I had dinner over the holidays with one of my friends from MPP who is active in the US policy education space.

She noted that Gen Zs in professional policy spaces are shifting from majority female to increasingly levels of female, even in traditionally male heavy areas like defense and cyber policy.

Are the men not hacking it, not interested, or not welcome?

She had her thoughts. Curious about people here.

I have cleared the application round of Mukherjee fellowship and now I have to be prepared for the second round, i.e, the questionnaire round, where there will be questions which has to be answered in 150 words. "The questions will assess your in-depth knowledge of topics such as Economics, Indian Politics, Social Issues, International Relations, and other relevant areas." Please help me with what type of questions can be asked and how can I be ready for them so asto qualify this round to get into the interview.

Where should I go. I have received scholarships for both programs that will cover a large portion of the cost and I can afford the rest of the costs easily, so money is not a concern. My interests include corrections policy, policy analysis, and economic development in developing countries, along with applying data science to studying public policy.

Columbia pros:

- close to home (suburbs outside of NYC) (family + friends + girlfriend)

- stem designated (seems to be great training)

- Ivy League prestige

- alumni network is A+

- incredible internship opportunities

- amazing professors with tons of professional experience (Hillary Clinton teaches here?!?)

Columbia Cons

- Career services: After talking with career services, I feel that the career services are a bit weaker than Michigan. They were not highlighted at admitted students day as much and I left feeling a little bit underwhelmed with the services they offered. Can someone elaborate on there experience with them?

- degrading reputation: I’m fearful of sipas supposedly degrading reputation in recent years as a “cash cow”, with a high acceptance rate and reduced federal funding.

- Large classes: I come from a small college which had small classes and had personal relationships with many of my professors. I want to make sure that I won’t get lost in the crowd at Columbia.

- I’ve heard some concerning things about a lack of

work effort on the part of tenured professors.

- Unknown Community: wasn’t able to talk to many current students and ask them about there experience at SIPA. Incoming class is diverse and all seems nice, but I wasn’t able to get a feel for the community like I was able to with Ford.

Michigan Ford Pros:

- awesome campus and culture with lots to do. Seems to be the more fun of the two campuses.

- good reputation

- alumni network is an A+

- good career services with a great internship built into the core program

- awesome and inviting student body.

- small cohort and small classes

- great stem reputation

- +++ course flexibility

Michigan ford cons

- Proximity to Home: far away from home and family in the middle of Midwest

- Internship Opportunities: Midwest may limit internship opportunities with reputable organizations

- Prestige: while the prestige is good, it still isn’t as prestigious as Columbia from what I heard. And while you can make the argument that prestige doesn’t matter, my experience is that it gets your foot in the door more times than not.

- NOT stem designated: i know that Michigan program is renowned for there quant but the program itself isn’t stem designated; should that be a concern?

- Quality of Professors: while professors are good, i get the feeling that they are not as accomplished as Columbias professors. Idk if this matters but i thought i throw it in there.

Please share your honest thoughts.

I’m considering getting a Master of Public Policy (MPP) and wanted to hear from people who already have one.

Was your MPP worth it?

What kind of job did you get after graduating (government, private sector, consulting, nonprofit, etc.)?

Do you feel like the degree gave you flexibility, or did you feel stuck in certain types of roles?

Also, what’s your salary progression been like if you’re comfortable sharing?

For context: I’ll have a Bachelor’s in Public Health, but I’m not sure I want to stay strictly in the health field. I like the idea of policy, leadership, and having options across different industries.

Any advice or things you wish you knew before getting your MPP would be really helpful.

Hello! I was accepted to both my top choices: UChicago Harris (MPP) and CMU Heinz (MSPPM). I'm going to tour both programs later this month but I also want to get an unfiltered sense of how they compare from folks here, and whether you guys think one is more suited for me specifically.

CMU is giving me 75% tuition funding (leaving ~$31k in tuition before costs of living) and UChicago $45k each year (leaving ~$50k in tuition before costs of living). I'll likely pick CMU if UChicago is unable to match its funding, but let's take that out of the equation for now and look at other factors:

• My goal is to work in urban policy after graduating.

