Hearing from the Kennedy School?

[anxiouslywaiting]

It does appear that last year admits went out before the phone-a-thon.

so if we know the admits come out before the phone-a-thon and that is set to start on Wednesday, then it is not unlikely that acceptance emails could come out today or tomorrow...

[linden]

AUGH!!! My "source" who told me about a supposed "phone-a-thon" this week was apparently misinformed. She has no idea when if it's happening this week or not. My guess is that decisions won't be out anytime soon. Since HKS has sent out their decisions on a Friday in the past, I'm assuming they'll send them out on a Friday again this year. Just got to focus on what's important and accept that HKS will send out decisions when they've been made.

Holy cow. I am going to explode.

[dayafterxmas]

Wait. So if last year people got accepted on the 14th, doesn't that mean, possibly, that acceptances have already gone out this year? Like, oh well, another one bites the dust?

[MagiciansAlliance]

dayafterxmas: I think your concern is unlikely. It seems like there are enough people on this board that somebody would have notified us. Hopefully...

[mpp2011]

There's no way acceptances have gone out yet. When the Princeton decisions went out, this board was very, very active. The same thing will happen when HKS goes out. I'm guessing some time between now and Wednesday too.

[Afu]

Yeah, I just spoke with admissions and they said that no decisions have gone out yet. They said we'll be notified at the end of the month...

Accepted: Yale (MA in IR), SIPA (MIA), LSE (MA in Human Rights)

Waiting: KSG

Rejected: Not so far...

[thewaitinggame09]

There's no way acceptances have gone out yet. When the Princeton decisions went out, this board was very, very active. The same thing will happen when HKS goes out. I'm guessing some time between now and Wednesday too.

I am with you on this. I live and work in the DC area and there are quit a bite of us (and my friends) that are applying to the MPP program at Harvard. Even they have not heard yet or have not gotten an email yet...

[younglions]

I just can't believe that Harvard would make admits wait until the end of the month. There's competition for the best students, and Harvard would definitely lose quite a few of them if they wait so long.

[jmoney]

Do you really think that Harvard would "lose the best students" if decisions came out two weeks from now instead of today? I think we've been pretty good at anchoring expectations and consistently saying decisions would come out at the end of the month. Anything earlier, of course, should then exceed expectations.

I understand the anxiety and do hope for a more speedy admissions process for sake of everyone's sanity. But our adcoms are bit overstretched this year with the historic number of applications and we are doing the best we can. As a current HKS student, I certainly hope that care and attention to the admissions review process (and quality control) is our first priority.

Sit tight folks, decisions will come soon enough. Good luck!

[traveler06]

Do you really think that Harvard would "lose the best students" if decisions came out two weeks from now instead of today? I think we've been pretty good at anchoring expectations and consistently saying decisions would come out at the end of the month. Anything earlier, of course, should then exceed expectations.

I understand the anxiety and do hope for a more speedy admissions process for sake of everyone's sanity. But our adcoms are bit overstretched this year with the historic number of applications and we are doing the best we can. As a current HKS student, I certainly hope that care and attention to the admissions review process (and quality control) is our first priority.

Sit tight folks, decisions will come soon enough. Good luck!

I do understand that. On the flip side - only having 15 days to decide prevents most of us from being able to make a visit (I live in the midwest). I'm not really that comfortable making a decision without having visited, sat in on classes, etc. What a crazy crazy year.

[fall09]

I'll have to side with jmoney - quality over sanity.

Good luck everyone!

[traveler06]

I'll have to side with jmoney - quality over sanity.

Good luck everyone!

Quality of course... I guess I'm just used to undergrad. I'm an admissions officer, and undergrads have at least a month to make up their minds. This 4/15 universal response date seems a bit early to me.

[fall09]

Quality of course... I guess I'm just used to undergrad. I'm an admissions officer, and undergrads have at least a month to make up their minds. This 4/15 universal response date seems a bit early to me.

I understand your concern of course. I'm sitting in Peru and don't have the chance to visit a single one of the schools I've applied/been admitted to. It is a concern to me as well but then again it's HKS and my guess is that either it is ones the top choice anyway, or for academic/concentration/personal reasons, there is one alternative to it and minds are already made up.

Oh, and if you get an offer and are undecided, talk to current students or alumni. I did so when I was considering whether to apply and found it really helpful. It is the closest getting an "on site" impression.

[MCneelified06]

Do you really think that Harvard would "lose the best students" if decisions came out two weeks from now instead of today? I think we've been pretty good at anchoring expectations and consistently saying decisions would come out at the end of the month. Anything earlier, of course, should then exceed expectations.

To answer your question -- yes, I do think there is a risk of losing students. I for one am getting into a "Princeton mindset" everyday that goes by without hearing back. Will this mean anything if I get into Harvard with a better offer? Probably not, but if it's a close call, who knows? There's also the whole logistical issue with visits, etc. Early notification is definitely important.

I for one am about to write off U Chicago for example. They were very clear about a March 15th notification, including funding awards, if any. They let the 15th come and go without so much a courtesy email explaining the reasons behind the delay. It's pretty ridiculous for a school to break its very first promise to its prospective students.

[younglions]

To answer your question -- yes, I do think there is a risk of losing students. I for one am getting into a "Princeton mindset" everyday that goes by without hearing back. Will this mean anything if I get into Harvard with a better offer? Probably not, but if it's a close call, who knows? There's also the whole logistical issue with visits, etc. Early notification is definitely important.

I for one am about to write off U Chicago for example. They were very clear about a March 15th notification, including funding awards, if any. They let the 15th come and go without so much a courtesy email explaining the reasons behind the delay. It's pretty ridiculous for a school to break its very first promise to its prospective students.

