Hertie School of Governance 2016

[sdonovan77]

20 hours ago, seaglass0025 said:

How many of you guys have formally committed or are planning to? 

While I'm stilling waiting on my response from Sciences Po PSIA, I'll be sending in my deposit next week.  I would love to hold out until I had a reply from Sciences Po as it was my initial first choice school but the way the deposit deadline is scheduled I don't think I'll be able to.  I'm actually taking it as a kind of blessing in disguise as the more familiar I get with both programs the more I like Hertie.

[seaglass0025]

3 hours ago, sdonovan77 said:

While I'm stilling waiting on my response from Sciences Po PSIA, I'll be sending in my deposit next week.  I would love to hold out until I had a reply from Sciences Po as it was my initial first choice school but the way the deposit deadline is scheduled I don't think I'll be able to.  I'm actually taking it as a kind of blessing in disguise as the more familiar I get with both programs the more I like Hertie.

sdonovan77, really feel you right now...I'm waiting for Sciences Po and another school as well. Not to mention, I'm waitlisted at one of my top choices. Worried and anxious about the same issue. The deposit is hefty!! If you were to get into Sciences Po, which would you end up choosing? 

Likely I'll be doing the same and submitting the deposit and forms in next week as well. 

On another note, regarding FAFSA, how are you handling that? Seems like the finaid office at Hertie is not really familiar with the process and I'm a bit confused. Did you get to do a Brain Capital interview yet?

Edited April 6, 2016 by seaglass0025

[sdonovan77]

15 hours ago, seaglass0025 said:

sdonovan77, really feel you right now...I'm waiting for Sciences Po and another school as well. Not to mention, I'm waitlisted at one of my top choices. Worried and anxious about the same issue. The deposit is hefty!! If you were to get into Sciences Po, which would you end up choosing? 

Likely I'll be doing the same and submitting the deposit and forms in next week as well. 

On another note, regarding FAFSA, how are you handling that? Seems like the finaid office at Hertie is not really familiar with the process and I'm a bit confused. Did you get to do a Brain Capital interview yet?

Sciences Po is so aggravating! I'm preparing myself for a long wait, possibly into June. If I were to get into Sciences Po I would have to take a long look at the financing options I would have (and factor in the 2 grand I already dropped on Hertie).  The finaid I was offered would just barely cover living in Paris(and it wouldn't be easy) and the Brain Capital aspect at Hertie is a really big plus for me.  Like I said before, I'm really liking Hertie the more and more I read about it and speak with alumni.

Regarding FAFSA,  my documents were successfully submitted to Hertie maybe a couple of weeks ago and I assumed they were making their way through the bureaucracy there.  What did you hear from Hertie about them?  I hope they know what they're doing because at this point I think it's mostly in their hands.  Maybe I need to get a little more proactive in this area.

Brain Capital interview is tonight!  I have no idea what to expect and nothing prepared! (I asked and they said not to) I'll write up a post tomorrow and let you know how it went though.  

 

[seaglass0025]

8 hours ago, sdonovan77 said:

Sciences Po is so aggravating! I'm preparing myself for a long wait, possibly into June. If I were to get into Sciences Po I would have to take a long look at the financing options I would have (and factor in the 2 grand I already dropped on Hertie).  The finaid I was offered would just barely cover living in Paris(and it wouldn't be easy) and the Brain Capital aspect at Hertie is a really big plus for me.  Like I said before, I'm really liking Hertie the more and more I read about it and speak with alumni.

Regarding FAFSA,  my documents were successfully submitted to Hertie maybe a couple of weeks ago and I assumed they were making their way through the bureaucracy there.  What did you hear from Hertie about them?  I hope they know what they're doing because at this point I think it's mostly in their hands.  Maybe I need to get a little more proactive in this area.

Brain Capital interview is tonight!  I have no idea what to expect and nothing prepared! (I asked and they said not to) I'll write up a post tomorrow and let you know how it went though.  

 

Yes, I know!! If I remember correctly you applied rather recently right? I've applied earlier and still haven't heard... Anyway, about the FAFSA, I had to also reach out and confirm with them about the status of my forms. Seems like we will be hearing in June about the specifics of our loans availability. Suggest you inform them about the fact that you submitted forms though. See below! 

Definitely tell me about how your interview with Brain Capital goes! Loans without interest is a huge deal! Looking forward to hearing

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, as a foreign school we are not automatically notified if a student puts us in their FAFSA.

