How far am I from MPP?

[summer92]

Hi All:

 

First post in the forum and appreciate your help. I am now preparing for 2014 application season (enrolled in 2015) for MPP. I'm graduating this June and will be on a gap year, so would very much like your suggestions on what I can do during the next 6 months to become a competitive candidate.

 

I am interested in public policy study in environment and conservancy sector. 

 

Here's my background:

School: Top 5 university in China

Degree: Bachelor of Administration, major in agriculture economics and regional development

Undergrad GPA: 3.2 ( Really pathetic marks in Math......what can I say..)

Core Curriculum: Micro/Macro Economics, Statistics, Finance, Development Economics,etc

GRE: 168Q / 163V AW 4.5

TOEFL：113

Oversea Experience: One semester's academic exchange in Barcelona

Internship:

    Human Resource Intern in The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

    Policy Analyst in an international policy consultant company (Bilingual working experience)

    Volunteer in International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

    Environment Law Intern in Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)

Schools:

   Duke Sanford

   Chicago Harris

   UMich Ford

   Cornell SIPA

   Indiana Bloomington

   NYU Wagner

   Georgetown

 

I'm worrying that this plan may not be feasible. Frankly speaking I am doing everything to save me from this tragic GPA and it's killing me. So I have been seeking internship in many NGOs and international organizations to compensate for my academic failure.Seven months away from application.

 

I am eager to know what do you suggest I can do to improve the situation? 

 

I have two options for internship in autumn, one is a wildlife conservation intern in a preservation area ( 1.5 months) and the other is a UNDP intern (based in Beijing). I am yearning for both but time is too limited. Which do you think I should choose?

 

I'm trying to make up for my embarrassing performance in quantitive study. Do you think MOOC courses and coursera certificate will help?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edited March 13, 2014 by summer92

[chocolatecheesecake]

Piffle. Your GPA is fine. It's definitely not on the high side, but it's not going to tank your application! The fact that you have absolutely great GRE scores underlines the fact that you didn't "get pathetic marks in math" because you were bad at it. You have a near perfect quantitative score! Seriously, other people will mention something if I missed it, but your GRE scores already bolster your quant credentials, so I don't know if there's anything you should be doing in the meantime. If you got like a C, D, or F on your transcript in a quant class, it may be advisable to retake that sort of course somewhere and get an A or B, but it doesn't sound like it was that horrible.

 

The only thing I was going to say is that I have no idea about TOEFL scores, so no basis on which to judge that score, but 163 is great for verbal too, so I think you're safe there.

 

The most important thing is to 1) know what you want to do with your MPP -- which sector, what kind of work, maybe know organizations that you'd like to work for in the future. Think hard about that and use that to help you figure out which internship you should go for, or if you need to find a new internship because these two don't reflect your interests as well as they should. And the other important thing is to 2) research your schools well. You mentioned all great schools, but they have different strengths and focuses, and faculty who work in different sectors and areas, so read up on the different programs, talk to different students, research professors' backgrounds and their work, and see what program will help you get where you want to go. 

 

Finally, check out the "Am I Competitive" thread, because that's where this kind of evaluation usually is posted, and you can see where the rest of the pack is, or what is considered a good GPA/ GRE score and how much work experience other people have. Which reminds me. You should think about full-time work experience. Even a year or two is very important for policy schools, and can also be extremely useful in helping you make sure that the MPP is the right next step for you. Many people (including me) make that choice after they have a few years of workforce experience. Good luck!

[epb527]

Piffle. Your GPA is fine. It's definitely not on the high side, but it's not going to tank your application! The fact that you have absolutely great GRE scores underlines the fact that you didn't "get pathetic marks in math" because you were bad at it. You have a near perfect quantitative score! Seriously, other people will mention something if I missed it, but your GRE scores already bolster your quant credentials, so I don't know if there's anything you should be doing in the meantime. If you got like a C, D, or F on your transcript in a quant class, it may be advisable to retake that sort of course somewhere and get an A or B, but it doesn't sound like it was that horrible.

 

 

 

 

Agreed. I graduated undergrad with a 3.14 GPA (also mostly because of math/science courses). I had a strong quant GRE score and some good experience (yours looks great!) and haven't had any trouble getting into good programs. As long as you know why you want the MPP and can convey that to admissions, you should be fine. Its about the total package, they won't discount you because of one factor.