MIDP Admissions & Academics Webinar

Good afternoon, everyone this is Lindsey months and I am the associate director of admissions here at the McCourt school. Thank you for taking time to join us for this afternoon's weapon are the McCourt School is located at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. We are in Masters only school and have 5 degree programs. But today, we're going to be focusing on our master of International Development Policy Program, I have with me here today. Professor Frank Leavy, who is the faculty director of the MIT program so I'm going to let him talk a little bit more about the program will take some questions.

I'll talk about the admissions process and then we'll have some time at the end for more questions throughout the presentation you can put your questions in the chat box and we will try to get to them as they come up or during our designated Question Time so with that I will hand it over to professor we be.

Thank you. Lindsey I want to welcome everybody to the to the web and R Today you know it's first of all. It's a It's a pleasure to have a chance to talk with you and to hear your questions. We have this short presentation ready that I may help address some of the questions that you have, but will look forward to your questions as well to help guide the conversation as we go through it. I always like to begin with thinking about well. What is it that's distinctive about the MIT program because one thing that I've noticed.

When I look at development studies programs at at a variety of universities. They all seem to sound very similar. They all have economics. They all had quantitative analysis. They all have management and leadership courses. They all involve experiential learning. They all involve case studies and so you know at some level. They all kind of sound. The same and the question is what makes them different and for us that really matters because McCord School.

We really believe that the MIT program is different from most other development studies programs and it's hard to communicate that through website materials through published materials that in some sense are designed to just give a general flavor. The program and so I'm going to try to give a sense of what's truly distinctive about the MIT program. and I know that that we always run. Some risk by being so specific and being so transparent, we might we might turn some people off.

Uh that when you hear and learn about the MIT program. You might come to the conclusion that it's really not the right thing for you, but to be honest from our experience what we've learned is that first of all we want to have students joining our program who understand what's distinctive about our program. I want to come to Georgetown exactly because they know that we're providing in our program is exactly what they're looking for in a graduate program and so from my view, the more explicitly can be about.

The focus of our program, the philosophy of the program in the structure of the program. The more likely. We are to find those candidates out there that the program resonates with an and that will lead to a better experience for the students who come here and Anna better a better result in the end for everybody and so I'm going to try to be explicit about what makes the program different and I hope that you'll kind of probe that a little bit as we go along if you need to have clarifications alright so I'm going to start with that.

I'm gonna start with that a slide that I like to say, Well, you know what's the? What's the problem that we're addressing so International Development Itself? Is kind of a a set of issues and I think it's important to be clear about a number of things. One is that when we're thinking about the development process you know what we're really talking about is a process through which the standard of living is being increased with a particular focus on low and middle income countries.

And with a particular attention to poor and marginalized groups and the reason I like to emphasize that is, you know back. You know, not too long ago we could even say 234 decades ago, International Development was really focused on a large number of very poor countries developing countries was kind of exciting about where we are today is that a lot has changed in the last 30 or 40 years. Almost everybody has got to be more prosperous and so now we still have low income countries. But we have also a lot of lower.

Lower middle income countries and a lot of emerging markets. A lot of middle income countries that continue to face similar kinds of challenges and so when we talk about the MIDP program that talk about International Development.

I would be really clear that we're not just focused on the needs of the problems of the very poorest in the very poorest countries. We're talking about a range of issues that are relevant to a relatively large number of countries and to be honest, even though we tend to exclude the OECD countries. The richer advanced economies. Often the issues that we talk about related to governance and related to the provision of public goods and services actually apply in those countries as well, but the main challenges that we look at.

Is that in these countries these lower lower middle income countries right? We think about the notion that the development process is really being driven by people in those countries and of course for me as an American and I know that the number of you. On this Americans a number of years from international countries. But especially for US Americans. We have to recognize that the development process is something that's driven domestically and that's correct. That's correct and that's proper and that's an important starting point for the MIT program.

But we also recognize that there are set of external institutions, including plate. You know multilateral donors like the World Bank or the Inter American Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank. A series of bilateral donor agencies like USAID or the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where I worked or differed in the UK or Jica from Japan or quite get the whole set of those organizations as well as non government organizations. They can play an important role in that development process, too.

And so the notion of the MIT program is that we're thinking about a set of professional schools that skills and professional approaches that are relevant to contribute to that development process, regardless of whether you are working in a domestic capacity in a government or an NGO or if you were working on an international organization in a process that supporting that development process right. Of course, one thing that is common in all of these places is that the development challenge.

