MPA/ID Virtual Info Session: Students from the Middle East & Africa

Good morning. Welcome to the MPI D virtual information session. If the audio is working. Please type in the chat box to let us know you can hear us.

During the presentation if you like to ask a question you can also type it into the chat section. You can ask a question anytime, but we will probably respond to most of them at the end of our presentation. Please be as clear and concise as possible. When asking your question.

Also feel free to email, the MPI D program office with questions if we are not able to get back to your question today. During this presentation or if you have additional questions. Afterwards are recording of this session will be made available within about a week.

I'm Carol Finney on the direct of the MPI D program and with me is Sara Lee Assistant Director will start with a quick overview of the Kennedy School and then discuss the MPI D program in some depth, then we'll go over the admissions process in the second part of the session. You'll hear from panel of current students and will take some more questions.

In today's presentation will be focusing on Africa and the Middle East featuring students from the region or who have been working in the region are recording of our recent, more geographically broad broadly focused session is available on the HKS admissions website.

Here at the Kennedy school. We have 4 Masters programs. In 4 doctoral programs. We have almost 1000 full-time students about half of whom are international.

More detailed information about all of our programs may be found on our website but to give you a brief overview.

The maker program shown on the Top line is a flexible one year program. The typical student has about 14 years of professional experience.

On the next line the MPI D program is a 2 year program with strong core our entering students have 4 to 5 years of professional work experience on average, and about 75% are citizens of developing or transitional economy countries in the first year. MPID students take a set of development focused core courses in the second year they choose electives to suit their interests and complete a capstone project. The MPP program shown on the 3rd line has a structure similar to the MPI D with core courses in the first year followed by electives.

Going to capstone project in the second year, however, the MPP program enrolls about 225 students a year. Many more than the MPI D about 80% of whom are Americans. There are no prerequisite courses and students can choose among a number of different concentrations, including international relations.

Finally, the two year MBA program is a flexible program, with Africans for Africans with at least 3 years of work experience and substantial previous graduate coursework.

I encourage you to spend some time looking into which program is the right fit for you as you may only apply to one program in any given year and cannot transfer to another program once you're here.

The MPI D program is designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in International Development. It's an economic centered multidisciplinary program. Combining rigorous training and analytical and quantitative methods with an emphasis on policy and practice because it's an economic centered program. We have prerequisite course requirements, including one college level course in each micro and Macro Economics and in multivariable calculus, which is typically the 3rd course in a University calculus sequence all of these courses must be completed before.

Enrolling in the program.

Therefore, things that we think distinguished this program and I'll talk about each of them in turn, the MPI. Deprogram is known for its challenging integrated curriculum outstanding faculty bright committed students and successful along right.

First, the curriculum.

About 20 years ago when the faculty designed the MPI D program. They set out to provide training that was economics, but grounded in the realities of development and tailored for practitioners and that's what we do.

The curriculum reflects this mission our core courses were specially designed for this program to introduce students to the main economic quantitative political and managerial tools needed by practitioners and leaders in the field of development.

The core is followed by a summer internship and electives Anna Capstone project in the 2nd year.

The core curriculum begins with two semesters, sequences in micro and Macro Economics as well as quantitative methods, which include statistics and econometrics.

Professor Dan Leavy teaches the fall statistics course.

Additional first year courses dev 101 and 102 comprise a year long sequence that looks at theories of economic development and considers empirical evidence as the basis for designing development policy. These courses identify key features of the development process across countries and developing analytical framework grounded in economic theory to better understand these patterns. They then apply the frameworks. Combined with a rigorous empirical evidence for smart policy design to enable economic growth and development.

In addition to the quantitative courses the program includes core courses in public sector management and institutions and of course on governance and politics in developing countries chosen from a menu of offerings.

The final course in the first year is called cases and applications in International Development. Its purpose is to link theory with practice by applying the range of concepts and techniques learned in the other MP ID core courses to selected topics such as education, health economic growth. The management of financial crises managing common property resources. International migration and community development practitioners, who have worked on these topics in the professional world come to class to share their experiences.

Since all the MPI D students take the same set of core courses. The faculty can build upon the core in a coordinated fashion so for example, when the natural resource curse has been discussed in macroeconomics. The cases and applications course might include a case of oil and Kazakstan followed by a speaker who has dealt with natural resource challenges in his or her professional life.

As an example Angasi Old Condo Uela spoke to the class about her experience as Minister of Finance in oil dependent Nigeria.

Another recent speaker was Antoinette Siaa Liberian Economist. She served as the director of the African Department at the International Monetary Fund from 2008 to 16.

She's currently distinguished visiting fellow at the Center for global development. Prior to return at the IMF she served as the Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

In the summer between the 2 years of study MPID students completed required summer internship, which is an opportunity to apply the skills gained in the first year in a real world context.

Since all of our students come to the program with considerable work experience in at least 1 type of organization. The Summer is an opportunity to explore a new area in terms of geography. In terms of topic or in terms of the type of organization, we encourage student to expand their perspectives. By doing something different than what they've done before usually in a developing country other than their own.

