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My KDIS Soulmate

  • Date 2023-01-20 13:28
  • CategoryStory
  • Hit1071

Kim Sang Woo (MPP 2021, South Korea)

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected and changed the lives of literally every one of us. For several years, we had to restrain ourselves in movements and keep our distance, and no one was sure when this ambiguity would fade away. This also applied to university life: I spent almost two semesters of my graduate degree studying online. The absence of real-life communication with professors and other students was gradually making everyone frustrated. Until one day Professor  Inbok Rhee, whose course Topics in Political Economy of Development I was taking, did not suggest students come to his office hours offline.

Since it was my first semester, I felt nervous but still decided to email the professor to discuss my research concerns and future career aspirations. I did not expect anything specific as it was our first meeting but the professor was super kind and welcoming. I shared my concerns about choosing between a thesis or SRP and what I would like to do after graduation. Professor Rhee took everything seriously and carefully explained to me that good research consists of a careful literature review. Moreover, he showed me several websites with open positions for working in international organizations. After this short yet productive conversation, I started applying for some positions and wanted someone to review my application. You cannot imagine my surprise when Professor Rhee agreed to check my application and subsequently provided objective and detailed feedback. In November 2022, thanks to Prof. Rhee’s guidance and my personal efforts, I got a position as a researcher at the Korea Transport Institute. 

I am beyond grateful to KDI professors for their kindness and sincere desire to help students. 


Marian Freyjia Gilo (MPM 2021, Philippines)

KDI School puts great emphasis on quantitative analysis and taking courses on it is a requirement for most students. However, many of us came from diverse backgrounds with different levels of experience and knowledge of statistics. Therefore, despite professors’ efforts, the Quantitative Methods course is one of the most challenging for many students, including me. Due to the 100% online format of the class and visa restrictions, it was almost impossible for students to communicate, organize study groups and help each other. 

However, one day, one of my classmates - Surachet Sriphuriak from Thailand with a background in finance - found out that his close friend was struggling with the QM course. To help him, he organized review sessions to explain to his friend topics in statistics. As it was expected, soon many students became aware of this and asked Surachet to join the sessions. Although he hesitated a bit, in the end, he became the "group lecturer" for our QM review sessions which took place in one of the lecture classes. Since some of us were still stuck in our home countries due to visa issues, the sessions were also shared in Zoom.

Hence, due to his kind efforts and detailed explanations, all students could understand QM better and solve the midterm and finals proving that the KDI School is not only about high-quality education in evidence-based policymaking but also a community that finds a way to solve the problem together despite differences.

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