Fall 2010 Admitted/Rejected Thread

[pea-jay]

Finally, to all those potential applicants, remember: Work experience is your best friend - for SO many reasons. It not only differentiates you as an applicant and improves your chances of acceptance, but it also allows you to get a feel for what you truly do or do not want to do. I cannot overstate the importance of this. When I graduated undergrad, I assumed I wanted to either go to Law School or get an MBA and go into private sector work. My goals are very very different now that I've had time to reflect and get experience in the field. Do yourself a favor, don't be in a hurry, and don't make a huge investment in grad school until you are certain you know what you want out of it.

I second this. I did grad school one year out of UG and was rather directionless and unsure how to get into the field. I dropped out 1/3 of the way through a Masters of Urban Planning program. After 4 years of unrelated and 8 years of related work experience, I finally feel like its the right time for a masters. This time the better fit is the MPA. Why? Because my non-urban planning experience working for a school district and a publicly regulated energy utility has broadened my horizons and resume to the point where I would consider non-planning jobs. Or hybrid roles. I wouldnt be able to do this had I gone straight through my Urban Planning masters right after graduation. 5-10 years in the workforce teaches many things you won't learn in school. Plus, unless you are a complete career changer, that experience AND a diploma will STILL put you infront of younger grad with the same degree as you but less work experience.

[researchnerd]

Program Applied To: IR, Russian

Schools Applied To: SIPA, SFS, Davis Center

Schools Admitted To: SIPA (MIA) and SFS (MSFS)

Schools Rejected From: Davis Center

Still Waiting: n/a

Undergraduate institution: Antioch College

Undergraduate GPA: n/a Narrative Evaluations However, I did supplemental coursework (25 Credits) in economics and math at Pace University with a 3.8

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): n/a

Undergraduate Major: Political Science

I also have an MA in Geography from Hunter College with a 4.0 GPA and I have done actual coursework in Russian at MGU including Mathematical Economics, Micro and Russian

GRE Quantitative Score: 750

GRE Verbal Score: 750

GRE AW Score: 4.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Research Assistant to a Statistician, Non Profit doing micro-grants to community organizations making structural change

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Eh, not bad, not thrilling. It was pretty last minute

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): They were ok but I realize now they were from an Assistant Prof, and 2 lecturers!

Other:

[natalou]

Program Applied To/Schools Applied To: Georgetown (MPP), American SPA (MPP), Duke Sanford (MPP), Maryland (MPP), George Mason (MPP), NYU Wagner (MPA), GWU Elliott (MIA), Seton Hall (IR)

Schools Admitted To: Georgetown, American, Maryland (half grad assistantship), GMU ($5k/yr), NYU Wagner, GWU Elliott, Seton Hall

Schools Rejected From: Duke

Still Waiting: Praying for a random scholarship offer or two or three or four before I make my final decision. But other than that, I'm done!

Undergraduate institution: U of Tennessee Knoxville

Undergraduate GPA: 3.98 (Major: 4.0)

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.8? Don't know.

Undergraduate Major: Honors Political Science and French (Minor Global Studies for what it's worth lol)

GRE Quantitative Score: 610

GRE Verbal Score: 690

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: I worked part time during undergrad and I've been a full-time secretary since graduating because I couldn't find anything else in my home town (I wanted to stay here before grad school). Don't give up hope, secretaries!

Describe Relevant Work Experience: My PT job in undergrad was working in a policy center's political archives but I wouldn't say I did any relevant work. I did an internship at a community social justice nonprofit and took a few grassroots organizing training course from them, but that's about all.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I didn't have any one edit mine, but I think it turned out okay. I don't think I had a very interesting personal story but I was extremely specific about what I want to study and what I want to do for a career and I think I made the few qualifications I have shine as brightly as I could!

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): All three of mine were from professors (one thesis advisor) and I'm afraid that may work against me. I'm not even very close to any of them but I did good work in their classes and I'm sure they had enough to say.

Other: My interests are international development, intl aid, and Africa. I studied abroad and I had 8 years of French.

I didn't think I would get in anywhere without any experience and mediocre LoR's but I'm so glad I talked myself into applying this year!

[carpecc]

Ready to post.

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.) MIA

Schools Applied To: American, Elliott, John Hopkins (SAIS), Columbia (SIPA), Denver (Korbel)

Schools Admitted To: SIPA, Korbel

Schools Rejected From:Elliott, American (SIS)

Waitlisted: SAIS

Undergraduate institution: Top 25 liberal arts

Undergraduate GPA: 2.9

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): ?

