Current Chicago Harris student

[harrista]

Aaah so many memories of spending vast amounts of time on Gradcafe this time last year.  I found these fora to be such a valuable resource when deciding where to apply especially as I couldn't do any campus visits, so I'm back to answer any questions you might have about life as an MPP student at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.  Anything you want to know, please ask away!  Or PM if you want to ask privately.  

 

 

[makhan09]

Hi I would like to apply in the Harris School in the program MS Envi.Sci/Policy. I am an International Student and my profile is:

 

GRE: 153V, 162Q, 3.0 AWA

TOEFL: 107 (27R, 25L, 27S, 28W)

Past Education: Undergrad - Engineering and Graduate - Masters in Environmental Management

Work Experience: Full time in an International NGO in the area of Natural Resource Management, Environment and Development

Volunteer Experience: 1 year with ingenious tribal groups

 

Please let me What you think about chance as per my profile? 

[harrista]

Hi makhan09, welcome to gradcafe!  

 

Unfortunately I can't comment on your likelihood of getting in... I honestly have no idea what my classmates' test scores etc are like, although the vast majority have at least a couple of years of work experience.  You could check out the Harris website which has the 2012 class profile on it and apparently the 2013 profile is coming soon which might be helpful.  There's a huge amount of diversity amongst our class including people aiming to focus on environmental policy.  

 

If you have specific questions for someone who might have a similar background, you can check out Team Harris and get in touch with someone who shares your areas of interest.  You could always try getting in touch with the director of admissions if you have admissions-related enquiries.  

 

Good luck! 

[harrista]

Hey guys, here's the latest stats on the current class in case you're interested: http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/admissions-and-aid

[harrista]

Sorry, wrong link: this is the class profile: http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/admissions-and-aid

 

Average GPA: 3.6 (out of 4.0)

GRE Verbal 150 (Q1) - 167 (Q3), Quant 153 (Q1) - 164 (Q3) 

Work experience: 0-2 years (23%), 2-5 years (38%), over 5 years (28%)

46% are international students from 26 countries 

173 MPP students, 5 phd

 

 

Hey guys, here's the latest stats on the current class in case you're interested: http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/admissions-and-aid

[Lbeth91]

Hi harrista, 

 

I want to do federal public policy work probably more related to social or economic policy. I was wondering what type of internship and job opportunities are available in that sense at Chicago? 

 

As for living in Chicago, was it difficult to find housing options that were affordable and somewhat near the school? 

 

Thanks!

[harrista]

Hi Lbeth91!  

 

Chicago definitely has a lot of great options for social and economic policy - you can check out the course listings for an example of some of the classes offered and it's also possible to take courses from other departments.  In terms of internships, I've found the career development office here really helpful and it's really just up to you how much you want to take advantage of everything they organize including mini courses to help you define your career goals, practice interviewing skills and there's an upcoming trip to DC.  There's also recruiting events every week from government organizations, businesses, consultancies etc and Harris has a dedicated website with internship and job listings.  The office also sends out alerts when they get word of new opportunities.  I'm not sure what the stats are for people who stay in Chicago to intern or go elsewhere but I know that students go all over the US and places like Paris, Kosovo and India just to name a few places where second years I know interned last summer.  

 

As for living in Chicago, housing near campus is plentiful and very affordable compared to other big cities.  I wasn't able to visit Chicago before signing a lease but I found a great place online, did a skype inspection and it worked out fine.  Others went with graduate student housing but generally every lessor in this area is very familiar with renting to students so I think it's pretty easy to organize.  As a rough guide, I think around $800-900 a month will get you a nice studio close to campus, shops and transport or a big one bedroom apartment further away from shops and transport but right next to the Harris building.  Edit: just saw an ad for studios in a great location near campus and the waterfront for $675.  

 

 

 

Hi harrista, 

 

I want to do federal public policy work probably more related to social or economic policy. I was wondering what type of internship and job opportunities are available in that sense at Chicago? 

 

As for living in Chicago, was it difficult to find housing options that were affordable and somewhat near the school? 

 

Thanks!

Edited December 31, 2013 by harrista

[Lbeth91]

Thanks so much for the help, harrista!

Would you mind telling me a little bit about the community at the school? Are students really competitive or is there some form of students working together? And do students have good relationships with the professors?

Sorry for all the questions

[harrista]

No problem, now is the time to ask questions!  

 

The community is great and generally people are helpful, friendly and not crazy competitive.  The profs encourage group work on the problem sets and people approach it in different ways: some students formed tight study groups and did all the problem sets for all the subjects together while others were less formal and might just go through answers after you've done it by yourself.  But generally I've found that everyone is very helpful and willing to talk things through, especially if you're struggling.  The people who are competitive are only competitive with themselves and it's certainly not like some of the stories I've heard about law or business school where students are out to sabotage classmates.  Outside of class the community is good too and there's always fun things happening!

 

The professors have office hours and they're very encouraging of students to attend.  Whenever I've needed to talk to a professor I've found them to be accessible and very supportive.  I think once we start taking electives there'll probably be closer relationships because in the core courses they're lecturing up around 160 students so it's hard to give everyone lots of attention.  

 

Hope this helps!  

 

Thanks so much for the help, harrista!
Would you mind telling me a little bit about the community at the school? Are students really competitive or is there some form of students working together? And do students have good relationships with the professors?

Sorry for all the questions

[Lbeth91]

Thanks!!

I'm actually visiting Chicago for a conference next week and really considering the school so I'll probably try to go by to see it. I appreciate your help!

[harrista]

Awesome!  If you're interested and have time, the admissions office can set up a campus visit 

 

 http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/admissions-and-aid/visit  

 

Thanks!!
I'm actually visiting Chicago for a conference next week and really considering the school so I'll probably try to go by to see it. I appreciate your help!