Hearing from the Kennedy School?

[26Baller]

In here. I only applied to 3 schools and 5 schools of public helath (interested in health policy). Also in at Harris (full ride) and rejected from Berkeley.

Awaiting aid...

[Dreams]

In here. I only applied to 3 schools and 5 schools of public helath (interested in health policy). Also in at Harris (full ride) and rejected from Berkeley.

Awaiting aid...

Sounds like we had similar ideas this application season. I also applied to PH schools. How did you fare with your applications, and have you decided where you will attend?

[lucapaolo]

Rejected. Even though I can't say I wasn't expecting this, some hope was still alive. Only waiting on Georgetown and American now, and having to choose from LSE, Johns Hopkins and GW so far. GW would be my choice I believe, unless an offer from GPPI gets on the way.

[decisionsihope]

I am in! Feeling very fortunate. Now the wait on aid!

[26Baller]

Sounds like we had similar ideas this application season. I also applied to PH schools. How did you fare with your applications, and have you decided where you will attend?

Pretty well. I have absolutely no idea. I have 5 good options.

[sisepuede]

oh man! my contest lasted only three minutes!

thanks fighter and others for happy thoughts. congrats to those who've got strong offers, from harvard or otherwise.

baller26 and any others who may be interested in health policy, my thought was that A)because of the universal health care intitatives being pursued in the bay area and massachusetts, and B)faculty directly involved with them, that those are the best places to be to work on health care policy right now. would love to hear others thoughts on that....

[26Baller]

oh man! my contest lasted only three minutes!

thanks fighter and others for happy thoughts. congrats to those who've got strong offers, from harvard or otherwise.

baller26 and any others who may be interested in health policy, my thought was that A)because of the universal health care intitatives being pursued in the bay area and massachusetts, and B)faculty directly involved with them, that those are the best places to be to work on health care policy right now. would love to hear others thoughts on that....

Sorta "a" but more "b." The faculty in general are top notch (as I'm sure they are in all departments).

[annieluc]

Hey guys congratulations all of you who got accepted!!

Could someone please post their acceptance letter.... please..... It would be so great to read it!!! Specially if you got in to the MPA/ID....

Thank you!!!

[javajava]

I'm out. So Fletcher or SIPA it is for me.

Congrats to those who are in - nicely done. Good luck to all, wherever it is you end up!

[linden]

In!!!!! I am so excited. And, I still can't believe it. I can't afford to go there. But, like younglions (I think) once wrote, I will keep this letter forever, frame it, pull it out when I lose at Trivial Pursuit. (And, no, younglions did not include the part about Trivial Pursuit. That's all me.)

This is an extremely super happy day!!!

I guess we will know on April 3 what the financial implication of attending HKS will be. But, in the meantime, can we move on to the discussion of whether it is worth it to go into debt to attend HKS? All along I kept saying that getting in HKS would radically change the equation, that I would go into debt for HKS. But, it was easy to make that statement when I did not believe it could happen. Now, I really have to address that question. For those who have been admitted, is HKS worth the debt to you?

[chenchak]

Canukgirl,

I havn't received my decision for MPA2 as well...Huhhhhh...

Has anyone received the decisions for MPA2?

[MCneelified06]

I didn't even check email once yesterday -- congrats to all who got in. In response to someone who asked about the email:

Congratulations! I am pleased to offer you admission to Harvard University

[linden]

Does anyone happen to know what percentage of the MPP class receives some form of scholarship/fellowship?

[fes_alum]

in the meantime, can we move on to the discussion of whether it is worth it to go into debt to attend HKS? All along I kept saying that getting in HKS would radically change the equation, that I would go into debt for HKS. But, it was easy to make that statement when I did not believe it could happen. Now, I really have to address that question. For those who have been admitted, is HKS worth the debt to you?

Hey Linden, congrats on your acceptance! I didn't expect to hear a decision until the end of this week (I'm in too!). As for your question about whether or not HKS is worth the debt, I guess the answer depends on what you want to do with your Kennedy degree. If you're planning for a career in public service, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (or more specifically, the Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees) will cancel the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 10 years of public service. So borrowing the maximum amount of federal loans needed might be worth it. Just be advised that loans from private lenders do not qualify under this program unless they are guaranteed by the government.

Fore more information about this program, check out: http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attac ... arch18.pdf

Again, congrats!

[therunaround]

It's so hard to decide. I'm looking at about $120,000 of debt but interested in going into public service for sure. I expect to pay between $500 and $800 a month in payments with the income based payment plan and have around $120,000 of interest/debt forgiven after 10 years. Plus with HKS's Loan Forgiveness Program, I would receive 25% of those payments until I top 60,000 income - which would probably happen after 1 year if things go to plan. I think the debt is manageable if one is doing public service.

