In collaboration with Policy in Living Color, Sanford’s BIPOC MPP student organization, the Readying Applicants through Mentorship Pairings (RAMP) program aims to connect MPP applicants with current Sanford students whose background, experiences, and interests would be a good fit with the applicant.
As a part of the program, current MPP students serve as program mentors and share their insights about the application process and Sanford experience with mentees. Mentors communicate with mentees via email to answer questions about Sanford and the MPP application. Mentees also have the opportunity to attend a RAMP-sponsored webinar, which provides useful insight about the Sanford experience and the MPP application.
Applicants of all backgrounds are welcome to sign up for the program; we particularly encourage applicants to sign up for RAMP who are:
- Black
- Indigenous
- People of color (BIPOC)
- First-generation
- Come from other historically underrepresented backgrounds
Please note that participating in this program is not a guarantee of admission.
Additionally, while mentors will share insights based on personal experience, their feedback should not be considered as official guidance from the Admissions Office. Please also be advised that mentors are not able to answer technical questions about the application and admissions process; these questions should be directed to the Admissions Office.
RAMP is simply an opportunity for applicants to learn about the ways that current students with similar backgrounds have successfully navigated the Sanford experience.
How to Sign Up
Interested in this resource? Please contact us to express interest in being matched with a mentor.
"I grew up in what society would term as the ‘ghetto.’ I am a Black woman raised by a single mother. Before graduate school I served as a college advisor in an underserved rural high school. I also spent a summer working on a program to fill healthcare gaps. Combined with my lived experiences, the training I am receiving at Sanford will make it easier to enter and serve in the policy spaces where I can help solve issues that are disproportionately impacting marginalized communities." - Mia Smith, MPP'23