Edugy

@s2094 First or all, congrats! A major factor for me was living in NYC since I wanted to work there even if I had gone to Penn. The Columbia network goes really far in NYC, the last couple jobs I got were from knowing people at Columbia at the respective companies. I really enjoyed my time at TC, got involved with a lot of other Columbia clubs and really got to utilize the network in a beneficial way. It was also nice being able to hop on the subway and escape grad school life for short bits of time. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about TC! 

@kaili the internship is up to you. I personally didn't want an internship as part of my curriculum but some people do. I finished the program in 2 semesters but that is pretty uncommon, 3 semesters or 4 semesters with either a summer or fall internship the 2nd year is much more common. EdM in my mind is either something you want because you want to take the extra courses or want to do the EdD. In my opinion, there's not any additional benefits from the MA to the EdM.
 
@s2094 I liked our program cohort. There were lots of people from varied backgrounds and it was very demographically diverse. I also really enjoyed interacting with students from other programs at TC. My main complaint with the program is that there wasn't a lot of flexibility in electives. I believe Penn is somewhat similar in that sense but TIE at HGSE allowed a lot more freedom. Taking classes outside of TC at other Columbia schools also requires some work. I was able to take a class at Columbia Business School but I had to go back and forth with TC admin a few times to do so.
 
I thought the coursework was very beneficial for getting a job as an instructional designer. I only had one class in grad school that had traditional tests, and that was an elective in another department. Everything within MSTU was project or paper based so I had a lot to show and discuss for job interviews with basically very little required preparation. Again going back to network, the program feeds into companies that have L&D teams and bigger education organizations, especially in NYC. I was interested in working at a edtech startup as an instructional designer and got a job offer a couple of months after I finished the program. I can't speak about career services since I never reached out to them. 
Please let me know if you guys have any more questions. Also happy to hop on a call and discuss. 

@kaili the internship is up to you. I personally didn't want an internship as part of my curriculum but some people do. I finished the program in 2 semesters but that is pretty uncommon, 3 semesters or 4 semesters with either a summer or fall internship the 2nd year is much more common. EdM in my mind is either something you want because you want to take the extra courses or want to do the EdD. In my opinion, there's not any additional benefits from the MA to the EdM.
 
@s2094 I liked our program cohort. There were lots of people from varied backgrounds and it was very demographically diverse. I also really enjoyed interacting with students from other programs at TC. My main complaint with the program is that there wasn't a lot of flexibility in electives. I believe Penn is somewhat similar in that sense but TIE at HGSE allowed a lot more freedom. Taking classes outside of TC at other Columbia schools also requires some work. I was able to take a class at Columbia Business School but I had to go back and forth with TC admin a few times to do so.
 
I thought the coursework was very beneficial for getting a job as an instructional designer. I only had one class in grad school that had traditional tests, and that was an elective in another department. Everything within MSTU was project or paper based so I had a lot to show and discuss for job interviews with basically very little required preparation. Again going back to network, the program feeds into companies that have L&D teams and bigger education organizations, especially in NYC. I was interested in working at a edtech startup as an instructional designer and got a job offer a couple of months after I finished the program. I can't speak about career services since I never reached out to them. 
Please let me know if you guys have any more questions. Also happy to hop on a call and discuss. 

The Ed.M is probably around 30-50% depending on the program. The Ed.D is in the single digits, and the Ed.L.D is one of the most difficult programs to get into, with the acceptance rate being less than 1% if I remember correctly.

I think that they (admissions) clearly state that there's no master's-doctorate pathway because of the numbers. If you have 800-ish master's students and 30 doc students, giving new master's admits the impression that the PhD is a likely next step isn't fair, accurate, or in anyone's best interest. I think their message is, " come here for your master's if you truly want a master's, not just as an intermediate step toward the doctorate". I can imagine that if you came to HGSE for a master's, applied for the PhD while you were here and were denied admission , you'd find out during your spring quarter and there's a potential that you'd end your year bitter about getting rejected.
The bit about doing master's/doctorate at different schools: If you look at the top-5 ed school graduate programs and you ask all the deans, " what makes this program unique?", they'll all have an answer. Each school has a different identity.  Exposure to more than one of these schools can give you a broader perspective of the top of the field, and I think that's helpful. On the other hand, I know of a person in my HGSE cohort who did their undergrad, master's, and PhD at Harvard  and one of my TAs who did their master's and PhD at HGSE. They might feel differently. Mostly personal preference!

