C. Blattman: How to get a PhD *and* save the world

http://chrisblattman.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-to-get-phd-and-save-world.html

'Tis the season for graduate school applications and associated angst. Several aspiring political scientists and economists have asked me for my thoughts and advice, and I've generally started by pointing them to Greg Mankiw's excellent Advice for Aspiring Economists and Advice for Grad Students.

Mankiw's advice does not quite cater, however, to those of us that are young, idealistic, and want to pursue PhD research that makes life better for those less fortunate. For those so inclined, I offer the following addenda.

Colleges and Universities that Offer Free Courses Online

"A handful of world-class universities and colleges have decided to offer free courses, assignments, and lectures via the World Wide Web, using a variety of means that include streaming video, podcasts, and downloadable lecture notes. "

http://education-portal.com/articles/Colleges_and_Universities_that_Offer_Free_Courses_Online.html

MIT: OpenCourseWare

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

R. Felder: Learning Styles

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html

"Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts. Teaching methods also vary. Some instructors lecture, others demonstrate or lead students to self-discovery; some focus on principles and others on applications; some emphasize memory and others understanding...This site contains resources for a model of learning styles generally referred to as the Felder-Silverman model. The model was originally formulated by Dr. Felder in collaboration with Dr. Linda K. Silverman, an educational psychologist, for use by college instructors and students in engineering and the sciences, although it has subsequently been applied in a broad range of disciplines. "