Beginning the process

[thinkingfuture]

Hi All,

Thought I'd get a forum going to look at the beginning of the process. I imagine there are some other people in my boat, who have yet to take the test or fill out any applications, but are starting to plan for it all. Would love to hear some insight from those who have been through it all...

How early did you start preparing?

How did you know the MPP or MPA was right for you?

How did you prepare for the GRE?

What were your methods for researching what is actually unique schools? (beyond their websites & campus visits)

Did you take quant classes to boost your candidacy? Do they have to be taken before you apply, or can they be backen in fall or spring semester of the year you apply?

What do you wish you had known when you were starting out?

Newbies - feel free to add questions.

Thanks all!!

[Cosme]

Did you take quant classes to boost your candidacy? Do they have to be taken before you apply, or can they be backen in fall or spring semester of the year you apply?

To expand on this, many programs strongly recommend entry-level coursework in micro/macro economics.

Would I be at a disadvantage if I were to take these courses through a local community college? Would that make me less competitive in the eyes of the reviewers?

There are a few options as far as bigger name private/public universities in my area but the cost would be exponentially larger.

Local community college cost is approximately $100.00 per course hour.

Local private university with big name allows post-baccalaureate coursework at the cost of $6,100.00 per course.

I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thank you.

[cunninlynguist]

@Cosme: I'm currently taking Micro through a local community college. Before I declined admission, my program at Duke considered this as a permissible course, and their list of pre-approved courses had plenty of online and community college representation, if not the outright majority. As long as you do well, it's no issue whatsoever. Take the cheap option, especially because these sorts of courses aren't subject to much creative liberty by professors -- the concepts are the same for everyone at any school, so just get a high grade to demonstrate your mastery of the material and your standing relative to a different peer-group.

[understatement700]

Yeah, I'd recommend the cheapest option, that's what I did. I took micro and macro online. I think they just want to see that you've taken it. Save your dollars for grad school.

[OregonGal]

Hi All,

Thought I'd get a forum going to look at the beginning of the process. I imagine there are some other people in my boat, who have yet to take the test or fill out any applications, but are starting to plan for it all. Would love to hear some insight from those who have been through it all...

How early did you start preparing?

It depends on what you mean by "preparing". I already knew the career field I wanted to go into (International Politics/Policy) would require a Masters degree sooner rather than later, and also that I would need a few years of work experience to qualify for candidacy especially given my GPA. When I graduated college I was already preparing my resume through being very specific about what kinds of jobs I targeted and eventually took--a year overseas teaching English (international professional experience--check!), six months interning at an international engagement organization (office experience in IR field--check!), and a 1-year Americorps position (program management and public service experience--check and check!).

How did you know the MPP or MPA was right for you?

Like I said, I knew pretty early on what I wanted to do and all of my experiences only reinforced that this is the career I want. I definitely used my work experiences to challenge myself and make me think about what I want to do professionally, and whether I really wanted to do XYZ for the next 30 years. I also knew that a Masters would be necessary to take the next step--mostly because all the jobs I applied to were taken by people with Master's degrees!

How did you prepare for the GRE?

I used the prep questions and sheets on the ETS website, focusing more on the Quant stuff, for a few days before the GRE. I have been well-trained by the American public school system for multiple choice exams, so I wasn't too worried. My final scores were 94% V, 63% Q, 4.5 AW. Obviously I could've done better on the Quant, but I also was not going to shell out a ton of money that I didn't have.

What were your methods for researching what is actually unique schools? (beyond their websites & campus visits)

I looked up a couple schools using the Foreign Policy rankings (obviously this is for MIR/MIA programs not MPA/MPP) and then e-mailed one of my old professors to ask if she had any further recommendations based on my interests. This was also helpful because I planned to ask her for a LOR, so it was a great way to spark her memory beforehand and show that I was invested in the process. She pointed me towards a couple schools I hadn't originally planned on applying to but were a great fit, which was very helpful for me.

Did you take quant classes to boost your candidacy? Do they have to be taken before you apply, or can they be backen in fall or spring semester of the year you apply?

I considered taking quant classes, but my work schedule didn't allow me to take a community college class and I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't do well in an online math/theory based course. If you haven't taken one by the time you apply, and are planning to take one, you can always put in your SOP/resume somewhere that you're planning on taking quant classes. Then, if you finish before decisions are mailed out, you can update the admissions office on your final grade. If you finish after being accepted on a provisional admit (fairly common) you can use the courses to confirm your admit or waive out of pre-term courses.

What do you wish you had known when you were starting out?

To save up more money for the application fees? I also wish I had researched SOP questions a bit earlier on so I could have honed in on those a bit better. I didn't think I needed to start on those more than a couple months ahead of time, when really I should have started crafting the SOPs as soon as I narrowed down my list of schools.