Undergraduate Major: Psychology

GRE Quantitative Score: 730 (30 pts higher than my best practice test)

GRE Verbal Score: 590 (50 points LOWER than my worst practice test)

GRE AW Score: 5.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 8

Years of Work Experience: 6+

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Taught ESL abroad, worked abroad for environmental, social welfare and corporate sustainability NGOs in communications, research and management positions. Currently do sustainability work for a major corporation in China.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I put most of my effort into my SIPA, SAIS and Korbel SOPs and the results speak for themselves. My SIPA and SAIS SOPs were definitely solid, confirmed by a law prof friend who reviewed them. Not all schools ask the same questions, and I think adapting my SOPS for my GW and SIS apps probably weakened my application instead of making fresh SOPs for them that directly addressed their essay question.

I worked on these over 5 months. It's important that you have time to brainstorm, write, think, rewrite and then step back and take some time off to reflect and edit/rewrite with a fresh pair of eyes. Also helped to get editors to affirm what worked, polish, and bring to attention things that didn't work.

I didn't feel very good about my writing sample for SAIS. I tried to adopt something I did for work, but in retrospect probably should've just written something fresh. I've got so much development experience there's plenty of things I could've written about.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One good one from a former college professor, and I'm guessing a pretty solid one from the director of a major NGO, he had me draft it, I have no idea what sort of edits he made, but I made sure to ask him in my request letter if he would feel comfortable writing a "strong" LOR. And one fantastic one from a former supervisor, he let me read it and it was everything you'd want in a recommendation.

Other:

I was coming in pretty weak with my low GPA, but am pumped that I got into SIPA, Denver and waitlisted at SAIS. I was so clueless out of undergrad, I never imagined I could get into schools like these.

I think this goes to show how different schools pay attention to different criteria. My work experience is substantial for these programs, but I didn't even come close to meeting the econ requirements of SIPA and SAIS yet I got waitlisted at SAIS even though they're econ crazy. On the other hand I guess GW and American didn't dig my GPA, SOP or some other aspect of my app. I was pretty surprised not to even get waitlisted at either of them.

My GRE scores are bitter sweet. I knew getting high scores would be crucial to overcome my undergrad grades, so spent a lot of time studying. I had to fly to another region to take it, my plane was delayed and I ended up only getting a few hours of sleep, on top of a stressful week with little sleep. This definitely affected my verbal score negatively. It was the last section and my concentration really started falling apart, no time to retake. The verbal section was always my strongest; about 70% of my preparation time was reviewing math.

On the other hand my quant score is solid, and I raised it about 150 points through studying.

So the lesson is: You can improve your GRE score through studying, but make sure you get plenty of sleep before the test, and leave time to retest. Never delete your score no matter how bad you "think" you did.

Edited April 5, 2010 by carpecc

[Anonymous Applicant]

Program Applied To: Masters of Public Policy

Schools Applied To: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS, Columbia SIPA, Chicago Harris, Michigan Ford, Berkeley Goldman, Texas LBJ, Duke Sanford

Schools Admitted To: Columbia SIPA, Chicago Harris, Michigan Ford, Berkeley Goldman, Texas LBJ, Duke Sanford

Schools Rejected From: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS

Still Waiting: Waitlisted at Berkeley Goldman

Decision: Duke Sanford School of Public Policy

Undergraduate institution: Public Ranked around 50

Undergraduate GPA: 3.7+

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9+

Undergraduate Major: Econ

GRE Quantitative Score: Close to 800

GRE Verbal Score: Below 600

GRE AW Score: 4.X

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Private Sector

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Recs, GRE Quant, Public sector internships

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): GRE Verbal, Private sector work,

Other:

[chutzpah]

Program Applied To: Joint JD/MPP

Schools Applied To: Harvard Kennedy School (and a dozen law schools including HLS)

Schools Admitted To: Harvard Kennedy School

Schools Rejected From: N/A

Still Waiting: N/A

Decision: HKS (with $0 in merit or need-based financial aid)

Undergraduate institution: UVA

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6x

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): don't know, maybe 3.8?

