[HGSE 2017]

On 5/6/2017 at 7:10 PM, HisGrace said:

A question for HGSE alumni or current students, is it true that other Harvard students look down on HGSE? I find that concerning. What is the alumni relationships like with other Harvard schools?  I think if marketed right, the Harvard name should open doors even if you pursue something outside of education. Is this thinking flawed? 

I have never encountered anyone looking down upon HGSE. If anything, I think WE are the ones with an inferiority complex, and not the other way around

[HGSE 2017]

5 hours ago, HisGrace said:

Do the cohorts greatly differ?

 

I am looking at the curriculum now and prefer the program and alumni, from TIE (tech, innovation and education) vs education policy and management (my current concentration). I would like to call to request a change but before I do this, I just wanted to reach out and see if I can enroll in ANY class at HGSE regardless of whether it falls under a dif cohort's class offerings

You have to check each program's curriculum requirements. I think some are more restrictive than others. But generally you can enroll in any classes you want as long as you also meet those requirements.

[HGSE 2017]

^Sorry I don't have a lot of advice on finances  Best of luck to you though.

Just on the discussion of "Is HGSE worth it?" career-wise... we are all getting jobs right now. Another thing HGSE has taught us is to dream big, believe in yourself, and go after what you want, not just what you can get. So people are also turning down some 'lower' jobs as they have legitimate chances at really advancing their careers.  

[Ivy League Graduate Schools of Education and offering online courses]

HGSE doesn't care WHO writes your letters, just that they are strong and know you personally. I don't think doing well in an online class would be the way to go with that.

[Ivy League Graduate Schools of Education and offering online courses]

2 hours ago, Expateacher said:

1. Anyone have the rankings of the Graduate Schools of Education at the Ivy League Schools?

2. Anyone know if any of them offer graduate courses in education online?

Cheers.

I believe Harvard GSE offers a *few* classes through Harvard Extension School online.

[Penn GSE]

35 minutes ago, CaptBackfire said:

Hi, I am also vacillating between Penn GSE IEDP and HGSE IEP, the two factors that draw me towards Penn are the small class size and the international internship experience.

Would anyone know if the Harvard brand name weighs more when it comes to jobs in International NGOs ? Because that is something that I have to consider while making my decision. 

I don't think it weighs more or less with people who are hiring, but I do think HGSE has a larger alumni network from which to find jobs.

[HGSE 2017]

12 hours ago, HisGrace said:

What complaints do you have? 

Most of my complaints, upon reflection, are more personal issues during my year at grad school and not related to HGSE itself. However, I'd say my biggest complaint is the spectrum in quality of classes. There are AMAZING classes and then there are classes that are terrible. And unfortunately, few people seem to be able to avoid taking at least one dud, which is a shame given we are only here for one year, even one dud feels like such a waste. I guess that's really my only complaint... I know international students have some more challenges...

[HGSE 2017]

15 hours ago, universe said:

Thanks for that. I went to the admit days at Harvard and felt the same exact thing - a lot of fluff - and not a lot of developed thinkers. I mean, if it was Harvard Law or Business, sure, but the Harvard name doesn't hold too much ground in the Master's system. Also, I know one of my friends who isn't "super" in any field, apart from the fact that they are a teacher, was accepted and that kind of turned me off. 

That last sentence is kind of problematic to me. What makes you think a teacher can't be "super"? This is an ed school --- teachers are supposed to be respected. Isn't your friend intelligent? Isn't his/her classroom teaching experience extremely valid when going into ed policy or whatever field?

$65,000 is a good starting salary for education, I don't think the comparison to Harvard College is at all relevant because of the reasons stated above, students go into much more lucrative fields. I don't think you'll find an ed program with a HIGHER starting salary.... and if you yourself have more experience, then yours will be higher. There are plenty of students here who were making more than $65K before HGSE, and they obviously expect to make more after. 

