“Policy school can be a really good deal. The case for going and tips for applying” by Sam Anschell

*Disclaimer: This post was written in a personal capacity and reflects my views, not necessarily those of my employer. I have not actually attended policy school (I plan to update this post once I have), so please read with a grain of salt.*

I recently applied to a few policy schools. Despite having read a bunch of great resources before applying, I learned a few things along the way that I wish I would have known from the outset. This post is a summary of what was new or unexpected to me. If you’re considering policy school and haven’t read Horizon's excellent posts yet, I’d encourage you to read them. I would also highly recommend joining Horizon's email newsletter.

The case for policy school

• At some programs, you get paid to attend.
  • Princeton gives all admitted students full tuition, healthcare, a $35K/year stipend, and $850/week for the [...]

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Outline:

(00:56) The case for policy school

(05:28) The case against policy school

(06:04) Tips for applying

(06:25) Know your audience

(07:10) Provide social proof

(07:35) Tailor examples for recommenders

(08:29) Managing EA affiliation

(09:14) Using LLMs

(10:17) Krystin Borgognone is very helpful

(11:21) The value of applying wide

The original text contained 5 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:

April 7th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/TKjFRKua5eBveLXCa/untitled-draft-7y43

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.