I had considered applying to programs at the Heller School for several years before I actually took the plunge. As an undergraduate alum and Brandeis staff member, Heller was always on my radar, but I wanted to be sure of my interests and goals before committing to graduate school. After considering applying to programs in education policy, law, and international affairs, I decided that an MPP was a perfect mix of interdisciplinary subjects, applicable to my current interests and flexible enough to explore new territory.
Funnily enough, when I received my admission update from Heller I was already on campus at my job in undergraduate admissions. Having been on the other end of sending decision letters for many years as an admissions counselor, it was a great feeling to receive one myself! I was so excited to be admitted to Heller.
Since I already knew the Brandeis community well, I had no doubt that I would enjoy my time at Heller. Still, I tried to learn all that I could. I was really impressed by the enthusiasm and openness of everyone I interacted with at Heller. For instance, after attending an admissions event, I emailed a thank you message to Mike, the MPP program head, who promptly invited me to a book talk at Heller that same evening! I walked up the hill from my office, was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a cocktail hour preceding the talk, and then spent an hour listening to a fascinating lecture about the 2018 midterm elections. In all my conversations with current students there and at other events I attended, everyone was gracious, friendly, and clearly passionate about Heller.
I ultimately chose Heller not only because of my long-term connection to Brandeis and positive associations with the university, but because Heller is its own unique community. The commitment to social justice and inclusion is real, and the academic culture is collaborative and fun in addition to being rigorous and engaging. I have loved my first year at Heller, and feel just as excited as when I first opened that email!