By David Dam MPP 2024
Each master’s program at Harvard Kennedy School has different application prerequisites, including the number of years of work experience required to apply. While applicants to the Master in Public Policy (MPP) Program are not required to have work experience, the most competitive MPP applicants have two to three years of professional work experience. Many graduates of the MPP Program will tell you that having work experience prior to enrolling enhanced their HKS experience.
Read below to hear from David Dam MPP 2024, who worked for three years before attending HKS. David is currently a strategy consultant in Deloitte’s Government and Public Services practice in Washington, D.C. He is from Austin, Texas but has spent most of his adult life along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.
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What did you do after completing your undergraduate degree and before coming to HKS? How many years did you work?
I received a dual BA/MA in economics and started my first full-time job the summer after graduating. I worked on quantitative economic and policy research for three years before coming to HKS.
Why did you apply to HKS after entering the workforce?
I always considered pursuing graduate studies and seriously considered a PhD in economics. My first job coming out of undergrad provided a taste of that type of work. While I am a proud nerd and enjoy reading economics journals, I realized that hobbies are different from careers.
How valuable was it to gain work experience before graduate school?
The beauty of work experience is that it gave me a perspective on life that I wouldn’t have had if I went straight through to graduate school. I learned what types of work excite me, how I conduct myself in teams and meetings, and how to write concise emails. Ultimately, I decided to apply to HKS because I thought it would provide some vision and guidance to what every 20-something-year-old asks themselves: What am I doing? (Spoiler alert: It did!)
Throughout my time at HKS, I found my real-life experience enhanced my classroom experience. From seeing parallels in case studies used in class to sharing similar situations I faced at work, I was reminded that beyond theory, policy impacts people.
Finally, there are so many opportunities at HKS and the greater university to apply for or get involved with, and work experience makes you stand out!
“The beauty of work experience is that it gave me a perspective on life that I wouldn’t have had if I went straight through to graduate school.”
How did HKS prepare you for the work you’re doing now?
HKS allowed me to complement my existing skillset. I came from a strong data analytics background, and wanted to apply those skills toward strategic decision and policy-making. Classes such as API-501: Policy Design and Delivery, DPI-678M: Product Management and Society, and MLD-601: Operations Management equipped me with new ways of thinking about government services delivery.
Outside the classroom, my summer internship through the Harvard Growth Lab with the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates and my time as a Transition Term Fellow in Hartford, Connecticut were just some of the unique opportunities that I had the privilege of participating in at HKS.
Most importantly, HKS introduced me to lifelong friends whose passions remind me every day why we attended a public policy school in the first place: to address shortcomings in policy and ask what we can do about them.
What advice would you give to prospective students interested in applying to HKS?
Like other graduate programs, HKS is an investment with real financial and opportunity costs. Yes, it is fun to be a student again, with all your friends living within a 10-minute radius, but the best part of the program is its potential to transform you into who you want to be. Do your research, and if two years of graduate school outweighs any other opportunities you may be considering, go for it! Think about what you want to gain from the program and your involvement during your two years here. Show that passion in your application. Good luck!
