00:00:00
Summer Admissions Webinar (July 2024)
Hello everyone, I see people coming in which is very good news. I am always worried about a major technical fiasco when I do these things.
And yeah, I'm using a new platform, so that's why.
Have fun. I get to see where you all are from and we have Kenya, DC, Oregon, Rwanda, Brazil.
Philippines, Virginia, Virginia. That's where I grew up.
Romania. Awesome, this is really great.
Well, welcome, I'm going to get started because this is recorded, so you should automatically get a recording of this after this is over. So you know if anyone joins late, they'll get to see this part when they view it.
You should, yeah. OK, I'm seeing the question.
Greg Chipchak
01:01:25 PM
Massachusetts
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:01:25 PM
Hi Asha!
Htet Aung Hlawn
01:01:47 PM
Good Wednesday from Myanmar !
Let's see, I've got a Massachusetts, OK, So you can type your questions into the question box or into the, I don't know where it's showing up for you. The things that you put in show up in the question box for me, but I can make it so that everyone sees them. And I will be hello Myanmar, amazing. And I will be kind of checking out the questions as I go through.
And I do have one of our current students at admissions coordinators.
Alejandro behind the scenes.
And I am not sure he may or may not be able to answer your questions. We're still figuring this out. But Alejandro, what I'm going to do is I'll put the questions into the chat so you can see them. And then maybe I can also like start putting your answers in because we have a lot of people on this particular webinar and.
Diana Walker
01:02:39 PM
Hello from New Jersey
I want to make sure I get through my presentation and this way we can kind of be answering questions as we go along.
Thierry Watrin
01:02:40 PM
Good morning from Rwanda!
Kaelyn Klatte
01:02:41 PM
Good afternoon from Berlin, Germany :)
Marianne Geagea
01:02:41 PM
good evening from Lebanon
Ali Albakri
01:02:43 PM
Hi Asha, good to see you!
Approve, approve, approve. OK, Ali, good to see you.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:02:50 PM
Hello, I'm a member of Yale Law School's Launchpad Scholars inaugural class, and I was considering applying to YLS and YJS for a joint degree. Does the Jackson School accept LSAT scores and other YLS admission materials?
And then we have someone from.
The law school, I will, I will answer that question as well. Gatullio and.
The answer is yes to the LSAT score, no to the other admissions materials you have to fill out. You have to do with Jackson application, which I'm now going to talk about. So welcome to the Jackson School of Global Affairs. I am the Dean of admissions, and I am here to tell you about our program and about how to apply. I am hoping that you see on your screen a slide that says Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. So if you could confirm that for me, OK, awesome.
Alejandra Rocha
01:03:34 PM
Hi from DC!
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:03:35 PM
Hi everyone! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to drop them in the chat.
James Sullivan
01:03:36 PM
Hello from Ohio!
Yana Balanchuk
01:03:37 PM
Hey from Ukraine!
Xingcheng Liu
01:03:39 PM
Good evening from Beijing
Aarushi Shah
01:03:40 PM
We do!
Yana Balanchuk
01:03:41 PM
we do
Kaelyn Klatte
01:03:42 PM
indeed
Ali Albakri
01:03:42 PM
Yes
Because last time I did not have the slides show up and it was sad. And so I'm hoping that I'm going to be able to actually move through the slides.
So a little bit about me. I am a graduate of Yale Law School. So for Gatullio, if you're interested in or you're already at Wilsi, graduated from there in 2000.
After graduating from the law school, I spent a year clerking in San Juan, PR and the 9/11 happened and I joined the FBI as a special agent specializing in counterintelligence investigations. I then returned to Yale Law School where I was the Dean of Admissions for 12 years, and then I moved over to the Jackson School where I am the Dean of Admissions and I also teach courses.
Related to national security, so I straddle both the teaching and the administrative side. So I can definitely speak from both an administrator and faculty perspective and sort of from a student perspective, though that was really, really long ago at this point. I apologize in advance for the noise. Invariably, somebody decides to mow their lawn as soon as I start a webinar. If you have any troubles, trouble hearing me, please let me know.
So what I'm going to do is basically tell you a little bit about a program and what makes us different and then also some of the basics about applying. And then I will also address any questions that you have. So again, please continue to put your questions into the question box and if they're pertinent to what I'm talking about, I'll just kind of weave it in as well.
So.
Let's see. OK, Yeah, All right, this works.
Sophia Awartey
01:05:45 PM
Hello Asha, can you share your contact information with me so that i can reach out for further information.
Yes, I will. Sophia, I will share your my contact information at the end. So sounds like you can all hear and see me and we've done kind of introductions though you should feel free to say hi to each other on the chat.
This webinar as I mentioned is being recorded.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:06:21 PM
Hi, Getulio from Tampa, FL living in the Bronx
Umm, and you won't be able to speak. Umm, as I mentioned, I think there were like, I mean, there's looks like there's 49 participants on. There were over 100 people registered. So unfortunately we can't do this in such a way that I can do a back and forth, but I will give you my contact number or contact information after.
And would be happy to answer any follow-ups questions that you have. And of course you should include your questions and comments in the chat.
Jean Paul Niyonshuti
01:06:53 PM
Hello! I am Jean Paul Niyonshuti. I am listening to you from Rwanda.
There is a closed caption option if that is something that you need, as well as the full screen, and I hope all of this other stuff is working for you all right.
So I told you a little bit about me. I've learned a little bit about you. In case you're unaware, GAIL is located in New Haven, CT New Haven is roughly halfway between Boston and New York.
And approximately 4 hours or so from New York, from Washington, DC. And I will say more about New Haven later, but obviously it's been my home both as a student and for almost the last 20 years. And I, I love it. So a lot of great things to say. I also want, and there's a QRL code here that I think should take you to more info about New Haven. But I want to give a little bit of history about the Jackson School because.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:07:55 PM
I was just at New Haven two weeks ago, great place!
The Jackson School is technically new, but it actually has a pretty long history, and you need to kind of know the evolution of of how the Jackson School came to be to really understand that.
The Jackson Institute was created out of the International Relations Graduate Program, the MA program that had existed at Yale.
