“HKS is Harvard’s Theranos”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

[Anonymous]

He should write an article for Harvard Extension school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

Here is how it works:

Federal grad plus loans have no loan limit. Students borrow as much as possible, including for whatever tuition Harvard cares to charge.

Student enters low-paid public service, and begins repaying loan at a small fraction of their income. (10% of discretionary income, which is not much when you are a broke LA on the Hill and can be as little as $0).

After ten years, the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars borrowed are forgiven, tax free.

Harvard and some other elite schools have also replaced fellowships with promises to pay part of your loan on your behalf. Taxable as income? No, also structured as a forgivable public sector loan.

It is quite affordable. See also, med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This reminds me of the theology degree offerings a lot of these schools have.

I liked Latin in high school and continued it for four years at Harvard. These were some of the most challenging courses I took, and there were multiple students from the Divinity School in my classes. I don't t think theology is what you believe it to be at Harvard...

[Anonymous]

HKS is an absolute joke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HKS is an absolute joke

Most MPP programs are basically degree mills for corrupt foreign officials spending their taxpayers money to get an American degree.

[Anonymous]

HLS/Harvard Med
HBS/Harvard GSAS
Harvard SEAS
Harvard GSD/Harvard GSE/Chan
Harvard Dental
HDS/HKS

Extension School

From most credible to least credible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HLS/Harvard Med
HBS/Harvard GSAS
Harvard SEAS
Harvard GSD/Harvard GSE/Chan
Harvard Dental
HDS/HKS

Extension School

From most credible to least credible

GSAS PhD should be first tier, but any GSAS masters should be in the fourth tier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

Here is how it works:

Federal grad plus loans have no loan limit. Students borrow as much as possible, including for whatever tuition Harvard cares to charge.

Student enters low-paid public service, and begins repaying loan at a small fraction of their income. (10% of discretionary income, which is not much when you are a broke LA on the Hill and can be as little as $0).

After ten years, the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars borrowed are forgiven, tax free.

Harvard and some other elite schools have also replaced fellowships with promises to pay part of your loan on your behalf. Taxable as income? No, also structured as a forgivable public sector loan.

It is quite affordable. See also, med school.

For Med school, an MD can make 250,000+ first year out of school. We are talking MPP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HLS/Harvard Med
HBS/Harvard GSAS
Harvard SEAS
Harvard GSD/Harvard GSE/Chan
Harvard Dental
HDS/HKS

Extension School

From most credible to least credible

GSAS PhD should be first tier, but any GSAS masters should be in the fourth tier.

Agreed.

HLS/Harvard Med/GSAS (PhD)
HBS
Harvard SEAS
Harvard GSD/Harvard GSE/Chan/GSAS (Master's)
Harvard Dental
HDS/HKS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, yes. I went to Harvard College and it is/was well known that HKS is a vanity degree. One of my friends dated an older guy in HKS and helped him with his "homework", which was shockingly simple and childlike. They do a lot of group projects with silly pretend assignments. The purpose of their program is "making connections", I was told.

And I will never, ever forget seeing some business school bros (in their 30s?) doing keg stands at an undergrad party, trying desperately for the "Harvard experience." None of those guys would have been admitted to Harvard College or to a real graduate program.

Do you think having too many masters' programs would dilute the Harvard brand name? Like I know a lot of foreigners like to flaunt their HES master's degree. I was surprised to see how many master's students there are at Harvard, considering it's got a $40 billion endowment and should have no need for these supposedly cash cow/vanity programs.

In case you don't know how PhD programs work in academic fields, the PhD program that includes a Masters portion, people who don't "cut it" leave with the Masters and those who do, do their research and write their dissertation to get the PhD. Those programs are generally not money producing and students are not only given free tuition but also stipends to teach or be research assistants. I am sure that Harvard has many "such" Masters students in your count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

Here is how it works:

Federal grad plus loans have no loan limit. Students borrow as much as possible, including for whatever tuition Harvard cares to charge.

Student enters low-paid public service, and begins repaying loan at a small fraction of their income. (10% of discretionary income, which is not much when you are a broke LA on the Hill and can be as little as $0).

After ten years, the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars borrowed are forgiven, tax free.

Harvard and some other elite schools have also replaced fellowships with promises to pay part of your loan on your behalf. Taxable as income? No, also structured as a forgivable public sector loan.

It is quite affordable. See also, med school.

For Med school, an MD can make 250,000+ first year out of school. We are talking MPP.

What resident makes 250k? Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

There is a LOT of financial aid for graduate students, actually. As one of my Harvard professors told me when I was an undergrad applying to doctoral programs, if you aren't offered full funding, you don't belong in graduate school. I don't actually know anybody who paid for their doctorate or masters at Harvard. I don't consider an MBA or anything offered by HKS to be a real masters degree, though, so maybe that is where you are confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to public policy school 20 years ago, so maybe this has changed, but nobody paid sticker price for an MPP. Huge ROI for my degree, frankly.

I doubt there’s much financial aid for masters. I think a proper way of seeing these degrees is to see them as promotional gimmicks for employers who are wowed by ivy +.

There is a LOT of financial aid for graduate students, actually. As one of my Harvard professors told me when I was an undergrad applying to doctoral programs, if you aren't offered full funding, you don't belong in graduate school. I don't actually know anybody who paid for their doctorate or masters at Harvard. I don't consider an MBA or anything offered by HKS to be a real masters degree, though, so maybe that is where you are confused.

PhDs are funded. Masters, not really.

One perk of attending an ivy is you don’t need to be impressed by other ivy students. You obviously don’t know much.

[Anonymous]

Kennedy school also grants PhDs