An Indian's Opinion

New Adventures

mohitagrawal — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:57:02 +0000

See the original post on the Mitchell Scholarship website.

I knew that I could look forward to my time in Ireland when, upon landing at Dublin’s shiny new airport, I was greeted by free luggage carts. That’s right: when moving to a new country, a free luggage cart (are you reading this, O’Hare?) is exactly what a jet-lagged passenger desires. Famed Irish friendliness at its best.

After the nearly seamless trip to Galway–made all the more comfortable by the waterproof jacket and backpack I had been advised to procure–I finally met my fellow Mitchell Scholar and flatmate, Katie Van Winkle. Katie had done an extraordinary job in finding an apartment during the preceding week (all I could do to contribute was look at classified ads online and scope out places with Google Street View), overcoming quite a bit of bureaucracy along the way. Katie wrote on Facebook earlier that week: “I cannot rent an apartment without putting down a large deposit. I have a housing stipend in check form, but I cannot deposit it until I have a bank account. I cannot open a bank account until I have an Irish address–which I won’t have until I rent an apartment.” In graph theory, we call that a cycle. How Katie solved this particular riddle is still a mystery to me.

My experiences so far in Galway have exceeded expectations. My program is interesting, with great classes and great students. The small class size means that students can really get to know each other well, whether working on class projects or over a pint in the bar. Further, I was allowed to sit in on an course titled “Irish Economic Policy” and taught by Alan Ahearne. Prof. Ahearne had just returned to Galway from Dublin, where he was a top adviser to the previous Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan. Prof. Ahearne was in the room when momentous decisions were being made about the Irish economy; his commentary really helped me make sense of the current euro zone crisis. Indeed, my coursework in Galway has made me feel like an economist for the first time.

I’ve also used my time in Galway to get involved with several clubs, including the school paper and Labour Youth. For the school paper, I wrote extensively about the October presidential election and was even able to secure an exclusive interview with Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Sinn Fein candidate for president. McGuinness supported the Mitchell Scholarship at its inception while he was Minister for Education in Northern Ireland.

But I’ve hardly been stuck in Galway. Whether traveling with a friend through Northern Ireland (thanks for letting us room with you at QUB, David), meeting and hanging out with the Mitchell Scholars over two great weekends in Dublin, meeting up with friends in London, going to an economics conference in Kilkenny, or attending the Labour Youth conference in Cork, I’ve ventured out across most of Ireland (Limerick, you’re next). A big “thank you” to Irish Rail for making travel this easy by providing rail passes. Though the accents may vary (noticeably so, for such a small country) and the crewcuts may differ, the Irish I’ve met have been kind, open, and engaging.

Stay tuned for my next post. There’s still so much to do–join a student protest in Dublin, camp out at Occupy Galway (though there are ominous signs that the Galway City Council will be kicking the occupiers out soon), write up more hard-hitting news stories for the school paper, and visit Limerick, the Aran Islands, the Burren, and the Cliffs of Moher. Oh, and pass finals, spend winter break with family at home, and finally visit the Continent. Onward ho to new adventures!

Can Anyone Separate These Colors?

mohitagrawal — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:47:06 +0000

Given the current brouhaha over TLC’s “All American Muslims,” I think it’s worthwhile to take a look at attitudes towards Muslim minority populations in other countries. A good comparison for the US is India: a large, pluralistic, democratic nation with a majority religion that has had historically poor relations with Islam.

And yet Islam is not marginalized in India. Indeed, a recent Congress Party ad made the point that India is strengthened by diversity, not weakened–and indeed, this is a core strength in the US as well. Terrorism is caused by radical individuals and is centered on geopolitical causes, not religion.

Rhodes Scholarship

mohitagrawal — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:43:57 +0000

I’m excited to be named a Rhodes Scholar for 2012. My time in the UK will prove a fantastic opportunity to pursue my interest in the nexus of economics and policy, both in the classroom and out. My training in mathematics and economics at Princeton–together with my experiences from the Mitchell Scholarship in Ireland, from study abroad in Singapore, and from volunteering in Ghana–will inform my perspective in studying the economic policy of Britain and Europe.

