interested in international development

College Search & Selection
1

<p>hi</p>

<p>As a high school junior beginning the college search, I was wondering what type of education path would best serve someone interested in a career in international development / public policy -- i.e. working for organizations such as the world bank / NGOs. </p>

<p>Some intriguing programs I had seen on colleges' websites included majors in international relations/affairs, public policy, political economy, PPE/EPE, and economics. I was curious if any of these programs would be preferable to the others. </p>

<p>Also, what undergrad schools would be good for this? I'm internested mostly in the east coast, from MA area down to NC/VA. So far, from the research I've done, the list seems to include: Georgetown SFS, Princeton WWS, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Harvard, Duke (for pp), UPenn (esp. Huntsman), Colombia, Tufts, George Washington, and other schools in DC (such as American and Catholic -- for the internship oppurtunities). I have also done some research on UVA, U Richmond, UNC, BC, Fordham, William and Mary, Fairfield, Trinity, and Wake Forest. I'm also interested in going to school in the UK/Ireland, and have done research on Oxford, King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, LSE, St. Andrew's, and University of Edinburgh. For right now, it seems that the lists don't include many safties/even matches, and a lot of reaches...so if you have any advice as to less selective schools with good programs in this area, it would be much appreciated. </p>

<p>The general consensus on the forums I have read on CC seemed to be that for this type of career, a MA/MS would serve you best, and there's no need for a PHD? and that SAIS, Fletcher, SIPA, WWS, and KSG are tops when it comes to this field? or is that wrong? </p>

<p>I guess I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track, and what people would recommend as for taking the first step and deciding on which undergraduate schools to apply to.</p>

2

<p>A degree in IR would be fine, and no, I don't think you need anything above a masters. </p>

<p>Depending on your stats, American and George Washington would probably be matches or safeties. Both are amazing schools for IR, although I personally prefer American. </p>

<p>Also try looking at Occidental - their program is supposed to be quite good, and it's not TOO competitive. I've also heard good things about the program at Eckerd, which could be a solid safety.</p>

3

<p>Hey, I'm in the exact same boat, only I'm more interested in diplomacy than the economic side of things. I've looked at many of the same schools as you. I found a list published in Foreign Policy magazine ranking the top twenty schools to study international relations.</p>

<p>For undergrad:
1 Harvard
2 Princeton
3 Stanford
4 Georgetown
5 Columbia
6 Yale
7 U Chicago
8 Berkeley
9 Dartmouth
10 George Washington
11 American
12 U Michigan
13 Tufts
14 Swarthmore
15 UC San Diego
16 Cornell
17 Brown
18 Williams
19 Duke
19 Johns Hopkins</p>

<p>I'm mostly looking at Princeton, Yale, Georgetown, Harvard, Duke, UNC, Dartmouth, Oxford, and Trinity in Dublin. It's so refreshing to see I'm not alone.</p>

<p>Hope the list was some help!</p>

4

<p>One of the few East Coast schools that has an undergrad major focused specifically on international development is Clark University, in Worcester, MA. It's considerably less selective than the other schools on your list, and could be a good school to consider since you asked for more match/safety schools. Another less selective school with a program (I believe a minor) specifically in development studies is Hobart and Wm Smith. As others have pointed out, a major in IR would serve you well, and that's offered at a wide variety of institutions.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
The general consensus on the forums I have read on CC seemed to be that for this type of career, a MA/MS would serve you best, and there's no need for a PHD? and that SAIS, Fletcher, SIPA, WWS, and KSG are tops when it comes to this field? or is that wrong?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The "international development" field is pretty broad, but generally at the top of it is a position with one of the following multilateral agencies: World Bank/IFC(part of World Bank)/IMF/UN.</p>

<p>As an American, getting into any of these institutions requires some pretty specific qualifications of extremely higher caliber, in general:</p>

<p>1) A "top 5" Econ PhD earned before you are about 28 years old: MIT/Harvard/Berkeley/Yale/Chicago/Stanford/Princeton, maybe a couple of others (look at the top echelon of grad econ. programs in USNWR, and it pretty much mimics these).</p>

<p>2) The top development econ. programs: Harvard, Berkeley, MIT (check to see if this list is up-to-date).</p>

