Harris MPP

[MJA87]

Congrats to all! Accepted to MSCAPP with 11.5k in funding. Kind of beside myself I'm so shocked... I'll definitely have to find alternate sources of funding to lighten the amount of debt, but I'm super excited and will likely be accepting.

 

What alternate funding sources are available at Harris? I wasn't aware of any apart from the fellowships they provide and hoping and praying you can land some kind of assistantship.

[cszchung]

What alternate funding sources are available at Harris? I wasn't aware of any apart from the fellowships they provide and hoping and praying you can land some kind of assistantship.

 

 None, besides the two you mentioned. I'm going to try and apply to as many third part sources of funding as possible.

[AJ Shattuck (Team Harris)]

Hey all, I'm a current first year student at Harris and a member of a group called Team Harris. We're kind of like the student arm of admissions. We don't make any decisions regarding admissions but we exist to answer your questions without any BS or talking points. Honest feedback.  Feel free to ask me questions and I'll do my best to get you an answer or share my opinion about something. Hope to hear from you!

 

-AJ

[MJA87]

Hey all, I'm a current first year student at Harris and a member of a group called Team Harris. We're kind of like the student arm of admissions. We don't make any decisions regarding admissions but we exist to answer your questions without any BS or talking points. Honest feedback.  Feel free to ask me questions and I'll do my best to get you an answer or share my opinion about something. Hope to hear from you!

 

-AJ

 

Thanks AJ.

I was wondering if you knew anything about the possibility of negotiating with Harris for a higher fellowship/scholarship award. Harris has very high tuition, and I know many of us who were admitted were also offered higher awards at other schools (most of whom have lower tuition costs). Do you know if Harris will negotiate award amounts to stay competitive?

[rngordon11]

Hey all, I'm a current first year student at Harris and a member of a group called Team Harris. We're kind of like the student arm of admissions. We don't make any decisions regarding admissions but we exist to answer your questions without any BS or talking points. Honest feedback.  Feel free to ask me questions and I'll do my best to get you an answer or share my opinion about something. Hope to hear from you!

 

-AJ

 

Thanks AJ! I was very excited to receive my admission letter from Harris earlier this week. I do have a few questions for you though, please see below:

 

 

I see that Harris does not list any sort of applied policy coursework in its core curriculum. Do you (or other students) feel like they have sufficient opportunities to practically apply their more quantitative/theoretical courses to policy issues of interest while in the program? I looked in to the Chicago-Area Practica and noticed that it’s a program students must apply to. How many students in the program participate in this? I am interested in Urban Policy so really looking to obtain some practical policy experience in this field while in the program.

 

 

How strong do you feel Harris' career services offerings are? Is there on-campus recruiting specifically for Harris students for internships and full time positions? 

[AJ Shattuck (Team Harris)]

Thanks AJ.

I was wondering if you knew anything about the possibility of negotiating with Harris for a higher fellowship/scholarship award. Harris has very high tuition, and I know many of us who were admitted were also offered higher awards at other schools (most of whom have lower tuition costs). Do you know if Harris will negotiate award amounts to stay competitive?

 

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with funding. I'm an army officer and my tuition is paid for by the military. I would suggest however that you email our director of Admissions, Allison Bevan, at abevan@uchicago.edu. She should be the go-to person on funding.

 

Talking with my classmates they had the same concern. Some just take the debt and consider the degree to be worth it, others look for third-party funding. Sorry I can't help more about the $.

[AJ Shattuck (Team Harris)]

 

Thanks AJ! I was very excited to receive my admission letter from Harris earlier this week. I do have a few questions for you though, please see below:

 

 

I see that Harris does not list any sort of applied policy coursework in its core curriculum. Do you (or other students) feel like they have sufficient opportunities to practically apply their more quantitative/theoretical courses to policy issues of interest while in the program? I looked in to the Chicago-Area Practica and noticed that it’s a program students must apply to. How many students in the program participate in this? I am interested in Urban Policy so really looking to obtain some practical policy experience in this field while in the program.

 

 

How strong do you feel Harris' career services offerings are? Is there on-campus recruiting specifically for Harris students for internships and full time positions? 

 

 

You are correct in that there is no applied policy course in the core.  However, there are lots of opportunities for that outside the core.  Our core instructors usually take the last 2 or 3 lectures to kind of wrap everything together and to present a couple case studies. Also, most classes usually include a policy memo that we write that applies our coursework to practical situations.

 

Outside of the core, we have a pretty interesting practicum especially is you're interested in urban policy.  Below is a course description:

 

http://harris.uchicago.edu/course-description/50600/urban-revitalization-project-gary-indiana

 

and below is an article about it:

 

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/02/18/gary-survey-finds-6300-vacant-homes-550-vacant-businesses/

 

There are other practicums and applied coursework but lot of people gravitate to the Gary Project. We also have an Urban Policy Institute and Harris just launched an Urban Lab.