Hi Everyone!
I'm a recent HGSE graduate and writer for a graduate admission tips/advice blog called The Evolved Graduate ( evolvedgrad.com ). On the blog, I draw heavily on my experience at HGSE, and I hope that it's helpful to you as you make your way through the application process. I thought I'd get the ball rolling here for 2021 applicants. The HGSE 2020 thread has a longer life this season because of the second around of admissions, but I can imagine that 2021 applicants will soon arrive in larger numbers. I really enjoyed my time at HGSE, learned many lessons ( some on time, some too late!) and I'm glad to be a resource to any of you who'd like some perspective from former student. If there''s any graduate admission topics that you'd like covered in the blog please let me know. Additionally, I'm still in a facebook group with my HGSE class, so any questions that I can't answer, I could share with that larger group. Best of luck!

Hey, everyone! I was hoping to apply the last couple of years, but I got caught up in work and some family issues and couldn't get my materials ready in time. I'd love any feedback on my stats or background! 

Applying for PhD 
Program/Concentration: HDLT
GRE Score: V 620, Q 790, AWA: 4.5 (Took the GRE in 2010 with the old scoring system, so I have to retake it)
GPA: 3.25 undergrad(last 2 years – 3.8) / 4.00 grad
Work Experience: 1 year at an edtech company as an instructional designer, 3 years founding and running an AI healthtech company(company was acquired), .5 year working at an edtech Startup Accelerator, currently working at an education non-profit
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): top 15 US Public University / Columbia(TC, M.A. in Instructional Technology)
Research Experience: 3 years in 3 different labs for undergrad(2 cognitive psych, 1 social psych), 2 years at 3 different labs at Stanford(3 cognitive psych), 1 year in 2 different labs at TC(1 human development and 1 educational games), 1 poster presentation in a different field(computer science/AI).
LoR/SoP: 2 from professors I did research with, 1 from my current boss. SoP focused on both teaching technical/coding skills, and using AI for generative educational software
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: TC, Penn, Stanford, NYU, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge
HGSE rejected me in 2013 when I applied for my masters(got into both Penn and TC with scholarships). Hoping I'm a stronger applicant this time around, but I still need to study and take my GREs(I've been out of the standardized test game for a while so I'm a bit concerned). I'd be more than happy to tell anyone else that's also applying to TC things about programs/student life there.

Best of luck!

School: Stanford University
Concentration: Cognition
Type: PhD
Notified by: Email
 
still can't believe it

Excited to move to NYC (Columbia Psych)

Hi everyone, I'm the original poster. I was deciding whether to attend HGSE in spring 2011. I ultimately decided to attend HGSE (HDP...I requested a switch due to the more flexible requirements) over Stanford (POLS), Penn, and Columbia and graduated in 2012. I just want to say that I can't even imagine my life if I had turned HGSE down. It would have been the biggest mistake of my life!
 
I came to HGSE straight from undergrad with no full-time work experience...BUT fast forward to 2014, I've founded my own education-related (and HDP-related) company in Boston and am on-track to making hundreds of thousands per year in profit (and millions in revenue). I'm happy to report that I've paid back my loans 100% as of 2013. This was a most unexpected outcome but the HGSE name truly has opened doors for me. If anything, being at HGSE gave me an unexpected extra boost of confidence to challenge myself and transform my ideas into reality. The HGSE credential is also very useful when it comes to getting $,$$$,$$$ investment from angel investors and VCs. If you get in and are pepared to challenge yourself, DO IT!!!!!! Best decision of my life.

This post so inaccurate that rumors of its existence have actually started flitting around the Ed school. Good work OP, you've made yourself legendarily ill-informed and bitter. 
I am a current PhD student. Three members of my 27 person cohort (I think we are 27...could be 26 or 28...) got a masters at HGSE. I can assure you that they are not here because they 'forked over 60k to Harvard.' They are here because they are fantastic students and researchers. I don't have numbers for how many of us have a masters degree in general, but I know a lot of us don't, myself included. Certainly not 90% of us. 
This is a damaging rumor to start because it could disincentivize people who are excellent candidates from applying to the program. So, to the applicants following this forum thinking about applying next year: yes, the odds are slim and there is a lot of luck involved in the acceptance process. However, if you are a strong student and researcher, you've got as good of a shot as anyone. 