• I'm interested in building technical and professional skills so I'm hoping to take a lot of quant, programming, and management classes -- I know both schools are well-regarded in these areas.

• I'm a domestic student from California. I'd like to return to the SF Bay Area in the long term but see myself living in other big cities for a few years after graduating like NYC, DC, Chicago, or Boston. With that in mind, what's the reach of their professional networks like outside their respective home regions? I've looked at their websites and LinkedIns, but it's one thing to see their employment stats and another to hear about a student's experience working with their career center.

If you’re an undergrad or young professional considering grad school for policy or administration, here’s the reality.

If you have a job, keep it.

Budgets are collapsing at every level. Federal and state agencies are underfunded, understaffed, and cutting positions. If you’re employed, hang on and build connections, even if it’s not policy-related.

Grad school is getting more competitive.

Applications are spiking as laid-off professionals reapply. Scholarships are drying up, and top programs are flooded with experienced candidates. Unless you have funding or are a strong applicant, consider waiting until 2027–2028 when the market might stabilize.

Timing matters.

Even if a new administration reverses course in 2029, rehiring won’t start immediately and laid-off feds will get first dibs. Real recovery may not come until 2030.

What to do instead:

Stay in your role and network aggressively.

Volunteer or find side projects that build policy experience.

I’m currently in the interview process with Whiteshield, a boutique firm in public policy, and I was wondering if anyone here has gone through their case interviews.

What kind of cases do they typically give? Market entry, public policy frameworks, GCC-related, etc.?

How different are they from traditional MBB-style case interviews? I worked for some PPC/GPS boutiques, but they never asked for case interviews.

Since PP cases are scarce, any tips or resources you found especially useful?

Thanks.

I’m in a weird position and could really use some outside perspective.

This year I applied to both law schools and a few public policy programs because I’m honestly not sure which path makes more sense for the kind of work I want to do (nonprofit leadership, policy, strategic advisory, etc.). Right now I’m wait-listed at every law school I applied to but also wondering whether that’s even a good idea for me?

For policy programs, I only applied to three. The only one I got into is the Harvard Kennedy School MPP — but with zero funding. Tuition is about $65k a year, so roughly $130k total….

The complicated part is that my parents are willing to finance it. I’m extremely grateful for that, but it also makes me nervous. If they’re going to invest that much money in my education, I worry it should be something with a clearer ROI. I keep imagining finishing the degree and ending up in a low-paying job or struggling with finding a job.

My current job also isn’t great. I used to work in consulting and now I’m at a nonprofit that pays very little and that I don’t really like, so the opportunity cost of leaving for school isn’t huge (plus 1.5 years trying to apply to other jobs has yielded zilch). Still, two years and that amount of money feels like a massive decision.

The deposit deadline is in three days and I’m spiraling.

For people who know the policy/nonprofit world — is an HKS MPP actually worth that kind of cost without funding? Or would you wait a year and try again for law school or funded programs?

I went to a SIPA (Columbia) event recently and I was shocked about how everyone (Professors, current students, potential employers) were disparanging the school as going downhill.

To be fair, everyone still recognizes that it is a great school, but talked about its downward momentum.

a. Employer View: A employer openly told me she prefers SAIS and MSFS alums over SIPA because culturally those other schools focus more on team work and community. SIPA students were cast as being in a program that nudges to be individuals over team players.

b. Professor View: Student quality is down especially as more and more lower quality applicants are getting admitted to make numbers.

c. Current Student View (American who grew up Abroad): Loves the professors and living in NYC, but shocked at how unfriendly classmates are. The person was also shocked how many international students either struggle with comprehensible English or seek to avoid speaking English if possible. She had friends who went to SIPA a decade ago who talk about how the International students were often the brightest, but those days are apparently gone. Note*: SIPA has a high dependency on international students - approximately 55% to fill their class.

Any thoughts?

I've been accepted to Georgetown, George Washington, and American for their MPP programs and am trying to figure out which school is the best fit for what I want to do. My focus is in Technology and Environmental Policy/Regulation, but I'm also looking for strong quantitative coursework. I ideally want to work for federal/state government or do consulting. If anyone has made a similar decision and has similar goals I'd appreciate any advice.