Here are some examples to be spent. His internship with the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Rwanda. He's originally from South Africa. He has now graduated and with the World Bank in Washington, DC.

Sharing Mikava on the right showing with her classmate and fellow intern Fernanda worked with the Argentine National Social Security Administration Sovereign Wealth Fund. Sharons graduated and is now a consultant with Delta philanthropies in Zimbabwe.

In the 2nd year, MPD students take 6 electives courses students may choose substantive courses in broad areas, such as national and international economic policy or in sectors such as sustainable development social policy or global governance or in private sector development and its regulation. Other popular electives include development policy strategy negotiations leadership finance and data courses such as data visualization.

Electives may be taken at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard's professional schools such as business law. Public Health, Education, design and so on the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, particularly popular. Other Department of economics government history computer science, sometimes math. We also have cross registration relationships with MIT and the Fletcher School of Law and diplomacy at tough so there's a huge selection of courses to choose from.

The last part of the great home is a second year policy analysis, which goes by the acronym. Ciba the site visit. Kapstone paper designed to integrate coursework through the application of analytical tools to apolosi problem chosen by the student.

Michael Walton shown here is one of the faculty members who advises students on their Cypress after a full career with the World Bank Michael joined the Kennedy school faculty to bring his practitioners perspective to the students capstone projects.

Here you can see an example of what a site that might look like the author of this paper. Christy Lisicki won the outstanding Sipo Award for her project, which analyzed how to use machine learning to predict conflict outbreaks in Africa.

During her time at the Kennedy School Christy took 3 elective courses in data science, which influenced her decision to write a sipa on the intersection of machine learning and International Development.

Having graduated from the MBA program. Christy has begun working as a project and technical manager with Ivy Insight. In Nairobi, Kenya, where she continues to apply her predictive analytics to the field of development.

The Kennedy school does offer combined degree programs with some other professional schools. We have joint degrees with the Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School and concurrent degrees with several other business schools. Orton Dartmouth, Stanford and the Sloan School at MIT.

And with various law schools listed here. We also have concurrent degrees with Harvard Divinity School. A Harvard Design School Ann with medical schools on a case by case basis.

The application process for each school is completely separate so if you are interested in the program with Harvard Business School. Note that you must apply to both schools at the same time in the same admissions year with the other programs. You can apply to one school, after you're already enrolled in the other.

More information on joining concurrent degrees is available on our website.

The student in a combined degree program spends one year at each school and then splits. The 3rd year between the two schools with the fall at the Kennedy School in the spring of spring at the other school.

Students in the joint program with Harvard Business School must begin at HK S. Most other concurrent degree students choose that sequence as well.

The advantage of doing a combined degree is that you can do for example, an MBA plus an MP ID in 3 years, rather than 4 so it saves a year.

Now the faculty the Harvard Kennedy School is home to a large and distinguished faculty working in International Development, including professor Danny Rodrick faculty chair of the MPI D program.

In addition to research and teaching our faculty is engaged in the affairs of the world shaping public policy, advising governments in helping to run major institutions in the United States and abroad. The learning in our classrooms reflects this reality.

Our faculty are both academics and practitioners. Some, like Jeff Frankel had been primarily academics, although he spends considerable time advising governments on macroeconomic policy.

Assistant professors you buy has also been primarily in academic. She works on micro economic issues of firms in developing countries and emerging markets and teaches the core course on game theory.

Other members of our faculty have spent years as practitioners.

Professor of practice Ricardo Haussmann served as Finance Minister of Venezuela in the 1990s and director of the Research Department of the Inter American Development Bank before joining the Kennedy School as professor of practice of economic development and for many years served as Harvard Directive Harvard Center for International Development.

Lecture Eliana Carranza graduated from the MPI D program and is currently an external assignment from the World Bank, where she's a senior economist.

Like our student body our faculty is international faculty members teaching in the MPI deprogram come from China, Cuba, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey. the UK Venezuela and of course, the US, they bring their varied perspectives to their teaching.

Matt Andrews for example, a South African works on issues to do with governance and Development. His research dells, particularly into questions about how internal and external reforms can facilitate or frustrate. The emergence of more functional governments in developing countries. He teaches the core management course for MPI dies.

Next students.

The students who enroll in the MPI Deprogrammer, one of its most valuable resources representing an extraordinary variety of countries and backgrounds. They bring a wealth of experience to classroom discussions and study groups.

In the typical class, the gender split is roughly 5050. The average age on enrollment is about 28. Our students come from a variety of countries. The distribution differs from year to year but we have roughly 75% from developing or transitional economy countries 15% from the US in about 10% from the rest of the industrialized world we specially encourage applications from citizens of developing and transitional economy countries.

Little more about students and student life. The course work here is challenging with readings problem sets and preparation. Before class meetings. We encourage students to work in groups and to learn from each other.

