Pursuing MPA

[Ari]

Hello. I'm totally new to this forum, and I looked around for a little bit to see what's going on, so, hopefully this is the right place for my post/s.

(It would be good for the site to have some sort of "about this site" page to it, or a more visible one, as I couldn't find it)

I'm currently an undergrad student just about to start senior year. My GPA is probably not so good, it's below a 3.5. But I have a number of involvements in and around campus, including student government, a project do do development work in Africa, a very strong leadership development program, and a civic engagement component to that program... so my adviser has said I'm ok in that regard. But I'm still worried about my GPA : / It has taken me a very long time to figure out what I wanted to do, but I eventually settled on an IR major with Business Studies and Asian Studies minors. And about the last month of my junior year, I realize that I'd like to go into something like an MPA program. My adviser said that I need to show a strong senior year to show that I really am interested in getting a masters. It has taken me 3 full years of undergrad to go through everything and realize what I want to do, but I am pretty sure that MPA is what I want to do, and that it will be the right degree for my career. I'm also slightly considering a MPA/JD, but, I'm not sure if I want to get into that yet, and I'm also cautious about my grades for such a thing.

I'm figuring out a lot of things now in terms of how to go about applying to grad school, so, any advice would be appreciated. I still feel fairly new to understanding the whole process. I'm researching some grad schools right now, so I know that I'll be taking the GRE. And from what I've gathered from reading a few posts here, writing a strong "SOP" (statement of purpose?) is very, very important.

Any tips on things to keep in mind for pursuing an MPA or grad school in general would be appreciated.

I can write more if you'd like more information about things.

Thanks,

Ari

[riz1]

Hi Ari -- You're right that a Statement of Purpose (SOP) is very very important, but as others have mentioned here, you should treat every component of your application as equally critical.

With that said, you don't seem 100% sure that the MPA route is what's best for you straight out of undergrad. I get this feeling from the way in which you worded your message: you "settled" on IR, you "want to do something like an MPA program," you're "pretty sure" the MPA is what you want to do, and you're still considering a joint MPA/JD program. Thank you for being honest with us. Here at thegradcafe, you don't have to pretend you know exactly what you want if you're still having doubts.

My advice to you would be to take some time and figure out if the MPA is really the right option for you straight out of undergrad. If it isn't (and for most people it isn't), then you should supplement your fantastic volunteer and community involvement experiences with something more substantial for at least one to three years.

Alternatively, you would engage in deep reflection, cement your ambitions in the next month or two, and forge through the application process (which can often yield multiple gut-check moments, I assure you) with renewed resolve and determination.

Either way, you have the passion to pursue a life in public service, and whenever you are ready to apply to grad school, we're all rooting for you!

[Ari]

My hesitancy comes from not being totally sure what an MPA entails or will set me up for a career as. I've researched it some, but, I don't feel like I 'know' it well enough.

The "Settle on IR" comment has to do with the long and winding road that I went through in undergrad. I feel like if I could start over, I would be IR+PoliSci, and maybe be a prelaw or public admin minor. I know that administration is my love, I like administration much more than most people, and I realize that it's what I want to do with my life. It's what I spend all my time doing at school, in various levels, from small student groups to working with the administration as a whole. (And no, I don't want to work at a university as a coordinator there).

Why I'm thinking MPA is because I'd like to do similar things, although somewhat more internationally. I'd like to work with nonprofits somewhat, though not necessarily "the UN". I'm very particular about leadership and administration, and I'm very concerned about such things in my life. I'd like to try to promote good leadership, decision making, and governance as much as possible, but I'm not sure just how to do that yet. Thus my hesitancy with MPA degree. I'd really like to talk to somebody who knows very well the different government/etc degrees, and who can explain what the difference between MPA and MPP, and even doctorate programs would be. But I do know that my life and personal focus is on leadership and governance, and particularly how those decisions affect people in a public setting. So, MPA seems to fit that sort of thing, but I'm not quite sure yet.

[Ari]

My advice to you would be to take some time and figure out if the MPA is really the right option for you straight out of undergrad. If it isn't (and for most people it isn't), then you should supplement your fantastic volunteer and community involvement experiences with something more substantial for at least one to three years.

Alternatively, you would engage in deep reflection, cement your ambitions in the next month or two, and forge through the application process (which can often yield multiple gut-check moments, I assure you) with renewed resolve and determination.

Either way, you have the passion to pursue a life in public service, and whenever you are ready to apply to grad school, we're all rooting for you!

How do you know if it is the right option for you?

Or, do you have any sites that explain just what an MPA entails, particularly compared to other related degrees? Out of the research I've done it seems like the best choice, but, as I said, I'm not 100%, but I'm very close to it.

[Ari]

http://www.gopublicservice.org/Degree.aspx

When I read stuff like that, it is what makes me think MPA.

[Demetrios2011]

Ari, I am about to give you some advice based on personal experience (and the personal experiences of many of my friends,) and I am sure you have solicited advice from professors and professionals, etc, but of course ultimately you are the one who needs to decide what to do with your life. I have heard a lot of people over the years (some of them close friends) make statements very similar to yours concerning their career aspirations. Often the question they are asking is "can I get into graduate school with [insert shortcoming, usually lack of work experience, here.] I think this is absolutely the wrong question to be asking. Instead you should ask yourself "should I be going to graduate school?" The essential point here is that a professional graduate level education is a tremendously expensive investment. Scholarships are few, and between tuition, living expenses, and the opportunity cost of not working for two years, you could very easily be six figures in the red. The truly tragic element to this is that many, many people who I know personally went into graduate school without a clear idea of what they wanted to do, and very often they left graduate school with no more of an idea, and with significantly fewer options due to massive debt. You will not emerge from graduate school a radically different person, and employers will see you more or less the same way as they do now. You will have an extra line in your resume, true. But jobs that require a master degree also require work experience. It is absolutely not a coincidence that graduate professional schools stress the importance of work experience. These schools have programs designed to supplement skills you have already aquired through working. My same friends who did not have a direction upon graduation, and did not have significant WE, are mostly now unemployed and deeply in debt. One has fled the country to escape this debt. Please, please consider working or volunteering for several years to try different things and explore yourself. Ask yourself if you are considering graduate school because the prospect of fending for yourself and entering the job market scares you. If the answer is yes, it will still be yes when you graduate. If I sound harsh it is only because I care very deeply.