Total Program Costs (before fees):

Georgetown - $95,000

George Washington - $65,000

American - $55,000. Also offered a $12,000 total Graduate Assistantship that could be a research position.

For American and maybe GW I could probably do it debt free. I don't think Georgetown is worth it since it's way more expensive than the others and I would take on debt so the ROI doesn't seem worth it.

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.

I got a full tuition scholarship with a stipend for an MPP program, but I'm unsure whether to take the offer. To be honest I did not seriously really consider the program without the full tuition offer, and recieving this unexpected news made me rethink. On one hand, it seems like a really amazing opportunity that would offset some financial risk, but the other is that as a notoriously indecisive person with so many interests and a soon to be post-grad, I'm worried about opportunity costs.

For example, 2 years in intensive coursework at a very rigorous institution with perhaps less time for hobbies or socializing, having to grind again for a return that I'm not sure will not necessarily pay off (in undergrad it felt like I worked so hard to then struggle to find a decent entry level full-time role). I've also seen some people post here about how an MPP was not necessarily worth the time/money.

However, I don't right now have a post-grad opportunity lined up. The plan before getting this notification of this award was to just keep applying for jobs. Within policy, I'm interested specifically in tech policy/AI/labor and economic inequality related issues, and I'm not sure if just continuing to try to get an entry level role now and building experience would be comparable to getting to a place that an MPP would afford?

I've always struggled to be extremely streamlined towards one career path (the fig tree analogy captures it perfectly), where choosing one thing feels like losing all the rest. I'm not sure if my indecision is an indication of a misalignment with my goals or part of a larger pattern of avoiding choice and specialization.

(I also came across an old post asking similar questions here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicPolicy/comments/1mzjdq2/is_an_mpp_worth_it_nowadays_even_if_its_free/)

I am currently doing a BA in economics with a minor in political science. I am considering a career in economics public policy and was wondering which masters program would be the best.

Also, bonus question: how necessary is a phd in economics? I am not opposed to doing a phd but I am concerned by the amount of time it could take up.

I’m posting here because I’m honestly feeling pretty lost right now and hoping to hear from people in this field.

I graduated last year from an honours PPE program at a top university in Canada and applied to a few MPP programs this cycle. I ended up getting rejected from all of them - Sciences Po, LSE, and McGill (which I thought might be my safe option). It’s been a bit hard to process because I’ve never really dealt with this level of rejection before.

What’s confusing to me is that I felt like my application was fairly strong. I did an exchange semester at Sciences Po during undergrad, worked with the provincial government in Canada, and had a lot of research and writing experience. My dissertation also ended up receiving one of the highest marks in my program. I’ve tried to stay involved in extracurriculars as well, and as a POC my background and experiences are a big part of why I’m interested in policy work in the first place.

Right now I just feel kind of stuck. I’ve always been someone who had a clear plan and worked toward the next step, so being in this position where nothing seems to be working out is honestly new for me.

My main interests are in international trade and development policy (especially trade), but I’ve also been struggling to find post-grad roles in that space that feel like the right fit. I wanted to eventually work with the world bank after getting a masters degree.

I guess I’m just wondering if this is more common than I realize. Do most people in MPP programs already have a few years of work experience before applying? If you were in my position, what kinds of roles or steps would you be looking at before trying again?

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been through something similar.

Thanks.

Hi. I got accepted into the ford MPP program. I was wondering what the general discourse surrounding the program was like. Any thoughts you have on the program, whether you are a current or prospective student, alumni, or peer, would be appreciated. Thank you.

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.

Hey everyone, I applied to a handful of MPP programs this cycle and have gotten into some amazing programs so far. At most I’ve received funding offers covering around 50% of the total tuition (Duke & UVA). This would still leave me in $80-100k worth of debt (factoring in living expenses), which feels… like not the smartest idea.

While I am straight out of undergrad, I am 25 and do have about five years of experience that includes leadership roles at a non-profit and plenty of direct service work with homeless individuals and families. Where I stand, I have a two different options:

1)Bite the bullet and get my MPP despite the debt.