Therefore, in addition to your FAFSA, please send us an email with the following details: Social Security number, birthday, full name, amount you would like to borrow (the maximum amount is the total cost of attendance as calculated on the Hertie website). You could also send an encrypted message (use the following mail address for encrypted mails using the attached public key: us-loans-pgp@hertie-school.org (current fingerprint: 4B83 E73F AC1A DC37 9AE8 C15A 5347 0157 5C42 1AAD). If you need any further advice on how to use encryption, please feel free to get back to me.

In June we will notify you about your eligibility for US federal loans and you need to confirm the amount you would like to borrow. Please note that you have to complete FAFSA, MPN and the entrance counselling before your loan can be processed in July.

If you would like to take out a Plus Loan, you need to fill out a separate FAFSA and MPN for the Plus Loan as well.

Eventually, your loan will be disbursed in two instalments (October and January).

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Best wishes,

Anja

 

[seaglass0025]

On April 6, 2016 at 5:24 AM, sdonovan77 said:

While I'm stilling waiting on my response from Sciences Po PSIA, I'll be sending in my deposit next week.  I would love to hold out until I had a reply from Sciences Po as it was my initial first choice school but the way the deposit deadline is scheduled I don't think I'll be able to.  I'm actually taking it as a kind of blessing in disguise as the more familiar I get with both programs the more I like Hertie.

Just received word from the MPP Program @ Sciences Po! Suppose berating them worked after all Official letter going to be sent via post, how old fashioned! 

[hfy29]

Hello Friends!

I'm an accepted member into the class of 2018 and recently also visited Hertie! If you have any questions about the location or what I saw please do let me know. 

I was wondering what everyone's pans were for finding a place in Berlin? Is that even possible before moving in?  Perhaps @creativeusername could answer for me a question; what do most incoming students do for housing?  

On 3/21/2016 at 5:14 PM, creativeusername said:

 

[seaglass0025]

9 hours ago, hfy29 said:

Hello Friends!

I'm an accepted member into the class of 2018 and recently also visited Hertie! If you have any questions about the location or what I saw please do let me know. 

I was wondering what everyone's pans were for finding a place in Berlin? Is that even possible before moving in?  Perhaps @creativeusername could answer for me a question; what do most incoming students do for housing?  

Awesome, nice to meet you! Are you planning on enrolling? 

Thanks for your offer, I'm curious about what your first impressions of Hertie are... and Berlin as well? Did you get to meet with some students or attend a class? What aspects were most striking for you?

[hfy29]

5 minutes ago, seaglass0025 said:

Awesome, nice to meet you! Are you planning on enrolling? 

Thanks for your offer, I'm curious about what your first impressions of Hertie are... and Berlin as well? Did you get to meet with some students or attend a class? What aspects were most striking for you?

Hi! Nice to meet you too =)

My initial impression is that Hertie is really small, only about 3 floors in one building.  If you have ever visited a US university it is at first a bit odd how tiny it is. As I went early in the afternoon the campus - if I can even call it that - was buzzing with students and admin and the library was full. It has a bit of a start up feel to it.  I met a few students but they all seemed a bit busy as I had arrived half way through their day, and although they were very nice I did not want to bother them. The Admissions Team were also very friendly and accommodating, answering any mundane questions that I had.  Honestly, the library was nothing special. If anything it was below average but you do get access to the other, much better, Berlin libraries. 

Despite this, the school is well aware of where it is in the world of academia. The impression I got is that the school will give you every chance to succeed. If you work hard enough a lot of the alumni prove that you can do well, but it is not the type of school where you can get by afterwords purely on its brand name. It is also infinitely more useful to you if you can speak German.   

I have visited Berlin often and Hertie school itself is in a fantastic location - a few mins from Check Point Charlie. It is for sure in a more 'posh' area in Berlin. My impressions of the city are generally very positive. Berlin has something for everyone, it is not a snobby city. It has that New York vibe of international diversity but without the pressure of everyone trying to be successful. Instead it encourages you to be yourself.  Public Transport is excellent, a wide range of food and activities, it is impossible to be bored.  Also, if you are like me interested in history it is an endlessly fascinating city to explore. I really loved Berlin. 

I am for sure planning to attend the school. My main worry right now is finding a place to stay before arriving! Berlin is also a huge place, so I hope I can find somewhere close to the school. 

If you have any more questions or thoughts do let me know!

[seaglass0025]

5 minutes ago, hfy29 said:

Hi! Nice to meet you too =)

My initial impression is that Hertie is really small, only about 3 floors in one building.  If you have ever visited a US university it is at first a bit odd how tiny it is. As I went early in the afternoon the campus - if I can even call it that - was buzzing with students and admin and the library was full. It has a bit of a start up feel to it.  I met a few students but they all seemed a bit busy as I had arrived half way through their day, and although they were very nice I did not want to bother them. The Admissions Team were also very friendly and accommodating, answering any mundane questions that I had.  Honestly, the library was nothing special. If anything it was below average but you do get access to the other, much better, Berlin libraries. 