There is life outside of classes students play sports go on trips enjoy extracurricular activities and spend time with their families. Students do have some balance in their lives, but it is true that they work very hard, especially in their first semester.

Now I'd like to give you some information about our alumni in their careers.

In brief the MPI D program offers unparalleled training for professional career in International Development. The mix of theoretical rigor with a practical approach has proven to be a winning combination in the professional world.

By creating this program that can be school is established a new career path towards leadership positions in International Development are graduates hold influential policy and management positions in a wide range of organizations. I'm especially excited because today one of our alumni was named the Minister of Finance of Peru.

I'll show you some examples here and you can see more on our website.

The majority of MPI D graduates are in public service, including international organizations like the World Bank IMF or regional development banks, the public sector predominantly the governments in their home countries.

A nonprofit such as the Gates Foundation Jaypal and innovations for Poverty Action. Ox Fam World Vision and the Clinton Health Access initiative or in educational institutions such as Harvard Center for International Development.

An increasing number of our graduates go on to start their own social enterprises.

About 40% of our graduates are in the private sector. Many of them are in consulting, including the big strategy consulting firms like McKinsey BCG in vain, as well as development focused organizations such as Dalburg Advisors.

Our long I work in a number of international organizations.

Some examples are shown here.

World Bank UN system in Regional Development Banks and then other organizations like the World Economic Forum in the OECD.

The World Bank is the single largest employer of our graduates. The World Bank's young professionals program has extended offers 229 or graduate since 2002.

As you probably know the young professionals program is the most selective path into the World Bank.

8 to 10,000 people apply each year.

3 to 400 or assets amid longer applications about 150 or interviewed in 35 or 40 or higher each year. We've been averaging 2 to 3. MPI DS per year. Lately, in the young professionals program semi katakuri shown here is an example.

Dalia Alcaide is an economist at the World Bank in the macroeconomics, and fiscal management global practice. She joined the bank in February 2013 and has been working with governments in the Middle East and N Africa on firm dynamics and job creation. Macroeconomic analysis and the economic impact of conflict and forced displacement.

We also have a number of graduates at the IMF for example, Gomez. Agu is an economist in the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the IMF based in Washington, DC.

And another example Charlie Town works at the new Development Bank, where he is the country lead for Russian sovereign operations.

He majored in economics in Russian studies, which is enabled him to fill that unique role.

Um enough possibility did her internship at Bankable Frontier Associates, a global strategy consulting firm in Nairobi, working on financial inclusion in developing countries. She joined there Boston office after graduation, and then move to the Kennedy Office. She's now a digital financial services policy consultant with the United Nations Capital Development Fund in Rwanda.

In the public sector, many of our alumni work in the governments of their home countries here are some examples.

Address of Kanu of Sierra Leone is director of the revenue tax policy division in the Ministry of Finance and economic development.

Melissa Tashu is another example after completing the MPI D program. He joined the IMF in Washington, DC, where he rose to the position of senior economist is now on leave from the IMF serving a senior macro economic advisor in the prime minister's office in Ethiopia.

Upon graduation from the MPI D Lisa Vedala joined the US foreign service. Ann is now the economic unit chief in the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

She's had an interesting career and shown on this slide are the previous positions that she's held since graduating from the MPI D fluent in Arabic. She's held another positions in the State Department, including directory for N Africa in the National Security Council in the White House and senior Libya desk officer during the Clinton administration early in her career. She was posted as an economic officer in Baghdad.

About 15% of our graduates work in the nonprofit sector here is just one example.

Nissan tag Narian who's from the island nation of Mauritius served as special adviser on oceans at the World Economic Forum.

Private sector many of our graduates in the private sector work in consulting and financial services.

Amandla Ochoa Maka is the engagement manager with Mackenzies public sector practice in Nairobi. Previously, she was a management consultant McKinsey and Company in Lagos, Nigeria, Filiated with oil and gas practice.

May some Alba Harna is an engagement manager in mckenzie's public sector practice in Dubai.

He says I'm still working in Machesney out of the Dubai Office, continuing to do a lot of interesting public sector work. Large scale government transformations investment attraction strategies organizational reforms for central banks. And so on. It continues to be fun and makes me forever, grateful for all the learning I received through the MPI D program.

Drexel private sector other graduates in the private sector may be working consumer products or financial services.

Um for example, Tony is now the cocoa sustainability, manager with the Hershey Company in her home country of Ghana.

After graduating with MP ID and MBA degrees. Josh Sandler founded his own firm Laurie Systems, which he describes as being like Uber for trucking.

An increasing number of our graduates start their own social enterprises.

Here's one example, you may be familiar with.

Rohit wants you is the cofounder of Givedirectly, whose mission is to make cash transfers. The benchmark against which all poverty alleviation interventions are measured.

Givedirectly is a nonprofit organization operating in East Africa. That helps families living in extreme poverty by making unconditional cash transfers to them via mobile Phone give directly transfers the funds to people in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and beyond.

