We had a great google hangout last week with some admitted students to IEDP. We actually had around 17 confirmed for the hangout, so there were three or four of us split up around the library. Here are some things that came up and questions I've been emailed as well:
I will let you know soon enough! Haha, no, really, I feel pretty confident that I can find work that I am excited to do and is also a "step forward" from what I was doing before starting the Master's. Some do go onto doctoral programs, but I would say the majority do not plan on it. Generally, I've heard of alums getting a job after applying to just a few and others who applied to 30 before they got a job. It just depends on how flexible you are with location and the positions you are willing to take. You can check out some alum profiles on the website.
Are there opportunities for volunteering/interning while taking classes? Do students work during the program?
Yes! There are tons of opportunities for mentoring/tutoring/interning and working with professors at Penn. It is actually hard to not get involved with conferences, lectures, research and volunteering. A few students are working on campus and there are opportunities at the beginning of the year to get those jobs. Also, working in the student housing with the undergrads is another option to help off-set costs. One of our cohort members is doing this and she seems to really enjoy it and she gets a meal plan.
What are some housing options?
Most grad students live around campus in West Philadelphia in studios, shared housing, or rent a room with a family. Another option is the graduate housing at Sansom which is super close to GSE and is really easy if you don't want to deal with the hassle of finding housing in the city. The prices are definitely more than some other options, but it is definitely conveniently located and hassle-free. I live in a shared housing situation with five other students. Although I have to deal with differing opinions of what "clean" is, my rent is super cheap ($400/mo with utilities included), it's only 15 minutes from GSE by foot and I get a little separation from school-life. Drexel University is also super close so some housing is in this area (north of campus--where I live). Also, there's a Penn Bus that goes around East and West areas of campus so some just take this around rather than biking/walking.
General price range is $400 - $1,000.
Advantages of being a Graduate Assistant (GA)?
The process for being a GA is changing from this past year. For my cohort, we just got notified with our acceptance if we were offered a merit scholarship and/or a graduate assistantship. This year, there are about 16 of us out of the cohort of 24 who are GAs, although I've been told that the process is different for those starting in Fall 2015. It's a great way to be more involved with IEDP and to spend 4-5 hours a week on something different besides classwork and to get paid for it.
What's the process for the internship?
The internship process starts in the Spring semester, although we were asked for our resumes at the end of the winter semester. The professors will get a feel for our interests and geographic preferences, then kind of "match-make" us with different organizations/locations/positions. If you say that you ONLY want to be in Brazil or only want to work with Room to Read, then they will try their hardest to make that happen. There is a bit of flexibility because there are usually more positions than there are students, but everyone has been placed in the past five years of the program. Students are given some funding to help cover some of the costs because usually the organization does not contribute anything financially. Some do get housing covered, but it depends on the organization. Here's a list of the orgs that IEDP works with.
There will be more google hangouts for those who missed the first one. Follow IEDP on Facebook for the news and check out the IEDP homepage also for those details!
Cheers!
What ideas/concepts/models/principl
One
of the required classes is EDUC 514 "Basic Education in Developing
Countries," and that definitely is something that shapes a lot of our
views about this field. Dr. Wagner and Dr. GK teach different sections
and definitely go about it in different ways. Overall, there is a big
distinction between old vs. new development and also where development
should go in the future to actually work well. We all have questioned
and re-questioned our roles in development work, and I think for most of
us, that re-questioning is so helpful to confirm that we want to do
this work and to do it in a more culturally relevant and contextually
specific way. "What is good development work and what is our role in
it?" is a core question that comes up in all of our classes and it is
something we should always be asking ourselves as practitioners to not
fall into the rut of old development.
Unlike
other international education master's degrees, which often seem to be
focused on management or policy, IEDP seems to examine the ins and outs
of development thoroughly. How flexible would the application of the
degree be for those seeking work in fields that don't directly address
development concerns?
