confusedkate

You shouldn't leave school because of anyone else. Grad school is never going to be the same as undergrad or high school, but it will get better and you'll meet great people. Also the things and people you miss probably won't be the same if you do go home. People and relationships change when college ends. Lots of the friends you have will move in the next couple of years and the way that you remember things is not how they will be if you move home. I thought I would be friends with my sorority sisters forever and wanted to live near them, but a year later (even though 90% of us live within an hour) the group has kinda fallen apart and the relationships I have with each person are very different. Don't leave school especially when you like the program so much!!

At first my SO and I were seeing each other every 3 weeks or so. But due to time/our schedules and the cost of flights it's dropped down to a more manageable schedule of every 6 weeks. (The every three weeks lasted about six months). I'm not sure if it's going to work out between us for much longer once school starts up again and we are both incredibly busy. I'm not sure if this insight helps or not. Good luck.

I'm not sure of any masters programs that have graduate student centric coursework. However, a lot of programs have internships/assistantships in this area. I would suggest looking at what opportunities each school has in terms of working with the types of students you are interested in, or if any former students have been placed in these areas. I know a lot of schools offer (or require) internships/assistantships in graduate admissions, graduate student affairs, advising for schools of continuing studies, etc.

Not to sound rude, but I don't think you're getting answers because 1) you aren't very clear/certain about what path you want and 2) most of this is stuff you can google yourself. In fact, it will definitely be faster to google these schools than wait hours or days for people to respond on here. Best of luck.

You've clearly never been to Chicago. Because in my town alone there were two roads that completely crumbled from potholes after the vortex this winter. They were undrivable and closed down. Not to mention the hundreds of other potholes on the roads that haven't crumbled. And as for the tire thing--I'm a really good driver and my family has nice cars with great tires. But when you live in a place where it is literally impossible to avoid potholes you will INEVITABLY get flat tires. During college when I lived in the city I had at least 3 flats in 4 years from potholes.

I just googled it and from what I can tell the website you already posted is the one that offers the best description of schools that don't require the GRE. There's a lot of schools on there so you should probably use that list and just double check the actual school websites that you are interested in. Although studying for and taking the GRE isn't really that big of a deal and would open up your options substantially. And a lot of the programs that don't require the GRE will still take your scores and use them as a factor if you do well and want to submit them.

I don't know much about your background, but I will try to answer your questions based off what these schools are looking for. 1) I don't think getting a masters in education will do much more for you. I think you've already shown a dedication to being educated by pursuing a masters. In my opinion, getting another would mostly be a waste of money/time that could be spent heading into the education field. 2) I think you have a lot of experience, but I also think it's important to look at what these schools want in terms of experience. You are looking at the highest ranked schools in the country for this field. I applied to most of these and my experience was that a school like UPenn or Harvard (one year programs) are looking for people that have more experience and have already been in the field. On the other hand, schools like Vanderbilt are looking to take a very young population and the majority of admitted students were 0-3 years out of undergrad and had less "real world experience" but a lot of experience with higher ed/student affairs type work while in undergrad. 3) Again, you are applying to the top programs in the country. Your gpa (especially masters) seems good. But you need to be "above average" on the GRE. I would start studying and get your quant to at least average and your verbal to above average. If you look at the results page people applying to these schools/programs are usually in the 160s with one section and at least high 150s with the other. You didn't specifically say where you fall, but this is the minimum of where you should aim to be--and even then there will be a good amount of people applying with almost 170s in both categories (especially to Harvard and Stanford). Also, I only applied to masters programs, but since you want an EdD the scores may need to be higher than what I posted above. As for your references professional ones are good, but make sure that you do have at least that one academic reference and that it is a strong one. Usually these programs look more towards the academic references than the professional ones. Hope this helps. Feel free to pm me with more questions.

I disagree with Mac. As someone going into a higher ed program straight out of undergrad with no experience I got into 5/6 top schools. What Mac said about the schools without GRE requiring experience might be the case, but then apply to schools which do require it (that's what I did!). In that case focus on your GPA, study as much as possible for the GRE, have a very passionate personal statement about why this matters to you and why you want to get into this field, and get good recs. All of those things are equally as important as experience to this type of program--especially your GRE.

