<p>Anyone with some knowledge about MPA/MPP programs want to give me some advice on appropriate schools to apply to given my stats? I have very little knowledge about MPA/MPP admissions, are the top schools as ultra-competitive as in LS admissions? </p>
<p>3.65 UGPA from a respectable private U, double major in economics/history, internship with UN in Geneva during college, extensive study abroad experience, T2 JD with median grades. Taking GRE this summer or fall. </p>
<p>Follow-up question, what type of GRE score would it take to get into a very good program (G'town, NYU, Columbia), or a somewhat lesser program with a good overall brand name (Penn, Cornell, etc.)?</p>
<p>MPA/MPP admissions are not nearly as competitive as admissions to top law schools. Acceptance rates at top MPA/MPP programs are higher overall than at top law schools and the whole process is much less stats driven.
That said, one thing you almost always need for admission to top MPA/MPP programs that you dont need for top law schools is work experience, which you seem to have in only limited quantity. Your overall profile actually seems better geared for an IR program since alot of your work experience and study abroad experience fits into that category. Most top MPA/MPP programs will want 2-3 years of full time, non-internship work after you graduate before admission. Obviously, exceptions occur and you can gain admission with less work experience or even no experience but this is rare and your post masers employment options always suffer if you have no relevant work experience beforehand.</p>
<p>As far as the GRE goes, just score respectably. The GRE isnt the LSAT so it wont make or break your application. Your question about lesser known schools vs. those with better name brand is rather misplaced in the sense that everyone who knows anything about public administration or public policy (this includes employers) knows that Georgetown has a better program than Cornell or than Penn (which doesnt even have a program if I am not mistaken). If you plan on parlaying your degree into employment in some unrelated field like consulting or ibanking, then yes, by all means go to the school with the best name brand. If you plan on working in the public sector, however, go to a school that will actually prepare you for it as opposed to one that will set you up simply with a "great brand name."
Keep in mind that the public sector is not anything like the law market. There isnt some strict hierarchy of schools where the top schools get you in everywhere and tier two schools dont.</p>
<p>You have been given some good advice. I would strongly look at schools that have your area of specialization. For example, if you are interested in international relations, look for strong IR master's programs that have it. Ditto on gaining work experience before you apply.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I realize that work experience is not only important to getting into these programs but also to expanding your employment opportunities once you graduate.</p>
<p>I guess to be blunt I'm a little impatient at this point. I went through 3 years of law school only to realize that I didn't really want to practice law, and feel a strong desire to return to my econ/IR roots from undergrad. To be honest I didn't even know about MPA/MPP degrees until I got in touch with a friend who had been in my classes during a summer program at LSE and who was doing an MPA program. But after hearing about what the programs focus on and the employment opportunities afterwards, I became quite interested.</p>
<p>I think your first order of business is figuring out if you want to do a masters in IR or a MPA. MPAs are usually much more domestically focused than IR degrees so if you are looking to do something international, you might want to consider IR degrees. MPA/MPP degrees are arguably more portable though and they often give you more concrete skills such as a quant or econ based skillset. From there you might want to consider what areas you want to specialize in and find a program that fits the bill.</p>
<p>It is very important to have a good idea about what exactly you want to do after you graduate. If you are dead certain you want to work in public policy analysis, you can do no wrong by going to Michigan or Georgetown but if you want to try and parlay your degree into a job in the private sector, you would arguably be better off choosing a school with a big brand name which featurs extensive on campus recruiting.</p>
<p>Just a follow-up, I've been searching around on USAJobs for federal positions that (a) would provide some meaningful experience in international trade/economics/policy, and (b) if possible, would allow me to use my JD to bypass otherwise necessary experience requirements.</p>
<p>So far I've come across a few positions that seem promising: procurement specialist with USAID, int'l trade compliance analyst or import policy analyst with ITA.</p>
<p>I just started hearing back from schools and am wondering if there are any other reputable sources besides U.S. News and World Report for rankings/ratings?</p>
<p>Just heard back and was accepted to CMU Heinz (MPP) and Syracuse Maxwell (MPA) today. Have yet to hear back from any other schools…</p>
<p>Any information on CMU and Syracuse would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<pre><code>I am something of a non-traditional student I am 31, recently completed my bachelors degree. Returning to finish after seven years working in the arts abroad studying and performing with the opera. I was just accepted into a Masters in public policy program, my interests are in human resources administration and American foreign-policy and interest abroad. Much like my academic trajectory my strengths are also non-traditional; I do well with people of different cultures and have an aptitude for learning languages. That said I am realizing that I must personally go beyond the program of my institution to structure a career path that might suit my unique skill set. Ideally I would like a position in human resources administration for an American firm in a foreign country or to work for the proliferation of American interests abroad. My questions to you are about suggestions on how to begin to make myself as competitive as possible for such a position(s) and how to find such positions? Thanks for reading any feed back would be welcomed as I am on this journey and happy for all guidance.
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