Harvard Kennedy School 2014

[jct329]

I will probably be applying.  We will see what happens...

 

Schools I'm interested in so far:  Harvard Kennedy (MPP), JHU SAIS, Chicago Harris, Georgetown Security Studies Program, Columbia SIPA, Tufts Fletcher

 

Undergraduate institution: University of Iowa 
Undergraduate GPA: 3.88

Undergraduate Majors: B.A. Political Science (Honors) and Economics (straight As in Principles and Intermediate classes, as well as A+s in International Econ and Advanced International Econ)

 

GRE Quantitative Score: 158

GRE Verbal Score: 170
GRE AW Score: 5.5

 

I'm considering a retake to boost my quant score.  I think it's good enough for admissions to most of the places I want to go, but if spending another $185 on a retake might turn into a few grand later in funding, it would definitely be worth it.  I studied some, but there is definitely a lot more I could do.

 

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Years of Work Experience: 1 year working as a manager for a non-profit environmental group, 5 years (currently) enlisted in the Navy including a year in Djibouti, as well as four years working for a 3-Star. 

 

Languages: Russian (four years in high school, two years in college, but at this point I would probably be a novice.  Thinking about brushing up on my own with it.)

Activities:

• 60 hours teaching English to children in Djibouti
• Active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Pretty strong, I think.  Not sure which ones I'll have where yet, but in my stable I'll have my UG thesis advisor, a UK Army Colonel, a US Army Colonel, two US Navy Captains, a Navy Lieutenant Commander, and a couple of Navy Chiefs, all of whom I've worked for and have a strong relationship with.

[Plate77]

Anyone know when HKS will be posting their application?

 

The application is now open. Good luck!

[Plate77]

The instructions for submitting a resume say:

 

"Please provide a chronological resume that highlights the following information: employment, including titles and dates (months/years) of employment for each position, job responsibilities, salary, any gaps in employment history; academic degrees, achievements and honors; volunteer, public service and political work, recent leadership experiences; extracurricular activities and interests."

 

Salary information on the resume? Really?

[Swedishcoffee]

I noticed that. Another of my apps - Columbia SIPA, I believe - requires the same. It's interesting. I wonder how that factors into their decision making.

[NPRjunkie]

The instructions for submitting a resume say:

 

"Please provide a chronological resume that highlights the following information: employment, including titles and dates (months/years) of employment for each position, job responsibilities, salary, any gaps in employment history; academic degrees, achievements and honors; volunteer, public service and political work, recent leadership experiences; extracurricular activities and interests."

 

Salary information on the resume? Really?

 

This may factor into need-based financial aid, like work-study appointments. 

[ohcoture]

This may factor into need-based financial aid, like work-study appointments. 

 

Yeah I think you're right. I didn't put down any salary info and it didn't seem to affect anything.

[ohcoture]

Hi guys, 

 

I am preparing my application for the MPP as well. 

 

I am quite young, 22 years old - but it seems that the youngest admitted this year was 21. 

 

I graduated last year with straight 4.0 (or the equivalent) with a Bachelor in Economics and I was ranked at the top %1 in the class.

My undergraduate institution is one of the most renowned French University (Sorbonne). I might not have as much work experience as other applicants though but I interned 3 months at the European Parliament working for a European Deputy, 3 months at the French Parliament (Lower House) as an assistant for a deputy from my native region, 3 months at the Turkish Parliament, and just finished my internship at the United Nations working for the European Union's delegation as an ''adviser'' in Political Affairs at the Security Council. 

 

I also worked for two different NGOs, One in Rome which focused on Inter-religious dialogue and one in Paris, which focused on Inter-cultural dialogue and integration. I am of Turkish background so I speak French, English and Turkish. 

 

I did not take the GRE yet ... quite stressing out about it. 

 

For the LoRs I am opting for the European Deputy I worked for, the President of the NGO I worked in Rome and most probably a teacher. The thing is, on the Harvard blog they said that the only case to avoid would be to have 3 LoR from teachers - what would be Ideal for me is to send 3 LoR coming from internship supervisors instead. But I recently graduated so I assume that it might not be very wise? 

 

I received several scholarships through academia, the last one being attributed by the French Ministry of Education for outstanding academic result for students in need (son of blue-collar worker). 

