Meet Our Students
Choosing a graduate program can be a challenging decision. What is it really like to attend Penn Social Policy & Practice?
Joel Caplan, PhD Student
Albert Einstein once said that "the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Having just completed three years of exciting but difficult coursework in the Social Welfare PhD program, Einstein's insight would be my inspiration to do it all over again. The world-renowned, but friendly and down-to-Earth, faculty respected me as a future colleague but never failed to challenge me intellectually as a student. They taught me to think from a broader perspective and at a higher level than my usual comfort zone. Equally important was the supportive culture among the doctoral student body that helped me mature socially and emotionally. My lasting friendships and research collaborations at the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) have made the (otherwise lonely) processes of learning and research very enjoyable and productive. In my experience, attending Penn can make you unique; but, taking advantage of the educational opportunities at SP2 is where learning and problem solving at a higher level begins. Due in large part to the joint efforts of faculty and staff at the School of Social Policy & Practice, I remain confident as I strive to develop effective and sustainable solutions to contemporary social problems.
Amy Green, MSSP Student
Although I had also considered other policy programs, I chose Penn's M.S. in Social Policy because it featured the necessary foundation in social policy analysis, while at the same time offering students the freedom to truly shape their academic experience. For instance, the MSSP program allows students to select their own electives so that they can design a policy focus around their individual interests. The small class size facilitated relationships with faculty and other students, promoting an enriching environment that extended beyond the classroom. Further, the School of Social Policy and Practice gave me the phenomenal opportunity to conduct my capstone research in Botswana. While this eleven-month program has been very intense, I'm leaving Penn wishing I had more time to take advantage of all the resources SP2 and Penn have to offer.
Kristie Thomas, MSW’05, PhD Student
I have never once doubted my decision to join the SP2 community. It has been, and continues to be, a journey filled with immense growth. It all began in 2003, when I joined the joint MSW/PhD program. I chose this program because, as a former Jesuit Volunteer, I was drawn to SP2’s commitment to crafting social workers who would be agents of change, and I was impressed by SP2’s distinguished faculty members, especially their vast research experience. Indeed, their knowledge has proved invaluable as I develop my own research skills. As a doctoral student, I have been given ample opportunity to be involved in research projects that focus on my area of interest, intimate partner violence (IPV). Some of the projects I am currently working on include: measuring societal norms surrounding gay and lesbian IPV; assessing the prevalence and characteristics of adolescent dating violence; and qualitatively examining the impact of IPV on women’s quality of life. However, my work as a researcher and social worker does not stop at the walls of SP2. For example, last summer, I conducted research for an affordable housing agency that was used to inform a campaign to change Philadelphia housing policy. This experience allowed me the chance to bridge the practice skills and contacts I established while in the MSW program with the research skills I have acquired in the PhD program. I look forward to future opportunities as a doctoral student, and eventually as a professor, to implement what I learned at SP2 in my work as a scholar in the field of IPV prevention.