Now that we've told you a bit about the MPI deprogramming you may be wondering is the MPI D right for me.

The first thing to ask yourself is, do you like math and economics?

If you've never taken any economics courses. You might consider taking micro and Macro Economics. Now both to find out whether you enjoy economics and perhaps to get some of the prerequisites out of the way.

If you are more of a verbal and political science type of person perhaps you would consider a program in international relations.

Weather at the Kennedy School for example, the MPP programmer maker program or an MPA or MBA program at another University.

Another question to ask yourself is, do you want to work as an International Development practitioner if your goal is to be a professor or academic researcher you would probably be better off applying directly to PhD programs. If you really want to work solely in the private sector, perhaps an MBA would be a better choice.

On the other hand, if you want to be a practitioner and the kind of careers. We've just illustrated appeal to you then the MPI D program, maybe for you.

Now will turn to the nuts and bolts of actually applying to the MPI program. And here is assistant director Sara Olio Thanks Carol. I'm going to spend just a few minutes, speaking about applying to the MPI D program and then Caroline I will answer some of your questions so please. Feel free to submit any questions that you have as as I go through these next few slides here. The first thing I'd like to point out is that the MPI D Office manages its own admissions process. So we work very closely with the HKS admissions office if you have any questions related to applying to the NPAD program.

Please contact our office directly by sending us an email or giving a call.

Since the MPA ID program is a rigorous economic such a program designed to train development practitioners. We look for 3 things in our applicants were looking for your ability to do the quantitative coursework your commitment to development and your professional potential an leadership in the field. First of all we're looking for applicants who have a strong academic record, especially in quantitative courses. We also look for the prerequisite coursework that Carol described college level courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and multivariable calculus.

It is possible to apply if you haven't completed all of the prerequisite courses as long as you. Let us know your plan for completing them before you enroll if you are admitted what we do admit some applicants. Conditionally, who are missing one or 2 prerequisite courses. It's unlikely that we would invite someone who is missing all of the prerequisites. The reason we have the prerequisites is because the core courses in the first year of the program build upon the material covered in those courses.

Next we look at your GRE or your gmat scores are strongest applicant score in the 80th percentile or above on the quantitative section. If you have below the 80th percentile. I recommend that you take some time to study and then retake the exam. That's that, if you're below the 80th percentile. We will not automatically disregard your application we will. However, search the other parts of your application for evidence that you can handle the quantitative coursework, including your coursework from college and the quantitative nature of your professional experiences.

We also look at your verbal score, but we do place list less weight on that section knowing that English may not be your first language.

And if that is the case and you did not complete your full undergraduate degree at an English speaking institution. You are required to submit to full or I'll scores we require a minimum score of 100 on the total preferably with scores of at least 25 in each subsection or an overall band score of 7 on the Isles. The second thing we look for is your commitment to the development of developing and transitional economy countries. We want to see that you've engaged with development issues in your career what we don't have a required number of years of work experience.

Extremely rare that we admit people with fewer than 2 or 3 years of work experience. We really want people have dealt with development issues in their professional lives, so they can bring those experiences to the classroom and finally we assess your leadership potential based on the work that you've done in the information shared in your essays and letters of recommendation.

As you likely know this year's application is available online. Now the deadline to apply is December 3rd.

Here is the list of the required application materials. The application consists of an on line form. Several essay questions official transcripts test scores and 3 letters of recommendation for people who know you very well, ideally at least 1 professional reference and one academic records.

All applicants must submit a resume in a standard bullet point format. There are also several essays. The optional statement is an opportunity for you to explain anything about your background that you think the admissions committee should go for example, if you were sick during a semester of college and your grades suffered as a result you might want to tell if that, or if you have a gap in your employment history. For some reason you can explain things like that in this essay next there are 3 required essays.

The first essay prompt asks you to discuss your decision to choose International Development as your career, which is like a statement of purpose.

The second essay prompt asks you to describe an event or experience where you've taken a leadership role and finally the 3rd asks you to describe a public policy or management problem related to International Development and offer a range of solutions in this essay were gauging your analytic ability treated like you would an assignment for a graduate level course. It is OK to use outside Roberts is please. Just cite them properly in footnotes. These citations will not count towards your overall workout. There is an additional.

How to say it for joint degree applicants to either HPS for HLS?

There is also an optional personal history essay in which you can discuss how your background or life experiences have shaped your perspectives and how that would contribute to the classroom and community at age Cass. Please note that this is completely optional and not submitting this essay will not affect your application. Finally we ask you to report how you've met the prerequisite course requirements or provide us with a plan for how you intend to take the courses prior to enrolling if you're admitted as mentioned this year's application deadline is December 3rd.

All applications are red twice by a committee of faculty who teach in the MPAD program and senior staff will send out admissions decisions on or before March 31st and will host a visiting day for admitted students in mid April again. If you have any questions about applying to the MPA ID program. Please email our office.