Undergraduate Major: Foreign Affairs

GRE Quantitative Score: 730

GRE Verbal Score: 640

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 4 years full time experience + State Dept, Senate, and non profit internships

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Politically active in undergrad, four years of national security-related consulting

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): There wasn't a specific SOP required for Kennedy, but I think my application essays demonstrated that I had solid work experience doing something relatively unique and could contribute the perspective of both the public and private sectors. I applied as a joint degree student but I'm seriously thinking about abandoning the JD and just doing the MPP at Kennedy. Also, because I applied for the joint program they were willing to take my LSAT in place of the GRE, but I chose to take the GRE to show that I had quant ability despite my thin background in math and econ.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One former professor, one government supervisor/client, and one professor/supervisor who runs a research center very similar to Harvard's Institute of Politics. I think this last one made me a very strong candidate.

Other: Law school admissions is almost entirely numbers based; you can predict with some accuracy where a given LSAT and GPA combination will gain admittance. MPP/MPA programs are clearly not the same. While GPA and test scores are important, it seems that admissions committees are more interested in who you are, what you've done, and what you plan to do. They're trying to set up a diverse class and as such, there is no golden ticket. Be yourself and write a clear and compelling SOP or set of essays that shows them why you would be a fantastic addition to their class.

[Anonymous Applicant]

Actually - While I indicated I was Duke-Bound I'm still completely up in the air between Texas and Duke. Anyone mind flipping a coin for me?

Program Applied To: Masters of Public Policy

Schools Applied To: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS, Columbia SIPA, Chicago Harris, Michigan Ford, Berkeley Goldman, Texas LBJ, Duke Sanford

Schools Admitted To: Columbia SIPA, Chicago Harris, Michigan Ford, Berkeley Goldman, Texas LBJ, Duke Sanford

Schools Rejected From: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS

Still Waiting: Waitlisted at Berkeley Goldman

Decision: Duke Sanford School of Public Policy

Undergraduate institution: Public Ranked around 50

Undergraduate GPA: 3.7+

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9+

Undergraduate Major: Econ

GRE Quantitative Score: Close to 800

GRE Verbal Score: Below 600

GRE AW Score: 4.X

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Private Sector

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Recs, GRE Quant, Public sector internships

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): GRE Verbal, Private sector work,

Other:

[inatelescope]

Actually - While I indicated I was Duke-Bound I'm still completely up in the air between Texas and Duke. Anyone mind flipping a coin for me?

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of funding are you looking at? Are you a Texas resident?

[Anonymous Applicant]

Texas - Fellowship covering cost of (in-state) tuition and fees

Duke - 10K Fellowship per year plus 4K paid and taxed TA/RA/GA Position per year

Using both school's estimates this brings the difference in total cost of attendance to 45K, but if you work part time at Texas (as many students I met do), this difference would increase.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of funding are you looking at? Are you a Texas resident?

[Anonymous Applicant]

I'm almost certainly Texas bound (Over Duke) for the following reasons:

1. Total Cost = 45K difference (Don't spent a dollar to make a dime)

2. Equally strong network in DC

3. Ground Zero for Energy Industry transformations

4. Ability to work part time at State Capitol, Governors Office, or Private Utility

5. Quality of lifestyle in Austin & much more social and outgoing students at Austin (vs Duke where Policy is a microcosm and students do not seem to have many friends with Law, Business, or Undergrads despite the school being right next to the other professional schools)

6. From everything I've looked at, I would end up with the same job-title and pay either way.

Texas - Fellowship covering cost of (in-state) tuition and fees

Duke - 10K Fellowship per year plus 4K paid and taxed TA/RA/GA Position per year

Using both school's estimates this brings the difference in total cost of attendance to 45K, but if you work part time at Texas (as many students I met do), this difference would increase.

[kabutar]

I s'pose I can finally fill this out now.

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.) MPP, MPA, MEM, MALD

Schools Applied To: WWS (MPA), Duke (MPP), IUB SPEA (MPA), Yale F&ES (MEM), Syracuse Maxwell (MPA), Fletcher (MALD)

Schools Admitted To: Duke ($5k, from waitlist), Yale, Maxwell

Schools Rejected From: WWS, SPEA (?!), Fletcher

Decision: Yale MEM

Undergraduate institution: Top Canadian school

Undergraduate GPA: 2.37

Undergraduate Major: Engineering (nanotechnology)

GRE Quantitative Score: 750

GRE Verbal Score: 800

GRE AW Score: 5.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3.5 (2007 grad)

Years of Work Experience: 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Too complicated to explain lol

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I spent nearly a month on it and it turned out to be a abstract essay about why I love nature and why it needs to be protected etc etc.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Two from profs at UBC that I knew pretty well and liked me (I had high As in my classes with them), and one from my internship boss.

