Fall 2016 Admissions Cycle

[Guest SIPA_MPA18]

5 hours ago, AAAAAAAA said:

Does anyone know of graduate programs that provide lots of funding to all admitted applicants? The only ones I know of are Princeton WWS and Notre Dame Kroc, but the former is ridiculously selective and the latter won't be accepting applications for the 2016 cycle.

Look at Duke Sanford. They have a small class size and all students will receive some sort of funding or assistantship, even in their first year. It's a top notch program (USN&WR #6 I believe) and is one of my finalists that I applied to. 

[Guest SIPA_MPA18]

On 9/26/2015, 11:20:20, sp108 said:

I am now thinking of applying to about ~5 schools at the most.  I am considering taking out Columbia SIPA and NYU Wagner from my list because I am from the southeast and the thought of living in NYC is terrifying as hell 

 

I'm also originally from the south...spent my high school and undergrad years in Georgia (UGA). I had never been to NYC before a quick trip this past August to check out both Wagner and SIPA and came away very comfortable...ironically much more so than in other cities much smaller than NYC. The subway was easy to navigate (get an app for your phone) and wasn't too bad, though it's hot in the summer. Although it's a huge city, there are plenty of unique neighborhoods that make it really interesting and you can find a place you really call your own. We will likely end up living in NJ and commute into the city.

For a southerner, it's the complete opposite of life as we generally know it, but it's only for a short time. My wife and I plan on moving back to the South and settling down eventually so NYC would be a short adventure if we choose to go there.

Edited November 3, 2015 by SIPA_MPA18

[sp108]

16 hours ago, mpp2016 said:

I'm also originally from the south...spent my high school and undergrad years in Georgia (UGA). I had never been to NYC before a quick trip this past August to check out both Wagner and SIPA and came away very comfortable...ironically much more so than in other cities much smaller than NYC. The subway was easy to navigate (get an app for your phone) and wasn't too bad, though it's hot in the summer. Although it's a huge city, there are plenty of unique neighborhoods that make it really interesting and you can find a place you really call your own. We will likely end up living in NJ and commute into the city.

For a southerner, it's the complete opposite of life as we generally know it, but it's only for a short time. My wife and I plan on moving back to the South and settling down eventually so NYC would be a short adventure if we choose to go there.

Thanks for the reply! I don't think it will be too bad and it never hurts to apply.  I will probably end up applying to one school there, and Duke.

[Dreams]

On 11/3/2015, 3:16:36, mpp2016 said:

Look at Duke Sanford. They have a small class size and all students will receive some sort of funding or assistantship, even in their first year. It's a top notch program (USN&WR #6 I believe) and is one of my finalists that I applied to. 

In addition to Duke as @mpp2016 mentioned, check Maxwell, Heinz, LBJ, Korbel, Fletcher, and UCSD, as they award decent funding to some incoming students. 

Edited November 5, 2015 by Dreams

[Guest SIPA_MPA18]

Has anyone received any Early Action decisions yet? I'm impatiently waiting...

[loveglove]

9 hours ago, mpp2016 said:

Has anyone received any Early Action decisions yet? I'm impatiently waiting...

Not yet. Which schools did you apply to early?

[Guest SIPA_MPA18]

 

14 hours ago, loveglove said:

Not yet. Which schools did you apply to early?

Just Columbia SIPA and NYU Wagner. I don't think NYU has an official Early Action period but I requested a December decision since I got everything turned in before Halloween, and they were supportive so I'm hoping I can get both decisions in the near future.

[loveglove]

3 hours ago, mpp2016 said:

 

Just Columbia SIPA and NYU Wagner. I don't think NYU has an official Early Action period but I requested a December decision since I got everything turned in before Halloween, and they were supportive so I'm hoping I can get both decisions in the near future.

No news on SIPA or SAIS on my end. Maybe we'll find out about SIPA today/this week. Fingers crossed!

[RCtheSS]

As of today I've submitted to UCLA Luskin (MPP and MSW) and UT-Austin LBJ (MPAff). Next up: Minnesota Humphrey by December 15, then back to MSW admissions essays since the rest of my applications are due between January 4-15. 

All but one of my LOR writers has been timely with the recommendation requests so far. After three email reminders, I'm not sure what else can be done. I hope the admissions' offices will give leeway on this so long as my application is officially submitted by the deadlines!

[kbui]

I've also just submitted my first MPP application to the Harvard Kennedy School. I'm feeling really good about my application, but we will have to wait to see results. In the meantime, I am applying to fellowships and Columbia SIPA too.

[shrimps]

Submitted my first application to HKS last week, now I'm also working towards that 12/15 deadline when WWS, NYU and USC are due. Fun handful of others are due early January, but I'm hoping to have this all done by the end of 2015 for my own sanity.

@RCtheSS, I really hope you get a good response from your last LOR writer soon! For what it's worth, I've heard most adcoms are pretty understanding about that kind of situation. Sounds like it takes a surprisingly long time to get all materials verified/processed before they start reading, so as long as you've submitted on time, I imagine you'll be alright.