I want to thank my fantastic professors at Princeton, Purdue, the National University of Ireland, and the National University of Singapore, together with my formative teachers in West Lafayette, my family, and friends, all of whom pushed me harder and further.

Official biography from the Rhodes Scholarship:

Mohit Agrawal, West Lafayette, received his B.A. in mathematics at Princeton last year and is currently doing a master’s degree in economic policy evaluation at the National University of Ireland. Elected early to Phi Beta Kappa and the winner of a Mitchell Scholarship, he was co-president of Engineers Without Borders and proposed the Ghana School Library Initiative to construct a library in Ashaiman, Ghana. Mohit also spent a semester at the National University of Singapore and developed tools for anti-cryptology systems for the National Security Agency. He plans to do the D.Phil. in financial economics at Oxford.

And if this were the inside flap of a hardback book, this would be the “advance praise” section:

Vinayak Venkataraman ’11, Princeton:

Over the past four years, I have seen Mohit’s diligence, intelligence, and passion first-hand. I have known him to buck conventional wisdom and argue for radical new ideas, especially in education policy and American politics. Whether he was speaking at an informal Sunday brunch conversation or a high-level policy seminar, Mohit always comes armed with facts and a tenacious spirit. I have also known Mohit to be one of the most helpful and caring people I have met at Princeton, never hesitating to help his friends if they asked for his assistance.

Dean David Stirk, Butler College, Princeton:

In Mohit’s case, the Rhodes is an honor richly deserved. His work is at the cutting edge of hugely important economic and social issues, and he has always approached his work from a mature and globalized perspective, infused with a sense of social justice. He’ll be a fantastic ambassador for Princeton and for the U.S. He was very active in the Butler community during his time here, and he has a lot of people proud of him right now.

Professor Stephen Morris, economics, Princeton:

From early on in his time at Princeton, Mohit Agrawal showed the unusual combination of top mathematical abilities, a deep interest in public policy issues and a mature understanding of how mathematical tools can be used to do social science and how social science can be used to improve policy. Mohit’s all round profile of talents and interests make him an ideal Rhodes scholar and I am delighted that the committee has recognized this.

Dr. Thomas Leonard, economics, Princeton:

[Mohit is a] natural for the study of advanced economics at Oxford and beyond, precisely because his intellectual breadth in adjoining fields, unusual for a person of his age, enables him to put technique in the interdisciplinary perspective required for effective and humane policymaking.

Prof. John McHale, economics, NUI Galway:

We were very pleased that Mohit chose the economic policy evaluation programme at NUI Galway for his Mitchell Scholarship. Mohit has been a wonderful addition to the economics discipline at this University where he has helped countless undergraduate students as a tutor for one of our main undergraduate courses as well as contributing in lectures and seminars. I have no doubt that Mohit will do extraordinary well in his future career and I am especially pleased that Mohit had decided to focus his career on economics with a special emphasis on economic policy.

NUI Galway President Jim Browne [see here]

Brian Fultz, West Lafayette history teacher:

I had to up my game because he would question, not in a disrespectful way, but … he wanted to see how things connected to other things, was there a pattern … He was a brilliant kid who could ace all our tests and do well on everything he was given. It was interesting to see him go from not only learning all this material but learning what to do with it.

I was telling my seventh-graders, that he was sitting right here in your seat and he worked hard and challenged himself … Hopefully it sends the message out that public education still works.

Marshall Overley, West Lafayette biology teacher:

Mohit was one of the few students who had long enough titles on his tables and lab reports from the very beginning. I’m very proud of him.

Listen to Sen. Lugar’s congratulatory message [1 min audio]. I had the privilege of meeting Sen. Lugar last year to talk about public service and the Rhodes Scholarship. See this post.

