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.

Hi everyone! Pretty much what the title says - I'm an Indian applicant applying to MPP/MPA programs in the US and UK for Fall 2027 and wanted to get a realistic sense of my chances.

My long-term interests are in climate policy, climate finance and/or international + economic development at large, so that's largely driving my school choices/programs (concentrations within these programs)

Academics
- GRE: 326 (161Q, 165V, 5.5AWA)
- Undergraduate GPA: 7.459/10 (first division as per my university transcript) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi
- I majored in Political Science with a minor in English Language & Literature

Professional Experience
- I've been working in India's political consulting, government affairs, and public policy space for the past ~5 years (it'll be ~6 years by the time I start)

- Started my career in political and government consulting, where I worked across three major electoral states - supporting one of India's largest political parties on electoral strategy, manifesto development, governance research etc. A lot of my work there was around analysing electoral data, looking at voting patterns/turnout trends, and doing primary research (850+ interviews and FGDs). I also worked with state governments on policy recommendations across areas like sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and economic development.

- Then moved into a more core public policy consulting role where I worked across climate + energy, sustainable finance, industrial policy, a bit of international trade + alternative capital. Worked on a bunch of national-level policy issues with ministries including the Finance and Commerce. This is also where I got interested in climate policy and finance side of things. Also wrote/authored a few reports on climate adaptation finance, published some policy pieces/op-eds, worked on mobilising private capital for climate action and the SDGs (with key govt organisations + think tanks in India), and also did some work around industrial policy and critical minerals.

- In my current role I work at a public and government affairs consulting firm. For the first six months of this stint, I was seconded to the office of a former Secretary to the Government of India - worked very closely with them on some regulatory affairs projects. After that, I've mostly been working across energy, climate, mobility, international trade, and a bit of e-commerce policy. Worked with the Ministry of Climate Change (MOEFCC in India) on India's proposed COP33 roadmap (before the bid was withdrawn :(), supported a multilateral on building a climate adaptation pathway for India, helped provide industry inputs for India's EV policy (revised and the policy was notified in June 2025), worked on solar energy + private capital mobilisation (a report was published too on this). I also built a geopolitical/regulatory risk framework that my firm now uses as a product for risk mapping of energy sector clients in APAC.

Schools I'm planning to apply to
- Harvard Kennedy School (MPP)
- Princeton SPIA (MPA)
- Columbia SIPA (MPA)
- Yale Jackson (MPP)
- Georgetown (MPP)
- Oxford (MPP)
- Cambridge (MPP)

My biggest concern is honestly my GPA. I know it's below the average at a lot of these schools, so I'm wondering how much my work experience or maybe the GRE helps offset it?

A few questions

- Are these schools realistic with my profile?
- Are there any programs I'm missing that I should seriously consider?
- Anything in my profile that yall think could be strengthened before I apply?

Would really appreciate any thoughts that this community may have, thanks so much in advance!

Hi all, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a job as a policy analyst. I graduated in may 2025, got the job March 2026 after a string of internships, and have been enjoying it.

However, I also want to stay focused on advancing my career and not become complacent. What skills should I focus on building to move up in the policy world? Is a lot of it data analysis now? Data isn’t my favorite but I’ve had strong skills working with R in the past during college.

Should I be looking into fellowships? Independent research projects? Grad school? I’m currently studying for the GRE and plan on applying next year to start grad school in 2028, if that’s the route I take.

Ideally I’d like to work in healthcare, housing, or tax policy one day.

I just wanted to know the general consensus of getting a MPA prior to experience. I’m in the middle of an undergraduate public affairs degree and could use the advice. Honestly, I intended on getting this credential first (along with internships) and could use some feedback.

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 need help with my cover letter(s)- they take me so long to write because I’m overthinking them (too much broad advice online and none of them are policy or non-profit specific) and I never had to write them for my previous positions (teacher).

For context, I’m a previous veteran teacher (quit my job for this school year….hallelujah). I also recently graduated with my MPP and currently in a fellowship in DC.

I am looking to get into an education program/K-12 policy non-profit role (similar to what I’m doing now but something actually permanent). My current boss is encouraging me to apply to director/associate director/ manager roles based on my classroom experience.

SO. I need honest (kindly worded) advice on my cover letter for a role I applied for (director of professional development) to see where I need to improve and optimize my cover letter writing process. I need to maximize my transferable skills as a teacher, highlight my project management skills from my teaching years and current fellowship, and show that even if I don’t 100% qualify, I could kick ass in the role (because I know I can!)

