A review of the Schwarzman Scholars program for EAs

By KevinWei, Saad Siddiqui, Anon1234 @ 2022-08-15T12:07 (+42)

Summary

We are EAs who have done or are about to do the Schwarzman Scholars program; Saad just graduated in 2022 and Kevin is an incoming Schwarzman Scholar starting the program in fall 2022. While we feel that this post likely gives a good sense of what one could gain from the program, individuals' experiences have varied widely. In particular, the experience and potential value of doing this program might look very different if you are from China. 

We have written this post with input and feedback from a range of Schwarzman alumni. Special thanks to Jason Zhou, Deborah Tien, Miro Pluckebaum, and John Petrie for comments on earlier drafts. Any errors that remain are ours. 

• Schwarzman Scholars is a fully-funded, 1-year Master’s in Global Affairs and Leadership at Tsinghua University in Beijing that aims to bring together potential future global leaders and improve their knowledge of and ability to work across different cultures.
• 80,000 Hours lists the program as part of its “China Specialist” career review and has an article that lays out why Schwarzman might be a promising program for EAs interested in China.
• The aim of this post is to give the community a more detailed sense of what kinds of career capital the Schwarzman program can help one develop, how it might compare to other related programs, and what you can do if you’re interested in applying.
• In terms of career capital, Schwarzman Scholars could help one with:
  • Immersion in China via on-the-ground experience living in China, some Mandarin language learning, honing China-focused research skills, and gaining some exposure to the intersection of China and technology.
  • Developing networks with potentially influential people through the program’s mentor and alumni network within China and internationally.
  • Investing time in personal and professional development by providing space for individuals to engage in leadership and personal development workshops and leaving space for people to pursue individual interests.
  • Unique post-program fellowship opportunities that allow one to work on pressing issues at some of the world’s top think-tanks.
• People often apply to Schwarzman when also applying to some of these other programs, which reflect the different motivations and goals scholars often come to the program with:
  • Masters of Business Administration: for networking in international business circles and developing an understanding of the Chinese market.
  • Masters of Public Policy/International Affairs: to gain some exposure to ‘policy’ broadly, or to international relations specifically.
  • China Studies and immersion programs: to deepen their understanding of China and develop relevant research skills.
• If you want to apply for the Schwarzman program, several alumni are open to speaking to you about their experience in the program. Email Saad (muhammadsaad1997@hotmail.com) and Kevin (hi@kevinlwei.com) to get this set up. We’ve also included some application tips at the end of the post.
• If you have thought about applying in the past but held back, we’d love to hear what stopped you from applying. Feel free to email or leave a comment.
• Applications for the Class of 2024 (starting Fall 2023), are open until September 20th.

Overview of the Schwarzman Scholars Program

Program Overview: the Schwarzman Scholarship is a one-year Master’s in Global Affairs program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The program is fully-funded, so tuition, room & board, and travel to China and back to your home country are covered; in other words, there is no financial cost to attend for all admitted Scholars. The program is taught in English.

The program positions itself as the “Rhodes Scholarship of China” with a focus on increasing future, global leaders’ understanding of China:

Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. As China’s role in global trends continues to grow, the success of future leaders in any sector depends upon an immersive understanding of the country and its culture. A one-year, fully-funded master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Schwarzman Scholars is designed to build a global community of future leaders who will serve to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.

Program History: the program was announced in 2013, and the first cohort of Schwarzman Scholars graduated in 2017. The 7th cohort (2022-2023) will matriculate this fall, and applications for the 8th cohort (2023-2024) are now open.

Program Location: Beijing, China

Program Cost: the program is fully-funded for all admitted Scholars, so there is no financial cost to attend.

Cohort Composition:^[1]

• Size: the 7th cohort is ~150 students. The program plans to gradually expand to 200 students per cohort in the coming years.
• Geography: each year, 20% of the cohort comes from China, 40% from the U.S., and 40% from the rest of the world.
• Age / Work Experience: Scholars range from 18 (the minimum age) to 28 (the maximum age). Historically, a sizable plurality of Scholars come to the program right out of undergrad. The program is, however, very interested in applications from those with several years of working experience, as they generally receive fewer applications from early career professionals than from recent graduates.
• Academic background: there is no restriction on undergraduate field of study to apply. As undergraduates, 48% of the Schwarzman class of 2020 studied social sciences, 26% studied STEM fields, and 26% studied business & economics.