For decades, umm, it was part of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and after a generous donation from John Jackson, Class of 67, in case you're wondering which Jackson this is named after.
We were able to form the Jackson Institute. The Jackson Institute was still under the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and awarded an MA degree. Initially awarded MA in Global, sorry an international affairs.
As the old department did, which then switched to an MA in Global Affairs.
In this time period, from 2010 to 2022, the Institute expanded. We, you know, got more resources and more money. And as you know, our caliber of students increased. And eventually the Board of Trustees at Yale approved Jackson becoming.
A stand alone professional school, So an independent professional school. Yale has several professional schools. They have Yale Law School, they have the School of Management, which is our Business School. They have the School of the Environment, they have the School of Public Health, they have the School of Medicine, etcetera, etcetera. So the School of Global Affairs is now one of those professional schools. And really what that means practically is that you know, it's financially.
Self-sufficient.
It has the power to appoint its own faculty and it just basically has more resources at its disposal. And one big change that happened in 2022 was that the degree was changed from MAA Master of Arts to a Master of Public Policy in global Affairs. This is the first professional school that Yale has had, new professional school that Yale has created since 1976.
And so it's, it's kind of an exciting thing. I'm going to quickly.
You know what?
Kaelyn Klatte
01:10:28 PM
Is there a penalty for a denied application? I.e.: If I apply one year and get deferred / denied, will there be a penalty prohibiting me from re-applying in the following year(s)?
Kaylin, the answer is no. There is no penalty for a denied application if you want to reapply.
Pascalinne Kassy
01:10:34 PM
Good evening from South Africa
Sophia Awartey
01:10:47 PM
Asha, i will be coming to the US this fall but i would be happy if i can obtain admission in to masters in public policy this spring intake so that i can transfer?
And then I, Sophia, I will come to you, but I'm happy to obtain the mission. Umm, I'm going to let, uh, Alejandro, if he is able to.
View Sofia's message maybe respond to you because I'm not sure I fully understand the question. I'm just trying to not create a backlog here, which is why I am kind of cranking through some of the questions as we go. So organize this presentation into the five FS, which basically ensures that I cover all of the the ground that I want to cover and that will include the flexibility and features.
Faculty, future family, meaning the Yale family and funding, which I'm excited to tell you about. So the flexibility, I think that this is sort of the defining feature that makes Jackson very unique compared to other professional schools. As I mentioned, Jackson was created in 2010 and really it needed sort of defining philosophy in terms of what it intended to do. What was the value added that this was bringing?
Not only to Yale, but to the policy landscape and the way that this was created and the way that Jackson has been designed since its inception is to have a interdisciplinary curriculum and to be very small. Those are kind of the two main things. In terms of the size, the MPP class is quite small, generally from 30 to 35 students a year, and the Master of Advanced Study, which is the one year program.
Is usually two to five students. I will talk a little bit more about the differences between the MPP and the MAS, but really if you're kind of still at the beginning of, you know, figuring out what you're applying to, really the MPP is for early career people, people who have been working for a few years on the average working number of years that people have been working is about 5, which is.
You know the the middle of some people.
As little as three and maybe as much as seven before they come to Jackson. But they're really at a stage where they're about to launch in their policy careers or maybe take like a next big step and Jackson is sort of filling some sort of knowledge or skills gap for them to be able to do that. The Master of Advanced Study is really intended for mid career professionals. These are people who are already established in their careers.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:13:44 PM
Hi Sophia, thanks for your interest in joining our program! Our masters programs only offer fall enrollment. Once you're settled in the United States, we encourage you to apply during our Fall 2025 admissions cycle, when our application launches in late summer 2025.
Who are really coming to just get some additional background in a particular area or you know, the topic or subject or region or something like that?
So both of them have a flexible curriculum. The MPP, the two year program that's 16 courses over the course of two years does have four required courses. Those are the core courses that you take with everyone in your cohort that you enter with.
Beyond those four core courses, you are able to choose courses from across the university, umm, including all of the academic departments and professional schools. I mentioned before, we have a number of professional schools. So let's say you are interested in, you know, human rights in Southeast Asia. You might take a human rights law class from the law school. You might take some regional studies.
From the Southeast Asia Studies department, you will put together, you know, you might take some development courses or even some courses from the Business School, depending on, you know, what your focus is and how you want to put this together. The Master of Advanced Study is very similar, except that you don't have any core courses and you are only there for one year, so you're going to take eight of them. And so those are kind of the two big differences. There are other differences in terms of application requirements.
And funding, which I will get to shortly, but those are the two big ones. And really these are about the two different stages that you are in in your career. And just to give you know, an example, you know, you're say a typical profile of an MPP student might be someone who is a return Peace Corps volunteer or someone who's been working at a tech company for three or four years and wants to come and develop some policy skills. Whereas usually the people who come into our Master of Advanced study, the MAS program.
Is someone who has been working for 10 years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ex country, for example. So those are, you know, kind of the two different stages that we're looking at.
So, as I mentioned before, the MPP is really defined by its flexibility, its interdisciplinary nature. The core courses are courses in economics.
So these are quantitative courses, history and political science and it's really kind of looking at these these different disciplines through a policy lens. You can design your own program as I mentioned before. And I think for this reason, this is partly the reason that we want people who have been working a little while because it is really it requires you to sort of know what you're that sort of note. It does require you to know what you're interested in focusing on what are the specific.
Theoretical knowledge, skills gaps that you want to fill while you're here because it's a lot of, you know, freedom. And with great freedom comes great responsibility. But really we find that when people have been out working, they're able to kind of come with more focus in terms of what they want to do.
And so, you know, we're developing professional skills writing.
And other.
You know, other skills for policy analysis.
Aarushi Shah
01:17:22 PM
Do you recommend at least 5 years of work experience before applying?
Let me quickly on a route. I'm going to get to your question in a second on tests and stuff, so I'm going to leave that for now. Umm, Arushi, do you recommend at least five years of work experience before applying? Not necessarily. Like I said, the range of people working, the years of work experience. I just ran these numbers for the incoming class this fall. I want to say it, it goes from 2:00 to 7:00.
