How easy is it to get full funding?

[hotchoc]

Hello,

I was wondering how easy it is to get full funding + stipend to cover costs of living for and MPA/MPP program in the US. That would be with a 3.50 GPA and experience working as an intern at the UN and EU + average GRE scores. 

Thank you!

Best regards,

 

[Ben414]

I doubt it's possible with that profile at a good program, and I wouldn't recommend going to a program that would offer a full ride with that profile.

[chocolatecheesecake]

Hotchoc, your question is a bit too general. A few schools (e.g. Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton) offer fully-funded packages for all students they accept. The competition at such places can be quite fierce, and you will need to have some really great work experience under your belt and better GRE scores to be in the running for those. Most schools have a few fully-funded slots in their entire cohort, like a special scholarship, reserved for people they really really really want to come to their school. That is also very competitive, and in my opinion a little harder to get than to obtain admission to WWS, simply because there are so very few. So it's not impossible, but you should absolutely make plans to fund your studies without considerable aid.  

Generally, I suggest you get more work experience to make sure this is what you want to do and research why you want to attend a US school instead of a European school, which are comparatively cheaper (Hertie is quite a good school). US and European institutions offer different experiences and different products, so it's all the more important to know what you want to do and why you want to go to graduate school. Good luck!

[hotchoc]

Thank you so much Chocolatecheese-cake. What kind of work experience would you suggest I get?  Thank you Ben414 for your honest assessment. 

[chocolatecheesecake]

For work experience that might lead to an MPP/MPA, you can look in many sectors and industries. Public, private, or non-profit, you see people with all different kinds of backgrounds in graduate school. I would personally choose an area in which you have a lot of interest, so that you'll be invested in it, and have a good story to tell. You're the best judge of this, to tell the truth!

[hotchoc]

Thank you chocolatecheesecake!

[ajak568]

hotchoc, what the others have mentioned is true. I want to temper it with a little optimism, though. If you're looking at MPP or MPA programs, there certainly is funding out there. I would not underestimate the power of GRE scores and work experience to get you considered for aid, but I also want to stress the importance of statements of purpose, especially. I think the statement of purpose helps to bring your application together to tell your story and kind of 'package' you well for the admissions boards. There's never any guarantee with the admissions process, but if you're really interested in trying to get in somewhere and get some good funding, I recommend spending a lot of time on your apps, getting your GRE scores up as much as possible, and applying to a variety of schools (some safety, some reaches, etc.) to give yourself the best chance of being able to negotiate offers against one another if you get into several programs.

 

BEST OF LUCK!

[hotchoc]

Thank you so much ajak568 & naso!

[ajak568]

Thanks for that clarification, naso. I guess I should be specific in highlighting that the important thing in negotiating funding is to be able to negotiate aid offers against one another. If you are only admitted to one school, it can be difficult to get a school to seriously increase its funding offer unless admissions knows that they will need to compete with another school to get you to accept their offer. Of course negotiations don't always work out perfectly, but setting yourself up to have several offers on the table may give you the best shot at coming out of the process with an offer that you're happy with.

[ajak568]

Of course! I agree. I would not rely on negotiating alone to get you to the level of funding that you need. Cast your net wide, never put all your eggs in one basket.

[hotchoc]

Thank you all again for your answers!  Do you think internships don't count as much as jobs in terms of work experience? I've done some good internships in Brussels at the EU (paid), the UN (paid), and the Spanish Foreign Service (unpaid). But I fear admissions committees will look down upon the fact that I just have done internships.

[ajak568]

Full time work is experience is always going to be the ideal for your application, but absent those, internships and volunteer experience can add some value to your candidacy if you're able to talk about them in a way that shows that your internship really provided value in terms of helping you gain some kind of field experience. I've probably said nothing you don't already know. Gaining some experience before applying to schools is advisable, but given that (the way I understand it) you're deciding to go ahead and apply before gaining field experience, internships can help boost your candidacy a little.

Best of luck!

[hotchoc]

Thank you ajak568!

[CakeTea]

hotchoc: Good profile with plenty international experience with IOs. I concur with ajak and naso's posts. I heard from current students that:

Full time employment > internships > no experience. Reason: Work covers more responsibilities and career progression. May I ask how many years work/internships you have done since your BA? Have you taken the GRE for US MPPs?

Most programmes publish the average class profile: GPA, GRE, years of work and even some individual profile. It gives you an idea how you fit in with your stats. To answer your Q, full rides with stipends are rare as hens' teeth. Some schools have very few reserved for exceptional candidates. Good luck.

[hotchoc]

Thank you for your answer CakeTea!

I have 3.5 years of internship + work experience. Now, I worked 2 years as a language teacher. That was a job and not and internship, but I don't think it counts much, because as much as I loved the job it just has not much to do with Public Policy. And worked 1.5 years aprox. doing internships in the Foreign Affairs Ministry and IOs.

I started studying for the GRE a month ago, but I don't think I'm gonna take the test now, because:

1)I am not willing to finance my education with student debt. No one in continental Europe does that. It just doesn't make much sense for us for a variety of reasons.

2)Since it is very unlikely that I will receive a full ride I don't think it pays off to spend part of my small savings in application fees, the GRE, the TOEFL, and extra GRE prep (which I estimated would have a total cost of around $1,000).

That said, I studied in the US (UC Berkeley) for one year as an undergrad and it was an incredible experience. Classes were exciting and so meaningful. Additionally, your CV gets a boost from having a top US school in it.  In Europe, in general, as I see it, classes are more dull and with much less student participation. Additionally, internationally you may not get the same recognition as a top US school in the domain of Public Policy.

So I will:

1) Apply for the Fulbright and other scholarships to study in the US. If that doesn't work then I will look at how I can apply to a school and get at least 80% of my expenses covered from a variety of sources. My parents might be able to help me with the remaining 20%.

 

[CakeTea]

There are some decent European MPP/MPA at affordable rates and even full rides. College of Europe Bruges, MundusMPP CEU, Sciences Po and Hertie. I get it that in Europe students are debt averse. Besides, most European countries don't offer student loans to MA study in the US.

Actually language teaching abroad counts as relevant full time employment. You can transfer some class room skills to Teaching Assistant duties and you can refer to education policy exposure. Admissions officers respect teaching experience. I have met some current students who did teaching abroad with Fulbright or other programmes. They applied successfully to a number of upper tier MPPs in Europe and US (with partial scholarships). I think they stated various goals from Human Rights, development and education to social equality. 3.5 yrs work experience is good and in line with class stats of most MPPs.

Your Berkeley exchange will certainly help. I heard from another European applicant that a year abroad at a top US school was conducive to his successful applications.

[hotchoc]

Thank you for your views CakeTea!