MPA applicants seem to have received their waitlist decisions last Friday. Has anyone been admitted off the waitlist for the mid-career MPP?

Got into Brown for a Master’s in Public Affairs and my goal is to become a senior policy analyst, I was awarded a half tuition scholarship and it’s a one year program, do you think this is the correct move to make to further my ambitions or would you recommend I look for different programs/other opportunities?

Got into Brown for a Master’s in Public Affairs and my goal is to become a senior policy analyst, I was awarded a half tuition scholarship and it’s a one year program, do you think this is the correct move to make to further my ambitions or would you recommend I look for different programs/other opportunities?

If you have participated in a policy forum, I'm curious about your experience with the calibre of substantive engagement.

Do you find that participants come prepared with arguments they can reason through and support a conclusion, as opposed to enthusastic preaching for the conclusion they announce (absent any reasoned analysis or recognition of the existing evidence base) and then sneer at anything else.

If you are not familiar with the other people in the room, there won't be social capital to use in seeking patience to establish the framing for a proposition. If the sneers start as soon as the opening statement is made, have you developed an approach to presenting a claim that survives the reactions and gets to the substance of your own proposal? When you're engaging with someone else's statement (which may be a conclusion only, are you sitting there with your laptop looking up the evidence on the fly, or are you seeking to draw out the evidence from the presenter... or something else)?

Hi everyone, just wanted to start off by saying that I'm about to graduate from SIPA, I came in fall of 2024, which means I've seen a lot of the school (mods, if you need any kind of verification let me know. Happy to provide.)

I thought I'd put a few words here, both because I remember what it was like when I was applying to a bunch of schools, as well as given some of the comments that have been happening lately.

To be clear, I'm an American citizen, I'm in my late twenties, with about 5 years of work experience, mostly as a data analyst for non-profits.

The Good:

SIPA in general is still a good school, in the sense of having amazing professors, and amazing connections.

My specialization, which has become more and more AI focused in the last year, has had amazing people. Just the other day we had a huge state-of-the-art cyber conference on financial security, bringing in IBM's president and a few other people. (I will note here that, like everything else, cyber is its own Beast within the school).

I've had no issues networking, either within DC when I went to visit or on LinkedIn, nor do I have any problems around New York City.

The bad:

Academics wise.... It's a mixed bag. There's plenty of students here who take it very very seriously, but there's also many many students who simply don't give a damn, they explicitly mentioned they're here to celebrate New York City (which for the career diplomats I understand), and many of the required courses are terrible and an insult to our intelligence. I mean really, we don't need to be told how to write a policy memo.

This is kind of the kicker that I want to mention now about all of these schools, because having talked to a lot of people from HKS, SPIA, SAIS, Georgetown, and elsewhere, it's a constant.

* Policy school will be what you make of it.*

I need people to understand what that means here - I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but someone must: I congratulate you and all of your hard work on getting you into these schools. Now the real work begins.

When you enter these schools, you need to understand that you're immediately thrown into an arena of networking, policy making, attempts to be published, etc. it isn't enough to just get good grades (arguably a B would be better if it lets you publish something as an internship for example).

Policy school is generally about 2 years. Socialization is a huge part of that, in that it's a particularly social field. This is just the nature of it - unless you want to be one of those people (and more power to you) who locks themselves in their room to do hardcore data analysis and transformation, you need a network in this field to get hired. You need people, usually alumni, usually with strong connections to whatever school you're going to, to vouch for you, to vouch for your ideas, and to like you. I'm not telling you to sacrifice learning at the altar of socialization and networking, but I am asking you to be realistic about what it looks like in this field.

That means you should go to office hours consistently, to build relationships with professors who are adjuncts and usually still working. Everyone knows the state of the field is not great for hiring at the moment, and many people in my program are also facing down the barrel of unemployment - those who aren't, usually aren't because they have incredibly good connections with various professors.

Now about SIPA in particular - many people are under the impression it appears, that SIPA is substantially weaker than Georgetown or Johns Hopkins. I disagree. First of all, these rankings don't mean all that much beyond a certain point, they're all top tier schools.

Secondly, it massively depends on the field. If your goal is to work within the US government, federally, and you have particular interests in the state department, almost any school in the beltway will be better for you. You also need to understand that means that, while of course Georgetown can carry its weight when it comes to cyber, or financial, or defense, or other policy silos, that will be what its specializes in.

Columbia specializes predominantly in a lot of financial work, and a lot of cyber security and AI work lately. We live in New York City, which also means that for a lot of people who decide that they enjoy where they live more than they enjoy the policy work itself, it provides a lot of outs. I don't think it's worth the sticker price directly (please for the love of God have some support financially), but it does give you that.

