HKS 2017

[hksMPA]

4 hours ago, kevin_hks said:

That is true! At least for the two-year MPP Program at HKS which I applied, more than 40 percent of the applicants from India got admitted!! I am 24.

What is your sample size? How do you have this data? You are saying that you know everyone from India who applied for the program? This is absurd!

[d4r56]

Does anyone else feel a little conflicted about attending Admit Day on Friday now that we have our financial aid decisions? I didn't get any funding, so there's about a .01% chance that I'll go (especially with a full ride from a different, equally good school.) The problem is that I've already bought my plane ticket etc.

[kevin_hks]

35 minutes ago, d4r56 said:

Does anyone else feel a little conflicted about attending Admit Day on Friday now that we have our financial aid decisions? I didn't get any funding, so there's about a .01% chance that I'll go (especially with a full ride from a different, equally good school.) The problem is that I've already bought my plane ticket etc.

.01%=0.

Since I do not get funding either, I do not plan to fly to Boston from India.

[CPRMPA]

1 hour ago, d4r56 said:

Does anyone else feel a little conflicted about attending Admit Day on Friday now that we have our financial aid decisions? I didn't get any funding, so there's about a .01% chance that I'll go (especially with a full ride from a different, equally good school.) The problem is that I've already bought my plane ticket etc.

If you know you aren't willing to go to HKS without funding (and I don't blame you - going into that much debt seems insane), I would advise pretty strongly against going to admitted students day.  Their job is to sell you on why you should go to their school. I didn't apply to HKS, but other admitted students' days I've gone to have made me really excited about the programs.  If you go, I'd hate for you to fall in love with the program and then feel disappointed that you can't afford it; or worse, feel tempted change your mind and make a bad financial decision to take on enormous debt.  Since you already have a full ride from a different school that you feel is just as strong, it seems like a no-brainer to take it. 

If you already have your plane tickets purchased and can't get your money back, why not turn it into an opportunity to take a mini-vacation and explore Boston? It's a fun city with tons to do. That's what I would do if I were in your shoes.  Just my two cents.

Edited April 3, 2017 by CPRMPA

[kevin_hks]

It is time to say byebye to HKS------ a money sucker!

[kevin_hks]

HKS=Harvard Kicking School.

[Nozistin]

4 hours ago, kevin_hks said:

It is time to say byebye to HKS------ a money sucker!

You sound salty. Like ok, you didnt get funding but stop crapping on other people and a school you clearly wanted to attend and move on.

[kevin_hks]

1 hour ago, Nozistin said:

You sound salty. Like ok, you didnt get funding but stop crapping on other people and a school you clearly wanted to attend and move on.

HKS's stinginess absolutely pulls down the quality of its incoming class! I would not attend even if I have funding because I do not want to pull myself down with those who do not get funding from the waiting list. One year's time is precious for me to keep with the high quality people. A large group from the waiting list would get accepted next week. these grapes are not sour!!!! 

[kevin_hks]

2 hours ago, Nasty Woman said:

Don't feed the trolls, y'all. 

you are soooo nasty....

[Nonprofitguy]

I wonder what the record for negative reputation is

[fuzzylogician]

3 hours ago, Nonprofitguy said:

I wonder what the record for negative reputation is

It is high. No where near where posters here are. Usually the result of a meltdown or obvious trolling, which rarely ends well. I hope things calm down and don't get out of hand here. 

**moderator note

Friends, please exercise discretion when posting and when replying to posts.

Those disappointed with their results, it's okay to be upset, but you need to learn to deal with rejection and disappointment. Acting immaturely isn't going to lead to anything positive, and isn't something you'd ever want associated with your real identity. In this day and age, it's fair to assume that anything you post online is here to stay, and could eventually be associated with you. So please watch out, and consider the consequences of your actions.

Other friends, please consider ignoring tantrums and negative posts. The moderating team doesn't like to intervene unless someone crosses the line, which hasn't happened here (yet). You can use the reputation system to down-vote posts you disagree with -- but do not abuse the system (do not go back and down-vote other, perfectly agreeable posts by someone just because some other post of theirs upset you). The best thing you can do is just ignore the offending post and move on. 

**

[vananhdo]

Well, I am a bit sad with the atmosphere here. I think if you are great, you will find ways to overcome difficulties and be successful no matter whether you hold a HKS degree or not. Resilience over challenges is also a quality that HKS highly appreciates. There are many different solutions and pathways in this life that I hope we can find the most suitable one for ourselves.  

