00:00:00
Fall Admissions Webinar (October 2024)
Hi everyone, I see people coming into this webinar. I'm wondering if you can in the chat just let me know that you can see and hear me and that you see the slides on the screen. Just so I know that everything is sort of working on your end. Hi Alejandro.
Awesome.
So.
Alejandro, can you tell me I, I think I put the settings so that I included the chat, but there's also a question box. Can you see other people's comments in the question box?
I think that's where you are answering everything last time.
Alejandro S.
10:01:14 AM
Hello Asha!
Alejandro S.
10:01:15 AM
I see and hear you well.
Eunjin H.
10:01:15 AM
I can hear you and see you. Hi!
Connor M.
10:01:16 AM
I can see the video
Catherine J.
10:01:16 AM
I can see and hear you!
Shatakshy B.
10:01:17 AM
Hi, can hear you :)
Alejandro S.
10:01:18 AM
I can't see others' comments
I see. OK, so I'm going to have to actually move everybody into the chat.
Benjamin S.
10:01:26 AM
Hello
Yeah, that's really annoying. We'll have to figure out why it does that.
OK.
So please let me know also where you're tuning in from. We had a lot of people registered for this, 115 people registered. I don't think everyone is going to show up, which is fine because this is recorded and it will end up.
In our little library and you can access it. There's other ones there too which I'll basically say the same thing.
Benjamin S.
10:01:57 AM
Tuning in from Taiwan
Aleksandre K.
10:02:01 AM
Joining you from Tbilisi, Georgia
Shatakshy B.
10:02:04 AM
Hi, I am Shatakshy, signing in from India.
Ramya S.
10:02:07 AM
Joining from New Haven!
Seán B.
10:02:13 AM
Hello from Edinburgh, UK. Thank you for hosting this.
Mannat D.
10:02:14 AM
Hello, I am joining from India
But I'm so glad to have you here. Actually. I've got Taiwan. Oh, Georgia, the country, India. Fantastic. Got someone in New Haven. And I love Edinburgh, Edinburgh, it's so beautiful.
Lena O.
10:02:14 AM
Delhi, India!
Eunjin H.
10:02:16 AM
Tuning in from South Korea.
Phillip R.
10:02:19 AM
Active duty navy calling in from deployment in the middle east
Ziyi Y.
10:02:20 AM
Joining from Singapore here! :)
Tabitha Aline R.
10:02:21 AM
hi from london
Hannah D.
10:02:22 AM
Santa Fe!
II South Korea Oh my gosh, someone who is deployed Singapore. OK, so this is.
Deanne F.
10:02:28 AM
Joining from NYC! :)
We're basically like we are the world here, OK?
Maya B.
10:02:31 AM
Joining from US (DC)!
Hisan A.
10:02:32 AM
Indonesia
Luisa H.
10:02:33 AM
Hello, joining from Bogota, Colombia.
So first I just wanted to.
Salsa M.
10:02:34 AM
Hello from Washington DC! :-)
Connor M.
10:02:35 AM
Signing in from Mongolia
Lucy C.
10:02:44 AM
Joining from the Dominican Republic!
Keita M.
10:02:45 AM
Hi, I am Keita, joining from Japan!
Apologize for the fact that my lighting is really bad and I'm also in a hotel room. Sometimes we cannot avoid these things, so I'm sorry. That's not my usual background, but I am working with it and it is one of the big mysteries of life of why lighting in hotel rooms is always really, really bad.
Anyway, that's not so important because I actually have slides so you don't have to.
Faruque M.
10:03:13 AM
Hi, from Bangladesh
Watch me. Why? OK, there we go. And I hope my Wi-Fi does not cut out. So let me quickly introduce myself. My name is Asha Rangappa. I am the Dean of admissions at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs.
My trajectory I am a.
Graduate of Princeton, undergrad I, I went there for the and I majored in the School of Public and International Affairs. So, you know, a little friendly competition now, but also places near and dear to my heart. I did a Fulbright in Bogota, Colombia after college, and then I went to Yale Law School. Following Yale Law School, I clerked for a judge in San Juan, PR and then 9/11 happened.
It turned out that I had actually applied to the FBI when I was in law school and that when 911 happened, they needed foreign language speakers. So I got fast tracked into the Bureau and became a special agent. I did counterintelligence investigations in the New York field office in the early 2000s, and it was a really fascinating time to be doing that. And then I came back to Yale as an associate Dean at Yale Law School, where I was the Dean of admissions for 12 years.
And then came over to the Jackson School in 2017 when it was still the Jackson Institute, which I will explain in a little bit to essentially help help facilitate its transition into a professional school. I also teach at Jackson. I teach national security and intelligence related courses. Usually I teach national security law and I teach a course on Russian intelligence and information warfare.
So.
Happy to answer questions about the the teaching side and and what that's like if you if you're interested.
Emma E.
10:05:04 AM
Good morning all! Joining from Philadelphia
I'm going to go through my slide presentation. I have my student assistant, second year student Alejandro, who is basically behind the scenes and available to answer your questions in the chat. So go ahead and type in your questions. I see them popping up in my question box and then I'm can move them over to the chat, Alejandro. So I think you can see them now.
Once I move them over.
María Guadalupe D.
10:05:40 AM
Good morning from Buenos Aires, Argentina!
So I am going and, and Alejandro, if you want to go ahead and introduce yourself also in the chat, you can do that. So people know a little bit about you and what you're studying and and what you're interested in. So they can maybe ask some questions if they have any about those things.
Also, I just want to do a little shout out my new Assistant Director of Admissions.
He's also on this. It's her first day today, so everybody give Emily a shout out because she is starting at Jackson and it's very exciting. All right, so I am going to go through my slide presentation.
Let's see.
Let's see, they're loading loading.
OK, we've confirmed.
OK, let's see.
Aleksandre K.
10:06:40 AM
good luck
Emily V.
10:06:41 AM
Hi everyone! Super excited to be here
These are all.
Phillip R.
10:06:42 AM
congrats on the new role Emily!
Self-explanatory so I'm going to dive right into this. So I've told you a little bit about me. You all are introducing yourself still in in the chat.
OK, so in case you didn't know, the Jackson School is a part of Yale, which is located in New Haven.
Shatakshy B.
10:07:09 AM
Hi Emily! Congrats :)
Connecticut. Now what is the Jackson School? It has a very interesting history.
Anna R.
10:07:35 AM
I am rom Barcelona and CT
So unlike our peer schools like Harvard and Princeton, Yale traditionally never had a policy program or policy school. You know, we have amazing professional schools like the law school, Business School, the School of Environment, but we didn't have a policy school. Yale Law School sort of filled that gap, basically. I mean, when I was there, it was.
You know, sort of people went there if they wanted to kind of do law and policy, but it's still really a law school, right? You graduate with AJD. So in 2010, we received a donation from an alumnus, John Jackson, class of 67, after whom we are named to create a policy program. And at that time in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, there was an international relations department which offered masters and.
Alejandro S.