 

Extra: I managed to get from a bad Middle School to one of France's best High School back in the days..

 

(PS: If someone could chance me I would be very grateful)

 

Guy, you're very well qualified. As long as you're in the 160/160/5 range on your GREs I would say you have better than 50/50 odds.

[taidan]

Hi Everyone. I have a 3.59 GPA, Aprox 1 year of strong work experience, both volunteer service based using my IR and tech skills and along with paid consulting.  I have a IR degree from a Foreign Policy top ten IR program and I'm guessing fairly strong LORs.

 

Problem is, I took the GRE last year and got a 168 V and 148 Q 5 W. Should I retake it to apply to Kennedy MPP, or is the quant too low? 

Thanks!

Edited November 13, 2013 by taidan

[taidan]

Also to append to my last post (that It seems I no longer can edit), I have also done multiple internships,  and worked during college. 

[NPRjunkie]

Also to append to my last post (that It seems I no longer can edit), I have also done multiple internships,  and worked during college. 

 

Your GPA is low and your quant way too low and you have only a year of volunteer work experience somehow mixed with consulting work (if I understood you correctly). HKS is a *huge* stretch, in my opinion. Raise the quant score and get a couple more years work experience.

Edited November 14, 2013 by NPRjunkie

[taidan]

Your GPA is low and your quant way too low and you have only a year of volunteer work experience somehow mixed with consulting work (if I understood you correctly). HKS is a *huge* stretch, in my opinion. Raise the quant score and get a couple more years work experience.

Thanks!

 

I can get my quant up to the mid 150s, and my consulting was full time for the year, but I hear your point.

 

So the question is, besides the opportunity cost of completing the application, am I losing anything by applying? How does HKS look at applicants that re apply?

[NPRjunkie]

Thanks!

 

I can get my quant up to the mid 150s, and my consulting was full time for the year, but I hear your point.

 

So the question is, besides the opportunity cost of completing the application, am I losing anything by applying? How does HKS look at applicants that re apply?

 

Just the application fee. I don't think (in principle) you'd be looked at positively or negatively for reapplying, but a year of "consulting" (a category that can really be applied broadly to a lot of things) probably isn't strong enough to construct a narrative compelling enough for the HKS admissions committee. I had a friend waitlisted at HKS one year, he reapplied, and was rejected the following year. If anything, it might hurt you if the narrative you construct in your application this year is completely different from the one you might construct 1 to 2 years down the line. And now that the economy is recovering, these schools (particularly Ivy ones) are getting more competitive again since they traditionally get more applicants. I speak from experience since (ironically) I now work at an Ivy school I turned down years back, but I don't want to get too specific. But without saying too much, I think it is worth waiting, getting more experience, and trying to get into a public policy school with the best overall university brand. This is not because other schools can't do what you want them to, especially with respect to government service; it's because preferences and career trajectories can change radically in the few years you accrue experience and in the two years you are in these programs, and you want a resume that will be versatile enough to do what you want it to do. Unless you're approaching your 30s, for god's sake wait, get experience, and apply down the line. Maybe you'll even want an MBA or JD instead, or no degree at all.

I was waitlisted at HKS with a couple years experience on my belt, a near perfect GPA, and a better quant score. And that was several years ago. I was naive in my decision making process as a kid (practically) and feel like I lack a versatile enough degree. Maybe had I waited another year I could have changed my trajectory radically. You never know.

Edited November 15, 2013 by NPRjunkie

[NPRjunkie]

Hi guys, 

 

I am preparing my application for the MPP as well. 

 

I am quite young, 22 years old - but it seems that the youngest admitted this year was 21. 

 

I graduated last year with straight 4.0 (or the equivalent) with a Bachelor in Economics and I was ranked at the top %1 in the class.

My undergraduate institution is one of the most renowned French University (Sorbonne). I might not have as much work experience as other applicants though but I interned 3 months at the European Parliament, 3 months at the French Parliament (Lower House) as an assistant for a deputy from my native region, 3 months at the Turkish Parliament, and just finished my internship at the United Nations working for the European Union's delegation as an ''adviser'' in Political Affairs at the Security Council. 