Other: My undergrad GPA was a bit of a disaster, but it was 3.3 (= 80%) in 4th year which got me on the honour roll, and I had a 90 on my thesis. But I took courses at UBC in environment/social sciences and policy to get some background, and I had a 4.0 there (including grad courses) so I think that helped, plus my GRE. I didn't expect to get into WWS and that was just fine with me - too small/dead a town, and ditto Fletcher as I have no IR experience. SPEA was a bit of a surprise though since the admissions clerk seemed to think I had a strong app! Needless to say after getting into Yale I knew I'd be going there, no-brainer, though I did consider Duke a bit because it was an MPP as opposed to an MEM, but finally realized it wouldn't make any difference.

Edited April 14, 2010 by kabutar

[OneLove]

Program Applied To: MPA, MALD

Schools Applied To: LSE (MPA ID stream), Fletcher (MALD), Sciences Po (MPA)

Schools Admitted To:LSE (MPA), Fletcher (MALD), Sciences Po (MPA)

Schools Rejected From: None

Decision: lust after LSE but Fletcher seems to be the smart choice

Undergraduate institution: Large State School

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9X

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.9X

Undergraduate Major: Government

GRE Quantitative Score: 610

GRE Verbal Score:740

GRE AW Score:4.x

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable):1.5

Years of Work Experience:1.5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Work for a large energy company

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I worked very hard on it. Hard to be objective though.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think they were very good. Nobody famous but the professors knew me very well.

Other: I want to work at the intersection of development and energy (but I could see myself becoming interested in other things). I think Fletcher is the most mature/intelligent choice. It has great faculty, courses on energy, and a very good careers office. Another benefit of Fletcher is that the MALD degree seems transferable to different industries.

I am much less certain about the quality of the LSE MPA program. I think that it would be great for my personal development to go to school overseas. I would also like to end up working internationally and LSE has good international name recognition (though I'm not as certain about the recognition of the MPA program).

Thoughts anyone?

[inatelescope]

I'm almost certainly Texas bound (Over Duke) for the following reasons:

1. Total Cost = 45K difference (Don't spent a dollar to make a dime)

2. Equally strong network in DC

3. Ground Zero for Energy Industry transformations

4. Ability to work part time at State Capitol, Governors Office, or Private Utility

5. Quality of lifestyle in Austin & much more social and outgoing students at Austin (vs Duke where Policy is a microcosm and students do not seem to have many friends with Law, Business, or Undergrads despite the school being right next to the other professional schools)

6. From everything I've looked at, I would end up with the same job-title and pay either way.

I am facing the same dilemma with Duke except with Maryland, although my interests are far more focused on social policy. I think you're making the right choice - in the end, if where you want to end up is negligible to the name on your degree, then why throw yourself into 45k worth of unnecessary debt. I'm a strong proponent of the notion that there really is no ceiling (irregardless of your alma mater) to achieving high level positions, albeit getting there is more often than not a lot harder to obtain, and is by no means as procurable in such a short period of time.

That being said, I'm looking at a 23k (including the 4k assistantship) of funding from Duke, and with external fellowships, I would be 34k in debt after two years including living expenses.

Maryland is offering me a full ride (excluding 2 credits) alongside a 20hr/week assistantship applicable to my interests with a stipend of 13k. With external fellowships, I could pay off my 16k of undergraduate loans (that are not deferrable) and graduate with no debt if I went to UMD. Then again, I also run the risk of graduating without a propitious initial job offer from Maryland juxtaposed to Duke's claim to strong networks in DC. I'm mainly concerned about acquiring a favorable summer internship. ::sigh::

[publicpolicy2386]

Program Applied To: (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.) MPP and MPA

Schools Applied To: HKS, Georgetown MPP, SIPA, Wagner, GW MPA, American MPP, LBJ MPaff ($), George Mason MPP

Schools Admitted To: Wagner, GW MPA, American MPP, LBJ MPaff, George Mason MPP, SIPA (waitlisted)

Schools Rejected From: HKS, Georgetown MPP,

Still Waiting: none

Decision

Undergraduate institution:

Undergraduate GPA: 3.4

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.7

Undergraduate Major: History and Foreign Affairs

GRE Quantitative Score: 670

GRE Verbal Score: 600

GRE AW Score: 5

Decision: GW b/c of DC location and opportunities to intern while taking classes.

