MPA student - What should I realistically aim for? Looking for insights on public sector consulting

Hi everyone!

I'm fairly new to the WSO community, and am looking for advice about public and social sector consulting :) I'm primarily interested in getting a sense of which firms and offices I should realistically aim for (and hopefully be decently happy at haha)

A little about me: I'm an MPA dual degree candidate at LSE/SIPA, who is finishing my 2nd/last year at Columbia this September. Given my degree choice, the majority of my work experience has been in the public sector. I staffed a prominent Canadian politician before grad school and am currently interning at UNHCR's statistics arm. Undergrad was in Toronto with an okay-ish GPA in political science (3.6) at a well-regarded school.

Long story short, I'm no longer interested in the UN but want to make the best out of my time at SIPA :) I will eventually return to politics and am interested in starting an NGO down the line, but would like to take on experiences that would promote the greatest personal and professional growth while I'm still in my early-to-mid 20s.

Having done some research and spoken to a handful of people, consulting appeals to me because of the responsibilities and learning opportunities associated with the profession. I also want to make quantifiable impacts on issues I care about -- and after reading about some of the projects a partner at McKinsey had throughout his career as a public sector consultant, I started to think of consulting as an option.

(This sounds kind of weird, but an alternative I'm seriously considering involves joining the Canadian military on active duty for some of the same slightly masochistic reasons haha)

My main questions:

1. While I was out of school for a year before starting at LSE, UK schools don't require GREs. I was later admitted to SIPA through the dual degree track with a bit of funding -- but without ever needing to complete any testing. Should I do some sort of standardized testing prior to applying to compensate for my low undergrad GPA?

2. Relatedly, what firms are prominent in the public and social sectors? Of these, which do you think I could realistically go for? While I'm constrained by my limited work experience, I'm very happy to put in extra legwork.

3. What type of coursework should I focus on during the last year of my degree?

I appreciate any additional advice and insights :)

Thank you so much for your time.