Columbia MBA or Harvard MPA?
(Senior Chimp, 16
Points)
on 3/28/11 at 3:45pm
Hi guys,
Just got into Columbia Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
My heart and intellectual curiosity push me towards Harvard (MPA/ID, very quanty economics with a focus on development) but I don't see myself working as a public servant. My interests are technology, telecoms (including stuff like mobile health in Africa) and venture capital. If necessary I could work in consulting for a year or two (as I already have)
Would choosing Harvard be a bad career move and to what extent?
I appreciate your help
It's a career decision- do
It's a career decision- do you want to manage money or write historic speeches? Any reason why you chose to apply to Harvard's poly sci school rather than Harvard's MBA program?
Work hard, play hard.
^ The Kennedy School is less
^ The Kennedy School is less a poli sci school and more a public policy school. Most people I have met in the Kennedy School in their Econ/Development track work for foreign governments in their central banks or finance/planning ministries.
can you do both via a
can you do both via a joint/dual degree?
My perception of the Kennedy
My perception of the Kennedy School is that it exists largely for rich foreigners to get "Harvard" on their resume.
This may be totally unfair/not reflective of the program overall, but is true for 83.3% of the Kennedy MPAs I know.
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
^Agreed. MPA is kinda a back
^Agreed. MPA is kinda a back door entrance into Harvard. The admission is just easier.
The masters program at the
The masters program at the kennedy school is not as well respected as harvard law/business/med because they are much easier to get into. But going back to the OP's question, it is possible to arrange a joint program between the two schools. The logistics may be tough to figure out, and it will probably require a lot of commuting between NYC and Boston but certainly feasible. I know a guy who did Penn MD and MPP at harvard, for example. If your career interests lie in business (consulting, venture capital, strategy, etc) I don't see what value an MPA/ID would have. But if you want to engage in policy and work at a think tank, central bank, etc., then kennedy school is obviously a better bet. If you REALLY want both and are willing to commit 3-4 years and the extra money towards it, then try to do both concurrently.
Why don't you get a MPA at
Why don't you get a MPA at harvard and then move into something like global macro hedge funds?
thatsracist wrote: Why don't
Why don't you get a MPA at harvard and then move into something like global macro hedge funds?
No way he's gonna get a gig at a macro hedge fund straight out of MPA unless he gains work experience at a central bank/World Bank/IMF/think tank for a few years.
Brady4MVP wrote: The masters
The masters program at the kennedy school is not as well respected as harvard law/business/med because they are much easier to get into. But going back to the OP's question, it is possible to arrange a joint program between the two schools. The logistics may be tough to figure out, and it will probably require a lot of commuting between NYC and Boston but certainly feasible. I know a guy who did Penn MD and MPP at harvard, for example. If your career interests lie in business (consulting, venture capital, strategy, etc) I don't see what value an MPA/ID would have. But if you want to engage in policy and work at a think tank, central bank, etc., then kennedy school is obviously a better bet. If you REALLY want both and are willing to commit 3-4 years and the extra money towards it, then try to do both concurrently.
No 3 years is just too much + I'd have to re-apply actually. Don't think being admitted separately into both automatically gets you into the joint degree.
I already have a BSc + MSc in management (pretty common in Europe) so I don't think I'll learn that much with an MBA. I'll get the brand + the network. The questions is, can the HKS brand pull off what CBS can if I want to be say a Google exec in the long term?
IlliniProgrammer wrote: It's
It's a career decision- do you want to manage money or write historic speeches? Any reason why you chose to apply to Harvard's poly sci school rather than Harvard's MBA program?
I didn't get into HBS (and probably not into SGSB either). The MPA/ID is the most selective masters at HKS though.
There is a third choice actually. I can delay my admission to HKS for a year and reapply to HBS and SGSB. Problem is I don't want to waste a year and not that much will have changed on my application. Does re-applying in round 1 change much from an initial application in round 2?
k.03 wrote: IlliniProgrammer
It's a career decision- do you want to manage money or write historic speeches? Any reason why you chose to apply to Harvard's poly sci school rather than Harvard's MBA program?
