can't remember quite why that was the case. In retrospect, I perhaps should have at least applied - but then again, I still wouldn't be all that excited about being out in Princeton for the next two years.

[MCneelified06]

I'm a little confused by this. I'm not exactly thrilled to be in suburban New Jersey (believe me, it has its drawbacks), but compared to Cambridge, MA? It's one thing to go to SIPA or something if you want an urban environment. But to go to HKS over WWS because of location? Princeton = Cambridge, except Cambridge is only close to Boston versus WWS right next-door to Philly with direct trains to NYC and DC. Also, the winter is significantly worse in MA (I grew up in NJ and did my undergrad in MA).

I'm still trying to think of ANY reason to go to HKS over WWS, and I still have not come up with anything other than wanting a larger class and/or being around more graduate students instead of undergrads.

[undersec]

I don't think Cambridge, MA is the main draw for any HKS student, but it is certainly a nice place to be for a few years offering the benefit of an Ivy League campus set on the edge of a major metro area (think Georgetown, not Columbia for the relevant comparison). Although probably not a focus for most two year students, a school-year internship in Cambridge/Boston is definitely easier to come by than in Princeton. I think HKS's biggest drawback (hashed over many times in this thread) is the funding/debt issue. With that as a given, there are advantages to Harvard. For example, if you plan to study development and want a taste of (borderline) heterodox economics, having Rodrik is a big benefit. The econ faculty on the whole is incredible at Harvard (and MIT where you can take cross-listed classes), so if your interests lie in a more quantitative direction in general, HKS might be the better choice. It is not my subject area, but with the med/public health faculty at Harvard that may be another study area where Harvard excels.

Overall, resources are better at WWS. For someone weighing their options between full funding at WWS and no funding at HKS the choice is easy. But if you are fortunate enough to get funded at both schools, then I don't see a big difference in the things that actually matter: faculty, coursework, job opportunities, etc.

[zourah]

I'm a little confused by this. I'm not exactly thrilled to be in suburban New Jersey (believe me, it has its drawbacks), but compared to Cambridge, MA? It's one thing to go to SIPA or something if you want an urban environment. But to go to HKS over WWS because of location? Princeton = Cambridge, except Cambridge is only close to Boston versus WWS right next-door to Philly with direct trains to NYC and DC. Also, the winter is significantly worse in MA (I grew up in NJ and did my undergrad in MA).

I'm still trying to think of ANY reason to go to HKS over WWS, and I still have not come up with anything other than wanting a larger class and/or being around more graduate students instead of undergrads.

I didn't mean to upset you. I still would choose an area where I'm right on the central public transit system for a city instead of one out on regional rail, and I like snowy winter (my skis are definitely going to get some use in NH/VT this next year!) It's an entirely personal preference, and I don't mean any insult to your chosen school in stating it.