10:08:07 AM
Good morning everyone! i'm Alejandro Sánchez Flores, second-year MPP at Jackson originally from Mexico. My background is in cross-border diplomacy, geopolitical consulting, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. So glad you all could join in today!
Alejandro S.
10:08:08 AM
And welcome to the team, Emily!!
DS in international relations.
That became the Jackson Institute in the fall of 2010. It was still part of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It's still awarded a Master of Arts in 2014. It's it's still awarded a Master of Arts in International Relations. In 2014, that was changed to a Master of Arts in Global Affairs.
Over this period of time, we were raising money, we were building out our.
Infrastructure or capacity? And in 2021, the Board of Trustees at Yale approved Yale, the Jackson Institute, becoming the Jackson School of Global Affairs, which made us a professional, independent professional school. What does that mean? It means that we were no longer under this Graduate School umbrella. We're now our own entity on the Yale campus.
We began awarding not a Master of Arts degree, a Master of Public Policy in Global Affairs.
Being an independent professional school basically gives Jackson a lot of autonomy in terms of decisions. For example, Jackson can now hire its own faculty award tenure. We have been expanding our footprint. We have a couple new buildings. We're financially operating independently of, you know, the rest of the school. In other words, financially self-sustaining.
And that's really exciting because it means that, you know, we're now sort of joining this.
Group of very notable professional schools on campus and the last professional school that was created at Yale was in 1976. That was when the School of Management, which is our Business School was created. So that's a little bit of the history and I just like to point that out because I think some people feel that oh, the Jackson school is so new. You know there's like what do we know about this? It's actually.
Drawing on this very long history, and I should note that all of those people who graduated from the international relations.
Department of the Graduate School before two 2010 now consider themselves alumni of the Jackson School. So we kind of have folded all of that in to our own history, which is kind of exciting. So this is my outline to keep me on track and make sure that I cover everything and I will go through them all.
So the Jackson School offers 2 graduate degrees, 1 is a 2 year MPP Master of Public Policy and the other is a one year Master of Advanced Study. So in addition to the length of the degree, one being two years and the other being one year, there they are slightly different in terms of their purpose and also the curriculum. And I'll talk about the curriculum more.
The MPP is really for early career professionals. These are generally people who have been working for three to seven years. Average amount of work experience of our cohorts is five years. So people have been working for a little while. It's very small. It's about 30 to 35 students. That might go up to 35 to 40 students in coming years, but it's still going to stay very small.
And it has.
A very flexible curriculum. It includes a core curriculum which I will talk about in a second. The one year master of advanced study is very small. This is a cohort of two to five students. In recent years it's been closer to like 2. It also has a flexible curriculum. It does not have any core courses and this is really for mid career professionals. These are people who have been working for.
Seven to 10 years, they're already.
Where they want to be professionally. Usually these are people who are sponsored by their employers to come and get a one year degree somewhere. Often we get people who are working in foreign ministries, for example, or a private employer will give them funding. We've had people from U.S. government agencies come for a year and then they go back to that job.
And I just say that because that one year program, I think it can look very attractive to people. It is really not intended.
For things like career pivots or you know, to to really launch a policy career for people who are already there, which relates to our funding, which I will talk about shortly. So I'm going to focus on the MPP in terms of explaining the curriculum and requirements since that is the one that actually has more of those. So if you've been researching policy programs, you'll know that many policy programs.
Lara W.
10:13:15 AM
Hello, do full-time internships after graduation count towards work experience? Many thanks in advance.
Benjamin S.
10:13:16 AM
Thanks for hosting this session.
Have a pretty structured curriculum. It will lay out what you need to take over your two years. There may be a little bit of space in there for choice, but they're they're relatively structured programs and they are usually.
You know, in like they're, they're siloed. In other words, they're within the policy school. You're usually not leaving the policy program to take courses.
Aleksandre K.
10:13:50 AM
I did my Master's degree as a Fulbright student at Texas A&M University at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, however, focused more on Public Management rather than policy track. With nearly 10 years of working experience I am considering applying for MAS program. How competitive it is given you have only 2-5 students on average annually.
Outside of that, Jackson is built on a completely different philosophy.
Benjamin S.
10:14:09 AM
May i just ask: for the MPP, if i have 9 years work experience, but all within private sector (financial), can i still apply to MPP, as i want a career pivot into public service career? My age is on higher end, around 34
Our idea is that we want to break down disciplinary silos. So we do have a core curriculum, but it is only for courses. They are policy related courses in economics, history and political science and all the entire cohort takes that together over the course of their first year they take.
To Alejandro, I know you can. You can correct me if I'm wrong. I think they now do two in the first semester and two in the second semester of their first year.
Beyond that, though, our students can essentially design their own curriculum drawing from.
Departments and professional schools across the university depending on what your area of interest and focus is. So for example, if you are interested in.
You know, climate policy and the UN Sustainable Development goals you might take.
Eunjin H.
10:15:04 AM
Thank you for today's session. Could you identify the ratio of international students in the M.P.P. program?
Alejandro S.
10:15:09 AM
That is correct. Usually, students take Intro to Economics (if needed) + Statistics + Comparative Politics in the fall, and Global Economics + Global History in the spring!
Several courses at the School of Environment, you and you know, an international law course at the law school and maybe some regional studies courses depending on where you want to.
You know, focus on, by contrast, someone who is interested in.
Global security.
Multilateral alliances, you know, maybe taking different courses and they'd be more in the national security space.
Tabitha Aline R.
10:15:39 AM
Hi as a Law graduate, I wanted to ask how global affairs could complement that.
We actually have several centers at Jackson that focus in that area. We're really good at that. And also the law school is offers some courses. So you you would be kind of designing your own curriculum and everybody sort of has to choose your own adventure, a different basket that is going to be very tailored to the specific skills and knowledge that they need to go into their kind of dream.
Career path which makes it an incredibly flexible.
Approach. The other thing that we have is a language requirement. You are required to show proficiency in a foreign language by the time you graduate at the L4 level. If you have foreign language proficiency, which most of our students do when they come in, you can test out of that requirement.
Alejandro S.
10:16:32 AM
Hi Lara, yes, any work experience—whether paid or unpaid—completed after graduation is counted as work experience. Asha will touch on this in a few moments.
Many students test out of the requirement and still go on to take another language that you know, a third, fourth, fifth language because we have such an amazing language department.
It is not a barrier to applying if you have no language proficiency. However, if you are starting at 0, we do have a Middlebury program before you matriculate, if you're admitted before you matriculate to kind of get you up to speed a little bit so that you can achieve that L4 level at the end of two years, because what we found is people who come in with no language.
Training at all can find it challenging to depending on the language especially to meet that.
Requirement There are also professional skills that our courses offer, including writing, leadership, ethics, and so we're really kind of training people to be global leaders.
So I'm going to move to the faculty, so.
Laiba L.
10:17:35 AM
Hi, can you tell me if I can send my application before 1 Dec and give GRE after that?
Our faculty is what I would call sort of layered faculty and, you know, sort of traditional and.