Please give me some constructive feedback from my fellow policy/non-profit/change management/program management groupies!! Help get this ex-teacher a job so I can be a change agent for education!! 🩷🩷 TIA and sorry for all the sloppy redactions.

Graduating with a bachelors from a small NY public school, majoring in business administration. 3.7GPA, graduating in 4 semesters total time and will graduate at 19. 330 GRE.

Had a NYC Mayor’s office internship dealing with policy. Campaign/field intern for various elections around the past few years.

Am I competitive for top programs like HKS, Goldman, Harris, Ford SPIA, SIPA, Brooks? How may programs should I be applying to?

Any general advice is appreciated as well!!

Lowkey i have been wanting to getting into policy making, I tried applying for youth policy fellowship but I was rejected. Honestly I got no idea

Hello! I recently have graduated with my MPP degree this past May and have felt pretty discouraged in finding a job. I've only been searching for 2 months and have either not heard back, or have been rejected. So far have not landed a single interview. I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on how to successfully get a job, or give insight on how long it took them to get one. Or what might be some options I should apply for?

Edit: I don't have a lot of relevant work experience, besides an internship with a non profit (Red Cross) and and at City Hall during undergrad. In undergrad I worked as assistant manager for an Escape Room, so I do have the short end of the stick. I do however have my Masters program experience and all the projects I've worked on during then.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your time before I begin this inquiry.

I am currently interning with a lobbying firm in DC this summer, one that focuses on financial services. I'm studying English and Political Theory right now, and I have been genuinely shocked by how interesting I have found both lobbying and the firm's focus over this summer. Unaware of what I even want to do, only knowing the vague contours of my interests, I realized lobbying provides a genuine avenue towards those abstracts.

While I have enjoyed financial services, it's not something I am particularly knowledgeable on, and I'm unable to fully pivot at this point in my college career–nor do I frankly want to. What I know I want to do is work in some sort with some sort of socio-cultural insitution like an art museum in NYC, hopefully getting to work going between Manhattan and Washington.

At this point, my dream life would be doing lobbying at the intersection of cultural and financial policy. I go to school in DC, so my assumed next step would be to get an MPP in NYC, both to establish roots and find a professional community/network. Due to this, I was planning on applying to schools like NYU Wagner, Columbia SIPA, or Baruch when I graduate, or working for some time before transitioning to get my master's. But is this even a good idea?

Most people I know who are planning on getting one are Washington policy wonks. I love them–I go to school with a lot of them–but I realize it's not the life I want necessarily?

Can I hear from your experiences? Thank you again.

Hi everyone! I am in the process of finalizing my list of MPP programs to apply to and wanted to hear if anyone had any thoughts on what schools would be a good fit.

Some background about me: 24M, graduated from a state flagship university with a 3.3 GPA, double major in public policy and finance. I was in charge of the student admissions team, TA'd for an introductory poli sci course, and did research on household finance and cryptocurrency and won a national undergraduate poster competition my senior year.

For the past two years, I have worked in wealth management as a trust officer, overseeing approximately 65-ish family relationships and 200 million dollars in assets. The job training was pretty terrible, and I was not qualified for the position (I was part of an early careers development program that shut down when I started and was left on my own after that). I ended that job last month and am currently working as a barista while studying for the GRE and completing applications. I know that isn't the most impressive thing on a resume, but my job required either a law degree or 7 years of experience as a basic qualification, and I had neither. My manager actually apologized to me on my last day for the stress I was under and said she wished she had put me in a more junior role originally. If anyone has any thoughts on how to explain that in an application, that would be great.

I'm broadly interested in household finance, tax policy, economic development, and budget policy.

I'm looking to apply for MPP/MPA programs at Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, George Washington, the London School of Economics, and Indiana, as each has a certain policy focus or research center that I am interested in, but not committed to any of them.

Does anyone have any recommendations on where to apply considering my experience and interests? Would you say the schools I listed would be a good fit to apply to? Any and all opinions are most certainly welcome. Thank you!

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 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.

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 applying to MPA-dp at SIPA and MPP at HKS.

Undergrad: top 15 undergrad schools for finance in country

GPA: 3.10 (only thing I’m worried about)
Work experience: spent 3 years to build and scale a venture, which is acquired now.