I didn't get into HBS (and probably not into SGSB either). The MPA/ID is the most selective masters at HKS though.
There is a third choice actually. I can delay my admission to HKS for a year and reapply to HBS and SGSB. Problem is I don't want to waste a year and not that much will have changed on my application. Does re-applying in round 1 change much from an initial application in round 2?
It's obvious from reading your posts that your interests lie more in business. Do the Columbia MBA for sure. It's a top 7 business school and will open way more business doors than harvard kennedy school. I'm not bashing the MPA/ID at all; it's a great program, and you learn a lot, but they're just different beasts.
HBS and Stanford Business are not too friendly towards re-applicants. Unless you make MAJOR changes to your resume, you're not gonna get in. Don't waste an extra year with the hopes of getting into one of those schools. Just do Columbia MBA.
Now I don't personally know
Now I don't personally know anyone who has done an MPA at the Kennedy School, so I can't speak intelligently to this, but aren't you guys selling the Kennedy School a little short? I would think it's probably the most respected government/public policy school in the country (if not the world?)
Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
Otter. wrote: Now I don't
Now I don't personally know anyone who has done an MPA at the Kennedy School, so I can't speak intelligently to this, but aren't you guys selling the Kennedy School a little short? I would think it's probably the most respected government/public policy school in the country (if not the world?)
I think it is the most respected government school in the world, and perhaps the largest producer of heads of state per student. I've been dreaming about Harvard for almost a decade. It would kill me to give it up to study something I've studied before in a "top 7" b-school.
Otter. wrote: I would think
I would think it's probably the most respected government/public policy school in the country (if not the world?)
Probably true, and Harvard Divinity School is one of the most respected places to get a masters in Divinity/Theology. Neither is a business school.
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
Kenny_Powers_CFA
I would think it's probably the most respected government/public policy school in the country (if not the world?)
Probably true, and Harvard Divinity School is one of the most respected places to get a masters in Divinity/Theology. Neither is a business school.
Of course - I guess what I was taking issue with was it being called a "back door" into Harvard. I'm in no way affiliated with the school and don't plan on ever applying, I just thought maybe that you weren't giving it enough credit considering its reputation.
Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
k.03 wrote: Otter.
Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
k.03 wrote: Otter.
Kenny_Powers_CFA
Work hard, play hard.
Otter. wrote: I guess what I
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
LOL at the divinity school
IlliniProgrammer
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
Kenny_Powers_CFA wrote: I was
Work hard, play hard.
IlliniProgrammer
There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
Thanks guys for all the
so youre basically prestige
I need a crib, a big estate, I need a boat and that need a lake, I need some salmon that need a plate, that need a chef so I feed my safe
From trading equities to slanging wine in Latin America
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship i
Yeah. This is not exactly
Work hard, play hard.
I have no interest in
Basically the same deal. If
Work hard, play hard.
k.03 wrote: Thanks guys for
"Cut the burger into thirds, place it on the fries, roll one up homey..." - Epic Meal Time
It's mostly an economics
This program seems like a
Work hard, play hard.
Dude... Harvard or bust.
I don't know much about an
OP, I dont get it, you
numm wrote: I don't know much
Kenny_Powers_CFA
*********************************
“The American father is never seen in London. He passes his life entirely in Wall Street and communicates with his family once a month by means of a telegram in cipher.” - Oscar Wilde
The OP may be able to take
In the realm of finance I
I was under the impression
veritas14 wrote: Pfftt...
Work hard, play hard.
I really don't understand
lets also put it this way.
I've gone for the MPA/ID
k.03 wrote: I've gone for the
Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
Anyone with any insight..I
k.03 wrote: I've gone for the
Just got a full scholarship
I would venture to say a full
veritas14
SpencerMakesBank wrote: My
Work hard, play hard.