Apply to NYU/Columbia or wait for WWS/Harvard

[aska86]

Hey,

 

I'm looking for advice on timing of applications for MPP/MPA programs. Was planning to apply to NYU and Columbia for grad programs but somehow eked out a 170/163 (qual/quant) GRE in December (just after the deadlines for most schools) and am wondering whether it's better to wait to apply to better schools next year. My other stats are:

 

GPA: 3.6 from a top-10 liberal arts school

 

Work experience: 4 years

3 years in the Massachusetts state legislature working as an aide and then a budget policy analyst

1.5 years working in a budget policy think tank in New York

1/2 year (currently) working in a political consulting firm

 

Want to go to policy school to basically get the policy chops to be able to progress in political communications and hopefully one day broaden this to expand citizen engagement in policy, hopefully in New York City government.

 

Think it's a pretty good background but not sure if it's enough for a top-tier school. Or if a top-tier school is necessary for such a career path. Advice would be much appreciated.

[med latte]

Have you looked up the course descriptions and faculty research at all the schools you're considering? if you've missed the deadline for the school with the best fit to your interests, I would say it's worth it to wait.  Focus on fit, not so much name brand.  People create successful career paths from all schools.

[juilletmercredi]

First of all, NYU and Columbia both have excellent, well-reputed schools of public policy/affairs - NYU's, in particular, is a top 10 program.  So if you thought you were good enough to get into NYU, why would you not prepare to apply to other top 25 programs if that was your goal?

Second of all, there are several top programs whose deadlines have not passed yet - actually, *most*.  The only ones I could find whose deadlines have absolutely passed are HKS and Princeton (actually, I think Princeton's deadline is January 5, as is Duke's, but that might as well be past.) UGA's is July 1; Syracuse's, Indiana's, and GWU's are all February 1; Carnegie Mellon appears to be rolling.  If you look at other universities you'll probably see that there are other schools whose deadlines are in February or later.

 

However, if there's a program that you really want to give a shot to, then it is definitely worth it to wait until next year to launch a full season rather than apply haphazardly this year.  However, I'd argue that you don't really need to wait.  The two schools to which you hope to apply (and have probably already started) are both located in NYC, which is where you eventually want to work.  They're both well-reputed schools that are likely to get you internships and connections in the city, which is what's going to be key to getting a job, not a fancy degree.  You may also want to consider adding Baruch College's MPA (one of the top 50 programs, and the deadline isn't until April 1), John Jay's MPA program, or perhaps even Hunter College's Urban Affairs program (students are required to intern, and many intern with NYC governmental agencies).

 

No, a top-tier school is not necessary for such a career path - as was mentioned, there are people with all kinds of public admin and other degrees in city government.  The important things are experience and connections.