Professor Baran Han’s first impression was ‘ambitious’ and ‘unaffected’ in personality, but after the interview, I had added another opinion: ‘delicate’ in dealing with a person. Professor Han is the first KDI School alumni to become a faculty at the School, and as such she had a wealth of knowledge to share with the readers of the Globe:

As soon as Prof. Han started her class, students were excited by the fact that she graduated from the KDI school. What made her come back to the School as a professor?

First of all, the reason why I moved from a research institute to the KDI School is that the School offers a good environment to concentrate on my research. The KDI School is the most prominent place for any professor to do their own research and it can be practiced in the real policy field. It gives me both self-satisfaction and pride.

The KDI School has changed from the days she was at the School. Prof. Han mentions the more diverse makeup of the student body as one of the primary changes.

I see more students at the School now. When I was a student, there weren’t as many international students and that made us be closer to each other. We often gather together and just recently, we had a housewarming party held by one of my colleagues.

Nowadays, it feels more active. The class itself also looks like it has more vitality with many more international students. Sometimes, it feels like a different school. The scale of the food festival was much bigger when compared to the past.

As a senior of the KDI School, she also had some advice for the students.

Whether you seek for a job or a Ph.D. degree first is not a big deal. If there is something that you prefer, go catch every opportunity. You don’t have to decide every path right now.

However, if you go straight to study Ph.D, it will be a very difficult time for you to endure the jobless status for more than 5 years. Ph.D candidates who have job experiences have more time on their side and are more confident in their future.

But ultimately, be confident in your decision. Put your priority on what you want to do rather than where I want to work.

By Yong In CHOI (2013 MPP, Korea)