There are many sources of financial aid available. It is wise to begin your search now at some scholarships have fall deadlines, particularly those from organizations outside Harvard. However, you do not need to have your financial aid in hand in order to apply for admission. The application deadline for Harvard Kennedy School financial aid is February 3rd 2020.

Harvard Kennedy School Awards will be released at about the same time as in mission suspicious.

If you have any questions about financial aid. Please email, the office of student financial services at the Kennedy school their contact information is listed here on this side.

Now we have some time to take your questions related to the information that Caroline I just presented will do our best answers. Many general questions as possible, but if you have a very individualized question. Please email our office and will get back to you. Soon after a few minutes of questions and answers will turn to our student panel and you'll have the opportunity to address questions to them as well. Please give us a moment to take a look at some of the questions you have submitted.

OK, one of the questions that I see is does the MPID program have a quota of admitted students per country.

No is the short answer each individual application is red on its own and admissions decisions were made on individual people not on the need to fill quotas from any particular country so we are overrepresented in some countries and regions and under represented in others.

Um another question was the prerequisites for non. Economists many of our students worry con majors. But many of them were not. And so the prerequisite courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and multi variable calculus are the minimum preparation needed.

Any other questions coming in.

I'm not seeing any other questions at the moment, so let's move on to our.

Student panelists.

We we Unfortunately do not have key bring with us today as he suddenly was unable to join us this morning but we do have 2 second year. Students who are panelists. Josepa and Rebecca and and I will ask each of them to introduce themselves and say a little bit about what you were doing before you got here. What were you thinking about when you are applying to schools and then we can talk about your internship and course choices later. Rebecca thank you. Carol so I am from the US and from tensing yet.

I grew up partially intensity approaching in the states, half of my family is in Tanzania. Right now and I took about 7 years between my undergraduate degree from Yale and then choosing to come to this program in which I did a variety of different things. I was working a bit in the private sector. I did 2 years in management consulting in New York. I also worked in Tanzania on a couple occasions first with with coffee farmers actually helping to set up some cooperatives and then with family friend who was in business.

And I've also done some work with some organizations that do evaluations of social programs, including the International Development programs. So it was sort of a mix of research. Some private sector and some sort of NGO or if you could say grassroots mobilization work.

And what I was sort of thinking about when I came to this program was. I have sort of grown up thinking about International Development issues. My parents are both in public health and it was in my mind that I might basically sort of go into the family business. You could say, but I was also very turned off by many things in development and so it's sort of took my time. After graduating from undergrad. I really wanted to see what is it like to do this work on the ground and so I think it was really important for me to have some of that professional experience before I then actually applied.

I also just for additional background. I don't have much of an economics background. And so I was hesitant to apply to this program and I'm happy to talk about that a bit more. What sort of considerations. I therefore head when I was considering being part of an intensively economics focus degree, but I can talk more about that in a bit.

Hi thank you. Sanchez that I'm from Barcelona, Spain. My background to the upper lips was not very linear. I started installing the slandering in Barcelona, but towards the end of my degree. I realized I was really interested in development issues. I had like volunteered in several places a few times and I decided that I wanted to take that career path professionally and I didn't message programming economics or one year Masters program in Barcelona.

After that, I worked for 6 months at the Oyster Development Center. I learned a lot. He was like very interesting experience, but I knew that going forward. I wanted to like leave early to get some experience another up in country which turned out to be very useful specially for the for the A lot of the coursework in the MPV. I worked for 2, 1/2 years in Rwanda for lateral which is organization that does consulting and research quantitative consulting and research and development.

It was actually funded by an MTV alone, I.

Uh so when I move there, I had an ad out going to like policy school because.

My Phone like my economic program was quite theoretical and like.

Was something that I think the MK these artists, matching giving you like the theory? Does very well it like gives you the theory of Economics. But like also how to apply an like working with a lot like I got to know a lot of empty this and like it pretty convinced me of the program and I think he does a really good job like I always say that the MPV allows you to talk to academics but also to policymakers and that bridge between academia and the policy world and make the connection that often but you make it happen.

OK.

Let's see.

So remember you mentioned that you came in as a political science major, with less E blast economic background that many of your classmates and just example on the other extreme. We already had a graduate degree focusing in economics do you want to talk a little bit about how that been for you in the course is last year and now that your second year. What kind of elected you're taking right so initially I was very intimidated. When I first arrived on campus. I thought I don't know what I'm going to do what if I sign myself up for but part of the reason I wanted to do this program was because I didn't want to say.

Go to a public policy school elsewhere and have the option of Dajing Economics classes, which I thought I might do otherwise. I wanted to be pushed to to really try to engage with that and essentially learn a new way of thinking economics to me. It feels like learning a new language and so in that way. It was definitely very challenging. But I would also say I did not feel disadvantaged by not having done much economics at all in my undergraduate degree or in for instance, not having touched calculus in 8 years I ended up because I did have to do some.

Prerequisites before I even joined the program. I was admitted conditionally and I did those over the summer basically before the program started.

