Teach for America then MPA/ MPP?

[priorwalter]

Sorry for all the questions and the fact that this is probably a stupid question, but would going into TFA for two years (instead of spending an extra year in college, provided that this actually works out) help my chances of admission in an MPA/ MPP program?

[cunninlynguist]

It wouldn't hurt. Are you genuinely interested in TFA and prepared to assume the accompanying time commitment? Completing a stint with TFA would help demonstrate that you're dedicated to the public good and all of that fun stuff, but how does it align with your career and educational interests?

I read in your other thread that you're aiming to get 1-3 internships under your belt in addition to the 2 you already have. There wouldn't be anything wrong with that route, provided that these experiences enhance your career clarity and aren't simply serving as resume fodder. What area of policy do you want to go into?

[Eclectic4]

Yes, yes it will help your chances of getting into an MPA program.

I did Teach for America in Phoenix from 2008 - 2010. I also taught a third year in China.

However, I attribute this combination in allowing me to get into some great MPA/MPP programs as well as MBA's. Several of the admissions letter specifically stated that they valued my TFA experience and wanted people with a public service background.

Similarly, many professional programs including MBA's require 2-3 years of work experience, but only accept professional work experience. Teach for America is universally accepted as professional work experience.

[OregonGal]

Agreed. Public service programs are great for MPA/MPP applications because you've proven your interest and have applicable real-world experience. Even for an MBA program my Americorps service would be pretty applicable, since I did program development, implementation and management with an HR slant. I always encourage people looking at MPA programs to consider a program like TFA/Americorps. The pay and hours suck, but there's a lot of intangible benefits.

[Eclectic4]

Agreed. Public service programs are great for MPA/MPP applications because you've proven your interest and have applicable real-world experience. Even for an MBA program my Americorps service would be pretty applicable, since I did program development, implementation and management with an HR slant. I always encourage people looking at MPA programs to consider a program like TFA/Americorps. The pay and hours suck, but there's a lot of intangible benefits.

Agreed. The "holy" triad often mentioned for MPA's consists of Teach for America, Peace Corps, and Americorps. Teach for America is actually under the umbrella of Americorps now days. There are obviously many other amazing organizations involving public service.

Also, with TFA, Americorps, and PC, you receive education credit in the form of $4-6000 a year for every year that you work, meaning that you basically are guaranteed a small scholarship that you can apply towards grad school. I have one of my yearly scholarships still left that I can cash in from my Americorps/TFA years.

Furthermore, a lot of public policy and or administration programs offer scholarships, no application fees, and other extras specifically for the public service alumni I just mentioned.

A part of deciding what to do in between college and grad apps is yes, really trying to envision what you would like to do in grad and after. I am going into interrnational affairs and thus, wish I had done the Peace Corps.

Similarily, if someone wishes to go into domestic education policy or even domestic politics, I would argue that Teach for America is a better option.

However, one can go back and forth. For example, I will be now attending a very international public service program (SIPA). I know Peace Corps people who decided to study at a more domestic focused MPA/MPP school for grad school.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[rose1]

Will it help you? Yes.

Is that a good reason to sign up? No

You should ONLY sign up for TFA if you really, really, really want to be a teacher for two years, even knowing that it's really, really hard. I'm only saying this as a former corps member that did NOT know what they were getting themselves into and was fairly miserable the whole time. Everyone's experience is different, but please do not confuse TFA with a fun resume-builder. No one should be encouraged to do Teach For America as a means to an end.

[OregonGal]

A valid point--my Americorps program cohort had an attrition rate of 25%. I think a lot of that was due to friction between the members and their service site's staff, but we also had several people leave because they were offered jobs elsewhere. You live off of very little money and put in a lot of hours, so if you're not totally committed and prepared for the program it can be a difficult experience. However, I do think it's a valuable experience and if your aim is a career in public policy, it gives you a very good ground-level perspective.

[Eclectic4]

Will it help you? Yes.

Is that a good reason to sign up? No

You should ONLY sign up for TFA if you really, really, really want to be a teacher for two years, even knowing that it's really, really hard. I'm only saying this as a former corps member that did NOT know what they were getting themselves into and was fairly miserable the whole time. Everyone's experience is different, but please do not confuse TFA with a fun resume-builder. No one should be encouraged to do Teach For America as a means to an end.

Yes, I agree with you and also want to make clear that joining TFA or any public service program if it is just to "do something" or get something on the resume is not a good reason to join.

And, as you said, Teach for America is amazingly intense, even for those who love it. I don't think people who have not done it can quite fathom the sentence I just wrote and what you said.

For me too, even though I had already been working in educational research, and joined because I really did care about education, my first year was hell on Earth and even the second year was exhausting.

One thing people joining should know is that in most cases, in order to fulfill the mandate of really making an impact in the classroom, you will be working 60 hours a week easily. If you add on top of that the teacher certification process (often with a masters degree if teaching middle school or high school) and the mandatory TFA trainings, your schedule can bump up to 70-80 hours a week.

[OregonGal]

Heh, sounds like I lucked out with my Americorps program! We had a service hours requirement that could be fulfilled at 40 hrs/wk and I usually ended up working weekends, but my service site was really good about making sure we took time off to make up for the weekend work. I'm ending up only about 30 hours over the requirement. I was talking to a City Year member and she said her scheduled hours alone were 50 hours/week, and she usually ended up doing more than that.