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Georgetown Global Human Development Program


piquant777

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Congrats @michael_scott_14. No word yet on funding for me, but I'm committed regardless. Despite having some offers from other schools with money attached (or just outright cheaper tuition), I'm willing to place a premium on the prestige, network, class size, curriculum, and location that go along with this program. Basically everything @bgreenster said above. Having been acquainted with the field and knowing others in it/trying to break into it, "who you know" can be instrumental.

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Totally valid points!! Me personally, I've been in DC for a few years (been here since undergrad) and currently work for USAID. Though I admit to being tempted by the name of Georgetown, I also genuinely think the prestige of SAIS and other peer institutions is equal (at least in the circles I run in at work!). I've gone over this a bit in my head, and when you get to this level you're just looking at a personal fit for a university. The IDEV curriculum and the GHD curriculum are not dramatically different, so it's all about what interests you!

While I still need to mull it over myself, I'm glad that things worked out for you!!! It's such a relieving feeling :)

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@michael_scott_14, I wholeheartedly agree...I also equate SAIS with the top of the pack, and let my previous congratulations be considered for admission to both programs! The other schools I'm accepted into are good for ID, but not great, so my basis for comparison is a bit different. Frankly, given my level of experience, I'm stoked to have even been waitlisted for a program like this, much less accepted. And yes, it is a load off my shoulders to finally have some certainty after a few months in limbo. Now I can just spend the next few months stressing out about what I've gotten myself into...

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Congrats to both of you! Taylox, I officially accepted my offer, so it looks like I'll be seeing you in August!

Michael_Scott - I completely understand where you're coming from. As much as I love the possibilities of this program, I agree that any school in the higher tier will bring about similar connections and education, so it's more of a matter of what makes sense personally. I know that funding was a BIG thing for me (as with many of us going into development work, let's be real...)

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  • 6 months later...

Hey everyone,

Now that the new application season is in full swing, I wanted to offer to answer any questions people may have about the GHD program. Please feel free to ask any questions, either here or by PM.

In general terms, I will say that the things I listed above are all true, and I absolutely love this program. Obviously, I don't personally have other grad schools to compare it to, but we get so much individual attention and the professors are so approachable that it still kinda blows my mind :)

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  • 5 months later...

Has anyone officially decided on GHD for this year? I'm strongly leaning in that direction - after talking to the director, academic coordinator and current students I've really been wowed by the amount of attention and opportunities the students are given. Would love to have more of a discussion about it with anyone here! Did anyone attend the Admitted Students' Day this week?

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Hi Wanderlust,
I'm leaning towards enrolling in the GHD program as well. I did attend Admitted Students Day, and was definitely impressed! I'm going to be talking with someone from SAIS IDEV (where I got way better funding) tomorrow so hopefully after that I'll have a better idea...

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Help! Accepted to American U for International Development, and was so excited to go there (really liked the vibe on campus and all the signs seemed to be pointing there, e.g. only school of the 3 I applied to that outright accepted me). Now accepted to GHD off the priority waitlist and I've been thrown for a loop. Where should I go? 

 

I'm getting a tiny $8,000 scholarship at American for Peace Corps, and I'm not expecting to get any money from Georgetown, but...it's Georgetown...

 

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys, and congrats to everyone who's gotten in, gotten money, and/or made firm decisions! 

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If I were in your position, I would def choose GHD. The curriculum is unmatched and the professors are all extremely well connected folks who can get you gigs at WB/USAID etc. The small size of the program is also a great asset because you will get the kind of attention that is unheard of in other similar programs. 

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  • 10 months later...

Hi!

 

Could anyone who is already enrolled in the GHD program let me know what your thoughts are on the program? Are you able to interact with SFS students outside of GHD? Are the small entering cohorts a positive or negative? How is the GHD program being viewed/accepted by the larger IR schools/communities?

 

I was accepted to the program and am very excited about it, however I just wanted to get some insight from current students. 

 

Thank you! (And sorry for the multitude of questions!)

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Could anyone who is already enrolled in the GHD program let me know what your thoughts are on the program? Are you able to interact with SFS students outside of GHD? Are the small entering cohorts a positive or negative? How is the GHD program being viewed/accepted by the larger IR schools/communities?

 

 

Congrats on the acceptance :)

 

I am now a second year in the program, and I still love it.  My overall thoughts haven't changed much since my other postings, as I do still find GHD to be responsive, flexible, and providing really useful career prep.

 

We definitely do interact with other SFS departments - for example, last Friday we had a happy hour that GHD put together for us and  MSFS.  Also, we are with other programs in classes outside of the core courses, either in the GHD electives or by taking classes outside of the department (or even at other unis).

 

I think it might depend on your own preferences, but I really like having a small cohort.  For reasons I've posted in the past, I think it really lends itself to individualized attention from the department, and honestly it also makes it easier to get to know everyone in the cohort.  We are a pretty tight bunch, and all kinda know what is going on with each other and can help out with making connections, etc.   This is one of the big reasons I chose the program, but I'm sure there are people out there that prefer large cohorts and this wouldn't be as great for them.

 

I am now starting the job hunting process, and can't totally speak for perceptions of our program, but in general people hear "Georgetown SFS" and think of it like that.  I've been glad to see that, since I also figured it wouldn't be so bad going into a brand-new program since the school itself is so established.

 

Feel free to message me for any other questions or better explanations of what I just wrote.  I'm not sure how well I just covered your questions as my brain is mush these days from school/work/job hunt fun :P  Also, if anyone is able to make it to the Admitted Students' Day, I think that is really helpful and there will be a bunch of us there to answer questions, hang out, etc.

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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.

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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.

 

Thank you MaitreTea! May I ask what other schools you were looking into before deciding on GHD and why you made the final decision to enroll in this program? Also, how difficult are the quant classes? >_<"

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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? 

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  • 1 year later...
10 hours ago, ca88 said:

Would anyone who went through the GHDP interview process mind sharing any interview tips or insight? Any questions you can remember? Many many thanks in advance! 

I did mine in December I think. Its not really an interview but an informal chat to be honest. As you would expect I was basically asked to talk through my CV and how GHD fits into my future career goals etc. Good luck, I am now in the "patiently" waiting phase :(

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Hi everyone. I was scheduled for a Skype Interview next week. I am super excited but have ZERO clue on what it is going to be about (besides some information provided above). I am not sure if they call everyone for interview or just few. If anyone has some insight into it, this would make my weekend way better. Oh man, there is so much to prepare for this interview.

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On 2/5/2016 at 2:59 PM, Expedia said:

Hi everyone. I was scheduled for a Skype Interview next week. I am super excited but have ZERO clue on what it is going to be about (besides some information provided above). I am not sure if they call everyone for interview or just few. If anyone has some insight into it, this would make my weekend way better. Oh man, there is so much to prepare for this interview.

@beefmaster is right. It's more of an informal chat than anything so don't stress too much!

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