Songbird222

Check out the recent news about NSF funding: The National Science Foundation (NSF) will not tolerate harassment at grantee institutions http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=137466 NSF may terminate funding to any institution found to be in noncompliance with Title IX regulations and that does not voluntarily come into compliance.

Not helpful.

Agreed, thanks for the information! Well, now I can just worry about being admitted, and not worry about the non-existent formal interview process. =)

Perhaps the rules are different, based on the department you applied to? I logged into my application portal, and I can see this message: Thank you for applying to the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Please note, due to the large volume of incoming material, it is likely your application status will remain as "incomplete" for some time. We anticipate completing status updates by December 18th for PhD candidates and by February 3rd for MA candidates. Self reported GRE and TOEFL scores are acceptable for review purposes but application will not be considered complete and no offer of admission will be made until official scores are received. Applications submitted with unofficial transcripts (uploaded) will be considered as complete. Only admitted applicants will be contacted with instructions on sending official transcripts. The Graduate School of Education does not accept any revised documents after the application is submitted. All application materials must be submitted by the following deadlines: PhD: December 1, 2015 (11:59pm PST) MA: January 12, 2016 (11:59pm PST) The Graduate School of Education will be closed between Monday December 21, 2015 through January 3rd, 2016 Best Wishes, Stanford Graduate School of Education

I also haven't heard a peep out of Stanford. But for PhD applicants, they said that the earliest anyone will hear is mid-February.

Yes, thanks! Waiting to hear back from grad schools is made SO easy, because we all know exactly what/when to expect. Amiright?

One of my best friends applied to the exact same PhD program two years in a row, and she was successful the second time around. After her first application was rejected, she communicated with faculty members in the department to find out where the weak spots were in her application, and I believe she totally re-worked her essays. She also spent more time communicating with faculty she was interested in, so that some members of the admissions committee knew her, and recognized her name immediately. They did also comment to her that her second application showed clear commitment to the program. Hope this helps!

Have people been receiving invitations to interview with faculty members with which they've already communicated? Are interviews typically just standard procedure, or only used when a faculty member wants some one-on-one communication?

Yes, yes, yes, I totally agree!

Ahh, cool. I applied for the combo: Organizational Studies + Educational Policy.

To the applicant: Predoctoral fellowship applicants who are already enrolled in a Ph.D. or Sc.D. program as of the fall semester 2015 must submit this completed and signed form along with a one-page (maximum) statement listing the courses, projects, and plans that will be undertaken if awarded a predoctoral fellowship (for academic years 2016- 2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019). The statement should be double-spaced using a 12- point font or larger, and the applicant’s name and “Verification of Eligible Predoctoral Status” must appear at the top of the statement sheet. Applicants should not provide information regarding their financial situation. Print out this form and submit it along with your one-page statement to your adviser or other university official for signature. Once signed, save the form together with your one- page statement as a single .pdf file and upload it to your fellowship application before the January 8, 2016 supplementary materials deadline.

Good luck to you!

Hey there! My interests are mainly in undergraduate STEM education, and promoting diversity in the sciences. My particular focus in grad school is broad, but I selected faculty members at each university who were doing work to generally accomplish these goals. What about you? I saw in the other thread that you completed the MACSME MA program. What was your focus in that program? Are you involved in K-12 teaching?

Yes, I submitted my final application last night! It feels awesome to be done!!

GRE Score: V 160, Q 156, W 5.0 Undergrad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Community College + Public Univ. Undergrad GPA: Community College + Public Univ. 3.1 (I know, I know. I addressed the reasons in my essays) Research Experience: 3 internships through U.S. DOE (1 CCI, 2 SULI); research volunteer at university, paid research at another university, paid research at a national lab. Also volunteering with education outreach groups, related to career goals. Work Experience: Work at a national lab education program, for 4 years. Applying for PhD or Masters: PhD Programs applied to: UC Berkeley SESAME program; Stanford SHIPS program (In previous posts, I was planning to apply for CTE and SHIPS programs, and finally decided on SHIPS. Some of this based on the fact that CTE wants teaching experience, which I don't have. Part of this was based on faculty research, and direct communication with multiple faculty members via email.) Also applied to Ford Foundation and NSF GRFP.

Hey there, is anyone else on here applying for Stanford's SHIPS program for Fall 2016?

gatorsoc85, you should check out the thread " Ph.D Programs in Higher Ed & Concerns " I think this might be helpful to you, and you can jump into that conversation.

Probably this information could help others, and this is information I received from the program. Yes, if you don't already have a Master's, you'll get an M.A. (not research-based) along the way. You can definitely get a biology-based degree, there's no problem there. Your research in the SESAME program (for your PhD) would be related to science/math education, not biology. So, the top priority is to find a faculty member who is conducting education research that you're interested in. That faculty member should have some knowledge of biology, so that they can give you the qualifying exam, in order for you to actually obtain that M.A. once you're done with coursework).

Thanks for the input. I did what you suggested, and it seems like my story is told in a complete way, so I'm feeling good about that.

Basically, the majority of SESAME grad students (who do not secure outside funding) TA or teach coursework in order to pay their way through school. The fellowships promoted for this program are for grad students who are conducting research in mathematics, computer science, or technology-related topics. There does not seem to be guaranteed funding for grad students, but certainly the faculty advisers will try to help you find funding whenever possible. I am applying for external fellowships (NSF and Ford Foundation), and will look at fellowships/grants offered by UC Berkeley for its grad students (if admitted into the program). Exactly -- this is one of the few Science Education programs that is not for training teachers, which is what drew me to it as well! Can I ask what your STEM background is? Are you applying with a B.A./B.S. or M.A./M.S.? I am applying to this program with a B.A. in Biology.

Hello! I can't move my family right now (kids, spouse's career), so I'm only applying to programs in the Bay Area. I'm applying to the SESAME program at UC Berkeley, and the Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE) program at Stanford. Yes, two super competitive schools, but I figure I'll throw my name in there, and see what happens! =)

Anyone applying to Science Education PhD programs for Fall 2016? I'd love to connect! I'm applying for the SESAME program at Berkeley, and the Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE) program at Stanford. Because of my newly expanded family, I need to stay in the Bay Area, so I'm not applying (right now) for any opportunities out of the area.

Thanks for the insight. Some of those presentations that happened over 5 years ago were directly related to promoting diversity in my field, so I'm torn. Do I disobey a rule (I keep reading that they are very strict about the rules), or just try to mention it within the essay portion, and leave it out of the list at the end. Hmmmm.

This was discussed back on page 3. It's apparently based on the number of applicants they have in each field.

Hey, question about the application. Under the "list of publications and presentations" for the last five years. I have been out of school (working) in my field for about three years, and so a few of the cool presentations I was a part of as an undergraduate happened more than five years ago. Has anyone else dealt with this (or similar) issues? Did you address it in the essay itself, and just leave it off the list?