Princeton WWS Strengths/Weaknesses

[charleyj]

it does. and it's not. if i remember from the faq correctly, they review all of the alternate's applications once/if spots become available

[invictus]

Linden - no ranking. The pool is re-evaluated based on the spots that become available

[linden]

charleyj and invictus:

Thanks for the info. I was just looking at this document (http://gradschool.princeton.edu/about/d ... able_A.pdf), and it seems that last year they admitted almost 20 students more than the amount admitted this year. There might be hope for some of us. I would certainly be more pessimistic if we were on a wait list for business school. The public sector is the only one that is not bleeding jobs and funding. Some of the same factors that encourage students to defer or go elsewhere are probably still at play this year.

Still, I don't want to keep hope alive. What was really awful was that last year they sent out only admits the first day. Thus, when I received the email, naturally, I assumed I was in. That memory still makes me wince. :roll:

[younglions]

edit: oops wrong thread... how did that happen

[invictus]

The waitlist FAQ and letter I received yesterday was clearly geared towards applicants focused on Field I & II. Now I'm wondering how many different types of letters were mailed. Obviously, those more focused on domestic policy received a letter with a different first paragraph. I'm curious if the rest of the letters were similar. They're clearly trying to manage our expectations, but I'm wondering if language differed based on their perception of our chances. Then again, I'm pretty sure that we're not ranked or grouped. It's already a lot of work to process 850+ applicants, much less rank 41 applications, but who knows...

Okay, this is my last WWS post unless something interesting comes up. I need to move on and not obsess. It's already going to be a long several months just waiting!

[linden]

Did anyone see the notice below on the results page? Does this mean WWS is already sending out acceptances from the wait list? Has anyone heard anything? It was a bit unclear because the individual noted he/she was accepted on April 19, posted this comment on April, but then indicated that he/she "Got [the] notification long ago."

Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School)

Public Affairs, Masters

Accepted via E-mail on 19 Apr 2009

18 Apr 2009

Got my notification long ago. No way I was going to accept the offer over my offer at Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard is just too prestigious to turn down. Sorry Princeton, but I reject your offer!!! Man that feels good.

[younglions]

I opened this page really excited that you may have gotten some good news linden. Sad to see that you haven't (yet?).

Honestly, I think that post is probably from a troll. Generally the results page is not used to emphatically announce that you have turned down a school. Although I could imagine a person turning down Princeton in favor of Harvard--in fact there is a poster on these boards who made that decision last year--I'm hesitant to believe that this particular person even had Princeton as an option. Maybe I'm wrong, but the post just seems a little too juvenile to be believable. On the other hand, if the poster had announced his/her decision in the context of alerting those wait listed at Princeton, I wouldn't question its veracity. Then again, I have no idea why someone would post untruths on the results page, so in the end I have no idea what to think. The wording does seem to imply that the WWS acceptance came long ago.

As for the waitlist, so far there haven't been any announcements made to those of us who accepted our offers regarding what the class size will look like. I also think there might be a little bit of lag in between the April 15th deadline and when they will know if they need to consult the wait list. Decisions are sent into the graduate college, not WWS, and I imagine the GC received a rather large volume of mail last week and will take awhile to sort it all out.

Anyways, I hope the final decision works out for you.

[linden]

Younglions:

Thanks for your message and info. Good to know the admits had to send their decisions to the graduate school, rather than directly to WWS. Indeed, that would add a few days to the process. I also thought the person was a troll; he/she sounded a tad too bitter.

[90sNickelodeon]

Here, let's ratchet the anxiety up a little bit more. For some fun (and nerve-racking) reading material, check out the WWS student bios, if you have not yet.

http://wws.princeton.edu/grad/admission/studentbios/

They're all along the lines of "Bobby speaks 17 languages, including three dead ones, fluently. He finished a translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the age of eight and then created a Broadway musical out of his experience. He spent three years in Mauritania teaching sign language to manta rays, which then became his assistants in early childhood education programs in Bolivia and in demining operations in Cambodia. Bobby funded his own initiatives by selling his left lung, spleen, and liver. Even though he is a man, he has breastfed hundreds of orphans to save them from starvation. He is the only student to ever score a 4.1 gpa in nuclear-astrophysical-geothermal engineering. He devotes his free time to fighting forest fires."