Got an acceptance on 22nd Feb, with the Opera of the future group.
Had few portfolio visits in the last week of January followed by a Skype interview with the PI in the first week of Feb. It seems like the selection process is completely unique to each group and PI, which might make it frustrating for applicants in the dark. For future applicants, I think connecting on an individual level with the PI or the senior PhD students of the group, much before the application process, helps a lot (Atleast to get an idea of the upcoming projects and what the PI might be looking for; or if they are keen on taking students at all).
My congratulations to others accepted, crossing all the fingers and toes i have, for those on the waitlist. For those that did not get in this time, keep working on your inspiring projects, making an impact in your community, read your 'statement of purpose' again. That "purpose" is still within you and there are so many ways you can keep at it. I look forward to crossing paths with all of you!

Just a note from a 16-17 HGSE alum:
I know for a fact that not all of my peers had top-tier GRE scores.
I know for a fact that not all my peers went to top-tier universities prior to studying at HGSE.
I looked at this forum when I was applying, and I got so worked up comparing GPA and GRE all of the things that everyone shares.
What I realize now is that it's more the things that people do NOT share that matter.
Once we got on campus, a few of us shared our statements of purpose, and the ones that I saw were all absolutely wonderful. As you see from this forum, there are many people with 80th and 90th percentile test scores and high GPAs. If you return to this forum after acceptance letters go out, you'll (usually) see a few people who sounded like ideal candidates not get in. Personally, I attribute that to the LOR and the SOP. If any of you have questions, shoot me a message.
 

Graduated with a masters and doctorate from TC, diplomas are conferred by Columbia University.

Having a degree from Teacher's College IS (emphasis added) the same as a degree from Columbia University, even though it has a separate board of trustees, endowment, dean(president) than Columbia. TC is viewed as the graduate school of education at Columbia. Acceptance rates aren't a determiner of whether a school is part of a university. HGSE has higher acceptance rate compared to other schools at Harvard, that doesn't make it any less a part of Harvard University.

Hi all.
As you all go about your applications, I thought I'd write with a recent cautionary tale from the other side of the table. This forum was a great help to me as I went through my grad school application process and hope that I can contribute to the knowledge here.
As a relatively new faculty member I am still excited to get grad applications--I start looking at them right away. I recently looked at one that listed areas of research interest that align with what I do, but did not list faculty members of interest. I wrote the applicant to ask for elaboration. I did not sign the email other than with my signature line which specifies my full name and my degrees (including PhD).
He wrote back promptly (which is good), but addressed me by my first name only (not Dr. Me) and said that he wanted to work with "Dr. Other Person" (male), because of his work (that is similar to mine).
This signals to me a few things: 1.) there are possible sexism issues, 2.) the student did not really read my web page or work, 3.) there are likely respect issues.
This was an otherwise fairly strong candidate that I was potentially interested in. No more. Perhaps he will still end up with Dr. Other Person, and it will be fine, but it is a small program, and it is always good to cultivate multiple mentoring relationships.
Perhaps those of you who are in the stage of applying and communicating with potential mentors can learn from this.

Hey, guys! Took my GRE today and saw my dream of going to HGSE go down the drain. My scores are below any GSE average. Given my subpar GPA, my chances are not looking so good. I am still going to apply though. I hope you guys all did well! 

I've been pretty busy with work and haven't gotten the opportunity to do nearly enough GRE prep, taking it next week so I can meet the deadline. I'm definitely not going to have enough time to focus on verbal, I'll just be going over some AW structures and some Math. In the meantime, I've been working on cranking out a general SOP to give to my recommenders so they have an idea of what I want to focus on, feel more rushed than I had initially anticipated.

@imagicalI'll be joining the virtual event tomorrow.

