Foreigner Seeking Opinions on Chances...

[Barrista]

Hey there,

 

I know most of you are probably tired of this question but I'd be grateful for your opinion on my chances of getting into a top tier MPP/ MPA programme in the USA. I am from a small island developing state and I find it hard to gauge my chances.

 

Age : 28  ( 29 this yr)

 

Secondary school ( high school) - all A's. Won a scholarship from my government to undertake an undergrad anywhere in the world.

 

University - top 10 in UK ( not Oxford/ Cambridge). Graduated with an Upper Second class in Law. I believe my equivalent GPA was 3.3.

                  - went on to the oldest and arguably most prestigious law school in the UK and was then called to the Bar in England/ Wales before returning home to be called to the Bar there.

 

Work - 3 years as a state attorney. No notable cases/ achievements then.

         - currently at the end of a 2 yr contract with the UN peacekeeping mission in Africa

 

GRE - took it this yr. 156 Q, 166 V, 5 AW

 

Languages - English (mother tongue)

                   - Spanish (lower intermediate)

                    - French/ Arabic ( basic)

 

Associations/ leadership -  Always on the board/ executive of any org I joined including various choirs, student organisations, scholar associations eg was Deputy Chair of my Student Union.

 

Goals - ( in next 7 yrs) To become involved in politics as an elected MP/councillor or be selected as a Senator

 

 ( In under 2 yrs ) to take some econ classes at my local university and  to be elected on the board of the youth arm of my political party.  

 

 

My concerns are my low GPA equivalent, low quant scores on GRE and lack of quant back ground. If I remedy the last 2 what are my chances of getting into Harvard, Princeton etc if I apply in 2014? Also, would it be better if I wait and apply to the Mid Career PA programme in 2016?

 

 

[MPPgal]

Your GPA is fine you are applying to a professional degree, you have work experience etc. Mid career well 5 years is the bare minimum you are competing with people who have 10 plus years in government so it will be hard so i would not recommend that as a smart move, honestly Princeton and Harvard are a gamble for anyone you might be lucky you might not (improving your quant score to at least a 160 is a good idea as for us international that is the easiest way to compare us to the rest as our degrees are different etc), I will say that your profile you will have a very strong case for Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Syracuse, Berkeley, Duke, etc. Just Harvard and Princeton are harder and you might just be lucky. Also, improving your GPA can help getting a better scholarship. Now for your goals, do be careful an MPP is not a conduct to be a politician, it is to be a good public administrator, if you want to become involved in politics do that from home, the MPP and being in a different country will do little for you.

[Barrista]

Your GPA is fine you are applying to a professional degree, you have work experience etc. Mid career well 5 years is the bare minimum you are competing with people who have 10 plus years in government so it will be hard so i would not recommend that as a smart move, honestly Princeton and Harvard are a gamble for anyone you might be lucky you might not (improving your quant score to at least a 160 is a good idea as for us international that is the easiest way to compare us to the rest as our degrees are different etc), I will say that your profile you will have a very strong case for Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Syracuse, Berkeley, Duke, etc. Just Harvard and Princeton are harder and you might just be lucky. Also, improving your GPA can help getting a better scholarship. Now for your goals, do be careful an MPP is not a conduct to be a politician, it is to be a good public administrator, if you want to become involved in politics do that from home, the MPP and being in a different country will do little for you.

 

Thanks for the feed back.

 

I wouldn't apply for the mid career this year but in 2016 ( Harvard requires 7 yrs ( or is it 8yrs?) minmum work experience before you could apply for the mid career.

 

To me, a politician SHOULD be a good administrator. You are managing resources, liberty etc of millions of ppl. In my country too many ppl come into poltics with passion and ZERO knowledge  of econ, law, policy, leadership etc, or anything I believe will make them a good leader of a developing nation. I DO NOT want to be one of those. Getting an MPP will provide me with the theory I need, the contacts and added prestige ( Ivy league degrees are highly respected). I think studying in a foreign country is actually a plus. I intend to return home within a yr of graduating.

 

But you are probably right on Harvard being a stretch. I'll definitely have to re-take the GRE and consider Columbia and Duke.