Non traditional in terms of how students at Jackson learn. So the traditional is our, you know, what you have probably encountered in your undergraduate ladder faculty, tenured faculty who are appointed to a department, they do scholarship, they do research, you learn theoretical frameworks, etcetera. We have many of those. We're continuing to hire. You can look on our website.
At our faculty who are very exciting at Jackson, our faculty, our joint appointed.
Alejandro S.
10:18:24 AM
Hi Aleksandre, the MAS program is indeed quite competitive, as Asha mentioned, students come from diverse professional backgrounds. With nearly 10 years of work experience, you would certainly be a strong candidate to consider applying. I’d encourage you to review the program details in our viewbook for further insights: https://jackson.yale.edu/admissions/mpp/application-process/graduate-admissions-viewbook/
Shatakshy B.
10:18:28 AM
Hi, do you have GRE waiver? If yes, what are the prerequisites for that?
At the Jackson School and another academic department, so you know Jackson and economics, Jackson and political science, Jackson and history, etcetera. In this middle column right here we have our senior fellows. So this is a exciting.
Aspect of Jackson Senior Fellows are practitioners who we bring in an appoint for a term of one to three years to teach courses at Jackson.
And I think this is important to kind of distinguish. A lot of schools have fellows of some kind. Often when they involve high profile people, they are institutional affiliations. They might be kind of research positions where the person gets an office and they get access to the resources and, you know, the students may not necessarily see them or interact with them. That's not how it is at Jackson.
Our Senior Fellows are expected to and required to teach courses.
Luisa H.
10:19:24 AM
Hi Asha, I am an ecologist who is applying for the joint degree in M.P.P and M.E.M. Can you give me more information about the structure or curriculum of the joint degrees please?
And so our students really benefit from people who have been out in the field in their various arenas. So just to point out some of these people in the pictures here at the top is Sue Binyash, who's one of our faculty. She was a former UN climate envoy. She is actually teaching a class on Monday, if some of you are coming to the Monday.
Program Ambassador Harry Thomas.
Alejandro S.
10:19:56 AM
Hi Benjamin, for sure, you can absolutely apply. We have a broad range of ages represented in our MPP cohorts. However, do ensure to highlight in your application how your private sector work has focused on global affairs, and how you plan to leverage the MPP program (specific courses, professors, and opportunities) to support your career pivot into public service.
Who was is a former ambassador in Africa, Emma Sky, here in the middle is a journalist. She has worked in in war zones, embedded in war zones with different military units and has a great perspective on that. She now runs our International Leadership Center.
Howard Dean here. He's no longer at the Jackson School, but he was there for several years. He's a former president candidate and an expert in foreign policy.
The former governor of Vermont and he taught foreign policy class and then at the bottom visa Williams, who's also a former ambassador to Africa. And you know, she, she does some really exciting courses that actually take students on trips to Africa to do policy work. So, so these are really great ways for our students to bridge theory with practice.
And you know, you're getting kind of both of those things together in addition to crossing all of these.
Alejandro S.
10:20:47 AM
Hi Eunjin, you can check out the class profile, including the ratio of international students, here: https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/grad-students/class-profile/
Benjamin S.
10:20:59 AM
Thanks Alejandro, sincerely appreciate the respnse. May iask if there are also other candidates that got accepted with private sector experience?
These disciplines and getting that interdisciplinary education. And then finally we have the World Fellows and I include them in our faculty because even though they are not formally teaching courses, they are actually really, really cool people to interact with at Jackson. So the World Fellows Program is a program that has been around at at Yale for I think like 20 years, but it got moved into the Jacks under the Jackson School.
I would say it's like a decade ago maybe.
And basically it brings in I think around 20 movers and shakers around the world every year who are doing high impact things in their respective countries in all different areas. And maybe Alejandro, you can put a link to the world fellows, the current world fellows in the in the chat, just to give you, you know, an example.
The late opposition Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Alejandro S.
10:21:49 AM
Learn more about Jackson's World Fellows here! https://worldfellows.yale.edu
Was a world fellow at at Yale and so you know, when the world fellows come, they're here from August until December. They take courses with you. They are, you know, hanging out in the lounge, they give talks on campus and basically they're really great people to plug into very, very interesting and.
High level professional networks.
I recently, just two days ago, a former world fellow who was who's the deputy?
Laiba L.
10:22:30 AM
Could you please clarify if there is any flexibility in selecting elective subjects beyond the prescribed curriculum? Furthermore, what are the benefits and entitlements associated with receiving this scholarship? Also tell about GRE deadline after submitting the application?
Inspector General of police in India, the first woman to ever hold that position and she overseas a police force of I think 2000 officers, I think, which is like almost all male. She was a world fellow several years ago and she stopped by and and she was back, you know, so she's people keep their connections.
Alejandro S.
10:22:46 AM
Hi Tabitha, global affairs can strongly complement a law degree by offering courses that delve into international law, diplomacy, and global governance, which are essential for careers in human rights, international trade, and policy-making. Jackson also offers dual degree opportunities, such as pairing the MPP with a JD, to further enhance both areas of study. You can learn more about dual degrees here: https://jackson.yale.edu/admissions/joint-degrees/
Be sure to explore the specific courses and opportunities in our viewbook for more details: https://jackson.yale.edu/admissions/mpp/application-process/graduate-admissions-viewbook/
Geetika A.
10:22:58 AM
Can MPP students work on research projects with the Senior Fellows and the World Fellows?
And they're really cool and interesting. And I always found that her career was especially fascinating. And I know I have a few people from India on this webinar show that might be interesting to you too.
In addition, we have several centers and programs at Jackson. These are basically faculty run initiatives under Jackson. They all operate a little bit differently. Some are.
You know, research hubs. Some do more programming that Jackson students or the larger Yale community are invited to. Some are like the Schmidt program and artificial artificial intelligence is working on building out.
Some curricular initiatives as well, so to teach courses and incorporate those as part of the center, The Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment is something that just launched this summer.
Laiba L.
10:23:52 AM
Is 1.7 years experience in non governmental organization good for MPP ??
And it's it's very exciting. It's about statecraft, great power competition. And their inaugural speaker just two days ago was the Prime Minister of Kosovo, who I got to go to breakfast with that morning. And then he came to Jackson and gave a talk and.
You know, you're just kind of hanging out in a pretty small room with the Prime Minister of Kosovo. It was very exciting.
So those are the kinds of things that are happening at Jackson. And because it is so small, it is a very intimate environment. You know that you do have a lot of interaction and I think active participation to the extent that you want to with all of these kinds of initiatives.
So the future many of you are probably wondering about.
Emma E.
10:24:47 AM
I want Asha's job! LOL! Really exciting to hear all the amazing folks who are connected with Jackson, and your passion for the work is so clear, Asha.
Phillip R.
10:24:49 AM
Hello! I am applying to the MAS program as my top choice for grad school. With the program being so small, what would you recommend to applicants as a way to set themselves apart to be the most competitive?
Laiba L.
10:24:51 AM
What is the criteria of getting selected at Jackson?
Emma E.
10:25:01 AM
Geez! Really cool.