Despite this, the school is well aware of where it is in the world of academia. The impression I got is that the school will give you every chance to succeed. If you work hard enough a lot of the alumni prove that you can do well, but it is not the type of school where you can get by afterwords purely on its brand name. It is also infinitely more useful to you if you can speak German.   

I have visited Berlin often and Hertie school itself is in a fantastic location - a few mins from Check Point Charlie. It is for sure in a more 'posh' area in Berlin. My impressions of the city are generally very positive. Berlin has something for everyone, it is not a snobby city. It has that New York vibe of international diversity but without the pressure of everyone trying to be successful. Instead it encourages you to be yourself.  Public Transport is excellent, a wide range of food and activities, it is impossible to be bored.  Also, if you are like me interested in history it is an endlessly fascinating city to explore. I really loved Berlin. 

I am for sure planning to attend the school. My main worry right now is finding a place to stay before arriving! Berlin is also a huge place, so I hope I can find somewhere close to the school. 

If you have any more questions or thoughts do let me know!

Thanks so much! Really informative So, I'm guessing you're also American? Wow, that sounds really small! How many students are in each of the programs do you know? Did you get the sense that despite the size, the school has lots of resources and tangible ways to "help" its students as you were hinting at? Not sure if you would know the answer to this-- but are MPP students able to cross register for courses offered in the MIA?

I unfortunately don't speak German so that worries me a bit...I want to take full advantage of professional year and/or the internship opportunities in Berlin but am concerned this will be an uphill battle for me. Ultimately, what exactly about the school has had you sold? Were you considering other programs as well? What is making you choose Hertie?

About places to stay, I think I read somewhere that many students take up temporary housing (fully furnished apartments)-- websites exist for this purpose, can't recall their names but if you google I'm sure you will find them-- until they are physically in Berlin. Then from there, they view apartments in person. 

[hfy29]

13 minutes ago, seaglass0025 said:

Thanks so much! Really informative So, I'm guessing you're also American? Wow, that sounds really small! How many students are in each of the programs do you know? Did you get the sense that despite the size, the school has lots of resources and tangible ways to "help" its students as you were hinting at? Not sure if you would know the answer to this-- but are MPP students able to cross register for courses offered in the MIA?

I unfortunately don't speak German so that worries me a bit...I want to take full advantage of professional year and/or the internship opportunities in Berlin but am concerned this will be an uphill battle for me. Ultimately, what exactly about the school has had you sold? Were you considering other programs as well? What is making you choose Hertie?

About places to stay, I think I read somewhere that many students take up temporary housing (fully furnished apartments)-- websites exist for this purpose, can't recall their names but if you google I'm sure you will find them-- until they are physically in Berlin. Then from there, they view apartments in person. 

Hey! 

You're very welcome!

Around 150-200 students in each program MPP if I am not mistaken. And less than 100 for the first MIA class lat year.  The class sizes are fairly small, I was told that they rarely go over 20-25.  The main resource that the school has right now is lots of connections; if you look at the board of directors for example, you can see that they come from fairly top tier institutions and companies.  Also, I actually asked for how alumni do, I got back a pretty impressive list of where they go after hertie:

2.)    The classes of 2013 and 2014 are quite representative of the sectors that our graduates move on to:

·         In both years 27% work for public administration

·         11% (2013) and 8% (2014) work for International Organizations

·         17% (2013) and 9% (2014) work in research or a think tank

·         11% and 15% work in NGOs

·         31% and 32% work in Business

·         3% and 9 % pursue a PhD.

 

Due to data privacy laws in Germany we cannot ask for specific job positions of our graduates in our survey (it has to be anonymous), but if you are interested to see, where our graduates end up, I recommend a LinkedIn search, since that is a public platform and you can look for key words such as Hertie school. To give you an idea, I list a few employers of our graduates of 2014:

·         Deutscher Bundestag

·         EU Commission

·         APCO Worldwide

·         GPPi

·         The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

·         McKinsey & Company, Inc.

·         Georgetown University Law Center

·         Worldbank Group

·         WZB

·         Ministry of Finance, South Korea

·         Ministry of Finance, Singapore

·         Deutsche Bank AG

·         Bank of England

·         GIZ

·         Food and Agriculture Organization, UN

·         Federation of Austrian Industries (Industriellenvereinigung)

·         Behavioural Insights Team

 

… to name but a few.

- Although I can of course not personally cross check. 

