Admissions Blog

The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy excels in giving students an invaluable analytical toolkit for determining optimal public policy solutions.  The core classes at Harris are a critical component of that effort as they help students develop the analytical skills they need  to become better researchers and thinkers. However, data inquiry and evidence-based analysis must be paired with persuasive communication.  Communicating effectively is a major key to becoming an influential policy maker and advocate.

We are pleased to announce that our summer visit schedule is now live! Join us on Mondays and Thursdays from June 6 - September 26 to experience our beautiful and historic campus. 

Your day will include coffee with a current Harris student, a tour of the Keller Center, and a meeting with admissions. More information on scheduling your visit, accommodations, and university tours can be found here. 

M-o-v-i-n-g. Perhaps the most dreaded six letters in the English language, this torturous activity can be expensive, exhausting, and… enjoyable? That’s right!

Whether you’re loading your car with all of your possessions and driving down the road, flying in from halfway across the world and starting new, or somewhere in between, here are five tips to make your move to Chicago an enjoyable experience:

Last week, the Harris, UChicago, and greater Chicago community came together for our grand opening of our new home, the Keller Center. The day's events included flash talks with policy leaders, experts, and elected officials, as well as featured speakers such as: artist Theaster Gates; former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; Harris Dean Katherine Baicker; University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer; Provost Daniel Diermeier; and the building was dedicated by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. 

We are so pleased to welcome you to our community this fall. We know the process of applying to graduate school can be overwhelming, so we wanted to provide you with a key information checklist, important dates, and a month-by-month breakdown of what you should do, and can expect, over the next few months. We strongly recommend exploring the International Student Page, as it contains much valuable information.

Student: Laurel Harnett, MPP, Class of 2019 Position: Auditor Evaluator  Location: Sacramento, CA Congratulations on your new role! Tell us about the position and what you’ll be doing.

I will be working as an Auditor Evaluator at the California State Auditor in Sacramento, CA. In this role, I will work with a team of auditors to investigate allegations of corruption and mismanagement and report findings to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.

This month, UChicago faculty members and Nobel Laureates Lars Peter Hansen and James Heckman will host the inaugural event for the University of Chicago Policy Forum, a new series in which they will moderate economic policy debates with top scholars from around the world.

Thanks to Kevin Wilson, AM'19, for providing his tips on being successful in our Evening Master's Program (EMP)! 

While a master’s degree program of any kind can be daunting, being a part of an evening program like the Evening Master's Program (EMP) while also working a full-time job requires its own unique tips. Here's my success guide for prospective and incoming EMP students…

Chicago has a rich history rooted in art, music, and culture. Each of its 77 neighborhoods embodies a different part of that history, and you get to choose which you’re a part of! To help you navigate that decision, we’ve compiled a list of what you should to know about the neighborhoods Harris students commonly call home. Check back on our blog weekly for different neighborhood installments. This week, we are profiling our backyard neighborhood of Woodlawn. 

Next week, our second year students return for their final quarter at Harris! One of our second year student ambassadors, Ana Dora Guerra, has put together an essential to-do list for our incoming students. 

María Ballesteros participated in the 2018 Data and Policy Summer Scholar Program (DPSS) during her final year at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science in fall 2018, María has returned to UChicago Harris Public Policy as a full-time Research Assistant. In fall 2020, she started her PhD in Government at Harvard University. We spoke with María about her DPSS experience.

Our team was thrilled to welcome admitted students to the Keller Center for our first Admitted Student Day in 2019. Admitted students scattered throughout Keller to learn from University of Chicago professors, staff, and current students about what it means to be a Harris student. Our Admissions team enjoyed the day’s unparalleled energy as visiting admitted students began to envision themselves at Harris. Read on to hear our staff’s highlights! 

Chicago has a rich history rooted in art, music, and culture. Each of its 77 neighborhoods embodies a different part of that history, and you get to choose which you’re a part of! To help you navigate that decision, we’ve compiled a list of what you should to know about the neighborhoods Harris students commonly call home. Check back on our blog weekly for different neighborhood installments. This week, we are profiling our home neighborhood of Hyde Park. 

Are you interested in applying for our Data and Policy Summer Scholar Program? Read this note from Yangzhou Ou, who completed the DPSS program in 2018 and will join the MSCAPP program in fall of 2020! 

Students at Harris Public Policy know it’s just as important to create a professional network as it is to practice problem sets.

That’s why Harris has offered a unique, top-tier mentor program since the school was founded. The program allows students to foster meaningful relationships with professionals that can last a lifetime.

Our first event at the Keller Center is in the books! Last week, the Institute of Politics hosted renowned statistician Nate Silver (AB'00) for a conversation with Professor Austan Goolsbee, the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Silver is known for his prominent political predications and being the founder of FiveThirtyEight, a polling aggregation website for politics, sports, entertainment, and more. 

Are you putting the final touches on your 2019 Application? As you prepare to hit submit for our Round 2 deadline, check out this helpful Q&A with our Assistant Director of Recruitment, Andy Wolanski!

Hear from student ambassador, Matt Shomo (Class of 2020), on how he got a job as a research assistant (RA) at Harris. 

Interested in doing research while at Harris? Not sure how to get started? Worried that there are no good options for first year students? Here are some tips for locking up that resumé-boosting, experience-enriching, career-enhancing research position before you even set foot in a classroom!

Thanks to Matt Shomo, Class of 2020, for his reflection on his first quarter at Harris. 

Growing up, the first day of school always felt like a big deal. It was the tangible representation of new beginnings; of a fresh start and renewed energy. Turns out that feeling doesn’t go away by the time you start 17th grade – at least not for me.

On January 7th, we officially opened our doors for the winter quarter in our new home, the Keller Center! Read on to learn more about the details behind the new building, and don't forget to register for a campus visit to see it in person yourself.