 

I also worked for two different NGOs, One in Rome which focused on Inter-religious dialogue and one in Paris, which focused on Inter-cultural dialogue and integration. I am of Turkish background so I speak French, English and Turkish. 

 

I did not take the GRE yet ... quite stressing out about it. 

 

For the LoRs I am opting for the European Deputy I worked for, the President of the NGO I worked in Rome and most probably a teacher. The thing is, on the Harvard blog they said that the only case to avoid would be to have 3 LoR from teachers - what would be Ideal for me is to send 3 LoR coming from internship supervisors instead. But I recently graduated so I assume that it might not be very wise? 

 

I received several scholarships through academia, the last one being attributed by the French Ministry of Education for outstanding academic result for students in need (son of blue-collar worker). 

 

Extra: I managed to get from a bad Middle School to one of France's best High School back in the days..

 

(PS: If someone could chance me I would be very grateful)

 

Reconnect with your professors and get their recs. With the possible exception of WWS, you're competitive for all the top programs so long as your GRE is in the "above average" range. You'd fit into their smaller percentage of applicants with little work experience, but among those in that category, I'm sure you'd be near the top of the pile. Just depends how many people straight out of undergrad they want to take in a particular year. The more prestigious your undergrad institution (which yours is), the more likely you'll be considered.

Edited December 25, 2013 by fuzzylogician
Quoted part edited for privacy. --fuzzy

[Plate77]

I'm quite confused with this statement from HKS:

Many inquiries were on the topic of chronological order in the resume.  Admissions Committee members are very interested in the history of applicants, and the easiest way for us to review applicant history is a resume listing experience in chronological order.

 

 

Do they mean chronological order as in earliest experience first? Unlike the standard reverse chronological way of stating the latest first?

 

Or are they simply saying chronological to distinguish from a functional resume?

 

I've been searching through general resume practices on the web and seems like generally chronological is taken to mean (reverse) chronological. 

Edited November 16, 2013 by Plate77

[yhakak]

I'm quite confused with this statement from HKS:

 

Do they mean chronological order as in earliest experience first? Unlike the standard reverse chronological way of stating the latest first?

 

Or are they simply saying chronological to distinguish from a functional resume?

 

I've been searching through general resume practices on the web and seems like generally chronological is taken to mean (reverse) chronological. 

The answer to your question is in the next paragraph of that blog post:

 

It is fine for resumes to be broken into sections such as academic history, work history/experience, public service/volunteer work, etc.  Each section should be in chronological order with month and year information (or weeks as appropriate for short term experiences).  We prefer that the most recent experience be listed first, but if an applicant has put together a resume in reverse chronological order, there is no need to reformat.

 

[Plate77]

Thanks yhakak. I don't know how I missed that! 

[yhakak]

Thanks yhakak. I don't know how I missed that! 

 I think the pressure is getting to all of us...

[Kaneisha]

Hello everyone! I wanted to pop in and introduce myself. I am not 100% familiar with the etiquette of GradCafe so please excuse me if this is not the place for my message.

 

I'm Kaneisha Grayson, a 2010 HBS/HKS MBA/MPA grad. In 2010, I wrote a business plan to start an admissions consulting firm called The Art of Applying for MPA/MPP/MBA applicants and received a $10k fellowship from HBS' Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship to start my business. Since then, I've worked 1-on-1 with 50+ applicants from around the world to get into top business and policy schools—and I have hundreds of applicants on my free mailing list who receive my applications tips each week.

 

I spend most of my time answering questions over at Beat the GMAT and realize that there are hundreds of you over here at GradCafe who have no idea that me or my company exists. So...hello!

 

Also - I'm hosting a free hour-long "ask me anything" webinar on Sunday, November 24 from 1:30 - 2:30 pm CST for MPP / MPA / MPA/ID / MPA/MC applicants and I wanted to make sure all of you knew about it. 

 

Here's a link to learn more about it: http://theartofapplying.com/mpp-applicant-ask-anything-webinar/ (If you are reading this post after the webinar has ended, it's likely that this page will no longer be live.)

 

I'll try and pop back in here periodically to offer advice as well and be an active, contributing part of the community. I remember when I applied back in 2005 that I had NO ONE to talk to about it so I know how important forums like GradCafe are in keeping up your spirits and keeping your sanity!

 

Thank you!