As far as I am aware, the MIA and MPP students have few separate core classes each semester but the electives can generally be taken by both classes. So it is usually not the case that you can not take a class that you want.   

Also, for a professional year, the idea is that you work with a lot of their partner companies in Germany. This means that for a lot of them German is mandatory. Internships are obviously much more diverse because you find a lot more diversity to where you can apply. 

I was considering a few other schools, mainly IHEID in Geneva, and LSE. I was mostly convinced by the fact that I got the best funding from Hertie, that I really like their program, their study abroad options and that I love their location. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by hfy29

[seaglass0025]

9 minutes ago, hfy29 said:

Hey! 

You're very welcome!

Around 150-200 students in each program if I am not mistaken. The class sizes are fairly small, I was told that they rarely go over 20-25.  The main resource that the school has right now is lots of connections; if you look at the board of directors for example, you can see that they come from fairly top tier institutions and companies.  Also, I actually asked for how alumni do, I got back a pretty impressive list of where they go after hertie:

2.)    The classes of 2013 and 2014 are quite representative of the sectors that our graduates move on to:

·         In both years 27% work for public administration

·         11% (2013) and 8% (2014) work for International Organizations

·         17% (2013) and 9% (2014) work in research or a think tank

·         11% and 15% work in NGOs

·         31% and 32% work in Business

·         3% and 9 % pursue a PhD.

 

Due to data privacy laws in Germany we cannot ask for specific job positions of our graduates in our survey (it has to be anonymous), but if you are interested to see, where our graduates end up, I recommend a LinkedIn search, since that is a public platform and you can look for key words such as Hertie school. To give you an idea, I list a few employers of our graduates of 2014:

·         Deutscher Bundestag

·         EU Commission

·         APCO Worldwide

·         GPPi

·         The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

·         McKinsey & Company, Inc.

·         Georgetown University Law Center

·         Worldbank Group

·         WZB

·         Ministry of Finance, South Korea

·         Ministry of Finance, Singapore

·         Deutsche Bank AG

·         Bank of England

·         GIZ

·         Food and Agriculture Organization, UN

·         Federation of Austrian Industries (Industriellenvereinigung)

·         Behavioural Insights Team

 

… to name but a few.

- Although I can of course not personally cross check. 

As far as I am aware, the MIA and MPP students have few separate core classes each semester but the electives can generally be taken by both classes. So it is usually not the case that you can not take a class that you want.  

I was considering a few other schools, mainly IHEID in Geneva, and LSE. I was mostly convinced by the fact that I got the best funding from Hertie, that I really like their program, their study abroad options and that I love their location. 

Thanks a bunch for sharing the data! Really interesting to hear... is your deadline to put down the tuition deposit this week (April 15th)? I'm still waiting on another school so it's quite a pain, but I think I might have to send in the funds to save my seat. 

Curious, but did Hertie provide full funding in your case? Received some but wish they had granted me more (feel greedy for saying this haha)! 

I can second the mention of small classes, two alums I've spoken to attended small, liberal arts colleges in the states (like me) and lauded how the classes at Hertie are similar in that sense, with a seminar format. As I know a lot of choosing a good program is fit, hearing this is reassuring. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by seaglass0025

[hfy29]

5 minutes ago, seaglass0025 said:

Thanks a bunch for your insights and for sharing the data! Really interesting to hear... is your deadline to put down the tuition deposit this week (April 15th)? I'm still waiting on another school so it's quite a pain, but I think I might have to send in the funds to save my seat. 

Curious, but did Hertie provide full funding in your case? Received some but wish they had granted me more (feel greedy for saying this haha)! 

I can second the mention of small classes, two alums I've spoken to attended small, liberal arts colleges in the states (like me) and lauded how the classes at Hertie are similar in that sense, with a seminar format. As I know a lot of choosing a good program is fit, hearing this is reassuring. 

Yes same deadline. I did not get full funding, but close enough to it.

Have you tried emailing them asking to extend the deadline? The worst thing they can do is say no, just don't mention other schools!

Edited April 12, 2016 by hfy29

[seaglass0025]

1 minute ago, hfy29 said:

Yes same deadline!  I did not get full funding, but close enough to it! 

Have you tried emailing them asking to extend the deadline? The worst thing they can do is say no, just don't mention other schools!

Ah, that sounds amazing! Well, something is something right?

Did ask them if they could be kind enough to extend the deadline, but mentioned it wouldn't be fair if they did that just for me...ackk

[seaglass0025]

On 07/04/2016 at 11:57 PM, sdonovan77 said:

Sciences Po is so aggravating! I'm preparing myself for a long wait, possibly into June. If I were to get into Sciences Po I would have to take a long look at the financing options I would have (and factor in the 2 grand I already dropped on Hertie).  The finaid I was offered would just barely cover living in Paris(and it wouldn't be easy) and the Brain Capital aspect at Hertie is a really big plus for me.  Like I said before, I'm really liking Hertie the more and more I read about it and speak with alumni.