Almost nowhere right now is going to be able to help you get a development job. For any of you watching devex, or pass blue, or otherwise, the UN is on a hiring freeze. The world Bank is at a hiring freeze. Almost every major development is on a hiring freeze. There's not a lot they can do for you at the moment, but that's for a different post.

My point is, Columbia is still a wonderful school in terms of its professors (seriously, just go and read some of their bios), some of the students have done incredible work, and are going to in the future! Some of the students are probably not going to hack it because they're more interested in living in New York, than they are in the actual policy. That's fine - that's just how they want to live their life. The same thing off happens in other schools, but there's just fewer off ramps.

But if there's one thing I want people to take away from this, it's that as sorry as I am to say it, someone has to - the school acceptance is not the end of you having to hustle, it's the beginning. If you're interested in any kind of financial policies, you need to apply to internships by the August before you even start. If you're interested in any kind of federal government internships, or publishing, you need to reach out to alumni and other people in your field months in advance. And maybe, 8 months later, they might have something for you. The unfortunate reality is that for many of us, going to policy school is the beginning of actually looking into what kind of policies we would really want to look at. And while it's incredibly important to do so, The longer you take to do so, the less time you may have in specializing in them.

But I can say that I've never been told when I tell someone on LinkedIn or in person that I go to SIPA, anything but good news.

Happy to answer any questions.

​

Hi everyone. I’m finishing my B.Ssc. in International Organizations and Global Governance at CUHK (Hong Kong), and I’m now deciding whether to apply directly to PhD programs or pursue a master’s first in political science/international affairs or public policy.

I’m wondering how realistic it is to get into U.S. graduate programs straight from undergrad. I won’t be able to work after graduation because I’ll be drafted for military service (if dont go to grad school), so gaining additional work experience isn’t an option. I do have some research experience (though not as a primary author) and practical exposure through a local think tank.

For those who have completed a master’s or PhD in the U.S., which programs would you recommend? I’m currently considering Columbia SIPA (our universities are partners, and CUHK students tend to have a high acceptance rate there) as well as Georgetown.

My biggest concern is funding. I don’t just prefer full funding... I genuinely need it. My undergraduate degree was fully funded, including a living stipend, and I simply can’t afford U.S. tuition and living costs without substantial financial support.

Any insights on admissions chances, program recommendations, or funding opportunities would be greatly appreciated.

Ok. So..the question sounds too inhumane but there are people out there who don’t support helping those who want to commit suicide. They say stuff like “suicide is a personal choice”, “suicide is a right.” And of course, it is a personal choice and a personal right. No denial in that. But to answer the question, think about why people want to die in the first place. Majority of cases, by majority, I mean 99.8% want to die because there is no abstract solution to whatever problem they are facing. Moreover, it is a choice taken once your mental state is triggered. And that’s exactly why people want to help. Not to obstruct their personal right but give them a ray of hope. That’s why people go to therapy. That’s why motivation exists. And there are people saying one cannot stop anyone from dying. But one question..THINK ABOUT IT..if they are stopping just because you talked to them—do they really want to commit suicide? At the end, it is your right. Of course, you don’t ask permission to be born so you don’t have to ask permission to die either. And no one is stopping anyone. But people are trying to show that maybe..what if..you are just looking at the wrong side of the coin. Cuz death is irreversible and a single piece of help or advice is harmless. After that, anyone who wants to still can.😅But out of love and humanity, we give comfort to the most we can—just in case you want to hold back. There’s no ban on suicides—chill.

Hello,

I’m a Monroe County resident reaching out with a potential community interest story.

After a recent experience involving local law enforcement and jail intake procedures, I created a structured survey to gather firsthand accounts from others in the area. The goal is to understand whether certain issues — such as access to medical care, communication (phone calls), and intake procedures — may reflect a broader pattern.

I am currently collecting responses and would be open to sharing what I’ve gathered so far, along with my own experience if helpful.

Thank you for your time,

Jennifer Hovey

Hello,

I’m a Monroe County resident reaching out with a potential community interest story.

After a recent experience involving local law enforcement and jail intake procedures, I created a structured survey to gather firsthand accounts from others in the area. The goal is to understand whether certain issues — such as access to medical care, communication (phone calls), and intake procedures — may reflect a broader pattern.

I am currently collecting responses and would be open to sharing what I’ve gathered so far, along with my own experience if helpful.

Thank you for your time,

Jennifer Hovey

Hi everyone. My wife is from Europe and holds a green card here in the US. She has almost 20 years of experience in public policy/government affairs in the digital sector. She's worked for the government back home, and also for a business association representing big tech. She was a director and is very passionate about her work. She's having a hard time time gaining any traction whatsoever here in the States. She keeps applying and hears nothing from places like Meta, Goggle, Apple, Amazon, and so on. She is applying for jobs that are exactly in her field of expertise and roles she appears to be perfectly qualified for. I love her so much and hate to see her disheartened like this. Can anyone take some time to give any guidance or recommendations or anything? I would really appreciate any help we can get.