In terms of critical thinking, I would caution everyone to not think that the few current students you see at an open house day, and the lack of professors present, is representative. I can't imagine there are many masters programs that have students with much MORE experience than HGSE students (considering MOST people get their masters degrees in their 20s, I don't really know what you expect overall), and in my experience, it is the younger students with fewer responsibilities who tend to volunteer with admissions to represent their cohorts at open house events --- i.e., you're not going to see a representative sample of experience (the moms who run schools are not available to talk with admitted students on Saturdays--- same for the professors who have lives and kids). As a student at HGSE, I have had unprecedented access to personal relationships with my professors, the ones I choose to pursue. And this is coming from someone who went to an extremely small college for undergrad and is used to very small classes. 

Also, my program professor was also not able to make it to my admitted students' day last year, and I worried that was a bad sign, but he is nothing but accessible. Scheduling these things are not easy, these people are incredibly busy and generally DO make the time to talk with students as much as possible.

I do, generally speaking, agree with the camp that thinks that coursework here is not overwhelming, but I was in a rigorous undergrad program and am comparing to that. I believe HGSE is really the whole experience, the things mentioned before. That being said, it really depends on the classes. There was nothing easy about most of the classes I took, but others were less intellectually stimulating than I might have hoped. I have complaints about HGSE, but overall I'm happy I went.

[HGSE 2017]

7 hours ago, boscojoba said:

Paid or not, people on an F1 visa are limited to 20 hours of work per week. There are a few exceptions but you will get deported and face a potential ban on entering the US ever again f you violate these terms and officials find out.

Well, very few internships are more than 20 hours a week anyway, and if you're a full-time student I doubt you'd take on more than that.

[Choices for Fall 2017?]

If you are looking to teach, I would go for the cheapest option among those three because they are all reputable and you will get a teaching job regardless.

[HGSE 2017]

46 minutes ago, PerpetualWonderer said:

Thanks! That sounds intense. How do you manage 20-30 hours a week and balance your coursework, given it's such a short program? Also, does this mean international students can't make use of these experiences? My understanding is that they can only work 20 hours on on campus jobs. Seems to only serve American students :-( 

My internship is not paid, so international students can definitely do that. I know many international students with internships.

In terms of managing it, well, I'm doing it for credit, so it's like it's one of my classes. I also have good time management  

[Stanford ICE vs. UPenn IEDP]

7 hours ago, Ayassa Lee said:

Hey there,

I know it's been a while since this thread, but I was wondering what school you ended up choosing? I'm between Penn's IEDP and Stanford's ICE right now. My concerns are similar to yours with the dilemma resting on Stanford's MA paper and Penn's internship requirement. I much rather prefer the internship, but don't want to negate Stanford as a choice! I would love to hear where you ended up and how you're liking it!

I have heard from people at HGSE who chose HGSE over Stanford that the reason had a lot to do with the fact that the MA paper was going to be all-consuming (that's what they were told at admitted students day) and they wouldn't really have time to do internships or anything like that. IMO, building your resume through actual experiences is more important than a paper.

[HGSE 2017]

45 minutes ago, PerpetualWonderer said:

Hi! Thanks for your helpful advice. Can you speak more specifically to what you are doing or have done on your various internships? I'm deciding between PennGSE and HGSE and it would seem that Penn students also have a lot of great experiences during the program (and then the actual international internship - which sounds amazing and I've heard that several students have converted those into jobs - including UN ones) but they don't call the projects they work on during the academic year "internships". So what makes your experience count as an "internship" if they're not full time? How many hours did you spend a week on your internships? How did you balance it with studying? How connected were your internships with your future career interests? etc. etc! Thanks. 

I call what I did "internships" because they weren't projects, they were formal roles with/at organizations. I would say I have had three "legitimate" internships and then one that could arguably be called a project but that's a lot of detail haha. In the fall, I went to my internship's office ten hours a week, and worked on their education program. In the spring I am interning with two very large (you've heard of them) international organizations, one for 20-30 hours a week, the other 1-2 hours a week. I had to interview for both of these internships and both of them were sent to me by my HGSE professor.  I had to have backgrounds checks and I have an @email for one of these orgs, so it's definitely a formal internship. All of my internships have been directly related to my career interests, and there is a *crosses fingers* good chance right now that my current one will turn into a very good job.

[HGSE 2017]

I have some reliable intel on the admissions rate/process for IEP students this year, so if you were accepted or rejected and are curious, feel free to PM me.