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Interned at a political party in Ireland, worked on development project in Uganda, currently teaching english in Costa Rica and 1 year of corporate work experience

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had a unique (i think) story to tell about how my travels and work abroad has led my interests to international policy and development. It tough to stay b/c i haven't really read other people's so I don't know how much I stood out. I waited until 2 weeks before the applications were due which wasn't a great idea but I forced my whole family to review them during Christmas break.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good i hope, two from previous professors (one currently working at a public policy institute who has guest lectured at some of the schools that I applied), one from my current boss who said he would write wonderful things.

Other: I think work experience is more important than most people realize. Even though I am only two years out of undergrad, I have done many things. The one school I got money from was the one where i most tailored my SOP to the specific school offerings. If i could do it again, I would spend more time researching the schools to figure out how to tailor my essay more and include things specifically about that particular school. Good luck!!

[Anonymous Applicant]

The total cost of attending Duke MPP for 2 years is listed at 110K. I would think that you would have more like 55K+ in debt after graduating even with that funding. No??

I am facing the same dilemma with Duke except with Maryland, although my interests are far more focused on social policy. I think you're making the right choice - in the end, if where you want to end up is negligible to the name on your degree, then why throw yourself into 45k worth of unnecessary debt. I'm a strong proponent of the notion that there really is no ceiling (irregardless of your alma mater) to achieving high level positions, albeit getting there is more often than not a lot harder to obtain, and is by no means as procurable in such a short period of time.

That being said, I'm looking at a 23k (including the 4k assistantship) of funding from Duke, and with external fellowships, I would be 34k in debt after two years including living expenses.

Maryland is offering me a full ride (excluding 2 credits) alongside a 20hr/week assistantship applicable to my interests with a stipend of 13k. With external fellowships, I could pay off my 16k of undergraduate loans (that are not deferrable) and graduate with no debt if I went to UMD. Then again, I also run the risk of graduating without a propitious initial job offer from Maryland juxtaposed to Duke's claim to strong networks in DC. I'm mainly concerned about acquiring a favorable summer internship. ::sigh::

[inatelescope]

The total cost of attending Duke MPP for 2 years is listed at 110K. I would think that you would have more like 55K+ in debt after graduating even with that funding. No??

I've got roughly 9k in external fellowships and scholarships coming in per year. That brings the yearly cost, including an estimate of living expenses of 11k / yr... (I was a PCV, I have no qualms of living on the cheap) to 17k.

[egmpp2010]

Updated.

Program Applied To: MPP (except WWS where its an MPA -- Master's in Public Affairs)

Schools Applied To: HKS at Harvard, WWS at Princeton, GSPP at Berkeley, Harris at Chicago, GPPI at Georgetown, SPPD at USC

Schools Admitted To: HKS ($0), WWS ($$), GSPP ($0 but in-state), Harris ($$), GPPI ($), SPPD ($)

Schools Rejected From: None

Decision: GSPP at Berkeley. WWS just didn't have enough breadth on domestic issues, esp. for state/local. No money from HKS knocked that out, and Harris was cheaper/offered a chance to see a different part of the country but otherwise couldn't best Berkeley. Since I don't see myself in the Midwest long-term, GSPP makes the most sense for me.

Undergraduate institution: Top 10 research

Undergraduate GPA: 3.96

Undergraduate Major: Public Policy with Honors

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 690

GRE AW Score: 6.0

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3 in June

Years of Work Experience: 3 + summer internships in college, part-time school year jobs

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 1.5 years at an economic development nonprofit doing program tracking, reporting, and evaluation; 1 year at a family foundation doing research on public/private partnerships and on civic engagement; internships at a foundation and two nonprofits during summers in college; worked part-time for a nonprofit during my sophomore year of college and as a research assistant for a Poli. Sci. professor as a senior

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Started in October and got comments from friends, family. Kept honing it. Spent a lot of time trying to flesh out the sections about how I plan to use the degree and what my career goals are (even though those goals were a bit vague). Personally, I found it easier to write about my past than my future and my friends who are current grad students helped push me to add detail around my future. Didn't add a ton of specifics about each school; just a paragraph where I tried to discuss 3-4 strengths from my perspective -- a professor or research center with interests aligned with mine, how a curriculum requirement like a group project or master's thesis would benefit me.

I wanted to add that, for the policy memo for WWS and HKS, I picked a fairly narrow issue having to do with tax deductions. It was timely but not-all-over-the-news and something I knew a good deal about. I think it probably worked well because I could do the issue justice in a few pages and come off as an expert in something probably no one else (or almost no one else) wrote about.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Probably very good. One Poli Sci professor who was my undergrad thesis advisor, one Poli Sci professor who I worked for as a research assistant, and my boss from the family foundation who is more a mentor than a supervisor.

