Admissions Blog

Part of your graduate school experience is shaped not only in the classroom, but in the relationships formed through your strengthening professional network. Our award-winning Mentor Program provides a structured system of meaningful connections between our students and policy leaders. Through a two-year program, students will collaborate with both their Harris peers and mentors in first-year affinity groups, followed by personal mentorship in their second year.

Whether you’re trying to figure out where to eat with friends after a day full of classes or planning to grab a bite with your family, Hyde Park has a wide range of options. From cheap eats to fancier locales, here are my top five restaurants to explore in Hyde Park:

Hello to all my current Harristas, and to prospective students! I am very excited to share my experience of Harris Career Trek, a student’s ticket to career exploration in other cities.

What is the Harris dual-city Career Trek?

When considering graduate school programs, it’s important to look at factors like academic rigor, professional development resources, and perhaps most importantly, career outcomes. In true Harris School of Public Policy fashion, the Career Development Office provides data highlighting the previous year’s career outcomes. From the 2018 report, here are 3 key takeaways: 

A group of alumni and current international students from the Harris School of Public Policy sat down recently to share some insights and advice about successfully navigating internships in United States-based organizations. While their comments were mostly to help international students, we feel that their advice can benefit everyone looking to land an internship over the summer. Here’s what you need to know.

Greetings from Harris! For those of you joining our incoming class in the fall, we know there are a lot of questions about your next steps. If you haven’t read our recent blog post, You’re #InAtHarris! Now What? be sure to take some time to read that carefully; it answers many of your questions about next steps and what you can expect over the summer.

Hello readers! The last quarter has finally started for those of us in our second year here at Harris. I wanted to share my last spring break journey as a student with you!

Over this past spring break, I went to Washington D.C. on the career trek with the Institute of Politics (IOP). It wasn’t quite Miami or Cancun, but it was GREAT! And I LOVED IT!

Why did you join the IOP Career Trek to DC?

During this past spring break, I participated in a nine-day trip to China sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). I was one of 20 graduate students chosen to participate in this special immersion program focusing on themes of economic reform and global security.

In honor of National Service Recognition Day on April 3, the Harris community came together to honor students, faculty, and staff who are current or former military service members, and those who volunteered from programs in AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and Teach for America.

One of those participants was Ashley Aue, whose stepping stone to public service came while working on conservation efforts in Colorado’s state and national parks.

Whichever degree program you choose to pursue, you’ll have the support and tools to succeed – and it’s not too early to start thinking about what your student experience will be like and what you can start doing over the summer to be ready on day one of class.

The AmeriCorps Pledge: “I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere. I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.”

Admitted Student Day has come and gone in the blink of an eye and I’m sure it was just as overwhelming and exciting for you as it was for me. In between chatting with all the newly admitted students, I found time to reflect on what it was like attending ASD again as a first-year student and a member of Team Harris.

The acceptance email from Harris changed everything. At the time I was working on developing a business model for a Chilean company. I was under a lot of pressure. And I wasn’t sure I was doing what I really wanted to do. The simple word “congratulations” on a maroon colored piece of paper magically healed me.   

My name is Andy Wolanski and I recently joined the Harris School of Public Policy as a Student Recruitment Specialist. I’m excited to be here and I’m looking forward to contributing to the recruitment team’s awesome efforts in attracting a wonderfully diverse and talented pool of students! Before I begin reading and evaluating applications, I wanted to briefly introduce myself.

Thanks to our Team Harris Ambassador, Tiffany Kwak (MPP'18) for this post! 

To celebrate the Institute of Politics’ five year anniversary, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the University of Chicago on Wednesday, February 7 for an in-depth discussion about public service and current issues in global politics.

On decision release day, Laurel Harnett was a bundle of excitement and nerves. Little did she know, so was the entire Admissions staff. There is a buzz in the atmosphere that you can feel. So much so that staff from other divisions will stop by the Admission’s offices and listen in on the calls, smiles on their faces, basking in the true joyfulness that envelopes the entire Harris community on that day.

We understand that finances are a major concern for most students. The Office of Admissions has gathered the below information to help you during your decision-making process. We will also continue to host webinars during the next few weeks to help answer your questions. Please review the important dates below concerning financial aid for admitted students and the FAQ specifically about funding your education at Harris.

It was late and I was at work, I think on a Thursday or a Friday. Busy season at work was picking up and spring was showing its first signs. I was thinking about what to eat for dinner, and I received a notification that my application status had changed. This is it, I thought. I took a deep breath, signed into my Harris admissions account, and clicked the link to view the posted letter. A few seconds passed and I saw the word - Accepted - and I read on.

My graduate school admissions journey had finally ended. I was relieved.