[HGSE 2017]

12 hours ago, Girl with Buddha Tattoo said:

Hey Vulpix, does these package arrive in different days. I haven't received mine. Does this mean I m probably not getting it?

I think it should go out at once to everyone and should be on the site. Is it completely blank? I would say it probably means not getting anything but call them and ask, they're very nice.

[HGSE 2017]

There are some students who take out the additional Grad Plus loans and maybe then private loans to cover the remaining costs. The advisability of this if you have an alternative program of equal quality to attend is pretty questionable, though.

[Penn GSE]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:45 AM, Aarati Rao said:

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

 

21 hours ago, midmarsh said:

I'm in the same boat as you. I think Harvard is my top choice but it still depends on financial aid info from Harvard. Both programs seem really great though and it's hard to choose between them without having a full picture of what they would cost me.

This was me last year. It was very hard and confusing. But there is no wrong choice! Feel free to PM if you have specific questions about HGSE

[HGSE 2017]

21 hours ago, midmarsh said:

I was admitted to the IEP program and while I can't make a decision without hearing back about the financial aid information from Harvard, I'd like to hear more about what current students think about HGSE (and the IEP program, if possible). I'll be honest, the earlier posts in this forum were kind of unsettling but I'm taking it with a grain of salt.

So, my questions for current students:

1) What kind of relationship do you have with your cohort? Do you feel "close" with each other/supported by one another?

2) What's the process like for finding internships/jobs during the school year? Are any of them paid? How does the Field Experience Program work, exactly? Do you HAVE to enroll in the S997 or whatever course?

3) What's the quality of coursework like? Have you been able to build good relationships with your professors or are classes too large/impersonal to be able to do that?

4) I read somewhere in the backlogs that something like 80% of HGSE graduates have a job (or at least offers) by May. What kind of places are most students working at? On the IEP website, it has a pretty impressive list of UN agencies and other organizations but realistically, how many students are actually getting job offers from these places?

I'm in IEP right now

1) Everyone in the cohort is very close. I think those who attended IPSIE, the summer program, are even more connected. There are a lot of people in it but it's a really cool bond.

2) There are a lot of internships, some of them are paid. You do NOT have to enroll in S997 (and most would not recommend doing so unless your internship is many hours a week and you just need to get credit for it).  I would say at least half of people in IEP have, or had in the fall, an internship. Almost no one did S997. Some of these internships are "remote" for organizations located elsewhere, but many are in Boston, at Harvard, at MIT, etc. I've had about 4 internships this year! (2 in each semester of varying commitment times) It's been a very important part of my experience and has definitely boosted my resume and connected me with potential jobs. I'm currently hoping to get a job in my current internship, and I also know that even if I don't, the experience is helping me tremendously.

3) Basically all of my professors know my name, and going to office hours helps with that. Even stats that has 100+ people the professors are incredibly approachable and easy to talk to. In fact, I would email a question to my stats professor and he would respond at midnight on a Saturday . The classes do not feel very large and if you raise your hand to contribute something you will almost never be denied. Most of my classes are on average 40 people, some have been much smaller, some much bigger. It really depends what you take.

4) Almost none of us are going to get a job at the UN straight out of Harvard (and if we do, it's because we have significant work experience already, but the average age in the program is 26 with 4 years of experience, so no). I don't think 80% of HGSE grads have offers/jobs by May necessarily, but this also varies by program and also the fact that the education job market tends to open up for September jobs (if you're looking in schools, for example). It is March still, and most of my classmates are currently interviewing/applying for jobs (some are not applying at all yet and are waiting until May because they want to just focus on finishing school and then look afterwards). I am one of those people who really wants to have a job to start right away after graduation. None of us have gotten jobs yet because it's still a bit early but I think it'll start happening in the next month. I would say most people are looking to work for NGOs/non-profits that are not as huge as the UN, like a lot of DC-based or international NGOs. Some are going back (or first) into teaching. We are optimistic. I was just at an HGSE IEP alumni networking event and met with several graduates from 2016 and they all had jobs and said all of their friends had jobs. They were working at various international education NGOs, some of which you've probably heard of if you know the field well. I would say these are the American/European students, mostly. If I might generalize, students from Latin America/Africa/Asia tend to work more for their country's governments and own national initiatives rather than the American/European students who go into development work.  The reasons are fairly obvious.