It really depends on, you know, how much time you need to kind of get a real sense of what you want to focus on. We generally do not accept people directly out of undergrad. I should say that we make a few exceptions for fellows in specific programs like the Pickering and Wrangle Fellows, which really they've already gotten a, a place in the US Foreign Service and their graduate study is funded so.
We do take students directly from undergrad into that because they're going to go immediately into the foreign service. But in general, you don't have to wait for five years. I probably, I think minimum of two is, is good. And then of course, as I mentioned, the MVP is really for people who are launching or kind of moving, pivoting into policy careers. So, you know, if you're 20 years into your career, the MPP may not be the one the program for you. That might be more of like an M.
Umm, let me see, I'll go ahead. I have some questions here about.
The joint degree? Hold on, let's see.
Kaelyn Klatte
01:19:05 PM
If the MPP is meant more for early-year professional, can I as a senior year undergraduate apply for admittance directly after graduation? Would I be put at a disadvantage without a couple of years of work experience, and how could I set myself apart from other candidates? Likewise, would an internship count as work experience?
Sorry. Oh my God, the questions are all piling up for early. OK, I think I answered this question, Kaylin, on your work experience, but I'm gonna let Alejandro take a second look in case I didn't.
The joint degree I'm going to talk about in a second.
Yes, Elias is asking whether the typical semester consists of four courses and how the four courses are distributed across the two years.
Elias Kastritis
01:19:28 PM
Seeing as the MPP consists of 16 courses over 2 years, does a typical semester consist of 4 courses? Additionally, how are the 4 core courses distributed across the 2 years? Thanks!
The A typical semester does consist of four courses. And Alejandro, you might need to chime in here because I know they've changed it. I think it's two and two in the first year is what it is at now.
In terms of two core courses in the first semester of your first year, 2 core courses in the second semester of your first year, and then in your second year, you have both semesters free to do this flexibility.
Htet Aung Hlawn
01:20:09 PM
May I know what kind of profiles are attending in MPP ?
Tech may I know what kind of profiles are attending an MPP? Yes you can. Maybe Alejandro can put in the chat a link to the BIOS which we have on our website of the current.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:20:13 PM
Hi Kaelyn, thanks for your question.
Elias Kastritis
01:20:15 PM
Great, thanks!
MPP students and let's see.
And then Getulio, I have a couple questions here from you.
So joint degrees, let me see what's next. Yeah, let me go ahead and talk about the MVP and the joint degree.
Applying for a joint degree, you apply to the Jackson School and then you apply to the other program separately.
If you are admitted to both programs, you would defer from the other program and begin your program of study at Jackson. We do not grant deferrals and I just want to make sure that that's clear because we offer joint degrees with the other professional schools at Yale, but we will approve them with other programs outside of Yale on a case by case basis. However, they would need to be willing to give you a one year deferral to start at Jackson.
The doing a joint degree means that you can use one semester of the other programs coursework towards your MPP and ideally the other program will allow you to use one semester of your MPP coursework towards that degree. So if you're doing MPP MBA, then your total period of study would be three years. So you would do 3 semesters of Jackson, 3 semesters of Business School. And so you'll really be able to shorten your total amount of study by one year.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:21:49 PM
Because it's an interdisciplinary program, would joint-degree scholars have a "smaller" course load for the MPP?
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:21:56 PM
Find out more about Jackson current students here: https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/grad-students/overview/
So yes, Gatullio, to answer your question, you have a smaller course load, meaning that you only have 3 semesters as a joint degree student at Jackson.
Alejandro, thank you for posting that.
Joao Hofmeister
01:22:11 PM
Hi Asha, nice to e-meet you! Please feel free to call me Hofi. During my undergraduate studies, I interned for over a year. Would this experience be considered as work experience? I graduated last year.
Let's see, during my undergraduate studies, I interned for over a year with this experience be considered as work experience? No, we really are looking for full time work experience.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:22:32 PM
I'm a non-traditional student (veteran) getting my BSc in Public Policy from Cornell. Will I be penalized because I'm attaining my education later in life? I do have the requisite work experience working with NGOs and of course the USAF.
And I think it just makes your application stronger. Let me move on to the faculty and Getulio. I see. Let me, I'll just go ahead and answer this. You are not penalized for attaining your education later in life, especially if you're a veteran. So that is not a problem. We do have people kind of on the higher end because they they were deployed, they spent time in the military. So that is not at all held against you.
So let's talk about faculty. I would say that Jackson's faculty is sort of in layers. We of course have, as I mentioned before, especially since becoming a school, we have our own tenure track faculty lecturers that teach, you know, courses and are appointed at Jackson. The tenure track faculty are jointly appointed between Jackson and another department. So they're usually politics and global affairs or economics and global affairs, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
And we are still in the early stages of that, so you can expect to see our list of faculty to grow over the next few years. We also have something that we refer to as senior Fellows. And you know, you see some of the photos of our senior fellows on this slide. Senior fellows are practitioners who come to and spend one to three years at Jackson.
Who teaching courses in their area of expertise and what senior fellows are there to do is to basically.
Bridge this kind of theoretical academic, you know, knowledge that our our academic faculty bring with actual practical on the ground knowledge and teaching. So, and I just want to emphasize that they do teach classes. A lot of universities and programs and schools will have fellows. Often fellows are sort of affiliates. They're there to do research. They might get an office. That's not the case of Jackson. Our senior fellows are only appointed.
If they are able to teach a class. And so maybe Alejandro, you can also put in a link to our senior Fellows page so people can kind of take a look at that. Another really exciting thing that we have at Jackson are our World Fellows and World Fellows are they are selected through the Jackson's International Leadership Program. And I kind of refer to them as the movers and shakers of the world. They're just.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:24:56 PM
Check out our Jackson 2023-2024 senior fellows: https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/senior-fellows/overview/
You know, rock stars in whatever field that they're in, they're from around the world and they commonly spend 3 months at Jackson from September to December. They are available to talk with students, mentor them. They give, you know, talks across the university and at Jackson.