Is characterized by having lots of weeds like thing about having competing needs but also limited resources and so the decisions that these institutions are making whether government non government. One external all faced a similar challenge of trying to use limited resources in the best way possible.

But recognizing from the outside and this is what I consider the development problem. The demo in problem is that the resources that are available are limited, but they are also being poorly used and I think anybody who's worked in the development institution understands the frustration that I'm trying to express of people who are like minded and well intentioned trying to contribute to the development process, but facing challenges that make that development process less effective than it might otherwise be.

Um and so you know, recognizing that problem. I would describe that problem as ineffective governance and ineffective aid that MIT P philosophy faces that challenge. We say look there. A lot of contributing factors to this challenge of ineffective governance and ineffective aid. But that we believe that one of the core problems is that in general professionals do not fully understand what they're trying to accomplish and how to accomplish it best.

And the challenge then is that many professionals weather in the public sector. The non government sector or the external aid community often are limited in their ability to make valuable contributions because they fundamentally don't understand what the problem is, and they don't understand what can be done more effectively to address the development challenge and so in that context. The MIT philosophy is based on this idea that understanding a set of.

Of a sophisticated analytical skills can help in the generation of evidence about what policies and programs work and that this is a core towers that needs to be addressed by professionals who want to work in the development in the development field.

And one of the things that that we like to point to as kind of early evidence of the fact that we believe we're on the right track with MIT program is that it's recognized already within the development community as exemplified in the US news and World Report, which listed the McCord schools development programs as the number 3 and 3 program in the US. Despite the fact that we're very small and we've only been in existence since 2012 and so in that context.

Our small program are young program is already broadly recognized for being on the right track in in addressing this development challenge.

So then you might ask well. How do we do that and you know? The approach is really quite simple first of all the MIDP program? Is structured around a very explicit focus on economics and quantitative analytical methods.

That that are aimed at understanding better the policy and program impact that will be developed delivered by government and gave programs for those of you who follow the news about the Nobel Prize for economics. You might recognize that the language that I'm using is very similar to the language that was used to describe the winners. In 2019, Esther Duflo Object Banerjee and Michael Kramer and what's interesting is you know their work started only a couple of decades ago.

When reflects kind of how recent this focus has been on the development and use of Advanced Research methods to understand programming policy impact and this is broader recognition that this small but growing field is really central to the process of making development work better and so that's what the program is structured around. I should be very explicit the program is not solely about economics and quantitative analysis.

But it's very clear that that focus is different than you'll find in any other program in the country and it's one which infuses it effects. The way we approach. Other classes as well. And so our courses that focus on management leadership and even ethics have within those within those courses and understanding. Two of how of how how evidence can be used within institutions to make policies and programs better I should add that.

Core part of our program experience is that all of our students are expected to spend their summer and what we call a program relevant professional experience. Most of our students will end up working in applied research in 1/3. Country both to learn from those organizations and to understand the methods better, but the last thing I would say is that we are very explicit about this our program is more structured than many other programs by which I mean?

We have a lot of requirements and a lot of those requirements are economics and quantitative methods right and we do that understanding that there's a tradeoff that you'll get less in the classroom of some other things that you'll get more of another programs.

But the reason we are able to do that here at the McCourt School is because we understand we've seen this from our students and we and we demanded of our students that that In addition to what they learn in the classroom. They will also be deeply engaged with the development community in DC through which they will learn about the content the issues that they have passion about whether it's financial inclusion or gender and development or Environmental Protection. They will learn about that content in the learn about management.

In those organizations outside the classroom and so the MVP program has approached this kind of set of skills with an understanding of what development professionals need to know if they're going to be making an important contribution and ensuring that that is delivered in the classroom. But we're also careful to make sure that that curriculum is supplemented by a rich professional experience outside of the classroom as well.

Let me just end with one more slide where I want to talk about the MIT community because I'm talking with our students. It's very clear that one of the most important parts of their experience at Georgetown is the fact that they are members of a very tightly knit. Cohort community of roughly 20 students every year and these 20 students is 20. MIVP students take 3 core classes together every semester. They work very, very, very closely together in all of those core classes.

And in fact, often take electives to weather together as well, and that that community is one which is very supportive. Students who have strengths in one field make sure to bring along their stewed. Their colleagues their classmates who maybe have less experience in that field knowing that that be cause. All of our students come from different backgrounds, but from different countries from different professional experiences that they will learn from each other as well. And so the MIT community is a core part of the program.

It's very much built around its initial community, which is the first year cohort of 20 students that come in every year. They are very similar in someones on average are students will have about 5 years of experience. There also similar in the fact that they decided to embrace this economics and quantitative research methods curriculum, which to be honest is probably a bit more challenging than some other programs might be.

