Blog move

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Peace

Public Policy vs. Public Affairs

I've always wondered why the PAM program and the CIPA program didn't do more things together. Both programs seemed to have the same focus and care about the same issues. This was until I did a little bit more digging and realized that while they are similar, they not quite the same.

While CIPA focuses on Program Implementation, PAM is about Research. The Economics, Sociology, Statistics and Analysis courses are about finding out the rationale behind implemented programs and their impact on their target populations. A part of a job application I was filling out earlier asked about what tangible skills I have. Unlike people who major in Accounting, Computer Science or Marketing, I had to think a little bit about skills that would be useful for an organization that's not a think tank or a non-profit.

Research skills are essential for doing well in graduate school. I just wonder if they're as useful for undergraduates. Is PAM a degree we get to become Research Assistants, until we go to Graduate School?

If you're going to let one prick ruin your life...

I watched the highly un-realistic, yet entertaining "Legally Blonde" last night. My favorite part is when Holland Taylor playing one of Elle's intimidating professors became a sort of mentor for her, though for a brief moment. As a woman who survived in Law long enough to become a professor, she probably knew a thing or two about pricks.

There are many things that can make one want to quit, drop out or give up. For me, this moment came Sophomore year after sitting through an Advanced Econometrics course I barely understood and Economics Principles I struggled to keep in my head long enough for midterms. I didn't switch majors mainly because I didn't know what to switch to. It wasn't until the end of Junior year that I understood how PAM fit with my career goals and help me shape my worldview.

One of the things I wished I had done earlier is to get to know PAM upperclassmen and professors. People who are ahead of you are always useful for advice on what classes to take, internship opportunities and what possibilities exist post-college. Knowing what opportunities exist is helpful for students, especially those who are the first in their family to go to college.

As I look forward to what will come after Cornell, that's something I would like to work on: finding more mentors to help me when things get tough, or I get tempted to quit.

What an Ivy League Education gets you

Below is a note I wrote at the end of Sophomore year, about what I learned in many of my classes, especially required courses for the PAM major. They're all meant to be humorous with a tinge of honesty. Since then, I went on to take a course in Public Finance which taught me that tax forms are made to be complicated and that rich people will always find a way to not pay their taxes, including becoming philanthropists. Among my other courses, I also took a Nutrition class which taught me that no diet scheme works in the long-run, only spending more energy that one takes in works.



Writing seminar #1
Who decides what's right or wrong? If I want to be in a polygamist(polyandrous) relationship, who are you to tell me I'm wrong? If you care that much, write me a letter. In fact, write a bunch of letters and put'em in a book...and maybe I'll read it.

Pre-Calculus
If it takes me 5 hours to finish question 1 of the problem set, how long will it take me to finish a Calc problem set?

Swimming 101
Finally figuring out why black people don 't float. Am I generalizing? Let's get in the pool and I'll show you. Oh wait, I forgot my floaties!

Writing seminar#2
Nuns in the medieval era: Holy or Insane?

Economics of Public Health
The truth finally comes out. Sometimes pigging out on ice cream brings me more utility than the number I see on the scale.

PAM 215: research
Do you like me? circle: a. yes b. no c. don't know

PAM 330: Policy Evaluation
Stata is crunk!
You can pretty much regress anything to make it make sense
and being black always make coefficients negative

PAM 210: statistics
Global warming doesn't exist, sheryl crow's "one piece of toilet paper" policy sucks and the Daily sun is...well...enough said

ECON 101
What's my opportunity cost for spending time on Facebook? hmmm...anyone, anyone?

Intermediate Microeconomics
rah rah Capitalism, eh?
I'm still having trouble finding my indifference curve...or curves..

DSOC 101: Dev. sociology
All fingers are not created the same. People are still poor. It sucks but that's the way it is. Now, if we had let Marx have his way...

NS 206: Global Health
People are still dying...in the world

DEA 150: Environmental Relations
I need my space. You need your space. You invade my space, I'll punch you in the face. Any questions?

BIO 109
At our next family reunion, we'll draw a phylogeny tree, instead of a family tree. Okay, I know that was erroneous. We'll draw a cladogram instead

BIO 110
Hold on to your seat! You never know what's going to show up on the screen.

PAM 230: Policy Analysis
Write, write, edit, edit, edit. write, edit. Delete. write.edit. Powerpoint.delete. powerpoint, write.edit.powerpoint. whew!

PAM 310: Regression
What's the interaction term between you and me, holding the rest of the world constant?