[wooldogg]

Program Applied To: MPP, MPA, MEM, MESM

Schools Applied To: WWS at Princeton, GSPP at Berkeley, Harris at Chicago, Duke Sanford, Duke Nicholas, UCSB Bren

Schools Admitted To: Harris ($), Duke Sanford ($), Duke Nicholas ($), UCSB Bren ($)

Schools Rejected From: WWS and Goldman

Decision: Harris. I couldn't justify the cost of the dual-degree at Duke and I decided I wanted the MPP more than the MEM/MESM to focus on policy tools and to preserve my options down the road. That left Sanford v Harris. Harris offers a more rigorous curriculum which won me over, although Sanford is obviously a very well-run program. For personal reasons, Chicago was a better place to be than Durham which sealed the deal.

Undergraduate institution: Top research university

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

Undergraduate Major: Econ

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 700

GRE AW Score: 5.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2.5 yrs policy research at think tank; 1.5 years research with economist. Also some short term volunteer work in South America and one year of travel.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Don't underestimate the SOP. I thought I understood this, but apparently mine fell flat. I have an odd mix of experiences that could appear scattered and I knew my job was to piece them together in a narrative that made sense, but I don't think I succeeded. I also may have been reading too many econ-related admissions boards, where the SOP is more of a dispassionate piece. The policy folks want to see your passion and excitement come through. Be sure to really explain why the program is the best fit for you and use a few very specific details.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I thought they were good but now I'm not so sure. My takeaway is to make sure that they will have plenty to say. Try suggesting points they can make to present a strong picture of you. This is important and I got the sense that at least one of mine was not helpful (although not necessarily bad).

Edited April 15, 2010 by wooldogg

[Anonymous Applicant]

Nicely done, sir! 35K is not much at all to take out to go to Duke. I know it's hard to turn down money, though. I say go with the intangibles. Is there anything special about Maryland's program given your area of interest? If so, do that. If not, then I'd consider taking out a little debt to go to Duke.

I've got roughly 9k in external fellowships and scholarships coming in per year. That brings the yearly cost, including an estimate of living expenses of 11k / yr... (I was a PCV, I have no qualms of living on the cheap) to 17k.

[go_blue]

Program Applied To: MPP, MPA

Schools Applied To: Chicago Harris, NYU Wagner, Columbia SIPA, HKS, Georgetown GPPI

Schools Admitted To: Harris($0), HKS($0), Georgetown($)

Schools Rejected From: waitlisted at SIPA, withdrew my NYU app (after I hadn't heard from them by 4/10)

Decision: HKS. Even though Georgetown offered me some money, it wasn't enough to turn down HKS.

Undergraduate institution: Top Public

Undergraduate GPA: 3.7

Undergraduate Major: English, Statistics

GRE Quantitative Score: 760

GRE Verbal Score: 640

GRE AW Score: 5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2 years research after undergrad, during undergrad- I also did 1 year research, and interned at a non-profit (and also did some unrelated jobs).

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I don't think I have done anything THAT cool (like work with orphans in Africa or start my own organization...) but I think my SOP was a clear, compelling statement of exactly what I want to do and how my previous experiences have led me to this point. I think I had a lot of supporting evidence for this in my work experience/volunteering. I also think I was successful because I made my application very cohesive- I made a point to write my HKS policy memo on a topic related to my policy interest. My best advice is to articulate as specifically as possible what you want to do to change the world and provide evidence that you are A) passionate about it and have the ability to do it.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): All from people I'm extremely close with. One from undergrad prof, 2 from managers. I read one of them, and thought it was excellent.

[DCApplicant]

This is an update. As my signature suggests, I chose the MPP from IPS at Hopkins. I couldn't refuse the money. There were a lot of other really great offers and it was really hard turning down Carnegie Mellon but alas, I think I found the program that is right for me. Good luck to all!

Program Applied To: (All domestic: MPA, MPP, MSPPM)

Schools Applied To: Heinz, Maxwell, GPPI, NYU, UW Madison, Hopkins, SPEA, SIPA, Brandeis, Ford School, Harris School, Evans

Schools Admitted To: Maxwell

Schools Rejected From: (none yet)

Still Waiting: Heinz, GPPI, NYU, UW Madison, Hopkins, SPEA, SIPA, Brandeis, Ford School, Harris School, Evans

Undergraduate institution: Small public school

Undergraduate GPA: 3.02

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): Prob the same - 3.0ish

Undergraduate Major: Humanities

GRE Quantitative Score: 710

GRE Verbal Score: 630

GRE AW Score: 3

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4

Years of Work Experience: 4 (around 6 if you want to count internships)

Describe Relevant Work Experience: I work for a large research org with a range of federal clients

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I really like my SOP and I had a team of friends edit and give me feedback. Two of which have MPPs.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): One from first job, one from professor and one from my current job. I made sure to be super organized and gave each a write up to help guide them on what I am up to currently and some of the highlights of my time working with each of them.

