Students engaged in peer review in the Public Policy 154 Writing in the Major Course
The Public Policy Program aims to provide students with writing and speaking support to help them grow as communicators both academically and professionally. For support for all your writing needs, please visit our resident writing tutor in the Landau Economics Building during the week (office hours listed below and in the weekly digest) and consult the following resources.
General Academic Writing Support
Meet the Public Policy Program's Dedicated Writing Specialist
Kathleen Tarr holds regular tutoring hours for undergraduate students, TAs, and instructors.
Autumn 2019: Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00 pm in Sweet Hall, Room #319 by appointment (preferred) or drop-in. Keep in mind that drop-in appointments are sometimes not possible, so why not make an appointment now!
Students who can't meet at that time should email Kathleen directly at ktarr@stanford.edu to schedule a meeting. Kathleen also holds tutoring hours in Hume on Wednesdays from 1-3pm; if you are interested in visiting her in Hume, please schedule an appointment. Another opportunity is for small groups, of up to six students, to meet with Kathleen. For a group meeting, one designated student should sign up for a 30 or 60 minute session, and then the group can meet with her. This is helpful for group writing, presentations or any other relevant topics.
Schedule an Appointment in HUME
Below, find examples of areas of interest and topics that can be covered during tutoring hours:
| Public Policy Disciplinary Expectations | Understanding "policy writing" as a field, learning to apply what you learned in PWR to Public Policy writing |
| Course Assignments | Memos, essays, WIM papers, written exam strategies, class presentations, honors theses, and more |
| Speaking and presenting | Designing effective PowerPoint (PPT) presentations, speaking with scripts, creating presentation handouts, speeches |
| Career Preparation | Resumes, job or cover letters, interview techniques |
| Communication Strategies | Public speaking, overcoming speech anxiety, interpreting assignments, handling criticism and feedback |
| Group Work | Collaboration practices, writing and revising, group presentations and reports |
| Professional Writing | Reports, articles, emails, op eds, policy briefs, executive summaries, press releases, political websites, and more |
| Cultural Communication | Adapting to American academic conventions, understanding and mastering "policy writing" as a discipline, communication etiquette, changes in grammar and expression |
Hume Center for Writing and Speaking
Stanford's Hume Center for Writing and Speaking is your go-to resource for all your writing and speaking needs. You can make an appointment or drop in to the center at anytime (Building 250).
Undergraduate Public Policy Writing Courses and Resources
Below is a list of the Public Policy major's writing-centric courses and corresponding resources.
- Writing in the Major (WIM) Courses: PUBLPOL 154 Politics and Policy in California, PUBLPOL 156 Health Care Policy and Reform, PUBLPOL 106 Law and Economics
- PUBLPOL 200A, 200B, and 200C Senior Practicum
- PUBLPOL 200H Senior Honors Seminar
Writing Specialist Law and Policy Site
Career and Internship-Focused Support
The Public Policy Program prepares students for a variety of careers and higher education opportunities. To get a sense of the diverse career paths of our alumni, take a look at our Undergrad Job Report.
For a guide for pitching your Public Policy skills to potential employers in many different fields, check out the Worksheet for "Talking Public Policy".
Join the Stanford Public Policy Alumni group on LinkedIn to connect with Public Policy alumni for networking and mentoring opportunities, and to view job postings.
Refer to this Recruitment Timeline to get a sense of when different industries begin their search and hiring processes.
Policy Job Websites
Several outside websites are dedicated to posting policy-oriented jobs and connecting applicants with employers. These include:
- Finding and applying for government jobs: gogovernment.org
- California state jobs: calopps.org
- Policy jobs world think tank directory: policyjobs.net
- Non profit information: idealist.org
- Washington job listings: bradtraverse.com
- Federal government jobs: usajobs.gov
- Weekly bulletin of Capitol Hill jobs and internships: house.gov
On-Campus Career Resources
In addition to regular conversations with advisors and participation in department events, students are encouraged to connect with the following Stanford campus resources as they explore internship opportunities and begin the career search process:
BEAM Career Education. BEAM provides valuable resources developed specifically for graduate students, including career coaching, events, workshops, career fairs, and mechanisms to connect with employers and alumni.
Haas Center for Public Service. The Haas Center inspires students to realize a just and sustainable world through service, scholarship, and community partnerships. Haas provides courses, fellowships, advising, and career resources for students and alumni.
Learn more about the Haas Center
Stanford Alumni Mentoring. SAM is a fantastic resource connecting current students with volunteer alums for career and internship mentoring.
Learn more about Stanford Alumni Mentoring
Stanford Alumni Association. The University's definition of an alum is a person who has completed three or more quarters at Stanford. Students who fit this definition will have access to certain alumni-only features, such as alumni e-mail, the online alumni directory, and career services. Register for an account by visiting the Alumni Association website.
Learn more about the Stanford Alumni Association
Vice Provost for Graduate Education. VPGE offers many valuable and diverse professional development programs for graduate students. There is something for everyone, including informal meet ups with other graduate students to dicuss research and career goals, communication workshops, leadership dinners, and other mentoring groups. You can start with a self assessment tool, the Interactive Graduate Professional Development Framework, to help you find professional development resources on campus.