I am actually more interested on what people think about the HKS program. It seems heavy on the business side of public policy. I was also disappointed to not find a domestic focus area addressing environmental and energy issues. I am considered the IGL concentration because it has an international environment focus but it seems to require 6 electives (a large commitment of coursework) and I'm interested in domestic policy, not international.

Any thoughts on the meat and potats of the program?

[therunaround]

sorry about the typos - i'm at work and try to get my thoughts out in quite spurts so as not to attract attention.

[Rose]

I have the same questions.

I got accepted yesterday and am now uncertain between HKS and SIPA, of all places.

I'm interested in public service in the form of IGOs/NGOs, but am also considering the value of a PhD in the future (of uncertain subject). I have a deadset interest in studying human rights critically and seriously and definitely want a strong international focus and preparation.

My sticking points are:

--Harvard seems better regarded than Columbia, but I don't know if that really only applies to the MPA-ID for int'l foci

--Columbia is more expensive than HKS, even if I have to borrow 100% at both

--HKS seems to only have ~3 classes about human rights-type int'l issues; the rest seem to be about US foreign policy/security studies/democracy in general

--I feel that I need quant classes (badly, given my GRE score), and SIPA doesn't seem to have as much in this dept. as HKS

--Location, location, location: NYC trumps Boston, but SO in Boston might trump NYC loneliness

Does anyone else have insight?? I know alot of people find downsides to SIPA...

[hope4ful]

I have the same questions.

I got accepted yesterday and am now uncertain between HKS and SIPA, of all places.

I'm interested in public service in the form of IGOs/NGOs, but am also considering the value of a PhD in the future (of uncertain subject). I have a deadset interest in studying human rights critically and seriously and definitely want a strong international focus and preparation.

My sticking points are:

--Harvard seems better regarded than Columbia, but I don't know if that really only applies to the MPA-ID for int'l foci

--Columbia is more expensive than HKS, even if I have to borrow 100% at both

--HKS seems to only have ~3 classes about human rights-type int'l issues; the rest seem to be about US foreign policy/security studies/democracy in general

--I feel that I need quant classes (badly, given my GRE score), and SIPA doesn't seem to have as much in this dept. as HKS

--Location, location, location: NYC trumps Boston, but SO in Boston might trump NYC loneliness

Does anyone else have insight?? I know alot of people find downsides to SIPA...

So, definitely take this with this lens in mind - I was rejected from HKS, but accepted into SIPA with a fellowship. That said, before hearing from either school, SIPA was my number one choice. I too am pursuing a career in Human Rights - for me, I am particularly interested in the rights of Refugee/Migrant Workers. While I understand the prestige and incredibly talented staff/student body at HKS, I feel that SIPA has more to offer for those interested in my field. For instance:

**I love SIPA's commitment to multi-disciplinary studies. While many schools, including HKS, offers the ability to take classes at the different associated schools, SIPA has integrated the overall Columbia course offering into their database providing, what sounds like, a seamless view of the thousands of class options.

**Human Rights resources - HR Working Group (students), a Concentration on Human Rights, archival research (see below).

**The Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research holds the archival records of several donors, including Amnesty International USA, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch and Columbia's own Center for the Study of Human Rights and the University Seminar on Human Rights.

Hopefully, you can make it to both open houses to get a better picture. I visited the two schools back-to-back in December and was able to get a good feeling (I was actually kind of turned off at HKS, in particular the one class that I visited was very theory based while I am looking for more practical). If you cannot make it to SIPA, I am happy to ask questions on your behalf. Either way, I don't think you can really make a bad decision as both are great programs. Speaking with professionals in the Refugee/Human Rights field, a degree from HKS or SIPA will take you far!

Congratulations!

[Rose]

Thanks hope4ful.

I'm actually interested in similar issues related to migration. I'm planning to attend both visit days, and your points are well taken--those are precisely the conclusions that I was starting to come to. I guess my more underlying concern is if concentrating in "human rights" explicitly is beneficial for the job market as opposed to it being more peripheral to analytical training.

I'm sure you'll go far with a good education; it sounds like you really know what you want --congrats on SIPA!

[hope4ful]

Thanks hope4ful.

I'm actually interested in similar issues related to migration. I'm planning to attend both visit days, and your points are well taken--those are precisely the conclusions that I was starting to come to. I guess my more underlying concern is if concentrating in "human rights" explicitly is beneficial for the job market as opposed to it being more peripheral to analytical training.

