chigirl2014

I went to northwestern for undergrad and took a couple classes in the MFT program. First, the classes and professors are really great. I'm not interested in this area at all, but I still learned a lot and found them to be incredibly interesting. Second, the rent in Chicago/Evanston is not necessarily cheaper than NYC. Yes you might get a nicer space for your money, but a studio in a good apartment building near campus is still going to cost at least $1200 per month. Just something to think about. As someone who has gone to northwestern I do think the reputation is worth the money. I've seen how going there has REALLY helped in my own job/educational pursuits. But that's just my personal opinion.

I did my undergrad at Evanston. I think someone above mentioned a SEVERE SHORTAGE of housing and this is definitely accurate. My friends and I applied for a (very nice) apartment in Evanston at thanksgiving and did not hear back until the following June to sign the lease for that September. I would say to get on finding a place as soon as you know that you are going there. If you are willing to start your lease in July or August (since school starts in September) some landlords are willing to work with you to find something quicker or make your rent cheaper. Also, to everyone else about safety: do not live west of dodge in Evanston. My uncle is a cop there and this is where he always drew the line of safe and unsafe for me. And do not live in Rogers Park. It's not fun and not worth it.

Hey SoCalGuy, I don't think many people have made their finals decisions yet. Which would explain the lack of replies. That being said: Masters Gpa: 3.6 (top 15 university) Stats: 162V/159Q/4.5W Background: straight out of undergrad Applied: Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Boston College Rejected: n/a Going: Vanderbilt

I have a LOT of friends who have gone into the TFA program over the past three years. Out of the 20-30 people I know who have entered, only 3-5 are actually interested in becoming teachers. The rest are using is at a stepping stone to law school, business school, or as a way to delay "getting a real job." (Although the program is very hard so I'm not sure why they took this as an "easy" path). I also know 3 people who have dropped out of the program between the first and second years. Just thought I would offer this perspective. If you are really interested in being a teacher, I would not recommend the TFA pathway.

Just to clarify, what you're saying is basically that you don't think you're good enough to get in, but now that you've gotten in you are too good to go there? Ummm what kind of logic is this?

I went to Northwestern undergrad and everyone there hates it when people and especially sports channels abbreviate it "NW" or "NWU." Northwestern is one word. ONE WORD. The abbreviation is NU: Northwestern University.

Go with vanderbilt. You are clearly so much more excited just writing about it here. And in every category you listed vandy's "pros" versus the others' "cons". It seems like you know what you want to do. Also it's not as if you are talking about Harvard or Stanford versus some unknown school. Don't forget that vanderbilt is a "name" as well. Plus, as a school of education vanderbilt has the best reputation and ranking of the three. Hope this helps.

Check out the vanderbilt vs harvard post. I just wrote about my answer to this there.

I think it's going to be pretty impossible for me to get off work. Plus, I used to live in Boston so it's not really necessary for me to go.

I'm HEAVILY leaning towards Vanderbilt. Here are the reasons why: 1) as someone directly out of undergrad I think the two year program is better because it will give me the chance to get the experience I need. If I already had a career in this field and simply wanted to get a degree to advance my career then a one year would be better... but I'm not. 2) Vanderbilt has an entire ten building campus for it's school of education. While Harvard's is limited to "a few buildings." The amount of funding and energy the school puts into their program says a lot. 3) Vanderbilt is invested in ME. They want to help with my resume, my interview skills, they want to put the effort into getting me a job and know where I am 5, 10, 15 years down the road (and most of this starts before I even get there). With both schools at 95%+ job placement within 3 months of graduation... I think I'm fine career-wise going to either. 4) Vanderbilt's school of education is ranked number one in the country. They have this reputation for a reason, and more than anything going to grad school is about learning and developing skills for the future. I think I will learn more at Vandy. 5) The chances of me getting hired at Vanderbilt out of a GA/Internship when I graduate are greater than the chances of getting hired at Harvard 6) Nashville > Boston for me 7) Finally, I've realized that going to a school just for the name is not a good enough reason to go there unless you are also absolutely in love with it. I don't want to regret missing out on a school I really love for the name somewhere else. (And let's not forget that Vanderbilt is also a "name" school)

Just got my decision email

Thanks everyone for all of the input so far. I really appreciate it and welcome any more advice that people might have. I think that the biggest factors in making this decision are the things that the schools won't give me a straight answer on. I know that both have job placement rates around 95% after three months of graduating. But does this mean 95% get their first choice job or are even placed at a job within their desired field?... who knows because it isn't info that they are giving out. Also, would the internship I might do be in Vanderbilt/Harvard's admissions office or in a random school in the area? Also something I don't know because their are no promises or guarantees. For now I guess I will just eat some sour candy and watch ghost hunters until Harvard decides to grace us humans with their admissions decisions.