Eligibility: you are eligible for the program if you will have earned an undergraduate degree by the time you begin the program, will be 28 or younger by August 1st of the year you begin the program, and are a fluent English speaker (the program is taught in English).

Timelines: the program runs every August through June. There are four modules (“semesters”) with a 1-week break between Modules 1 and 2 in October, a 6-week break between Modules 2 and 3 for Chinese New Year from Jan-Feb. Because the program is one-year, there is no overlap between cohorts. The application process occurs on two different timelines based on your citizenship:

• Applicants with citizenship from the PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau: applications are open January - May the calendar year before you would begin the program. Interviews are conducted in June - July.
• All other applicants (U.S., E.U., etc.): applications are open April - September the calendar year before you would begin the program. Interviews are conducted in October - November.

Curriculum: the program places significant emphasis on learning about China and gaining leadership skills. The degree you eventually graduate with is called a “Masters of Management Science in Global Affairs and Leadership.” All Scholars are required to take:

• One course on modern Chinese history
• One global affairs course
• One Mandarin language course
• 2-3 leadership courses
• Practical leadership lectures and a “deep dive” externship
• A capstone project or thesis (can be individual or group)
• Electives (many of which are China-oriented)

What kinds of career capital can I gain through the program? 

The Schwarzman program can provide career capital through a few mechanisms: immersion in China, networking as well as space for personal and professional exploration. Alumni are also able to access a range of unique opportunities after the program.

Immersion in China

• Experience “on the ground” in China, with low(er) risk to security clearance. This can go beyond the one year you spend doing the program:
  • Alumni are eligible to apply for residential advisor roles at Schwarzman College (“Senior Scholars”). In exchange for part-time work supporting the cohort in residence, these alumni are provided with room and board for the academic year (August-June), as well as a stipend; individuals with more advanced Mandarin language abilities are preferred for these positions. Senior scholars have worked on PhDs remotely, worked full-time at think-tanks, or done language intensives. This is an opportunity open to all alumni, regardless of the year you graduated.
• (Some) language study & immersion: Schwarzman Scholars are required to take at least one semester of Chinese language courses and can choose to continue language study throughout the program. The program also provides language and cultural immersion through interactions with Chinese organizations/leaders, externship/internship programs, and more. However, overall, scholars only have two 1-hour Chinese classes per week and are in a largely English-speaking environment as all classes are in English.
• Gain China-focused research skills: the main way to do this would be via your thesis and would require a lot of self-directed work and independent study, as there are no dedicated classes focused on methodology or research rigor. One can also develop these skills by forming relationships with and attending office hours of the China studies professors, who are leading figures in the field.^[2] We estimate that <5% of a given cohort dedicates time to developing these skills seriously, although a more significant proportion of the cohort does develop domain-specific knowledge and skills.
• China-Tech intersection knowledge/experience: Schwarzman College is located in Haidian District, which is also home to Zhongguancun. Zhongguancun is a technology innovation hub that has been referred to as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’, and is also home to two of China’s largest internet companies, Sina and Baidu. Tsinghua University owns a nearby science and technology park, and both Schwarzman College and Tsinghua have a range of classes that allow students to visit the offices of companies. Schwarzman College also has a partnership with Plug and Play China, a VC and incubator, and together they run an internship program that matches Schwarzman students with Plug and Play startups.

Networking 

Networking happens both in and outside of China, both on and off campus, and both during and after the program:

• Networks within Schwarzman Scholars & Alumni: being part of the Schwarzman Scholars network gives you access to both potential mentors and collaborators from a variety of industries across the world. A range of organizations—e.g., Bytedance, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank—have hired Schwarzman alumni, and Schwarzman Scholars have also worked together to set up companies and nonprofits after the program.
• Networks within Tsinghua: Schwarzman Scholars are Tsinghua graduate students and will have opportunities to meet other students on campus. Tsinghua is China’s leading science and technology university, and houses the Institute of International AI Governance, a think-tank headed by the Dean of Schwarzman College, Xue Lan.^[3]
• Networks within China: the program routinely involves high-level government and business leaders in China. For instance, students are offered chances to shadow party officials during “Deep Dives,” and luminaries such as a former CEO of Sinopec (one of the largest oil companies in the world) have been brought in to teach leadership practicums.
• Networks within the U.S. and around the world: alumni are typically very responsive, and quite a few alumni are in entry- and mid-level positions across several governments; it stands to reason that at least some of them will be in high-level positions as time progresses. Geographically, alumni are concentrated in hubs including Washington D.C., New York, Beijing, and Singapore. The program appoints alumni “hub captains” and provides them with budgets to organize alumni events.

