HKS 2016

[HRC2016]

2 hours ago, quietman said:

Yep, agree with all this.

Also, anyone else notice that the status page  (https://admissions.hks.harvard.edu/apply/status) changed? Most of the text is now gone for me.

 

2 hours ago, 6speed! said:

 

Yeah, I'm trying to just stay realistic. I think I'm competitive for both, but at the same time they are extremely selective programs. They reject dozens upon dozens of competitive, quality applicants every year. I think the best attitude is to be prepared for rejection - almost to downright assume it - so that, as you say, it hurts less and being admitted feels extraordinary. If one is rejected, life goes on. The fact that we're sitting here debating about if we might get into top notch policy programs is an elite conundrum - these are wonderful "problems" to have, after all. 

Agree with everyone. I'm not expecting to get in (but in my mind I'm making a list of people to call and thank). This process is torturous. It's like waiting for a text from an awesome first date :/

Edited March 3, 2016 by HRC2016

[loveglove]

11 hours ago, HRC2016 said:

@loveglove - Is this your first time applying for WWS and HKS? I was admitted to SAIS, SIPA, Fletcher, and GW last year and deferred to Fletcher. I re-applied to SIPA for additional funding so I hope to hear back on that next week. Good luck!

First time. Applied for SAIS and SIPA early action, just waiting for SIPA money and other schools. Good luck on finding!

[loveglove]

Haha, I love how they added this to the side of their blog:

"Have 2016 Master's Application Admission Decisions Been Released? No"

They must be so sick of us.

[quietman]

11 hours ago, loveglove said:

Haha, I love how they added this to the side of their blog:

"Have 2016 Master's Application Admission Decisions Been Released? No"

They must be so sick of us.

LOL

For those who haven't seen it, new blog post about that http://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/140451706403/2016-reading-and-decision-process-post-12

Edited March 4, 2016 by quietman

[HRC2016]

5 minutes ago, quietman said:

LOL

For those who haven't seen it, new blog post about that http://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/140451706403/2016-reading-and-decision-process-post-12

You're quick! I have a feeling Admissions officers read this blog as well. This waiting game is excruciating.

[HKS hopeful]

*bump* Im guessing most of you are MPP applicants. Any MC/MPA or MPA Masons applicants?

Also, thinking how it'll be hard to open the 'check your status' email. I'm guessing March 11th (next Friday) the wait will be over.  

-HKS hopeful-

 

[HKS hopeful]

Sorry, no meaningful update. Just my thoughts. ;-)

Have way too much time on my hands this week... putting everything on hold (except work) until decisions are released. No workout and social activities.

Sitting here rereading my essays. Bummed I didn't mentioned any student organisations/journals/centers I plan to involve and/or hopefully take some sort of leadership role. Its too late, but regretted not mentioning any, despite wanting to be involve with the following:

China Society 

LGBTQ Caucus

North Korea Study Group (due to work in the country and research)

Graduate Student Council (due to my background in Law, IR, Business and Education)

Korea Caucus

India Caucus

Pakistan Caucus

Black Student Union

Christian Fellowship

Human Rights (centre)

Asia Caucus

Education (*PEPG)

Would be nice to start a Caribbean Caucus.

My rejection last time was due to "fit and timing." Praying these are not issues this time around.

Promise this is my last post until admission decisions are released. back to watching travelogue for my possible summer trip if denied admission.

Cheers!

 

[6speed!]

18 minutes ago, HKS hopeful said:

Sorry, no meaningful update. Just my thoughts. ;-)

Have way too much time on my hands this week... putting everything on hold (except work) until decisions are released. No workout and social activities.

Sitting here rereading my essays. Bummed I didn't mentioned any student organisations/journals/centers I plan to involve and/or hopefully take some sort of leadership role. Its too late, but regretted not mentioning any, despite wanting to be involve with the following:

China Society 

LGBTQ Caucus

North Korea Study Group (due to work in the country and research)

Graduate Student Council (due to my background in Law, IR, Business and Education)

Korea Caucus

India Caucus

Pakistan Caucus

Black Student Union

Christian Fellowship

Human Rights (centre)

Asia Caucus

Education (*PEPG)

Would be nice to start a Caribbean Caucus.

My rejection last time was due to "fit and timing." Praying these are not issues this time around.