I went to Brandeis for the first year of my undergrad. I'm from Chicago and ended up transferring and doing the last three years at Northwestern. I would say if you are used to living in a city and that's what you want then Boston is great but Brandeis is not. In my whole year there I maybe went to the city half a dozen times. Even though the school has a train stop and shuttles, they are unreliable at best. And trust me... You do not want to get stuck in Waltham at night. I once found myself stuck there for hours when I went to pick up a prescription from Walgreens. If you want more info feel free to pm me.

I called HGSE this morning to ask when their visit days will be because I have to let my work know if I potentially need any days off in the next six weeks. The person that answered was not very nice and didn't not want to help me/look up the information. When I asked if there was someone else I could talk to that might know she put me on hold to "ask a collegue." When she came back she told me that she could not tell me the dates and it would be sometime in April. :/

I went to Brandeis for a year and then transferred to another school. I would say to make sure that you have your own transportation (the school is in the middle of nowhere and the public transportation sucks... Even getting to the grocery store is a huge hassle). Also, if you aren't a democrat/liberal you may have a problem getting along with the people. Finally, Judaism is a huge part of campus life. HUGE. Just some things to consider.

Thanks for that Birdy-Bear. I really do agree with everything you said. I have a lot of hesitations about Harvard from the program to going back to Boston (I lived there for a year and hated it). It's funny because I feel like I'm coming off as an elitist who only wants a school for the name--when that so is not me. I could honestly care less about that. And my parents aren't pushing harvard because it's harvard (my dad went to Princeton so he actually hates harvard). I think they genuinely feel that choosing harvard will be better for me career-wise. Because that's the case and I know they feel that way is the reason this gives me so much stress.

I know that ultimately this will be my choice. But my parents are funding it. And I do respect their opinions when they say that Harvard on a résumé is something that very few people have. I don't know....

HigherEd, after that visit I would honestly say yes to vanderbilt in an instant. The program seems amazing, I love that there is a whole campus for Peabody (unlike other schools with only one building), and the people were so nice. Also the fact that they have a 95% job placement rate after 3 months makes the networking at Harvard less of an issue because vandy seems to have great networking at well! However... My parents are telling me not to make any decisions until I hear from Harvard and that it's impossible to turn down Harvard. As much as I love vanderbilt, I don't think they will let me go to Nashville if I get into Harvard. I am so stressed now and don't know what to do if this happens. Is it bad that I want harvard to reject me so this decision is easier?

Haha seems likely TinOhSu if we both end up visiting Vanderbilt and Harvard!

Thanks for that information! Guess I just have to wait and see if I get in and then stress some more about what to do...

Cost isn't really an issue. Although Vanderbilt gave me a good amount of money as a "dean's scholarship." I haven't heard from Harvard so I don't know about that yet.

Yes, I'll be at Vanderbilt's visit days. I'm thinking a lot of how I feel will come down to what they have to say about their internship program and the percent of people with jobs after 3 months out of the program. (Because I know Harvard is like 99% and Northwestern is 90%). If I get into Harvard I'll go to those visit days as well. It looks like we are in the exact same position. So stressful. I'm bad at making these big decisions. As least there is no bad choice here.

Okay, so I have really been struggling to decided what I will do if this happens. Vanderbilt has been my number one for a while, but I applied to Harvard on a whim and it looks like I will probably get in. For me, its basically the program at Vanderbilt versus the networking at Harvard. I just graduated college and have not had any jobs in higher ed. Vanderbilt's program (ranked #4) is two years, will give me a built in internship, and teach me how to do the jobs I am interested in. Harvard's program (ranked #10) is only one year, does not have a built in internship, but has great networking and they will help you get a job when you graduate. Also... it's Harvard. In addition, I know that in Boston there are more schools that I could work at so the networking might serve me better. But, I know for a fact that I do not want to live or work in Boston (aside from the year I might spend at Harvard). Ideally, I would want to work at a school more in the midwest or south or basically anywhere outside of Massachusetts (already lived there for a year... did not like it at all). Help me!

I applied to interview for a graduate assistantship over the visit weekend but haven't heard anything. The initial email said we would be notified by today. I felt my cover letter and resume were REALLY strong for the position I applied for and am very surprised I've heard nothing. Have other people heard? Should I assume I didn't get the interview?