Quick media roundup:

Daily Princetonian
Princeton University News
NUI Galway News
University Press Club
Associated Press
India Abroad [article PDF]
Lafayette Journal & Courier [article PDF] [front page PDF]
WLFI
India West [article PDF]
West Lafayette High School Scarlette

Most Popular Posts

mohitagrawal — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:42:48 +0000

Thanks for visiting. Click on the tabs above to explore my AP Euro notes, the Star Voice newsletter, etc. To sort through blog posts, click on a category to the right (look for “Categories”, under “Blogroll”). To get a quick start, you can view some of the more popular posts:

Thinking about Princeton? (iii)
What Princeton Can Do Better
Study Abroad in Singapore: My Experience and Advice
Student Council Speeches from High School
Martin A. Dale Award Summer Report
Martin A. Dale Award Proposal
Undergraduate Admissions Essay

EPICS and EWB

mohitagrawal — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:41:58 +0000

I received an email from KS from Pakistan about EPICS and EWB. KS is studying engineering education and is interested in the differences between EPICS and EWB.

Hi Mohit,

I’m pretty sure you’ve been hit by a round of random emails ever since the Washington Post put your name out there as a Rhodes elect for this year- so I hope you’ll excuse one more addition to the new mail.

I was wondering if you could share some personal experiences about Engineers Without Borders; and how effective you think this program is- holistically speaking. The program’s websites are great, but I wanted to hear it from someone who was genuinely involved- it seems you were. I’d like to contrast it with Purdue’s EPICS program which is sort of a community-associated final year project. (https://engineering.purdue.edu/EPICS/)

I’m interested in electrical engineering education, and design thinking in mind. Your input, however brief, might help me qualify further the need for project based learning integrated as standard coursework. I live and work in Pakistan now, and I think there’s way too much potential being lost to pedagogy that doesn’t seem to change/ adapt at the rate the discipline it teaches does.

This is a long mail, yes, but I have a hunch that your feedback, particularly given our experiences at Purdue- a typical ‘great tech school’ can be really valuable with the refinement of a research proposal on my part.

Best regards from Lahore,
KS

Response

Hi KS,

The difference between EWB and EPICS is an interesting one. Purdue, Princeton, and other universities offer both programs. At Princeton, EPICS is offered as a half-credit pass-fail course, while EWB is fully volunteer / extracurricular. Many students do both programs, though I only focused on EWB.

This highlights one key difference: EPICS focuses almost exclusively on engineering design and implementation, while in EWB students also undertake project ideation, fundraising, and project management. EPICS can be considered a component of an engineering program, while EWB really goes beyond the classroom.

Further, EPICS is composed of almost all engineering students, while EWB is very broad–I was co-president, and I was a math major!

Two other big differences: EWB promotes leadership, and EWB projects are inherently “tough” because they are conducted in the developing world. Most of Princeton’s EPICS projects were constructed on-campus or in nearby communities, and thus aren’t as “tough” to implement (though EPICS projects are “tough” in other ways, e.g. low-cost or sustainability, though EWB has those components too).

I think the Rhodes really respects the leadership component of EWB. Last year, four Rhodes winners had EWB experience, and this year (in addition to myself) there is another student who led a group called Bioengineers Without Borders.

Lastly, EWB at Princeton has developed a leadership seminar that teaches students about sustainable development: http://www.princeton.edu/~ewb/seads.html. I’m not sure how this compares to the teaching provided in EPICS, but I suspect that EPICS is more engineering design oriented, while EWB at Princeton focuses more on sustainable development and how engineering can play a role.

Of course, EPICS has its advantages over EWB. For example, I think EPICS does a better job teaching students about engineering design. In EWB, I found that the design was done mostly by a few students on each team (a team might have 20 students, but only 2-3 who are comfortable with the specific design task) + the profession engineering team mentor.