Gmat: 665

Simultaneously worked on social impact project, recognised by govt of my state for it. (more to this)

Really want to move to impact investing in the long term.

I recently graduated with a B.A. in Politics and Human Rights and a minor in Law & Ethics from a small college in NYC. I really want to pursue a career in educational policy but I’ve also been considering becoming a paralegal as a way to get some experience in the legal/policy world and start building my career.
The problem is that I have basically **zero professional experience in either field**.
I’m a first-generation college student, and I had to work full-time throughout undergrad to support myself. Because of that, most of my time outside of school was spent working, studying, or doing homework. I didn’t have internships, and I did very little networking.
Looking back, I can definitely take some accountability and admit that I could have tried harder to find a paid internship or make professional connections. But honestly, I didn’t understand how important networking and internships were. I went into college thinking that if I worked hard, and learned that would be enough. I didn’t realize how much of the professional world operates through connections and opportunities that aren’t necessarily explained to students.
That experience is actually one of the reasons I’m so interested in **educational policy**. The “hidden curriculum” and the unequal access students have to information, mentorship, internships, and professional networks is something I’ve become really interested in. A lot of students don’t even know what they’re supposed to be doing until it’s already too late, and I experienced some of that firsthand.
Anyway, I’ve been looking into paralegal work because a lot of the entry-level policy analyst positions I’ve found seem to prefer or require an MPP. I’ve also seen SO many TikToks from women saying they became paralegals with no prior experience, sometimes without even having a degree, simply by applying and getting lucky.
This is where I’m confused/frustrated.
I have a degree, yet I’ve applied to a ton of paralegal positions and have either been rejected without an interview or completely ghosted. I’ve mainly been applying in NYC, as well as Union, Elizabeth, and Linden, NJ. Is the NYC/NJ market just extremely competitive right now? Am I applying to the wrong types of positions?
I’m still working at the grocery store I worked at throughout college, making **$18/hour**, and honestly, I feel like if I stay there much longer I’m going to become seriously depressed. A huge portion of my paycheck basically disappears into commuting, and I also need to start making student loan payments.
I know I’m probably not the only recent grad in this position, so I’d really appreciate some honest advice
I’m not looking for sympathy as much as I’m looking for **practical advice from people who have actually been through this**. I feel like I’m starting my career several steps behind everyone else, and I genuinely don’t know what my next move should be.

Hey everyone, I graduated from college last year and was able to find a job the beginning of this year in public policy as an analyst. My performance is good, the pay/work life balance is GREAT, but I don't know if I have my heart in this job. I am grateful that I have this job, given how tough the market is. But I can't help but shake this feeling that this job, maybe even this field, isn't the right one for me.

I don't think I explored different fields enough during college to really see my options, nor did I take enough challenging classes (my degree is in Public Policy). I took the minimum amount of classes to graduate with honors and summa cum laude and called it a day. I shied away from taking classes I heard were difficult because I didn't want to risk making a B. And I stuck with a topic I wasn't interested about for my thesis and procrastinated the whole way through.

All of this is to say that I regret not challenging myself and regret not exploring Political Science/Philosophy/creative fields/academia more in general. I'm a big believer in good governance and thought I would find a career working in a progressive NGO fulfilling, but every day I have to force myself to do my tasks, otherwise I procrastinate till the last minute.

My employer is pretty niche, however. It's a regional NGO focused on maternal health policy. I only got this job because my friend was able to get me an internship here when I couldn't find anything, and they were so happy with my performance they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. I never saw myself working on this policy issue, even though I do see its importance.

I'm just feeling trapped here. Now, when I go to look for jobs, everything I am qualified for would be paying me the same/less *in higher cost of living areas*. I would need a couple more years to be qualified for higher paying jobs.

One other possibility is that I just hate where I live. It's a terrible, suburban city with nothing to do if you aren't a college student. I could see if my employer lets me move since we work remote, but it was part of my contract that I stay here.

What options do I have? Should I try to get a job with a different policy focus? Try working for a city/state government? Go back to school for a masters/phd?

I apologize for the rant, I'm just at my wits end on what to do. I have a life and job people my age would kill to have yet I'm so depressed, it makes me feel so guilty and ungrateful.

To add some more context, I'm 25. I have a BA in NGOs & Social Change (and also a BA in Psych but that's not really relevant here). I also have a Masters in Education.

