Harris Visit Day 2010
On November 11, about 40 prospective students filled the Harris School lecture hall for an inside look at what it’s like to study policy at the University of Chicago.
Each autumn, the School invites potential applicants from across the country to campus for a pre-application opportunity to meet admissions and career development staff, speak with faculty and current MPP candidates, and attend classroom lectures.
“Your generation has an unprecedented opportunity to work locally—and globally—in health policy, in education policy, in economic and environmental policy,” said Lydia Lazar, associate dean for recruitment and career development, in her introductory remarks. “We’re looking for students—future policymakers—who are bright, informed, and committed to advancing the public good through the meaningful and sustained development of new intellectual capital.”
Founded with the support of Irving B. Harris, a Chicago businessman with a passion for improving the lives of children through innovative policy solutions, the Harris School has been training future policymakers since the 1980s. Last year, it received almost 1,000 applications from the U.S. and 25 other countries for its master’s and PhD programs combined. It enrolled 125 master’s and six PhD students.
Welcoming visitors last week, Deputy Dean Dan Black said the Harris School’s commitment to evidence-based analysis, intellectual discourse, and quantitative rigor is like no other University in the world, furthering the University of Chicago’s reputation as a place that “takes ideas very, very seriously.” Prospective students also got the opportunity to ask questions about the application process, financial aid, and joint degree programs before attending classroom lectures and touring the campus.
PhD applications for the 2011-2012 academic year are due on December 3, 2010. Applications for all master’s programs are due on January 3, 2011.