Personal and Professional Development

Classes at Schwarzman are taught at a level accessible to those from a wide variety of backgrounds, so they are usually introductory in nature. The program places limits on how much reading professors can assign, and assignments are usually graded with an introductory audience in mind. 

As a result, Scholars have significant latitude to pursue independent professional and personal development:

• Professional development: it is fairly easy to maintain a 10-hour side project for most of the year. Some students even pursue 3-day/week internships alongside much of the program. Moreover, the final module of the program (May-June), is typically set aside for students to do internships. All of this is essentially time that one could use to test their fit across a range of different areas. Finally, each student is paired with a professional mentor from the Schwarzman mentor pool.
• Personal development: part of the leadership component of the program includes a range of activities that push es students to reflect on their leadership style and personal work style. This includes workshops, coaching sessions from executive coaches, and personality assessment questionnaires. Students find these of varying usefulness, but for some these programs can be useful in helping identify bad work habits and improving interpersonal skills.

Unique Post-Program Opportunities

• Policy fellowships: Schwarzman Scholars also funds year-long fellowships across four of the world’s leading think-tanks - the Wilson Center (D.C.), Chatham House (London), the Asia Society Policy Institute (N.Y.), and the National Committee on U.S-China Relations (N.Y.) Students are only eligible to apply for these while they are in the Schwarzman Scholars program, and if awarded the fellowship, they typically have great latitude to shape the direction of their research. Some Schwarzman alumni who have been awarded these fellowships have worked on EA priority areas during their time at these think-tanks, e.g. AI standards-setting and metagenomic sequencing policies.
• Ad-hoc alumni opportunities: these include opportunities to attend the One Young World Summit as a Schwarzman Admissions Ambassador and various seminars organized by think-tanks, such as the National Committee on US-China Relations.

What have alumni found most useful about the program?

We asked EA-aligned Schwarzman Scholars alumni what they found most useful about the program, with the following prompts:

• What did you find most useful about the program?
• Do you think doing the program helped you improve your ability (skills, career capital, path clarity) to maximize impact in your career? If so, how?
• What is one thing about your experience in the program that surprised you?

Jason Zhou, 6th cohort Scholar (2021-2022) 

Context: Jason is a scholar from America who speaks Mandarin mostly fluently, which partially accounts for his ability to connect with Chinese professors and interface with experts. 

 I found two experiences most useful from the program. The first was exposure to top tier Chinese intellectuals and thinkers. Tsinghua is full of high-powered intellectuals, who are generally quite willing to exchange ideas with students. Those scholars are also sometimes able to connect you – or you can connect via the Schwarzman name and/or connections – to other scholars based in Beijing. I learned a lot from chatting with these scholars, even and especially when I disagreed strongly with their views. The second experience was meeting and befriending people in the program itself. Due to the diversity of views and backgrounds of Schwarzman Scholars, and since the career paths each person is on is fairly eclectic, I was exposed to a lot of different career ideas and paths, as well as life philosophies–such as EA–that have influenced me greatly. 

The program has helped me somewhat in my skills for researching China, greatly in terms of my China-based policy network, enhanced (fairly significantly, I think, but I won’t know for several years) my career capital through experience living in China, and helped me moderately in clarifying my career path. Most of this came through interfacing with Chinese experts at Tsinghua, getting to know fellow classmates, and pursuing my thesis project very actively. 

I was surprised by how much time I still spent on classes despite the lack of emphasis on academics, as well as by how hard it was to find time to meet and get to know other Tsinghua students. On the latter, there are so many competing priorities in Schwarzman, and it is so easy to access the Schwarzman Chinese classmates that I, despite having sufficiently good Chinese, barely got to know any Tsinghua students. Some did better than me, but even so I think everyone finds it difficult.