Promise this is my last post until admission decisions are released. back to watching travelogue for my possible summer trip if denied admission.

Cheers!

 

Not too long to wait now! Look, you're just stressing yourself out re-reading your essays. Stop that! You've put your best foot forward and prepared your application well - nobody's application is perfect, mine included. Re-reading essays will drive you crazy, though - I've made a point to not do that since there's absolutely nothing that can be done about them now and it just induces pointless anxiety. Go workout and "enjoy" your last few days of waiting  

Edited March 7, 2016 by 6speed!

[HKS hopeful]

6 minutes ago, 6speed! said:

Not too long to wait now! Look, you're just stressing yourself out re-reading your essays. Stop that! You've put your best foot forward and prepared your application well - nobody's application is perfect, mine included. Re-reading essays will drive you crazy, though - I've made a point to not do that since there's absolutely nothing that can be done about them now and it just induces pointless anxiety. Go workout and "enjoy" your last few days of waiting  

Thanks! :-) I'll lay on my couch for a few more hours. No more re-reading essays though. :-) Hoping March 11th is release date. 

 

[HRC2016]

1 hour ago, 6speed! said:

Not too long to wait now! Look, you're just stressing yourself out re-reading your essays. Stop that! You've put your best foot forward and prepared your application well - nobody's application is perfect, mine included. Re-reading essays will drive you crazy, though - I've made a point to not do that since there's absolutely nothing that can be done about them now and it just induces pointless anxiety. Go workout and "enjoy" your last few days of waiting  

Agree with 6speed!. I have the tendency to do the same and I re-read my essays all weekend (and even had dreams) which is a tell-tale sign that I'm stressing too much about something I cannot control. Having been rejected last year, I put a lot of additional work into my application this time around. I had to talk to a lot of close friends and family this weekend to remind myself that the grad school I attend will not ultimately affect my goals in life and my measure of success. Even so, HKS is a dream school and I would be so lucky and honored to get in. It's truly about "timing" (luck), and less "fit" since so many are qualified and could contribute to the Fall 2016 class. Here's to a highly productively unproductive week!

Edited March 7, 2016 by HRC2016

[HRC2016]

Is it just me or do other folks have a hard time focusing at work today? I know we won't get anything until at least Wednesday so I'm not sure why I keep refreshing the blog and checking last year's posts. 

[quietman]

I'm a blog refresher and re-reader too, and probably spend too much time trying to match timelines from various application years to get a sense of when decisions will come out this year. Right now I'm speculating as to whether the upcoming post on admitted applicants will be the last one in the 'Reading and Decisions Process' series prior to the release of decisions. Last year it was the penultimate entry, but the final one from that admissions cycle is similar to the spreadsheets post that was already made this year....so maybe there is just one remaining.

At this point I'm in the excited but nervous stage. Excited because decisions are likely coming soon and I may well get into my dream school, nervous because, well, I may soon find out that I didn't get in and it will sting a bit! I will say before decisions are released that people who dream about getting into a particular school shouldn't necessarily throw that dream away and accept another offer. I had a friend whose goal was to get into HLS, and upon being permanently wait-listed in their first attempt the assumption was that they'd just have to go elsewhere, but they came back with a stronger application the next year and got admitted to HLS in their second try (and some posters here may end up being HKS examples of this). Of course situations differ, and it may not be in everyone's best interest to sit out and try again, but don't think it's over just because you didn't get in this time!

Edited March 7, 2016 by quietman

[HRC2016]

29 minutes ago, quietman said:

I'm a blog refresher and re-reader too, and probably spend too much time trying to match timelines from various application years to get a sense of when decisions will come out this year. Right now I'm speculating as to whether the upcoming post on admitted applicants will be the last one in the 'Decisions and Processes' series prior to the release of decisions. Last year it was the penultimate entry, but the final one from that admissions cycle is similar to the spreadsheets post that was already made this year....so maybe there is just one remaining.

At this point I'm in the excited but nervous stage. Excited because decisions are likely coming soon and I may well get into my dream school, nervous because, well, I may soon find out that I didn't get in and it will sting a bit! I will say before decisions are released that people who dream about getting into a particular school shouldn't necessarily throw that dream away and accept another offer. I had a friend whose goal was to get into HLS, and upon being permanently wait-listed in their first attempt the assumption was that they'd just have to go elsewhere, but they came back with a stronger application the next year and got admitted to HLS in their second try. Of course situations differ, and it may not be in everyone's best interest to sit out a year and try again, but don't think it's over just because you didn't get in this time!

