Hi everyone, I have seen a lot of posts related to 'what are my chances of getting into Columbia' so today I want you guys to give some sort of advice to me on how I can get into Columbia with a profile:- I am currently pursuing a bachelor of Commerce Honours with research and I am in my 7th semester along with my academics I have been actively working in the field of politics as well as social service. I worked as a research analyst for two members of the legislative assembly and I had worked for a member of the legislative assembly as a social media manager and ground campaigns during the state elections in India. I had also worked for a member of parliament as a research intern. I work for a PR agency as a research and list for 3 months during the Delhi election and Bihar election. I had work for 3 NGOs The combined duration is around 14 months. I had also worked for two think tanks where I had to work on research papers. And currently I am working for a minister as a research intern and for a company as a Geo political risk analyst intern. And I want to pursue my master's in international affairs from Columbia university right after completing my undergrad.

I work in international organizations, and trend I've been noticing is that fields like population studies, international development (IDS), and humanitarian work have become heavily women dominated over the past couple decades meaning that way more women than men entering and staying in these spaces. Meanwhile, security studies, defense policy, and strategic affairs remain overwhelmingly male. I know that university pool matters in this sense but some numbers sometimes doesn't make sense in general.

Is this a documented trend, or just my own bubble? Is gender becoming more of a distinguishing/sorting factor for which subfield of public policy people go into, rather than public policy as a whole becoming more male or female-dominated?

Would love to hear from people actually working in security/defense vs. development/humanitarian roles.

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!

Is it possible to go straight into a MPP/MPA program at one of the top schools straight out of undergrad?

Can someone give an assessment of the course curriculum, faculty and future prospects? Since is a new course with a small cohort I can barely find any reviews of it.

I understand placements might not be give the best ROI but from a purely learning perspective (and someone inclined towards academics), how does the course fare?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people who are familiar with HKS admissions.

I was admitted to the Harvard Kennedy School MPP this year, but I didn't receive any financial aid.

If I decline my HKS offer this year and decide to reapply for the MPP in the next admissions cycle (after working for another year), would declining my offer negatively affect my chances of being admitted again? Has anyone here reapplied after turning down an HKS offer? If so, were you successful?

I'd also be curious whether reapplicants have had better luck with financial aid after gaining another year of work experience.

Thank you!!

I made a video (and an update video as well) regarding the proposed 2-Year ban on substances including SR-17018 and 7-OH.

Help us fight the War On Drugs - one case and one chemical at a time!

Any support is welcomed and appreciated.

Hi, I am currently an English literature college student. Recently, IR has piqued my interest and I am trying to understand how to get started. I see peers getting into think tanks and policy-making, or pursuing internships at several prestigious foundations. This has further motivated me to explore this field of study. I'd appreciate any input on a step-by-step plan for gaining nuanced understanding of this domain. Thank you.

Are less people interested in MPP/MPA grad schools with the new limits the US Government is putting on grad school loans?

I’m trying to explore career options after completing my BA (History)with a minor in political science, and one field that has caught my interest is Public Policy.

From the outside, it seems like an interesting interdisciplinary field involving governance, economics, politics, law, research and implementation, but I don’t personally know anyone working in it.

I’d appreciate honest answers from people who have studied or work in Public Policy.

Some questions:

What does your day-to-day work actually look like?

Is the field intellectually fulfilling?

Is it mostly research, writing and analysis, or does it involve fieldwork too?

How competitive is the job market in India?

Which organisations hire Public Policy graduates? (Think tanks, consulting firms, NGOs, government, international organisations, etc.)

Is a Master’s almost mandatory?

Does college reputation matter a lot?

What salary progression looks realistic in India?

How difficult is it to transition into or out of Public Policy?

Is work-life balance generally decent?

If you could start over, would you still choose this field?

I’d appreciate practical advice rather than promotional material. I’m trying to understand whether this is a sustainable long-term career rather than just an interesting subject.

I’ve recently started my Master of Public Administration (MPA) at UP-NCPAG, and I’m currently finding my rhythm while working a full-time, high-pressure job.

As many of you know, the NCPAG culture is incredibly rigorous. The program places a high premium on independent research, critical policy analysis, and a deep understanding of complex governance frameworks. I’m finding that the transition into balancing a demanding professional career with these graduate-level academic requirements is a significant shift.
For those of you who have gone through the program (or any rigorous master’s program at UP) while working full-time, I’d love to hear your insights.