Career is it where you where do you go after Jackson so one of the other requirements that we have yeah it is fun Christopher Ray also was here Emma a few a few months ago I guess he's a director of the FBI. That was especially exciting for me so yes I am very excited about my job it's it's fun so in addition to.
The other requirements that I mentioned before.
Alejandro S.
10:25:18 AM
Can I take the GRE and submit official test scores after the deadline?Yes, but when you fill out an application for admission, you must self-report your required test results in the Test Score section of the application. Scores must still be officially sent to the Jackson Admissions office. You may also input any future test dates, as well. If you have not taken a required test yet, inputting a future test date and zeroes for scores will allow you to submit the application. Official scores may be sent to Admissions after the deadline but should be sent as soon as possible in order to ensure that your complete application can be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Be sure to email Jackson.Admissions@yale.edu if this will be your case.
Jackson requires all MPP students to do a summer experience between their first and 2nd year. And Alejandro, maybe you want to put in the chat what you did this past summer people are interested in in knowing.
Because we're so small, we have really individualized guidance for basically every student in every area. So we have a Dean of graduate programs who could advise you on choosing your courses because obviously if the entire university is open to you, that can be kind of overwhelming.
Alejandro S.
10:25:45 AM
Hi Laiba, yes, you can submit your application before December 1 and take the GRE after that. In the Test Score section of your application, you can self-report future test dates and input zeroes for the scores to allow you to submit the application. Official GRE scores must be sent to the Admissions office as soon as possible after the test to ensure your application is reviewed in full.
But we have somebody who will meet you with you one-on-one. We have a Dean of students, a Dean of student affairs who can meet with you about, you know, attending conferences, putting together conferences, starting student organizations. And we also have a Dean of career development. And now she is amazing. She meets one-on-one with every student as soon as they get to Jackson to talk about what their goals are.
And then the 1st order of business is to go.
To, to figure out what they might want to do for the summer that's going to take them down that path. To this end, they take trips to DC, to New York to meet alumni, to meet with employers. And we, and she works with students to help line up that summer experience. And I should add that Jackson provides up to $6000 of funding for that summer experience. So, and we, we don't call it an internship. Sometimes it is an internship, but it can be, it can be a number of different things.
Faruque M.
10:27:01 AM
Hi, I am a national political leader who has almost 20 years experinces in business and politics, and I hold a Law degree from Northwestern Law school. Am I eligible for the MAS program?
The, the additional funding for this summer is really great because it means that, you know, if there's an organization where you want to work that to get some experience or, you know, perspective, etcetera, you can just tell them that you are ready to work for free. You're a Yale student. They will, I think usually say yes and then you can go and work there. And for some students either that is.
A really critical stepping stone to what they want to do.
Alejandro S.
10:27:13 AM
This summer, I spent my time in Washington, D.C., as a research analyst with the Americas Practice at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG). I conducted in-depth research on policy developments and industry trends across Latin America, focusing primarily on the healthcare, tech, and energy sectors to support clients' decision-making and market strategies throughout the region. In this role, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with recent Jackson graduates, both senior associates at ASG. This great opportunity was faciliated in great part due to Jackson's Career Development Office!
After graduation or it can be an opportunity to line up a job there for after graduation. So you can see on this slide.
The summer experiences and the regions and the type and then in terms of the jobs after Jackson, which I've kind of blown up here.
Elizabeth, the Dean of.
Aleksandre K.
10:27:49 AM
Hi Alejandro, is there any funding offered for MAS students this year? if not, how long the admitted students for MAS program have to provide proof of self-sponsorship.
María Guadalupe D.
10:27:50 AM
If I submit my application before December 1st, and the University gets my scores during December - would that be considered an Incomplete application? Or, as the grades will be available before the final deadline (january 1st) this is a Complete aplication?
Lara W.
10:28:01 AM
Hello, could you please elaborate on the scholarship for MPP students. Would everyone accepted into the program receive a full tuition scholarship? Many thanks.
Career development will also work with you for figuring out starting in your in your second year, what your placement, where you want to go after you graduate. We do have right now, I think we're still just approaching 6 months out from class 2024. So I don't think we have that data yet. But for previous years, we do have 100% employment rate and placement rate. So we do pretty well in placing our students.
In the places they want to go.
Alejandro S.
10:28:17 AM
Hi Shatakshy, we do not offer a GRE waiver for the MPP program. All applicants are required to submit GRE scores as part of the application process. However, please note that we conduct a holistic review of applications, where standardized test scores are just one of many factors considered.
If you go to our website and you go to the career page, at the bottom there should be a link where you can actually see by class, at least several of the recent classes, the actual positions and organizations that students got placed into right out of graduation.
So the family.
Shatakshy B.
10:28:44 AM
Thanks Alejandro :)
We, I, this is characterized that way because it has an F and also because it is a very small school. So it kind of feels like that it's a, it's an intimate community. I think Alejandro can attest to that.
Our cohorts are small, they get to know each other very well prior to matriculating. They go to a retreat in the Berkshire's I went this year.
To hang out with the students and, you know, sitting around a bonfire, umm, talking, connecting. So our students become very close to each other. Umm, because, you know, our, our physical plant is expanding a little bit. We used to be in one building. We've now acquired 2 buildings. So it's a, it's a little bit, people are, are moving. But I would still say like you're bumping into your classmates, your professors, administrators all the time.
Lena O.
10:29:54 AM
This might be only from my end, but the connection is breaking off. Could others confirm if they are able to hear well?
So even though the curriculum is set up so that people kind of disperse and go to different schools and take classes in other places, there's always sort of a home base where people are coming back to connect. And they're also that's where the world Fellows are, as I mentioned before, the senior fellows are. And so it is a very tight knit group. And at the same time, what I think is really great about our program is that because you are taking.
These classes and interacting with.
Alejandro S.
10:30:20 AM
The Jackson family is amazing -- the small class size really allows you to connect with one another in a collaborative, engaging way! I went for a run this morning and saw two classmates and two Jackson deans -- it's just a great, tight-knit community :)
Students in these other programs like say the law school or the School of Environment, you can also get involved in those communities as well. Those are also open to you, which kind of brings me to the alumni piece. As I mentioned before, you know, we have, we kind of consider the entire lineage of the international relations department to be a part of our alumni.
Phillip R.
10:30:35 AM
Lena, I'm still hearing it well
Seán B.
10:30:36 AM
Hello, my current work involves researching the use of AI and foreign disinformation campaigns. Because of that, I’m interested in the Schmidt Program for AI and Emerging Technology. Are there ever opportunities for students to conduct research with faculty through the different centers and their research initiatives?
Laiba L.
10:30:38 AM
How can we contact to alumni?
Program. But again, if you are really plugging into these other programs in schools, you have those.
You have those alumni networks as well, you know, so you, you know, will get to know people in the law school and you'll kind of be able to plug into some of those connections if they become relevant to your career. So these are just some places that people are.
So here's my favorite part, which is the funding.
Alejandro S.