 

We also offer 20 student organizations that focus on applied policy.  Popular groups include Data in Public Policy (DiPP) and the Center for Policy Entrepreneurship (CPE)

 

Let me know if you want some more information!

 

-AJ

[nstets]

I was wondering if anyone knows when the visit day is for Chicago - I can't seem to find any information for it. 

[Turab]

Hi,

 

I have been accepted to Chicago Harris MPP program, even though I applied to the MSCAPP program. Can any former student tell me is it possible to switch programs? I really want to come to chicago but for the MSCAPP program and not the MPP program. 

[jayshin0220]

Hi,

 

I have been accepted to Chicago Harris MPP program, even though I applied to the MSCAPP program. Can any former student tell me is it possible to switch programs? I really want to come to chicago but for the MSCAPP program and not the MPP program. 

why not MSCAPP? Then why did you apply in the first place?

 

To me, MSCAPP has more advantages than the regular MPP. I didn't receive any funding so I don't know if I'm going but...yea. 

[cszchung]

I was wondering if anyone knows when the visit day is for Chicago - I can't seem to find any information for it. 

 

http://www.launchchicagoharris.com/

 

It's April 9 - 11, with main events on April 10.

[buckHD]

@jayshin0220 It looks like Turab applied to MSCAPP and *wants* MSCAPP, but was admitted to MPP instead, perhaps because the Adcomm thought he/she was well-qualified but didn't have space in the MSCAPP program.

 

@Turab I got into MSCAPP, but without funding, and I plan to turn down the offer. I hope that frees up space for you!

[Turab]

@jayshin0220 It looks like Turab applied to MSCAPP and *wants* MSCAPP, but was admitted to MPP instead, perhaps because the Adcomm thought he/she was well-qualified but didn't have space in the MSCAPP program.

 

@Turab I got into MSCAPP, but without funding, and I plan to turn down the offer. I hope that frees up space for you!

 

I have talked to the people in the admissions committee and they said they wont reconsider me for the MSCAPP program

I dont know if people not accepting the offer will make a difference but thanks anyways buckHD.

Can someone from teamharris let me know if its possible to switch from MPP to MSCAPP because i really want to do MSCAPP as I love Econ and CS and there isnt any program like this anywhere where you get to learn Python and JAVA, other data analytics programs usually have R or STATA which has only use in academics mostly

[chocolatecheesecake]

I have talked to the people in the admissions committee and they said they wont reconsider me for the MSCAPP program

I dont know if people not accepting the offer will make a difference but thanks anyways buckHD.

Can someone from teamharris let me know if its possible to switch from MPP to MSCAPP because i really want to do MSCAPP as I love Econ and CS and there isnt any program like this anywhere where you get to learn Python and JAVA, other data analytics programs usually have R or STATA which has only use in academics mostly

 

Just to play devil's advocate, if you really want to learn Python and Java, maybe a policy program isn't what you really want. Take a look at what courses/ skills/ experiences they're offering and what you want.

On the other hand, if you're really sure you want to do a policy-related program, but also want to learn skills like Python and Java, it can be easy to take electives in the area that you want to specialize in. You should look at Harris MPP's required courses and figure out how much room there is for taking electives that may be in the MSCAPP program or electives across other schools at UChicago. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

[Cags]

Hi, I am from El Salvador, nice to meet (or read) you all.

 

On March 9, I got an email about the offer for MPP program and funding information. Yeah!

 

However I still thinking my options between other programs.

 

Good luck to everyone!

[economixed_policy]

Im having a hard time deciding between Chicago Harris with full tuition and Georgetown McCourt with $30k. Anyone who can shed some comparative light on the programs and the opportunities they provide would be very helpful to me. I don't have any savings so would have to borrow for living costs (and remaining tuition for Georgetown).

I expect this to mean total debt over the two years of 1) Chicago $50k; and 2) Georgetoen $80k.

My career plans are to work in an international organisation IMF/WB. I realise that DC presents a significant advantage for this but I'm not sure if the cost premium justifies it in my case.

I've also posted this in "decisions, decisions".

My thanks for advice/comments here or via direct message.

[dudeinspace]

@economixed_policy

Im facing the same decision!! It was very hard but Ive narrowed it to Chicago (full tuition + a stipend) and Georgetown (25k).

Ive talked to 4 international students that went to Chicago and they said really cool things about the program. They did mention that career development was not a plus at their time but that the new dean has done a lot of changes in this area. The students I talked to mentioned that some of their friends had done an internship at dc without any trouble.

Ive talked to the new dean and my first impression of him was very favourable. He seems to be implementing a lot of changes in the right direction.

Why dont you talk to alumni from both schools and from your country?

[202>916>773]

Im having a hard time deciding between Chicago Harris with full tuition and Georgetown McCourt with $30k. Anyone who can shed some comparative light on the programs and the opportunities they provide would be very helpful to me. I don't have any savings so would have to borrow for living costs (and remaining tuition for Georgetown).