But they're also extremely diverse in really important ways. They come with different passions. They come with different professional backgrounds and they come from different countries. A current first year cohort of 19 students includes students from 11 countries from not just North America, but also from South America Central America, Africa S Asia and East Asia.

And depending on the year we've had students from Europe from the Middle East and from Southeast Asia as well. And so while it's impossible in there what the what the composition of next year's cohort will look like our past experience tells us that there will be probably about 20 students and an average they'll be probably about 27 years old, and about half of them will be American and some of them will care about human rights. Some care about gender somewhat care about environment. Some will care about education and health care.

But they'll all be working together on the understanding that each of their passions will be advanced through the application of these of these analytical methods. I should say to that that focus on that small in my DP community is supported by much more a much larger and more inclusive communities that include not only the second year cohort of MIT students in the alumni, but also the faculty at McCourt and of course, what we like to say is that our extended community.

Is not just everybody who works in development but everybody? Who is a like minded development professional whose background focuses on the generation and use of rigorous evidence of impact and to be honest. That remains a small community that's part of the frustration of the development challenge, but it is a growing community and the fact is that our growing community. Now also includes 3 Nobel Prize winners. It's just a further indication of the breath of that community and the fact that we recognize each other as part of a as part of a group no matter what school we come from.

I would also say that MIT students are part of the broader community at McCourt. That includes very active student groups. Lappa is the Latin American Policy Association, which includes I would believe all of our students from Latin America, but also a lot of Spanish speaking American students as well as a lot of students who want to learn more about Latin America and pip is our student organization and is actually active in Central America. Working with communities and Africans are recently formed.

A student group focus on issues in Africa and so all of our students are active not only in that very close tightly knit community of MIT MIT students but also part of expansive web of other groups that keep them engaged in development both on campus and off and so I always like to emphasize that close my conversation about the MIT program with this notion of community we really talk about ourselves as being part of a community.

We but we like to believe were set apart and there's something that that's undoubtedly different about MIT students, which they recognize which sometimes outsiders do not, that is, until you've learned these methods. Often it's hard to fully understand what you're missing in the development process, whereas our students, we like to say.

Are a little bit different because they know to begin with? What they don't know and that's the lot. But what they also know is the methods that you can use to build on that information set about what works and what doesn't?

So I guess I'm being asked to give one last slide about the MIT curriculum. I've already mentioned that it's a highly structured program that is, we have 16 courses between the four semesters force courses each semester and each semester. The MIT program has 3 required classes and one elected class and you can see them on the slide listed here. You know Seven of the 16 courses are econic want including client based project, which would include that as well so as a result you got 9 classes.

That nine of the 16 classes that are either methods or direct application of methods. Now I always like to say every student has the opportunity to use that elected that they have each semester to focus on a content area of interest to maybe focus on management and leadership classes as well, and undoubtedly some of our students do that. But I always find interesting is that when we look back after graduation. We asked students. What did you use your electives on most MIT students are going to say?

I use at least 2 and maybe 3 classes to take more methods classes because what I understood was that my time at Georgetown is short. It's valuable by which I mean, it's also expensive, but it's valuable and I want to use that time to learn things I can't learn outside the classroom. And so when I tell you that our program is highly structured, but you get one elective every semester real experience ends up being that our students go? I'm going to take even more classes.

That go beyond my core requirements because that's what I want and I know that might sound strange to some of you that might even sound scary. Maybe turn you off but but the reality is if you're looking for a program that is in this off. People skills and understanding different context. You know this might not be the right fit for you, I should add that we know that understanding the local context is central to the application of any analytical method, so it's not like we ignore that.

But we we one of the reasons we require that our students have experienced coming in as we believe that you will already have learned something about that context and what you're going to need during your time at Georgetown is to add to those technical skills that will make you not just a better professional candidate for new jobs. When you graduate, but somebody could actually make an important contribution to the development process, 'cause That's in the end what we were spying, too, is to is to deliver.

A new set of development professionals who can really make a real difference in the lives of the people in the countries that they're working in so let me stop there and see if there are any questions that we can take from you about the content of the program.

So that's OK, maybe I've already answered all your questions. I often have this so I should tell you I teach.

I teach a class and uh and often when I stop at the end of class and ask for questions. The students look at me like this as well so in terms of the demographics of students that attend the McCourt School. So let me ask you do you asking specifically about the McCord school or about the MIT program?