[RCtheSS]

That's what I'm thinking as well, @shrimps. Since it's nearly finals week for undergrads and my last LOR is from an associate professor, I realize that he's probably swamped with his own coursework to grade. I've received confirmation that my application materials were received from UCLA and Texas, so I'm not going to sweat it too much for the moment.

And I'm with you on finalizing all applications before January! I chose not to apply by many round one/early action deadlines to give myself more time (particularly with the MSW programs), but I'd rather not come back after the holidays and have to stress about this process any more than necessary. 

[kbui]

@RCtheSS I had somewhat of the same problem with my recommendation writers. One of my writers is a physician and another one is the head of a department at my university. And the other one is undertaking a super intensive masters program. I felt bad applying for even just three programs, so I cut it down to just two so I could spare them the extra time submitting so many recommendation letters around such a busy time of the year (holidays and finals).

But I hope things go well for you. There's still almost two weeks left. Do you have a backup plan just in case somehow he is too busy to write one?

[ajollycossack]

If it makes you feel better at all, when I was applying to law school, one of my LOR writers--arguably the most important one, both a big-name scholar and my thesis adviser--just never turned the letter in, after months of promising he would. Still got in pretty much everywhere I thought/hoped I would and then some, just had to learn the hard way not to ask him for any help on my MA application. 

(The reassuring part was meant to be that it might not necessarily hurt you!)

Edited December 3, 2015 by ajollycossack
add information

[RCtheSS]

@kbui, I do have a third recommendation writer on deck. My thought process going into this was: I'm applying to 6 schools, 12 programs total, and each program wants 3 LORs. I have my current supervisor and one former professor writing LORs to each MPP and MSW program. Then I have the executive director at my job writing the third LOR for the MPPs since she'll have a stronger policy-focused recommendation. The last LOR (the one who is slipping) is another former professor who advised my undergraduate thesis, so I asked him to be the third LOR for the MSW programs.

In the event of the professor completely slipping on the recs, I may have to ask my executive director to submit LORs to the MSW side and hope she doesn't mind the extra and unexpected work... I hope it doesn't come to this, but we shall see.

 

 

[Guest SIPA_MPA18]

All those who applied Early Action to SIPA, start checking your application! 

I'm happy to announce I was admitted!!!! No funding decision yet, just admission. 

I just happened to check my application status on their website, and I got an update to my application and subsequently a letter of admission. I haven't gotten an email yet. 

[loveglove]

On 11/29/2015 at 1:41 PM, mpp2016 said:

Has anyone received any Early Action decisions yet? I'm impatiently waiting...

 

4 hours ago, mpp2016 said:

All those who applied Early Action to SIPA, start checking your application! 

I'm happy to announce I was admitted!!!! No funding decision yet, just admission. 

I just happened to check my application status on their website, and I got an update to my application and subsequently a letter of admission. I haven't gotten an email yet. 

Got in too! Congrats!

[Lxwind]

4 hours ago, loveglove said:

 

Got in too! Congrats!

Congrats! And does anyone know what a defer means...? Is there anything else I can do? Or what are my chances at the next round? Just about to panic....

[loveglove]

1 hour ago, Lxwind said:

Congrats! And does anyone know what a defer means...? Is there anything else I can do? Or what are my chances at the next round? Just about to panic....

Defer means that they will reconsider your application with the regular action pack. This means you still have a chance, but will ultimately find out in March. Ask them first if they accept revised essays or extra materials to reassess your application. If they don't, then there's nothing you can do. If they do, then prepare them and update them with your latest accomplishments.

 

[Lxwind]

4 hours ago, loveglove said:

Defer means that they will reconsider your application with the regular action pack. This means you still have a chance, but will ultimately find out in March. Ask them first if they accept revised essays or extra materials to reassess your application. If they don't, then there's nothing you can do. If they do, then prepare them and update them with your latest accomplishments.

 

Already done that. Just didn't expect that to come. I guess I'll have to wait for their responses after the holidays. Thank you and congrats again

[pubpol101]

I was just rejected by Columbia-SIPA. Considering SIPA's relatively high acceptance rate, this makes me particularly concerned about the quality of my profile, since I'm hoping to get admitted to top schools for fellowship funding and get near/full funding at lower ranked schools. My essays have changed significantly since my submission to SIPA, but does SIPA's rejection mean that I realistically have no chance of getting full tuition funding at any school? Or that I have no real chance of getting into a top-ranked school? I've been admitted to Indiana Bloomington, but with funding decisions coming out only in March, that admit doesn't have any real implications on my viability as an applicant yet.

I'm an applicant coming straight out of college with a STEM degree (3.76 GPA, GRE: 164V, 165Q, 5.5 writing). Quick profile highlights: I'm graduating after two years in undergrad (graduated high school in 2014, finishing college in 2016). I've had research internships with materials on Boko Haram sent to the State Department, one with a think tank in Bolivia focusing on teenage pregnancy, and a current one with a consulting company for Afghanistan. I've had over two dozen publications in outlets like the Huffington Post, The Hill, Cornell International Affairs Review, and etc. My work has resulted in public retractions for original sources cited by leading outlets like the Washington Post, and has engaged organizations like Reform Immigration 4 America. I have macro/micro economics, calculus I/II, statistics, and a lot of history coursework through AP/IB scores.