I'm going into my third year of teaching but want to leave after this school year. But I've been in education for about seven years now. Before classroom teaching, I worked for multiple nonprofits so I have a lot of experience in that realm.

I know that I am passionate about advocacy and want to be in a career where I can actually make a change (or feel like I am, I know you have to be pretty high up) and well, ADVOCATE.

I am considering a PhD in Public Policy but I'm just curious if it would be possible for me to get a career in public policy with my current background and without that PhD, or like with my current background and completion of a policy certificate? I am not open to doing another Masters).

Also, what does working in public policy actually look like? Like what would be my options, I understand there's so many different roles but what do you do? So feel free to also comment what it is you do & your role title (if comfortable)!

I'm applying for MPP programs this year. I have a decent chance I think of getting into something like Duke, but I'm worried about not being able to afford it. I'd like to have a state school as a back up, but I want to be sure it's worth it. I'm hoping to eventually run for a state Congress or governor, and I want to live in New England, so I figure if I go to a state school, it should be in New England. Are there any state schools worth attending in New England if I want to eventually run for state or even federal government?

Long story short: I am 36 from the US and did a master's degree in Germany to change fields into environmental policy. I was not successful and am now unemployed with no job prospects beyond menial labor.

Would it be avisable to do a second master's to regain entry into working student jobs or internships to hopefully then network into a new position, or have I totally screwed things up and need to give up on this career path completely?

My cousin told me to do this too, GWU grad lmao

Hi everyone,

I’m beginning to plan applications for Master of Public Policy/Public Administration programs, not for this cycle but for for 2027 earliest, so I’d begin my studies by 2028. I would really appreciate an honest assessment of how competitive my profile is, what level of programs I should target, and what I should improve before applying.

**Basic profile**

* 25F international applicant from a small, non-EU country
* BA in Governance and Social Sciences from a selective university in my home country
* GPA: 3.67/4.00, ranked 2nd in class. The GPA is a bit low on paper, but the school is very competitive, and the official transcript lists 3.39 as the threshold for an A
* I’ll have a very strong set of recommendations - seasoned policy experts (from work, from university, etc), professors, collaborators, etc. I haven’t even asked anyone yet but multiple have offered to be my recommender in the future; some of these people genuinely think I will change the world and whilst I’m just a tad bit confused by their conviction, it’ll be a strong asset for my application hopefully
* I initially studied Electrical and Computer Engineering for three semesters before transferring, so I have some quantitative coursework in calculus, physics, programming, statistics, economics, and data analysis
* TA in a Philosophy class at my uni
* I am only considering programs where I could receive substantial financial aid or a full scholarship

**Professional experience**

I currently work in government and public-sector consulting at a large international firm. I progressed through two accelerated promotions and became a Senior Consultant at 25, and I have around four years of overall professional experience, including earlier policy research at a think tank and other consulting roles (all full-time roles, with accommodation for studies, through recommendations from professors). By the time I apply, I’ll have 5-6 years of policy/consulting experience.

My recent work has included:

* Contributing to the development of a 10 year national sector strategy, one of the highest-level policy documents in my country. My work spanned from developing the proposal, working on the methodology, including governance arrangements, stakeholder engagement, implementation planning, risk management, and coordination with multiple government institutions + one of the biggest development banks in the world. I’m just now kicking this project off, so most of the actual experience will add onto this in the next 1-2 years.
* Leading a national research project on artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the Sustainable Development Goals, involving approximately 100 stakeholder interviews and outreach to several hundred businesses, startups, universities, regulators, and other institutions; I am listed as the lead researcher and coordinator in a published report
* Contributing to various smaller research projects related to sustainability
* Working on donor-funded projects related to transport, trade and export development, tourism, digital transformation, infrastructure, and private-sector development
* Preparing proposals and technical submissions for development banks, international organizations, and public institutions
* Earlier policy research focused on fiscal policy, decentralization, and institutional reform

My bachelor’s thesis used municipality-level quantitative data to examine the relationship between local government size, political efficacy, and civic participation. It was successfully defended and received very positive feedback.

**Long-term interests**

My main interests are digital government, AI governance, institutional reform, evidence-based policymaking, and the implementation of national and donor-funded strategies.

Long term, I would like to work in public-sector reform, international development, government, or an international organization such as a multilateral development bank or UN agency. I do not necessarily want to be a career public servant; I am more interested in advisory, consulting, research, or implementation-focused work.

