Berkeley Goldman MPP 2017

[coffeewalk]

Does anyone know if Berkeley negotiates funding at all? If so, 8/ Martha the person to email?

Edited March 9, 2017 by coffeewalk

[coffeewalk]

@mfmpp do you know anyone who had success negotiating funding at GSPP?

[fallmpp2017]

On 3/9/2017 at 9:05 AM, coffeewalk said:

Does anyone know if Berkeley negotiates funding at all? If so, 8/ Martha the person to email?

I am going to try to ask for more funding as well. From the new admit packet, it does look like Martha is the one to email about fellowship funds.

I highly doubt I will get anything, but does not hurt to try, right?

[mfmpp]

Agree, she's the one to talk to.  But it'll be difficult, if not impossible, to get additional funds.  (I tried last year, without success.)

[Abby22]

Hello All. i got in too but no funding :(. Anyone else applied for the Mastercard scholarship?

@mfmppdo you know any previous mastercard beneficiary you can connect me to?

Edited March 12, 2017 by Abby22

[mfmpp]

Sorry, I don't know anyone here who is a beneficiary of that scholarship.

[fallmpp2017]

@mfmpp Hey! Thank you for answering so many of our questions. I have another one for you: for an incoming first year student, is it easy to find a 50% GSI position? Or are they mostly 25%? Thanks in advance!

[mfmpp]

No problem!  Happy to do it.

There are lots of 50% and 25% GSI positions available.  Finding an academic appointment is more related to your prior experience than what year student you are.  I know many first-years holding down 50% GSIs, but they had strong prior experience with the subjects that they were working in (e.g., Econ undergrad -> Econ GSI).

I'm not sure if I'd call it easy to get an academic appointment because I know some very-qualified people who look for and failed to get one.  But there are lots of available positions every semester you'll definitely have a good shot of getting one.

Hope that helps!

[fallmpp2017]

37 minutes ago, mfmpp said:

No problem!  Happy to do it.

There are lots of 50% and 25% GSI positions available.  Finding an academic appointment is more related to your prior experience than what year student you are.  I know many first-years holding down 50% GSIs, but they had strong prior experience with the subjects that they were working in (e.g., Econ undergrad -> Econ GSI).

I'm not sure if I'd call it easy to get an academic appointment because I know some very-qualified people who look for and failed to get one.  But there are lots of available positions every semester you'll definitely have a good shot of getting one.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the info! I am really having a hard time deciding between GSPP and another school, so all your information is coming in real handy! 

[mfmpp]

This is what it looked like yesterday.  73 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  Just saying...

Edited March 15, 2017 by mfmpp

[Ella16]

@mfmpp would you mind telling me how strong the international focus/classes are? I'm really interested in Goldman but I also want a program that mixes domestic policy and international affairs including economics, law, human rights, etc. Would you say Goldman has a good mix of that or no? I've heard that that's one of the weakest points of the program from previous years but don't know if it has improved at all..

[fallmpp2017]

13 minutes ago, mfmpp said:

This is what it looked like yesterday.  73 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  Just saying...

Trust me, the weather is not what is holding me back, haha! Why does living in Bay Area gotta be so expensive?! Otherwise, I would be there in an instant! 

[coffeewalk]

@mfmpp what made you choose Berkeley? Did you choose it over better financial offers? I didn't receive any funding and have a full ride to USC but GSPP was my first choice (I live in LA)

[LifeOnMars]

1 hour ago, Ella16 said:

@mfmpp would you mind telling me how strong the international focus/classes are? I'm really interested in Goldman but I also want a program that mixes domestic policy and international affairs including economics, law, human rights, etc. Would you say Goldman has a good mix of that or no? I've heard that that's one of the weakest points of the program from previous years but don't know if it has improved at all..

@mfmpp I'm interested to know about this, too.  Berkeley is a great option and more affordable than many others (I'm in state already), but I worry that it might be lacking in some areas I'm interested in (international focus, immigration issues, housing/homelessness issues,).  Also, I have a few different interests and am still not sure where I'll want to focus my studies.  I know the first year core is significant at GSPP, but do you feel like you have enough freedom and leeway to explore different policy areas?  Maybe you do that more in the second year? Any info on any of those would be much appreciated! 

[mfmpp]

@Ella16 @LifeOnMars Goldman itself doesn't have many international classes.  I can only think of two classes this semester -- Michael Nacht's U.S. Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Security classes -- that have anything to do with international policy.  But university-wide, there are many internationally-focused classes.  (In particular, you might look at electives through the Master of Development Practice/Energy & Resources Group/Agricultural & Resource Economics programs.)  There are lots of student clubs at GSPP that focus on international policy and many of their members find internationally-focused internships each summer (USAID GDF, World Bank, IADB, etc).  Also, students at Haas (the business school) just opened up their International Development and Enterprise Club to all graduate students and they circulate opportunities about international development-related talks, mixers, and internships. 

The list of GSPP student clubs is here: https://gspp.berkeley.edu/student-life/gspp-student-groups Note the clubs on

• environmental policy
• food and ag
• housing and urban policy
• general international policy
• Latin America
• migration and refugee

First-year is mostly taken up by core and second-year is mostly free for electives.  However -- even with your first-year core courses, you still have credit room left over to take 1-2 elective courses per semester.