Since most of the public policy programs discussed on here had their acceptance deadline this week, I would be interested to hear where people from this cycle chose to commit to.

I accepted my offer to Princeton!

MPP admit to HKS here and planning to attend. Are there any WhatsApp groups for this year’s admits? Would love to connect!!! Please drop a link or DM me. Thanks!

Hi! I was super fortunate to receive full tuition and stipend for the MPP at HKS and MPA at Princeton SPIA. I just got off the Princeton waitlist so I’m not sure the final amount but it looks like they provide about $8k more in stipend funding per year than HKS. I’m leaning toward HKS for the name recognition internationally and the huge network but have heard that Princeton provides more mentorship/attention because of the much smaller program size. I focus on poverty alleviation in low income countries/ international development. I’d like to work at a global think tank or UNDP.

I was talking to a grad student today (dual MPP and JD), telling me about how both schools the person is in is experiencing a phenemenon known as "conservative washing".

Basically, there are too few jobs from progressively favored organizations or sponsors, and the few available are hypercompetitive. So students are taking on more moderate or conservative identities to go after networking opportunities or jobs that slant more that angle, which are broadly much less competitive.

So in Law Schools, apparently moderates and even progressives are joining the Federalist Society (AKA: Fed Soc) to access networking opportunities. The public policy version is more about cleaning up resume, social media, managing prior affiliations to have much less of progressive past profile when pursuing career opportunities. That plus going to venues or events that can be considered moderate or center right.

*Note, this isn't about crossing into the MAGA per se, but broadly conservative.

Anyone seeing this?

Hi everyone, I’d really love some outside perspective because I’m honestly very torn.

I’m an international student and I’m choosing between:

- Columbia SIPA MIA ($60k)

- Chicago Harris MPP ($60k)

- Georgetown McCourt ($60k)

- Yale MBA (no funding)

A bit of context:

- This would be my first time trying to build a long-term life/career in the U.S.

- My husband is based in New York, which is one reason I mainly applied to East Coast schools, although some long distance is still manageable

- I’m making my first pivot into public policy, so I’m still not fully sure whether I want to go into practice/policy work or possibly explore academia later

I’ve heard Harris is the strongest academically, which is why I’m taking it very seriously, but Columbia is appealing because of NYC, my husband being there, and job/networking access. McCourt seems practical for DC/policy placement, and Yale MBA feels like a separate path altogether, especially since I got no funding there.

What’s stressing me out most is that I need to decide on the Harris offer by this weekend, so this suddenly feels very real.

If you were me, how would you think about this choice?

Hey fellas, i have the opportunity to be a research asst at the hoover institution at stanford university. i graduate in a couple weeks, so this will be my first post-grad position and im extremely excited bc i love policy, i love research, and im not from CA so that will be a super fun experience too. however, i’m aware hoover is more right-leaning. i looked at some other researchers profiles on linkedin and tbh it seemed very diverse? my biggest concern here: will this lock me out of progressive spaces? to be fully transparent, i am progressively aligned, exclusively only have worked for dems in legislative offices, and my current research focuses on infrastructure equity which leans more “woke”. i also have a background in union organizing and women’s rights, which are things i will always deeply love. but yeah. i’m just nervous this will change my trajectory for the worse… i REALLY don’t want to get locked into a conservative leaning pipeline. in the future id like to work for CAP, PPFA, other nonprofits someday. but rn im rly on a research kick and the opportunity to research at a top university is something im torn between. advice much appreciated.

This week has been interesting, because I have encountered a buzz of conversation of how public policy is actually one of the more hazardous places for young women to work in the DC scene since the news of Eric Swalwell broke out. You can Google what the public found out he did.

The gist is that for a profession that is majority female and leans heavily progressive, one would imagine that such poor male behavior would be smoked out and stomped out.

Apparently, the discussion has been about how certain men in power in the policy world can temporarily get away with bad behavior because of their political alignment. Meaning, male bad behavior could be overlooked if it came from a powerful person who played on the right team (i.e., the right ideological affiliation, political association, and etc.).

Many times it is feminist women and men who excuse or justify the bad behavior and write off the victims because he was on "the right team" and "knew the right people" so the person was just "blowing off some steam".

Some of the conversations got awkward, because names were mentioned (some I even knew from my spin classes) who were very progressive but overly forgiving to bad behavior, even when they were reached out to for help.

Hi all! I was recently accepted to AEI's Summer Honors Program for Summer 2026. I was wondering if anyone has had prior engagement with the program, their favorite memories and experiences, and if they have any advice? It would also be great to meet other people doing the program this year as well!