So overall, EPICS and EWB are complementary programs. A key test (and one that I can’t attest to) is how potential employers view the two programs. Do they see EPICS grads as more competent? Do they see EWB grads as battle-tested? As I mentioned, I do think that EWB provides an avenue for students to learn and demonstrated leadership.

Mohit

Tutorial Info for Ec 209: Managerial Economics

mohitagrawal — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:21:45 +0000

I teach 3-4 tutorial sections each week for Ec 209: Managerial Economics. This course covers intermediate microeconomics and follows the Pindyck and Rubinfeld text (“Microeconomics“) closely. Below is a brief survey that I’ve asked my students to fill out, along with the tutorial questions from each week. Solutions to the tutorial questions are on Blackboard.

Feel free to email me with any questions, or leave a comment below.

Fill out the teaching evaluation survey here.

Tutorial Questions

Week 3-Chapter 2

Week 4-Chapter 3

Week 5-Chapter 4

Week 6-Chapters 5 and 6

Week 11-Chapter 11
Also see this earlier post for a deeper examination of price discrimination.

Week 12-Chapter 12

Sample Problems

Q: The income-consumption curve for Dan between and is given as: . His budget constraint is given as: . How much will Dan consume to maximize utility?

A: The first equation, , describes which basket of goods Dan will like ( means that Dan will buy four times more of a than of b). The second equation is the budget constraint. The budget constraint says how much money Dan has ($140), and how much each item costs (a costs $1, and b costs $3).

Okay. Now we have all the information we need to solve the problem. We have two equations and two variables ( and ). We use the first equation to substitute for in equation two.

So becomes . After simplifying, we see that . Then . We have now solved the problem.

Q: Suppose you are the manager of a theatre company. You have identified two groups of customers. Group 1 has a demand given by , and Group 2 has a demand given by . You are currently charging the same price – 40 euro – to both groups. To maximize revenue, you should charge a price of?

A: There are two ways to do the first question, depending on whether or not the theater can set different prices. If the theater can set different prices, then the revenue will be (quantity of 1)*(price of 1) + (quantity of 2)*(price of 2). So: . But , and . So . Simplifying, we see that .

To maximize the revenue, we need to use the partial derivative. We first take the partial derivative of with respect to . This equal . The equation is maximized when the partial derivative equals 0, so . We can solve and see that .

Similarly, we take the partial derivative of with respect to . This equals . We set equal to 0 and solve: , so .

So revenue is maximized when and .

If the theater can set only one price, then . But , so . But , and . So . Simplifying, we find that .

Now, we take the partial derivative with respect to . That equals . We set this equal to 0 and solve for . , so .

Q: Suppose your income is $10,000 and the price of petrol is $1 a gallon. You consume 1,000 gallons of petrol per year and you spend $9,000 on other goods. Then two things happen: The price of petrol rises to $2 a gallon and a distant relative dies leaving you a check for $1,000 per year. If no other changes in prices or income occur, are you better off or worse off? Indicate with a diagram.

A: The consumer is better off, because he can buy the same basket as before, and he can buy other baskets which he couldn’t before.

The way to answer this question is by drawing two lines on a graph. These are the two budget constraints for the consumer:

(1) Original budget constraint; this is for a total income of 10 (actually, 10000) and petrol at 1 euro. So the x-axis point is 10 (because the consumer could spend his entire income on petrol). The y-axis point is also 10 (the consumer can spend his entire income on “everything else”, which is the y-axis).

On this line, the point x = 1 and y = 9 is the preferred consumption point.

(2) New budget constraint; this is for a total income of 11 and petrol at 2 euro. So the x-axis point is 5.5 (because if the consumer spends his entire income on petrol, he can buy 5.5). The y-axis point is 11 (the consumer can spend his entire income on “everything else”, which is the y-axis).

So then you just have to draw the indifference curves to show that the new budget constraint has a point with a higher indifference curve than the original budget constraint.

