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Harvard Kennedy School: should hear by 3/18
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Date: March 12th, 2008 10:43 AM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant hey -- current MPP/JD student here, first-time poster. got an email about an HKS "new admit phone-a-thon" on 3/18, 3/19 and 3/20 (the last day for international students), so i assume that means they'll notify by then. please let me know if you have any questions about the school -- i was also a harvard ugrad, so i have a pretty good perspective on the university and the k-school. (hint: i love both.) good luck everyone! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9467066) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 2:37 PM Author: Drab floppy dragon Subject: question about funding Hi, thanks for the tip. Question: How are you funding your education? I have 0 savings and expect to pay for school completely with loans. At 65k/year (tuition, room and board, etc) for 2 years, that seems quite hefty. (note: this obviously assumes I would get in, which I am not going to bank on until I know, for sure. But this is a question of general interest that I have had about the school for sometime.)
It seems like in most MPP programs that if the student pays for the first year, the school helps out either through grants or work-study or something the second year. Is this the case at Harvard, or if accepted should I be prepared to spend 130k for a MPP?
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Date: March 12th, 2008 4:28 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant Subject: re: question about funding hey jay -- great question. bottom line is that the student financial services office does provide a good deal of financial aid, especially if you applied for it by february 1 along with your application. the office also helps students find outside fellowships and scholarships. students are also able to work as TFs and CAs in their second year, which can help defray costs. still, most if not all students end up having to take out significant loans. the good news there is that the school has a loan repayment assistance program -- which helps pay off debt for five years, assuming one takes a low-paying government job -- and the fundraising people have made strengthening this program a top priority. hope this info helps, and good luck! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9468599) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 5:09 PM Author: Drab floppy dragon Subject: thanks! Thanks for this response! I think its exactly what I wanted to hear. I appreciate the insight. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9468775) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 7:24 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw 3.18 - is that the day everyone with a pulse is admitted? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9469483) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 8:56 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant classy. not accurate, but classy (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9469929) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:24 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw "classy"? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470030) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:38 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant my apologies, i should have been more clear. obviously, your comment was not accurate. as an exaggeration, i found it NOT classy, since this thread was intended for kids waiting to hear from the school, many of whom will not be accepted. "classy" was intended as sarcasm.
any real comments about the harvard kennedy school? i'd love to hear them, since i'm here to inform people about the place, which i do truly love. |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:44 PM Author: Wine pisswyrm Is the Kennedy school the one that offers all those degrees in extension studies on the internet and in night classes? You should have tried for the master in liberal arts from Columbia. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470131) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:53 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant harvard does in fact have an extension school, which offers both non-degree classes for the community as well as several degree programs. it's part of the faculty of arts and sciences, which is also home to harvard college, my alma mater. the faculties outside of FAS -- including the two i attend, law and kennedy -- are in fact their own separate schools. the law school offers J.D., L.L.M., and S.J.D. degrees, while kennedy offers M.P.P., M.P.A., M.P.A./I.D. (int'l development), and M.P.A./mid-career degrees, as well as several Ph.D's in conjunction with the graduate school of arts and sciences (which is part of FAS -- confusing i know!) great contribution, though. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470175) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:51 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw let's begin with the mid career program: perfect correlation between beating heart and successful application? dumbest students at harvard? if not, who? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470162) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:58 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant it's actually one of the more competitive programs, though as you suggest, its selectivity does not guarantee that all students are equally intelligent. the nieman fellows program for journalists is especially selective. the mid-career program's alums include bill o'reilly and katherine harris, who you may not find smart, but who are certainly influential. i hesitate to take your bait on the "dumbest" students at harvard, since that language is pretty insulting, but for my money its my HLS classmates (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470206) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 10:19 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw the two "influential" people you reference are dumb, and one isn't particularly influential. your laughably untrue contention about it being "one of the more competitive programs" would be less transpatrently false if the nieman fellows were in fact administered through the kennedy school. and even kennedy school students are not dumb enough to miss the obvious pandering in your claim about law school students. (everyone caught the "fellow" in there; you wouldn't want to be suspected as a non-joint degree dunce.) clearly your aversion to the truth when it's "pretty insulting" leads you to select an invulnerable target. law school students can endure being called dumb because it's so far off the mark, especially when the comparison is with the KSG. i have no doubt you're familiar with the frail intellects and egos at the k-school, not least because you've been on the receiving end of k-school students' cloying reverence for people from harvard college. if you weren't such an enthusiastic, positive person, one might even suspect that you like putting yourself in a position to exploit that form of pathetic attention. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470331) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 10:48 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant there was one bit of truth in that vitriol: the nieman fellows is separate from the kennedy school, and the fellows don't get MPA degrees, though the programs are closely coordinated, and many fellows take a ton of k-school classes. it's how i know them.
