chances of getting into JFK/SAIS/SIPA

[hazelground]

Hi,

I would be glad if someone can rate my chances honestly and fairly for the top masters programmes in the US, particularly JFK Harvard, SIPA, SAIS or Yale.

My stats are below;;;

BSc Hons Economics - GPA 3.9 (~ First Class Honours at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK)

GRE - V/720, Q/790

- over a year working with development NGOs (human rights, HIV/AIDS, child labour, publishing) in India

- a Chinese language semester in Beijing

- London-based 4-month experience in economic consulting

- over one year working with an emerging markets bank (but based in London)

- can speak 3 European languages as well as Hindi and Chinese at a basic/conversational level...

- able to get quite good recommendations from lecturers and employers

I am aware that I lack work experience with the central bank/government, however, being of foreign origin

implies that I am not eligible to apply for such roles in the UK.

sorry for the lengthy info, would appreciate if someone can advise on my chances, or perhaps some advice on how to improve my application...

Would I need more work experience than this?

How many references from professors are needed?

any inputs would be great!

thanks!

[kaixinwawa]

wow, fantastic scores and international experience! Are you an undergraduate now? Which field of study are you looking for?

[Cornell07]

Here at Yale, you'd fit right in with a background like that. You have plenty of relevant work experience necessary to start a masters program. My advise for our program (though it is generally true of most applications) is to put down a reasonably specific issue that you want to study further in grad school and that there are professors/classes/programs at the school that can enrich your understanding of that issue. Being specific makes for a much stronger application. Don't worry if you aren't completely committed to that topic; you are not tied down to it and can absolutely change once you get here, should you desire.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Cornell07

[hazelground]

Thanks a lot for your insight.

I am aware that I will need to produce a strong statement of purpose for my admission, and it can be tricky because I dont have direct experience in the public sector.

Not sure if this makes candidates stand out from the others...

Do the academic references need to come from professors or they can also be given by former tutors?

In my school at the undergraduate level it was hard to maintain close interaction with professors - I fear that references from some of these personalities

will fail to be convincing enough...the tutors were quite familiar with my performance and essay writing skills.

thanks!

[Batignolles]

Thanks a lot for your insight.

Do the academic references need to come from professors or they can also be given by former tutors?

In my school at the undergraduate level it was hard to maintain close interaction with professors - I fear that references from some of these personalities will fail to be convincing enough...the tutors were quite familiar with my performance and essay writing skills.

thanks!

If the tutors you're speaking about are graduate students, then it's probably ok to get your reference from them. While it's probably ideal to get them from tenured faculty, in my opinion it's better to get a really strong letter on your behalf than a weak letter from someone more "important".

[hazelground]

yes, both are PhD students, one taught me intermediate micro and the other intermediate macro, hence, i believe their references could be relevant.

Apart from this, I will be able to get a reference from my professor of macro who now happens to be the head of the economics department.

out of 3 references, any ideas how many need to be from academics?

[zourah]

out of 3 references, any ideas how many need to be from academics?

Generally, if you're only a year or two out of university, two should be from your school years and one from your post-school years. If you've been out longer, or feel your non-academic work should receive greater consideration, you can use one academic and two professional.

[hazelground]

@zourah

thanks. I see that you are attending HKS and seem to be quite happy with your choice.

What program did you apply for? Would you mind sharing your background or else, your views on the admission process at HKS.

HKS would be my top choice for MPA/ID but when I looked at the profiles on their website, I felt my background was way too modest, to be frank

cheers

[zourah]

@zourah

thanks. I see that you are attending HKS and seem to be quite happy with your choice.

What program did you apply for? Would you mind sharing your background or else, your views on the admission process at HKS.

HKS would be my top choice for MPA/ID but when I looked at the profiles on their website, I felt my background was way too modest, to be frank

cheers

I'm an MPP - I had a minimal quant background, so my qualifications were simply not suited to MPA/ID. I contributed to the "final decisions" thread last year, which is a valuable resource for looking at who got in where, and who chose which schools.

I'm decidedly not an expert at admissions - I genuinely feel that getting in this time (I was rejected two years previously) had to do with finally finding a clear way to communicate my interest in international political affairs in a way that was both passionate and sincere...and I'm sure if I re-read my SOPs today, I'd think they were terrible.

Anyway, I'm not still around the grad cafe to rate people's chances or to offer the secret to admissions success, as I would fail you terribly at both. I did want to make myself available to answer any questions I can and to offer moral support - this forum kept me from going crazy while waiting for decisions last spring, so I'll be here as good company to those going through the process again. I'd say to consider primarily your abilities in econ and stats when deciding between doing MPA/ID and MPP with an IGA concentration and then trust in your instincts. Good luck!