\
  The most prestigious grad school admissions discussion board in the world.
BackRefresh Options Favorite

Need advice on chances of getting into top MPP programs

Need advice on chances of getting into top MPP programs
Motley avocado ratface coffee pot
  12/21/09
Princeton and Harvard are out. Georgetown ain't looking goo...
twisted rambunctious selfie trump supporter
  12/21/09
Thanks! I thought Columbia was as competitive as Georgetown ...
Motley avocado ratface coffee pot
  12/21/09
Somebody posted the official CU stats a year or two ago on t...
twisted rambunctious selfie trump supporter
  12/22/09
Thanks! That's a big help. I'll try to take a couple of clas...
Motley avocado ratface coffee pot
  12/22/09
you might want to skip applying to GW. It is basically pissi...
Useless Codepig
  12/27/09


Poast new message in this thread



Reply Favorite

Date: December 21st, 2009 4:14 PM
Author: Motley avocado ratface coffee pot
Subject: Need advice on chances of getting into top MPP programs

I'm planning on applying to Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, and George Washington but I'm really concerned about my chances of getting in because of my grades. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a 3.4 GPA but I had transferred in as a junior from a community college, where I had bad grades my first year but then virtually all A's after and ended up with a 3.8 GPA. At Berkeley, I started out strong with mostly A's and a couple of B's but my senior year I had mixed A's and B's and an Incomplete, a Not Pass, and 1 C. I'm worried about how those 3 grades, as well as a not so strong finish and the fact that my first couple of years were at a community college will affect my chances of getting into top schools. Also, I've only taken practice GRE's so far but I've done really well (high 600s - low 700s) and I have 2 years of work experience on campaigns. Thanks for the advice!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13613720)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 21st, 2009 7:19 PM
Author: twisted rambunctious selfie trump supporter

Princeton and Harvard are out. Georgetown ain't looking good either.

If you have a pulse, you're into Columbia.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13615058)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 21st, 2009 7:54 PM
Author: Motley avocado ratface coffee pot

Thanks! I thought Columbia was as competitive as Georgetown though.

I was also thinking of taking a couple of classes (either upper division undergrad political science courses or trying to take a few grad courses without being enrolled in a degree program) to show that I can do well and try to make up for some of the bad grades I had. Do you think that would make up for it or do you think it's a lost cause?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13615423)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 22nd, 2009 10:54 PM
Author: twisted rambunctious selfie trump supporter

Somebody posted the official CU stats a year or two ago on this board, and Columbia's admit rate was a whopping 70%. SIPA is a cash cow for them. You get in with no aid, and borrow about 100k.

If you take 2-4 quant courses and do well (above a B+), Georgetown will give you a second look. You might make the waitlist at Kennedy. But Princeton only takes 5-7% of their applicants, so it's a waste of time applying unless you are basically phi beta kappa with killer recs, very high scores (1450+) and internships.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13627204)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 22nd, 2009 11:41 PM
Author: Motley avocado ratface coffee pot

Thanks! That's a big help. I'll try to take a couple of classes to get my grades up.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13627747)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 27th, 2009 11:39 AM
Author: Useless Codepig

you might want to skip applying to GW. It is basically pissing money down the drain. I'd say if you're pro-active and take advantage of being in DC, GW can work for you, but given the economy and the influx of people looking for work, I am not even sure it would matter how active you were.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1170838&forum_id=3#13656639)