You know, just a one person that, for example, is popping up in my head as a former world fellow.
Htet Aung Hlawn
01:25:47 PM
Oh :'(
Is Alexei Navalny's, you know, manager when he was doing the opposition? Alexei Navalny was actually a world fellow way back in the day. But then we later had, after many years when he became the opposition and he was being, you know, I guess targeted by Russia, we had someone there. And so, yes, I know it's it, it's really sad.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:26:06 PM
Hi Kaelyn, thanks for your question. While the M.P.P. program typically attracts early-career professionals with 3-5 years of work experience, we do consider applications from recent graduates in the specific cases just mentioned by Asha (namely, externally-funded fellowships). Here are some points to keep in mind:
- As Asha mentioned, professional experience is greatly valued in your application. We encourage you to find a professional experience to set yourself apart.
- Do focus on showcasing your academic achievements, leadership skills, and any relevant volunteer or internship experiences. Highlight how these experiences have prepared you for a career in public policy.
While having a few years of work experience can be an advantage, it is not the only factor in our holistic admissions process. Demonstrating your commitment to public service, your academic prowess, and your potential to contribute to and benefit from our program can help make your application stand out.
But that's like, I mean, I'm just using that as an example to kind of convey the, the, both the profile and the impact that, you know, the level that these world fellows are on, which make them really, really excited, exciting to be around. Another person that I remember just because I spent some time talking to her, we had several years ago the first female police chief from India and she managed like a police force of 2000 men.
In India, and she just had this fascinating perspective both as a female law enforcement officer, a law enforcement officer from India. It was really fascinating, especially for me as a former FBI agent. I love talking to her. So that's sort of the just some examples of that.
And you can also find the World Fellows list on our website. I believe that we just selected this coming year's cohort maybe just a month ago. So maybe, Alejandra, you can put that in there too.
OK, future.
We are very good at placing our students and partly because we are very small and so we can give a lot of individualized attention. And I should just make a note of that, that both in terms of career counseling but also just academic advising, you have one-on-one individualized access to the Dean of graduate programs to help figure out what your course matrix is going to be to the Dean of students who will help you.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:27:46 PM
Meet Jackson's Class of 2024 World Fellows! https://worldfellows.yale.edu/class/class-of-2024/
You know, get involved with outside organizations or or organize a conference or start your own organization. I mean, all these are happening with individual conversations and we can do that because we are very small. Now. In addition to the four core courses that I mentioned before, I should just mention a couple of other requirements in our program. One is that our MPP students are required to do a summer internship.
Here's the good news. We give up to $6000 of funding to do the summer internship, which means that if there is your dream job or the place that you need to work to really get the skills and experience that you want to launch into what you want to do, you can basically call them up and say I'm willing to work for free because we will give you the financial support to be able to do that. And this slide gives you.
A breakdown in terms of the types of experiences.
That students have in the summer, both in terms of geography and the kind of experiences that that that they have. We've also noted here the jobs after Jackson and the career destinations. And I want to say that our assistant Dean for career development, Elizabeth Gill, is fantastic. Again, she does individualized meetings to take to look at what your professional goals are.
She helps you figure out what your summer internship is going to be, and then she works with you to get that placement after graduation. And we do really well. Also, we do plug you into our alumni network. You get to go to DC, you get to go to New York and, you know, meet with potential employers as well as get connected with alumni who we now have in, you know, every field and around the world. So it's a very tight knit group. I know that sometimes people say, well, don't you have a smaller alumni network because you have a smaller class?
And here's what I'll say. You know, don't underestimate the history of Jackson, which I mentioned before goes back into our international relations program. So we have a really, you know, long network of people in the program, even though Jackson is new. But on top of that, I'll say that even if there are, you know, fewer alumni in numbers compared to some much larger schools, they are much more intimately connected with Jackson.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:30:13 PM
Hi Elias. A typical semester in the MPP program usually consists of 4 courses, allowing students to complete the 16-course requirement over the two-year period. They are typically spread out as:
Fall Semester: Applied Methods of Analysis + Comparative Politics
Spring Semester: Economics for Global Affairs + History and Global Affairs
Feel like if you were to reach out to another Jackson alum, you would hear back from them immediately because you know they feel connected to you because of how intimately connected they felt.
As students and I'll talk a little bit more about that when I get to the family part. And this is also just, I think this was on the previous slide, but getting a little bit bigger the jobs after Jackson career destinations.
I do want to mention because I think it comes up sometimes that right now our MPP program is not STEM designated. So for those of you who are international.
That's a question for you. That is currently it's it's under review, but we are not a STEM designated program.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:31:04 PM
Amazing!
Let's see. Let me quickly stop and answer these questions. Does Yell offer a master's degree program in healthcare management or global healthcare?
Pascalinne Kassy
01:31:13 PM
Does Yale offer A Masters degree program in healthcare management or global healthcare management for someone who has just completed their BA in Global health from a different University?
We do have a School of Public Health and we do offer joint degrees with the School of Public Health.
Marianne Geagea
01:31:43 PM
does consultancy counts ? if i my experience was being a consultant with unicef and IRI
I confess to you that I am not an expert in the field of public health, so I don't know whether that includes healthcare management or global healthcare management, but I would encourage you to go to the School of Public Health website and take a look at what their program does. Mary Ann Yes. So does being a consultant count? Yes. With UNICEF and IRA, absolutely. There are no.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:31:56 PM
Hello Getulio, thanks for your message and thank you for your service. You will not be penalized as a non-traditional student and veteran. The Jackson School values diverse perspectives and professional experiences, and your work with NGOs and service in the USAF are valuable assets that will enrich the learning environment for all students. The admissions process is holistic, considering not only academic achievements but also professional experiences, leadership qualities, and a demonstrated commitment to public service. We encourage you to highlight your unique journey and the skills you've gained throughout your career in your application materials.
You know, as long as it's like a legitimate appointment, it's it, it's considered work experience. And I'll get a little bit more to what we're looking for in the application on top of, you know, more specifically in a second.
