EGSweitzer

@DogsArePeopleToo see my post above!

Hi there, just thought I'd respond here: I'm actually a CIPA student, in my first year and would love to share some thoughts. First off, congratulations on your Fulbright! I am actually a Fulbright alumna (Brazil, 2015) and there are many Fulbrighters in the program now. With regards to networks, I have access to not only CIPAs network, but the entire Cornell and Ivy League network. This has given me access to really amazing opportunities, Ivy-league networking events and databases, and is recognized both domestically and globally. I was accepted and received funding at the Harris School and CIPA and had an incredibly hard decision. UChicago's Harris School was rated #4 in the country, and is well-known for its evidence-based, quantitative policy program. I was very impressed with the school at the open house, as well as by the students I met there. At both CIPA and the Harris School, I met very engaged students and staff who were eager to help and answer questions. I eventually chose Cornell's program, while not ranked as highly as the Harris School, because I focus in Food and Agriculture Policy, and I wouldn't have been able to focus in that area at UChicago. I say this all to emphasize that the multidisciplinary nature of the program has been an incredible asset to my future success, as I wouldn't have been able to break into the field of Food and Agriculture Policy otherwise. And that brings me to the next comment: CIPA's program does integrate core coursework, and I feel its greatest asset is what you seem to be critiquing: CIPA's multidisciplinary nature. I am very grateful that I am able to dovetail public policy and food security coursework with one another, and I've taken courses in departments like Nutritional Sciences, International Agriculture and Rural Development, and Applied Economics as well as Public Administration, Government, and Political Science. I am pursuing an MPA not only to learn about public policy but to learn how to apply it to my field of interest, Food and Agriculture Policy. My colleagues are also able to focus in on their niche policy concerns, and represent a wide variety of areas like Health Care Policy, Arts Management, Human Rights and Social Justice, and Education Policy to name a few- I think it's fantastic! Further, I feel that it is very well integrated - I have already been a part of many hands-on projects, secured funding and was sponsored to do research for a month in Colombia, have gotten a job for the summer working internationally in my field of interest (because of networking and a connection leveraged through Cornell), and am excited to come back next fall for my final year.