Actually, no, they're not that bad. They might actually reassure you that these students are mere mortals.

Haha nice. And they all come from prestigious undergrads, and if they didn't, they have some extraordinary story.

[junebug62]

I think the Princeton MPP bios sound awful. They strike me as horribly unprofessional, immature, and naive, for the most part. ("I'm going to save the world! Yay! I'm like so totally international! Yay!") If it wasn't such a great school, I'd be turned off completely. The PhDs sound all right. Maybe I'm just jaded and sick of international development's uber trendiness right now. Anyway, I urge any WWS admits here to refrain from writing such stupid-sounding bios. Please.

[90sNickelodeon]

I think the Princeton MPP bios sound awful. They strike me as horribly unprofessional, immature, and naive, for the most part. ("I'm going to save the world! Yay! I'm like so totally international! Yay!") If it wasn't such a great school, I'd be turned off completely. The PhDs sound all right. Maybe I'm just jaded and sick of international development's uber trendiness right now. Anyway, I urge any WWS admits here to refrain from writing such stupid-sounding bios. Please.

If it weren't for the money, I'd never consider Princeton anyway. I mean if you compared what they offered in terms of an IR degree to a school like American, they really don't give you much. :? I spoke with an admissions counselor who said that their program is very GENERAL, but if you're looking for specific, look elsewhere.

[spottedtoad]

I'd have to agree- the MPA bios turned me off-- but that said, I'm old and crotchety, probably not the best ingredients for "public service."

[linden]

Oh, come on people. I think the sour grapes are starting to show. We have all managed to be civil and even supportive. Let's not turn thegradcafe into autoadmit.com.

The bios are just fine. (No one can ever come close to Bobby, of course. )

[younglions]

Of course if you look at one specific metric, you'll be able to find MANY schools that are better than Princeton. For example, American SIS is a MASSIVE program; as a result, they are able to offer a greater breadth of courses than Princeton. However, I can almost guarantee you that the average Princeton course offers students a greater depth, more rigorous training, more active learning (can't be anonymous in a small class/program), and a higher quality of class-discussion (amazing peers). Of course, there will be some exceptions. I was accepted into SIS right out of undergrad, and now that I've had a few years of experience, I can confidently say that I wouldn't be thrilled to have my 21-year-old self as a classmate. It should also be noted that Princeton allows students to shape the course schedule. If students are interested in a topic, they try to find a way to offer a course on it.

Also, don't forget that a masters degree is just two years of your life. While a great many of SIS students get good jobs after graduation, and a good deal even find their "dream jobs", there's also a great many who graduate to find their degree doesn't give them much of a competitive advantage. At Princeton, most people graduate into their "dream job."

I'm not trying to say that Princeton is the best. (Although for my interests, I personally think it is). However, I think the characterization that WWS doesn't offer an IR student much is flat wrong. Of course, for some people, a full ride at SIS/GW/SAIS/SFS/Fletcher, etc. is going to be a better option than a full-ride at WWS. What graduate school you attend is a very personal decision.

Also, I don't find anything wrong with the idealism that shines through in the MPA student bios, as long as it is grounded in reality. Idealism should not be conflated with naivety, nor should it be treated as negative word like some tend to regard "elite" or "intellectual". In fact, I demand that all my public leaders are idealistic, elite (as in of the highest quality), and intellectual.

[fall09]

I have to agree with Linden. I think some of the critique, especially that it is "too general" is laughable. Part of the beauty of the WWS MPA is that you can acquire a broad range of skills or focus on your chosen field of interest, any case in which you'll have excellent employment opportunities due to its network and brand name.

As for the WWS student idealism; I was there last week to visit some friends who are in the programme (I myself applied and did not get accepted). Yes you can call them naive idealists, but if you seriously want to make an impact as a public servant (and let's face it, this is what they're looking for in an application) don't you have to be a little naive and a tad insane? Oh wait, I'm stirring up a realism/liberal debate...

