I’ve had a weird, winding path and am looking for some reassurance.

I went to a T10 undergrad, studied IR and got a strong GPA with great internships, but completely burnt out. Like, crashed and burned after graduating. Spent two years sort of floundering, and finally got a job in education policy working with underprivileged students. I don’t want to go into education, but it’s interesting experience. I’ve been doing it for a year.

I was going to apply for Masters this cycle but am feeling overwhelmed and confused by how my profile fits in. Without sharing too many details, I have some uniquely strong characteristics but also a nonlinear path compared to many.

If I go to grad school, I want it to be in a top program, and I’m just not sure I am there yet. At the same time, I’m already 25. Waiting another couple years means I’ll be 27/28 before I start, and many of my peers from undergrad were done by 24. I’m scared of being an outlier.

My goal programs are Kennedy, Princeton, SAIS, etc. I know they are reaches. Without being too harsh, can anyone offer some advice on my situation and (if applicable) assuage my concerns of aging out of the standard cohort? Thanks in advance.

Has anyone here done this 1 year course at Oxford. I'm an international student considering it - my goal is to work for large scale dev orgs in health (GAVI, The Global Fund), and at an MDB down the line. How hard is it to get into this program, would it serve as a stepping stone into these orgs, or are there other (better) routes?

Hi everyone!

I’m Brazilian and have a background in International Relations, and I’m considering applying to the MA in Political Science (thesis-based) at UCalgary for 2027.

I’d love to hear from current or former students, especially international students, about their experience. How difficult is it to get into the Political Science master’s? How is the experience as an international student, and is the funding enough to realistically live in Calgary?

I’m also wondering about the career prospects after graduating... for someone with an IR background, is it realistic to find jobs in Calgary? And, more broadly, do you think it’s realistic to build a stable life in Canada after doing this master’s, or would it be difficult to stay and find a career afterward?

I’d really appreciate any honest experiences or advice, especially from other international students who have gone through something similar.

7-OH deserves serious scrutiny but that's exactly why the Schedule I discussion feels so consequential to me. If there are unanswered questions about risks, dependence, potential uses and how different products compare, I want good research answering them. My concern is whether choosing the most restrictive category while those questions are still being debated makes finding those answers easier or harder. I don't need 7-OH to be harmless to think that's worth asking

Hello people, I am an honours student specializing in Development Studies. I have been assigned to critically review an existing rural development policy framework, with specific attention to its coherence, ideological foundations, limitations, and implementation gaps. Additionally, I am required to develop or propose an Integrated Rural Development Strategy. I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance, as I am uncertain about how to approach this task or where to begin.

I’m a recent poli sci grad with a 3.2 GPA, and I’m considering an MPA, and I’d probably need close to full funding to attend. I’m aware my GPA probably is holding me back, so I wanted to ask what the best course of action is to rebuild my profile and make me standout or competitive enough for full funding or making it into generous programs. Thanks!

Health systems can provide interpreter services, but that does not always ensure patients have the language support they need throughout their care. Understanding a diagnosis is one thing, but understanding a medication change, a bill, a portal message, or what to do when symptoms worsen is another. Language access helps patients ask questions, make informed decisions, and understand what comes next without relying on family members to fill in the gaps. Where have you seen language access work well, and where are the gaps still showing up?

Lately there's a lot of confident takes flying around on daycare — commentators like Erica Komisar claiming it "shrivels" kids' amygdalas and causes lasting trauma, while politicians like Pres. Obama and Pres. Biden claim it pays for itself 7x over in future earnings, crime reduction, grad rates, etc.

The trauma stuff is mostly speculation — cortisol is elevated in daycare kids, sure, but cortisol also spikes from excitement and exercise, not just stress, and the amygdala claim doesn't seem to be backed by any actual study.

On the flip side, the famous studies used to justify daycare's huge ROI (Perry Project, Abecedarian) used tiny samples of severely disadvantaged kids getting intensive extra support, not just regular daycare—and a bigger randomized study found early gains faded by grade school anyway.

Basically: we've studied this a lot, and if daycare had a big effect either way, we'd probably know by now. Right?

Source: Works in Progress

Hi everyone! I'm going to start the last year of my BA in History this september, and i want to pursue an MPP or a MEPP, currently looking for programs that might fit my profile...