10:31:06 AM
Hi Luisa Maria, as Asha will mention shortly, joint degree programs allow you to combine the MPP with another degree like the MEM from the School of the Environment. Students divide their time between both programs, completing core requirements for each. In terms of cost, joint degree students pay the tuition of the school they are enrolled in for that semester, which means you would alternate between Jackson and YSE. You can find more information on structure and costs here: https://jackson.yale.edu/admissions/joint-degrees/
So very excited to announce this fall that Jackson is officially tuition free for all MPP students.
This is just across the board. Some people are coming in with, you know, fellowships or scholarships. You might be a Fulbright, you might be on the GI Bill. We just top you up if that's the case, so that your tuition is fully covered. And that's really exciting because it is.
Benjamin S.
10:31:47 AM
Would the MPP Funding only apply to class of 2027? what if i apply in 2025 for class of 2028?
Movement towards our goal of making the Jackson MPP program accessible for every student who's admitted and also to give more flexibility and freedom.
Alejandro S.
10:31:52 AM
Hi Benjamin, yes, we've definitely had candidates come in from the private sector, and in some cases, their companies have even covered tuition costs.
Laiba L.
10:32:03 AM
What scholarships we can apply in part of tuition free for all MPP students..?
Benjamin S.
10:32:08 AM
Thanks Alejandro!
For, you know, what you do after. We don't want people to be burdened by debt. Also to that point, you know, about half of our MPP cohorts received a living stipend that covers the full cost of attendance to Jackson. This year's cohort, I think a little bit over half have received a full living stipend to cover the full cost of attendance and the remainder receive.
Are receiving 1/2 living stipend.
Which leaves a small gap that many students will then fill by, for example, becoming a teaching fellow or research assistant and it is becomes much less onerous. The bad news here to those of you who are interested in the MAS program, we do not provide funding for the MAS program. And that kind of goes back to the purpose and focus of the MAS program, which is again sort of that.
Mid career professional, you know, kind of really.
Lara W.
10:33:06 AM
Could you please elaborate on GRE scores? What is the usual range? How can you make up for a lower score?
Alejandro S.
10:33:17 AM
Hi Laiba, yes, there is flexibility in selecting elective courses beyond the prescribed curriculum, allowing you to tailor your education to your interests. As Asha mentioned, there are only 4-5 core curriculum classes from the expected 16 classes required to graduate. As for the scholarship, it covers 100% of tuition, and some students also receive living stipends (our current slide!) Regarding the GRE, you can submit your application before the deadline and send your official test scores after, but make sure to self-report your test scores or future test dates in the application.
Allowing them to come and just benefit from the yield community and and get some specialized skills and knowledge, but really to go back to the careers that they're in. That's not the program where we focus a lot, for example, of our career resources either. So you know, we're really wanting self-directed people who really know where they already are to come and be a part of our community. But that is not a funded program. And I just want to emphasize that because if you are interested in that program, I strongly recommend that.
Alejandro S.
10:33:47 AM
Hi Geetika, absolutely! MPP students have the opportunity to collaborate with Senior Fellows and World Fellows on various research projects. These are great opportunities to engage with experts in the field and gain hands-on experience.
You begin looking for your funding sources. I mentioned that, you know, we're usually on the smaller side of that two to five per year cohort. Usually it's because we've admitted more than, I mean we've admitted like, you know, five students. Several of them end up not being able to come because they're not able to secure funding by the time, you know, they are required to get their visas, for example. So please look into that and see if you if you are.
Kirtimay P.
10:33:52 AM
Hi Asha and Alejandro, thanks so much for your time. I believe the MPP isn't STEM, so I'm curious about the resources available for international students and what the career outcomes for them look like. Thanks!
You know, institution or agency that might have funding that can that can help send you into that program.
OK.
This is just some of our profile for the incoming cohort this year and you can kind of see.
Geetika A.
10:34:22 AM
Thanks Alejandro!
Alejandro S.
10:34:24 AM
Hi Laiba, typically, students have around 5 years of experience when entering the MPP program, but we conduct a holistic review, so your experience in an NGO can still be valuable. On your application, focus on how your experience has prepared you for this next step.
Our score ranges for the GRE, which I will talk about, the GRE is required for the MPP program. It is not required for the MAS program.
Both of our programs.
I'm going to go to the next slide so I don't forget anything. This is a lot of text. I'm going to try to break this down and into something more easy to remember so.
MPP requires the GRE, the MAS does not. However, both programs require you to take the TOEFL if your undergraduate. If you're yeah, if your undergraduate education was in a sorry.
You're required to take the TOEFL unless your undergraduate education wasn't.
Seán B.
10:35:07 AM
With such a small class size how does the MPP program work to compose a diverse cohort? Does this mean they are looking for anything specific in their applicants?
Maya B.
10:35:16 AM
Do your recommenders need to submit their letters by Dec 1 for the fee waiver?
In which case you can waive it. So that's the TOEFL requirement. We also take the Illinois, we take the Cambridge English. We're looking at a few other tests right now. We cannot waive the GRE for the MPP program. So please make plans to take that if you're interested in applying for that. The deadline for the MAS program, the one year program is November 1st, so that is coming up.
And there is a $100 application fee for that program.
Alejandro S.
10:35:41 AM
Hi Emma, Asha’s passion is truly contagious! She’s an incredible leader who's entirely dedicated to ensuring our admitted class is diverse, talented, and supported throughout their Jackson journey. It’s amazing to be part of her team!
The MPP program deadline is January 2nd.
Laiba L.
10:35:57 AM
Thanks for shedding light on this, Alejandro.
However, if you apply, if you submit your application by December 1st, you automatically receive a fee waiver. The application fee after that is $75.
And you know if you're.
Alejandro S.
10:36:07 AM
Hi Phillip, great question! With the MAS program being highly selective, it's crucial to highlight how your extensive work experience aligns with global affairs and demonstrate a clear vision for how the MAS program will advance your career. Showcasing leadership, a strong commitment to global challenges, and how you plan to leverage Jackson’s resources (like specific courses or faculty) to make an impact can really set you apart.
Geetika A.
10:36:22 AM
Can candidates with over 7 years of experience still apply to the MPP if they find it more aligned to their goals?
I don't know if any of you are applying for the Pickering or Wrangle. If you are Pickering or Wrangle fellowship finalist, which I know you don't find out about until early December, you can write to us and we we are a partner program with them. So we will grant you a fee waiver after December 1st. But for everyone else, you should try to submit your application and that the submitting your application just means you're part of the application. So you're part of the application includes.
Obviously all the the questions, the main questions, biographical data, demographic data, etcetera on.
Alejandro S.
10:36:54 AM
Hi Faruque, with your extensive background in business, politics, and law, you could be a strong candidate for the MAS program. The program is designed for mid-career professionals with substantial experience, so your qualifications seem to align well. I recommend emphasizing how your expertise in law and leadership will contribute to global affairs and how the MAS program will help you further your impact.
The application a statement of purpose. This is just a open-ended personal statement. Hopefully not, you know, we don't give you a ton of prompts and stuff, but we we do want to see is what what is your interest in global affairs? How has your personal, professional, academic trajectory shaped you know what you're interested in doing right now?