Regarding FAFSA,  my documents were successfully submitted to Hertie maybe a couple of weeks ago and I assumed they were making their way through the bureaucracy there.  What did you hear from Hertie about them?  I hope they know what they're doing because at this point I think it's mostly in their hands.  Maybe I need to get a little more proactive in this area.

Brain Capital interview is tonight!  I have no idea what to expect and nothing prepared! (I asked and they said not to) I'll write up a post tomorrow and let you know how it went though.  

 

Hey sdonovan! Any updates on your Brain Capital interview? Really curious...

[kolibri]

Hi friends! I am an American currently heading toward the end of my second semester at Hertie. Since I have found the GradForum cafes very helpful for different parts of my life (first Fulbright, then grad school), just thought I would post in case I can offer any helpful insight to any of you.

Cheers!

[sdonovan77]

15 hours ago, seaglass0025 said:

Hey sdonovan! Any updates on your Brain Capital interview? Really curious...

Hey seaglass,

Sorry about the wait, I had the date wrong (it was actually early this week) and they're actually making me do work at work this week instead of hanging out on gradcafe and looking at apartments in Berlin (bummer).

The interview was really two parts; an introduction/background portion followed by a pretty thorough walk through of the contract. During the introduction, the interviewer, Johannes, wanted to know about my background and why I was choosing to pursue a degree in Europe rather than the states.  The contract walk through was pretty helpful in most areas.  You'll go through a few possible income scenarios and discuss what your payment will probably look like.  The whole thing took about an hour and fifteen minutes and was really pretty painless.  I think the main point of it is to put a face to a name and to make sure that terms of the agreement are fully understood.

Following the interview, the next step is to request the real contract (the one specific to you with your name and tuition amount on it).  After that, Brain Capital will handle payments to Hertie and your financial responsibilities all pass over to B.C.

All in all, a pretty easy and informative interview.

[seaglass0025]

16 hours ago, sdonovan77 said:

Hey seaglass,

Sorry about the wait, I had the date wrong (it was actually early this week) and they're actually making me do work at work this week instead of hanging out on gradcafe and looking at apartments in Berlin (bummer).

The interview was really two parts; an introduction/background portion followed by a pretty thorough walk through of the contract. During the introduction, the interviewer, Johannes, wanted to know about my background and why I was choosing to pursue a degree in Europe rather than the states.  The contract walk through was pretty helpful in most areas.  You'll go through a few possible income scenarios and discuss what your payment will probably look like.  The whole thing took about an hour and fifteen minutes and was really pretty painless.  I think the main point of it is to put a face to a name and to make sure that terms of the agreement are fully understood.

Following the interview, the next step is to request the real contract (the one specific to you with your name and tuition amount on it).  After that, Brain Capital will handle payments to Hertie and your financial responsibilities all pass over to B.C.

All in all, a pretty easy and informative interview.

Thank you for the update my friend! 

Your work situation sounds a lot like mine Spent a lot of time last week dawdling but this week is getting busy! 

Do you think you could elaborate more on the contract component? Such as the re-payment process, interest rate, fine print? Kind of in a tough spot right now because I'm deciding between two programs and the financial aspect of things is definitely pulling some weight. Does it seem like a good deal? Any qualms? 

[sdonovan77]

5 hours ago, seaglass0025 said:

Do you think you could elaborate more on the contract component? Such as the re-payment process, interest rate, fine print? Kind of in a tough spot right now because I'm deciding between two programs and the financial aspect of things is definitely pulling some weight. Does it seem like a good deal? Any qualms? 

I'm going to PM you with the details but as I understand it (I'm financially illiterate so keep that in mind.) the loan can either be an expensive one or an extremely cheap one depending on income.  Basically, if you're under 30k per year you pay nothing at all, after that I believe it moves to 3065/year with a 9 percent of income cap.  So if you plan on making a lot of money after graduation, it's an expensive loan.  If you want flexibility to try new things or plan on interning or travelling or just working in an industry that doesn't have great pay, it's a good option.  Another thing to keep in mind, is the possible implosion of the Euro. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but it's something to consider.

Personally, I think I'm going to do a FAFSA/Brain Capital mix.  I've liked working with the federal lenders before, they offer similar income based repayment plans, and the interest rates are fine.

Also, if anyone who is actually good at understanding these things wants to chime in here feel free.