OK, so the in terms of the demographics of the MIT students. So the challenge for me is that you know, so I teach statistics and one of my common. Refrains is that when you're in is small, you get a lot of variation and so when we have 20 students. The composition of the cohort will vary year from year and so here's what I can tell you about historically historically just a little bit less than half of our students had been Americans that is more than half a bit international students.

Um.

At the international students we get a wide range that I would say every year we get somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 students from Latin America. Every year we get several from South Asia. Every year, you get one or 2 from East Asia every year we get one or 2 from Africa and So what the actual composition is sometimes we get students from Turkey. For example, but not every year. Sometimes we get students from Europe from the UK or Germany or France, but not every year.

And so the composition actually changes year to year.

Um there is a work requirement to get in the program. Students are required to have at least 2 years of experience before they apply and I should add that we do, make rare exceptions to that and so you know the first thing is almost never do. We make exceptions for that for American students as an American I was born and raised in Kansas. I just needed to work overseas before I had enough understanding of development where graduate program would have made a difference.

Every once in a while will have students from developing countries from emerging markets, where their life experience in their professional experience, even during college might satisfy that requirement.

There and so and So what I would say is if you if you are unsure about whether you qualify or not please. Send me an email and my email address is at the end of this program, Please send me an email with your CV and asked me whether I think you should apply or not, and if I don't think you'll get in because you don't qualify with the work experience I'll tell you that and I will save your application fee right if I tell you to apply that's not a guarantee that you'll get in. But it means that we will not hold your work experience.

Against you as a as a prohibitive factor alright. There is no age limit for the program. We have had students into their every year. We have students into their early and mid 30s and I think we've had probably half a dozen students have been even in their early 40s have come into the program. I think 1 students get at 40 or higher. There's a question of whether a mid career program might be more appropriate not because not because somebody who's 40.

Can't learn these analytical methods, but rather that it's more likely that they'll be in a management position and where they need to learn how to manage people with these skills and as I can tell you, you know for these for these analytical methods to really be used. You need to have both people who can do. The work and managers who understand the work and so and so there is no age limit, but again, I would say let me know.

Um the economic course requirement, so we have a requirement that there is a microeconomic background. We expect most of our students will have had that course as an undergraduate if you have not taken that already. There are there are online courses that you can take that we can help you find if you have any questions about that. But we do require that you have at least taken 1 Micro course, either in college or online before you.

Before, you mention the program and if you haven't taken at the time of admission or at the time of application. You can apply without it and receive it. Conditional admission to speeding ticket during the summer and will notify you of that and send you some resources or other folks have taken it. So yeah, it has to be an accredited University for a letter grade.

Before, you start the program right so in terms so, so, so in terms of the main difference in careers after the MVP program at the MIT program so that's a good question. I'm so.

So it's a little bit hard to answer right because first of all the MPP program is going to so the MVP program at Mcchord has a lot of international students right, but it has a much higher proportion of domestic students and the international students also have a different background. And so and so even the students come in. They had kind of a different expectation and I don't need to go into that, too much other than to say that the composition of students in the NPP program is a little bit different than them IDP program.

In terms of what they aspire to.

For the empty the MVP program does include students who are interested in International Development and who will work both in their local governments, but also in development agencies and between those students. Those MPP students at MIT students. But I would say is more M. IDP students are likely to go into institutions that require strong analytical skills. So when I talk about like minded development institutions, which I had in my presentation.

Well, I mean, our organizations like that innovations for Poverty Action or IPA or jaypal. The Jameel Poverty Action lab or dime at the World Bank or if pre or divot. USAID so there are set of organizations in the development space that that directly engaged in the generation of rigorous evidence and a far higher percentage of MIT students go into those jobs that MPP students right.

Then in the other institutions and let's say USA more generally or MCC more generally or the World Bank more generally, both MPP students and MIT students will go into those men are open more general jobs kind of in similar ways. We would say that the MIT P program has a stronger focus on the use of experimental and quasi experimental design and the summer experience that all MIT. Students are required to have will leave them professionally more prepared for those kinds of jobs.

Then most MPP students would have.

Uh so I don't know if that answers the question, but but you know like I always like to say every year. There are few MVP students who are almost indistinct indistinguishable from MIT students. But many MPP students are not indistinguishable from MIT students. So same way. The web and R will be made available on our website will also be emailing people that are speed and attended a copy of the recording so you don't receive it. Apple App market.

Right so Daniela from Venezuela.

The acceptance rate you know that really varies year to year. It's you know, I'll be honest. Our acceptance rate is not very low by which I mean, we accept a relatively high percentage of the applicants. Part of that is because people who apply to graduate programs. Generally speaking know whether they're going to get in or not right. It's a little bit different than the undergraduate process. I can tell you this because I have my son going through the process now with he's applying for undergraduate schools.

