Hockey Diva

The Vanderbilt and Penn programs are both one weekend/month--Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon/evening. I'm not in either area, so I will be traveling in for the program weekends. The other two I mentioned--USC and SMU--have that same format. While the cost may be higher, the fact that you can keep working is a huge plus for me.

I'm in at Vanderbilt, waiting on Penn. Looked at both USC and SMU, but with the Vanderbilt acceptance, I didn't feel like I needed to apply elsewhere. If you are interested in the mid-career EDD at Penn, there may still be time to apply for this fall. I think SMU and USC (Global EDD) are still open for applications. I know students over 40 were admitted to both PhD and ELDD programs at Harvard last year (somewhere they listed the age range of admitted students), but I have wondered if it is more difficult for applicants over 40 because they may focus on candidates who are earlier in their careers. I read that somewhere. I would not be surprised if they do not get many applicants 40+ just because it may generally be harder to uproot your life and career at that point.

I applied to the EdLD, did not hear anything, and got a rejection yesterday. The rejection was not specific, so I assume it covered both the EdLD and MA program. To be fair, I did not spend much time on my MA application. I thought even the MA program would be an interesting opportunity, but I already have a PhD in another field and two MAs, so I was not sure this degree would be worth leaving the workforce for a year at this point in my career. I have two other offers (one full-time PhD, one executive-style EDD--both programs VERY highly rated) and one other possibility (very positive conversations with the program, but application deadline is in a few weeks), so this rejection is OK. I already have enough trouble trying to determine what to do that maybe it is a good thing not to have one more option in the mix. Although I will admit to a twinge of jealousy reading posts from accepted students! Just out of curiosity--are any of the admitted students here over 40?

Rejected. OK with it as it simplifies my options, which are already a little complex. But have to say I am a little surprised given some unique aspects in my experience. Congratulations to all who were admitted!

I had no idea what my chances were when I applied. And I still don't know if I barely qualified or if I was higher in the applicant pool. I have PhD in an academic field, 5.5 years of secondary school teaching experience, 2.5 years as a school administrator, and school board experience. About 8 years of part-time university teaching. I doubt my GRE schools counted for much, but I had 170 V, 159 Q, and 4.0 AW. (I'm embarrassed by my AW score, but I did not study the format. I know my essays were fine, but I did not realize certain elements--like a counter argument paragraph--are basically required.)

Just got my acceptance to the EdD program. I could hardly look as the notice loaded (wasn't sure if the update was acceptance or rejection.) It came with an offer of partial tuition support, which I was not expecting, so that was a nice additional surprise. So happy to have an acceptance while I wait for the other decisions.

I applied for EdLD. Because I also indicated an interest in the EdM program if I don't get into the EdLD program, I received a link to the financial aid portal today. When I started seeing posts about the financial aid portal, I was worried because I hadn't heard anything--I even went back and checked my spam folder. It finally arrived this morning. While the message says in bold: "Please be assured that this message has no bearing on the status of your application to the Ed.L.D. program." I can't help but wonder if it does mean something! I've been trying very hard to forget I even applied so that I don't spend too much time worrying about it!

I'm not as disappointed by this news as I thought I might be. I guess deep down I knew it was a bit of a longshot. I'm sure I'm much older than the average applicant, and I would not be surprised if I were the oldest. While they say they do not have an age limit, I have also heard that they want to fund students who will be making an impact for decades after they complete their degree, and I might work less than 20 years after I finish. On the other hand, I have a number of accomplishments already that a younger candidate would not have, so I might be starting my post-PhD work at a more senior level than a new Ph.D. without my level of experience. I'm a little more worried about what it might suggest about my odds for admission at all. It is true that I could have been at the top of my department's shortlist and still not been invited to interview, but it is more likely that there are others higher on the list. And maybe I wasn't even on the list? Or, does the email indicate I WAS somewhere on the department's list (so I'm likely to get an offer of admission)? So many ways to obsess about it!

Here's what it said: Dear Gates Cambridge applicant, Thank you for your interest in the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. I am now writing to inform you that unfortunately you have not been selected for interview and therefore will not be made an award. We appreciate this is disappointing news but our scholarship is extremely competitive and, with the high quality of applications received, our shortlisting committees had to make some difficult decisions. We regret that the Trust is not able to provide individual feedback on applications. This decision applies only to your application for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. If you have applied for any other Cambridge awards, such as those offered by the Cambridge Trust ( https://www.cambridgetrust.org/ ), your application will be considered separately and they may be in touch in the coming months. Wishing you every success for your future plans,

How funny--I was just thinking about the scholarship this morning because I could not remember the timeline for notification. When I saw that it was late December (I had been thinking it was early January), I searched for this thread on Grad Cafe, and saw that all invitations had been sent. When I went back to email just to make sure I hadn't missed anything, there was a brand new email telling me I had NOT been selected. Very weird coincidence! My application for admission is still showing that it is under review.