[linden]

So, did anyone else on the wait list receive the letter? I guess it's nice to bring this to an end on April 22, rather than stretch it out until May 15. But, still, I had been hoping for a miracle. Is anyone planning to reapply?

[NebBronco]

So, did anyone else on the wait list receive the letter? I guess it's nice to bring this to an end on April 22, rather than stretch it out until May 15. But, still, I had been hoping for a miracle. Is anyone planning to reapply?

I also got the email from WWS. Even though it didn't work out this year (78% yield fwiw), I'm more than happy to take my offer and go to Michigan this fall.

[younglions]

Linden (and NebBronco too, but linden has been a regular around here for a long time) - Sorry to hear I won't have the pleasure of having you as a classmate next year. I'm sure GPPI, traveler06, and policy_applicant will treat you well. I guess this means that you and your husband won't have to do the long distance thing? That's a great consolation prize.

Wow, 78% yield--that's insane. It represents a big jump up from the last few years. Good thing WWS predicted it and admitted a smaller class this year. It seems like the bad economy has encouraged those who may have been lost to peer schools in the past to follow the green.

[policy_applicant]

Sorry to hear about WWS, linden. 78% yield is insane.

[auden]

78% yield means 19 people declined their offers of admission. Just out of curiosity, did anyone here turn down WWS? (I'm pretty sure I know two people who went for Harvard MPA/ID.) Also, did the letter say anything about whether anyone was admitted from the waitlist?

[NebBronco]

78% yield means 19 people declined their offers of admission. Just out of curiosity, did anyone here turn down WWS? (I'm pretty sure I know two people who went for Harvard MPA/ID.) Also, did the letter say anything about whether anyone was admitted from the waitlist?

According to the letter, this year they had 15 declines and 5 deferrals. Normally it is about 25 declines and 12 deferrals. Nobody was accepted off the wait list, unfortunately :cry:

[linden]

Linden (and NebBronco too, but linden has been a regular around here for a long time) - Sorry to hear I won't have the pleasure of having you as a classmate next year. I'm sure GPPI, traveler06, and policy_applicant will treat you well. I guess this means that you and your husband won't have to do the long distance thing? That's a great consolation prize.

younglions: Thanks for your kind words. I am indeed sure I will have a great time with policy_applicant and traveler06. I think I am just hung up on the money Princeton could have saved me.

I think it is better that I will be in DC, since I will be able to start interning and rebuilding my resume. I have to be honest with myself: I am no longer a spring chicken , and another two-year hiatus (even one in Princeton) is not the best idea for me.

Good luck with all your future plans!

[Dreams]

I think it is better that I will be in DC, since I will be able to start interning and rebuilding my resume. I have to be honest with myself: I am no longer a spring chicken , and another two-year hiatus (even one in Princeton) is not the best idea for me.

Good luck with all your future plans!

Oh please linden. Seriously, any program would be fortunate to have you. You have over 10 years of experience, and will have tons to contribute compared to those in the programs who have just a few years of experience (not that they won't have anything to contribute for that matter). It will also work in your favor when you are done when applying to jobs that require previous experience.

[auden]

The Foreign Policy IR rankings have been posted here in various threads...I've not studied the methodology behind them by any means, but thought it was weird that Princeton is ranked fairly low on the list (#6). Anyone care to comment on why that is?

[sisepuede]

i'm really really really late, but two quick things:

linden: awwww man! enjoy georgetown!

on the question of bobby and the bios on the admissions page: I told a couple of curent students i met when i visited wws that they sounded just like one of those intense bios i read online..of course, that's because it was their bio. very smooth. so i repeated this semi-joking story to the one of the admissions directors the next day and he earnestly asked how i really felt about it. i was very honest and said i enjoyed and was inspired by them, but was almost intimidated out of applying by them. which is true. he said that was feedback they need to hear. then i proceeded to tell him about linden's invented "bobby." he liked that too.