Economic and Political Development (EPD) concentration 101 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Economic and Political Development (EPD) concentration 101 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog The Economic and Political Development (EPD) concentration attracts diverse students from around the world who are committed to fighting inequality between and within countries, eradicating poverty and its causes, and promoting inclusive growth and human development by expanding people’s civil and political as well as economic and social rights and freedoms. To take on these global challenges, EPD curriculum equips students with a variety of skills in policy analysis, program planning, monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy. Through an interdisciplinary package of courses, workshop projects, and practical internships, students acquire both a broader understanding of the processes of economic, political and social change in the developing world as well as a more focused competence in specific fields such as microfinance, small business and social enterprise development, corporate social responsibility, gender and development, education policy, public health, sustainable development , post-conflict reconstruction and governance. One of the most exciting opportunities within the EPD concentration is the Workshop in Development Practice, through which students gain practical experience by engaging in on-going cutting-edge development projects, often involving country fieldwork. Working in teams with a faculty supervisor, students assist a variety of clients on a wide array of assignments in international development. Students take a multidisciplinary approach to their work and learn extensively from each other as well as from the hands-on tasks of the workshop itself. A list of past workshop projects can be viewed at the following link: http://new.sipa.columbia.edu/academics/capstone-workshops/epd#top_info. The EPD concentration is dedicated to enhancing students’ overall experience at SIPA. We sponsor a number of events throughout each academic year. This includes social events, such as the annual EPD retreat, happy hours, cultural trips around the city or off-campus parties; brown bag talks and evening lectures with practitioners and academics; and career events such as internship and alumni panels. We regularly collaborate with other concentrations, student groups and regional institutes to address the wide array of interests among our EPD students. EPD graduates are uniquely prepared for careers in international development. They seek leadership positions in the nonprofit, public and private sectors and pursue opportunities in development consulting, microfinance, small business and social enterprise development, corporate social responsibility, gender and development, education policy, public health, sustainable development, post-conflict reconstruction, governance and/or capacity development. EPD works very closely with SIPA’s Office of Career Services to provide a comprehensive support to our students. A sample of employers who hired EPD graduates is available here http://new.sipa.columbia.edu/careers/employment-statistics/career-paths-by-concentration.

My Acceptance to the University of Illinois

My Acceptance to the University of Illinois Before I start to tell you guys about my experience being accepted to the university, I’ll first begin to tell you about my experiences that led to that point. As someone who wanted to major in art, I had to make a portfolio and apply to  Illinois  and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Making a portfolio was probably one of the hardest parts for me when applying to colleges, because it took validation and directionâ€"two things I had very little of at the time. I was really anxious and scared.  I had never done it before, and being amongst unknown territory can be really frightening. After applying to Illinois, which happened to be the last school I applied for, my anxiety doubled because this was my top school, and not knowing what to expect was excruciating. Long story short, my acceptance to the university happened in a Chipotle. A friend and I would treat ourselves to Chipotle once in while to release the tension senior year brought, and although we didn’t have school that  day, I asked her if we could go because it was the day the university was letting applicants know their acceptance status. From what I remember, this was the longest day of my life, because the university didnt  alert applicants until 4:00 p.m., and I couldn’t sleep the night before because of a repeating thought in my mind of “what if I dont get in?” in addition to ridiculous scenarios that followed. As I waited in line at Chipotle, I constantly checked myIllini for updates. After I got my burrito, I checked the time, and it was a little after 4:00 p.m. But after having checked  the website constantly, this time I hesitated. The thought was back in my head: “What if you didn’t get in? How embarrassing would this be for you?” I told my friend about my fears of not being accepted, and she encouraged me to check myIllini by telling me something I haven’t ever  forgotten. She said, “If you don’t check it, you won’t know the result either way, and how embarrassing would it be if you got in and you let your own doubt get in the way of this opportunity?” So I checked, and here I am blogging for the University of Illinois today. Indyia Class of 2019 I’m an Art Foundation student in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and after Art Foundation I plan on majoring in Art Education. With my degree and teaching certificate, I want to teach children how to use their emotions, thoughts, and surroundings to create art.