If I were younger, I must have been very disappointed when things went wrong so I can understand and tolerate that emotion, but now I have learnt to take it easy and find ways to move forward. Keep positive energy is more important

[HKSApplicant]

How was the Welcome Day for those who attended? 

Edited April 8, 2017 by HKSApplicant

[EmPeePee]

On 4/8/2017 at 8:30 AM, HKSApplicant said:

How was the Welcome Day for those who attended? 

I went to new admit day trying not to like it, but I was very impressed. A few thoughts from a prospective MPP student:

• I'm new to the Harvard world, and expected there to be some arrogant elitism. I saw none of that. I met dozens and dozens of smart, committed, passionate people who were as approachable as they were impressive.
• I really had the feeling that the people in the room were tomorrow's leaders. 
• They gave us a lot of time to interact with each other, which I really appreciated. I was really excited by the range of professional experience people are bringing. I expected to meet a bunch of certain types (a bunch of TFAs, a bunch of consultants, etc.) but everybody had a different and interesting story. I didn't meet a single person who was coming straight out of undergraduate.
• The HKS folks centered much of their pitch around the word "Access." Access to famous folks, access to thought-leaders, access to other stuff. I don't know if I loved how much they talked about all the amazing people who come through HKS. I would have liked more focus on the academic curriculum and what they are teaching me, not just what they are giving me access to. 
• Most of the admitted students were very much on the fence regarding enrolling. I had many, many conversations about the high cost of attendance. More people seemed to be deciding between HKS and not going anywhere. There were fewer people choosing between HKS and another policy school. It seems like if you are impressive enough to get into HKS, you're impressive enough to not need the degree to do what you want to do...
• It's not a racially or socioeconomically diverse community (especially w/r/t US POC). People are aware of that, however, and talk about it as something needing to change.
• Students seem to spend most of their time at HKS. Like, they don't go home after classes, preferring to work, meet, and socialize on campus well into the evening.
• People seemed happy. Happier than some of the other policy schools I visited

So my main takeaway was that the offerings of HKS were pretty great and that the students are amazing. I'm as attracted to HKS for the stuff that I would learn from my peers as for the things I'll learn from professors. 

Happy to answer any other specific questions, either on this blog or privately!

 

[LLCoolJ1585]

32 minutes ago, EmPeePee said:

I went to new admit day trying not to like it, but I was very impressed. A few thoughts from a prospective MPP student:

• I'm new to the Harvard world, and expected there to be some arrogant elitism. I saw none of that. I met dozens and dozens of smart, committed, passionate people who were as approachable as they were impressive.
• I really had the feeling that the people in the room were tomorrow's leaders. 
• They gave us a lot of time to interact with each other, which I really appreciated. I was really excited by the range of professional experience people are bringing. I expected to meet a bunch of certain types (a bunch of TFAs, a bunch of consultants, etc.) but everybody had a different and interesting story. I didn't meet a single person who was coming straight out of undergraduate.
• The HKS folks centered much of their pitch around the word "Access." Access to famous folks, access to thought-leaders, access to other stuff. I don't know if I loved how much they talked about all the amazing people who come through HKS. I would have liked more focus on the academic curriculum and what they are teaching me, not just what they are giving me access to. 
• Most of the admitted students were very much on the fence regarding enrolling. I had many, many conversations about the high cost of attendance. More people seemed to be deciding between HKS and not going anywhere. There were fewer people choosing between HKS and another policy school. It seems like if you are impressive enough to get into HKS, you're impressive enough to not need the degree to do what you want to do...
• It's not a racially or socioeconomically diverse community (especially w/r/t US POC). People are aware of that, however, and talk about it as something needing to change.
• Students seem to spend most of their time at HKS. Like, they don't go home after classes, preferring to work, meet, and socialize on campus well into the evening.
• People seemed happy. Happier than some of the other policy schools I visited

So my main takeaway was that the offerings of HKS were pretty great and that the students are amazing. I'm as attracted to HKS for the stuff that I would learn from my peers as for the things I'll learn from professors. 

Happy to answer any other specific questions, either on this blog or privately!

 

Classy post bro/gal. Making me wish I was going there! I’m going to the school that’s going to creep up on HKS and take the #1 Spot in a few years instead haha. Good luck! Major Congrats to you.