And we do want to see that demonstrated interest in your background, whether it's.
Again, personal, whether it's professional or in the things that you've studied or written about.
So that's your personal statement. I would say, you know, two to four pages, probably not longer than 4 pages, double spaced, at least not single spaced. You also need a resume, one to two pages. I typically look at the resume as a snapshot of your professional experience. Again, for the MPP program, we really do value that work experience.
Phillip R.
10:37:43 AM
Thank you Alejandro!
As you've probably gathered at this point, it's a hugely flexible program, but because you know, with great freedom come or what is the Spider-Man thing?
Eunjin H.
10:38:07 AM
Do I need work experience in intergovernmental area for the M.P.P. program? I ask this question as I only have domestic government experiences. Thank you in advance.
With great power comes great responsibility, so you have the power to choose all of your courses, but we want people to come in being very self-directed and I think that that is where the work experience really helps people come in really knowing.
Precisely kind of what kind of skill set and knowledge they want in their policy toolbox before they launch into the next part of their career.
Alejandro S.
10:38:22 AM
Hi Aleksandre, as Asha just mentioned, since MAS students do not typically receive the same funding as MPP students, admitted MAS candidates are required to provide proof of self- or external sponsorship before enrollment. You can email us at jackson.admissions@yale.edu to talk further about this point.
We also require.
3 letters of recommendation.
María Guadalupe D.
10:38:39 AM
I am preparing to submit my application before the December 1st deadline to take advantage of the fee waiver, which is particularly important due to the current devaluation of the Argentine peso. However, I am concerned about the timeline for my GRE scores. While my application will be submitted before December 1st, my GRE scores may not be available until later in December (my exam date is December 11).
Could you please clarify whether my application will be considered incomplete without the GRE scores at the time of submission, or if it will still be eligible for review once the scores are received before the final deadline of January 1st?
Thank you for your time and assistance!
And I recommend that at least one of those recommendations be from a faculty member who taught you in class. This is a rigorous academic program. We want to know how you are as a student.
Alejandro S.
10:38:45 AM
Hi Guadalupe, as long as you submit your application by the deadline and self-report your GRE scores, the application will be considered complete. You can send your official test scores afterward, but be sure to send them as soon as possible to ensure a complete review by the Admissions Committee.
Alejandro S.
10:39:09 AM
Hi Lara, yes, Asha just mentioned this, but to reiterate: all MPP students receive a full-tuition fellowship. Additionally, some students may also receive living stipends to help cover the full cost of attendance.
María Guadalupe D.
10:39:11 AM
Thank you!
I think if there are weak spots in the academic parts of your application, for example in your academic record or your test scores, you may want to consider submitting 2 faculty references. So you know that's a, that's a judgment call to make based on your application transcript. We can, we'll take an unofficial transcript when you apply, but if you are admitted, you will be required to submit a verified transcript before you can matriculate.
To go back to the submitting your application by December 1st it's OK if your recommendations and test scores come in after that. You know those can come in by January 2nd maybe there's a like a slight grace period even after January 2nd. We know that sometimes recommenders I write recommendations that sometimes do we get at the last minute we get that and so there's a little bit of a grace period and we will follow up with you if if we haven't received those the only part that to get the automatic fee waiver is really.
Faruque M.
10:39:43 AM
Thanks much, Alejandro
Part that you're in control of. I'll do a quick.
Spiel on joint degrees. You know, I mentioned that Yale has these amazing professional schools. So we have Yale Law School, we have the School of Public Health, we have the School of Environment, we have the School of Management, which is our Business School. I mean, we also have like a bunch of other amazing programs which typically don't, you know?
Coincide with with policies at the School of Architecture Music.
Medicine, but you can do joint degrees pretty much with any program. The way that you do a joint degree is that you apply to the two programs separately.
Alejandro S.
10:40:47 AM
Hi Sean, absolutely! Students have the opportunity to conduct research with faculty through the various centers and initiatives, including the Schmidt Program for AI and Emerging Technology. Some classmates of mine have conducted research as part of this program and presented at amazing conferences both in the U.S. and abroad -- some of them presented in the PRC and Taiwan earlier this spring!
We don't have anything to do with the other schools programs though there is a box on the application to mark that you're applying to do a joint degree. So that way we can kind of, you know, we do coordinate to so we know who's getting in where and on the back end we can do those the steps that we need to take if you were to get into both schools.
Alejandro S.
10:41:18 AM
Hi Benjamin, the full tuition funding applies to all admitted MPP students, regardless of their cohort year. So whether you apply for the class of 2027 or 2028, the funding structure remains the same!
What you would do is you would get a deferral from the other program and you would start at Jackson. So you always start at Jackson. If you're doing a joint degree, you complete the first year of your degree and then you would start at the other school. What does a joint degree allow you to do? A joint degree allows you to use a semester of your Jackson coursework towards the other programs degree, and it allows you to use a semester of the other programs degree towards your Jackson MPP. So let's say you were doing a joint.
JD or sorry, a joint? Yeah, a joint MPPJD.
Benjamin S.
10:41:33 AM
Thanks Alejandro!
Phillip R.
10:41:41 AM
If an applicant is accepted to the MAS program, are they able to defer admission for one year based on an upcoming military deployment?
Nana B.
10:41:42 AM
If your last educational program was several years ago, how might that affect your academic reference? For example what of the professors who taught you have changed institutions, retired, or don’t remember you?
The MPP is traditionally 2 years, the JD is three years. If you do, if you were to get into both schools, congratulations to you that, that would be amazing. You would start at Jackson, do one year, you would go to the law school, do one year, and then you would sequence the rest of your semesters the way that you know, kind of you can design that the way that you want, but you would reduce your total period of study by one year.
Alejandro S.
10:42:13 AM
Hi Lara, while there's no strict GRE score range, our holistic review takes into account all aspects of your application. You can review the class profile for insights on GRE and GPA ranges from previous cohorts here: https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/grad-students/class-profile/. If your score is on the lower side, you can definitely compensate by showcasing your strengths in other areas like work experience, personal essays, and recommendations.
So you would end up doing a total of 8 semesters for both degrees as opposed to 10 if that makes any sense. So it's a way to save money on that point. You you're if you do a joint degree, your Jackson funding is for the semesters you are in residence at Jackson and then the other program will have its own financial aid package that would apply.
Seiyoon K.
10:42:39 AM
Are the deadlines for the application and the letter of recommendations different?
For the semesters that you are in residence at that school. So that's how the the funding piece would work. But again, you're, you're reducing your total period of study. I think it's really, you know, whether to do a joint degree with Jackson is kind of a tough question because we do have so much flexibility in our program that if what you're really looking for is just very specialized knowledge in that particular.
Discipline. You may not need to get an entire degree. So for example.
You know, if you're doing.