Hello, everyone!    I am a devout gradcafe lurker, who has finally decided to apply to HGSE!    I have attended two HGSE Diversity Recruitment evengs, and have talked to dozens of HGSE alumni, and I would like to share with you some of the info that I have collected over the years:    - H is not "a perfect place but it is a special place" - Mohan Boodram, Assoc.Dean of Enrollment & Student Services
  - "H doesn't have outliners here. H has a home for everyone" - M. Boodram   - Goal of HGSE Admissions office: fit is paramount. We want to make sure that you are at the right place   - "Warmth of the community and authenticity of the people" -- Julia Deland  -"Power of peer learning experience" -- Julia Deland   - HGSE professors are easily accessible to students even before you enroll into their class. They want to make sure that their classes fit your interests   -You can cross register at MIT & Tufts   - Statement of purpose is VERY different from personal essay.   Statement of Purpose is about your professional achievements & what you have done with your life & why you want to go to HGSE, and NOT about intimate/personal story    - Go through 460 pages of HGSE course offerings to decide on which to take. It will blow your mind.   - Your A.W. score is very important as most of the HGSE courses are writing intensive.   - Get in touch with a student ambassador from your program. They give info on things that can't be found anywhere online.    - Explore what you can do during J-Term (if you are planning on taking it).    - Explore things that are unique to HGSE (J term, class with Sesame Street producers, class with Project Zero creators, for example).   - Start your essay ASAP because most of the programs require lengthy, detailed answers. Essay for PSP, for example, is up to 1500 words.    - Attend webinars. You get answers to questions you haven't even thought about it.    - Sign up for HGSE Twitter and Facebook accounts to be updated on what the school is doing.   - Message the alumni of the program you are applying to. They are super helpful.    - There is actually no cut off GRE score or GPA.             

Hi all! Having been a long-time lurker on the HGSE 2016 and 2017 threads, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and apply  deciding to post in here suddenly makes this very real...
Program/Concentration: PhD HDLT
GRE Score: Taking in October
GPA: 3.65 undergrad / 3.8 grad currently (waiting on my MSc thesis results!!!) - based on an online converter as my degrees were both in the UK
Work Experience: A few months as a Key Worker in a school, 2 internships at educational charities/social enterprises
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Top 3 UK universities
Research Experience: Not much - only my MSc thesis, and currently I'm working as a Research Assistant for my Master's supervisor
LoR/SoP: 1 from undergrad, 1 from my MSc Education course convenor, and 1 from my MSc thesis supervisor, SoP still a work in progress but will talk about my own educational journey, why I'm passionate about education and addressing educational disadvantage, and my research interests
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Not sure yet - HGSE just seems such a perfect fit, but I am also looking at Columbia, UPenn, maybe NYU?
@Edugy thanks for starting the thread, and if you want any info about Oxford let me know - I've just finished my Master's there!

Great question, my statement of purpose could have definitely been better. I think the more time that passes, the (hopefully) less important my freshman and sophomore GPA becomes.

Hola! I guess this is my first public declaration of intent to apply!
Thank you for starting the thread @Edugy! I am very hopeful that you get in this time around!
Program/Concentration: Ed.L.D.
GRE Score: Will be taking in October. Took the GMAT years ago. I think I will do average or possibly slightly better on the GRE.
GPA: 3.3 undergrad / 3.3 grad
Work Experience: Entrepreneur since the age of 16, 2 years in private sector, 1 year non-profit, 6 years teaching
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Mid-sized Private University, Nationally Ranked Research School for BSED & MBA 
Research Experience: n/a for the program I am applying for. However, I have done 2 years of educational equity research, 4 years of school culture research.
LoR/SoP: 1 wild card (don't want to say here because I think it ~could be a unique approach but...lol, who knows), 1 from MBA program director who can speak to my special circumstances in both undergrad and grad school, 1 from either Superintendent of my district or Deputy Superintendent whom I have developed a program with. SoP...not done yet. Been carrying around a notebook and jotting down ideas for the past few weeks. Will speak to my passion for equity in education, my previous success in driving system-level change and how I would like to effect change moving forward.
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: None. This is the only school/program I am interested in at this point. It's the perfect intersection of my passions.
Hope that others chime in!

@Edugy What do you think prevented you from gaining admission in 2013? I am a bit worried about my GPA. It is similar to yours. 
 

What are the credentials that most people have in that field?  Research that, if you haven't already.  In most cases, it's probably just the MA in higher ed.  If so, I'd just go with that.  You don't realize it now, but the cost of two grad degrees can be crippling!  Like the previous poster said, if you're looking towards the biz side of things, take a hard look at Stanford...or Harvard or TC (schools in areas with a strong business ecosystem).  That way, in your MA or EdM, you can take full advantage of business electives, business talks and hob-knobbing with new friends/colleagues at the b-school (a decent number of b-school kids are interested in applying their skills to the education field).  
If I were you, that would be my path.  Also, take a hard, long look at the ed electives themselves.  Some of them can get surprisingly "business-like".  That compounded with a few electives at a b-school and a good internship, might be all you need.