Michigan Ford 2017

[TheSenator]

Sent my app in on 01/10/16. The Ford School is my number one choice. Judging by the last few years we should hear back between 03/07 - 03/14. Anyone else out there considering Michigan?

[dollybird]

I'm in love with Michigan. I want to study social policy and work closely with social work and business students. I also like the idea of staying in the Midwest, closer to my family. I had to email with them yesterday about something and they said "mid-March." Probably want to set expectations low re: the release date.

[TheSenator]

31 minutes ago, dollybird said:

I'm in love with Michigan. I want to study social policy and work closely with social work and business students. I also like the idea of staying in the Midwest, closer to my family. I had to email with them yesterday about something and they said "mid-March." Probably want to set expectations low re: the release date.

Judging by your LBJ and Harris admission/funding outcomes, I'm sure you are looking good for Ford as well.

[dollybird]

4 hours ago, TheSenator said:

Judging by your LBJ and Harris admission/funding outcomes, I'm sure you are looking good for Ford as well.

That's kind of you to say! Who knows with these things. I have strong ties to the Chicago community and my work experience aligns with some of LBJ's specialties. It's also my understanding that those programs are typically less selective than the ones I'm waiting to hear from. But what about you? Why is Michigan your number one? Education policy? 

[sdiaz1924]

My decision is going to come down to either Ford or Harris so I'm hoping Michigan sends out decisions soon! 

[sleeplesswithcoffee]

Hi you three, also considering Michigan. I'm keen on working in either international policy or social policy. @dollybird, thanks for the update regarding admissions decisions. 

Really like many of the places that Michigan MPP grads end up (https://fordschool.umich.edu/sites/default/files/file-assets/2016postgrad_external_final_electronic.pdf) though I wasn't aware that Michigan had a solid rep for social policy though I am aware of The Michigan Program on Poverty and Social Welfare Policy and National Poverty Center.

Edited February 28, 2017 by sleeplesswithcoffee
edited two to three after noticing a new reply haha

[sturdyelm]

I'm also very keen on Michigan, much like dollybird because of the Social Policy aspect and general respectability of Ford. It probably won't be an option for me because the job market for my spouse's discipline tends to be very small and difficult to find a job in Ann Arbor. But I never know and am waiting.

[Garcia]

On 2/27/2017 at 10:17 AM, TheSenator said:

Sent my app in on 01/10/16. The Ford School is my number one choice. Judging by the last few years we should hear back between 03/07 - 03/14. Anyone else out there considering Michigan?

I was making the same assumption. Thanks for the info @dollybird. Duke and UPenn Fels are supposed to release decisions then as well.

@dollybird just wondering why your understanding is that LBJ and Harris are less selective? According to Peterson's (not sure how reliable they are) Harris's acceptance rate is 43% while Ford's is 63%, for example.

[dollybird]

@Garcia That's a good question. I can't put my finger on it, but it's probably a combination of things. LBJ's class is 70% from Texas, and Michigan's is 70% from out of state. Michigan awards aid to 68% of the class vs. 37% at LBJ (stats I think I found on their websites but who knows if they've changed). I've only spoken to one LBJ alum who is in law school now, but I've spoken to two Michigan students who both have outstanding credentials. And then reading about how established/old Michigan's program is and their website gave me such good impressions. And isn't Michigan better known/higher ranked as a University? (understanding that that doesn't mean their MPP programs would correlate) I could be wrong. The Peterson's info is comforting!

[Garcia]

@dollybird Thanks for the info! I would definitely agree on the whole that Ford has somewhat better name recognition than LBJ, although I think they're also known for different policy areas (Ford-education; LBJ-security), generally speaking. Plus it seems like a lot of LBJ grads stay in Texas.

I wonder if the difference in funding is a result of the difference in tuition cost too.

[TheSenator]

21 hours ago, Garcia said:

I was making the same assumption. Thanks for the info @dollybird. Duke and UPenn Fels are supposed to release decisions then as well.

@dollybird just wondering why your understanding is that LBJ and Harris are less selective? According to Peterson's (not sure how reliable they are) Harris's acceptance rate is 43% while Ford's is 63%, for example.

I believed the Peterson's number until I spoke with a Ford School adcomm and was told the acceptance rate for the MPP program is somewhere between 35-40%. Obviously that still isn't mega selective, but quite it's a bit different than the 63% Peterson's is showing.
 