One of my best friends goes to Columbia for her masters. The first time she applied with a 165 on one section of the GRE she was rejected and told she needed a perfect (or only one to two points off perfect) score on that section of her GRE to get in. The second time she applied she had a 169 and was admitted. Take that as you will.

Hi HKsai, I just signed my lease at amli last week! I lived in park Evanston my senior year (I did both undergrad and am doing my grad at NU). The area around amli is safe as long as you don't go further south. My roommate and I wanted a change from downtown Evanston, which is mostly undergrad so we picked amli instead. You can PM me if you have questions.

If you google it this is what it says: "For the most part, residence isn’t simply defined as living in a particular state; often, residents need to do things like register to vote, rent/own an apartment/home, register a vehicle, pay state income tax, and work part or full time." Graduate assistantships and student employment do not count as the type of work this is talking about. And if you are an international student with a temporary visa you do not qualify for in state tuition (neither do F1 visas).

Not having money, especially in NYC is a big problem. My sister goes to NYU and my parents yell at her every month about the credit card bills and all she can say is "New York is too f****** expensive." If USC is giving you money to live comfortably while attending a great program, then go to LA.

Hi gretagarbo, I went to NU for my undergrad and am going back for my masters. To answer your question: there aren't any sites like that for northwestern students. Your best bet is just to google "apartments in Evanston" and see where they come up on a map or use a site like zillow. You can try craigslist if you want a roommate, but be careful. I would also definitely recommend staying away from Rogers Park, and if you live in Evanston DO NOT go anywhere west of "Dodge" street. My uncle is an Evanston cop and that is a VERY bad area. PM me if you need more info.

I agree with bakalamba. You made the initial decision for a reason--probably one that was very well thought out. I was obsessed with going to my #1 school, but then changed my mind because my #2 made a much better offer. I tried everything to get school #1 to come back and give something similar, but in the end they couldn't and I stuck with my decision to go to school #2. Now that I've accepted it and started looking at apartments, classes, joined the fb group, etc. I am very happy and content with the decision. In the long run you should go with the funded PHD. While money isn't everything in these decisions, the PHD vs masters is a big deal.

I ditched class so much when I was in high school that the dean and I had a deal: if I told her I wasn't showing up she would say I was with her and I wouldn't get in trouble. Just had to keep all As and Bs in my classes (which I'm naturally smart so I didn't ever study to do this). My math tutor would do my homework for me, I would write my Spanish essays in English and translate them online, and I was an assistant gym teacher so I had access to attendance and could mark myself present. Definitely not a nerd. Although, I did always know I was going to college and stepped it up once I got there. I think I was bored in high school to be honest because I thrived in an environment where I could study what I wanted to.

I told school #2 that I was going to take their offer. So now I am officially enrolled at 2 schools. And I'm kinda disappointed. I feel like my decision is the right one (to take this amazing offer), but I don't know if I can let go of the school that has been my dream for so long. I have two weeks to back out of the offer (I'd be a huge asshole if I did...but it is what it is). So for now I guess I'm just trying to see if I can get happy about my decision or if I need to go back and stick with school #1. Feeling even MORE stressed now.

It's not so much that he lied about being supportive. It's that he is much more upset/disappointed than he let on when I first mentioned that I might stay at my undergrad. And I don't really blame him... our entire relationships has been long distance and we had been continuing on with the hope that I would get into this school near him (which also happens to be the #1 school for what I want to do) and our relationship would be so much easier. We wouldn't have to only see each other once per month (max), or spend thousands of dollars each year on plane tickets, and if I wanted to see him he could just hop in the car and make the two hour drive.

Also, a small update: I have been leaning a lot towards school #2 because of the internship opportunities. However, it turns out that my boyfriend (who is near school #1) is not as supportive about me changing my mind as he initially said he would be. I knew he would be upset since we have already been doing long distance for the past year, but I didn't know I would pretty much be picking a great program with internships or a great program with no internships but saves my relationship. Any thoughts on this? I don't want to ever let a guy get in the way of my schooling, but I would be lying if I said he isn't a factor.