Anonymous, Scholar who was part of an in-person cohort

I was struck by two things during the program: the level of self-direction and the caliber of my peers.

Self-direction: This is a 'make your own adventure' type of program. There are a LOT of events and opportunities within Schwarzman, Tsinghua, Beijing, and China in general. The Schwarzman program's network is indeed impressive, but the relationships are not offered on a silver platter. Even getting the dream introductions can take a lot of effort, let alone building the relationships. I personally think one leverages this program more when one has stronger ideas of which particular topics to take a deep dive and is willing to take individual initiative.

Peers: Building community is a huge component of the Schwarzman Scholars program. Because I am more of a generalist, learning more about my peers' ultra diverse interests and pathways felt useful both in the short- and long-term; however, others who are more focused in one particular arena may see this type of experience as a distracting waste of time and emotional energy in the short-term, especially without clear long-term outcomes. This group is amongst the most confident, socially-skilled, and genuinely curious people I've ever had the fortune of living with. I personally think people gain more from the program if they're ready to dedicate a substantial chunk of time to relationship building with peers (amongst plenty of other speakers, visitors, Tsinghua students, etc.).

What other programs do those applying for Schwarzman Scholars consider? 

The programs people consider at the same time as Schwarzman, compared below, reflect different motivations people have for doing the Schwarzman Scholars program. This diversity of motivation reflects the fact that in doing Schwarzman, you will get exposure to a little bit of business, policy, international relations, and China studies, and that if you just want to specialize in one of these things, it’s potentially better to do a more specialized program. 

• Masters of Business Administration (MBA): some people do Schwarzman in lieu of an MBA, because it can help a person cultivate a network of contacts in Chinese and American business circles, and gain some understanding of the Chinese market. There are also elective classes focused on business and finance that are offered. Doing Schwarzman in place of an MBA is a step some have taken after 3-5 years in a corporate career like management consulting.
• Masters of Public Policy/international relations: some do Schwarzman for reasons similar to doing a MPP, to gain some exposure to ‘policy’ broadly, or to international relations. There are classes focused on global affairs and topical global issues like the energy transition that are offered.
• China Studies: some do Schwarzman to deepen their understanding of China. This can be used to either figure out if you should or to actually make a pivot to a China focus in your career.
• For non-Chinese people who just want to get on-the-ground experience in China: other options include Luce Scholars (Americans only), Princeton in Asia, and Yenching Scholars.

Particularly for Americans, there are also a range of funded Mandarin language study options which alumni have sometimes opted to do before or after Schwarzman. These include: 

• Language study in the PRC (Boren Fellowship, Blakemore Freeman Fellowship)
• Language study in Taiwan
• Fulbright Research or University Fellowships

Here’s a link to a document that lays out some potential options for language study. Information for programs changes frequently, so please only take this as a starting point for understanding what programs might be out there. The document may also contain some old or broken links.  

Caveat: We have only done Schwarzman and not the other programs, so these are impressions based on conversations with people who have done other programs, as well as information available online. 

What are some reasons I might not want to apply for the Schwarzman Scholars program?

We’ve discussed many reasons you may want to apply for the Schwarzman Scholars program. However, we also recognize that the program may not be for everyone. You may not want to apply for the Schwarzman Scholars program if: 

• You do not plan on studying China or on pursuing a China-focused career
• You do not plan on studying in China, e.g. for reasons related to security clearance, privacy, or personal health
• You have little to no interest in studying the Mandarin language
• You are interested in a more academically- or theoretically-focused degree, or you are not interested in a more practically- or leadership-focused degree
• You are interested in gaining specific, deep skills in a particular topic or cause area, and you believe you can better gain these skills through other programs (see above)
• You are not eligible to apply for the program

How should I go about the application process? 

In general, you should err on the side of applying if you think there is a chance Schwarzman might be useful for you and if the opportunity cost of submitting the application is not too high for you. There is no application fee, and the application cycle is earlier than most other graduate school applications. The application process for the Schwarzman Scholarship is also relatively short when compared with similar programs, many of which require 5+ essays and 3+ letters of recommendation (e.g. Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, etc.). 