I was also sort of freshly I just sort of been looking back at that material and so I actually found that in some ways. I was able to help people who maybe had a Masters in economics, but they hadn't been using the theory in the same way. And so I would say if you don't have a Nikon background don't take that as a sign that you wouldn't be able to handle this program that actually made me not apply. I think a couple years back. Earlier, I would have applied and I was sort of I was too intimidated to and I would say that definitely don't let that hold you back, you're able to get up to speed I think.

Pretty quickly we have a mass count when people first arrive that basically your whole class comes together and for a couple of weeks. You focus on the core concepts and material that you're going to need over the course of the program. And so that really sort of brings everyone up to a similar level and then the other thing I would say is that this program is so very collaborative that it's also easy to rely on your fellow students to help you out, and in fact, a program really encourages working together and encourages teamwork. So I found that I had not just the teachers. The faculty who are officially faculty in the program.

But all of my classmates were also trying to help me understand material better. An I would do the same with them. And so I would say my economics. My lack of economics before coming to the problem is not an issue and now in my second year. I'm able to focus more on some of my original interests in political science in governance issues and implementation challenges and I'm finding it really valuable that we had stayed at intensive economics and especially like microeconomics in our first year. I'm seeing the ways in which that applies also econometrics.

I'm seeing ways in which I can now start to basically blend all of these disciplines together.

You something and he comment on the the first year, you mentioned that your previous Masters was more theoretical so. How did you find the core courses like part of the reason like even though I had done on Masters in Conomiques, it was a one year. Masters and it was like very macro and development focus so I actually had no background whatsoever in micro or like game theory, which are like subjects that get covered in first and it's coming from economic background and knowing that I enjoy.

Economic I found out like uh that appeal to me because it I. I'm having done for sure. I do think that the first year of the ability gives you really solid ********* economic that like at times it might feel a bit theoretical. But like when you reach second year, you apply a lot. I'm taking a class in public finance the condom 'cause. It's a topic that I'm like really interested in. I'm concerned my working on that in the future and having gone through like the MPD.

For zippers you like very well to take like this more advanced classes.

And actually I'm today and.

We had a fun taking another class infrastructure finance, which is like clearly like it's very finance space and a lot of like the macroeconomic concepts were like we were actually discussing with like classmate before coming in possession how like the micro conomiques within our first year. It's being helpful for these like infrastructure finance class, which I would have never guessed that that would be the case so even if you have background check on it. It's hard work. But I do think you learn a lot and it's part of.

I think it's part of what makes the MPA. These such a strong program right because everyone had like this really solid foundation that like get.

Get to play very well and classic like that, like the International Development do a really good job. I like bridging this gap between theory and practice because you want to say anything else about the cases and applications in international that course 'cause. I know that you're a course assistant for that course now. Yeah, I would say it's a really helpful chance to also draw in some of your own experiences and so one of the most valuable parts of this program is the diversity of the people who are in it, that all the different experiences that your fellow classmates have had.

And so that the case is class, especially is one of the areas where that can get highlighted and you also have an opportunity yourself to think back on some of your own experiences and and reflect on them in the context of what you're learning through the program. And so for example, like I've been working in coffee and had but had sort of been primarily focused on almost from a business perspective trying to figure out How do I help? These cooperatives to sell their coffee in Europe and the United States and questions of state around the governance issues of how do you structure cooperatively function well? How does?

How does that little piece of work I was doing fit into a larger industry around coffee but also round commodities? What happens to commodities markets in a macroeconomic sense going through different types of crises and so all these different types of concepts and theory that we were learning in other classes had relevance for the experience I had, and I would say that case is one of the areas where you get to sort of.

Experiment with thinking about that you exchange ideas with your classmates you learn about their experiences. And so that as a really important part where you can start to see how would you actually apply? What you're learning?

OK, we've talked about the first year courses. Some let's talk a little bit now about what you guys did for your internships. Rebecca do with her sure. And, yes, I also just see I have one question here directly about teamwork so if you don't mind using so one example of teamwork. I guess I would say is so I have this interest in in the environment, essentially and basically how environment and development work can come together basically sustainability and development work and this is something actually pursued also on the side In addition to sort of.

Alongside my courses, but within the program. We have a number of chances where you have open ended opportunities to pick a topic and so I was joined together with a team of other people who are also interested in the environment and together we did a project related to deforestation in tents and basically applied a framework that we've been taught in class of how to breakdown a problem have sort of 1st analyze components of a problem and then begin to systematically figure out what is the most essential part of that problem that could be addressed.

First say before you deal with all the complexity of this problem deforestation. What is the first thing that you can address and how much you do that and so this is something that we did over the course of weeks as a team. I think is about 5 of us and it was really useful because we had. We were all coming at this from different perspectives. I had on the ground experience in Tanzania. But say one of my classmates had done a lot more work and say environmental sustainability. And so she's able to bring that perspective in and so we would be meeting continually over the course of these weeks in the format of that classroom also doing some work outside the class as well.