I expect this to mean total debt over the two years of 1) Chicago $50k; and 2) Georgetoen $80k.

My career plans are to work in an international organisation IMF/WB. I realise that DC presents a significant advantage for this but I'm not sure if the cost premium justifies it in my case.

I've also posted this in "decisions, decisions".

My thanks for advice/comments here or via direct message.

 

@economixed_policy

Im facing the same decision!! It was very hard but Ive narrowed it to Chicago (full tuition + a stipend) and Georgetown (25k).

Ive talked to 4 international students that went to Chicago and they said really cool things about the program. They did mention that career development was not a plus at their time but that the new dean has done a lot of changes in this area. The students I talked to mentioned that some of their friends had done an internship at dc without any trouble.

Ive talked to the new dean and my first impression of him was very favourable. He seems to be implementing a lot of changes in the right direction.

Why dont you talk to alumni from both schools and from your country?

I made the same choice as you guys, largely based on Harris' past performance when it comes to: 

• job and PHD placement,
• reputation among 20-30 high-level policy practitioners/politicals/SESers, et al, I queried across 5-6 agencies from Justice to CIA to Treasury to NIH 
• respect the degree garners in the private sector (Google's gov arm, Deloitte, and even some finance bros I talked to had positive feedback specifically about Harris)
• quality of in-house and affiliated poli sci/econ faculty (who actually teach courses @ Harris IRL/whose courses you can actually cross-register for)
• the rigor and range of their courses (within Harris and, again, affiliated departments like their poli program)
• the resources at the school's and uni's disposal; and not just today, but over the long-run as the higher ed landscape (maybe/hopefully?) continues to change shape under cost/public revenue pressure

In doing so, I've gotten a much better sense not just of where Harris was in the past, but where it will be in the next 1-2 (but also 5, 10 and even 15 years from now since this is a credential and network I'll carry with me for as long as I am working).

 

Here is the scoop, put best by Harris' very, very interesting(those top 5 econ pubs, tho) new dean, Daniel Diermeier:

 

Diermeier compared the school to an incomplete car — one that has a strong engine but needs additional parts. The school already is prominent among public policy schools — it ranks No. 4 in the U.S. News & World Report's rankings — but it does not have the cache of a place like the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. "We have a great engine, but we need to build a full car," Diermeier said. "That is the way I am thinking about it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-university-chicago-harris-school-met-20141105-story.html

 

So, here's what's developed since Diermeier was named dean about a year ago today

 

1) aforementioned announcement of rehab/move via $35mm gift; new HQ=modernist "New Grad" building (designed by architect of MOMA & Kennedy Center):

2) New hires(thus far):

Diermeier himself

http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-economist-konstantin-sonin-leaving-russia-2015-5(Harris)

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/02/03/james-robinson-appointed-university-professor-chicago-harris(Harris)

http://pages.wustl.edu/patty(PS)

http://pages.wustl.edu/penn(PS)

 

Formal theory, much? Now if they also somehow land Acemoglu and/or Egorov over the next 12-24 months...

 

3) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-u-of-c-urban-labs-met-20150309-story.html

 

4) http://hpherald.com/2015/05/19/obama-library-coming-to-south-side-but-exact-location-remains-to-be-determined/

 

I am not going to rehash all of the above for CMU, Duke, Goldman, and Ford (schools I seriously considered/researched), but this is all to say I think Harris (an already great school, w/close proximity to top-4 business and law programs]) is only going to grow in stature, especially as they build out their labs and MSCAPP (and related joint CI efforts) program under the tutelage of so many renowned modelers.

 

THAT SAID, with all this change there has obviously come some flux in "wrap-around services" for very recent grads and general administrative support as alluded to by some other posters who suffered the brunt of the structural/programmatic flux. But these are easy things to fix, mostly just take time for organizational adaptation, and will improve as new staff settle in. All in all, I think it's a diamond in the rough (if being on par w/HKS, WWS & GSPP is "in the rough") that is already realizing some very exciting, positive changes under a new and pretty exciting dean.

 

For me, a chance to get in on capacity/organization building in the realms of research and academia at an institutional level is actually a huge upside. I thrive in those kinds of environments, and there are not a lot of top-5 MPP programs at which there will be so many near-run chances to, say, help build out an applied poverty lab, or work on setting up joint efforts between the Obama Foundation/Center and UChicago researchers. I don't think, though, that I'd recommend such an environment for someone looking for more of a canned or tracked environment, at least not for one to two years (which is totally fine, and I do not mean in a judgmental way- my wife, who is a far more accomplished badass than I could ever hope to be really does better with more structure). Anyway, my $.02 that I just didn't have time to share earlier in the cycle.

 

I will check back in after I matriculate and see how my analysis marks to market!

Edited May 22, 2015 by nelag