I am applying to go back to grad school at NYU next year for a Masters in Global Affairs. First off, let me say I am supremely lucky to have the funds, time, opportunity and location to do this. Blah blah, now let’s go on for a moment.
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Also let me say, this may be a bit long, so feel free to ignore this post at any time. My mind is about to go awandering.. . feel free to come or go as you please.
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Also let me say, this may be a bit long, so feel free to ignore this post at any time. My mind is about to go awandering.. . feel free to come or go as you please.
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I last attended Grad School for a year at UC San Diego, getting a Masters in Pacific International Affairs. As an aside, I had to get my grades from Grad School – and they were excellent – so kudos to me. Anywho, I attend an amazing school focused on the Pacific Rim, and I focused on the NECs at the time. In 1989 the NECs were the “Newly Emerging Countries” of Singapore, South Korea, Honk Kong and Taiwan. My professor, one of the architects of the Marshall Plan (!) for rebuilding Europe was the paid private consultant to Malaysia and so we studied Malaysia as well.
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It was the most fascinating intellectual year I have ever had, for multiple reasons. A key change in the world happened that year when the Berlin Wall collapsed and Eastern Europe was free’d. Jeffery Sachs (now a professor at Colombia) was preaching free markets in Latin America and was all but parachuted into Eastern Europe by Reagan and Bush 1. Any school of International Affairs, focused on the Pacific Region or not, HAD to follow these changes!
I last attended Grad School for a year at UC San Diego, getting a Masters in Pacific International Affairs. As an aside, I had to get my grades from Grad School – and they were excellent – so kudos to me. Anywho, I attend an amazing school focused on the Pacific Rim, and I focused on the NECs at the time. In 1989 the NECs were the “Newly Emerging Countries” of Singapore, South Korea, Honk Kong and Taiwan. My professor, one of the architects of the Marshall Plan (!) for rebuilding Europe was the paid private consultant to Malaysia and so we studied Malaysia as well.
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It was the most fascinating intellectual year I have ever had, for multiple reasons. A key change in the world happened that year when the Berlin Wall collapsed and Eastern Europe was free’d. Jeffery Sachs (now a professor at Colombia) was preaching free markets in Latin America and was all but parachuted into Eastern Europe by Reagan and Bush 1. Any school of International Affairs, focused on the Pacific Region or not, HAD to follow these changes!.
One of our guest lecturers was the Soviet (remember the USSR – still around in early 1990) was at San Diego as the Second Russian Revolutionary stand-off took place. It was amazing.
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My final paper for year 1 actually used the model and lessons learned from the Asian NECs and applied it to Poland to understand where that country had benefits and shortcomings in the future growth. It was very cool and reading it now, I am pleased at how well it held up.
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I grew up in a world divided into only 2 camps – the good guys and the bad guys. I started grad school when that began to change. The change has move in ways NO ONE expected and people and non-governmental organizations have stepped up as huge players, mainly positive (micro-finance, business expertise) and some hugely negative (terrorism). I am excited not just to g back to be able to share so much of what I have learned.
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I hope to come out (if I get in :-) able to use my skills in a positive way. It sounds stupid, but through Citi I have actually helped with cheaper microfinance, with more reliable and less expensive ways for foreign workers to send money home and opening options for women in finance in Islamic countries. It was all for profit, but I did get to help, and that makes me feel better.
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And the faculty and lecturers at NYU consist of great financiers, of UN diplomats and NGO personnel with stories to tell. Whatever, I think it will be cool.
One of our guest lecturers was the Soviet (remember the USSR – still around in early 1990) was at San Diego as the Second Russian Revolutionary stand-off took place. It was amazing.
.
My final paper for year 1 actually used the model and lessons learned from the Asian NECs and applied it to Poland to understand where that country had benefits and shortcomings in the future growth. It was very cool and reading it now, I am pleased at how well it held up.
.
I grew up in a world divided into only 2 camps – the good guys and the bad guys. I started grad school when that began to change. The change has move in ways NO ONE expected and people and non-governmental organizations have stepped up as huge players, mainly positive (micro-finance, business expertise) and some hugely negative (terrorism). I am excited not just to g back to be able to share so much of what I have learned.
.
I hope to come out (if I get in :-) able to use my skills in a positive way. It sounds stupid, but through Citi I have actually helped with cheaper microfinance, with more reliable and less expensive ways for foreign workers to send money home and opening options for women in finance in Islamic countries. It was all for profit, but I did get to help, and that makes me feel better.
.
And the faculty and lecturers at NYU consist of great financiers, of UN diplomats and NGO personnel with stories to tell. Whatever, I think it will be cool.