Other: I never thought I'd get into Maxwell! Goes to show that grades aren't everything.

[umwisc]

Program Applied To: MPP, MPA

Schools Applied To: NYU Wagner, HKS, WWS, Duke Sanford, Michigan Ford, Wisc La Follette, UMD College Park, UMass

Schools Admitted To: NYU Wagner ($18k), HKS ($0), Duke Sanford ($21k+health), Michigan Ford ($15k), Wisc La Follette ($0k but after Jan deadline), UMD College Park ($29k + $13k assistantship), UMass (Full Tuition + 7k/yr)

Schools Rejected From: WWS

Decision: Duke Sanford. It was a toss up between Duke and UMich... Michigan offered these GSI positions which could have knocked down tuition substantially, but it was a roll of the dice. Turning down UMD's offer was also hard as hell.

Undergraduate institution: Flagship state school (crazy underfunded)

Undergraduate GPA: 3.96

Undergraduate Major: Marketing + Economics (dual-degree)

GRE Quantitative Score: 640

GRE Verbal Score: 550

GRE AW Score: 5

GMAT (only sent to HKS): 660

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 6 months in the Peace Corps; was evacuated from my country of service - 2 years in AmeriCorps building a new nonprofit organization.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Judging from the fact that my GRE scores were relatively complete crap (long story, had to take it 3 times), I would say the one factor that saved my application was my statement of purpose. Sat down at midnight one night in November and just wrote til 5am, and then revised the next day. I was told by my professors that it was one of the most compelling pieces they've read, and in retrospect, I was surprised how honest I was with myself. I began with anecdotes of my time in peacecorps and how it ended as an abruptly visceral experience, and then went on to discuss what inspired me to serve and what I accomplished over the past two years in my nonprofit work, as well as my volunteer work in africa while in undergrad. I ended by tying my childhood (which is another story in itself) with what I hoped to accomplish in the future. While sounding rather convoluted here, I think the "bouncing around" method worked, in some spastic way. My passion for service was definitely palpable.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc):

My recommenders really looked out for me. 2 from my professors, both of whom I kept in touch with over the past 3 years. One was my thesis adviser that I proposed an independent capstone bridging together my econ and marketing background. I consulted with a local nonprofit to develop and examine the use of alternative community-based currencies and then provided analysis and recommendations for their future use and success of implementation. I was also a TA for his intro class. Never saw the recommendation, but I'm sure it was good. The other professor was the head of the Mktg dept. I had numerous classes, including an MBA course in Nonprofit Marketing with him. He let me see the recommendation... the fact that he mentioned I was the highest ranked student in both majors for my graduating class was definitely advantageous. The final rec was from my executive director who is very well known in politics throughout the state and in dc. (He's an erudite too, which helps as he has an mpp and phd from Harvard). He wrote how when I began working at the nonprofit, it was just the two of us, and discussed everything I had done to bolster the organization into a 6 person staff over the past 2 years.

Overall, I'm glad this is over and done with. If I could go back, I would have studied for a couple months right after undergrad and taken the GRE's. While working, I had no time to do anything, and then I got deathly ill while attempting to take them in Dec and Jan. I took the GMAT straight out of undergrad thinking I would be going to b school, and scored quite well. Unfortunately that doesn't get you very far for the MPP app process. Standardized tests have never been my cup of tea -i also think they're complete bullshit, as I barely broke an 1100 on the SAT, yet somehow scored a 29 on the ACT my first time, and then managed to graduate with almost a 4.0... correlation? notsomuch- and I'm glad that ETS is finally getting rid of the draconian testing methods of rote memorization and robotic nonsense in 2011. Also, I knew that coming out of undergrad, I had an upward battle when it came to getting into top programs. My school was not nationally reputed like UMich or Berkeley, and it's definitely no ivy. Working/volunteering saved my ass. I think the same can be said for most everyone here. Work work work, and be able to parlay your experience into where you want to go. It makes you far more distinguishable in a crowd full of applicants.