You know, migration and you know, studying my policy for refugees, etcetera. You know, you might just need to take a couple of classes at the law school to get some knowledge about the international framework like international law, human rights law. You probably don't need ajd unless you want to be a lawyer. If you want to be a human rights lawyer, you would do that. But you know, because we have this flexibility it you you actually have the benefit of.
Alejandro S.
10:43:32 AM
Hi Kirtimay, great question! While the MPP isn't STEM-designated, many international students have a strong outlook for work both in the U.S. and internationally after graduation. This is definitely a conversation to have with the Career Development Office (CDO), as they offer tailored support for international students to navigate the job market and visa-related concerns. Many of us have had great success securing work either in the U.S. or globally.
Being able to take advantage of those resources without necessarily getting having to get the other degree on a case by case basis. We also allow you to do joint degrees with programs outside of Yale. So if you get into Wharton and that's where you want to do your MBA and you want to come to Jackson, we will work with you to do that. Here's the caveat for that.
First, you would need to get a deferral from the other program to start at Jackson. So just make sure that that is something that would be feasible.
Alejandro S.
10:44:03 AM
Hi Sean, the MPP program is deeply committed to building a diverse cohort with students from all walks of life—professionally, geographically, and academically. While there’s no specific “profile” we’re looking for, we value applicants who bring unique perspectives, experiences, and a strong commitment to making a global impact.
The second is that, as I mentioned before, this is about shortening your period of your total period of study. We can only control what Jackson gives credit for. So we can give you credit for the other programs or we can give you credit towards the MPP from the other program. However, you would need to work out with the other program whether they would give you credit for the Jackson coursework.
Not going to name any names, but there are some schools that want you to do the policy degree at that school and so.
May not be so amenable to giving you credit for Jackson coursework. So if that's something you're considering, just do a little bit of extra research on your end. And finally, I'll just say, you know, you can also apply to Jackson and then apply to another program during your first year at Jackson. You'd still be able to design A joint degree program by doing that. So if you're not ready to knock yourself out and, and take the GRE and the GMAT or something like that.
Faruque M.
10:45:12 AM
Do you offer partial tuition scholarship for the MAS program?
This moment you know you can apply to Jackson, wait, and then apply to the other program once you're here. I hope that wasn't super.
Alejandro S.
10:45:13 AM
Hi Maya, your recommenders do *not* need to submit their letters by December 1 for you to qualify for the fee waiver. You can submit your application before the deadline, and letters of recommendation or official test scores can arrive afterward, up to a few days after the application deadline. You'll be able to track the status of your materials in the Application Status Portal once you've submitted your application.
Confusing. OK, so that is my talk and let me just see if I've been. I've just been pushing all these questions for Alejandro so.
I'll just answer some that are here so Farouk.
Is asking do you offer partial tuition scholarship for the MAS program? No.
We do not offer funding for the MAS program so.
Yeah, let's see.
Any other questions?
Alejandro, was there anything that anyone asked that you want me to weigh in on?
Alejandro S.
10:46:03 AM
Hi Geetika, yes, candidates with over 7 years of experience can still apply to the MPP program if they find it more aligned with their goals. While many MPP students tend to have around 5 years of experience, we value diverse professional backgrounds and experiences, so feel free to apply if the MPP fits your career aspirations.
Alejandro S.
10:46:04 AM
Hi Eunjin, no, intergovernmental experience is not a requirement for the M.P.P. program. We welcome applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including those with domestic government experience. What matters most is your passion for public policy and how you plan to leverage the degree to achieve your career goals.
I'm always, I mean 100 like writes like huge paragraphs so fast. So thank you so much. This is for for doing that, Alejandro. I would not be able to do this without you.
Alejandro S.
10:46:26 AM
Yes -- people have been asking on the years of work experience before coming to Jackson's MPP!
Anything else I'm just gonna OK, people have been asking on the years of work experience before coming to Jackson's MPP. OK yeah. So, you know, it's it's just really interesting when I go and I immediate prospective students, there are a lot of people who are looking to do.
Graduate study right out of undergrad and you know there may be many programs where that.
Geetika A.
10:47:05 AM
Could you please shed some light on the optional essay?
Lara W.
10:47:07 AM
Hello, could you please elaborate on the personal statement? What are you looking for in a candidates personal statement?
Emma E.
10:47:08 AM
Asha + Alejandro, I was hoping to attend the in-person visit on Monday but saw registration was closed. Do you know if there are any additional spots for attendees? Can also follow up with you after this session! Thanks for considering... :-)
Alejandro S.
10:47:09 AM
Hi Guadalupe, your application will not be considered incomplete as long as you submit it before December 1st. You can include your future GRE test date in the application and self-report zeros for the scores to allow submission. Once your official GRE scores are received, they will be added to your application file. Just make sure the scores are sent as soon as possible after your exam, and you email jackson.admissions@yale.edu to flag your application.
That happens. I mean, when I was a Dean admissions at Yale Law School, I wouldn't say like 60% of 60 or 70% of the students that we took for law school were coming right out of undergrad. You know, for a policy degree is just a little bit different because it's not just specialized knowledge. It's really, as I mentioned before, especially in our program where we're asking you to have a very clear focus area.
It really does help to have been out in the world and kind of get a sense of a what you're interested in and B what what skill sets and background that you're missing. That's what we're you know, it. It helps to to have that versus coming in straight from undergrad. So as I mentioned before, I think I'll go back to.
Alejandro S.
10:47:41 AM
Hi Phillip, yes, deferrals are considered on a case-by-case basis, and military deployment is a valid reason for requesting a deferral. If you're admitted to the MAS program, you would need to formally request the deferral from the admissions office, and they would work with you to accommodate your situation.
Yeah. So our average years of work is five years.
Shatakshy B.
10:47:42 AM
are there any schools focusing on gender and policy?
Phillip R.
10:48:03 AM
Thanks again Alejandro!
Alejandro, can you put a link to the BIOS for all of our, for our MPP students? And we have our profiles on there and you can kind of take a look at the breadth of different experiences. There's no one experience that we are, you know, we prefer we have people who have been in the Peace Corps. We have people who.
Have been in the military. We have people who have been working.
Alejandro S.
10:48:22 AM
Meet our current grad students here! https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/grad-students/overview/
Benjamin S.
10:48:27 AM
Is having more than 5 years not suitable for MPP? What if it is closer to 7-8 years? I feel like MPP is more suitable for me, as i've had most of my experience within the private sector, but am looking for a pivot in my career.
In finance, we have people who've been working in tech, they're coming and NGOs, government, they're coming from all different backgrounds. And what's really what's more important than what you do is what you have been able to take from it and how it relates to where you want to go. So your personal statement is really going to connect those dots and we want you to reflect and.
You know, be able to articulate how that all fits in.
I'll tell you that you know I I met a student.
Eunjin H.
10:48:55 AM
Thank you, Alejandro. Your swift responses are amazing!
Alejandro S.
10:48:56 AM
Hi Nana, if your professors are no longer available, it’s acceptable to ask for a professional reference from someone who can speak to your skills, experience, and readiness for graduate studies. However, as Asha mentioned, an academic reference is still preferred. Be sure that your recommender can highlight relevant aspects of your academic or professional background.