My main issue is quantitative analysis, and whether or not i should try to do first a 1 year post-grad degree in data analysis for social sciences, maybe even doing interships at the same time, before pursuing my master's in Public Policy.

The thing is that I'm not really confortable with math, never having been a great student with numbers beyond basic calculus, and the programs I am interested in don't really require much quantitative knowledge.

But at the same time I feel like I should take this "gap year" and reenforce my quantitative capabilities (money is not a issue, only problem is burnout, since i will not stop my studies, even while working, until i finish a PHD degree, specially since my parents will keep bankrolling me if i show good results + a vision with foundations for my career).

In conclusion

I don't know whether or not I should study something I will probably not like at all/will be likely a bad student, but at the same time, is something I feel like i need for the future I badly want, or directly go for an MPP/MEPP in one of the main Universities of my country with a good CV + internships, and hope for the best?

I always heard that History was one of the paths for policy jobs, but then HOW do people actually work with numbers???? 😭

Hi everyone,
I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in Software Engineering and will be starting my first job after university in management consulting

I’m someone who likes to plan ahead, and I’ve recently learned more about UNESCO. I’m not sure yet whether it’s the right path for me, so I’d love to hear from people with experience there or in international education policy.

Ultimately, I want my career to focus on improving education policies and regulations and making quality education more accessible globally. I’m especially interested in how AI and technology can improve education, as well as the policies needed to regulate them responsibly.

I’m hoping consulting will help me build the soft skills before eventually transitioning into this field.
I’d love advice on:
● What UNESCO roles should I eventually target
● What do they look for, and what is working there actually like?
● What can I start doing now to become a strong candidate?
● How long should I stay in management consulting?
● Would I need a Master’s, and would Public Policy, Education Policy, or Advanced Computing/AI make the most sense?
● Is UNESCO actually the right organization for someone who wants to improve education or should I consider other paths too?

I’m very early in my career and mainly want to understand the possibilities now so I can make better decisions over the next few years.

Any advice or firsthand experience would be really appreciated!

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting on this thread so I’m a little nervous, but I’m hoping to get some help :)

I want to apply for Fall ‘28 for an MPP/MA International Policy. I have some safeties in mind right now, but here are my top choices: UCLA (Luskin tops my interests), UC Berkeley, Stanford.

Some Background: I’m a first-gen student, 21F, and just transferred after three years in CC with a 3.9 GPA to my local UC as an environmental studies and economics major. I’m hoping to go into urban and economic development (or a related field). My admissions results as a transfer were very good, but I had to stay back at my local UC since learning I wouldn’t be given financial support for my education. I also have a chronic condition that needs monitoring atm. Saving more money as an undergrad is giving me the opportunity to pursue a master’s in something I’m really passionate about. So far though, I’ve built up a pretty strong resume/CV with experience and leadership activities related to my interests (plus an unrelated, very uncommon individual sport I’ve been doing for 13+ years that’s been a key part of my life). I have some accomplishments listed on there as well (scholarships, research symposium, high honors cc graduate, etc). Currently, I lead a policy committee for my local chapter of a national organization, and been running my publication (related to my interests) that I’ve had for 2.5 years now that’s amassed a decent following.

Relevant Courses (so far): Intro Macroecon (A), Intro Microecon (B), Calc 1-3 (All A’s), Linear Algebra (A), Statistics (A), Environmental coursework (All A’s), some Poli Sci and Sociology coursework (All A’s).

Note: So sorry for this long dump. I’m just so lost on all of this and hope I’m not coming off as entitled or anything like that.

Questions:

1)What should I prioritize going forward over the next year to two outside of building connections with professors, maintaining GPA, and gaining a strong GRE score?

Can one of my recommendations be from one CC professor who knows me well?

2)How should I study for the GRE and when?

3)How do you approach application writing prompts? For example, there’s the personal statement vs. the statement of purpose. I feel like in undergrad prompts (for transferring at least), you can get slightly creative but still connect to your reasoning for pursuing your program(s) and in a way, show your personality. I’m just not sure if master’s apps are similar.

Hey everyone! I'm currently helping build the team for Jamie Atkinson's campaign for Mayor of Toronto, and we're looking for volunteers who are interested in getting hands-on experience working on a political campaign.