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. Anyone else? Decision is due tomorrow...

To answer your questions: Since I am coming straight out of undergrad and don't have any real experience in these areas, the internships/experience I will have is equally as important to me as the classes and other parts of the program. My boyfriend is near school #1 and my family is near school #2 so distractions would be pretty equal at either, but neither are on campus with me so I would have plenty of time to focus on my work. How the internships work: School #1: internships/practicum are required for 1-2 semesters of the two year program. They are unpaid but usually in an area of interest on the campus. Additionally, students tend to have assistantships throughout the program, which are paid (more like jobs on campus) and give experience to add to a resume (which is VERY important in my area). While you are guaranteed to have an internship (usually in the beginning of the second year), assistantships you have to apply for like any other job. This is where I have been having trouble getting interviews and the possibility of not having an assistantship or getting one in an area that is completely not my interest/focus is high. School #2: internships are required throughout the program to give practical experience. Usually students do one the first year and one the second year and we interviewed for them during the visit weekend. They are highly competitive, but you are guaranteed to have one. The last minute offer that I've been made is that I've been guaranteed my first or second choice (probably the second choice the first year and then the first choice the second year as I go into the job search for that area). In many cases having these internships often leads to a job offer upon graduation. And yes, it's an amazing problem to have. And I am soooo grateful. I'm just really confused and torn. I think I'll regret missing out on school #1, but I know that I will also regret not taking the internships at school #2 because I know that these amazing opportunities will not come along at school #1.

Okay, so basically I accepted my #1 program, but then my #2 school came back and gave me an amazing offer that I am not sure I can turn down. Here is some more info (sorry it's long!): -These are masters programs in education -Both schools are about the same size -Both schools have given me the same amount of funding. **I accepted the program at school #1 about three weeks ago when I had officially received all of my offers (I did not know school #2 would come back with this additional offer), and I had not thought twice about my decision until I received this other offer. School #1 -I love everything about school number one. It was my top choice the entire time because of the campus, the classes, the location, and the feeling I got when I was there. It is in a new city, but I am not afraid of moving and getting a new experience. -It has been consistently ranked #1 or 2 in the country in my area of interest (and top 5 in my specific program) -It is located in the south where I always pictured myself working/moving -I have already accepted the offer, registered for classes, etc. ***-The one problem I have encountered since accepting has been my inability to get internship interviews/offers. The program requires at least a one semester internship, but most people work on campus in other areas throughout the two years. Both areas that I am qualified for/want to work in sent out an internship opportunity and I was not chosen to even interview. My cover letter/resume are good so I can only assume they are giving preference to second years in the program and know who they want before sending out the opportunity (as they are required to do). My only hope would to be to keep applying and hopefully end up working somewhere random in the university before doing my official internship in my second year. School #2 -Is my undergrad university. The program is good, but I was excited to go somewhere new. I also think school #1 puts a lot more funding and care into their program (they have an entire mini-campus for this area of study, while school #2 only has one building for classes). -It is ranked in the top 15 for my specific program -It is near my home so I would be able to stay near my family (although my boyfriend is closer to school #2 so this is a double edged sword). My professors and friends are also excited by the idea that I would stay. -I would be fine continuing to stay at the school (obviously I went there for undergrad so I love it), but I won't get new experiences in life or on my resume... Is it bad to go to the same school for both, I don't know when it's a top ranked undergrad and grad school. -During visit weekend we interviewed for different internships because you are supposed to have one internship for the entire first year and another for the entire second year. Usually you find out after you accept what you are matched with. ***-The program director from school #2 called me a few nights ago and offered me a guaranteed internship in my #1 or #2 choice (up to me) if I go to their program. These internships are HIGHLY SELECTIVE and I know that the reason I am getting the opportunity is because I went here for undergrad (which isn't a bad thing). If these were job offers, I would take either of them in a heartbeat. And at this school it could very well lead to a job in these areas (just happened to the person who held one of the internships this year). So basically, the one major problem I have had come up with school #1 is the one perfect thing about school #2. Do I go with the chance to put the top program on my resume or the amazing experience on my resume??? Please help. I only have until monday at midnight to decide and I have never been so completely torn about anything.