Kaneisha

 

Harvard MBA & MPA

Founder, The Art of Applying

http://theartofapplying.com

[Whiterose]

Hi,

I am just wondering what is a competitive score for HKS. Last year I was admitted to Georgetown MPP (but I defered the offer) with GMAT 670 (verbal better than quant). Since I heard that HKS is more competitive I took GRE and.scored.168Q and 155V.

I am non-native so I wonder if my low verbal can be excused. I also do not know whether should.I report both GMAT and GRE.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Whiterose

[Kaneisha]

Hi,

I am just wondering what is a competitive score for HKS. Last year I was admitted to Georgetown MPP (but I defered the offer) with GMAT 670 (verbal better than quant). Since I heard that HKS is more competitive I took GRE and.scored.168Q and 155V.

I am non-native so I wonder if my low verbal can be excused. I also do not know whether should.I report both GMAT and GRE.

 

Hi Whiterose,

 

You should submit your GRE score for two reasons:

 

1) Your quant. score is higher than your verbal in this case (versus the other way around with your GMAT). And like you said, HKS will likely be more lenient about a less than amazing Verbal score since you are a non-native speaker.

 

2) Even if you convert your GRE score to the GMAT (using the official score comparison tool: http://www.ets.org/gre/institutions/about/mba/comparison_tool) your GRE score would still come out higher.

 

 

Best of luck!

Kaneisha

[Kaneisha]

I noticed that. Another of my apps - Columbia SIPA, I believe - requires the same. It's interesting. I wonder how that factors into their decision making.

 

They ask for the salary not so that they can figure out who has money to pay and who doesn't or anything like that. It helps them understand your career progression and also provides context for the kind of organization you are working for. For example, it would be very interesting/notable to them to see that you got a $10,000 raise from one job to another or that you took a pay cut to take a certain position. Don't draw the conclusion that more money = better or the other way around. It's for contextual purposes.

[Whiterose]

In fact I wanted to report GRE but I do not know if it will make sense to report GMAT additionally.

[Kaneisha]

@JustSomeGuy75, NPRjunkie gave a really thoughtful and candid reply that I mostly agree with. The only part where I'd disagree is that I would strongly recommend you wait to apply next year when you're able to get your GRE score up and get some more solid work experience. Of course your application will be throughly and thoughtfully considered by the AdCom if you end up reapplying, but it's a "higher hurdle" to overcome the second time around. When working with my clients, it is much easier to help someone get in with a few problem areas in their application if they are applying for the first time than it is when they are reapplying. But it has happened and turned out well for some people—so perhaps it's worth the risk. Let us know what you decide to do!

 

Just the application fee. I don't think (in principle) you'd be looked at positively or negatively for reapplying, but a year of "consulting" (a category that can really be applied broadly to a lot of things) probably isn't strong enough to construct a narrative compelling enough for the HKS admissions committee. I had a friend waitlisted at HKS one year, he reapplied, and was rejected the following year. If anything, it might hurt you if the narrative you construct in your application this year is completely different from the one you might construct 1 to 2 years down the line. And now that the economy is recovering, these schools (particularly Ivy ones) are getting more competitive again since they traditionally get more applicants. I speak from experience since (ironically) I now work at an Ivy school I turned down years back, but I don't want to get too specific. But without saying too much, I think it is worth waiting, getting more experience, and trying to get into a public policy school with the best overall university brand. This is not because other schools can't do what you want them to, especially with respect to government service; it's because preferences and career trajectories can change radically in the few years you accrue experience and in the two years you are in these programs, and you want a resume that will be versatile enough to do what you want it to do. Unless you're approaching your 30s, for god's sake wait, get experience, and apply down the line. Maybe you'll even want an MBA or JD instead, or no degree at all.

I was waitlisted at HKS with a couple years experience on my belt, a near perfect GPA, and a better quant score. And that was several years ago. I was naive in my decision making process as a kid (practically) and feel like I lack a versatile enough degree. Maybe had I waited another year I could have changed my trajectory radically. You never know.

[Kaneisha]

In fact I wanted to report GRE but I do not know if it will make sense to report GMAT additionally.

 

There is no reason to report both scores. Your GRE score is higher, so report that one. Best of luck!

[Applicant2013]

Any Mason program applicants here?