[Jufarius87]

I believe that an upper second GPA usually translates to about a 3.5 (just making sure that you do not sell yourself short). My experience is limited on this subject, however when dealing with international degrees that use an honors system, upper second class is considered the standard to meet, with a first class being equivalent to exceeded expectations (like a 4.0). So your "GPA" is fine, I imagine most adcomms will see a "2:1" and approve.

The combination of Law and UN work looks interesting/relevant, coupled with a solid SOP you could definitely make this work for top programs.

Your GRE verbal and writing are excellent. Your Quant score is admittedly borderline for top programs (not prohibitive, just borderline). Do you have any math courses on record? The thing about the GRE is that it tests your ability to do simple math quickly, when rigorous policy programs are more concerned with being able to do intermediate math with a reasonable amount of time. The GRE Math decreases in importance with the more sucessful maths you have on record. In other words your 156 (which isn't actually bad, just not elite tier) means little if you have B+ to A grades in Caluclus, Linear Algebra, Statistics, Economics, etc.

Languages are always a nice soft factor. Spanish is fairly common (which in a way is actually good because that means there are actually contexts in which it might be used), keep working on Arabic if you have the chance! I already got one strong acceptance with no language background, and so do many others so you are at an advantage here.

I would not retake the GRE unless you are absolutely sure that your Quant score will increase AND your other scores will not decrease. A better way to make yourself a stronger candidate in this regard is to take higher maths. This will also help you survive your economics sequence. Remember that graduate schools by and large are not subject to the same rediculous GPA/SAT numbers game as American undergraduate institutions, the GRE is only one diagnostic tool among many.

I would also apply to standard programs rather than mid-career, as I believe the mid-career ones tend to be more specialized and quant-heavy.

Best of luck!

 

Edited January 28, 2014 by Jufarius87

[Jufarius87]

PS: I would also expand my school list a little as well. Columbia SIPA looks like a great option for you coming out of the UN. Georgetown/Johns Hopkins/George Washington/Cornell/Tufts are also worth considering.

[Barrista]

I believe that an upper second GPA usually translates to about a 3.5 (just making sure that you do not sell yourself short). My experience is limited on this subject, however when dealing with international degrees that use an honors system, upper second class is considered the standard to meet, with a first class being equivalent to exceeded expectations (like a 4.0). So your "GPA" is fine, I imagine most adcomms will see a "2:1" and approve.

The combination of Law and UN work looks interesting/relevant, coupled with a solid SOP you could definitely make this work for top programs.

Your GRE verbal and writing are excellent. Your Quant score is admittedly borderline for top programs (not prohibitive, just borderline). Do you have any math courses on record? The thing about the GRE is that it tests your ability to do simple math quickly, when rigorous policy programs are more concerned with being able to do intermediate math with a reasonable amount of time. The GRE Math decreases in importance with the more sucessful maths you have on record. In other words your 156 (which isn't actually bad, just not elite tier) means little if you have B+ to A grades in Caluclus, Linear Algebra, Statistics, Economics, etc.

Languages are always a nice soft factor. Spanish is fairly common (which in a way is actually good because that means there are actually contexts in which it might be used), keep working on Arabic if you have the chance! I already got one strong acceptance with no language background, and so do many others so you are at an advantage here.

I would not retake the GRE unless you are absolutely sure that your Quant score will increase AND your other scores will not decrease. A better way to make yourself a stronger candidate in this regard is to take higher maths. This will also help you survive your economics sequence. Remember that graduate schools by and large are not subject to the same rediculous GPA/SAT numbers game as American undergraduate institutions, the GRE is only one diagnostic tool among many.

I would also apply to standard programs rather than mid-career, as I believe the mid-career ones tend to be more specialized and quant-heavy.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks much,

 

I do think if I retake the GRe my scores will increase in the quant. When I did it last yr ( made a mistake in my earlier post when I said "this yr") I hadn't done ANY maths, beyond what is required on a day to day basis, for over a decade.  Saying I was rusty would be an understatement. I studied intensely for 2 months and my final scores were better than the first diagnostic test I took when I first dusted off my maths books. lol. This time around I'll try to find a class.

 

It is indeed my intention to take some college econ and maths classes before I apply.

 

Thanks again for the constructive advice.