dfree86

So do you know if you had an interview because you were one of the people they put on a final list? Which program did you specify? I wonder if we'd be eligible for one of the programs we didn't specify if we get passed over by our preference.

When I called my Dept. a couple of weeks ago they said even they hadn't been told for certain, but that it looked like the Zankel folks wouldn't decide before mid-May. Not Gospel - just what I heard.

When I called my Dept. a couple of weeks ago they said even they hadn't been told for certain, but that it looked like the Zankel folks wouldn't decide before mid-May. Not Gospel - just what I heard.

Yeah, I'm already certified and have taught for 2 years, so I don't need the initial certification. TC seems super English-focused and also hugely literary. Those genre-specific courses make all the difference to me, I think. I want to dive in to Literature and Teaching for a year and I think TC is the place to do it. Still visiting Harvard on Friday and I know it's going to woo me - but we'll see! They also came through with a major squadoosh on the funding, so it would probably be much more difficult. You're right, though - still a good decision to have to make. Luck!

Can I ask which program you'd be doing at HGSE? Do they even have an English Education certification program? I just had a delightful phone conversation with one of the Professors at TC. Are there any specific English Ed. courses at HGSE? Or just English courses (in the schools of Arts & Sciences)? I too have a scholarship from BU sweetening the pot, but that's where I did my undergrad - so I'm less inclined to return. Still - the money!

Thanks again, Jesbriwell. I've just returned from visiting NYU and TC and really loved them both. TC looked pretty unbelievable, so we'll see. I'm heading to Harvard on Friday - meeting with the program coordinator and hopefully a student. Looks like I'm not the only one in the TC/HGSE boat. Any other input before I head off? Still waiting on money!

Hi Erin, I am (curiously) in almost the exact same position as you. I've been teaching English at an all-boys private school in the UK for 2 years and I'm returning to do an MA in English Ed. I'm already certified to teach in Mass, so I'm doing an MA rather than an MAT. I also still have NYU Steinhardt in the mix, which has a fine English Ed. program of its own. I just got back from a visit to NYC and LOVED Columbia. TC is like Education Mecca - it's both beautiful and quirky, and seemingly populated by hugely invested and interesting people. NYU was great as well, though a school of a slightly different character. The crucial thing (because I'm not doing an MAT) is that both of these programs are really English-content heavy, unlike HGSE. They are programs designed for classroom English teachers, and are places to talk both ABOUT literature and ABOUT TEACHING literature. I really like that idea. I'm struggling with the same questions regarding HGSE - it's a hugely powerful name in and out of the education world and that means something. I'm not sure, for me, it means as much as being in a program that has what I want - but in what world is it easy to turn down Harvard? The program I've been accepted to there is in 'Learning and Teaching.' It's not English-specific but rather more general, though I could get my English fix by cross-registering the college of Arts and Sciences. I just got a 2/3 tuition scholarship from BU in the mail today and that's really attractive, but it's probably my 4th choice out of 4. BU is a fantastic place, but it's where I did my Undergrad and I think I'm looking for something new. I'm considering ways to use the BU offer as a positive bargaining chip for these other schools, though that's probably a futile effort. Still waiting on funding information from all of the other schools - I just hope they make it feasible for me to attend. Send me a message if you want to discuss this further. I too look forward to hearing public opinions on these schools.

That's a really interesting (and useful) perspective, Jesbriwell. Thanks for it. I'm coming up to visit Harvard at the end of next week (as well as TC and NYU at the end of this week). I'm going to talk to a current student and Irene Pak (program coordinator). Maybe talk to a professor too. Anything I should know about coming to visit? Or anything you'd recommend? I really do want to find the program that's best for me and I appreciate the info. The TC program looks more suited to my classroom teaching on paper (content-wise, anyway), but I now know that the L&T program at HGSE allows for 3 electives - all of which I could take in English Lit classes if I wanted. Maybe I'll try to sit in on a class so I can get a sense at both places of the dynamic you're talking about. Cheers, dfree86

Dear All, I don't aim to be insensitive whilst people are still waiting to hear back from these schools, but I wanted to genuninely appeal for info and thoughts about these programs. I know too little about these schools, especially relative to one another, and I was hoping the community might be able offer some insights. The programs I have been accepted to are: Harvard - Learning & Teaching (MA) TC - Teaching of English - Professional Cert. (MA) NYU - English Education - Professional Cert. (MA) Here’s what I’m thinking: TC is probably the best choice for my future classroom teaching. I have been teaching English Lit overseas for 2 years and have completely loved it. The TC program thus looks really wonderful - sitting in rooms talking with other teachers and professionals about how we teach English. They even have specific courses to this end (Teaching Poetry, Teaching Shakespeare, etc.) NYU is a version of that program, but with (as near as I can tell) fewer practical courses. The Harvard program meanwhile, while not English, is hugely attractive because of name and reputation. For instance, if I decide I don’t want to classroom teach forever – and I want to go into policy or change fields or apply for a pHD – having Harvard on my record is about as much “name” clout as I could get ask for. Of the three, does Harvard not carry the most credit both in and out of the Education world? Add to that incredible intellectual community and it's a hard thing to pass up. My 18-year-old self could never imagine turning down a Harvard admission of any kind, but I do have some other considerations now. I therefore see my chief dilemma as one of practical (near-future) application VS. name/reputation/long-term benefit. It's one of English-specialty versus general ed. application. I fear that funding offers may end up playing a huge role in what I actually decide, but in the meantime I'm open to any and all thoughts from the kind public on these schools. Many thanks.

Congrats, HigherEdGuy! Very glad to hear it worked out for you. Now about that nifty acommodation situation you mentioned before... ; )

Hi Leelabee, I've just been admitted to the 2010 L&T Cohort and I'm pretty excited about it. I haven't had any funding offers yet and they may well make my decision for me, but I am considering a couple of other factors. Chief amongst them is this: I'm an English specialist and an English teacher at the moment, and the L&T program (so far as I can tell) doesn't allow for any subject specialization. I think one of the other programs would be better if I remain a classroom English teacher for a while, but there is no denying the Harvard name and the weight it carries both in an out of the Education world. What has been your experience of L&T without focusing on a particular content area? I also have offers from Columbia and NYU and both of those programs are English Education specific. In particular, the Columbia MA has a fantastic course selection for English teaching. I'm also curious about the statistics for admission, but I imagine they'll come out later in the year. Can you speak to any of these points?

'Tis true. I've just been offered a place in the Learning and Teaching program for 2010-2011. Yipes! Luck to all.

Dunno. I applied L&T at Harvard. How could they determine who can access from where, based on acceptance? And why would they go so far as to do it? We're clearly all stewing...

I really wouldn't read too much into this, especially some people (it seems) can still access as normal. I suspect it's just a normal update thing. It would be a weird of byproduct of the decisions being made. One week to go sounds about right. (He said, with absolutely no evidence to back it up).

Looks like it's been "greyed out" and rendered unclickable on the website. I'd say either a change to application status is afoot, they were sick of all unnecessary web traffic coming in, or it's an automatic change now that all of the application deadlines have passed. It's fun to read into things, isn't it?