 

Hope that was helpful

Also, random: I helped two prospective IEPers that I met edit their SOP. One got admitted, the other didn't. In case you were wondering if anyone was getting rejected, the answer is yes.

[Penn GSE]

On 3/2/2017 at 7:41 AM, RudolftheRed said:

I've been lurking for a while, and I'm in the same boat: I applied to the PhD program and ended up being offered MSEd for Ed Policy and being given $13,500 in merit. I'm viewing my choice through a different perspective: I have been applying to schools to shift my career in education. I already have an MA and have been teaching for the past five years. 

Given the price tag at UPenn after deducting $13,500, I'm warily considering attending. I'm not sure what career prospects would come from another Master's, albeit from UPenn. I also applied to UNC's PhD program, and am waiting on a decision from them in the next few weeks before making a final decision.

This is a very interesting dilemma. I already had a masters before deciding to get a second masters at HGSE (and was very very very close to choosing UPenn over HGSE). I didn't apply to any PhD programs (which was my initial intention because I already had a masters, but quickly realized that because I was changing directions, I'd probably be rejected from all PhD programs, so I just applied for a second masters instead). First of all, I just want to add that there are a nice handful of people who pursue a second masters. I am not the only one in my program. I think what most of us have in common is the desire to make a career shift of some kind. FWIW, I think it will be worth it for me. I taught for four years and have an MS Ed in Literacy. Although my HGSE degree (an EdM) will be another masters in education and somewhat redundant, it is in International Education Policy (development) which has been a completely different perspective, network, and set of opportunities. The internships and job interviews I am currently getting as a result of the past year in this program are ones that I would otherwise never have gotten with just my previous set of skills and degrees, and makes me confident that doing this very expensive second masters will ultimately be worth it because it will allow me to switch jobs in a big way, and pick up where I left off salary-wise. It is worth noting that at least part of the reason I ended up choosing HGSE over Penn was related to the price tag --- I got more merit scholarship from Penn than HGSE (where I got $0), but HGSE was still cheaper.

 

Also -- congrats to everyone with the $13.5K funding. I think they must've upped the average from last year.

[HGSE 2017]

On 3/12/2017 at 11:21 AM, HisGrace said:

@vulpix your insight has been great.  Do you have a general sense of what the alumni/recent grads end up doing/going career wise? Is it hard to leverage the Harvard EdM outside of the education sector? Does anyone do consulting? 

It really varies by program, but the reach is far and alumni are extremely helpful in connecting students with job opportunities.

[HGSE 2017]

6 hours ago, boscojoba said:

This has been the case for years now. While there's no hard data to support this - people on this forum can crucify me for that haha, I don't mind - it's an incredibly easy (and somewhat worthless) program to get into. If you can pay, you can attend. The quality of the courses, teaching, resources, etc. in the program - or even the students - isn't too great, from what I've heard from four of six ex-coworkers who went to study there. The students bit isn't surprising because a lot of them in the program haven't worked beyond doing some version of a feel-good public service program locally or internationally and feel they're enlightened enough about the world; also from what I've heard talking over each other in class discussions and contributing mostly fluff out loud is common. There's not a lot of deep thinking happening - unsurprising again since the GRE requirement published on their site isn't true (people with below average abilities to reason verbally, in writing, and using numerical data easily get in). What I've also heard: grad assistants teach a lot of classes (badly), HGSE is perennially broke and the amount of surprise fees throughout the year is ridiculous. If you want to attend things, you have to have $$$ to pay for it always: there are barely any opportunities to fund yourself once you're there. A lot more college money is going towards building buildings/infrastructure than on supporting students (or faculty). All of those 6 ex-coworkers of mine returned to their home countries after spending a LOT of money because job/career placement resources to stay on in the USA (something all wanted to do) are terrible. The Harvard tag for the IEP master's is not really a big thing for employers either - again, all of these ex-coworkers have jobs now at pay grades not very much higher than what they earned before (contrary to what they expected). All in all, a thoroughly shitty return on investment. I have no idea what the other programs are like, just IEP.