<p>If you don't come out of one of these in time to get admitted to, for instance, the World Bank's Young Professionals Program, there are still plenty of other ways to get brought into a place like the IFC (investment banking as a career before you apply) or the World Bank (can be hired as a consultant or functionary from places like SAIS or the Kennedy School), but remember in an institution that values PhD's the most highly, you're going to be dog meat over time if you don't have one. This would be particularly true of the World Bank or IMF, perhaps less so with the IFC. I don't know about the UN. But I'll be you're not getting into the UN as an American unless you're pretty much as dazzling as all that.</p>

<p>Below that "top-tier," you could get a development position with an NGO or with the US government, and in this case, a degree from the Kennedy School or SAIS or similar could work. Chances are you'll be spending more time overseas if you want to go this route.</p>

<p>Looking at other people, a whole lot of people want to do international development until their mid-30s and then suddenly a lot of them just want to come back home and live a normal life. Know thyself.</p>

<p>It's a fascinating field. And there's plenty to read up about it. One critical view is offered in the book titled "Tropical Gangsters." Here's a poem that appears at the front of the book:</p>

<p>The Development Set
by Ross Coggins </p>

<p>Excuse me, friends, I must catch my jet
I'm off to join the Development Set;
My bags are packed, and I've had all my shots
I have traveller's checks and pills for the trots! </p>

<p>The Development Set is bright and noble
Our thoughts are deep and our vision global;
Although we move with the better classes
Our thoughts are always with the masses. </p>

<p>In Sheraton Hotels in scattered nations
We damn multi-national corporations;
injustice seems easy to protest
In such seething hotbeds of social rest. </p>

<p>We discuss malnutrition over steaks
And plan hunger talks during coffee breaks.
Whether Asian floods or African drought,
We face each issue with open mouth. </p>

<p>We bring in consultants whose circumlocution
Raises difficulties for every solution --
Thus guaranteeing continued good eating
By showing the need for another meeting. </p>

<p>The language of the Development Set
Stretches the English alphabet;
We use swell words like "epigenetic"
"Micro", "macro", and "logarithmetic" </p>

<p>It pleasures us to be esoteric --
It's so intellectually atmospheric!
And although establishments may be unmoved,
Our vocabularies are much improved. </p>

<p>When the talk gets deep and you're feeling numb,
You can keep your shame to a minimum:
To show that you, too, are intelligent
Smugly ask, "Is it really development?" </p>

<p>Or say, "That's fine in practice, but don't you see:
It doesn't work out in theory!"
A few may find this incomprehensible,
But most will admire you as deep and sensible. </p>

<p>Development set homes are extremely chic,
Full of carvings, curios, and draped with batik.
Eye-level photographs subtly assure
That your host is at home with the great and the poor. </p>

<p>Enough of these verses - on with the mission!
Our task is as broad as the human condition!
Just pray god the biblical promise is true:
The poor ye shall always have with you.</p>

<p>I don't mean to be negative. It's a hugely fun and interesting field, with a lot of good work on offer. But I'd put "international development" degrees as an undergrad and other kinds of things like IR as a back-up to getting prepared to get into a really good grad econ. program, if you really want to work at a place like the World Bank for your career and be taken seriously there. You need to go for math in a big, big way.</p>

<p>Now if you don't see yourself going this direction, shooting for a public policy/IR Master's would be a good approach or shooting to get into investment banking and then making a switch would be another good approach.</p>

6

<p>thank you so much</p>

<p>this has been very helpful!</p>

<p>worldchanger and marathonman -- thank you for the safety / match recommendations! </p>

<p>younghickory -- it's nice to hear someone is in the same boat! If you hear of any interesting programs, please tell me! </p>

<p>BedHead -- that was exactly what I was wondering about in terms of what comes after college. I had looked at the young professionals program, and it sounds incredible! of course, it's almost in possible to get into. But shoot for the stars, right? and it's probably very good advice to get a degree that will serve well even if I decide that development isn't quite what I want later on in life...but it sounds like a degree in economics will work either way? </p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

7

<p>Haha nice poem BedHead.</p>

<p>I'd like to ask you more on the second option... is it really that simply to switch from Investment Banking into international development?</p>

<p>Sounds interesting...</p>

8

<p>kmj, I'm an American who has lived in and traveled to Asia for 30 years. I currently live in Jakarta. Although I'm in the private sector (supply chain management aka manufacturing) I interact frequently with "official Americans" and NGO'ers and many of my son's former classmates both from highschool and college have gone into international careers of some sort. </p>

<p>The people I meet both at the Embassy and through interaction with foundations and NGO's are for the most part highly educated. Masters are commonplace. MBAs, law degrees, and PhD's are not unusual. The most successful tend to be analytical, articulate and personally flexible. </p>