the HLS = dumb was a joke, which you seem to get. they're not dumb -- just bad people.
also, i clarify my other harvard connections because a) i'm proud of them, too, even HLS (sort of), b) i figured (incorrectly) that it would preemptively get rid of people like yourself
indeed, where is all your anger coming from? why the need to insult people who attend a school that's not as selective as where you (presumably) went? this is a thread for prospective students, i'm not really sure what you're doing here. |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 12:16 AM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw are you a prospective student?
i happen to be a recent graduate of syracuse university's Maxwell School of public policy -- that's us news and world report's #1-ranked Maxwell School. quite frankly, i am tired of "K-School" graduates claiming all the glory; all the best policy analyst positions; even jobs at McKinsey when they decide public service is no longer for them, quite frankly. these are kids who went to college with me. now, they're doing the "boston?" thing when people ask them where they went to school.
like the sign that stalin had posted on the trains to the gulag said: "your asses are grass, and i'm a lawnmower."
enough. your elitist musings here only persuade me further that my crusade to spread the truth about the university of harvard's kennedy school is necessary. you're right: this is admissions season. and these prospective students need to hear the truth about the #1-ranked Maxwell School and the putrid cash cow that is the k-school. you better watch your step, mister. and, no, you will not succeed in your state goal of, and i quote, "get[ting] rid of people like yourself from the #1-ranked Maxwell School," end quote. |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 12:23 AM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant hey man, no hard feelings -- i created the thread to inform students, not to hate on you, your school, or anyone else. the "get rid of you" comment referred to your very nasty posts, i had no idea where you went to school. in all honesty, i have immense respect for the maxwell school, and nothing but respect for anyone who chooses to do a policy degree of any kind. kids lucky enough to get into both (and the two-year master's programs at both are quite selective, i think we can agree) will certainly have a tough choice. but please, to inform people about your school, don't hate on others -- i only hate on law schools ;o) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470837) |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 12:36 AM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw you seem really cool, man; especially the way you say "hate on." you know what would be excellent? If got together to talk about how bitchin it is that we went to the went to the #1-ranked and #2-ranked public policy schools, and ironically listed to some hard-core gangsta rap music at the same time.
i've actually gotten kind of interested in law school, man (because without a law degree it will be really hard to fulfill all my public policy goals). anyway, man, on the one hand i've had a dynamite experience at syracuse and might like to stay on for law school there. on the other hand, though, i've heard really good things about harvard's law program. what would be the pros and cons of going to one, but not the other? i'm not asking you to get all negative, not use exclamation points, or hate on one of the schools. but as a joint degree student and student leader, man, i'm sure you have some thoughts and know people who have weighed the same syracuse-harvard dilema. |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 1:04 AM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant i would tell you to really think long and hard about law school, since it leads pretty easily to the world of corporate law, whether you have any interest in that or not. no question, it's a great way to make money, but if your goal is policy/politics, it could easily be a red herring. i mean, i don't have to tell you that there are a ton of people with policy degrees or even no grad school who succeed in politics or policy -- you know the serious things maxwell, kennedy, WWS, SIPA, ford, etc. alums go on to do.