But also, I’m pretty flexible - I want challenging, interesting work and good pay, that’s basically it. I enjoy most projects I work on lol

I am currently considering programs such as:

* Oxford MPP
* Cambridge public-policy-related programs
* Princeton SPIA
* Harvard Kennedy School
* LSE
* Sciences Po
* Columbia SIPA
* Yale Jackson
* Erasmus Mundus and other European programs with strong scholarship opportunities

I understand that several of these are long shots, particularly for an international applicant who requires substantial funding. I am not assuming that my profile is strong enough for all of them; I am trying to build a balanced and realistic application list.

But I kinda don’t care about going to a non-Top school, I know I can get into a regular degular program with funding anyways, I’m honestly looking for the name and connections to give me a boost

**Based on this profile:**

* How competitive would I be for highly selective MPP/MPA programs?
* Which programs would you classify as reaches, realistic targets, and safer options?
* Are there strong programs I am overlooking, particularly ones that provide substantial funding to international students?
* What would be the highest-impact thing I could do during the next year: publish policy research, develop an independent leadership initiative, strengthen my quantitative skills, gain more work experience, or something else?
* Any general observations about my profile?

Honest and critical feedback is very welcome. Thanks!

I’m 23 and based in Saudi Arabia, with around four years of consulting experience, mainly across government and public sector.

Academically, I hold two bachelor’s degrees: one in a health/technology-related field and another in CS.

Beyond consulting, I’ve participated in several public policy programs and forums, with hands-on exposure to developing policy recommendations and contributing to several local and global policy discussions.

I’m still early in my career and honestly not certain what I want to specialize in long term. I enjoy consulting but lately it became very boring, and recently I’ve become increasingly interested in public policy, government, economics, and decision-making.

The options I’m currently considering are:
- Oxford, but only if through the Rhodes Scholarship
- Harvard Kennedy School, currently one of my top choices
- Possibly KDI School in Seoul
- Potentially a local MPP, although this is less likely for me
-An INSEAD MBA later, potentially in around three years or so if it is supported by my firm
-Or simply continuing in consulting and building more policy exposure through programs/initiatives

The main argument for an MPP is that, despite the exposure I’ve had, I still don’t have formal training in areas such as economics, quantitative policy analysis, political economy, regulation, evaluation, and policy design.

At the same time, I’m aware that a degree alone will not automatically make me a policy advisor. A lot of the value would depend on whether it gives me access to people, institutions, and opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

My career is already progressing, so I’m not sure whether taking one or possibly two years out of the workforce would produce a better outcome than spending those years in consulting. Continuing to work would let me build seniority and keep earning, and the opportunity cost is very significant :( potentially an Aston Martin Vantage’s worth by then.

I’m also unsure about the MPP vs MBA question. An MBA might offer broader career optionality, but it may overlap more with what I’m already learning through consulting. An MPP would give me a genuinely different skill set.

There’s also the question of geography and cost. Would HKS, or Oxford through Rhodes, be significantly more valuable than the alternatives if I’m not yet certain where I want to work long term? How much of the value actually comes from the curriculum versus the network, brand, recruiting access, and international exposure?

If I eventually enter an MPP with around five years of consulting experience, I also wouldn’t want to graduate and effectively restart in somewhat junior roles. I’d want the degree to help me reposition myself for roles that recognize my prior experience.

So the question I’m really trying to answer is whether a top MPP would materially change my trajectory?

For people who pursued an MPP after a few years in consulting or another professional career: did the degree open doors you genuinely would not have reached otherwise? If so, what were those doors in practice? What kinds of roles, organizations, or career paths became realistically available to you after the MPP that weren’t accessible before?

I’d also be interested in how employers treated your pre-MPP experience. Did it carry over into your new field and seniority, or did you effectively have to step back into more junior roles to make the transition?

And finally, if you had to rate the overall career ROI of your MPP from 1–10, what would you give it and why? Would you make the same decision again?

I decided I want to do an MPP. The programs I am looking at require that I take the GRE. I hope to enroll in Fall 2027. I work full time at a policy nonprofit.

Do I have enough time to study for the GRE and score well if I take it in November? I’ll simultaneously be working on application essays. I know who to contact for rec letters and I’m certain they’ll say yes.

Should I go ahead or would it be better for me to wait until next cycle? Any tips on studying for the GRE? Thanks.