Great post. I'm doing the same thing: analyzing when the "decisions are posted" blog entry comes out. I have a feeling we will get an admissions notice in our inbox Wednesday morning (or Thursday at the latest). 

That said, this is my second time applying and my application is much stronger than last year's. I am excited but I'm mentally planning on next steps with the assumption that I will not get in. I know it's a mind game but it gives me realistic expectations about a highly competitive process that's really a crap-shoot when it comes to admissions. There are so many variables you cannot control. With the number of applicants applying to the MPP, I doubt that reapplying will increase your chances of getting in unless something dramatic has changed in the past year in your professional and/or personal life. This was the case for me. My professional life enhanced because I followed what I wanted to do and didn't expect to re-apply. I just went about my own way trying to maximize my late-twenties and within a 9-10 month time-frame, I was able to travel to half a dozen countries and sit in on some high level USG negotiations, including at the UN, blow up Vietnam War UXOs along the demarcation line, travel to Malaysia fully-funded through a fellowship program, write a high-level keynote for my boss during his time in Finland and am now working on two Presidential Summits. I didn't make the decision to re-apply until October 2015. So getting in will be an added bonus, not a pre-requisite to advancing my dreams and goals. 

Edited March 7, 2016 by HRC2016

[quietman]

Excellent post, and I agree that simply reapplying without any meaningful improvement in your application (whether references, coursework, job experience, etc.) is probably unlikely to change the outcome.

Edited March 7, 2016 by quietman

[edpolicy2015]

Only a few more days. Chronic email checker and blog stalker here as well. We can do this. Would love to find out on Wednesday. Anticipating it will be Friday with all of the other schools as well. We can do this! Really appreciate the support of this blog to get me through these final days. Hopefully we will all be classmates soon.

[Expedia]

When I get emails, I tilt my screen just so that I can see the title but do not know the content. I have filtered all useless emails, so, if  I get  an email notification, it has to be from a legit source. This habit is getting ridiculous but I just can't look at the email straight up.

[quietman]

1 hour ago, Expedia said:

1 hour ago, Expedia said:

When I get emails, I tilt my screen just so that I can see the title but do not know the content. I have filtered all useless emails, so, if  I get  an email notification, it has to be from a legit source. This habit is getting ridiculous but I just can't look at the email straight up.

When I get emails, I tilt my screen just so that I can see the title but do not know the content. I have filtered all useless emails, so, if  I get  an email notification, it has to be from a legit source. This habit is getting ridiculous but I just can't look at the email straight up.

I did the exact same thing when I was waiting for the email with my LSAT score a few years ago. For HKS the decision won't be in the email itself, which is nice because then one can brace themselves without the awkward head tilting.

Edited March 7, 2016 by quietman

[HRC2016]

http://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/140650885098/2016-reading-and-decision-process-post-13

New blog came out. So I assume Wed will be the day.

[quietman]

Exciting.....thanks for posting that HRC.

[Expedia]

Omg, SIPA thread is on fire right now. Hopefully I can post something good on this one Wednesday. So far it has been 3/3 acceptances for me. I hope HKS won't break my record but of course its all but a tiny hope now. 

[obrien_blue]

I'm 3/3, and I'm ready to have this noise over with! Now that I've got some things to think about, I would really like Harvard to tell me if they should be my head or not! Good luck, everyone; I'm at the point of needing to be sedated.

[HRC2016]

Another day of staring zombie-like at the screen....every 10 minutes. 

[Expedia]

4 minutes ago, HRC2016 said:

Another day of staring zombie-like at the screen....every 10 minutes. 

I saw your update on this thread and thought the decision came out or something. phew!!!

[quietman]

New blog posted:http://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/140700535508/2016-reading-and-decision-process-post-14

Seems like they still need some time.

 

Edited March 8, 2016 by quietman

[HRC2016]

1 minute ago, quietman said:

New blog posted:http://hksadmissionblog.tumblr.com/post/140700535508/2016-reading-and-decision-process-post-14

 

 

You beat me to it! This means that we'll likely hear back tomorrow or Thursday.