And you know at least here in the USS people apply to lots of schools, including programs that they don't expect to get into one of the reasons that we do a women are like this is because at some level. We don't want people to apply if the program isn't right for them. And if they're not well qualified for the program. And so and so you know you and I know you can send me an email, I would say you can send me a copy of your CV and I can look at that and I can tell you whether I think that it's worth it.

For you to apply because to be honest, we don't want to have a lot of people applying who are not going to get it right and so and so the question about the acceptance rate. You know it's like I said the question. It really is like who's applying an you know, we want to have only people who are applying who largely can get in and so we end up rejecting somebody. It's really more sense that they kind of slipped through and we weren't able to suggest to them that because of their grades.

Or because of their GRE or because of their lack of professional experience that they would not be suitable for us right. In fact to be honest, you know, I know there are a lot of you online. I hope to get an email from everyone of you with your CV, you know expressing to me why you want to be in this program and what makes you think you're a good am I DP candidate Anne Lise. I'll be able to let you know if you should or should not apply alright.

Um so Jordan you're asking about the difference between MIDP program and those that you can do in one year in part time right so that's a That's a really good question. You know the first thing I would say is one year program. You're never going to get as much as you get in a 2 year program right. So so any program that suggests that they can deliver as much right the same kind of skills in a short period of time. Just cannot so the first thing to see is well. What are the skills that you're getting out of it?

And one thing we know both in the MITP program and the MPP program is that without a full 2 year curriculum you really are not.

Properly prepared for the kind of professional jobs. We think people are going into now. I will talk to the MPP degree, which has a part time structure and that's a great offer opportunity for people who are in the DC area who have jobs and who really can't afford Graduate School on a full time basis and as a result you get a great education. It takes longer, but it's a great great.

Option for people who cannot do a 2 year program. But the MIT program can't do that partly because our cohort requires that you stay together as a group through 2 years and then you hit your summer experience halfway through and so we just do not allow that like I said, Our program really is designed to create a new Carter of development professionals and we just don't believe we can do that on a part time basis, Erica asks in the range of GRE scores.

And what I would say is the range of Tre scores is fairly broad. I would say are averages are in the probably around in the 60th percentile for both quantity and verbal but we actually pride ourselves in being able to admit some students who have scores on one or both. Quantum verbal that are lower than that taking into account what they learned professionally and what they can contribute to the program.

I'll be the 1st to tell you this program is not a PhD in economics right. You are not going to be doing proofs in stats, you not going to be doing a lot of advanced math, but you're going to be learning. Some complicated quantitative research methods that really should be accessible to anybody who is numerous enough to be able to understand what we're doing, and so like I said, we you know given that we have our average around 60 and I assume you all know how averages work.

That means you know that there will be some scores that are lower than that, but also that they're going to be some sports that are higher than that and like I said, we actually take pride in the fact that we can deliver these advanced courses to people to some people who have relatively lower. GRE scores that doesn't mean we are happy to get people with low Gru scores or that we encourage that only that when we when we construct the cohort of students. We are prepared to accept people with different backgrounds.

Knowing that the Cold War community will ensure that nobody fails, and everybody succeeds.

Are we starting more OK? So we ask that? So so vernors? Asked whether there are students? Who just graduated from Bachelor programs that get accepted and what I would say is our rules say no. But in practice every once in awhile. The answer is yes, it would be made on the basis of an exception and I said at most one student in the cohort would be coming directly out of undergraduate an there would be there would have to be a compelling reason for that.

Person to to be accepted that is, they would have had to have had life experiences in a developing country engaged in extracurricular activities during undergraduate timesheet there would have to be a compelling reason for that person to be accepted, but again, it goes to the composition of the cohort recognizing that there's a lot of strength in diversity and so just like we can have one or 240 year olds. We probably would not hope to have a whole cohort of 40 year olds.

Just like we might have one or 222 year olds. The average age is 27 or so and what that means is there's the vast majority of the students are going to have had four five six years of experience.

Um so uh Johann asked the question about macro or micro that's a really good question. So the reality is that the kind of analytical methods were talking about are fundamentally micro economic in nature. We have macroeconomic courses that are offered as electives. Both kind of a basic macro course, but also one of MIT students favorite electives as a course called growth diagnostics.