I'm sure you'll go far with a good education; it sounds like you really know what you want --congrats on SIPA!

Thanks Rose! Yea, that's a great question and if you want I can ask some of my contacts what they think. My quant skills are pretty rusty (I was an Anthro major so my last real math class was 10 years ago when I graduated high school!), so any MPP/MPA program seems highly analytical to me. I know at SIPA you have to take a full year of Economics plus a Quantitative Analysis program. At their information sessions, SIPA boosted that they were quant heavy and was the only program to specifically say that you need at least Micro/Macro Econ or other math courses on your transcript (this was verbally told to me, not on their website). Of course, reading posts on thegradcafe leads me to think otherwise...I guess it is all in your own perspective.

Again, I know someone at the State Department and at an international Refugee nonprofit, and would gladly seek their opinion. Maybe I'll see you at the visit days!

BTW - I admit that I read through some of your other posts, and if your SO is planning to be in Boston, then that is a huge plus for HKS. MY SO and I did long distance for a year (I was in Boston, he was in Seattle) and it was stressful and I know it would have been worst if we were both poor grad students. Plus, as a couple, you can save a lot on living expenses. Ok, just a practical two cents. Don't mean to butt too much in your personal life.

[linden]

Hey Linden, congrats on your acceptance! I didn't expect to hear a decision until the end of this week (I'm in too!). As for your question about whether or not HKS is worth the debt, I guess the answer depends on what you want to do with your Kennedy degree. If you're planning for a career in public service, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (or more specifically, the Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees) will cancel the remaining balance on your federal student loans after 10 years of public service. So borrowing the maximum amount of federal loans needed might be worth it. Just be advised that loans from private lenders do not qualify under this program unless they are guaranteed by the government.

Fore more information about this program, check out: http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attac ... arch18.pdf

Again, congrats!

fes_alum:

Congrats as well. Thanks for providing this info. It sounds as if though you are leaning towards taking on the debt. I am still completely lost and undecided. Good luck with your decision-making!

[riz1]

out. and i really thought i had a shot.

for all those who have been rejected by Ms Alexandra Martinez -- if you want to get any feedback whatsoever on your application, my AdComm friend recommends waiting a couple of weeks, maybe even until after April 15, to call and ask for details on your candidate file.

best of luck to everybody with your decisions.

[poodles123]

out. and i really thought i had a shot.

for all those who have been rejected by Ms Alexandra Martinez -- if you want to get any feedback whatsoever on your application, my AdComm friend recommends waiting a couple of weeks, maybe even until after April 15, to call and ask for details on your candidate file.

best of luck to everybody with your decisions.

Did your friend say that they will give you some sort of guidance on your application? I e-mailed them last night because I really don't understand why I was flat out rejected. I understand that it was particularly competitive this year, but I just felt that from a statistical standpoint, I should have been in or at least waitlisted. I really am curious what my application was missing/what they didn't like about me. Makes me nervous about other applications that I have pending.

[livinitup]

I have to admit, when I first applied to all these fabulous schools, I thought my chances were slim. Don't get me wrong, I have decent stats and everything, but I just had a nagging feeling that I wasn't good enough. Then, after hearing good news from several great schools, I started to think I might actually stand a chance of getting into KSG. Oh well, it was worth a try.

KSG is the last school I was waiting to hear from. It's finally over! And I'm quite happy to say I'll be livin' it up at Berkeley in the fall. I am so incredibly excited!

Congrats to everyone, wherever you applied, and all the best for the coming year. Give yourselves a pat on the back.

[riz1]

Did your friend say that they will give you some sort of guidance on your application? I e-mailed them last night because I really don't understand why I was flat out rejected. I understand that it was particularly competitive this year, but I just felt that from a statistical standpoint, I should have been in or at least waitlisted. I really am curious what my application was missing/what they didn't like about me. Makes me nervous about other applications that I have pending.

ya know, poodles, i feel the exact same way. i even ran my stats by my AdComm friend about a month and a half ago, and her immediate response after hearing my background was, "i can guarantee you that for whatever reason if you don't get in, it's not because of [GRE scores / work experience / GPA]."

if you emailed the office last night, don't expect to hear back for a while. right now they're apparently inundated with such messages, and getting through them all will take some time. not to mention the fact that from what i can see, MPA2 results haven't been released yet. considering this is spring break week at Harvard, they're probably backed up with paperwork and trying to just play catchup right now.

hopefully you are already in somewhere else ...