Several years ago at, you know, at a recruiting event, she I think was just out of college, encouraged her to wait to apply. And she did. She applied, I think like 3 or 4 years later, she got in and she came back and she said, thanks a lot for making that suggestion. I was really ready to go to Graduate School right away.
Alejandro S.
10:49:16 AM
Hi Seiyoon, the application deadline and the deadline for letters of recommendation are the same. However, it is okay if your recommenders submit their letters a few days after the application deadline, but try to ensure they are submitted as close to the deadline as possible to avoid delays in your application review.
But I love Jackson. I wanted I wanted to give it a shot. So I waited and she's like, now that I'm here, I totally understand why you do that because I would not have been able to fully appreciate or take advantage of what there is to offer. You know, if I had come in straight from undergrad or, or just, you know, with with very little experience. The other thing is, you know, as I mentioned, that faculty piece and kind of the how we construe that loosely. I mean, Alejandro can chime in, but I think our.
Students learn as much from each other as they do from their classes. You know, our students, if you look at those BIOS, they are super interesting coming in with so many different perspectives. I know that especially when I teach my Russian information warfare class, when I get Jackson students in there, it's so great because they're coming from so many different perspectives. Some, you know, we might have a student who has been.
Studying Russia and Ukraine.
Alejandro S.
10:50:28 AM
Asha, would you mind sharing some light into the personal statement + optional essay? We have some folks curious about what to shed light on!
Who understands, like what's happening, you know, in the information space there. And then we have somebody who's coming from Google and knows like what's happening in the social media platform. And so there's so much cross pollination that students, I think, really benefit from what other students offer.
Personal statement and optional essay. So the personal statement, like I said, I think that that's really straightforward, like, you know, you don't need to do any gimmicks there or big, you know, metaphor.
Or anything like that. Just tell us what you're interested in, how your Pennsylvania like, you know, connect the dots from what you've done that has brought you to the point where the MPP at Jackson specifically makes sense for you and why. What you know, what you would be able to take from it, how it fits in with your interests and you know, also what you're able to contribute in terms of your background and perspective.
The optional essay is really, it is optional and it is for, you know, because the personal statement sometimes is more academic focused or professional focused. People have things they want to add about who they are and what you know, they're, how their experiences have shaped them and that is something that you can include.
There umm, if if you feel that it is relevant. Umm, I know that's pretty general, but.
I there's, you know, don't, don't feel like you need to.
Judge it up for no reason, it's just be who you are.
Alejandro S.
10:51:54 AM
Hi Emma, here's the link to our upcoming events: https://jackson.yale.edu/event-type/graduate-admissions/. Feel free to check it out for virtual and future in-person sessions!
OK, so Alejandro is putting in a link to upcoming events you may have actually gotten also.
Nana B.
10:52:14 AM
Thanks Alejandro for that response!
An e-mail today from Admissions with some of our other stuff coming up, including internationally.
We have.
Another visit day. I think this Monday's visit day is full at this point, but we do have this day in November.
Lara W.
10:52:30 AM
Are there possibilities to take STEM designated classes?
We have some of virtual fairs that we're going to be have.
Have representatives at Alejandro is going to be doing a coffee chat in London if any of you are there. I'll be in Bangkok and Madrid in the coming weeks and months.
There's also an alumni coffee chat in Mexico City if you are there.
So please check out those.
Alejandro S.
10:52:58 AM
Hi Shatakshy, we do have courses and opportunities focused on gender and policy at Jackson. You can explore gender-related courses, engage in research projects, and connect with faculty whose work aligns with these topics. Additionally, Yale’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program offers interdisciplinary courses that might interest you. You can find more information through our course offerings: https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/courses/
Events and you can meet with us and let me just see where Alejandro is.
Yeah. So there's also this course catalog that Alejandro has posted if you want to see the courses that are offered at Jackson. The designation is GLBL Jackson's. I don't know how. I think you search for it by the code or maybe Jackson School.
Alejandro S.
10:53:49 AM
Hi Benjamin, having 7-8 years of experience is still very suitable for the MPP program, especially if you're looking to pivot from the private sector into public service. We often have students with diverse professional backgrounds, and your experience could bring valuable perspectives to the cohort. The important thing is to clearly demonstrate how the MPP aligns with your career goals and how you plan to use it to support your pivot.
Shatakshy B.
10:53:50 AM
Thanks a lot :)
But you can see those courses, and those are just like things that are offered in Jackson. I'm just gonna throw this in there too 'cause I should have mentioned it in the when talking about the faculty. The great thing at Jackson is that the Jackson courses which are offered by Jackson faculty give preference to Jackson students, and they're usually quite small, like small seminars. Mine are always small seminars, and so we give preference to Jackson students.
And then when students go to other programs or schools to take courses.
Alejandro S.
10:54:18 AM
Hi Lara, while the MPP degree itself is not STEM-designated, you do have the flexibility to take courses across Yale’s different schools, including some that may be STEM-related. This allows you to tailor your learning experience based on your interests, even though the overall degree will not carry the STEM designation.
Those professors know that that's how the Jackson program is designed. So they're pretty much able to get into those courses too. And there's no demand for anyone course because it's small cohort. They have very different interests and professors at in the broader Yale community love having Jackson students in their classes. So you kind of get the best of both worlds. You know, I do get applications from people in other programs for my courses, for example, but if.
If the class is filled up with, with enough demand from Jackson students, they don't get it. So it's just a great combination of being able to have first access to those Jackson courses. You can search for those in that course search site and they're, they're really cool and interesting. But then also you can access all these other areas as well.
So we are at the end.
Alejandro S.
10:55:12 AM
Thank you all for your questions! Please feel free to message us at Jackson.Admissions@yale.edu for any questions.
Phillip R.
10:55:15 AM
Thank you so much Asha and Alejandro!
Lara W.
10:55:16 AM
Thank you so much!
I will begin signing off unless there's any last minute burning questions. Thank you so much for let me put this back up here for joining and for learning more about Jackson. I hope that we'll get to see you at one of our coming events virtually or in person.
I really hope that you will consider applying if you're still just thinking about it.
Seán B.
10:55:32 AM
Thank you so much for this presentation.
And for those of you who are applying or have applied, I look forward to seeing and reading your application. So good luck to you.
And I hope to see you at some point.
Emma E.
10:55:44 AM
This was unbelievably helpful! Thanks so much. Was able to get into the open house on the 7th somehow -- will see you all then!
Diamondnia M.
10:55:45 AM
Thank you! Diamondnia Mack from Washington, DC
Eunjin H.
10:55:46 AM
Thank you so much for today's session. It was greatly helpful.
Shatakshy B.
10:55:52 AM
Thank you so much
Shuri T.
10:55:53 AM
Thank you so much for the session!
Lucy C.
10:55:54 AM
Thank you!
Lena O.
10:55:54 AM
Thank you!
Nana B.
10:55:56 AM
Thank you very much!
Geetika A.
10:56:16 AM
Thank you so much for this session!