Which if you're not familiar with that I would say Google growth diagnostic growth diagnostics. It was a paper that was published. I think in 2005 by Ricardo Haussmann, Danny Rodrick and Rodrigo Valasquez. So it's known as the HRV method, but it is an analytical data driven macroeconomic approach to understanding the binding constraints to economic growth and developing countries and that's an elective right, but the bottom line is most.

Of the economics that is driving policy design and policy evaluation is fundamentally micro economic in nature.

You had also asked the question about scholarships and that's an excellent question so all students are automatically all applicants are automatically considered for merit based financial aid. What that means is we don't have any funds that are allocated on the basis of need but instead every candidate is considered in terms of is considered for financial assistance on the basis of the strength of their application. In practice, I about half of the MIT students maybe a little bit.

More than half received some form of financial aid. Generally speaking that is capped at about half of the total tuition. And so the average amount would probably be closer to 1/3 of tuition or something like that, so if the tuition is something like $55,000 a year, the maximum amount of financial aid usually tops out in around 27,500 and the average amount might be somewhere around 15,000 and ranges from 510, fifteen 20,000 something like that.

But the good news for you is you don't need to apply. You just need to have strong applications right and that's so that's what that's kind of exciting and what's nice for you, that are listening to this women? Are is that the more you listen to more you understand the better you'll understand what a good application. Looks like to us and so let me take a second to describe that a good application will will have obviously good GR ES good educational background with some economics.

Uh uh a good GPA good references an professional experience working either in government or development institutions right and of course, good references will come out of that, but to be honest. We also really look at the essays that you write an essay is a chance for you to explain to us.

First of all you can describe to us that you understand what's different about them. IDP program and 2nd. You can then explain why that matters to you right because what we're looking for the best candidates for this program are students at fundamentally understand what economics and quantitative analytical methods program looks like and what it's trying to do.

And I'm really great candid will say I understand that and that's what I want and here's why OK and so and so in those essays and In addition to your GR ES in your grades. You have a chance to make a case for why you would be a great MIT student. But I always like to say it like this, too right. You're going to be applying to other programs and you should not write that same letter. That same essay. For every program right because the MIT program is different so when you apply to a different program and you say.

I understand when experimental and quasi experimental designs are and I want to be at random, Easton. Here's why you know that may that may resonate with me, but it's not going to resonate it. Some other development studies programs so write that essay for me. If you can, but write that essay for somebody else a different asset, and then as your submiting those and you're trying to get in and you're trying to get as much financial aid from every program take a step back and look at those essays and ask yourself, which one of these letters, which one of these essays, actually describes who I am.

Because if your essay that you write for me really describes who you are, and that's where we want to be in this program right if you write that essay for me and you get in. But you don't want to be that person, you know, then you're not going to be very happy either. So so really write different messages for each program that reflect your understanding of what those programs are but then ask yourself, which program really fits the way I want the person I want to be OK.

Um the elective courses so we actually have information about the electives. You know, so the first thing is the McCourt School has a wide range of electives on development topics on content on health on education on the environment. They're going to be focused on policy and they're going to build into them and understanding of rigorous methods, so because this this kind of approach to policy is kind of a core part of the McCourt School, a lot of our method.

Electives will have a methods component to them, too, but our students also can take electives at the school of foreign service. They can take take electives in the school public health, they can take electives at the Business School. They can even take electives at other universities right so you know, there's actually a fairly wide range of choices. But you know the so. So it's kind of hard for me to get into that. But what I would encourage you to do.

Is look on our website you know or write an email to me or to Lindsey saying? Can you give me information about the electives that are offered this year, one of the reasons we have to be careful is that the menu of electives changes every year. So we can send you a list of electives this year. But we can't guarantee that those same courses will be offered every year.

Uh.

So yadda asks about the advantage of a general policy, making compared to a more focused. One so the Masters of immigration studies so that's a great question right and so the first thing that I'll say, and I love to say it's right so any content any program that's focused on content is necessarily going to have less of a focus on the analytical methods. You just can't do the same amount of both right so if I'm being honest with you about when our focus is.

You have to understand that we are ramping up, our focus on economics and quantitative methods understanding that we have to give you less on some of these other subject subject areas. And so if I'm gonna be honest about that. I will tell you that a Masters in one of these program areas will have to have that trade off. They just will not teach you the same extent on the analytical methods that we have and so you know you might wonder then is whether those analytical methods are relevant for somebody working in immigration studies.

On relevant for gender studies or well irrelevant for public health and of course, you shouldn't surprise you that I say absolutely they are right because those areas. You know every area development has the same challenge of trying to achieve goals that are poorly specified poorly measured poorly value. And so an MIT P degree is not a generalist degree. It's a methods degree that has a profound application to every.