Minimum course load is 12 credits, average is 16, and pushing it is 20.  Last semester, my core courses took up 12 credits and I took another 7 in elective.  This semester, I'm only taking the core courses (again 12 credits) because I overextended myself last semester and didn't want to do that again (especially because some classes require more work than their credits would suggest).  For example, a core class this semester is Introduction to Policy Analysis, where we learn an analytical method developed here (called the Eightfold Path) and then apply it through a series of time-sensitive assignments and a consulting project for a real-world client.  It's 4 credits, but with the consulting project, it takes up a lot more time than a normal 4-credit class.

People vary in how much they can take on, though.  While I'm only taking 12 credits, a friend of mine is taking 21.  I know plenty of other first-years taking classes right now at Haas, at the Public Health school, at ARE, and at the law school.

And here's another thing: your grades aren't terribly important.  This is true regardless of which policy school you go to.  Unless you plan on getting a PhD eventually or you want a top-tier consulting job, employers don't care about your grades.  Personally, I feel like this has given me freedom to explore the campus and get involved with clubs and group projects that I wouldn't have joined if I were sweating about grades all the time.  On that point, I feel like I definitely have freedom to explore different policy areas, but because I'm not taking any electives this semester, those opportunities come through the many speakers, mixers, and film screenings that happen at Goldman and around campus.  There's probably 7-10 policy-related events happening each week across the university.

@coffeewalk, I chose Berkeley (over compelling financial offers from elsewhere) mainly because I thought I would be happy here.  I am fortunate in that I am able to finance my education without much debt, and so I didn't have to make cost the deciding factor in where I went.

I went to a small undergrad and wanted a smaller environment, and felt there was a nice camaraderie here when I visited.  Additionally, I was attracted to the well-known rigor of the school's quantitative training.  I figured if I were going back to school to pick up a versatile quantitative skill set, I should go to the place that I think will test me the most in that regard. (And having just completed a difficult econometrics problem set, I can say that yes, it is seriously challenging me.)  Other reasons included my interest in food policy, which the greater Berkeley community is a hub for generally, and also the nice weather, which I wanted for my mental health.

Those are the reasons I came here, but now that I've been here a while, I would say that one of the unsung high points of Goldman is the career services department.  They are exemplary -- constantly letting us know about internships and jobs, offering interview prep, staging information sessions, and connecting us with alumni both on campus and off.  Constantly.  They've staged trips for us in DC and Sacramento and will put in lots of individual time with you to help you find the specific opportunities you are looking for.  Also, the alumni network is amazing in how much alumni want to help you, which I have heard is something that distinguishes GSPP from HKS, which has many more degree types and many more alumni spread out across those degree types.  GSPP is small, concentrated mostly on MPPs, and alumni treat you almost like family as a result.

Edited March 16, 2017 by mfmpp

[fallmpp2017]

Did anyone receive their official admission from the graduate division? And/or successfully get a response from Martha Chavez about fellowship negotiation? 

[3dender]

43 minutes ago, fallmpp2017 said:

Did anyone receive their official admission from the graduate division? And/or successfully get a response from Martha Chavez about fellowship negotiation? 

I attempted to negotiate w/Martha and was kindly rebuffed with what I took as a boilerplate "We'll have to wait and see if our extant fellowship offers are accepted, and then reconsider allotment. . . we'll get back to you in early April if we decide to offer funding."  She did mention the myriad GSI opportunities available and said they can cover up to 60% in-state tuition and 40% out-of-state.

Basically I don't think your chances are very good, but it also couldn't hurt to try.  I guess she could be adding peoples' names to a list in the event that more funding shows up in April. . . so why not get in line?

[fallmpp2017]

1 hour ago, 3dender said:

I attempted to negotiate w/Martha and was kindly rebuffed with what I took as a boilerplate "We'll have to wait and see if our extant fellowship offers are accepted, and then reconsider allotment. . . we'll get back to you in early April if we decide to offer funding."  She did mention the myriad GSI opportunities available and said they can cover up to 60% in-state tuition and 40% out-of-state.

Basically I don't think your chances are very good, but it also couldn't hurt to try.  I guess she could be adding peoples' names to a list in the event that more funding shows up in April. . . so why not get in line?

I emailed Martha and she never responded! Did you email her? I figured my chances are low, but it does not hurt to try!

[3dender]

Yes via email, but she did take a few days to get back to me.

[fallmpp2017]

15 minutes ago, 3dender said:

Yes via email, but she did take a few days to get back to me.

Hm I emailed her a while ago. She probably just skipped my email, HA! Thanks for the info

[coffeewalk]

@fallmpp2017 I also emailed without response :-)

[fallmpp2017]

2 minutes ago, coffeewalk said:

@fallmpp2017 I also emailed without response :-)

Great, glad to know I'm not alone haha! Hopefully she responds with something in the near future.

[3dender]

Well I will not be going there, so maybe my hypothetical funding will trickle down to y'all. . . you're welcome 

[coffeebean13]

I'm going up for admit day in April, but it's currently ranked 3rd in my mind. So, unless something magical happens, I won't be going and hopefully my fellowship will get offered to someone else. 

[Nozistin]

2 hours ago, coffeebean13 said:

I'm going up for admit day in April, but it's currently ranked 3rd in my mind. So, unless something magical happens, I won't be going and hopefully my fellowship will get offered to someone else. 

 

Hopefully. I got into Woo and am trying to leverage that for funding at GSPP but we'll see what happens. Trying to stay in California if possible because <3 Sun <3