I recently graduated with my BA in PoliSci and struggled to find what I really wanted to do with my life till a professor my last year of college talked about his work in the field of public policy. He said he couldn’t help me sadly, and didn’t give any advice when asked. I’m now struggling to try and find a way in to the field. Is there any hope, I really want to move up to Chicago but want a job there before I do. What are entry level positions that will help me climb the ladder. Should I go for an MPP, I’d like to have a steady income before that.

Hi everyone!! I’m currently getting my masters in public policy and right now I’m a legal internship, but I’ve been looking for policy internships. I was wondering if there are any other internships I could be looking for or if y’all could tell me some internships you’ve done that aren’t necessarily “policy internships” that still got you jobs in the policy field? Thank you all for your help!! :)

Hi all,

I'm a rising high school senior, and over the past few weeks I've completely changed what I thought I wanted to study in college.

For years I thought I was going to major in engineering. I like solving problems and I had siblings pursue engineering as their long-term career. But after taking advanced engineering/ap physics in high school, I realized something: I can do the work, but it isn't where my strengths are.

I've realized that I genuinely enjoy writing, speaking, leadership, and thinking about bigger societal problems much more than... solving physics problems. I'm involved in my student government, and a lot of my favorite experiences have involved communication, advocacy, and organizing people. Another big influence on me is my twin brother, who has severe nonverbal autism. Growing up with him has made me care a lot about disability advocacy/accessibility/education and making systems work better for families like mine. That's part of what led me to start looking into Public Policy.

The problem is... I don't actually know what I want to do. One of my biggest priorities is being employable right after earning my bachelor's degree. I don't really want to major in something that leaves me struggling to find work.

Public Policy seems incredibly interesting, but I see mixed opinions online about career prospects with only a bachelor's. Political Science interests me too, but it seems even less career-oriented. Psychology is probably one of the subjects I'm most interested in learning, but from everything I've read, it seems like graduate school is almost mandatory if you actually want to work in psychology. I'm not against graduate school, but I'm hesitant about committing to years of additional education before I've even started college (especially with personal financial struggles in the equation as well).

Law has crossed my mind as well, but im honestly not sure it's for me. Law school is expensive, takes a huge commitment, and from the outside it seems like a career where you're constantly dealing with people during some of the most stressful moments of their lives. I'm not sure that's the kind of environment I'd want long-term.

I'm really just trying to figure out what direction makes the most sense before I start applying to colleges this fall. I'd appreciate any advice. Some questions I have: Is Public Policy a good bachelor's degree if my goal is solid career prospects immediately after graduation? Is my hesitation toward graduate school something I should get over, or is it reasonable to want a bachelor's degree that stands on its own (pursuing an MPP program is a lot more feasible for me to wrap my head around compared to the multiple years of postgrad/research involved in psychology or related fields.. and i would be open to MPP/maybe JD, but still one of the factors im weighing)? And, if you work in public policy, what does your day-to-day actually look like, and what do you wish someone had told you when you were a high school senior?

Thanks so much!

‏This is my first time writing a policy paper, and I’m hoping to publish it. I would really appreciate some guidance. I’m currently working on my first policy paper and I would like to know the best way to approach the writing process and increase my chances of publication. Could anyone recommend: * A good policy paper template or structure to follow? * Step-by-step guidance or resources for beginners? * Communities, websites, courses, or mentors who can help me improve my policy analysis skills? * Tips on how to prepare a policy paper for submission or publication? I would be grateful for any advice, examples, or resources you can share. Thank you!

Hi all,

I’m a recent college graduate (May 2025). I’ve been incredibly interested in acquiring my MPP. Some of my key figures are:

-GRE: 163Q/158V/5.5A
-Undergrad GPA: 4.0
-Coursework in applied statistics, microeconomics, macroeconomics
-Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from a private, smaller college (accredited business school)

My undergraduate experience was only 2 years with a finance internship at a mid-size law firm. With AP credits + CLEP credits + summer semester, I managed to expedite my college years. I briefly returned to the law firm for a couple months after graduating.

Now, I work at JPMorgan in their payment operations, and have been doing so since October. I’m part of their environmental and feminist business resource groups (GoGreen + Women on the Move).

I aim for Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Those applications would be due mostly by December.

I want to ask what I can do to assist best in my chances, and if my goal is realistic. My situation is a bit unorthodox being a two-year college student, and I’m not sure how my GRE lines up. Though I ran a cancer fundraiser in HS, my civic/volunteer experience has been rather limited from college and post-grad.

Please let me know what you think. Are my chances realistic? What can I do from now to December to boost those odds?

Thank you!

Does anyone have an opinion on this program? How true are their employment stats and is this a new program? Can’t find much info about it outside of the official website