travelgirl125

I applied to the Ed.D. program in Higher Ed! I got the confirmation email that my app was received, but there was no word of an interview weekend. I'm assuming there still is one, though? I would guess they would do some kind of Skype call instead for international students?

Hi! I can relate...I just finished up my master's in Higher Ed and my main interest is in study abroad. In terms of coursework, I took two courses focused on globalization and international higher ed policy, but even those weren't exactly my interest. I was one of two people in my cohort interested in study abroad, and it definitely was not well represented in my cohort or in the curriculum. To be honest, it was pretty discouraging and lonely to always have to tailor my papers to study abroad on my own vs. being in a program that spoke about study abroad. However, I do think getting a PhD for free is hard to pass up! I think just be prepared to be the only one/one of few who have have an interest in study abroad. Fulbright is also hard to get so I wouldn't necessarily count on that. I'm certainly no expert but that's my two cents

I believe it's only one per program...this isn't what I've heard from admissions or any official staff, but that is what I've gathered from other students.

Hi everyone! Current Higher Ed student at Penn GSE...we hope you enjoyed Preview Weekend! Feel free to ask me any questions if you still have them.

First of all, congratulations!! That's great that you have choices, and I'm sure you'll get good insight from visiting each of the places. I don't think you need to dye your hair at all, and makeup is totally fine if you like to wear it. However, I would recommend erring on the side of over-dressed rather than under-dressed, given this is the first time you will be meeting with people who could be your advisor. Some outfits I would probably wear myself are: leggings with a dress, a blazer, and boots OR work pants (not jeans) with a flowy top, a sweater or a blazer, and flats. Just my two cents of course. You know you will be fine either way because you've already been admitted, but for the first time meeting with professors I always like to dress more professionally than I would during the school year. For what it's worth, though, when I attended my program's event for admitted students, there was definitely a mix of more casual and more professional dress

My best friend in my program is also 21 and she is not the only 21-year-old in the program! I honestly forget people's age 99% of the time anyway, you are all there for the same reason so it's easy to view everyone on the same level. I would say it's actually harder to be older/married/with kids than it is to be young (in my program, anyway). You'll be fine!!

Good for you!! You will be much happier. There are definitely times when I miss my students/teaching, but then I remember I don't have to get up at 5:30am, deal with discipline issues, grade hundreds of exams, etc., and I feel much better

I hear that Haddonfield and Collingswood are good towns for young people and families that work in Philly, so I'm assuming they're not too far from Glassboro either?

I told my supervisor first, went to teach a few classes, and then my principal asked to meet with me. I walked into the meeting intending to tell him, but my supervisor had beat me to it! That meeting went even quicker than the one with my supervisor. I sensed he was a little more upset, though, but was very gracious and wished me luck

That happens to me so often! There is one really busy intersection right where I work and I almost get hit so many times while crossing (and I ONLY cross if I have the light). I like to just stand there and stare at the driver like, "...are you serious?"

Have you looked into the Middlebury summer language program? It's a really highly rated immersion summer program, but the Italian one is located in California. Other than that, I'm sure the Universita' per Stranieri di Perugia has summer courses. I looked into them myself and believe they have a good reputation, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

I was in pretty much the exact same situation! A couple of things that helped me... 1) The school I was in didn't do a real good job of providing teachers with reasons to stay. There was a large turnover rate not only in my department but in the whole school. You can't help it if the school you're at isn't doing a good job at making you want to stay (not saying that this is the case for you, but it helped me). 2) I absolutely LOVED my kids, but I knew they would be fine without me. Honestly, and this may again not be the case for you, but I knew that my students would "get over" me fairly quickly. They're just kids, after all, and though I had a good relationship with mine, they ultimately are quick to move on to the next exciting thing. Also, if you want to work with students at the college level, you can look forward to developing relationships with them and improving their lives, just in a different setting. 3) Because you know your students will be successful even with a different teacher, you should be comfortable in making yourself your #1 priority. This is your life, your career, and it's your time and effort that you will be dedicating. Would you be able to live the rest of your life as a K-12 teacher and feel content? It seems like the answer is no, which is perfectly fine! You're allowed to be selfish. 4) I was REALLY nervous to tell my supervisor and everyone else, but it wasn't nearly as big of a deal as I expected. Honestly, my supervisor seemed really indifferent to me leaving and was anxious for me to submit an official resignation letter so he could start to look for a replacement. They want their lives/jobs to be easy, too, so don't be too upset if they get over losing you quickly. Again, this was purely from my experience and may not be the same as yours, but I thought it might be helpful to share And congratulations on your acceptances so far!

Okay WHAT!! That is ridiculous. Since I wrote that original post I have learned to cut back on the amount of school work I've done. I obviously do all of the assignments, but I don't really read. It's been working so far! I just wanted to actually have a social life and enjoy the city I'm in rather than stay in the library 24/7.

I completely agree. I'm in a one-year program so it's just insane. I feel there is a disconnect between professors who assign all of the work and who also want to make sure you spend time on "self-care." Granted, I knew grad school was going to be difficult, but I didn't think it would be THIS much work.

Hmm...not quite sure I understand what you mean. I know for me that even if I take one day off of my daily routine, it's hard to go back to it. And the more days I am off of my daily routine, the harder it is! I think I'm definitely a creature of habit.