ferd

have you looked at george mason?

This may not be your cup of tea, but I'd also encourage looking at non-traditional schools. A place like Phoenix/Capella/Walden. I worked at a place like that. It was NOT the right institutional fit for me, but career wise it was fantastic. The IR department was involved in some pretty advanced analytics, they are generally open to people from outside education, and it can open some doors. I had the opportunity to switch from there to a community college setting, a better fit, but only after I got the experience. Obviously your mileage may vary and there could be some stigma to this path. Good luck!

My scores are similar. I actually took the GRE 3 years ago, before the scale change, and got a 770 in quant and a 680 in English. My report from back then indicated this as the 87th and 94th percentile or something. Anyway, when I ordered scores from ETS, they converted those scores to the new scale. Converted, my scores were 161 quant, 165 English, and 5.5 AW. This was the 81st/95th/97th percentile, so my quant score looks weaker now...oh well. I did major in econ and have worked as an analyst, so I'm hoping that helps on the quant side.

I applied to MIchigan as well! Public Policy in Postsecondary ed program. I guess I don't share your optimism - I think they'll take their sweet time getting back to us!

Another way to help your app - get involved in the higher ed community. Try to get your school/department to fund a conference or two - AIR (association for institutional research) has a really cheap student rate, AERA does too I think. Basically collect evidence of your interest and commitment. Also take quantitative methods courses - at a minimum statistics class or two, econometrics would be ideal. Much of the research in higher ed is fairly sophisticated in terms of methods.

I'd skip it. Objective will be clear from her SOP - why waste space on resume?

I would definitely encourage you to get a job in university admin first if you are able to. For example, I got a job in institutional research years ago just based on statistics skills. Get a flavor for what this type of work is, and explore a part-time Master's paid for by employer. Definitely minimize debt while pursuing the Master's, especially if you think a doctoral degree would come later.

I applied to this program as well! I have to say I don't know what they are looking for exactly, though I think that the profile of the faculty and current candidates is more focused on the social policy aspect and less so on the cognitive/psych-y side. Many of their grads go on to work in research (e.g., at Mathematica), so I am hoping the lab experience is not that important given my profile and goals. Here's a link to current student profiles: http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/common/people/students/hdsp/ and some admission stats: http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/documents/Program%20Statistics%20Files/program-stats-files-2012-2013/H25PH_adm_enr.pdf

I think the quantitative score will be tough - do you have a list of programs you applied to? Chances are they all emphasize empirical work and quantitative techniques. What's motivating your search for a PhD in social policy?

Hi all, starting a thread similar to others but with a policy focus, haven't seen any of those posted recently. I just applied to 5 varied PhD programs with the goal of studying higher ed policy, focusing mostly on higher ed accountability systems and financial aid polices. So I ended up applying to a mix of HE and public policy PhDs: Northwestern Social Policy and Human Dev Duke Public Policy (great economists working on education here) UMichigan HIgher Ed Policy UW Madison ELPA program George Washington U Public Policy I am curious to hear from current students about their experiences in these programs, or from folks in other programs I may have totally missed! Though for family reasons I was geographically constrained. I'm of course also nervous about chances of admission. My undergrad GPA is 3.61 with a degree in economics, 3.96 GPA in grad school with a Master's in Econ, GRE is 161 Math, 165 English, and 5.5 AW. I have a lot of experience (8 years, 1 in consutling, 5 in higher ed, 1 in K-12 ed) and research, and think my LORs and SOP are good, though I'm sure most people feel theirs are good! The waiting game sucks, especially with a whole family to potentially move. I'm pretty sure I have no chance at Northwestern or at Duke, but am hoping! Good luck to everyone!