Travelogue

mohitagrawal — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:43:49 +0000

I’ve been lucky enough to undertake some travel throughout Ireland and Europe, funded by a generous travel bursary from the Mitchell Scholarship. Below is a brief description of my travel so far.

Cork
November 5 – 6

This year’s conference for Labour Youth was held at University College Cork and organized by the UCC branch. Roughly 60 students participated over 3 days–including 9 from the NUI Galway branch–though I was only on hand for the last 2 days. The debate on some of the proposed motions was intense, particularly on a motion to direct Labour Youth to work with the Union of Students in Ireland to campaign against increases in fees to attend universities (the motion was defeated, but Labour Youth will campaign against fees on its own).

During breaks and after the conference, I was able to explore a bit of the campus and city. Cork has beautiful Georgian architecture, and the campus is a gem (the architecture is gorgeous, the landscaping meticulous, and public spaces are sprinkled generously throughout the campus). UCC is by far my favorite campus in Ireland (in comparison to NUIG, Trinity, UCD, and QUB–I haven’t been to UL, Jordanstown, or Maynooth yet).

A speech at the Labour Youth conference.

Hotels and apartments framing Cork's cathedral.

UCC's three-sided quadrangle.

Kilkenny
November 4

I used one of the free train passes provided to Mitchell students to make my way down to Kilkenny for the evening session of Kilkenomics. Kilkenny is a medium-size Irish city (weighing in at 22,200 people) and is built around a medieval city center, somewhat similar to Galway. The city is dominated by the beautiful renovated Georgian-style Kilkenny Castle (one wall of which was torn down by Cromwell’s forces), though I wasn’t able tour it while in town.

Kilkenomics is a unique economics conference that pairs economists and comedians on panels to make light of (and make fun of) current economic events. One of the key takeaways from the first panel I attended (“The Day After Tomorrow: What Happens After a Default?“) is that an Irish default on bank debt is inevitable, and that bringing back the punt as a local currency to complement the euro is a good idea.

Panel discussion: "How Do We Avoid a Global Depression?

London
October 27 – October 31

I visited London for the first time over the Halloween weekend and stayed with Sefa Awaworyi, a good friend who I first met in Ghana while working on the Ghana School Library Initiative. Sefa is currently finishing his masters in economics at the University of Greenwich, and we stayed in his apartment in Catford.

While in London, I attended an economics seminar at LSE, toured the campus, and visited the British Museum, Westminster, Piccadilly Circus, and Oxford Circus. I also had a mini reunion with students from RIPS on Saturday, sitting down for dinner with them, Sefa, and Angela, a neighbor from West Lafayette and fellow Princeton student who is studying abroad at UCL this semester.

Buckingham Palace.

Westminster panorama shot.

Athenry
October 26

I went out to Athenry (less than 20 miles from Galway) for a quick day trip to explore the ruins of the castle (thanks again, Cromwell), the Dominican friary, and some of the best preserved town walls in Ireland.

Ruins of the Dominican friary in Athenry.

Dublin
October 20 – 23

The highlights of the second Mitchell weekend (besides meeting all the other Mitchells again, and staying again in the comfy Westbury) was the series of discussions we had with TDs and journalists on Friday morning, an evening reception at the home of the US ambassador, and a Saturday morning hike through the Wicklow Mountains. I also stumbled upon a Labour Party campaign event at the Westbury on Sunday in support of Michael D. Higgins’s presidential run.

Also on Sunday I had lunch with two Princeton alumni who live in Dublin to discuss the Princeton Alumni Association of Ireland. Cal and Alex agreed with me that the PAA website needs a major improvement, and that the PAA should improve its outreach to high schools in Ireland to increase the awareness of Princeton.

The gang in the Wicklow Mountains.

Dublin
October 13 – 16

Every year the Mitchell Scholars are brought together in October in Dublin, early in the new year in Belfast, and again for a graduation ceremony in June. This weekend in the Dublin was the first get-together for our class and the first time that we all met one other after the Mitchell interview weekend last year.

