<p>I will apply for masters programs in public policy, starting fall 2010.</p>
<p>Currently I plan to submit applications to only the top 5/6 schools, where 'top' is a measure of prestige and employment prospects (I would like to go into consulting afterwards).</p>
<p>These are the top courses I've identified so far. Please let me know if you think there are better options available that I should take a look at, or if you think any of these are unrealistic or inappropriate.</p>
<p>Harvard (KSG) - Master of Public Policy
Princeton (WWS) - Master in Public Affairs
Columbia (SIPA) - Master of Public Administration (Social Policy concentration)
Chicago - Master of Public Policy
Berkeley (Goldman) - Master of Public Policy</p>
<p>I will apply following two years in teaching and I take the GRE this summer.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer suggestions or advice!</p>
<p>That is certainly an impressive list. One thing to consider is whether you want to specialize in a particular field (ie education policy). Some programs have specialized tracks of study that allow for more focus on a specific area of your interest.</p>
<p>Another thing to think about is the type of skill set you want to develop. Some programs heavily emphasize quantitative analysis (Michigan and Chicago, for example), while others tend to lean toward developing management skills.</p>
<p>While it is just splitting hairs with the list you have, those are just a couple things to consider.</p>
<p>What about U-Penn (MGA) and Georgetown (MPP)? I’ve read about both but haven’t been able to gauge the quality of the programs. How do they compare to the ones on my list?</p>
<p>If you are only going to apply for the top 5/6 schools I sure hope your GPA is absolutely stellar as well as your GRE’s, LOR, SOP, etc. I know tons of talented people with all the things I mentioned that can’t even get into these schools. I would suggest you also try for some safeties & matches. </p>
<p>Not to discourage you, but sometimes there are over 500 applicants for 5 spots. Good luck!</p>
<p>500 applicants for 5 spots!? What world are you living in? I dont know of any grad programs in any academic discipline at any school in the country that have acceptance rates that low. The top MPA/MPPs often have acceptance rates of around 20-25% and arent nearly as competitive as top law schools or PhD programs.</p>
<p>I think the “500 applicants for 5 spots” might have been a fabrication one of your children sold you so that you could boast about them to the ladies you play canasta with on Wednesdays.</p>
<p>I’ve met with the Harvard MPP recruiters many times. It isn’t enough to have a stellar GPA, GRE, etc… to get into the top 5.</p>
<p>You also need volunteer work, language skills, and professional experience in which skills/topics related to MPP have been used. And when I say professional experience, I do not mean just internships - they want people who have worked on the hill, done think tanks, research, NGOs, community organizing - that sort of work experience. Many people forget that people applying to these programs are usually older and more experienced and have built a stellar resume. </p>
<p>And I happen to know for a fact that the top MPP programs have a very low acceptance rate to a high application rate. Maybe not as bad as for PhD programs, but still pretty horrible.</p>
<p>The advice in this thread has been pretty lackluster so far. Let me break down some facts in point form so everyone can follow along:</p>
<p>1) All top MPP programs demand some level of work experience, preferably relating directly to public policy. Getting into a top MPP or MPA program out of undergrad is highly unlikely.</p>
<p>2) No MPP/MPA program in the country has an acceptance rate under 10%. The lowest is probably WWS due to its funding of students but the rest (i.e. KSG, Columbia, GSPP) all hover around 20-25%. You can call their admissions offices if you dont believe me.</p>
<p>3) You dont need a ‘perfect’ GRE and GPA for admission into a top MPP or MPA program. You need solid GRE scores and a solid GPA but the most important aspect of your application is work experience. In many ways it is similar to MBA admissions where the ‘make it or break it’ aspect of your application is work experience.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous post that there has been some misinformation on this thread. Acceptance rates are fairly high at many of these programs, with WWS being the most selective (around 15%). Here are some other rates:</p>
<p>Harvard Kennedy School: 28% of applicants.
Chicago Harris: 60% of applicants.
Columbia SIPA: 39% of applicants.
Fletcher: 34% of applicants.
UCLA: 40% of applicants.
George Washington: 41% of applicants
American: 66% of applicants
UCSD: 53% of applicants`</p>
<p>And all of these are solid programs where you can get a good education.</p>
<p>traveler - If you will notice I said in many fields NOT specifically MPP/MPA programs. As far as I know many programs this year have more students applying than ever so the numbers you mentioned might not be so applicable either.</p>
<p>The only reason I posted was to make sure that the OP did NOT ONLY apply to the schools he mentioned because they ARE extremely hard to get in.</p>
<p>This year will def be more competitive than years past and that may continue to be the case for several years to come if the economy remains sluggish and people decide to go to grad school rather than face the job market. And it is always a good idea to diversify your applications and include “safety schools”.</p>
<p>My office has been recruiting and interviewing MPPs recently and two schools that have offered us particularly good candidates are Michigan and Carnegie Mellon. We have also had success in the past with graduates of U of Chicago. The quantitative and analytical skills that these candidates possess makes them attractive.</p>
<p>Rather than focus on five big-name schools, I suggest that you think hard about your particular policy focus. If you are interested in an international focus, or consider yourself pre-State Dept or pre-World Bank, I would think about Princeton, Georgetown or Johns Hopkins. If you are comfortable with economics and want to perform fairly rigorous policy analysis, I would recommend Harvard, Michigan, CMU.</p>
<p>Thats a very helpful discussion there - thanks UKprospective for starting it. I am also looking to apply for the same course [MPP] next year and looking to take my GRE later this summer.
My background is a bit diff: I have been working for almost 4 years in the finance industry and have been trading derivatives for the last year and a half with one of the better banks in this scenario. Pre this I have done a masters in fin from a smallish place and my undergrad was in Commerce and Economics from a good school</p>
<p>@ Schneider: You also need volunteer work, language skills, and professional experience in which skills/topics related to MPP have been used. And when I say professional experience, I do not mean just internships - they want people who have worked on the hill, done think tanks, research, NGOs, community organizing - that sort of work experience.</p>
<p>I haven’t done much volunteer work but would my IB work experience help if I am able to show good GPA + GRE scores ? I have led teams and have a decent extracurriculars all along and also am founder of an opensource startup </p>
<p>I always wanted to study intl economics and politics and couldn’t think of a better time to get out of IB and back to books - what would you guys recommend to increase my chances of getting through one of the good schools as you’ll mentioned ?</p>
<p>MITgradstudent, some public policy schools offer a science, technology and public policy track. However, I’m not sure if they have coursework on nuclear energy.</p>
<p>@ThePhilosopher: Thanks for your reply… pray could you suggest options ? </p>
<p>I have spoken to a couple of people who have done the course and about the focus here… I do not want to do a Quant Fin course - dont want to superspecialise plus my non-tech educational background will not get me a good seat at all… People tell me that a masted in Eco also will get all too technical within the eco math. Im more interested in Applicable Economics and I am clear I dont want to do an MBA. MPP looks like a complete course to me - however as you say I may be wrong… I may go down to the campus this weekend and get more sense on it if possible, but please do let me know your thoughts.</p>