So after spending a year in the “real world” and losing my job due to state budget cuts, I decided to get a graduate degree, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. Then due to a bizarre set of circumstances, I became involved with sexual assault victim advocacy, criminal research, and legal policy. As it turns out, I’m pretty deft with this sort of research and prosecutors have told me that I’m the most knowledgeable person they’ve met on this topic and, “If only you had a graduate degree, you could get paid to do this!”
As it turns out, a MPP might be the best route to continue doing the research that I love (and getting paid to do it, this time). However, I do not have any background in Economics or Statistics, which is of paramount importance to interpreting data at a higher level. I will post my specifics below, but what should I do to get into a public policy program to start? I must also point out that I’ve been unemployed for 5 months and I’m totally broke, so I can’t even afford to take community college classes. I need to be in a degree-seeking program so I can get a little financial aid!
So: 1) Is an MPP the best route for researching and advocating policy regarding sexual assault crime (I’m also naturally adroit in investigations)? 2) Can I get into an MPP without a Statistics and Economics background? 3) If not, how can I gain these skills while trying also trying to make ends meet?
My background:
Undergraduate Institution: University of Virginia
GPA: 3.5
Major: History & East European Studies
Minor: Russian
Work Experience: I’ve worked for Teach For America in several Title I schools around the country with measurable achievements. I currently volunteer to teach an adult ESL college prep course for Bhutanese refugees. In addition to teaching, I was also a research assistant to a former professor, for whom I analyzed and cataloged an archive of 850 documents in Polish. I completed two undergraduate theses, both regarding Polish legal history and social policy.
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