THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Student Ambassadors
Get in touch
If one of our student ambassadors sounds like they’d be a good resource for you as you consider our MA programs, feel free to complete a “Connect with a Student” form. As always, feel free to reach out to us at ssd-admissions@uchicago.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Hailey Hansen
- Program: Masters in Computational Social Science (MACSS)
- Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois
- Research interests/Thesis topic: The extent to which healthcare delivery for patients with chronic conditions is disrupted in the days and weeks following a tornado
- Advice to applicants and future students: “For potential applicants, asking questions about the program will give you a chance to better understand if it is the right fit for you. For new students, asking questions in class will help you carve out your own research interest.”
- Read Hailey Hansen's full profile
Fabrice Uwihirwe
- Program: Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with a concentration in political science
- Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
- Research interests/Thesis topic: Questions surrounding African constitution-building and its role/limit in the repudiation of colonialism in the international arena
- Advice to applicants and future students: “I recommend you apply even if you're afraid that your undergraduate major doesn't perfectly line up with your master's program of interest. Everyone doesn't have a straight path, and it's okay to embrace that and hone whatever skills you gained along the way to help you in your pivot.”
- Read Fabrice Uwihirwe’s full profile
Katherine Miles
- Program: Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with a concentration in political science, and with the Education and Society (EDSO) certificate
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Research interests/Thesis topic: Teacher censorship as a result of the current US political climate
- Advice to applicants and future students: “Remember that you're here for a reason, and you get the chance to do some cool things. Give yourself some grace, take a breath, and do something for yourself every day!”
- Read Katherine Miles's full profile
Samara Shaz
- Program: Committee on International Relations Masters (CIR)
- Hometown: New York City, New York
- Research interests/Thesis topic: How different actors critique nuclear policy, how these critiques interact with each other, and when these critiques are successful.
- Advice to applicants and future students: “CIR is a daunting course in that it's a lot of reading-heavy courses on top of writing a thesis in a year. Before I started, I read a couple of books to practice critical analysis of political theory literature.”
- Read Samara Shaz's full profile
Ziran Zhou
- Program: Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with a concentration in anthropology
- Hometown: Suining, China
- Research interests/Thesis topic: How cultural models of healing shape young people’s sense of agency in managing mental health
- Advice to applicants and future students: “For incoming MAPSS students, my advice is to embrace the challenge of being exposed to many disciplines. [...] It will broaden your perspective, sharpen your research skills, and help you frame your own work in ways that speak across the social sciences.”
- Read Ziran Zhou’s full profile
Arelia Diaz
- Program: Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with a concentration in sociology
- Hometown: Hayward, California
- Research interests/Thesis topic: How political and economic structures impact the everyday lives of low-income families
- Advice to applicants and future students: “Do not just apply for the name, apply because you know the university is going to help you grow holistically.”\
- Read Arelia Diaz’s full profile
Ken Wang
- Program: Masters in Computational Social Science (MACSS) and Committee on International Relations Masters (CIR) (Joint MA/MA)
- Hometown: Beijing, China and Madison, Wisconsin
- Research interests/Thesis topic: The effects of US presidential speech on European defense spending behavior using machine learning to conduct sentiment analysis
- Advice to applicants and future students: “UChicago is truly a marketplace of ideas, and just because your professor may be famous, it does not mean you have to agree with their ideas. That is the essence of the workshop culture on campus.”
- Read Ken Wang’s full profile
Nandini Narula Bajpai
- Program: Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) with a concentration in psychology and with the Education and Society (EDSO) certificate
- Hometown: New Delhi, India
- Research interests/Thesis topic: How cultural differences influence academic goal decision-making
- Advice to applicants and future students: “Immerse yourself in all that UChicago has to offer.”
- Read Nandini Narula Bajpai’s full profile