So basically I would say that that teamwork sort of allows you to bring your comparative advantage and also line. Other people strengths and it really helps you see problems that maybe you thought you understood helps you see them in a new way. So then to get to your question about so my internship. I actually did it in India, which is a totally new region for me and it was really useful to compare some of the experiences that I had there working in agriculture, specifically and working for ID insight with some of the background. I had previously intensely.

So, in Tanzania. I had done some work in coffee as I mentioned so in agriculture and I had that background to compare with challenges that idea. Insight was looking at related to how to better provide government services to farmers in rural India, so that was a really great experience I was based for 2 months in Delhi. But I also did some travel to other parts of the country and I would say like probably one of the biggest values was.

Understanding from this work in a completely new context. Another huge value was working with IDM site, which has been mentioned a couple of times it was founded by MPI dies and it's an organization that basically combines research and consulting so they do research. But they do it for a client and so they're very quickly on the ground. Applying things that they're also researching in a very rigorous way, and so that was all together a wonderful experience.

Thank you Joseph and in my case, I did my internship in Liberia with library Revenue Authority. I got that internship through like the alumni network. My reason for choosing showed us internship for 3. Reasons first because it was in West Africa and I didn't have an experience in that part of the world, so going back like I tried to like go somewhere that wasn't familiar to me, Secondly because it was within a government.

In my experience, I have worked a lot with governments. But even like first. I'm an international organization, then as a consultant. I do, unlike you do get to learn a lot about how they work. But it's not the same much working within so that would like really very enriching experience that actually has helped a lot, so one of the second year classes. We need to take it's getting things done, which discusses how you can achieve things in like complex environments and like my internship in Liberia has like been super useful for the class.

For this class, I'm like thinking how like you can achieve things.

And the 3rd reason was it was on the topic of public finance. We just I've said before I'm quite interested. I actually to prepare for my internship. I took a class.

Last semester, it was an elective it's Internet public financing an international perspective, which focuses on a lot of like taxation and revenue problems. There are specific to developing countries did provide to be very useful to like the work. I did over the summer and if I'm allowed to add one thing on the F like the cases International Development. Unlike related to some of the questions were getting an experience like there's this question that says like When would be the right time to join the Masters.

I do think that experience in our developing like experience in development and particularly in developing countries very useful and will add a lot. Like many of like the discussions in your class and I did find that.

To be the case in case International Development, but you still find that to be the case in.

Uh courses we taking second year so the getting things done class, which is a requirement for MTV is a very popular class. We meet careers and which to me is very destructive of like it shows that.

You do benefit a lot from having that experience and it's like very complementary.

OK let's see we have a few minutes left.

Now that you guys are in your second year, you have elective course choices so which you have mentioned and you're also working on your second year policy analysis do you tell us what that topic is respective topics are in that area yes so I'm doing mine on natural resource management and governance in Mcalea, which is a state in NE. India and this was the 2nd part of my summer after my initial internship. I went and worked for 2, 1/2 weeks within with basically a part of the state government there. That is trying to change the way natural resources are handled there, they have a serious natural resource scarcity issue, especially water.

But also they have a deforestation problem there, too, so in a sense. This was a way for me to apply again from the learnings and interest. I had from E Africa in a new context and what is also valuable about this context in India that is that we have this connection to state government when we're doing this work. So we have a lot of access to people who are actually in a position to implement whatever sort of recommendations that we come out with an ideally looking for something to advise the state government on how can they better support community LED?

Natural resource management? How do they better involve communities in decision making make a truly participatory process and really get by. And because otherwise very likely any sort of policies in this area won't succeed. So we feel, and when I say we by the way I'm also working with a classmate, which is one of the options. You have for your policy analysis. You can team up with one other person or you can do it on your own. I found it really valuable to team up with a classmate because we sort of each other, are comparative advantages in our different experiences to that mix.

Let me pause for second comment. One of the questions that we received earlier was about the.

How a person can focus their program on a particular area of interest and so many of you may have noticed in Rebecca's comments on various subjects you see the same of coffee agricultural resource management. Even though she's not writing about coffee and she's not running about Tanzania at the moment deforestation. There's a common recognizable theme through her, her course choices at her various projects and work here, yeah, absolutely add to that. But I found it really helpful actually in some ways to have sort of a lens or a particular interest area because.

Then you can also bring that as an example to many of your different classes and it's a way to sort of think more deeply about these things that you care about a lot.

Just um, yeah, monkeys, I'm kind of I came to the Apple in and know like with a very open mind over over what I wanted to do I find that?

I really like winter weather like I'm fine, very interesting on how like governments. Manage their finances and like how you can tax in a way that's like red distributive so this type of topics this semester. I'm taking so I'm like this and I said, I'm focusing more on like the technical aspects of the and I'm taking classes on as I said infrastructure finance public economics in the Economics Department.