Area of interest and so, but you would end up with is being able to work in immigration studies. You might even take a course in immigration studies at Mcchord School, or at a different school, maybe at the school of foreign service. But more importantly, you'd be working with an organization as an intern either during the summer or during your second year that focuses on immigration and you'd learn more from that internship you'd learn more from the conferences and seminars in BC on immigration.

Policy then you would learn in that program that's my humble opinion. Of course, all right when you see the slides they will be posted on our website and at the very end on the last slide. You will find both Lindsays email address at mine as well. And like I said, I know that I'm the program director and that may sound like a lofty title, but I really encourage each and every one of you to reach out send me an email. Let me know who you are, and attach your CV.

And we can then have a conversation about the concerns. You have about whether the MIDP program is appropriate for you right because the bottom line is we have only 20 students in our program. It matters almost as much to me as it matters. To you that we don't have students come to the program who are a poor fit for and so I'll be happy to talk to you about what's a better fit. I may even give you advice of where I think you should go if you're not going to come to the McCourt school because as it turns out, I have very strongly held opinions.

Unlock the topic, but the main thing is I want you to reach out. Let me know who you are, but your background is and stuff, so we can start a conversation. Thank you doctor. Maybe it was great information and you did a lot of my admissions information as well so that helps me out a lot, but will briefly can I go over admissions deadlines and application requirements. So we are accepting applications right now for fall 2020, so our application is open you can find the link on our website.

We have 2 deadlines where you can automatically be considered for merit based scholarship. If you apply those deadlines or first deadline is December 1. That's our early action deadline is not binding. Both of these deadlines that early action and our priority deadline of January, 15th and equally competitive for admissions consideration and for scholarship consideration. The only difference really is the time. The timing of the decision so if you apply by early action deadline.

I will receive it decision by January if you apply by our current priority deadline will receive a decision by March and then our final deadline is April 1 and that is full admissions consideration. You won't be guaranteed to be considered for merit based scholarships because at that time, we mostly allocated are funding and will also suggest that any international students tried to apply by either early action or priority deadline. Just so that they are admitted they have plenty of time. Just be care of any visa application requirements.

In our admissions requirements are listed here doctor, we touched on a lot of this, which is really helpful. So we do require the application. It's $90.00 to apply. You need to submit your resume. The academic statement again is a very important piece of the application is really the only chance that we get to hear from you as the applicant. There is a prompt for the MIDP program that you'll need to address I think it's 500 words or less about a one. One page single spaced document so basically.

Just telling us about yourself why you think them. ITP is a good fit for you and what you're hoping they gave him what skills are hoping to gain from MIT program that will help you in your general career goals moving forward, so not only are really looking for a good fit so not only are you a good tip for us, but are we a good fit for you and doing your research and attending and giving you some informational webinars on information from these is really helpful for you guys to draft those we have your transcript. So we do need transcripts from your degree granting institutions.

You can upload those directly to your application, we would like you to have official transcript. So those that have been issued by your University you can scan and upload those for review purposes. If admitted we will then require the official transcript to be sent directly from your University if you plan to attend so will need the official final transcripts. At that point. But for review purposes. You can upload it to the application standardized test scores for the MIDP program.

We will accept the GRA or the Gmat. However, the jury is strongly preferred. We talked a little bit about Jerry Scores. We do require the tofu lauriault tests if you are non native. English speaker if you have attended a university at an English speaking institution, we can waive that requirement for you, we just need.

Information from the school that the degree was taught the language of instruction was English and then 3 letters of recommendation. We prefer at least 1 academic in one professional but that's not a hard requirement. We really just want you to choose the folks that knowing the best sentence speak to your strengths and how you would be a good addition to our program so overall. We take a very holistic approach and we love you. Application so we're looking at everything that you submit it's not just about.

Your Jerry scores or your GPA we're looking at everything determine if you're a good fit for our program.

Prerequisites we've already talked a little bit about this 2 years of postgraduate professional experience is generally required as after leaving mentioned rare exceptions are made and if you are not sure if you qualify. You can email him directly with your resume to see if you should apply or not, and then we do require the principles of microeconomics course again. If you haven't taken this at the time of application. You can receive it. Conditional admission, but we need that. You need to take it Prior to joining our program and the fallen will notify you of this as well.

And then here are our contact information, so we have possibly these email and then my direct email and then also the McCourt Admissions. General email accounts. You can feel free to reach out to any of us with any questions. We're happy to help when we have a few more minutes. If anybody has any last minute questions about the program or missions.