[leftmost]

Program Applied To: MPP/MPA

Schools Applied To: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS, Chicago Harris, Michigan Ford, Duke Sanford, Brown Taubman, Cornell CIPA, JHU IPS, Minnesota MDP

Schools Admitted To: Michigan, Cornell ($), JHU ($), Minnesota

Schools Rejected From: Harvard KSG, Princeton WWS

Still Waiting: Harris, Duke

Decision: Probably Cornell

Undergraduate institution: International

Undergraduate GPA: N/A (not in the top 20%)

Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): N/A

Undergraduate Major: Econ

GRE Quantitative Score: 800

GRE Verbal Score: 680

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 3

Years of Work Experience: 3

Describe Relevant Work Experience: Private Sector

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Not very strong... talked more about my past than my interests and my future...

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): 2 of them were quite strong. the third was a little weaker but i cant say for sure

[orchid99]

Program Applied To: MA (all IR)

Schools Applied To: Korbel, AU-SIS, GW-ESIA, Fletcher, G'town SSP

Schools Admitted To: SIS, ESIA, Korbel

Schools Rejected From: Fletcher, SSP

Undergraduate institution: Top public

Undergraduate GPA: 3.6

Undergraduate Major: Linguistics, Political Science

GRE Quantitative Score:690

GRE Verbal Score: 650

GRE AW Score: 4.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1

Years of Work Experience: 1 year full-time. During school, I held a few internships and research assistant positions, and 2 part time jobs.

Describe Relevant Work Experience: My previous experience was in advocacy or research assistant jobs, none directly related to IR. That said, even tho it wasn't directly related, I think it helped. I also did a lot of travel and study abroad, and did independent research papers when I could.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): It was rough to write, but I was pleased in the end. I think I did a good job of explaining what led to me wanting to do this MA at this point, and why each program would help me achieve my goals; that sounds a little dry, but I did showcase how passionate I am about this field. Mentioning professors you like a lot helps (the only time I didn't was SSP). I think if my SOP was not as strong, I would not have received as many acceptances as I did. I wrote a draft early on, put it away for a month or so, and then spent the last month intensely working on it. Do not underestimate how much time it will take you!

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I had 2 professors and 1 supervisor. I have a close relationship with all my LOR writers. I only read one letter, but they were all happy to do this for me and I believe were strong.

Other: Even though I will only have one year of full-time experience prior to starting (so I guess I had 6 months at time of application), I really recommend taking time off. I hated my job and it had no relevance, and its cliche, but it did help me gain perspective about what I wanted to do.

I wish I had studied for and taken the GRE right after I got out of school, before I started working.

[sackerma26]

Program Applied To: MPP, MPA, MEM, MESM

Schools Applied To: WWS at Princeton, GSPP at Berkeley, Harris at Chicago, Duke Sanford, Duke Nicholas, UCSB Bren

Schools Admitted To: Harris ($), Duke Sanford ($), Duke Nicholas ($), UCSB Bren ($)

Schools Rejected From: WWS and Goldman

Decision: Harris. I couldn't justify the cost of the dual-degree at Duke and I decided I wanted the MPP more than the MEM/MESM to focus on policy tools and to preserve my options down the road. That left Sanford v Harris. Harris offers a more rigorous curriculum which won me over, although Sanford is obviously a very well-run program. For personal reasons, Chicago was a better place to be than Durham which sealed the deal.

Undergraduate institution: Top research university

Undergraduate GPA: 3.9

Undergraduate Major: Econ

GRE Quantitative Score: 770

GRE Verbal Score: 700

GRE AW Score: 5.5

Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5

Describe Relevant Work Experience: 2.5 yrs policy research at think tank; 1.5 years research with economist. Also some short term volunteer work in South America and one year of travel.

Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Don't underestimate the SOP. I thought I understood this, but apparently mine fell flat. I have an odd mix of experiences that could appear scattered and I knew my job was to piece them together in a narrative that made sense, but I don't think I succeeded. I also may have been reading too many econ-related admissions boards, where the SOP is more of a dispassionate piece. The policy folks want to see your passion and excitement come through. Be sure to really explain why the program is the best fit for you and use a few very specific details.

Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I thought they were good but now I'm not so sure. My takeaway is to make sure that they will have plenty to say. Try suggesting points they can make to present a strong picture of you. This is important and I got the sense that at least one of mine was not helpful (although not necessarily bad).

I notice that many are getting rejected from GSPP Berkeley from people who have fairly brag-worthy applications such as yours. Does anyone know exactly what then, this program is looking for?