[hksMPA]

18 hours ago, EmPeePee said:

I went to new admit day trying not to like it, but I was very impressed. A few thoughts from a prospective MPP student:

• I'm new to the Harvard world, and expected there to be some arrogant elitism. I saw none of that. I met dozens and dozens of smart, committed, passionate people who were as approachable as they were impressive.
• I really had the feeling that the people in the room were tomorrow's leaders. 
• They gave us a lot of time to interact with each other, which I really appreciated. I was really excited by the range of professional experience people are bringing. I expected to meet a bunch of certain types (a bunch of TFAs, a bunch of consultants, etc.) but everybody had a different and interesting story. I didn't meet a single person who was coming straight out of undergraduate.
• The HKS folks centered much of their pitch around the word "Access." Access to famous folks, access to thought-leaders, access to other stuff. I don't know if I loved how much they talked about all the amazing people who come through HKS. I would have liked more focus on the academic curriculum and what they are teaching me, not just what they are giving me access to. 
• Most of the admitted students were very much on the fence regarding enrolling. I had many, many conversations about the high cost of attendance. More people seemed to be deciding between HKS and not going anywhere. There were fewer people choosing between HKS and another policy school.. It seems like if you are impressive enough to get into HKS, you're impressive enough to not need the degree to do what you want to do... 
• It's not a racially or socioeconomically diverse community (especially w/r/t US POC). People are aware of that, however, and talk about it as something needing to change.
• Students seem to spend most of their time at HKS. Like, they don't go home after classes, preferring to work, meet, and socialize on campus well into the evening.
• People seemed happy. Happier than some of the other policy schools I visited

So my main takeaway was that the offerings of HKS were pretty great and that the students are amazing. I'm as attracted to HKS for the stuff that I would learn from my peers as for the things I'll learn from professors. 

Happy to answer any other specific questions, either on this blog or privately!

 

 

 

Loved how you said,"It seems like if you are impressive enough to get into HKS, you're impressive enough to not need the degree to do what you want to do... " I am exactly in that spot!! I don't really need the degree. But, heart wants what the heart wants! 

Edited April 11, 2017 by hksMPA

[datik]

20 hours ago, EmPeePee said:

• The HKS folks centered much of their pitch around the word "Access." Access to famous folks, access to thought-leaders, access to other stuff. I don't know if I loved how much they talked about all the amazing people who come through HKS. I would have liked more focus on the academic curriculum and what they are teaching me, not just what they are giving me access to. 

Well they have Ban Ki-Moon as a fellow this next term so they aren't lying 

[hksMPA]

So...who all are joining HKS then?

[akba2]

My rec letter writers told me that HKS contacted them to ask if they had written a letter on my behalf. Does anyone find that kind of weird? I mean, I don't mind -- I have nothing to hide. I just thought it was weird since all 3 letters were submitted using their respective organization's email address...

Does anyone else know if their letter-writers were contacted?

Edited April 14, 2017 by akba2

[HKSApplicant]

Any other brave woman or man in this forum waiting to see what Matt and his team read on the odds of the waitlist? #FingersCrossed #IhopeTheyMessedTheYield ;-)

[Nonprofitguy]

On 4/14/2017 at 2:04 PM, akba2 said:

My rec letter writers told me that HKS contacted them to ask if they had written a letter on my behalf. Does anyone find that kind of weird? I mean, I don't mind -- I have nothing to hide. I just thought it was weird since all 3 letters were submitted using their respective organization's email address...

Does anyone else know if their letter-writers were contacted?

I'm not sure if they contacted the people who submitted letters of rec for me but I know for business school applications, it's common protocol to verify your application. So maybe same applies here?

[paxi]

Sigh no funding. Oh HKS why you so cruel? Awaiting feedback from my some external scholarships that I had applied for. But in all likelihood the Harvard dream seems to be over

[MH2]

Hey,

Has anyone heard back from WBJJ?

[drumroll]

On 4/19/2017 at 0:10 AM, HKSApplicant said:

Any other brave woman or man in this forum waiting to see what Matt and his team read on the odds of the waitlist? #FingersCrossed #IhopeTheyMessedTheYield ;-)

There are deadlines for admitted students to accept the offer as well as present the first batch of documents. For Masons it was in April, for MC/MPAs it is in May and for the remaining programs it will be in June. Not entirely sure how much hope one should get from this, though.

[HKSApplicant]

1 hour ago, drumroll said:

There are deadlines for admitted students to accept the offer as well as present the first batch of documents. For Masons it was in April, for MC/MPAs it is in May and for the remaining programs it will be in June. Not entirely sure how much hope one should get from this, though.

 

I think that the deadline for the initial acceptance and deposit was April 15th and after the first revision, they did very few or no offers (at least for the MPA2, I got an email about this on Monday) I don't know if there are more intermediate deadlines before the "summer melt" time... I hope so (as the one for documents that you comment).