Assess my chances?

[sushitooth]

Applying to MPP, mostly to programs with a concentration on either policy analysis, economic development, or a mix of both.

Schools:

Michigan, Heinz at CMU, Georgia Tech, Indiana SPEA, George Mason, American University, University of Georgia (MPA, policy analysis concentration), Georgia State.

*Applied with a 2.9 GPA in economics from top-50 U.S. university: My in-major GPA is a 3.34. My GPA, unfortunately, came down this past semester when I took 4 advanced mathematics courses (among them, Calculus 3, Theoretical Mathematics, Advanced Linear Algebra) which were entirely outside of my degree requirements... I took them purely to try and "shore up" my quantitative base in preparation for graduate school... And it ruined my GPA. I basically explained this in an additional statement of purpose, which I think qualifies as a legitimate addendum to the application and not a form of whining. I did, however, also take a course at our graduate school of public affairs and earned an A- this past semester.

I did manage to pick up some out-of-major quantitative work worth noting: Calculus 2 (A-), Linear Alegbra (B+), Advanced Linear Algebra (C... but maybe that's worth something), Mathematical Probability (, Econometrics (A-... in-major, but worth mentioning).

Work experience:

->No full-time professional work experience... Have worked full-time during the Summer as an installer of sheet-rack for a constructions company, and also played the role of translator among English and Russian-speaking workers.

-> Other than that, have pretty much been employed throughout my undergrad years in order to help cover tuition... Everything ranging from K.F.C., to Lowe's, to a part-time job at a non-profit organization supporting environmental legislation.

Volunteer:

-> Have volunteered for the past three years in my city, helping foreign regugees (many of whom possess criminal records) become assimilated with local culture... And helping with the essentials, such as finding jobs and affordable housing.

-> This past Summer, volunteered abroad in Central America. Duties were, mainly, teaching English to 5-15 year old children, and administering their extracurriculuar activities.

GRE, taken once:

Q: 750

V: 560

AW: 4.5 (ouch)

Recommendations:

*Economics professor (On a scale of strength from 0-10, this will be about 8.5 in strength).

*Graduate public affairs professor (I feel this guy wrote a good one, although a little bothered because he had been trying to suggest that I apply to an MPA program, as opposed to an MPP. There's uncertainty, but I definitely think he said, one way or another, "He did well in my graduate class; this guy can study at a graduate level." I will say 7.5).

*Professor from study-abroad in Central America (Also the guy who helped set up my volunteer stint in Central America. I feel his recommendation will be super... 10/10. The downside is that I am 100% no one at any of my universities has heard of him).

*** All three recommenders are mentioned in my SoP as playing a critical role in my decision to go for a MPP.

Others:

->Have made Dean's Honor List... way back in my 2nd year, when I was a psych. major and earned a 3.67 with 17 credits of coursework. I miss those times!

-> Being Russian-born, I am 100% fluent in the Russian language.

-> Have done research in psychology and presented the research at the Eastern Psychological Association's annual conference in May of 2009... I was still thinkng about a psych. major back then, and thought it would be nice to gather some hands-on research skills.

-> On every application, I put down that even if I do not receive aid, I will attend and take out a loan. While I don't know what effect-- if any-- this will have, it is true and I thought I'd mention it.

-> My SoP, in my biased opinion, is very strong (though I have been told this by my advisor and all three recommenders. I think it will more than compensate for my pedestrian analytical writing score.

My college advisor said that, in *general*, my horrible performance this past semester will be "excused" because I had challenging courses that were completely outside of my major and general educational requirements. She assessed my chances for Michigan and CMU at around "10-20%".

Some other things:

* George Mason does not have a deadline until after my final grades from this Spring come in. I am definitely waiting for that final transcript...

* Another option would be to apply by the Spring deadline for some of these schools... American University, for example, has a Spring deadline...

* If worst comes to worst, I will go work for a year and re-apply.

What do you think? To be honest, if I am being told that I have a "10-20%" chance at CMU at Michigan... If that's really true and not a nice way of saying, "You have 0% chance," then I might as well apply to... GPPI, GWU, UMaryland, Syracuse, Rockefeller... They have all have quantitatively-focused programs which I like.

[spottedtoad]

1. It's entirely possible that you will get into one or more of these programs. This is a Master's program, after all: they're making money off of you. I would say you would be a much stronger candidate after a year or two of work experience. There just seems almost nothing in your docket to distinguish you from many, many other college seniors. Not to say you won't get in somewhere-- but the problem may come back to haunt you, after you finish, when you will have a bunch of school on your resume, and not much else.

2. Not that there's anything wrong with messing around with challenging math courses, but I think the idea (wide-spread, I think) that a Master's in policy requires this level of mathematical analysis is kind of funny. You're not getting a PhD in Econ here. In fact, none of the programs I've seen even have a undergraduate calc requirement. They want "quantitative" ability so that you can a) read papers and understand the arguments, and write papers and make quantitative arguments. I think that's about it. We're not going to be inventing new formulas (of the type they used to use to sell collateralized debt obligations) here.

[broadinterests]

Sushitooth,

Programs look at basically 5 areas: UGPA, GRE, S.O.P., professional exp, and LORs.

Your UGPA is below average, your GRE is probably about average for the programs you are looking at, your letters sound as if they will also be about average (most applicants get good letters, some get great), you have little relevant professional experience, and I don't know about your SOP. I essentially agree with the previous post, you may get in to one of your top programs but you will not be bringing all that much, except maybe diversity. What is the rush to go to grad school? Take up a job and work in the public sector for a year or two, you will bring that much more to your program and get more from it. Don't count on your summer internship to make you competitive in the job market.

Having said that, if you really want to get in then spend a lot of time on your SOP and have many people read it and provide feedback. Make yourself stand out from the pack by telling a compelling story which subtley highlites your best attributes and your preparedness to succeed not only in grad school, but as a leader in your respective field. I am of the opinion that most people can get into a great school with mediocre qualifications provided they can write a fantstic SOP. I highly recommend reading Donald Asher's book "Graduate Admission Essays: How to write your way into the grad school of your choice". http://www.donaldasher.com/books.php?pid=gae.book

You can check it our from the library or read large excerpts online http://books.google.com/books?id=nH7jiuW3Bc8C&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=statement+of+purpose+Asher&source=bl&ots=LLrpQaN7uu&sig=5u9ckvhc-GEjNuiRj2pBNWRM0f8&hl=en&ei=YqTiSsOiF4XitgPf34SrAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

щастливого пути,

броадинтерестс