MaitreTea

I am focused on education issues in international development, so I didn't apply to many other international development MA programs. I chose this program because of its practitioner-focused curriculum. Many of the core courses teach skills you need to work in any international development organization. The summer field project was also a huge reason why I enrolled. Unlike an undergraduate internship, I will be doing actual work so I get to hone my technical skills. Also, it's Georgetown/SFS. The networking opportunities here are amazing. Just the other day my professor emailed a bunch of us asking if we were interested in interning with MCC this summer or working in Liberia. Just like that! The quant classes can be difficult; however, the program isn't too quant-heavy. There's only one required quantitative class, which wasn't too bad. I think that quantitative skills are really useful in development, so that is my personal bias. Please feel free to pm me if you have any questions. Are you coming to admitted student's day?

Thought I'd chime in a bit. I'm a first year student and although there some hiccups with the program (to be expected with anything new), the individualized attention and willingness to hear feedback is amazing. The summer internship was what drew me to the program, and faculty are excellent at using their networking skills to put you in touch with the organizations you're interested in. I am in a quantitative class with mostly MSFS students and to be honest, most of them are unprepared for the class. The professor, who's affiliated with GHD, confessed to me that GHD students usually better prepared for his class than other MSFS students. I think the small cohort is definitely a huge positive, it allows the professors to know everybody on a more intimate level. We've had lunches with our professors and we see them outside of class, whether informally or at events GHD hosts. I think it also depends on your specialization too. I'd heard complaints from people that there aren't enough offerings in environmental classes; however, you can draw on the wealth of class options throughout Georgetown.

I have; however, I'm not so sure that the roommate finder feature is helpful, I don't think people have used it recently

I am attending Georgetown for graduate school in the fall, and I currently live in California. So long-distance apartment/room share hunting will be pretty stressful. I might be able to stay with some friends so I can hunt in person. I'm thinking of living in Rossyln, Clarendon, or Courthouse. There's a free shuttle service that Georgetown offers that runs from the Rosslyn Metro. Will I be able to get away with something under $1300? I might prefer an efficiency (probably can't afford a one bedroom) but I might have to resign to the fact I'll need to have room mates. Does this seem plausible? I've been browsing mostly on Craigslist, but are there any other places I can look for listings?

I think it is possible, but you might have a disadvantage compared to people who are attending DC programs and are constantly exposed to the "movers and shakers" every week during presentations, seminars, lectures, etc.

I've seen a few comments here and there on this forum about the IEPM program at Vanderbilt. If you search for it I'm sure it'll come up. Posters have gushed about the program but I was a bit skeptical so I didn't apply to it. Even though the program seems outstanding, location would be the deal breaker for this one. Most international development organizations are located in DC, and at least in my experience there as an undergraduate if you want to work in DC you have to be in DC. However, it might be good if you're applying to PHDs right afterwards.

Regarding Georgetown, it's more expensive but financially doable. I'm just not used to the idea of having crazy student loans (after having a lot of my undergraduate covered by scholarships), but after talking to some Georgetown students about financial stuff I'm a little less worried. I don't think I will be able to visit these programs, so I'm doing my best my getting in touch with current students, asking difficult questions, and talking to recent alumni. On an unrelated note, I love being an accepted student. I spent the last year of my life shedding blood, sweat and tears to get into your school...now it's the schools' turn to dance for me! I can ask really specific and "difficult" questions that I couldn't really ask before because well...I wasn't admitted and it would make me sound presumptuous.

I am still waiting to hear back from a few schools, but I don' think they'll change my mind. I am deciding between two international education and one international development programs. I have yet to reach a decision, but here are some of the things that are important to me. Job: This shouldn't require an explanation. What's the point of attending a program if I'm going to be unemployed afterwards? I'm probably considering the strength of each program's alumni networking, career development tools, etc. Location: Most international education development organizations are in Washington DC or NYC. If a school isn't located near there or doesn't have some sort of way to connect to professional development in those areas the program isn't for me. Program: I want to work, not go on and get a PhD, so I want my program to be practitioner-based. Faculty: Are there faculty that research or have a background in a specific interest of mine? Financial Aid: This may or may not be a concern...I'm still thinking about it. Flexibility in Choosing Courses: Can I take courses in other departments or programs if it's related to what I want to do?

