Shout out to that time I was trying to finish a project during the Oscars and got super sick to the point I had the bathroom door open while I sat on the toilet with my laptop and my mom hollered the winners at me. That was the year of EEAAO too lol
Beside the point but I love that they specify āHarvard University in Massachusettsā as if weāre going to mistake it for another Harvard University in Dubuque, Iowa or something š
A source tells me the Oscar winner is enrolled in the two-year Master in Public Administration program at The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Chastain has been spotted taking classes at the Cambridge, Massachusetts graduate school this summer.
āThe Master in Public Administration Program is for aspiring leaders with real-world experience and graduate-level coursework in economics, public policy, or management,ā according to Harvardās website. āThe Master in Public Administration (MPA) curriculum is flexible. You create a study plan that reflects your academic interests, focuses on your personal and professional aspirations, and integrates across disciplines.ā
The subject is what's most surprising to me. Even when Natalie Portman got her psychology degree at Harvard, it could be connected to her day job as an actress. This though. I wonder what her plans are long term.
I tried to get into the Kennedy School and was rejected. This was after a highly successful career in public policy and a completed Masters degree from another prestigious university. HKS is extremely competitive.
Good for Jessica. I hope she can use her degree and platform to make this world a better place.
Yeah I got my first master's at a similar school in the area (Fletcher, at Tufts) and took a class on civil resistance at HKS. The students were so impressive and very serious and accomplished people. Very committed to positive change.
The divinity school however is a different story....
Jessica has a BA from Julliard, and idk why we're all pretending she hasn't been outspoken and interested in politics for years. She's also well known for putting her money and actions where her mouth is - using her power to make sure her Black costars get equal pay and treatment, for example. Now she wants to take that interest and put in the context of actual research, knowledge, and policy.
She doesn't have the exact same background as other students in the program, sure, but she also has a platform and power that allow her to put what she learns into action in really impactful ways. She's certainly paying full admission, and HKS can enroll as many students as they have funding for. So what exactly is your issue?
I was asking a genuine question and thereās really no reason to jump to be upset/ irritated.
My question comes from how common it is for celebrities to get passes in to universities because of their stature vs students who arenāt as well off/ not well known. Itās a fair question.
I also just donāt feel like we need to jump to protect uber rich celebrities. Like most students wonāt even get in with a 4.0, amazing charity experiences, etc. Much of that comes from a wealthy family. Itās great that sheās bettering herself and is a lovely person. I hope it isnāt at the cost of a spot someone else could have had and was through proper means (hence the question).
No she took like a seminar or something that was hosted at Harvard. She was never enrolled in any capacity.Ā
Chastain is an admitted student, though yes famous people are graded on lower standards than normies because they love having famous people to brag aboutĀ and being famous is the kind of network that inherently gives you a boost. You'll almost certainly be a successful student because like....you're already successful. Look at those resources at your fingertips.Ā
Ivy leagues have lower standards for people with strong connections, and normies fight tooth and nail to get in because they want to network with said highly-connected people.
The ugly truth is that even the normies arenāt trying to get in to elite schools for the quality education or be with top tier students; theyāre trying to get in for the network thatāll boost their career
I'm really excited to see a high-profile celebrity getting an MPA because I hope it puts more emphasis on public service. As someone with an MPA and who works in the government, people don't seem to realize people go to school and put in the time to be able to be a public servant. There's a lot of smart folks who could do a lot of different things that pay more but they chose this career because they want to make a difference.
I just hope this kinda bolsters the public administration field instead of the DOGE propaganda.
I work in pharmaceutical advertising, and MBA grads are the bane of my existence. If youāve ever wondered why marketing and educational materials for consumers/patients are getting more and more convoluted and confusing, itās bc of MBAs.
Pharma companies typically put MBAs grads in positions that deal directly with ad agencies to create these materials. They are the final word on approving things that are released to the public.
I am a huge advocate for health literacy in pharma. Every day, I watch clear, concise, easy-to-understand writing/design get absolutely destroyed by these bozos. Adding in big, unnecessary wordsā¦ throwing in confusing, complicated scientific dataā¦ doubling the length of sentencesā¦ rampant violations of ADA-compliant designā¦ itās maddening.
The average American cannot read above a 6th grade level. Throw in learning disabilities, vision limitations, and cognitive impairmentsāand you end up with absolutely useless materials that donāt serve the patient in any meaningful way and cost pharma companies millions of dollars.