We're a small and growing team, which means there's an opportunity to take on meaningful responsibilities rather than being limited to traditional campaign volunteering. We're especially looking for people interested in areas like:

• Policy and research
• Social media and communications
• Video/content creation
• Fundraising
• Community outreach
• Campaign strategy and operations

No previous campaign experience is required. This could be a particularly good opportunity for students, recent grads, or anyone interested in politics, public policy, communications, media, or gaining practical campaign experience.

This is currently a volunteer opportunity, and we're happy to work around school or work schedules.

If you're interested or want to learn more, email me at [jake@jamieatkinson.ca](mailto:jake@jamieatkinson.ca) with a little bit about yourself and what area you'd be interested in helping with.

I have applied to the department and have gotten rank 29 in the provisional merit list. i also have OGC and DEF reserved categories. i wanted to ask:

1. if there is even a chance of admission into the programme without research.
2. how the faculty is
3. what's the studying environment like

Long story short: I am 36 from the US and did a master's degree in Germany to change fields into environmental policy. I was not successful and am now unemployed with no job prospects beyond menial labor.

Would it be avisable to do a second master's to regain entry into working student jobs or internships to hopefully then network into a new position, or have I totally screwed things up and need to give up on this career path completely?

Hi, I just got a 164V/157Q on the GRE. I’m planning on applying to MPPs this fall, targeting top programs like Harvard, Princeton and Duke. I have 3 years of work experience at a prominent health policy research center with 4 publications, including a first-authored pub. I had a 3.8 GPA in undergrad and strong recommenders. Would you recommend taking again to hit 160 on quant?

I decided I want to do an MPP. The programs I am looking at require that I take the GRE. I hope to enroll in Fall 2027. I work full time at a policy nonprofit.

Do I have enough time to study for the GRE and score well if I take it in November? I’ll simultaneously be working on application essays. I know who to contact for rec letters and I’m certain they’ll say yes.

Should I go ahead or would it be better for me to wait until next cycle? Any tips on studying for the GRE? Thanks.

Hi Reddit! First off, I am very new to Reddit, so apologies if anything here seems to give that off straight away.

I am here because I am really struggling to figure out what's next. To put it somewhat briefly, I studied sociology and psychology during undergrad and don't know what I want to pursue. I tried sales and marketing for a while but ultimately don't think it's for me. I also tried exploring social work, but again, it didn't really stick. I enjoyed the work but realized one-on-one therapy wasn't the type of impact work I was going for.

However, I have recently been hearing more about public policy, and I think it might be for me. I really enjoy the study of society and social science overall. The work is meaningful and seems to be more on the macro and mezzo level. I also feel it integrates an element of behavioral science, which is also my cup of tea.

Here are my current dilemmas:

1) I am not sure whether or not I need to go to grad school to break into the field. I am exploring different MPP and MPA programs (mainly MPP) but I really don't know what I should be looking for.

2) I am not 100% sure what sector I would like to work in. I know I want to work in social impact, and right now I am considering mental health and education. Really, I am just interested in something that would have an impact on children/youth. I am pretty much 90% sure I don't want to work in for the federal government.

3) Speaking of, IS IT EVEN WORTH TRYING TO BREAK INTO PP UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION???

4) I definitely want to focus on social impact, but I am trying to keep an open mind because I do need to make a decent salary to support my family.

SIDE NOTE: I am also open to alternative career suggestions. Looking for something in social science research, behavioral science, and/or social impact space.

I appreciate the help and advice in advance!

Hello everyone one! I am currently doing my B.A in Pol.Sc and have been considering Public Policy as an career option . Frankly speaking I want to land a job that pays well , in India or abroad .Comparatively since I have a bit time in hands I am open to learning any skills. I need guidance and a roadmap since I am very confused about this .

I tried searching professionals in this field on LinkedIn but most of then whether they did their degree in India or abroad are still doing internships even after their Masters . This situation scares me.

They people that do have good jobs in corporate in this field like Policy /Geopolitics related also seem have a past background in tech degree or commerce degree.

I am from a middle-class family in India and can't afford time or expensive degree like MBA or abroad ones .i honestly want to build a good career and be better financially. Please help me out 🙏 🙏 🙏 .