Bolded schools are where I'm hoping to get funding from, regardless of their admissions selectivity. Other schools are intended to be paired with nationally competitive fellowships.

Applying: IHEID (MDev), SAIS (MA), HKS (MPP), UT Austin (MPaff), Chicago (MSCAPP), Princeton WWS (MPA), USC (MPP). Apps to finish: Duke (MPP), Carnegie Mellon (MSPPM), Yale Jackson (MA), MIT-DUSP (IDG group) (MCP). Additional apps pending.

Rejected: Columbia SIPA MPA, Cambridge MPP.

Accepted: IU-Bloomington MPA. Funding pending.

Edited December 23, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[beefmaster]

Could

7 minutes ago, AAAAAAAA said:

....

Could be the lack of full time work experience? On the SIPA admissions website it says that it rare for candidates to be accepted straight from undergrad. 

[pubpol101]

10 minutes ago, beefmaster said:

Could

Could be the lack of full time work experience? On the SIPA admissions website it says that it rare for candidates to be accepted straight from undergrad. 

That's what I'm thinking. However, I also looked at my SIPA essays, and there seemed to be too little room for me to elaborate exactly what I want to get out of my education, so it's possible that my essays were just weak. I discussed issues with intellectual certainty for SIPA, but my essays for HKS, WWS, UT Austin, USC, and IHEID go into much more detail. Chicago, the word limit was far too short for me to provide the details necessary. They did however seem to be more interested in getting to know applicants as a person, so I think I did well on their extra prompts (1) why public policy, 2) your intellectual curiosity 3) what you'll do in your spare time). I'm considering joining the Peace Corps or pursuing a Fulbright research scholarship I applied for, but unless I have no chance at getting significant funding for MPP/MPA/MIA programs, I'm keeping my mind set on these programs, so I'm hoping to see if I have no real chance/if I shouldn't bother applying to the remaining schools like Duke, CMU, MIT, and Yale.

Edited December 23, 2015 by AAAAAAAA

[beefmaster]

1 minute ago, AAAAAAAA said:

....

Go with the Peace Corps, grad school isn't going anywhere. Take a few years to get some full time experience, work out your career goals, and of course earn some cash to pay for school. I applied right out of undergrad and I am VERY happy I didn't up any of the offers I received. A few years relevant work experience has allowed me to clearly define my career goals and what I want to get out of grad school. Anyway, just my opinion / experience, good luck whatever you decide. 

[AlphaStep]

42 minutes ago, AAAAAAAA said:

I was just rejected by Columbia-SIPA. Considering SIPA's relatively high acceptance rate, this makes me particularly concerned about the quality of my profile, since I'm hoping to get admitted to top schools for fellowship funding and get near/full funding at lower ranked schools. My essays have changed significantly since my submission to SIPA, but does SIPA's rejection mean that I realistically have no chance of getting full tuition funding at any school? Or that I have no real chance of getting into a top-ranked school? I've been admitted to Indiana Bloomington, but with funding decisions coming out only in March, that admit doesn't have any real implications on my viability as an applicant yet.

I'm an applicant coming straight out of college with a STEM degree (3.76 GPA, GRE: 164V, 165Q, 5.5 writing). Quick profile highlights: I'm graduating after two years in undergrad (graduated high school in 2014, finishing college in 2016). I've had research internships with materials on Boko Haram sent to the State Department, one with a think tank in Bolivia focusing on teenage pregnancy, and a current one with a consulting company for Afghanistan. I've had over two dozen publications in outlets like the Huffington Post, The Hill, Cornell International Affairs Review, and etc. My work has resulted in public retractions for original sources cited by leading outlets like the Washington Post, and has engaged organizations like Reform Immigration 4 America. I have macro/micro economics, calculus I/II, statistics, and a lot of history coursework through AP/IB scores.

Bolded schools are where I'm hoping to get funding from, regardless of their admissions selectivity. Other schools are intended to be paired with nationally competitive fellowships.

Applying: IHEID (MDev), SAIS (MA), HKS (MPP), UT Austin (MPaff), Chicago (MSCAPP), Princeton WWS (MPA), USC (MPP). Apps to finish: Duke (MPP), Carnegie Mellon (MSPPM), Yale Jackson (MA), MIT-DUSP (IDG group) (MCP). Additional apps pending.

Rejected: Columbia SIPA MPA, Cambridge MPP.

Accepted: IU-Bloomington MPA. Funding pending.

14 schools?!?! Phew!  Yes I think definitely get some work experience - especially since you've completed undergrad in two years! Most schools want to see that you have some (international) experience to contribute to the classroom,  as well as just the maturity and direction you gain from a few years in "the real world."  Best of luck... and breathe!