I'm having some trouble reaching a decision regarding these three schools. I have yet to hear back from UCLA, Teachers College, or NYU but getting into these probably won't change my mind. I was accepted to UPenn with a reasonable amount of financial aid, and none for Stanford or Georgetown. Even though the financial aid from UPenn isn't much, it (along with Stanford) is a shorter program than Georgetown. Attending Georgetown would be 39% more expensive than attending UPenn. The ICE program at Stanford is, academically, the best one out of the three. It's a great school and it's got faculty that work in the specific field I want to work in. However, the program seems to be very academically focused. There's no internship/field-work component like the other programs. Just a MA paper. Also, building professional connections. I'm probably going to work in Washington DC. Will it hurt if I'm going to school on the wrong coast? However, the alumni networking and sheer awesomeness of the program might overcome these issues. So for Georgetown I was accepted to the Global Human Development program. It's a new program but since it's connected to Georgetown the program has credibility, and a lot of professors come with lots of relevant work experience. However, it's an international development program, so it's not specific to international education development. There is an international education development sub-field I can do, but IED isn't the main focus as it would be at Stanford or UPenn. There's a fieldwork component and it's in Washington DC. It is probably the best place to be for building professional connections, just because the alumni network is great and the location is exactly where I would find work after graduation. It's also prohibitively more expensive than the other two programs. I'm a bit late to apply for external scholarships, so maybe in the second year I might nab some external scholarships. The IEDP program at UPenn is really new...it was started in 2008. There's an international internship component so it's very hands-on. Even though it's not in DC, it is close enough to both NYC and Washington DC that I can easily build professional relationships. The thing that worries me most about UPenn is how new the program is. Even though GSE is really respectable the alumni networking won't be relevant since I'm doing international education related stuff. Also, what will government agency/NGO/international development organizations think when they see "UPenn: IEDP" on my resume? The director of the IEDP program is a chair of UNESCO, which counts for something. Might be helpful with other UN agencies as well. So to sum up my reservations about each program: 1. Stanford: not practitioner-based, far away from Washington DC 2. Georgetown: very expensive, not IED focused 3. UPenn: very new

*EDIT* Financial Aid just matters...just did the math and going to Georgetown would be almost as twice as expensive as UPenn

I was accepted into Georgetown's Global Human Development program and Stanford/UPenn for International Education Development. I'm having a difficult time deciding which one, so maybe someone can chime in with advice. I'm still waiting to hear back from Teachers College, UCLA, and NYU but even if I do in it's still between these three (unless someone can offer a compelling reason for these others). Stanford: I'm part of Stanford's School of Education, which is super prestigious. It's also really well-respected in the field of international education development. There is a professor who works in the same specific field of interest (education in China) which is a bonus. The program seems to be academic and "bookish." There isn't a internship component like there is for Georgetown or UPenn, instead there is a MA paper. The focus of the program seems to be focused on becoming a researcher and not a practitioner. If I wanted to go down a research path this would be a good school, but I'm more interested in being a practitioner. Also, location. Most of international development jobs are in Washington DC, and being on the wrong coast might be a disadvantage. No financial aid, but it's a one year program. Georgetown: The Global Human Development program is under the School of Foreign Service, which is extremely prestigious. The program isn't specifically focused on international education development like the others, which may be a good or bad thing. Being a more "generalist" program I can branch out to other fields of international development, but they don't offer the depth of classes focused on international education development. There's an summer internship component, and the program is very practitioner based. Also, the location is amazing and there are a lot of chances of professional networking. No financial aid, and it's a two year program. Oh, it's a new program, but this being Georgetown there's no employers will question the program's pedigree. UPenn: The International Education Development program is under the School of Education, which is also really prestigious...just not as prestigious as Stanford. The program is also extremely new, but the program's director is a UNESCO Chair. There's a summer internship component, and the program is also very practitioner based. The professors have good experience, maybe not as "intensive" as those at Georgetown though. There is a professor who works int he same specific field of interest (education in China), which is a bonus. There are a lot of classes on international education development. The location is alright, close enough to both Washington DC and New York City. Amazing range of classes focusing on international education development. I got a financial aid package of $13,500, and the program would be two semesters full-time, one semester part-time. Conclusion: Right now I'm drawn more to Georgetown and UPenn. Georgetown is a great place to be for the field of international development, but I'm worried that the curriculum specifically focused on international education development isn't as great as UPenn's. with UPenn, I'm worried that it's a completely new program. It's also not as prestigious as Georgetown. Also, at UPenn I might "pigeon-holed" into doing international education development work, and that might hinder me if I end up wanting to do other stuff instead. Regarding financial aid, the $20,000 or whatever difference isn't significant enough for me to not choose Georgetown or UPenn.

I am applying to Teachers College for International Education Development, and I would love for someone to review my SOP and I would gladly review yours too. Thanks!