On Thursday, I left for Dublin on the 5:05 am train in order to attend a day-long conference hosted by the Central Bank on the mortgage mess in Ireland. Most of the conference focused on if and how much loan forbearance homeowners (particularly those in negative equity) should get. Some speakers said that full writedowns of underwater houses would stimulate economic growth, while others said that such writedowns would be expensive, create moral hazard, and could still be largely ineffective. A consensus, though, was that some kind of writedowns would have to occur, plus changes in law to allow for more foreclosures (the number of foreclosures in Ireland over the past few years is less than 100).

One speaker also designed an econometric model to investigate the causes of the property bubble. One of the key takeaways was that the bubble was inflated by a lowering of borrowing standards just as families enjoyed income growth–thus pushing a large number of individuals to buy/invest in property for the first time.

The official Mitchell weekend kicked off on Friday. Scholars were accommodated in the wonderful Westbury Hotel, just off Grafton Street (a big “thank you” to the Doyle Collection for their support of the US-Ireland Alliance). The main event on Friday was a lunch reception to honor Ken Feinberg, the famed layer and arbiter. On Saturday, the scholars, US-Ireland Alliance head Trina Vargo, and Mr. and Mrs. Feinberg toured Kilmainham Gaol, a historical site in Dublin where many political leaders were imprisoned or executed during Ireland’s freedom struggle. Later in the day, we had a private tour of the William Butler Yeats exhibit at the National Library.

On Friday after the lunch reception, I went over to University College Dublin to hear Prof. Alan Ahearne from NUI Galway give an economics seminar on how nations can recover from debt-fueled recessions (unfortunately, the main tools–default, inflation, devaluation, and reappropriation of capital from banks and others–aren’t really options in Ireland).

Lastly, on Saturday fellow Mitchell Scholar Katie M and I attended a reception for Labour Youth at the Mansion House in Dublin. The Lord Mayor of Dublin (i.e., city council chairman), Andrew Montague, was a gracious host and gave a personal tour of the house, which dates to 1711.

In my conversation with the Lord Mayor, he pressed the case for establishing an executive mayor of Dublin (similar to the executive mayor of London and the mayors of US cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles). Montague said that the current system represented democracy run amok because individuals are elected to the city council with only a couple of thousand votes, with only tens of votes separating the top two competitors. In such a situation, councilors are extremely sensitive to any issue that may cause a shift of a few votes. For example, a councilor may oppose a bus lane in their district–even though the bus lane will reduce the transit time of thousands of individuals everyday–because a few of his voters won’t be able to park their cars outside anymore. An executive mayor would be able to cut across such parochial roadblocks in the city council (roadblocks, get it?).

West wing of the Kilmainham Gaol--the Panoptican.

Katie M. and me with other members of Labour Youth with the Lord Mayor.

Donegal and Northern Ireland
September 30 – October 3

Adjani, a friend from Princeton, was visiting her friends in Europe and stayed with me in Galway for about two weeks. She and I rented a stick-shift car and drove up through Donegal, Derry, and Belfast. In Donegal, we stayed in a quaint hostel in Glencolmcille and visited the nearby Silver Strand beach. In Derry we toured the famous murals (and had young children throw stones at our car!), while in Belfast we stayed with fellow Mitchell Scholars at QUB and took a black taxi tour. We also stopped by the Giant’s Causeway and walked over the otherworldly landscape.

I heartily enjoyed the trip, and I fully believe now that the best way to see Ireland (though probably not Dublin) is by car.

Silver Strand beach.

A Che Guevera mural in Belfast. Che's grandmother was from Galway!

Dublin
September 10 – 11

Mitchell Scholars were invited to the Ceremony of Peace and Reflection hosted by the US Embassy at the Royal Dublin Society on the 10th anniversary of September 11. Six of the scholars were able to attend the moving ceremony, at which President Mary McAleese spoke forcefully about the shared nature of the Irish-US experience.