Kaelyn Klatte
01:32:05 PM
Alejandro, a follow up to Elias's question. If I am majoring in Economics, and if I happen to get admitted directly after graduating is there a way to test out of a course? This question also goes for language requirements.
By the way, let's see, I'm going to. Oh, this is for you, Alejandro. It's a follow up. I mentioned the summer internship, the one other requirement that we have for our program that I just want to make sure that I mention.
Is a language proficiency. We do require students to be proficient in a foreign language, language other than English at the end of their two, two years at the L4 level. Now, many of our students, a lot of our students come in already proficient in another language. And this requirement is something that you can test out of if you are all, if you already have that proficiency. I'll just say that Yale, by the way, has an amazing language department.
So there are students who will test out of the requirement but decide to learn a third or fourth or fifth language while they're here. You do not have to achieve that same level of proficiency, but it's an, it's a great, you know, opportunity to pick up another language if it's something that you have wanted to do and you, you know, can knock out the requirement anyway. If you don't have, if you're starting from scratch, we do offer select students who come in.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:33:41 PM
Portuguese and Spanish native, learning Arabic!
With no language proficiency, with the possibility of studying at Middlebury College over the summer, which has an excellent language program to kind of get you a little bit of a head start so that you can achieve that proficiency by the end of the two years.
So I hope that that all makes sense.
So family, I mentioned already that we are a small school. I mean, you can just see that between the MPP and the MAS program, you know, we're looking at around 40 students in coming a year, so about 80 students total. You get to know each other on a first name basis. And you know, if if you're late turning in a paper, you probably don't want to wander around Jackson because you'll run into your professor and they'll know who you are.
So that's just, you know, I think gets to the intimate sense of community that we have now. I used to get, when I used to get this presentation, I would say and you know, we all Jackson is housed in like this big mansion basically that's like a house, like a Victorian house. Part of becoming a school does mean that we have been able to expand our physical footprint. So we have acquired 2 new buildings.
They're beautiful. They are right across the street from our current building, still small, so you'd still, you know, a lot of interactivity. But we, you know, the physical space has expanded. We have student lounges. We have places where you can intermingle with the World fellows and really foster that collaborative atmosphere. And of course, students get involved in the larger Yale community through, you know, sports through other clubs and organizations. I mean, really the only thing that's limiting you is your own time. And our students tend to be incredibly active.
And you know, in in their own studies and stuff. So that that is really the limiting.
The factor let me quickly so I have here just a list of I had our alumni person give you some examples of the alumni that we have that you can take a look at. And in the meantime, I am going to quickly.
Look through this, Catherine.
For those who test out of the language and want to learn a new language, would they be able to access the Middlebury Language School? No, unfortunately, it is a very, very small program, you know.
We tend to not admit that many people who have no language proficiency, but you know, if someone is incredibly competitive and compelling in so many other ways, we don't want them to be a factor that keeps them out of Jackson. So it's really intended to be.
Catherine Kish
01:36:40 PM
Thank you Asha! For those who test out of the language requirement and want to learn a new language, would they also be able to access the Middlebury Langauge Schools opportunity?
Specifically for people, you know, that we kind of bring in despite not having any language and just to help them so that they don't, you know, it is hard to get to the L4 level that quickly. So that's what that's for. So unfortunately we do not offer that to most of the students and those who have a language.
OK. I'll get to the MAS applications in a second. Elena.
Yes, OK, I'm gonna get to that in a second. Hold on.
Let's see user, how do you test out of a language? Uh, that is a good question. I think there is some test that's administered. Umm, I don't give it so umm, but basically there's a, there is a way that the language department administers a proficiency test before you matriculate and that determines whether.
Yousra Hussain
01:37:24 PM
How do you test out of a language?
You are able to test out.
Claire Gordon
01:37:39 PM
Is there a question on the application about language proficiency so that we can demonstrate that ability even if it's not reflected in our resume?
Is there a question on the language about language proficiency? Yes, there is. It asks you both languages that you speak and then the level that at which you speak. And so there is a place on the application, Claire, for you to do that.
I also wanted to just point out here that we are growing in terms of different centers and programs that we have at Jackson. I encourage I I don't have the time.
Now to go through all of these in details.
In detail because I I want to be able to get to the application questions and I see that you all have several of them, but you can see that we are expanding in terms of the different areas of interest. And so you know, students who have focus areas in these different arenas have a lot of resources at Jackson and PS, there are so many more resources in the broader.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:38:26 PM
Kaelyn:
1) Jackson offers “Fundamentals of Economics for Global Affairs” in the fall semester for students who want to brush up on economics before the required “Economics for Global Affairs” course in the spring. If you have a strong background in Economics, we encourage you to test out of the Fundamentals course. However, testing out of the "Economics for Global Affairs" course would require a more in-depth discussion with Jackson’s administration and our Economics course coordinator.
2) For language requirements, you can test out by demonstrating proficiency through a placement exam.
Yale community. So just to give an example that I happen to kind of know well from being at the law school, we do have students who come in who are interested in, you know, US China relations and policy. And the law school has a China Law Center. And so there are students who get involved with that center even though it's over at the law school. The law school also has something called the Information Society Project. This focuses on tech policy and, you know, tech law. So people who come in and are interested in.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:39:03 PM
Yousra,
To test out of the language requirement at Jackson, students must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to the intermediate level (L4) at Yale. This can be achieved by:
- Showing a 3rd-year language course on your undergraduate transcript.
- Completing through the second-year language course (L4) at Yale.
- Taking a language proficiency exam at Yale and placing into the advanced level (L5).
If you meet these criteria, you can speak with our administration early in your first year to review and confirm that your coursework or proficiency meets the requirement.
Technology policy, get involved in that so that that kind of gives you an idea of what's outside of even the resources at Jackson.
USRA is asking the language that's required if you have a native language.
I believe yes. I believe that even if your first language is not English, you need to officially test and at the required level of proficiency.
Yousra Hussain
01:39:34 PM
Is the language test required if you have a native language? (e.g., I grew up in Bangladesh but did my undergraduate in the US)
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:39:49 PM
Is there a US-Mideast Peacebuilding initiative?
