I would like to major in international studies with a concentration in either global relations or global health (depending on what school I go to). I want to work at the WHO (World Health Organization). Is it possible to study more than one language at the same time?
Options:
Spanish (Currently in IB Spanish SL, so I am somewhat experienced. Most jobs for the WHO do not need Spanish skills but it is desirable as it is an official UN language. I wouldn’t mind continuing to learn this language, but I think that it is not necessary after 1 or 2 courses to continue)
French (most useful for any job at the WHO, but no experience and I am not interested in learning this)
Hindi (I am Indian and have zero experience in Hindi. I want to learn more about my culture. I would love to become fluent and I feel that college will be my only opportunity to learn. There are rarely any jobs in the WHO that want Hindi skills, and it is not even an official UN language. So basically there are zero professional benefits but something that i REALLY WANT to do)
Spanish/French are both Romance languages so if you were to study two at once, I would suggest those since they are related to one another. Obviously it’s going to be a lot of work learning two at once but it is totally do-able!
For an International Studies major at most schools, you usually have to choose a regional focus in addition to a thematic focus. So, study a language for the region that most interests you. Since you already have Spanish, you could study Portuguese, if you have an interest in Latin America and/or certain areas of Africa. Alternatively, you could study Hindi since you have already have an interest in your own cultural background. A language doesn’t need to be an official UN language to be useful for your intended career and you already have two UN languages with English and Spanish. See this article: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/93/6/15-020615.pdf
Additionally, for any language, I would ask yourself how you intend to use that language. For reading media in a particular language? For communicating with professional colleagues? For communicating with locals, conducting field work? For reading professional literature? etc.
Other comments:
Why WHO? It seems like you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. There are many other governmental organizations and NGOs concerned with international public health.
Why International Studies and why a track in Global Health? Technical skills are much more useful for development and public health agencies, and will position you better for your intended career. So, some relevant technical fields that come to mind include nursing (some nursing schools offer programs in international nursing); microbiology; environmental engineering and some aspects of environmental science; nutrition; some aspects of communication (e.g., health communication) and, public policy/administration.
If you’re not as strongly oriented to the technical disciplines/professions, as another options to consider, you might look at anthropology (including medical anthro), possibly combined with a language and area studies program, e.g., South Asian Studies. Global public health, especially as an undergrad minor/certificate or as a component of a broader program like International Studies seems like public health lite. You might be better situated for your career interests to just plan on pursuing a graduate degree in public health.
-I would probably take French and Hindi. For French, I would use it in professional environments (many jobs in international relations require or prefer proficiency in french). For Hindi, I would use it for family/friends communication and media.
-Yes, I plan on getting a masters degree (currently interested in public health project management)
-Regarding your question “why WHO?”, in the past 2 months since I wrote this post, I have been introduced to many international organizations, so now I am not focused on 1 organization as a goal
-I am not interested in science/math-related jobs.
-International studies or relations seems to me like the best option for an undergrad degree. What other degrees would be good?
-French and Hindi would be fine. I agree that French is generally useful for your career plans, but didn’t mention it in my reply since your original post stated that you had no interest in it. Whatever languages you study, keep in mind that study or travel in a country where they are spoken would be advisable to attain sufficient proficiency. Since study abroad is a likely requirement for most IS/IR programs, so the regional focus you choose for your major probably will determine which language you emphasize.
-Apart from more scientific/technical majors, which don’t interest you, a major in IS/IR could be suitable preparation for your graduate and professional interests. Since you are interested in project management, some electives in public administration, business, etc. could be useful, but those can await the more specialized focus of a master’s program. Most IS/IR programs already will require basic economics coursework, and you could usefully add a course in statistics.
-The various posts in this blog might interest you: http://chrisblattman.com/2009/04/20/getting-a-job-in-international-development/ http://chrisblattman.com/undergraduate-general/