On the development policy strategy with recover Housman, but for me and like a very important part of like like beyond specialization, which you can do one like you can take classes like anywhere like the infrastructure finance class for example, it's full of like MBA. Students who like I'm interested in this type of stuff you can crush register into our University right. We can do the same in 2 other universities by something that.

The the I also want to focus on like sub skills and I'm taking leadership, which is a very popular class at HKS and like it's been very interesting and I plan on taking classes on negotiations are communications over the next semester regarding my siper.

An I'm in a bit of a transition. Currently, I started with the topic. But for some, like I wanted to like continue working in Liberia because I had experience. There are like for several reasons it doesn't look like this cycle will.

Words with like the administry, unlike the topic doesn't quite fit like what the siper so I'm currently probably be working on informality in Argentina, using methodological approach. Santiago Levy, who did a similar analysis for Mexico and I'll be working with a classmate from Argentina on this topic. It's even though it's not my the region. I'm like I think like going forward.

Like to continue working the African continent the topic of information, I think it's very important to both Latin America and a lot of like African countries and that's part of the reason why I'm not switching to this topic.

Uhm OK, let's see we just going to check and see what other questions. We have someone asked says you look for a minimum of two years of experience as part of eligibility. The average age for the students coming in is about 2728 with about 4 years experience. Many of asked about what if you've taken the standardized test in the score is not here. By December 3rd. That's OK. If you take the test before December 3rd. We can wait a little while for it to be transmitted to us.

Um um.

The regional distribution as I mentioned were over and under represented in various areas. We have a probably over representation of Latin American students so for example, we have 10 students from Peru in this first year class, which is a huge number considering the size of their population.

But many of our proven old and I go back to the country and encourage others to apply and so, so that's how that comes up. We are under represented in Africa, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. But we particularly are encouraging applications from those areas because we would like to have a stronger representation there. I think in our in our first year class we have 4.

Students from Africa and several from the Middle East N at North Africa Middle East and it is about 10 or 15% of Americans and many of those Americans have a dual identity. So Rebecca describes herself as US Tanzania. Even though I think her citizenship, is technically us, which is why is what we listed there but so even our American students are often have?

Very broad backgrounds.

OK other questions here.

Just said, we have one question here from before about comparing the MPA list. EMP ID, which I think so. So I've been doing the empyrean like I think the programs in nature are very different. My advice would be like if you're really slide said. If you know you want to be a development practitioner do the MPI V Becaus. It's not only about the classes you take.

But the community and the NBA D has an incredibly strong network in development and I do think that the economics classes, even though at times it might feel like unlike specially where like you have exams on that in my life. I am I doing this for like in the long run like you like unspecial other doing 2nd. I'm very grateful of having done the court because it is like a truly necessary skill set to-do like good development policy right the MPA. It's a more general program so if you really don't know.

Which direction you want to go? Unlike also like coming to like Graduate School? I think like really opens up like a lot of like possibilities and like this like things I'm working on the Never guess. I would be working on that might be like Rebecca said right like you might like end up taking like veal over the place.

So yeah, I like if you like know that you want to development. I think the MPV to the program for you, also the MPA. A lot of the MPs students are 10 degrees, so like the communities. I feel little bit less strong than the Appdata community.

Yeah, just to emphasize on that point about community and you end up learning so much from your classmates that I think it ends up being really valuable to be surrounded by people who are so international. I mean for me one of the big draws of this program. When I compared with pretty much any other program actually was just how international it was, I as an American American Tanzanian year. I didn't want to be surrounded by people from only one place and so it was really a draw. To me that the say the American students are only about 10% or so of the class and everyone else is from sort of huge.

Range of experiences and backgrounds and I think the fact that specially in our core. We taking all of our classes together and so you really get to bond very closely with people you get to discuss a lot and learn a lot from them and I just think that cannot be understated. It's been a huge value of this program, which from my observation of other Kennedy School programs. Just isn't isn't is available to them. If I can completely agree with international perspective. It's incredible like we like one of the things we informally, though, is we call like.

Do you like country dinners for like for like region for like the whole like to represent all the nationalities and cultures? There are and they're like fascinating and like you learn so much from like actually learn a lot from other countries to the point where like the other day, I realized that I missed 3 look like quite illustrative of how international you comes like India has the Indian administrative service, which is a household name and everyone knows what IIS officers, but like now everyone in our class you say yes.

And we don't know what you're talking. I like even people from South America right and I do it anyway because it this interaction. Just happen with like a friend and I do think that that is very telling about how like you become aware of other cultures and.

From a personal level, it's incredible I but, I do think on a professional level as well and you hear that from a long ways, as well that they always call each other in different countries like Oh, you've been working on. These and like your country has been like really good at doing this. Can you help me out with doing that so definitely the intern like international aspect of the program it's like incredible we are very, very fortunate to have terrific terrific students. Like you too. And a very tight network of alumni who are out there doing really interesting things so thank you.

Rebecca and Joseph are coming in today and thank you. All for tuning in listening. If you do have questions that we haven't addressed you can email them to us and we will try to get back to you individually. Thank you and goodbye.