Fulbright Scholarship Recipient, Syed Maroof Ali from Pakistan, Shares His Journey of Pursuing Graduate Studies in Economics and Education Policy in the United States

My name is Syed Maroof Ali, and I am from Karachi, Pakistan. After completing my BS Economics from IBA, Karachi, I worked as a development professional with 2+ years in the education sector under a USAID-funded Sindh Basic Education Program, among other consulting assignments at a management consulting firm. The experience provided a critical lens to view the South Asian education landscape, the efficacy of Public Private Partnerships in education, and a preliminary understanding of the Global South and its interaction with the international agencies in pursuit of SDG 4.

After my interaction with the local education landscape, I decided to pursue further education to gain a solid conceptual grounding in economic research, impact evaluation, and education policy. This involved further training in applied micro-econometrics (using statistical analysis to test hypotheses), causal inference (if and how X leads to Y), and project evaluation methods (determining whether a particular social intervention led to the desired outcome).

Fulbright Scholarship Details

I was a 2023 Fulbright Scholar from Pakistan. This scholarship is U.S. government-funded and administered by the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan.

Educational Background

My economics-centric education background greatly facilitated my academic understanding of microeconomics, development economics, and calculus. Beyond the technical aspects, I was lucky to have multiple community service roles, social internships, and research assistantships, all of which embedded the passion for using quality and accessible education as a tool for increasing the standard of living and livelihoods of people in my region. Both my academic courses and co-curricular activities led to a successful graduate journey in the US.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Georgia State University?

How Did You Find Information About the Fulbright Scholarship and Georgia State University?

University and LinkedIn

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

Yes, GRE and TOEFL. I mostly self-prepared and took supplemental support from GRE 341 with Saad Amer.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Fulbright Scholarship?

Preparing for the scholarship has a lot to do with understanding one’s motivation, keeping track of personal and professional achievements, and understanding the different requirements of the scholarship, as well as how to satisfy them. Particularly for the requirements such as essays, tests, transcripts, and a recommendation letter, I kept a centralized planner to record what was done, what was left, and why.

How is (was) Your Experience at Georgia State University?

I appreciated the student diversity, academic flexibility, social events, and faculty engagement at the institution. It created a healthy environment for me to focus on multiple interesting things during the course of my two years.

How Does Georgia State University Support International Students?

The institution had well-designed processes to spread awareness of key facilities (academic, medical, counselling, and fitness) as well as a friendly atmosphere to ensure everyone felt welcome and heard. There was also a formal Fulbright society to enhance cultural exchange both within and beyond the society.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I had a foundational and first-hand understanding of the ongoing learning crisis in Pakistan, such as low teacher quality, disconnect between the school-level stakeholders and higher authorities, and the lack of consolidated national education data. These insights were formed through voluntary experiences of teaching underprivileged and marginalized students at 3 organizations back in 2018, education-centric research as part of my Undergraduate Final Year Project, and government school visits at various districts of Sindh, where I engaged with teachers and students to understand their perspective on education. I believe that these lived experiences instilled a sense of urgency to contribute back to my society, which was demonstrated in my essays, interview, and overall professional journey.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would think more deeply about how the country, city, and institution align with my personal, professional, and academic preferences. Research on these aspects is also important because we tend to focus more on the degree program and research interests.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

The scholarship panel wants to know you, and for that to happen, you have to be willing to know yourself and be open to putting yourself out there in an authentic manner. It’s important to not just know about your past experiences but also the intrinsic motivating factors behind a certain decision or action. These components lead to a compelling narrative that can be augmented with a good academic record and other relevant activities to enable a holistic profile for the scholarship.