...

[mpp2011]

My main problem with Harvard notifying in late March is that their open house is on April 9. That doesn't leave much time to plan a trip.

While I'm getting more in a D.C.-bound mindset every day, that could change with an acceptance (and decent funding offer) to Harvard. In that sense, the timing isn't too important to me.

[Cornell07]

Though a school offering funding would change my mindset in a heartbeat, I am definitely starting to think of myself as someone who will be living in New Haven this fall.

[anxiouslywaiting]

Yes! Let's all declare that we will not go to Kennedy unless they notify soon. Hopefully they have spies looking at Grad Cafe (the SIPA admissions director admitted he reads grad school admissions blogs) and that will prompt them to get the ball rolling. :wink:

[Cornell07]

Yes! Let's all declare that we will not go to Kennedy unless they notify soon. Hopefully they have spies looking at Grad Cafe (the SIPA admissions director admitted he reads grad school admissions blogs) and that will prompt them to get the ball rolling. :wink:

:roll:

[thewaitinggame09]

Yes! Let's all declare that we will not go to Kennedy unless they notify soon. Hopefully they have spies looking at Grad Cafe (the SIPA admissions director admitted he reads grad school admissions blogs) and that will prompt them to get the ball rolling. :wink:

Well who knows. But they (Harvard) have been honest the whole time about end of March date since the very beginning.

[Canukgirl]

Yes! Let's all declare that we will not go to Kennedy unless they notify soon. Hopefully they have spies looking at Grad Cafe (the SIPA admissions director admitted he reads grad school admissions blogs) and that will prompt them to get the ball rolling. :wink:

Honestly, Harvard has been nothing but honest from the very begaining. As soon as my applciation was processed, I was notified that it would be end of March. I know it's cutting it close BUT...they told us... I like knowing the fact that they have considered everyone and that they really looked at my applications. The admissions office has been nothing but great....so if we're impatient...it's a human flaw (my biggest flaw!)

[jmoney]

I agree with pretty much everything said here. So far, I've been a bit disappointed with Chicago's admissions response. I sent an e-mail sometime around early January and I still don't have an answer! I can only assume that they too have experienced an increase in applications, and as a result, their staff is stretched thin. While I'm sympathetic, I don't think it's too much to ask that they notify paying applicants that their own published deadlines won't be met.

Harvard is a completely different story. They've always maintained that we will be notified in late March. However, as MCNeelified06 said, the longer I wait, the more I will be in a "Princeton mindset."

Well, I certainly hope any evaluation criteria for selecting schools is based on the merits and fit of the program rather than the timing of admissions decisions. But as previous posts have mentioned, confirmatory bias can be a powerful driver of decision making!

At some point, I'd be happy to field questions from folks about my experience at HKS so far and my process for evaluating programs. I, like many of you, had to choose among a set of excellent offers and found this board to be incredibly helpful in informing my decisions (in addition to other sources, of course).

[anxiouslywaiting]

Well, I certainly hope any evaluation criteria for selecting schools is based on the merits and fit of the program rather than the timing of admissions decisions. But as previous posts have mentioned, confirmatory bias can be a powerful driver of decision making!

At some point, I'd be happy to field questions from folks about my experience at HKS so far and my process for evaluating programs. I, like many of you, had to choose among a set of excellent offers and found this board to be incredibly helpful in informing my decisions (in addition to other sources, of course).

i hope you arent too offended by our silly banter jmoney! just trying to deal with the stress of waiting, which i am sure you can relate to. thanks for offering to field questions. i dont think any of us question the rigor and quality of HKS, that is pretty well established. I am curious about the atmosphere and environment though. I knew someone who went there for mid-career and he said there was not a lot of camaraderie among the students, which other schools like Fletcher are well known for. Could you just speak to what your experience has been in that regard and just any general comments you have about the school? Thanks!

[younglions]

jmoney -

You make good points, but as you said, confirmatory bias can factor into decision making. Moreover, there's a good chance I'll be relocating this fall with a significant other. This week she has become pretty excited about Princeton, and is losing her enthusiasm toward some of my other potential destinations. Perhaps I should have kept my admissions results a secret from her!

From your post history, I see you were also accepted into Princeton but decided on Harvard. Can you provide any insight into what factors influenced your decision?

[jmoney]

i hope you arent too offended by our silly banter jmoney! just trying to deal with the stress of waiting, which i am sure you can relate to. thanks for offering to field questions. i dont think any of us question the rigor and quality of HKS, that is pretty well established. I am curious about the atmosphere and environment though. I knew someone who went there for mid-career and he said there was not a lot of camaraderie among the students, which other schools like Fletcher are well known for. Could you just speak to what your experience has been in that regard and just any general comments you have about the school? Thanks!

Not at all! It's high-anxiety time, so I understand completely the range of thoughts and emotions overwhelming everyone (the job market environment isn't much different). In response to your question, Camaraderie at HKS is really difficult to pin down, but in comparison to other, smaller schools, I don't believe it's as strong or distinct. The primary reason is the larger size of the school, the diversity of students, and the multiple programs in operation at the same time. Speaking from my experience as an MPP, our class of 250 makes it inherently difficult to build close relationships with everyone. The program separates the MPP class into "cohorts" of 50 students, probably in attempt to address this issue, but it's still a challenge since folks still want to meet people outside of their cohort. I know that for Berkeley and Princeton, incoming classes range between 65-75, and so everyone knows each other fairly well. However, in the context of the Harvard community, there is tremendous pride in the Kennedy School representing the perspective of public service and leadership among other graduate programs. That, by far, is probably the strongest sense of identity we develop during our time at HKS (it certainly helps that HBS is right across the river).