Introduction

Recent Globalization and Development (GAD) graduate Rowena Zhang (Rongyu Zhang) has just started her second semester majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Policy at The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), an esteemed Ivy League Institution, and has kindly shared with us how studying GAD here in UIC has opened the door for her present postgraduate studies.

Interviewer: Ilwad Ahmed

Globalization and Development (GAD) Programme Foreign Intern

Rowena on her graduation day (summer 2024)

1. How has studying GAD at UIC equipped you with the knowledge and tools necessary to pursue postgraduate studies at UPenn?

In her 4 years as an undergraduate, Rowena seized every opportunity, maximizing her academic and professional growth. This includes taking up extracurricular activities such as an internship at the NGO China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), which involved conducting research on invasive alien species, as well as participating in an optional summer school program at UC Berkeley in 2023. It was during this summer school program that she had the opportunity to explore and shape her research interests as she took the following two classes: Investment for Sustainability and Data Tools for Environmental Science.

Rowena with her UC Berkeley professor (summer 2023)

2. How has the faculty of GAD and resources available i.e. specific classes taken, helped shape your research interests and led to practical applications of such knowledge?

In addition to the extracurricular activities that Rowena engaged in were the courses she studied, such as Global Environmental Governance (taught by Dr. Edoardo Monaco), Public-Private Partnership (taught by Dr. Shuang Wu), Globalization: Trends, Problems, and Opportunities (taught by Dr. Selçuk Colakoglu), Introduction to Research Methods (taught by Dr. Michal Vavrik), Rural and Agricultural Development (taught by Professor Simon Xiaobin Zhao), and Project Management (taught by Professor Kwok Cho Tang). With the quality teaching and guidance from the professors of GAD, Rowena was able to further develop and consolidate her analytical skills and academic rigor which better prepared her for future research projects (i.e. for CBCGDF internship), as well as for her current postgraduate degree.

Rowena attending UPenn’s sustainability activities (fall 2024)

In turn, Rowena put the theoretical knowledge she had learned to practice as she wrote research papers on Global Biodiversity Conservation Policies following Dr. Selçuk's aforementioned course, whilst also writing a paper on The Comparison of Climate EU Biodiversity.

This reflects the broad resources available to students studying GAD as the program offers unique opportunities for students to apply for internships, such as the CBCGDF which cooperates with the program, as well as past students gaining internships with law firms and Xcurrency. These opportunities are sent to students via email with only an up-to-date CV and potential cover letter needing to be sent. Rowena's proactive work ethic has undoubtedly contributed to her standing out as a UPenn applicant and gaining entry, as well as the courses delivered by exceptional GAD professors and resources available.

3. Do you have any advice for GAD students when applying to such esteemed and competitive Ivy institutions i.e. how to enhance and optimize the learning experience as a GAD undergraduate, application tips, extracurriculars as mentioned above, etc.?

When offering advice for current GAD students and Ivy League/Russell Group hopefuls, Rowena advises students to maximize their opportunities to explore their research interests and gain the valuable academic-professional experiences available to them. This is especially crucial as there is a trend with postgraduate students, who attend such esteemed institutions, tend to have 1-2+ years of professional work experience, meaning that having a diverse academic-professional portfolio of experience is essential to being considered for admission. Differentiating yourself from recent graduates by engaging in relevant internships and study abroad opportunities (semester or summer school) is therefore a way to differentiate and give yourself a competitive edge thus boosting your chances of admission at such institutions.

Another such way of optimizing your academic skills is to create links between taught content and curating research interests as Rowena became aware of her interests in environmental issues and connected them with the classes she had been taking. As mentioned earlier, she used the course Dr. Selçuk was teaching to conduct research into Biodiversity Conservation Policies, which was of relevance both in her internship and current postgraduate degree.

Rowena exploring UPenn campus (fall 2024)

Furthermore, for 1st and 2nd year students struggling to write research papers or proposals i.e. in Sustainable Development, Rowena cleverly advises one to look at an organization's aims and goals (i.e. COP28), to easily address and narrow your own research paper's focus. This will give students a concise and purposeful starting point when creating research proposals and writing their subsequent papers. She also suggests those that do not know how to come up with research topics should pay attention to SDG17 (Partnerships for the goals), and to specifically find macro topics of interest before refining them accordingly.

Whilst standardized tests such as IELTS, GRE and one's GPA are key to one's admission at the highest ranked universities, the importance of relevant work experience and extracurricular activities, such as studying abroad opportunities (to expand on research interests/analytical skills), cannot be understated. Taking key courses such as qualitative research methods, or in Rowena's case data tools for environmental science, could fulfill your postgraduate course's pre-requisites and better prepare you for the content taught at the postgraduate level i.e. using data software such as Stata, SPSS, or R can be utilized in many postgraduate fields of study and research.