[Garcia]

54 minutes ago, TheSenator said:

I believed the Peterson's number until I spoke with a Ford School adcomm and was told the acceptance rate for the MPP program is somewhere between 35-40%. Obviously that still isn't mega selective, but quite it's a bit different than the 63% Peterson's is showing.
 

Good to know. There's no doubt it's a great school.

It's a fine balance playing the name game and finding the right program for my policy interest.

[d4r56]

1 hour ago, TheSenator said:

I believed the Peterson's number until I spoke with a Ford School adcomm and was told the acceptance rate for the MPP program is somewhere between 35-40%. Obviously that still isn't mega selective, but quite it's a bit different than the 63% Peterson's is showing.
 

 

I wonder where Peterson's gets their information from. For example, I know HKS does not give out information on their acceptance rate, so why does Peterson's show 35%? I would definitely take that website with a grain of salt.

[Garcia]

Ford's admissions statistics are online. As are LBJ's. Not all schools are publicly posting but there may still be third party sites with access to the information, although it could be outdated.

[dollybird]

13 minutes ago, Garcia said:

Ford's admissions statistics are online. As are LBJ's. Not all schools are publicly posting but there may still be third party sites with access to the information, although it could be outdated.

I saw these, but I think Michigan's only applies to their mid-career MPA program. Their MPP cohort isn't that small, and that could be why it's listed as "public administration." 

[Garcia]

34 minutes ago, dollybird said:

I saw these, but I think Michigan's only applies to their mid-career MPA program. Their MPP cohort isn't that small, and that could be why it's listed as "public administration." 

You're right. Looked too quickly. Thanks!

[TheSenator]

On 2/27/2017 at 5:20 PM, dollybird said:

That's kind of you to say! Who knows with these things. I have strong ties to the Chicago community and my work experience aligns with some of LBJ's specialties. It's also my understanding that those programs are typically less selective than the ones I'm waiting to hear from. But what about you? Why is Michigan your number one? Education policy? 

I want to be a Foreign Service Officer long term. Ford Grad students can take language classes for free, more Ford students intern with the State Dept than anywhere else, the State Dept employs more Ford alum than any other federal agency, their international policy faculty is incredible, they have a diplomat in residence on their campus, and I absolutely love the atmosphere in Ann Arbor. I traveled to Ann Arbor for the first time in October to check it out, and instantly fell in love.

I want in to Ford so badly that I may or may have not quoted a Michigan alum in both of my GRE Essays (scored a 5.0)... It just feels like the right fit for me for a hundred reasons.

 

[dollybird]

I really can't overstate how awesome the Ford students I spoke with are. Intelligent, driven, wonderful track records, but oh-so-kind and down to earth. That is the culture there. One sent me a syllabus and said I could stay with them if I needed to on a visit. Good people!

[TheSenator]

6 hours ago, dollybird said:

I really can't overstate how awesome the Ford students I spoke with are. Intelligent, driven, wonderful track records, but oh-so-kind and down to earth. That is the culture there. One sent me a syllabus and said I could stay with them if I needed to on a visit. Good people!

It's funny because I reached out to a handful of students as well and had the same experience.

Did anyone do the Pipeline Initiative? 

Edited March 2, 2017 by TheSenator

[aaresident]

17 hours ago, TheSenator said:

It's funny because I reached out to a handful of students as well and had the same experience.

Did anyone do the Pipeline Initiative? 

I did, it wasn't really helpful though. My mentor reached out to me once, but never replied my email thereafter.

[TheSenator]

On 3/3/2017 at 9:41 AM, aaresident said:

I did, it wasn't really helpful though. My mentor reached out to me once, but never replied my email thereafter.

That's unfortunate. I did it as well and exchanged a handful of emails, talked on the phone maybe 2-3 times for a total of 90 minutes, and she read my essays to make sure it looked okay. I plan on reaching out to her after I receive my admission decision to let her know how I did.
 

[Papayaqueen]

Anyone have any idea when decisions are coming out? Based on last year's timing, it seems like it should be this week...I hope!

[TheSenator]

1 hour ago, Papayaqueen said:

Anyone have any idea when decisions are coming out? Based on last year's timing, it seems like it should be this week...I hope!

I think you're right. Last years first decision was reported on March 7th, which is tomorrow. I just called the admissions office but they were very ambiguous.

[TheSenator]

Did anyone receive an email about fellowship funding or have an informal interview via phone? I did not and haven't heard of anyone getting one this cycle, but I ask because it looks like that is what happened in the past two years.

[aaresident]

@TheSenator, haven't heard anything about funding/interviews as well. I am wondering if they received a lot of applications this year and will be taking more time to process it.