MUSIC 435: Ewe Dance and Drumming
"Get low!" never sounded so painful

Do all Policy Analysis majors become policy analysts?

"So, what type of policies do you work on?" Like English majors are assumed to want to become teachers and Engineering majors, engineers, this is the question I get asked most of the time, followed by "So, does that mean you plan to work for the government?"

When we first got back from our winter break, after trying to explain to relatives and friends what my major was really about and what work I would be doing later, I asked about the career paths of PAM majors. I was shown a career sheet. As far as I could tell, it was a random list of job titles, which told me that the future was wide open, ready to be shaped. On one hand, it meant that it was up to me to make what I wanted out of my major. On the other hand, it meant that there was no existing set of guidelines, a blueprint of sort to tell me what to look forward to. I was both excited and intimidated at the prospect of being thrown in the big wide world, to fend for myself.

As I talked to my peers, I realized that many of them chose 1 of 2 paths as future goals: Consulting or Law School. After taking many PAM classes, I understood the Law School option: Since we already learn about the impact of government actions (in form of Acts, Bills and Laws) on individuals and corporations, it makes sense to further one's studies in those areas. I never understood why Consulting was a popular choice; I still don't. I wonder if this is still a popular career choice by PAM graduates, in this financial climate.

How I became a PAM major

Before we jump in, I thought I should formally introduce myself, first.

My name is Makafui Fiavi. I'm a rising senior, PAM major and Global Health minor in the school of Human Ecology. I'm one of the members of PAMO and part of the team that launched this blog about a year ago.

I switched my major the first day of orientation at Cornell. I came to Cornell as a pre-medicine, Human Biology, Health and Society major. My senior year in high school, however, clarified to me that my passion was not what was going on in bodies at the micro-level (though it is certainly fascinating). It was the macro-level, human interactions that interested me.

I became a PAM major by accident. Thinking back to freshman year, I was drawn to students' testimonials that they felt that they were learning things that would help them "change the world", and the "analysis" part of the major's title. I half-knew what i was getting into, but not much.

It would take me a couple of semesters to realize the heavy Economics (my worst subject)emphasis of the major and to be able to explain to other people what my major was about. It took me a while to realize that I was being taught how to research well, how to recognize good (and bad) research and how to use research to affect policy.

I was prompted to restructure the direction of this blog by various reasons listed below:

1. Pursuing a major that requires elaboration every time someone asks about my studies, I've had to dig deep and find what PAM means to me personally, and why I'm choosing to pursue it as a major. I've always described it as the study of how the Government, the Public Sector and Every day people act to influence each other. It's about learning not only how Government policies affect our everyday lives, but also how those actions are shaped by history, culture and choices that everyday people make, usually as a group. Going into senior year, I'm starting to panic (a little bit) about what I've learned during this past (almost) 4 years and how that translates into real-life applications. I hope that this blog would help me delve deeper into finding those translations, further understanding the major that has been part of my life for the past 4 years and ways to help others answer that question, "so, you're a PAM major...what's THAT about?"

2. The coolest thing about being a PAM major is the other students. No two people have the same ambitions or look to use their PAM degree in the exact way. For example, for me, finding the Global Health minor helped me focus my PAM degree, looking closely at the way policy (government's, donors', civil societies', individuals, etc) affect health and social issues such as AIDS, Malaria and Maternal Health on a global scale. In the same way, I've gotten the privilege to talk to PAM majors interested in Consulting, Corporate Law, Social Work, the Entertainment industry, Medicine and the Non-profit field. I would like to explore more interaction, between my major and minor in this blog, as well as explore the way Public Policy intersects with other fields, as well as its impacts on every day life.

3. Though it is a small major, PAM majors rarely know each other or have a space to talk, discuss among themselves about what they're learning, what they're passionate about and what their dreams and aspirations are. I hope to create a forum place for all those interested in any of those things listed above.

As part of this restructuring, I plan to interview students, faculty and especially PAM alumni, as well as highlighting organizations intersecting Public Policy with other domains along with featuring websites, blogs, shows and current events that focus on Public Policy.

This should be an experience. Join me for the ride!

Restructuring

This blog was created last year to let students know about the happenings in PAMO (Policy Analysis and Management Organization)and to get student feedback about programs.

However, the blog quickly fell into disuse as many of the PAMO members were stretched thin between academic, extra-curricular and personal commitments.

This is an attempt to restructure the direction of the blog to generate content, as well as some good discussions along the way.