Aditi Patel

• Development Economics
• International Business Relations

Activities involved in at Fletcher

• Tufts Refugee Assistance Program
• Hitachi Center for Technology in International Affairs Club
• Fletcher Mentors
• International Development Club

Education before Fletcher

• B.A., Political Science, Wellesley College

Experience before Fletcher

• Analyst, Dasra, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Programme Associate, PRS Legislative Research, New Delhi, India

Languages

• Hindi
• Spanish
• Marathi
• English

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Why I chose Fletcher: Coming from the non-profit sector with interests in technology and development program design, monitoring, and evaluation, I wanted a graduate school program that would allow me to marry these interests while learning about new issues and concepts. I was very clear on what I wanted out of graduate school and was determined to use my time there to cultivate my knowledge and build my skills. Fletcher was a natural fit because it allowed me to explore interests in technology and development program design without requiring me to spend course credits on classes that didn’t fit into the clear plan I had. That being said, the MALD curriculum also allowed me the flexibility to alter my plan for study once I arrived here. I definitely feel as though my focus on my areas of interest has sharpened, and that not having a set of required core classes has given me the opportunity to shape my studies to my needs. Above all, though, what drew me to Fletcher was the overwhelming sense of kindness that I perceived from everyone I spoke to. The Admissions Office, alumni, and current students all took the time and effort to answer every single question I had. What struck me most and attracted me to Fletcher was the pride which with they talked about Fletcher’s core values of kindness and community.

On collaboration and teamwork at Fletcher: What I have really come to value is the extent to which students help each other out in classes here. I have definitely had moments in which I was struggling with concepts covered in a class, only to have another student interrupt her own studying to spend time explaining them to me. Given that so many of the classes here emphasize teamwork, it’s really wonderful to be in an environment that is collaborative and where students are encouraged to speak up when they don’t know something so that they can learn about it.