Fall 2016 Admissions Cycle

[CakeTea]

10 hours ago, RCtheSS said:

I just spent the last 30 minutes reading old threads on this subforum regarding student loans and debt to earn a MPP/MPA. 

It really helped me solidify my future priorities along with my career goals. I really recommend that folks utilize previous thread discussions while making these tough decisions!

I think the rule of thumb is to be debt averse and not take too much debt for prestigious course. One should not take more debt than first year's gross salary. So if your target job pays $55,000, this should be your maximum debt limit. Some of my older supervisors with master's and debt advise me to be careful with debt. We public sector workers don't enjoy the salary rise of private sector. Hence better to be more conservative than business or law school students who benefit from higher salaries.

[Windmills]

6 hours ago, monocle said:

I think the Public Affairs rankings by US news are some of the worst of all the rankings lol. They only rank MPA programs, and its based on an average score of the perception from academics at other schools.. lol why? it's just a rating system from 1-5? No other data was recorded/considered? And they don't include NPSIA in their considerations.

I agree their methodology is lackluster, but I think it is still interesting to look at. They have Public Policy Analysis and a few others as "Specialties" within MPA. I don't know the field but maybe IR is not big enough to be ranked? Also, it looks like NPSIA is a Canadian university. That would make sense since they only rank US universities' programs.

Are there any rankings that take something like job placement success after graduation into consideration? Although SPEA definitely did not hesitate to send admitted students an email letting them know it is the #1 Public Affairs program in the nation now.

[aslabchu]

Ha, IUB was certainly not waiting to tell us all about it. They included their new rank in an email this afternoon. Congratulations to them, though. That's quite the marketing coup.

Edited March 16, 2016 by aslabchu

[aslabchu]

6 hours ago, monocle said:

I think the Public Affairs rankings by US news are some of the worst of all the rankings lol. They only rank MPA programs, and its based on an average score of the perception from academics at other schools.. lol why? it's just a rating system from 1-5? No other data was recorded/considered? And they don't include NPSIA in their considerations.

Unfortunately, most rankings are this way. I was thinking pretty hard about doing philosophy, and their ranking is very much a similar system, where prominent academics rank schools based on faculty and reputation. The only real "thinking person's ranking" I've seen for a discipline has been law school. They take their ranking systems very seriously, I guess.

It would be interesting to see somebody devise an employment-oriented ranking, though.

[monocle]

50 minutes ago, Windmills said:

 Also, it looks like NPSIA is a Canadian university. 

Woops! Meant to write APSIA the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. Good catch!

[pubpol101]

Anybody want to theorize on why schools like IU-B and Syracuse are ranked so highly? I know that these rankings are just based on opinions of deans, which are likely to have few real-world implications. However, I was wondering, what exactly do these people see in IU-B and Syracuse when they rank these schools so highly? Is it that they see SPEA and Maxwell grads often? That there's a great deal of collaboration between schools on research? Or is it something else?

Edited March 16, 2016 by AAAAAAAA

[monocle]

7 minutes ago, AAAAAAAA said:

Anybody want to theorize on why schools like IU-B and Syracuse are ranked so highly? I know that these rankings are just based on opinions of deans, which are likely to have few real-world implications. However, I was wondering, what exactly do these people see in IU-B and Syracuse when they rank these schools so highly? Is it that they see SPEA and Maxwell grads often? That there's a great deal of collaboration between schools on research? Or is it something else?

Maxwell can stake its claim for being the oldest, which is really cool. While maybe there's some consensus that public servants should be educated in Public Universities like IU? Maybe it's the cream of the public uni crop, so gets a big bump from that?

I suspect that both are fantastic programs that don't have much downside or negative reputation (whereas TGCers throw a lot of shade at SIPA, for example.. as I expect do profs at peer unis)

[Windmills]

5 minutes ago, monocle said:

Maxwell can stake its claim for being the oldest, which is really cool. While maybe there's some consensus that public servants should be educated in Public Universities like IU? Maybe it's the cream of the public uni crop, so gets a big bump from that?

I suspect that both are fantastic programs that don't have much downside or negative reputation (whereas TGCers throw a lot of shade at SIPA, for example.. as I expect do profs at peer unis)

Why is that? Cost compared to what they offer?

Does anyone know about the Service Corp at SPEA? I am really attracted to gaining relevant work experience while in grad school, but I would not find out what company I would work with until orientation/after placement interviews and worry that there is a chance I end up with a company or in a position that is not really related to what I want to do. Even if my work is only tangentially relevant, is it worth doing to increase my chances of landing a (policy) job after graduation? This is compared to Minnesota where I would work, but in a GRA position, and UT Austin where I would pretty much be on my own in terms of finding internships and jobs.