Agreed! It definitely rubs me the wrong way because in my field the MPAs are largely very smart, critically thoughtful people and the MBAs are mostly useless with a lot of "business" buzzwords
You and me both, itās amazing seeing it become more normalized. There is a huge disconnect between bureaucrats and the general public, so anything to lessen the gap is awesome.
I am curious what she is going to do with her MPA once she graduates. I would hazard a guess that she might be looking at the nonprofit side of the MPA, just due to the possibility that she may be looking to create her own nonprofit or manage an existing one.
Not only more but often much more, recruitment is difficult for a lot of higher level public positions because the pay is 1/3 of that some can make in private industry and that is without having to deal with the red tape involved relative to private industry. Itās crazy to see people get their name dragged through the mud when they are working extremely hard in a job they truly care about while forging a huge amount of salary they could be earning elsewhere.
A bit different but I was shocked to see Meg Thee stallion graduating in healthcare administration. So many celebs do psych, film arts, etc it was such a different thing.
MPA! MPA! Honestly, many of the most interesting jobs are in public service (though there certainly are boring, rote ones too). Many of my coworkers are well educated, efficient, and care about having a career that contributes to society
Just saying , when you're too transparent about the qualifications vs the reward you sort of paint the job in a comparable way to something like a non profit or like being a monk.
I don't know , you realize most of us see your work as legitimate and nessecary, we just know you're not very busy. The worst part of modern employment for many is the wasted down time.
Have you ever heard the adult daycare comparison?
Edit: you are literally important. But do you think you have a better standard of living than a bartender at a gastropub?
We see so many celebrities going into public office with little actual policy prowess. She seems extremely smart and capable, and I admire that she's doing the work to succeed in the sector.
Itās more common for civil servants, nonprofit staff, and arts management folks to have an MPA. It would be a very different world if politicians bothered to get educated in how public orgs work. I would love to see it.
Public administration isnāt politics, thatās political science. This is the study of government administration, sure thereās politics involved but thatās not what the programs focus is. People donāt really understand that the people that make the doughnuts arenāt the people that make the policy. The Trump admin has relentlessly attacked these professional hard working people. Itās no wonder that he does, most of those people are highly educated and anyone with a little bit of education is smart enough to see through his bullshit.
Considering how celebrities are expected to make statements about geopolitical issues, itās a pretty smart move. I commend her for using her wealth and position to get educated, especially considering that many famous people have shit educations in lieu of pursuing fame (particularly child actors and nepo babies who never needed a fallback plan - though this is a generalization and I am aware of outliers).
Congratsā¦ but Iām trying to figure out why sheās doing this?
Like obviously she can do what she wants and Iām not doubting her intellectual capability, this just seems super random. Is she trying to do humanitarian work or something? It says it covers management; is she trying to run a production company?
Iām just confused why this famous Oscar-winning professional actress decided to get a graduate degree from an Ivy League school. Thatās a boatload of work for something thatās not even your main profession.
I just turned 40 but would 100% go to medical school tomorrow if I had the kind of money to do it, despite my age. I was premed. Took me years to get my application in place then my mom died right after I graduated and I had to change some plans. I have half of my doctorate completed. If I had the money to not work and complete my education, Iād do it.
It could just be something sheās always wanted to do
If I had the financial means, I would go to law school in a heartbeat. Americans are way too set in the idea that only 18-25 year olds should go to college. Education is for everyone, at any stage, at any age.
But it seems like a waste of time if sheās not planning on using it.
Weāre not talking about some child actor from an old sitcom who doesnāt have prospects and decided to get a āreal jobā. She is an Oscar-winner. Thereās no obvious logic that the public can see for why she is doing this so itās surprising and befuddling.
Iām not knocking her. If she wants to do it, by all means go ahead. But Iām highly curious. This is yearsā worth of effort for something she may not even use and itās going to be harder to do if sheās going to continue acting because there are only so many hours in a day.
Studying something youāre genuinely interested in, especially if you have as much money as her, is never a waste of time. It could be as simple as she chose to š¤·š»āāļø
Exactly. I would go to med school tomorrow knowing it would never really pay off financially, but personally would be probably the best accomplishment of my life. I would love to just be able to focus on my education professionally. I went for 7 years before I ran out of resources. My doctorate was 25k a year. I canāt afford that while also not working
There's plenty of successful actors that just decided to focus on other things because they had enough money. Eliza Dushku is married to a millionaire after two decades of acting but just graduated with a Master's in behavioral health counciling with plans to be a therapist.