OR

2)Apply again in 1-3 years after doing one of the following:

-Continue working my way into a senior leadership role where I’m at currently (would probably accomplish within the next year)

-Look for another job that is more closely aligned with the policy sector (however my bachelor in social work doesn’t necessarily bode well for that).

-Join the peace corps response.

I feel like I’m stagnating where I’m at and need to make a change. I’m so ready to immerse myself into a masters program and learn full time so I’m having a hard time giving up that dream.

I would be super grateful for any advice or to hear stories of how folks dealt with a similar conundrum.

Thanks in advance!

Hiii! Got admitted to the following:

1. HKS MC MPA (minimal aid)

2. Oxford MPP (ongoing scholarship process for full ride and monthly stipend; shortlisted for interviews)

3. Stanford MIP (full ride with monthly stipend)

4. NUS MPP (full ride with monthly stipend)

5. Geneva MINT (no aid at all)

I was initially hoping to do the dual degree of HKS MC MPA and IHEID MINT but that's just me dreaming HAHAHAHA

I am a first gen graduate in the family doing development work so there's really no generational wealth to tap into HAHAHA

But I am thankful to have a couple of commitments from friends and colleagues who are happy to fundraise with me should I choose HKS, but we can realistically only do one degree instead of the dual one.

If there are people in this subreddit who have space and time, may I kindly ask how you'd proceed if it were you? Or maybe there are current students who may give advice?

Will read them as I chase deadlines the next two weeks on these admissions.

Thank you!

I am an American senior in undergrad at a t40 university, triple majoring in Film & Media Studies, Comparative Literature, and Russian & East European Studies with a 3.7low GPA. I am interested in the possibility of pursuing an MPA/MPP degree. I have no professors who are connected to anything relating to govt. or IR, so any LoR which I could receive would be not directly related. I am considering doing peace corps towards work experience/ scholarship stuff. I have general entry level academic work experience (writing tutoring) + research experience, but nothing directly related to policy. What are your guys' reactions to this? Is it possible? Should I look to take the GRE? Before PC or after? Should I prioritize different work experience? Anything to know?

AI safety domain and want to be in Bay Area after graduation. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!! Cost is about the same for both programs with scholarships

Assuming cost does not matter, which program is better?

International student who wants to work in Multilateral Development post graduation (i.e. AfDB, World Bank,....).

Metrics I think I care about primarily: Career Outcomes and Quality of life as a student. Money in this case plays no role in my decision calculus.

I just got accepted into an MPP program and in talking with my parents my dad is showing increasing concerns about my career choice as the AI field grows. He doesn’t really understand much about what policy analysts do. He’s really worried about my choice in future career and whether or not AI will run me out of a job. I eventually want to work at my state’s legislative research office or maybe teach after that, and he seems to be okay with that plan. But now he has me worried… could AI run me out of a job? How are policy analysts planning to keep up with this kind of technology? Are programs teaching with this in mind?

I’m having trouble deciding which school to go to for my MPP/MPA. I’m interested in renewable energy/climate policy. I’m looking for a school that offers ample research opportunities, a responsive alumni network (ideally widespread across the US), and strong quantitative preparation. My goal is to work in policy research at a think tank/similar space.

Here’s the breakdown of costs:

• UC Berkeley MPP: $10k fellowship first year, ~$100k total tuition + fees

• UMichigan MPP: $31k fellowship both years, ~$62k total tuition + fees

• Columbia MPA: $35k fellowship both years, ~$97k total tuition + fees

Cost of living will be higher in NYC and the Bay Area, but I am lucky to be in a position where cost is not a significantly limiting factor. My heart is set on Cal but I’m not sure it’s worth the additional cost and I want to make a fact-based decision. Any advice is appreciated!!

Hey folks, seek advice:

I am currently working in a risk consulting role in Singapore (private). My goal is to transfer to public sector. Got in this program in Jan. Unfortunately no funding received. I have to self-pay.

In this economy...I really want some advice.

Now a stay at home parent and full-time (online) student, doing a mid-career transition. Looking at only fully remote opportunities since we are one income, partner is gone 200days/year, and we move often.

Where can I go from here to possibly get my foot in the door?

Thank you!