Harvard MPP

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello everyone, I am really sorry for this ''chance me'' thread but as a foreign student I need some guidance and applying to Harvard demands serious commitment and preparation. </p>

<p>I was born in France, from a very modest family (none of my parents finished middle school), and barely speak french - my grand parents came in the 70s from abroad (so, non-European European) and here I am, 3rd generation, hoping to get accepted to Harvard :-) </p>

<p>My profile:
- Graduated from France's top High School (was somewhere in the top 5 nationwide).
- Majoring Economics at the University of Paris - Sorbonne (1st and 2nd year my GPA wasn't that good but this year I am most probably graduating with a straight 4.0GPA - so I assume I will have at least magna cum laude).
- A year as an exchange abroad in Rome
- Interned at the European Parliament (Assistant French European Deputy) 3 months
- Interned at the French Parliament (Lower house - Assistant French Deputy part time of my studies) 3 months
- Interned at the Turkish Parliament and Ministry of Justice in European Affairs (Observation internship - worked at the departement of foreign relations and protocol)
- Interned at an NGO in Paris dealing with Intercultural dialogue
- Interning at an NGO in Rome dealing with Inter-religious dialogue (Rome = Vatican).</p>

<p>Might (If accepted) intern for the European Union's Delegation to the United Nation's in New York from May to August full time. </p>

<p>I took the IELTS (for fun) last month, I failed a little in some parts but nevertheless had a final score of 8 out of 9.</p>

<p>I was planning to apply to LSE (IPE) and then Harvard MPP but I am thinking whether or not I make a gap year (for internships and prepare the GRE) or start a Master degree just for the 1st year (as I have automatic acceptance to Sorbonne's masters). I am hesitating on applying to LSE this year as I won't be able to prove that 4.0GPA on time and I doubt I am that competitive ... </p>

<p>Some people say I should try Harvard directly, any opinion on that? I see they would rather see someone with 2-3 years experience. I am 21 right now, and I will be freshly 23 if they accept me by September 2014. </p>

<p>Also, I see they have International and Global Affairs (IGA) and International Trade and Finance (ITF) among their concentration fields (could that be a good substitute to LSE's International Political Economics?). </p>

<p>Last question, what would be considered as ''sufficient'' as a result at the GRE for the MPP?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot</p>

2

<p>Also, I can have LoR’s from important people in the institutions I worked previously but none in the academia, is it ok for Harvard? (as I focused on the extra-curricular during my studies - all the part time I did didn’t leave me the time to sympathize with my professors - and that’s a problem from LSE).</p>

3

<p>nobody?..</p>

4

<p>You are probably not getting responses because none of the regs here are wild about grad school chance threads, and because most are not that familiar with a very specific HKS program. Your best bet is to communicate with HKS directly and book a trip to Boston/Cambridge to get a first-hand look and a more personal sense of possibilities. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>What snarlatron said.</p>

<p>Your resume/qualifications/etc. looks great, but none of us are Harvard faculty in the MPP program. None of us have a clue how they will judge your application. None of us have a clue about the competitive pool this year. None of us have a clue how many students they’re accepting. Graduate admissions are extremely qualitative and highly individualized and anyone here who claims to be able to tell you they can predict your admissions “chances” is delusional.</p>