anyway, i'm sure elsewhere on this board can advise you on law school choice, i'm probably not the best source on that. but from what i know, syracuse has a great trial advocacy program in particular, and a real good alum network (senator biden, serious federal judges). harvard certainly has its strengths, but be aware that most of its grads go into big law private practice.
alright, i'm off to bed. take care and good luck |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 10:42 AM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw interesting, man; so if i do decide to go to law school, what i'm hearing is it's basically a toss-up between syracuse and harvard. on balance, i think my interest in trial advocacy and that real good alum network tip the balance in favor of syracuse. thanks.
relatedly, man, i know there is the general rivalry between harvard and yale; and you no doubt participated in the revelry as an undergraduate. what i'm wondering is, do the graduate school rivalries (between harvard and stanford law schools, harvard and hopkins medical schools, and the HKS and the #1-ranked Maxwell School) take on the same kind of intensity? and in those instances where harvard is lower ranked, as has occasionally been the case with stanford law school and is consistently the case with the #1-ranked Maxwell School, is harvard's self-conception as the leading university, perhaps globally, affected?
i don't like to be rankings obsessed; but of course they matter as a practical matter. those of us who attended the #1-ranked Maxwell School are keenly aware of that ranking and jealously guard it. as for law schools, i know there is a lot of debate about the so-called "top-14." harvard's place at #2 or #3 is obviously very secure. but i'm, wondering whether you see syracuse in the top half of the top-14, or the bottom half? again, rankings aren't everything; but that does need to be a part of my decision making procedures at this point in time.
thanks in advance, man. |
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Date: May 9th, 2008 9:20 AM Author: Disturbing green scourge upon the earth You demonstrate the difference between Harvard and Syracuse. You need to quote the fact that you are "1". People at Harvard don't need to...because they go to Harvard. We all may not like it, but Harvard is Harvard. I'm a non-Harvard person at Bain and there is no question that firm prefers Harvard. So just get used to it. No one cares that you are rated #1. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9758907) |
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Date: May 9th, 2008 9:26 AM Author: khaki native selfie even the unprestigious kschool? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9758913) |
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Date: May 8th, 2008 12:26 AM Author: Iridescent Spectacular Dilemma Karate Subject: Disgusting I'm never surprised to find people like Platitude sliming around on the admissions blogging scene. I suspect that our friend Platitude was stuffed in more than one trash can during his/her K-12 years and is now out to stick it to the less intellectually gifted (or so he/she would have us believe) by routinely shitting on everyone else's aspirations. The craven pursuit of "pathetic attention" so dutifully highlighted in March 12th's post seems to be a vice shared by our intrepid friend. Your's is exactly the kind of personality that undermines the already tenuous level of respect for the legal community in our society. I'm sure your credentials are truly IMPRESSIVE for you to spew such invective all over the digital landscape. Anyone interested in a career that could potentially improve the lives of others doesn't deserve to be ridiculed. Your contempt for the "cloying reverance" of the K-school belies a truly self serving mind set that must constantly reinforce its own failings by pointing up the misperceived shortcomings of others.
I wish you all the best in your legal career although I suspect your life will be littered with failures and unrealized career goals due to your self aggrandizing and shamelessly narcissistic personality.
I have no affiliation with the "K School" nor do I reside anywhere near Harvard. I simply saw your repulsively diaphanous post on a random google search.
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Date: May 8th, 2008 4:53 AM Author: Rose locale are you a retard, or flame? if the latter, i guess you've succeeded. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9753955) |
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Date: May 8th, 2008 2:22 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw you seem dumb.
is this actually a "scene"? an "admissions blogging scene"?
the "your post is conclusive evidence you were a loser in high school" never fails to hit it's mark. i'll never understand why everyone doesn't use it.