And yes, OK, is there AUS Mideast peace building initiative? Not a Jackson, but I have to be honest I'm not sure if there are other departments or programs that might have something. I would encourage you to Leo and for everyone else.
To check out the Macmillan Center, umm, at Yale, which is basically, umm, the, you know, uh, in the hub of kind of international and regional, umm, studies, uh, and they often have, umm, a lot of information about specific regions. OK, so now we'll get to the funding. Umm, this is, uh, I think something that's very exciting. Umm.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:40:45 PM
Amazing!!!
Jackson provides full tuition for every admitted MPP student. UMM, if students are coming in with outside fellowships or partial funding, things like Pickering and Rangel fellowships or you know, GI Bill, things like that, we basically top it up. So every incoming Jackson MPP student does not pay tuition. Umm, we are asked for. We are aspiring.
Our aspiration is to eventually make our program fully funded. We're not there yet, but roughly half of the of the people coming in also get a full cost of living stipend. And so they their full cost of attendance is covered. And for students who don't, our cost of living is significantly below many other policy schools that are located in big cities like Washington DC, Boston, NY. And so students are typically able to fill the gap of their cost of living.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:41:38 PM
Yousra, since you completed your undergraduate studies in the U.S., you will need to fulfill the language requirement by either:
• Showing proficiency in another foreign language through your transcript.
• Completing the necessary language courses at Yale.
• Taking a language proficiency exam at Yale and placing into the advanced level (L5) for a language other than your native language.
Through doing things like being a teaching fellow or a research assistant and kind of making money in that way and to cover that gap.
And also I should just because I I know that we have some students from what we would consider underrepresented regions, which include Africa and Latin America, we do typically offer full funding for students coming from those regions.
So that is something that I want to make sure.
Reuben Chengo
01:42:05 PM
Can African apply as well?
Is there, Reuben, you're asking can Africans apply as well? Not sure what you're referring to, but we would love to get more applications from candidates in Africa. And I will just note this, that this is another thing to think about in terms of applying to the MPP or MAS because, and I just, I want to emphasize this, we do not offer funding for the MAS program.
So the one year program does not have any funding. Uh, we do expect you to come to the program with your own source of funding And again, to go back, you know, this is for mid career professionals. As I mentioned before, typically these students are employer sponsored. They're coming from, you know, their government is sending them to study for a year or they're at AUS agency and the US government is sending them or.
Their private employer is sending them and the idea again of the MAS is to come spend a year and kind of really go back to the job that you're at. We don't really offer career counseling, all of those resources. We are really focusing on the MPP students who we really see as kind of in the earlier stages of their career. So I just want to make that clear because in some ways there are lower barriers to entry for the MAS in terms of the requirements.
But it is something to consider because we do not offer.
We do not offer funding. And Ali, I see, I see your question. I'm going to get to the requirements to apply in one second, OK.
So I'm sorry that I'm sweating profusely, by the way, like I have no AC in my in my study. I'm just gonna put my hair up. OK. So in terms of applying.
The let's start, I'm going to kind of go out of order of these bullet points. The MAS deadline is earlier than the MPP deadline that the MAS deadline for the one year program.
That is for mid year professionals that has no funding is November 1st. It has an application fee of $100. We do not offer fee waivers for that program.
And that's that deadline. The deadline for the MPP program is January 2nd.
And we offer an automatic fee waiver for the MPP if you submit your application.
By December 1st, umm, you don't need to have, you know, your other components of your application. If you're still waiting for recommendations, et cetera, umm, but uh, we want you to submit your actual application by then. So those are the two different deadlines. In terms of the standardized tests, umm, all applicants who did their undergraduate education in a language other than English must take the TOEFL.
And so that is the I think.
Elina Stepanyan
01:45:21 PM
Hello! Are there any special requirements for students who got their Bachelor’s degree outside of the US?
I think Alina that must that should probably answer your question.
Ali Albakri
01:45:28 PM
Deadline: November 1st
Ali Albakri
01:45:28 PM
Great!
And let's see the GRE. So this goes to Honoru's question and he's been waiting for a while. We do require the GRE for MPP applicants. We do not require it for MAS applicants. I should probably have like a table instead of bullet points here.
As you will recall, our MPP program.
Has, you know, quantitative courses as a part of our core curriculum. We do want to see how you've done both in your coursework as an undergraduate in any in the quantitative courses that you've taken. But the GRE score does help assess your ability in that area.
In addition to that, we require a resume of one to two pages. It should just be a snapshot of kind of your professional trajectory.
And we require a personal statement and there's no special prompt for this. What we are looking for is a demonstrated interest in global affairs.
Ability to articulate what your area of focus is, why that is your focus area, what are the questions that you are hoping to answer? You know, by focusing on that, what are the skills and knowledge gaps and kind of what are the bigger policy issues that you are interested in?
Anirudh Sen
01:46:54 PM
Is a GRE compulsory?
And so, you know, back to the earlier question about, you know, can I have been a consultant or can I have been this or that? You really could have done anything as a part of your work experience, as long as you're able to connect it to, you know, what you're interested in, in global affairs policy. And I would say that we generally do look for some sort of international experience. You know, often international students can bring that just by virtue of, you know, where they are, but especially for.
Our US applicants having spent some time in another country or worked on global issues, you know, migration, things like that is something that you want to.
Ali Albakri
01:47:45 PM
Dear Asha, what do you take from MAS applications that stand out? What can an applicant do to meet your expectations for the MAS program?
To make clear and Ollie, I mean I think the same thing goes for MAS applications, you know, I think for MAS applicants again because your mid career it's really.
You know, being a little bit more clear about where this fits into your professional.
Place where you currently are like what, what are you hoping to do because a year is not a very long time. And so again, we want to see something that is pretty focused.
Htet Aung Hlawn
01:48:16 PM
Do the applicants prove the need of funding during the application process or after admitted ?
Do applicants prove the need of funding during the application process or after admitted? No Great question. We offer merit based funding, not need based funding, so there is no point at which you need to.