[chocolatecheesecake]

1 hour ago, AAAAAAAA said:

Anybody want to theorize on why schools like IU-B and Syracuse are ranked so highly? I know that these rankings are just based on opinions of deans, which are likely to have few real-world implications. However, I was wondering, what exactly do these people see in IU-B and Syracuse when they rank these schools so highly? Is it that they see SPEA and Maxwell grads often? That there's a great deal of collaboration between schools on research? Or is it something else?

I just want to throw out there that IU-Bloomington and Syracuse Maxwell are both very good programs that offer a more quantitative approach than most MPAs, with core courses in statistics, economics, and budgeting, and even feature a capstone. Maxwell in particular has a very admirable alumni network, and I've met a few alums in my informational interviews for positions in DC. I don't think there's something about it being a public school and public servants should come from public schools. It's true that neither are in the Ivy League, if that's where your surprise is coming from, but I don't think that necessarily means it shouldn't have a high-quality graduate program. I suggest you check out their websites, which delve into what the curriculum offers. 

[aslabchu]

46 minutes ago, Windmills said:

Why is that? Cost compared to what they offer?

Does anyone know about the Service Corp at SPEA? I am really attracted to gaining relevant work experience while in grad school, but I would not find out what company I would work with until orientation/after placement interviews and worry that there is a chance I end up with a company or in a position that is not really related to what I want to do. Even if my work is only tangentially relevant, is it worth doing to increase my chances of landing a (policy) job after graduation? This is compared to Minnesota where I would work, but in a GRA position, and UT Austin where I would pretty much be on my own in terms of finding internships and jobs.

I just got a Service Corps offer. They're a little vague about how the process pans out. My understanding is that you get "matched up" with a particular organization at orientation. How exactly that takes place? It's a little unclear. My guess is they try to match interests, and it's likely that organizations get to pick from a list of resumes/student profiles. They also mention placement interviews, so that's in the mix somewhere.

Edited March 16, 2016 by aslabchu

[dbstr]

Looking for advice: I'm planning to apply to an MPP program next year because I want to get working experience for at least a year. I am waiting to hear back from Fulbright but also applying to jobs as back-up plans in case Fulbright does not work out.  I want to get an MPP with a concentration in data analytics or computer science (e.g. UChicago's Harris program). I would like some more technical experience but most job prospects are with private companies. Does anyone know if it would hurt my chances of getting into an MPP lprogram later on if I were to get a job in the private sector?

[RCtheSS]

18 minutes ago, dbstr said:

Looking for advice: I'm planning to apply to an MPP program next year because I want to get working experience for at least a year. I am waiting to hear back from Fulbright but also applying to jobs as back-up plans in case Fulbright does not work out.  I want to get an MPP with a concentration in data analytics or computer science (e.g. UChicago's Harris program). I would like some more technical experience but most job prospects are with private companies. Does anyone know if it would hurt my chances of getting into an MPP lprogram later on if I were to get a job in the private sector?

It won't. It's not like it's a drastic career change; a good chunk of students graduating with their MPPs go into the private sector anyway. 

If you manage to have time to demonstrate a commitment to public service (e.g. part-time volunteering), that would be beneficial. 

Edited March 16, 2016 by RCtheSS

[dbstr]

3 minutes ago, RCtheSS said:

It won't. It's not like it's a drastic career change; a good chunk of students graduating with their MPPs go into the private sector anyway. 

If you manage to have time to demonstrate a commitment to public service (e.g. part-time volunteering), that would be beneficial. 

Okay, good to know! All of my internships/jobs so far have been in the public sector and I was also a PPIA fellow so an interest in public policy won't be an out of the blue decision. I just wasn't sure if going from all that to a private sector would hurt me. Thank you!

[RCtheSS]

Woo, another PPIAer! Which year and JSI? I was 2013 at UMich.

[aslabchu]

3 hours ago, dbstr said:

Looking for advice: I'm planning to apply to an MPP program next year because I want to get working experience for at least a year. I am waiting to hear back from Fulbright but also applying to jobs as back-up plans in case Fulbright does not work out.  I want to get an MPP with a concentration in data analytics or computer science (e.g. UChicago's Harris program). I would like some more technical experience but most job prospects are with private companies. Does anyone know if it would hurt my chances of getting into an MPP lprogram later on if I were to get a job in the private sector?

Advice: do some serious research on your #1 reasonable school and move there right now. Few offers are as good as in-state tuition.