^ Pretty much why I declined the option to be considered for the master's program in case my PhD application didn't work out! The last thing I want as I push 30 is to bury myself in debt for an experience like that!

Sounds like you have an axe to grind here, but I can basically refute everything you've said, and it's really all opinion. But seeing as you didn't attend yourself I'm not sure you really know what you're talking about. I have no idea what building/infrastructure you are talking about, there hasn't been a new building in years. I was given full funding to attend the CIES Conference in Atlanta, as did most of my friends. I can't think of a single event I've had to pay $$ for since I've been here, if anything there are constant free lunches and always an open bar at events (for example). As for the quality of students, it's very insulting. The average age in HGSE is 26, which is probably typical of any graduate school, so naturally there is a limit to their experiences. However, the diversity of students and their collective unique backgrounds is a valuable learning tool. So what if a lot were in the Peace Corps? What do you really want from young graduate students?

As for the return on investment---I'm not sure what you or others are expecting. This is education and development, it's not lucrative. I don't think that's why we got into the field, so I'm not sure what your point is.

The Harvard tag has been very useful for me already, because Harvard alums in high positions will network easily with you.

As for GRE, I'm sure some people had lower scores, but from the limited amount I've talked with others about it, it seemed we all did pretty well. I also contend that GRE score has very little to do with higher-order critical thinking or one's ability to do so.

[HGSE 2017]

11 hours ago, HisGrace said:

Hey y'all! Accepted - EdM in Education Policy and Management!

Can somebody shed some light on these admission rates? Dont need nobody throwing shade at my acceptance saying "everybody gets in". 

Also, I applied to some policy programs and I was wondering how well the education policy program covers actual policy. I want to somehow work at the intersection of policy and entertainment. 

We don't actually know the admissions rates. Gradcafe users are not representative of the whole applicant pool and I would argue the fact that y'all are here might show you were more committed or invested in the success of your application and would therefore be accepted. Also, a lot of people when they get rejected don't post it, for obvious reasons, they're like "screw it." So you wind up with a lot of people being like "I got in!" and the ones who didn't are just moving on with their lives because there is not benefit to keep posting in this discussion now.

As for EPM, because you get to choose your classes for the most part, it's really what you make of it. There are a lot of policy classes.

[HGSE 2017]

6 hours ago, barboza said:

Curious about the disproportionate number of admits to IEP (at least on this forum). Can a current student shed some light here?

Well, IEP is one of the larger programs. Also, I think message boards like this tend to attract a lot of international students to virtually connect, and I bet a lot of these IEP admits are international. But I don't know. Last year, I felt like one of the only IEP applicants here.

[HGSE 2017]

22 hours ago, Expateacher said:

Not accepted. Discouraging after working on application for so long. But congratulations to those who were accepted.

I don't know about you others who were not accepted but I plan to try again. I understand everyone can make 3 attempts. So, here are my questions straight off:

1. But as a first question does anyone know if there is still a chance of being offered a place if those accepted have to turn down the offer of acceptance?

2. Is there a way to find out why one was not accepted? Was my GRE too low? Were my recommendations not strong enough? Was my Statement of Purpose not clear and succinct?

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

1. No, I don't think there is a chance of being offered a place even after others turn it down.

2. Doubt it, but you could try emailing admissions and asking, or calling. Doesn't hurt to try.

 

14 hours ago, Lisha said:

Hey! Has anyone heard about aid? If not do you know when we'll hear? Same question for Urban Scholars.

Congratulations again!!

Congrats Lisha!  Aid information will probably come in a few weeks, probably by the admitted students event day, like a month from now. 

Congrats everyone and especially IEP

[HGSE 2017]

I can't believe it's been a year since I was accepted. It goes UNBELIEVABLY FAST.  Well, I'd say the spring/summer waiting to start goes slowly, but then this academic 9-month whirlwind... yikes. I can't believe by the time we got comfortable here we are applying for jobs and preparing to graduate. It's really a fast program.