Great point that "Anyone interested in a career that could potentially improve the lives of others doesn't deserve to be ridiculed." But if the ridicule is so obviously baseless and from a source no one takes seriously, why does it matter? Why perpetuate the attention to the ridicule with a not very well written or reasoned post, where just ignoring it would have permitted it to drift away unnoticed?
"diaphanous"? you seem dumb. |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 9:56 PM Author: Buff Main People Principal's Office Hello silentbobma.
I have a question.
Is it easier for the KSG master students to get into KSG's PhD in Public Policy or is it easier for other students from other schools to get into?
I would appreciate if you tell me about the information on KSG MPP students on getting admission for PhD in Public Policy.
I want to know how many KSG master students apply for PhD in Public Policy and how many of those are being offered admissions after finishing their master degree.
Thank you.
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Date: March 12th, 2008 10:07 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant hey man -- appreciate the question. i wish i had exact admissions statistics, but i can tell you that the doctoral programs are fairly small: around 75 students total, 10-15 accepted per year. that's compared to around 200 MPP students per year, and 50 each of the two-year MPA's and two-year MPA/IDs. it's tough to say that it is "easier" out of the MPP program than from elsewhere, but there are definite advantages to going to HKS if the PhD is your goal: you can apply to the PhD program during your first year as an MPP, and if take the right courses (mostly quant classes like stats, calculus, and econ), then you can even finish your pre-doctoral requirements concurrent with your MPP. also, i know of a number of MPPs who go on to do PhD's at other schools. hopes this helps. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9470257) |
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Date: March 12th, 2008 11:38 PM Author: Buff Main People Principal's Office Thank you for the reply.
Do you know approximately how many people are from KSG among the admitted PhD students each year?
And can you tell me what other schools did KSG MPP students have gone for PhD?
Thanks. |
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Date: March 13th, 2008 12:03 AM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant a rough count in the school facebook suggests around 20 of the 75 current students have an HKS master's
beyond that, i know of k-school MPPs specifically who have done PhDs at princeton, MIT, berkeley, texas, UCLA, boston college, wisconsin, SUNY, the RAND school, and more
i would tell you that even with the low odds (5-10% admit rate) for the PhD program at the k-school, there's no way an MPP doesn't help your admit chances overall, especially if you really focus on quantitative courses and of course do well in them |
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Date: May 8th, 2008 3:15 AM Author: aggressive titillating mood rehab Why even bother with the MPP? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9753504) |
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Date: May 8th, 2008 7:00 AM Author: razzle bipolar university silentbob is the worst thing ever (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9754250) |
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Date: November 14th, 2008 10:38 AM Author: Histrionic Deep Multi-billionaire Subject: question for silentbobma hi silentbobma,
i know this post comes long after your march 12th introduction, but as i was searching the web for info on HBS & kennedy, i found your post. i hope you're able to see this & respond. i'm aiming for a joint degree HBS/kennedy - MPP/MBA, but am not sure how difficult it is to get in. to that end, i'm alternatively considering an MPP or MPA from kennedy first (and later will decide about bschool). i'm really more interested in policy, and feel that bschool would be an advantageous addition of hard skills to back my interests. anyhow, how difficult is kennedy school to get into? i graduated nyu with a BS communication studies (which covers politics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology (on the track i took). i also had a minor in law & society. my gpa was a 3.4 cum & 3.6 in my major. i was heavily involved in extracurricular activities (leading two clubs as president) & volunteer. also, several of my summer internships were nonpaid nonprofit positions. since graduating 1.5 years ago, i've continued volunteering, and worked as a paralegal, realizing i don't want to do the law route anymore, but prefer the policy impact route. any advice / evaluation would be appreciated. sorry to ask the most annoying type of question ("where do you think i stand?"). look forward to hearing from you.
thanks so much, nyugrad |
Date: March 13th, 2008 12:25 PM Author: flatulent voyeur Hi Silentbobma -
How has your experience been with the large class size at HKS? I wonder if I wouldn't be happier at a smaller school where I might have easier access to professors, more personalized attention, etc. How do you find your experience in that regard?
