SIPA Farewell
May 28, 2012
Tonight is my last night sleeping in my apartment at 417 W. 118th Street. Tomorrow, I will no longer be able to see the 6th floor of the SIPA building from my living room. As I pack up my belongings (again) and clean out my desk, I felt all sorts of bitter sweetness. It’s been a really good year, and…
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LSE/Columbia SIPA Dual Degree MPA
December 30, 2011
I've been receiving emails regarding the GPPN Dual Degree program between the LSE and Columbia SIPA that I am pursuing. In the interest of sharing information, here's some key considerations...
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How SIPA Takes on Exam Stress
December 15, 2011
Oh SIPA. You never cease to amaze me. I have been so involved with my life in New York and the happenings at Columbia that I haven’t written much about these really amazing past few months. It’s finals time and stress is in the air, but what really impresses me is how my SIPA colleagues manage to handle this stress…
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Life at Columbia SIPA
October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! Somehow, November is upon us, the first snow of the year came and went, yet I had not written much about my time thus far at Columbia SIPA. Life has been busy, but in a positive and fulfilling way. Columbia is a magical place. I feel myself growing all the time. Everything I thought I wanted out of…
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America! New York City! New Beginnings!
September 6, 2011
The last few weeks have been a crazy blur. I had my leaving drinks the night before I left London. I went back to the Midwest for 10 days to catch up with family and friends. Even though I have been living in the developed world for the past year, coming back to America is still a culture shock. 10…
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British vs. American-Battle of the Grades
August 12, 2011
I received my intermediate transcript from the LSE today, and on the back, there was a grading scale that translated into the A/B/C system for the general course (study abroad). I am not sure how I didn’t know this throughout this entire year, though I’m sure it was buried somewhere deep in the LSE website. Knowing this would have alleviated…
Read MoreLSE MPA Books
July 8, 2011
GV 478: Political Science and Public Policy Shepsle and Bonchek: Analyzing Politics: Rationality, Behavior, and Institutions. EC 440: Micro and Macro Economics (for Public Policy) Varian: Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach. 5th Edition. Frank: Microeconomics and Behavior. 8th Edition. Mankiew: Macroeconomics. 6th Edition. EC455: Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis Stock and Watson: Introduction to Econometrics. 2nd Edition. DV441: Development Policy…
Read MoreLSE MPA: the Good Stuff
June 24, 2011
So, it occurred to me that I may have been a bit harsh on the LSE. I blame it on my Asian upbringing where I demand improvement even when things are already really good. Tiger Mom in the making, anyone? (I just started reading Amy Chua’s book: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. But that’s another post for another day.)…
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Academic Purgatory
June 21, 2011
Phew! I’m done with my first and hopefully final (given I passed everything) set of LSE exams!! This honestly has been the worst academic purgatory I have ever endured. It was just so… long, and painful. Cramming 5, year-long courses worth of information in my head is definitely not anyone’s definition of fun. The evidence that this was horrible? I…
Read MoreNew Changes to the LSE MPA
June 18, 2011
Since my last post on the LSE MPA, there have been some significant changes made to the curriculum. How did I find out about the new changes? An email from my blog reader. This in and of itself should raise concern over the level (or lack thereof) of communication between administration and the student body. So, what are the changes?…
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