Yes, so something was asking about Submiting. The Jirari after submitting the application. Yes, you can go ahead and submit your application, there will be a place on the application where you can either self reported scores at war. Tell us if you're planning to take a jury in the future. We can't review your application until we have the verified scores so if you submit your application. We won't send it to the committee for review until after every received its course, but you can't submit them afterwards.

It's on it's on it, so I think we've talked a little bit about the scores for the GRE again. It's a holistic approach. There's no minimum scores and and we look at everything but we do see I think averages, which are in like the 60th percentile and it. It is important is something that we look at we really look at everything that you submit so we're going to there's no percentage of the application. That's weighted based on the jury score so we're going to look at you know where you went to school majored in what you're trends in grades are what your extracurricular activities are.

National experience do you have are you a good fit for our program with super motivation for applying all of that is to be taken into consideration for the to full and Isles. We do recommend a 100 on the Toefl test with a 22 minimum in each section and then I also is the 7th overall score.

So one of the things I like to say about the GRE scores is you know like I said the first thing is, we take pride in the fact that this is a program that delivers very strong technical training and professional skills that are important in development, but we have designed our curriculum to be broadly accessible and so we have students who come with with GR ES in the 80s and maybe even 90s occasionally but we also have students who come with ya reason.

Want their below 50% off.

The people with lower GRE scores are going to find the material harder right. They're going to. They're going to work harder. They're going to find problem sets are going to find the material takes longer right and so we always have conversations about that to make sure that that is what you're looking for but we know from experience. That somebody comes in who has a GREGRE score of 40 in the 40th percentile that that that as long as they come in mature.

Understand what they're what they're doing, they understand why they're working hard. They were able to successfully navigate the program and complete the material and learn from it. And so that's again. One of those reasons why in general people coming directly out of undergraduate don't have the same kind of perspective, that somebody with 2 three or 5 years of professional experience have you know that idea of working at something which is your weakness? Is something that makes a lot more sense after you've been working in Indiana.

Organization for a few years and understand that that's exactly what you need to go and address in Graduate School. I think that sometimes people go to Graduate School and what they're really hoping to do is become a better version of the person that they are now the professional person that they are now and that's OK. I kind of understand that it's nice to surround yourself with people who care about development and we're going to be great at talking to people in that kind of thing right, but they might be program. Our students are great people, they care about local context as well.

But they are coming in and there are a lot of them are coming exactly because they want to address what they recognizes as a weakness, which is that they don't understand how to apply. These rigorous methods to policy and program questions and so and so the bottom line is yes, we would like to have a higher GR ES and undoubtedly there is a connection between the Tre scores and how easy some of material is or how hard some of it is. But we also know that with the right state of mind people coming in knowing what they're going to do.

But they are able to navigate that problem, even with with Jerry Sports that are lower than our average.

Um question about transcripts coming from the school that might take longer. We do for the application process. We don't need it sent directly from the school what we want to avoid is you downloading. A copy of the transcript from a portal an and uploading it would like it that the transcript come if it's been issued to you from the school at one point, you can scan it and upload it or take a picture with your phone and upload it. We just want to see more official documentation for the review process.

Um if you're admitted and decide to enroll at that point we will request that you have your school send us. The transferred directly so you'll have more time to get take care of that, so if we should worry about that for the application process.

You can if you're worried about your transcript. You can email me offline and we will try to figure out what we can accept we don't want you to miss the deadline just because of a technicality like that, so if you don't mind emailing me directly will work one on one on that.

And I think that suggested general rule, which is you know if you know you're going to be applying to the McCord School and we hope that you are. We certainly hope nothing we've said today makes it less less interested in doing that, then you know the general the general suggestion is to get started and to do it as soon as you can if you're worried that the Tre score doesn't really reflect how strong you are then retake the GRE and then upload that you know when those those new results are available right.

But but you know, we can always update reconsider a new application with new and old application with new information, but the bottom line is you should get in the system get the application going and get as much information as you can and you know because we are a small were small program. We actually can deal with you on a one to one basis. You know think about well. What are you missing is that isn't material to an early decision or is it something that we absolutely have to have only on the day before you arrive.

You know in Washington in August right and generally speaking, the answer is somewhere in between. Those 2 right. But we don't want you holding back because you're worried you might not get all the information in time.

Great looks like we're almost out of time, so we will wrap up if you guys have any follow-up questions. You have our contact information. I'll put it back up here quickly. But you will be receiving copies of the web and R and the slides after this, but thank you. Again, for taking time to join us today. We really appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks everybody.