[dbstr]

13 hours ago, aslabchu said:

Advice: do some serious research on your #1 reasonable school and move there right now. Few offers are as good as in-state tuition.

That's a really good point! Thanks!

[aslabchu]

3 hours ago, dbstr said:

That's a really good point! Thanks!

Even if you won't make it in time to qualify for your first year, if you can show you were already there before you sent in your application, it'll be a ton easier to get in-state tuition for that second year. Some might even say that's the ideal situation, because many schools give less aid to in-state people. You could get the aid package, but then drastically cut the price of your degree by going in-state for year 2.

Edited March 17, 2016 by aslabchu

[Windmills]

I'm trying to gather peoples' opinions... Does anyone have any insight on job prospects with a degree in MPA/MPP with a concentration in environment/energy compared to a degree in Energy with a concentration in policy? I'd like to work in energy policy analysis in (ideally federal or state) government or perhaps energy/research analysis or consulting in the private sector. I'm debating between SPEA's MPA-MSES and UT Austin's Energy and Earth Resources (where I would do a concentration in Policy and Law and take courses from the LBJ school).

[mapiau]

38 minutes ago, Windmills said:

I'm trying to gather peoples' opinions... Does anyone have any insight on job prospects with a degree in MPA/MPP with a concentration in environment/energy compared to a degree in Energy with a concentration in policy?

I can't speak to a degree in Energy, but I know MPPs and MPAs can be very useful in the energy space. MPPs are common in clean energy advocacy and funder communities, and I believe that they are also useful for public sector policy analysis positions. If you browse on Linkedin you can find many MPPs who work in energy, either for private firms or, for example, as PUC staffers.

I also recently interviewed an MPA from a top school who currently works in efficiency assessments for a private firm. They described the MPA as a "business degree for the public sector"—a description I like—and said that MPAs are particularly common in state and federal government departments which intersect with energy.

[WhatAmIDoingNow]

On 3/16/2016 at 6:43 PM, aslabchu said:

Advice: do some serious research on your #1 reasonable school and move there right now. Few offers are as good as in-state tuition.

Caveat: Instate only works for public universities. There are many great public university programs, so angling for in-state at public institutions is a good idea. 

[MPAHurray]

Well, just declined my admission to USC. They offered me half-tuition, which was disappointing considering my academics and work experience. Several folks on here received full tuition for less. I tried to get them to increase their offer, and they wouldn't.

Graduated 4 years ago from a top-5 public university. GPA was 3.5 (3.8 my senior year); GRE was 169v/163q. 4 years of work experience in state and local government.

[CakeTea]

1 hour ago, MPAHurray said:

Well, just declined my admission to USC. They offered me half-tuition, which was disappointing considering my academics and work experience. Several folks on here received full tuition for less. I tried to get them to increase their offer, and they wouldn't.

Graduated 4 years ago from a top-5 public university. GPA was 3.5 (3.8 my senior year); GRE was 169v/163q. 4 years of work experience in state and local government.

This is a surprising step by USC given your strong academics and solid work history. I concur that I have seen people with lower scores/less work who got full tuition waiver. I would expect USC to increase the scholarship for you. I would love to see USC's rationale behind its obaque decision. Funding wise, even with 50% scholarship, USC remains unattainable for most people given its high tuition and LA's prohibitive cost of living. One needs to come up with $40,000 tuition over 2 years plus another $40,000 for living costs.

I hope you have other good programs recognize your potential and provide more funding. It is USC's loss. Good luck.

[beefmaster]

2 hours ago, MPAHurray said:

Well, just declined my admission to USC. They offered me half-tuition, which was disappointing considering my academics and work experience. Several folks on here received full tuition for less. I tried to get them to increase their offer, and they wouldn't.

Graduated 4 years ago from a top-5 public university. GPA was 3.5 (3.8 my senior year); GRE was 169v/163q. 4 years of work experience in state and local government.

Same here. I tried to negotiate USC with no luck. Very unfortunate as I was hopeful for full funding. 

[MPAHurray]

I was surprised as well. After my admission, I participated in the Admitted Student event, met with administrators and professors, and so on. There were a few subtle hints that they wanted me (where they assigned me to sit, alums approaching me, etc).

But when it came down to it, they wouldn't offer anything more than half-tuition. Really don't get it. IMHO, $40,000 should be the sticker price for the program, not the "half tuition" price. Even $40k in debt is a tough sell when you're entering public service. 

I mean, the price is arbitrary anyway. What's the marginal cost of adding one additional student?

Oh well. This is just the universe telling me USC isn't the right place for me--and that it didn't really want me.