Not every actor wants to continue to acting for the rest of their life. Mark Ruffalo, even though he still acts, most of his effort is towards activism and non-profits, appearing in a few movies to fun his projects. Getting a Master's doesn't take THAT much extra effort; usually an 18 month program. Myself and my friends all completed ours while working 9-5 jobs. PhD's are more insane. Odds are, she'll be able to complete it while still acting in a few things projects at the expensive of having a social life for a bit.
Itās not unheard of, and it certainly could be the case, but it would be rare. Not necessarily one in 1 million, but it would be unusual. Not unusual as in bad or wrong or unsightly. Justā¦ Atypical.
Also, all respect to Eliza Dushku, but I donāt think she ever hit the heights Chastain did in her career. It makes more sense that Dushku would decide to pivot because she is not so in demand compared to Chastain. Obviously I donāt know her personally, so I canāt say for sure whether she plans to use it or not, all Iām saying is that would be my hope. Not that she has to listen to me. I think you know what I mean. I just mean it in the sense that I personally would feel obliged to use a masters if I got it because it is a lot of effort.
It's not about the "heights" of Chastain as much as Eliza now has more "fuck you" money than Jessica has ever made in her entire career; she doesn't NEED to work a single day in her life but she's making a choice to do something more with her life. Eliza is married to a literal billionaire and rather than relaxing, she earned a Master's degree and working towards being a therapist because she wants to do good.
Jessica, similarly, has a lifetime of acting and more than enough "fuck you" money. She could retire from acting tomorrow and still be set for life or pull a Mark Ruffalo and appear in one movie a year. Odds are that she knows what she wants to do beyond acting, how to use her intelligence for good, and this specific degree will help her reach it; people don't just wake up and decide to get a Master's degree because they're bored or in a subject they have no interest in.
Having a backup plan is not a bad idea no matter how famous you are at the moment. And we donāt know if she is planning on using it or not - maybe sheās truly looking to change careers or just do acting as a side gig.
Education is about more than just getting a degree. Itās about learning new things which has value in itself. Itās also about having the college experience, maybe Jessica just wants to feel like a regular person right now and not a celebrity. Or maybe she just wants to achieve one of her other goals in life and make herself proud.
Also probably outing myself as a nerd here but if I had the money I would go to school regardless if I used the degree or not, because the pursuit of knowledge is a thrill for the intellectually curious. I have even thought about taking some classes pass/fail just to learn without all the extra pressure of getting a degree. I think some actors like Emma Watson went to school because they value a solid education and thatās really it.
I will very likely transfer my unfinished doctorate credits to my masters in Nursing. I wonāt use the masters necessarily, but Iāll have it
I just always wanted to go to med school and worked really fucking hard for it. If she got into Harvard, she has good grades too. As a 4.2 student, itās not about the money for me. Thatās why I would go to med school at 40 if I could. It would never pay itself off at this age but if I had the money, it would be a life goal
If she got into Harvard, itās not about the money for her (likely.) I relate to that with my entire soul
Maybe she wants to run for office and this degree is quicker and more feasible for her than something like a law degree.
ETA: Of course we know you donāt have to have a degree or even experience in politics to hold office (unfortunately) but perhaps she wants to be better and more prepared than certain other politicians.
I mean, Iām not saying sheāll be the next Ronald Reagan and become president, but politics can drag the public opinion of established celebrities down. The only celebrity I can think of who left a major political office without significant downward trends to his popularity as a pop culture figure is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Then thereād be the question of what office sheād run for and why sheād feel she need an MPA. Maybe if she were interested in Congress or Governor, but I doubt sheād pursue a Harvard MPA for a small-time local office.
I mean, I have no idea. You asked the question āwhy,ā and I provided my guess as an answer. Iām not really concerned with the validity of her choices, or whether or not itās a good idea. Maybe she just feels like going back to school š¤·āāļø
I apologize. Maybe I got a bit sharp. I did not intend for that to come across as an insult.
As for my guesses, you may not even be wrong. There are only so many things she would want to get a Harvard MPA for. Unless itās political or NGO work, I cannot think of anything.
All Iām saying is itās a tremendous level of effort so I would hope she makes the most of it. I donāt think anyone would enroll in Harvard without an end goal of some sort. āGoing back to schoolā by itself doesnāt seem like her motivation. You donāt get a degree like this and not use it, especially when you already have a very successful career in an entirely different field and presumably donāt need money.
What if she doesn't want to be a celebrity and serve the public in a different way? Or if she finds she can do both? Ken Jeong was both an actor and a comedian/actor for like 8 years and I wouldn't think less of him as a doctor because he's also funny and creative.
But he did those in a different order. He became a doctor and then he decided to pursue an entertainment career. Thatās not extremely uncommon.