<p>As noted, an international career is a wide field. My observation is that you can succeed in the global arena with an *undergraduate *degree from just about anywhere in just about anything. There is simply no single, right way to skin this cat except for the standard advice: get good grades, keep your mind free of preconceptions, make the most of internship opportunities, become proficient in another language or two, and travel, travel, travel.</p>

<p>For graduate school, names do matter and the field narrows considerably. Georgetown, Princeton and the ilk are excellent connectors. But for you, looking at undergraduate schools, I would concentrate less on what you'll be doing in 10 years and more on the fit of the individual schools that appeal to you, based on ambience, teaching style and general personality.</p>

<p>My son is a recent graduate of Williams and many of his friends both at Williams and from his Jakarta international high school are starting out on the path to careers in a global context. </p>

<p>Some will indoubtedly go into the foreign service -- American or otherwise. Some will choose NGO's; there the areas of interest are extensive: finance, public health, environment, education. Almost all of them chose not to go directly to graduate school but are instead doing some kind of internships or entry level positions in their areas of interest. I honestly couldn't tell you that that kids who went to the schools with the high IR profiles, like Tufts or JHU, are any better placed than the kids who just went to general "good" schools, like Barnard, Williams, Pomona, Brown.</p>

9

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Interesting post, Momrath. I would only make the distinction between an international development career and an international career. Except for the top echelon types of jobs, I would say the most important thing in development is what you studied (if it's at a reasonable school) -- economics, public health, etc. being good -- and less where you went to school. But I have met a lot of people with degrees from SAIS (JHU), Fletcher (Tufts), Columbia (SIPA) etc. who have done very well as generalists internationally. And probably a lot of them went undergrad to places like Barnard, Williams, Pomona, and Brown.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'd like to ask you more on the second option... is it really that simply to switch from Investment Banking into international development?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you were referring to my post, I was talking fairly specifically about going to work at the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank. To work there in a meaningful position, an investment banking background is good.</p>

10

<p>Indeed, I just read on their website: the following are the requirements for a **summer internship <a href="!!!">/B</a> at IFC.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>Selection Criteria</p>

<p>Candidates must be in the first or second-to-last year of an MBA or similar graduate program. Specific selection criteria include:</p>

<pre><code>* For investment positions, work experience (4-8 years) in international finance, which could include corporate finance, investment banking, financial consulting, private equity, credit analysis, or commercial banking
* Knowledge of sectors relevant to IFC and emerging markets experience preferred
* Strong analytical, communication and negotiation skills
* Ability to work in teams in a multi-cultural environment
* Business development and client relationship skills
* Enthusiasm for working in multicultural teams and across borders
* Fluency in English; proficiency in one or more of Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish strongly preferred
* Commitment to sustainable private sector development
</code></pre>

<p>...almost sounds like me - except for those 4-8 years of experience.</p>

<p>...</p>

<p>For international development in general: I'm also trying to make use of my multilingualism (I'm a TCK of 4 nationalities/mothertongues + 3 foreign languages) but I'm not sure whether IB will be a good environment to develop skills such as those described above - obviously it's just a bit of a prejudice but from what I hear and everyone says, once you're in IB there's no space for personal and cultural self-development - just work work work all the hours.</p>

<p>Are there actually divisions within IB/similar that are really multicultural and require speaking in many different languages?</p>

<p>I'm in a dilemma between choosing an initial path that actually requires/rewards polyglots and a path in which I can first specialize and then use my multilingualism in order to "go international".</p>

<p>Thanks again for your advice.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
I'm in a dilemma between choosing an initial path that actually requires/rewards polyglots and a path in which I can first specialize and then use my multilingualism in order to "go international".

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You asked the key question right here. Well done. The "international field" whatever that actually is is littered with generalists who are trying to specialize, but often are doing too little too late. You are much better off specializing and getting hard skills in a particular area and then moving into the international realm. Since you already have a polyglot base, no matter what you'll find opportunities to make this work for you.</p>

<p>I am a generalist and this has worked for me because I have lacked focus and ultimately like it that way, but if there is a field of specialization you are attracted to, go for that and go for "international stuff" later.</p>

12

<p>To throw in some of the research i'v been doing, London School of Economics (LSE) has a good development track. And from my understanding, they are well connected with international organizations etc. Might be another school to take a look at.</p>