One of the
main reasons I chose IEDP at Penn was because it is a very flexible
program. Although you only need 10 course units to complete the program,
there are five electives so if you want to focus on curriculum, human
rights, early childhood, etc, then you definitely can. I figured that
after this degree, I can either go back to teaching (it really is a
passion of mine and I miss it so much!), get a position that is focused
on research, or do program design/implementation/
Aside from
alleviating busyness and stress levels, are there any benefits to
stretching out the program to 1.5 years? Do any students do it part-time
over 2 years?
I believe the
students who do it over two years are ones that are from the area and/or
are working full-time. Mostly, we all just want to get back to work and
use what we've been learning! There is so much more time for
volunteering, conferences, lectures, etc if you do it in 1.5 years,
although Spring is definitely more busy and it depends on your courses
in general. I personally think doing 5 classes in the Fall, then 3 classes in the Spring (because it's super busy),
and two in the Fall after the internship is the best way to go (although I am doing the program in a year). This is maybe the least stressful way because the Spring is super busy with the CIES
conference, policy brief and there is a lot of groupwork for some
reason, which just takes a lot of time. There are a lot of things to get
involved in that would be great experiences and also enhance your
resume, but most of us don't take full advantage because of the
course load.
Where do IEDPers go post-graduation? In your experience, do grads typically find work immediately? Do any move on to PhDs?
I will let you know soon enough! Haha, no, really, I feel pretty confident that I can find work that I am excited to do and is also a "step forward" from what I was doing before starting the Master's. Some do go onto doctoral programs, but I would say the majority do not plan on it. Generally, I've heard of alums getting a job after applying to just a few and others who applied to 30 before they got a job. It just depends on how flexible you are with location and the positions you are willing to take. You can check out some alum profiles on the website.
Are there opportunities for volunteering/interning while taking classes? Do students work during the program?
Yes! There are tons of opportunities for mentoring/tutoring/interning and working with professors at Penn. It is actually hard to not get involved with conferences, lectures, research and volunteering. A few students are working on campus and there are opportunities at the beginning of the year to get those jobs. Also, working in the student housing with the undergrads is another option to help off-set costs. One of our cohort members is doing this and she seems to really enjoy it and she gets a meal plan.
What are some housing options?
Most grad students live around campus in West Philadelphia in studios, shared housing, or rent a room with a family. Another option is the graduate housing at Sansom which is super close to GSE and is really easy if you don't want to deal with the hassle of finding housing in the city. The prices are definitely more than some other options, but it is definitely conveniently located and hassle-free. I live in a shared housing situation with five other students. Although I have to deal with differing opinions of what "clean" is, my rent is super cheap ($400/mo with utilities included), it's only 15 minutes from GSE by foot and I get a little separation from school-life. Drexel University is also super close so some housing is in this area (north of campus--where I live). Also, there's a Penn Bus that goes around East and West areas of campus so some just take this around rather than biking/walking.
General price range is $400 - $1,000.
Advantages of being a Graduate Assistant (GA)?
The process for being a GA is changing from this past year. For my cohort, we just got notified with our acceptance if we were offered a merit scholarship and/or a graduate assistantship. This year, there are about 16 of us out of the cohort of 24 who are GAs, although I've been told that the process is different for those starting in Fall 2015. It's a great way to be more involved with IEDP and to spend 4-5 hours a week on something different besides classwork and to get paid for it.
What's the process for the internship?
The internship process starts in the Spring semester, although we were asked for our resumes at the end of the winter semester. The professors will get a feel for our interests and geographic preferences, then kind of "match-make" us with different organizations/locations/positions. If you say that you ONLY want to be in Brazil or only want to work with Room to Read, then they will try their hardest to make that happen. There is a bit of flexibility because there are usually more positions than there are students, but everyone has been placed in the past five years of the program. Students are given some funding to help cover some of the costs because usually the organization does not contribute anything financially. Some do get housing covered, but it depends on the organization. Here's a list of the orgs that IEDP works with.
There will be more google hangouts for those who missed the first one. Follow IEDP on Facebook for the news and check out the IEDP homepage also for those details!
Cheers!
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