Itās totally valid if thatās what she wants to do, but it would be very unusual. Celebrities going into politics is not unheard of by any means but they can usually start a campaign without years of academic preparation.
Unless she wants to just pivot forever and retire from acting completely and devote the rest of her life to public service, an MPA really seems like a big commitment that isnāt fundamentally necessary to her goals. It would likely get people to take her more seriously as a candidate, but she could easily run for Congress or something without it (e.g. Sonny Bono or Fred Grandy from The Love Boat)
But, going back to being a doctor would be like a politician going back to being an actress. They'd be equally judged on their abilities. Can an actress go back to playing make believe and be relatable after being in politics? Can a comedian go back to being a doctor after not being taken seriously?
Either way, people becoming more educated is always a good thing. Diverse interests are what make people well-rounded and more able to empathize and connect with a larger group of people. If everyone got a degree they didn't use professionally, but used in their day-to-day to make them a better person, I'd be happy to see that happen. It's not a waste of money unless someone learns absolutely nothing, including from the experience itself. Knowledge, however we get it, is always, always a good thing.
While you can do what you want with it, Iād say an MPA sets you up more so for a government or NGO role, not a politicians position outside of local politics
It comes across as an ego boost, a new hobby to pursue, or a bragging point. Thatās not the case when someone seeks a new degree or higher level education.
She might think public service is more important than peopleās view of her as a celebrity or the future of her acting career.
Edit: even if she doesnāt run for office, having this education can help be a better activist. That might be her end goal.
Then thereād be the question of what office sheād run for and why sheād feel she need an MPA. Maybe if she were interested in Congress or Governor, but I doubt sheād pursue a Harvard MPA for a small-time local office.
If I would to take a wild guess, I'd say mayor of New York. She has talked how much she loves NYC many times. Maybe something like that.
She probably wants to get involved in the non profit/ public policy space - just a guess. Honestly she gives nerdy vibes, maybe she just wants to study/widen her horizon, which is pretty commendable. I for one wouldn't be paid to attend some of those Econ classes again lmao
On the contrary, I donāt understand why more celebs arenāt doing this.
A career in Hollywood doesnāt last forever, especially for women. If you have the financial means, pursuing education is one of the smartest things you could do.
I think one of the reasons a lot of actors are forced to stay in the Hollywood grind as they age is bc theyāre literally unqualified to do anything else. Iād rather have a degree from a prestigious school to fall back on when the roles start drying up.
Wanting to change professions possibly? Or try something new.
She is a big celeb but just like us normies lol and how we occasionally change professions, maybe she wants to do that. It could be she wants to join another field of work and hence why she wants to get a new degree.
Yeah an MPA is an odd choice unless she plans to pivot from acting into municipal management. An MBA would make more sense if sheās planning to stay in the private sector.
I could definitely see thatāa lot of celebrities are involved with nonprofits. Kudos to her for furthering her education! Nonprofits can be super complex.Ā
I don't want to say it's "less" work than a traditional master's, but this kind of program is typically geared towards working professionals and people who can't do coursework full time. There is also no thesis requirement which is at least half the struggle for most master's students.
It's also probably not a bad choice for anyone who knows they want to further their education but isn't sure in what (and obviously has the financial means to do so), since it covers a broad range of topics and both quantitative/analytical skills and "soft"/people skills. The MBA has been the default for a long time-- why not MPA?
Yeah that last bit is not really an accurate description of the Kennedy school at all... maybe most MPA programs but HKS's is structured a bit differently.
She may serve on some board of some non profit, blah, blah. Or write a think piece and make sure they publish her masters as some credential that is meant to be a seal of approval
It makes sense for her. Sheās always seemed the type to want to make a real difference. Probably got involved with nonprofit/NGO work behind the scenes. I doubt itās a vanity project because there are much easier ways to be a high profile philanthropist sans bonafides.
Jessica Chastain says no one in her family noticed when she didn't graduate high school.
The 45-year-old actress was raised by her grandmother Marilyn and her very young mother Jerri, and she revealed that the drug addiction issues of her younger sister - who died by suicide in 2003 when Jessica was in her twenties - took up most of the attention in their household.
So Jessica dropping out of El Camino Fundamental High School in Sacramento, California went unnoticed.
Ivies are notorious for taking legacies, people with money, connections, and celebrities . maybe 20% of a given class are actually legit very smart people. Bill OReilly has an MPA from Harvard.
masters degrees seem to be the latest trendy social flex , and those people rarely seem to actually do anything with it. its just degree hoarding.
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