The Schwarzman application consists of:

• 750-word leadership essay
• 500-word personal statement
• 100-word “Why Schwarzman” short response
• 100-word “tell us something we didn’t know” short response
• Resume + short description of your extracurriculars, professional history, awards, etc.
• Three letters of recommendation:
  • 1 academic recommendation
  • 1 professional/“leadership” recommendation
  • 1 recommendation of your choice (i.e., can be either academic or professional)

Roughly around 3000-4000 people apply each year and ~10% are selected for interviews. Of those offered interviews, ~30-40% are offered a spot. The interview round, at least in the online format that has been adopted the past 2 years, consists of a 25-min interview with 5-8 panelists who are leaders in various fields ranging from military generals to business leaders to artists. Previously, when interviews were in-person, candidates were flown to interview centers such as London, where they participated in some networking events, group assessments, and an in-person interview. 

The program is especially interested in applications from those with several years of working experience, as they generally receive fewer applications from early-career professionals than they do from individuals who have just finished their undergraduate studies. That said, about 40% of the cohort is composed of undergraduates, so you are not significantly disadvantaged if you apply for the program while finishing your final year of undergrad. 

Some general thoughts and application advice: 

• Start early: you want to give yourself enough time to go through at least ~3 edits of your essays + a round of copy edits
• Get feedback: make sure you send your essay to people who can give you feedback on whether your work is clear, compelling and relevant to the mission of Schwarzman Scholars
• Think about some of these questions as you write your application:
  • What pressing problem am I really passionate about? Why is this problem pressing?
  • What have I done to work on this problem?
  • How can I effectively communicate or quantify the work that I’ve done / the impact I’ve had so far?
  • How might Schwarzman Scholars help me improve my ability to make an impact in that space?
    • Why Schwarzman in particular, and why Schwarzman at this point in my career?
    • How is China relevant to the problem area that I am interested in? How will being in China / learning about China help me make an impact?
  • What can I add to the experience of others in my cohort?
  • What is my vision for the next 5-10 years?
• Bear in mind that the people reading your application are not going to be experts in your field, and that you’ll be writing/interviewing for a general audience.
• Speak to several Schwarzman alumni about their experience doing the program; particularly if they’ve gone on to do things that you’re interested in doing.

Other resources on application advice:

• So You Want To Be A Yenching Scholar… by Jordan Schneider
• Applying to Schwarzman Scholars by Cristina Pogorevici

More Resources / Recommended Reading

• The Schwarzman Scholarship: An exciting opportunity to learn more about China and get a Masters in Global Affairs - 80,000 Hours
• China-related AI safety and governance paths - 80,000 Hours
• Improving China-Western coordination on global catastrophic risks - 80,000 Hours
• The Moral Hazard of Dealing With China - The Atlantic
• US Financier Backs China Scholarship Program - The New York Times
• Schwarzman College Campus Culture Wars Reflect New Reality in US-China Tension - Bloomberg
• China Policy: An Early Career Guide - ChinaTalk (Jordan Schneider)
• Frequently Asked Questions - Schwarzman Scholars
• Advice to Prospective Schwarzman Scholars - Schwarzman Scholars
• Application Instructions - Schwarzman Scholars
• Admissions - Schwarzman Scholars
• From Chaos to Concept: Approaches for Crafting Your Leadership Narrative (2022) - Schwarzman Scholars
• Understand China to lead global progress - Schwarzman Scholars

Contact Information

If you are interested in applying, have questions about the program, want to learn more about EA-related activities at Schwarzman, or have other questions/comments, please reach out to Saad Siddiqui (Schwarzman ‘22) at muhammadsaad1997@hotmail.com or Kevin Wei (Schwarzman ‘23) at hi@kevinlwei.com.

1. ^{^}

   A directory of past and present Schwarzman Scholars may be found here.

2. ^{^}

    The core mandatory China-focused class is led by Barry Naughton, one of the leading economists on China and other professors who teach at Schwarzman include Victor Shih, Karl Eikenberry, Molly Roberts, Andrew Walder, Wang Hui and Wang Shaoguang. 

3. ^{^}

   Xue Lan is also the Chair of the National Expert Committee on AI Governance, which is an advisory committee convened under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

4. ^{^}

   According to internal program data. Alumni outcomes were compared with publicly-available data from the MBA programs at the Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

5. ^{^}

   According to internal program data. Alumni outcomes were compared with publicly-available data from the MPP program at the Harvard Kennedy School and the programs in the Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service / Security Studies Program.