Thanks!
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Date: March 13th, 2008 3:42 PM Author: Contagious painfully honest immigrant hey saruccia -- thanks for bringing this up, since it is important to recognize the impact of a 200-person MPP class, which may not be for everyone. the downsides are that very popular classes may be oversubscribed (although only a small fraction of classes get lotteried each semester), and that getting facetime with the most prominent profs (gergen, putnam, etc.) is tough.
that said, here's why i've actually really liked the size:
--tons of student perspectives. there's no one "type" of HKS or even HKS MPP student, so class discussion -- which happens even in bigger courses -- benefits from this --related to the variety of students, the alum network is amazing --there are always events by and for students -- speeches, discussions, shows. people complain sometimes that there's too MUCH --getting with the biggest profs is hard (as it is at big schools of any kind, law, business, etc), but the faculty -- easily one of the best things about the school overall -- is so good, especially at the junior level, that you'll have no trouble getting personalized attention if you seek it out, be it just for help in class or to do research assistance work. also, a large number of second-years do CA or TF work with professors --one other faculty note: the MPP "core" classes are about 40-60 students, many taught by tenured/endowed profs (thomas patterson, chris avery, etc) --the school ensures you get some small group work and faculty interaction in your first year through the all-MPP spring exercise, where i ended up presenting on health care policy to the school's academic dean, mary jo bane
lastly, i'll note that 200 seems small after 2 years -- everyone really seems to know (and for the most part like!) everyone.
hope that helps -- good luck with everything
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Date: March 13th, 2008 6:20 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw if it were a law school, 200 would be extraordinarily small.
the faculty is by far the bast of its kind. even the more prominent professors have traditionally been more accessible than their counterparts at the other harvard graduate schools, or the FAS for that matter.
no other similar school compares with respect to facilities and the frequency and quality of events.
while there are some definite soft spots among the students, and not a few K-school students have gotten in over their heads by taking a law school class and trying to escape their intellectual limits by filibustering, there's a reason a lot of people from the law school find it a refuge of civility to take a class at the k-school, and to be around people with a refreshing perspective that, while sometimes simplistic and naive, is a lot more interesting than hearing someone weigh the relative benefits of cravath and latham for the thousandth time. |
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Date: May 9th, 2008 9:24 AM Author: Disturbing green scourge upon the earth Subject: Admit it--you were rejected Come on, admit it. You were rejected by HKS or were too scared to apply. Otherwise you would not be so pre-occupied by the place. I spent spring break visiting a friend who attends the Kennedy School. I didn't hear another school mentioned once--especially not in a negative way. Actually, people did occasionally mention WWS but that was to bemoan the fact that WWS gives loads of grants. They never bad-mouthed it.
Oh...I saw downtown Syracuse once. It sucks. Cambridge is MUCH nicer. |
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Date: May 9th, 2008 12:25 PM Author: exhilarant slap-happy forum bbw is it that obvious? i always felt as if people bought it when i did my "it was hard turning down harvard, but maxwell is number 1" pitch. maybe it was pushing it when i claimed to have also turned down harvard and stanford law schools because they just didn't serve my public interest interests. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9759494) |
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Date: May 9th, 2008 1:20 PM Author: Yellow Vivacious Therapy As I read that post, it's at least 3/4 positive about the K-School, and about 1/4 negative. (Stupid cunt.) Did you even catch the part about the extraordinary and accessible faculty? How the K-School is a "refuge" for law school students? You seem like the type who pounces on the least bit of critical thought so you can assail someone for "hating on". (Faggot.) Also, consistent with your simpleton disposition, it is actually possible for people to have a critical view of someting or someone who did not reject, vanquish, or humiliate them. (Douchebag.) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#9759686) |
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Date: November 14th, 2008 11:26 AM Author: Umber chapel elastic band Renada, it's not very nice of you to beat up on these simpletons who are unfamiliar with your particular brand of humor. That said, hilarious. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=782906&forum_id=1#10360583) |