Demonstrate financial need. However, you should check yes when asked would you like to be considered for funding even if you are independently wealthy? Check yes. Because if you don't check yes, then we won't consider you for funding. So you know, if you say if you say no, we assume you literally do not need any assistance from Jackson. So that might be the one case where you don't get the full tuition funding. So please check it out. I don't know why you would not.
Maybe we should not even ask that question. I'm not sure. OK, let's see.
I'm going to walk through some of these questions.
Beth is saying I'm on this call because I wanna learn about Jackson to decide if I want to pursue an MB. AM PP.
It seems as though. Let's see.
Beth, let's follow up. I'm not really sure how to answer this.
In this because it seems very specific to you, so maybe you can follow up with me and I can learn more about.
Beth Maslinoff
01:49:36 PM
I'm on this call today because I wanted to learn about Jackson to decide if I want to pursue an MBA/MPP. I have a non-traditional background of 16 years as a professional ballet dancer and labor organizer, and I want to focus on domestic labor policy/relations. It seems as though the MPP is not the right fit for me, could the MAS be a fit for my focus? If so, is there a way to integrate it with the MBA, despite not being a designated dual degree?
What you know, what you're interested in, because I do think it's a good question though, about, and I, I had a conversation with someone yesterday about this, you know, do, should you do the joint degree or not? Like is it worth it? Because at Jackson you have so much flexibility that you may be able to get the benefit of another.
Schools program without having to get the whole degree. You know if there are legal aspects of the area that you're interested in.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:50:24 PM
Elina, for students who obtained their Bachelor's degree outside of the United States, there are a few additional requirements to consider when applying to Jackson:
1. Transcripts: All academic records must be submitted in English or accompanied by an official English translation. You will need to provide transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
2. English Language Proficiency: If your native language is not English and your undergraduate degree was not obtained from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction, you will need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. The minimum TOEFL score required is 102 (iBT) or 610 (PBT), and the minimum IELTS score is 7.5.
It might be that you just need to take a couple of classes at the law school. You don't necessarily need to get a law degree, which is would be an additional 2 1/2 years and frankly a lot of money because you would take out loans at least at Yale Law School. So it is something to think about.
And you know, you can kind of play around with what you really intend to do as a joint degree student. Gatullio could be the LSAT be used in lieu of the GRE. And I read your question at the beginning of this webinar very quickly. And it's not clear to me if you, for some reason, I read it as you are currently a Yale Law School student. For current Yale students at either the Business School, the School of Management, or the law school, we will accept the LSAT or GR or GMAT in lieu of the GRE. However, if you are applying from outside of Yale, you're not already a current student here.
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri
01:51:07 PM
What about for joint-degree students? Could the LSAT be used in lieu of the GRE?
You must take the GRE.
OK, Marianne, did I understand right that we must do both the GRE and TOEFL if we haven't graduated from an American school? No, it's not that. It's not whether you went to an American school, it's whether you did your undergraduate degree.
At an institution that teaches in English. So if you went to an American school in Cairo, you do not need to take the TOEFL.
It's it's the language of instruction for your undergrad, not whether you did it in the United States. So I hope that that's clear. But if you did not receive your undergraduate education in English, you are required to take the TOEFL.
Marianne Geagea
01:52:04 PM
Asha, would it be possible to re-explain regarding the tests, the GRE and TOFEL? , did i understand right that we must do both if we haven't graduated from an american school ?
And yes, for the GRE, if you are applying to the MPP program and you are not a current Yale student who has either a GMAT or LSAT, that could replace it for that. Again, that's only for current students. You must take the GRE.
Caitlin, thank you for asking this question.
Recommendations. We do require 3 letters of reference, umm and I think.
I personally think that two academic references and one professional recommendation is usually a good mix. UMM we are a very rigorous academic program. UMM and so knowing how you were a student is really helpful because your files are read by a faculty committee.
However, I think that you know it's not a hard and fast rule if you have really interesting.
And you know, meaty professional experiences and your academic credentials are already quite strong in other areas of your application. You might want to do 2 professional references in one academic reference. I would look to see what what is the story you're trying to tell in your application if you feel that your GRV, for example, may be weaker than you like and is not.
Kaelyn Klatte
01:53:26 PM
What type of recommenders do you look at? Academic, professional, etc?
Indicative of your actual abilities, those an extra, you know, faculty reference is helpful. If that's not a question that you need to answer, you can combine it in some other way. I do think that you need you really do need at least one faculty reference. So I hope that that is helpful.
How much does being a Truman Scholar help with admissions and overall funding? I mean, you know, the treatment is incredibly prestigious. Congratulations.
I know I have some Trumans on this and we love our Trumans. I love the Trumans when I was at the law school. But you know, in terms of admission, it's obviously attests to your, you know, your, the strength of your application. But we do, you know, we're looking at all the other things too. And then in terms of overall funding, we generally compliment your, your Truman Fellowship.
Zane Zupan
01:54:17 PM
How much does being a Truman Scholar help with admissions and overall funding?
Definitely up to the full cost of tuition and I think in recent years many of our Trumans have also gotten cost of living stipends as well.
Beth, I'm not going to put your, I'm not going to approve this because I don't want your Gmail, your e-mail to be in the chat for everybody. But I will give you my e-mail address at the end. Well, for everybody. And if you want to follow up, you can do that. I am going out of the country for, you know, the next week or so. So I may not respond immediately.
Reuben Chengo
01:54:49 PM
Can someone who did medicine as an undergraduate, yet they are interested global affairs stand a chance of being accepted into the program?
Umm, can someone who did medicine as an undergraduate, uh, standard chance, Yes, everyone has a chance. We do not. Umm, there's nothing categorically inadmissible. I just want to be clear about that. You know, there's no GRE cut offs. There's no, you know, like I said, as long as it's legitimate employment, you know, and not something like illegal, there's no employment that's off the table or anything like that.
Elina Stepanyan
01:55:42 PM
Thank you!
Marianne Geagea
01:55:42 PM
okai clear thank you !