On September 10, I took a bus tour of South Dublin and Wicklow, which included a stop at the Powerscourt Estate. The grounds and gardens at Powerscourt are beautiful (and we had beautiful weather too).

Powerscourt Estate.

Mitchell Interview Feedback

mohitagrawal — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:37:14 +0000

Now that a new year of Mitchell finalists are eagerly awaiting their interviews, I thought I would post a few of my personal notes about my interview process last year.

Date of Interviews: Semifinal Skype interview Monday, October 25
Final interview Saturday, November 20

Location of Interviews: Semifinal on Skype
Final at the DuPont Hotel in Washington, DC

Length of Interviews: 10 minutes for semifinal
12 minutes for final

Semifinal: The whole interview was a little disorienting because of Skype. The interviewers had placed their camera far back from where they were sitting, so they were fuzzy in the video feed (their lighting was also bad). The tone was respectful, but clearly the interviewers had done their research, and they wanted some answers.

The interviewers had carefully read my application, essay, and even researched me online. Make sure that you do the same, then. Also stay up-to-date on current events related to your interest fields. For example, I had expressed interested in education policy, so I was asked a question about Waiting for Superman, which had just been released a few weeks earlier.

Final: The evening before was quite relaxed with a number of events (reception, dinner, and concert). There are a lot of people at the reception, only a minority of whom are actually on the selection committee. The selectors don’t go to dinner with the finalists (only the previous scholars and the new finalists ate together) but everyone comes back for the concert. Dinner was probably the best part, as the previous scholars really opened up about their experiences in Ireland and since.

The interview itself was held in a small conference room on the second floor of the DuPont Hotel. The tables were set up in a square; I sat on one side of the square while the interviewers were on the other three sides. I thought that the interviewers were actually quite friendly and engaging. They were interested in my answers and engaged me in lots of back-and-forth.

Make sure to keep your answers short—if the committee wants to hear more, then they will ask follow ups.

Questions in the semifinal:

a. Why study in Ireland?
b. Have you seen Waiting for Superman? [yes] What was your reaction?
c. Why not do TFA next year?
d. Compare Ghana and Singapore. What did you learn by being there?
e. Which other scholarships have you applied to? [This is asked of all applicants. Giving a truthful answer does not hurt your chances at all.]

Questions in the final:

a. Civil rights in Singapore? [I had studied abroad in Singapore. I answered perhaps too succinctly. There was an odd pause before someone else jumped in with a question.]
b. Why Ireland? [Repeat question from semifinal interview, but not unexpected.]
c. Was it right to nationalize Ireland’s banking sector debt?
d. Can this government fix the problem? [It turns out the the Fianna Fail government fell a few months later.]
e. What about tax rates in Ireland?

I think that there may have been one or two more questions in there, but the Irish debt questions took the most time and there was a lot of back and forth on that point. The other ones I tried to answer quickly and succinctly. Not everyone asked a question.

Ghana School Library Initiative: The Video II

mohitagrawal — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:54:38 +0000

Jeremy Blair ’13, co-project manager for the Ghana School Library Initiative, helped lead the second phase of the EWB-PU library construction project in Ashaiman, Ghana this past summer. Below are two videos that Jeremy produced about the project.

See the videos from the first phase of construction here.

Short Version

Extended Version

Teaching Feedback

mohitagrawal — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:04:04 +0000

Wonderfully gratifying. Below is an email from a student to the course lecturer for EC 209: Managerial Economics.

I attended the tutorial last Tuesday at 1pm in CA117 and we had a different tutor than normal. I thought he was an excellent tutor and I really understood what I was doing when I came out of the tutorial hence my better grade in this week’s assignment. I was wondering is he a regular tutor on another day because I would really like to attend his tutorial. I didn’t quite catch his name but I think it was Moe. If you can help that would be great.

Regards,

C