So you know, I think you especially by the way for the MPP where the fee is waived automatically until December 1st, there is really no reason not to apply if you're you know planning to apply for policy schools and and you know take going through the process of taking the GRE etcetera anyway. And we do, I personally read every single application by the way. So it is a very individualized process just as we are very individualized in other.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:55:45 PM
Getulio, as Asha mentioned, for joint-degree students, such as those applying to both the Jackson School of Global Affairs and Yale Law School, we do accept the LSAT in lieu of the GRE. Please ensure that your LSAT scores are sent directly to the Jackson School as part of your application.
Areas.
Umm, let's see.
Uh.
Let's see. OK, yellow school launch pads color.
Emily Scott
01:56:17 PM
Hello! For undergrad students outside the US, will transcripts need to be in US grade standard if your university has a different marking system?
You know what, Getulio, e-mail me at the end too. Umm, we could talk about this 'cause I don't know as much about that program and umm, I may need to confer with Dean Ingber about that law school program. Umm Emily is asking for undergrad students. Do transcripts need to be in US grade standard if your university has different marketing system? No, we receive a lot of international transcripts and.
As long as a transcript we do need a transcript translated into English. I think the application instructions should have the requirements for international transcripts and.
We do need to know like what if it's not the US grading system? Like what do the different numbers mean? Like what's the scale and how do we interpret it?
Gustavo Maia
01:56:50 PM
Are MAS students eligible to the On-Campus Jobs?
Are MAS students eligible to the on campus jobs? Yes they are.
Htet Aung Hlawn
01:57:02 PM
May I know when we can start applying MPP ? Or is the application has already been launched ?
May I know when we can start applying? We generally open the application in late August, early September, so that's when you should be looking for it.
Would it be better if our professional reference works in the field of international relations? Not necessarily. I think that what's most important, Sonam, is that your recommender knows you well. Umm, and.
Sonam Rikha
01:57:32 PM
Would it be better if our professional reference works in the field of international relations?
You know, can write about your academic abilities, umm, your interest in in global affairs, your aptitude for Policy Studies, kind of your potential, all of those things.
Jake Lawson
01:57:47 PM
Can you say how many people typically apply each year for the MPP program?
Umm, how many people typically apply each year for the MPP program? Umm, we generally get north of 500 applications now for an incoming class of about 35 students.
Umm Victoria, can you highlight some applications that have stood out in the past and why? Umm.
Victoria Hasan
01:58:06 PM
Could you highlight some applications that have stood out in the past and why?
Kaelyn Klatte
01:58:26 PM
how do you get a pickering / rangel fellowship?
I really can't, you know, everyone is very individual and I think the best thing to do, Victoria, is to look at the BIOS of the incoming class and you you should be able to kind of get a sense of the diversity of people that we admit. Kaylynn, how do you get a Pickering Wrangle fellowship? That is a completely separate program. It is AUS State Department sponsored program. So I would just Google Pickering and Wrangle and probably you should.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:58:28 PM
Emily, for undergraduate students outside the US, we understand that universities may have different marking systems. You do not need to convert your transcripts to the US grade standard. However, all academic records must be submitted in English or accompanied by a certified English translation.
Jackson will review your transcripts in the context of your university’s grading system. If you have any additional documentation that explains your university's grading scale, please include that with your transcripts.
Get that information.
Umm, are there certain aspects of the application that are weighed as being more or less important? Not necessarily. I mean, I think we really have two questions. Is one can the person?
Succeed and thrive academically and that's where your grades and test scores and recommendations come into play. And the second question is can this person really utilize the, you know, program flexibility resources that Jackson have and.
Kaelyn Klatte
01:59:09 PM
Are there certain aspects of the application that are weighed as being more / less important?
Are they going to contribute something really interesting? So those are the two questions that I think the admissions committee is really looking to answer, umm, in every application that we review.
Yousra Hussain
01:59:21 PM
How important is research experience for the application?
How important is research experience for the application? Umm, it is not. I mean, I don't want to say it's not important because some people have done a lot of research, but it really depends on people's individual trajectories.
Claire Gordon
01:59:55 PM
Does Jackson do rolling admissions, or is there any benefit to applying earlier in the application cycle (other than the fee waiver)?
OK. And I'm going, look, I've got a few more questions to go through and I know we're at the end. So I'm going to just go through the last three that I have here. Does Jackson do rolling admissions or is there any benefit other than the fee waiver to applying early? No, we review all the applications together. We typically release decisions for the MPP program in early March and the MAS program we will probably release in January or February.
Alejandro Sánchez Flores
01:59:57 PM
Victoria, we encourage you to learn more about Jackson current studentsh here: https://jackson.yale.edu/about/meet-us/grad-students/overview/.
Let's see.
Reuben Chengo
02:00:04 PM
Can someone who did medicine and surgery as an undergraduate studies, but have interest in global affairs be able to be admitted into the program?
I think Ruben I answered this question. Yes, you can. Any any major is eligible.
Are there any particular classes you would recommend for a second year som to explore? They wanted to apply for the joint degree program. Not necessarily. I think you know really if you had the opportunity to take a course, take something that is in your area of interest.
Jake Lawson
02:00:40 PM
Are there particular classes or programs you would recommend for a SOM 2Y to explore/register for during their first year if they wanted to apply for the joint degree program?
And that should, and, you know, just think about is it of course it's offered at Jackson or, you know, in the broader school, The, the ones that are offered at Jackson will be give you the big, the best window into what Jackson is like. OK, so I'm going to put into the chat, 'cause I have another, I have 1:00.
Asha Rangappa
02:00:55 PM
asha.rangappa@yale.edu
Appointment so I'm going to put my e-mail in the chat.
And.
Alejandro, I don't know if you're open to answering questions, but there's also.
The Jackson admissions e-mail to which Alejandro answers. And so, you know, you can also submit your questions there 'cause I will be gone for a little while. And the other thing is to keep an eye on our events page for Jackson. We do have two visit days coming up this fall.
And those visit days, umm are sorry, go away. The phone call coming in umm, those visit days, if you happen to be in the area are a great way to check out Jackson, Umm in person. So.
Oh my God, I made it through all of that in one hour, so I hope that this was useful.
And I will hopefully see your application in this year's in this year's cycle. Take care guys.