Vulpix

Glad you liked GSE . Yes, my program is 1 year, so tuition is $45K for the whole program. Still an enormous amount (I just paid $12K over two years for my current MS), but with my savings now at $60K, and HGSE financial aid grants typically between $10-15K, I am willing to pay for it, hopefully with that grant that will mean I won't have to take out any loans, or at most, $10K in loans, something I am certain I can pay off pretty quickly once I get a job. (I saved that 60K on a teachers salary living in NYC for 2.5 years, so I like to think I'm good with my money). The idea is that when I graduate a year from now (Penn's program is also 1 year, or 1.5 if you choose), I will have used up just about all my savings and be back where I was financially when I graduated college (nowhere), and that's OK with me. I am 25, no pre-existing loan debt, don't own a house or a car, and still have time to replenish my savings for "real life" things in the future. Also, I agree that cheaper options are generally the best way to go. For my first masters, I was accepted to Columbia, but didn't think it was worth the $100K when I could get my MS from a CUNY for $12K. That was because I was getting a degree for my professional teaching certificate, and saw no point in going into debt for a mandatory masters degree, when all I needed it for was my teaching salary. Now that I'm going into international educational development and policy, the reason I only ended up applying to expensive, prestigious schools was because 1) These were actually some of the only schools in major Northeast cities (where I want to be) that offered the specific type of program I wanted, and 2) I have no experience in the field, so I'll need all the help I can get. I can also afford it now. Also, I was just so disappointed by my masters program at CUNY that I really yearn for the intellectually stimulating experience I had in undergrad. This is obviously also program specific, I don't mean that CUNYs in general aren't great educations.

I just dropped some $$ on a black Herschel Lil America bag. It's HUGE (with 15" laptop slot) and super good quality. I hadn't had a new backpack since freshman year of high school, a Jansport I used all through high school, college, and a little bit in the real world. It's nice to throw out that dirty, hole-y thing for a durable, mature looking bag!

This makes a lot of sense, that the college is where the real network is. That being said, I don't think people are being "duped" by going to Harvard for a masters. The majority of HGSE alums that I've spoken to (on here, at my current job, personal circles, via admissions) have by and large felt that their experience at Harvard was 100% worth it, both personally, financially, and especially professionally. They feel completely indebted to Harvard for where they are now, and have raved about the people/networks/organizations they have been put into contact with as a result. I'm sure this feeling is what you make of it, and how hard you work to make it a reality. It is also extremely dependent on what kind of financial situation you are in before and after the program. Wherever I go, I intend to work very hard to build connections with my classmates and faculty and pursue as many opportunities as possible. I didn't go to Harvard for my BA, but I did go to an 'elite' school, and I know that having gone there alone was responsibility for the majority of interviews I got, and jobs offered as well. I didn't grow up in a family with that expensive, prestige-minded experience. I got a full scholarship (need based) to one of the best schools for undergrad, and am so thankful for everything I learned there and the opportunities it has since afforded me. I don't know if I've picked Harvard, but I just feel the need to defend it as a viable option with all the criticism that it's not worth it, or that the difference between it and Penn is negligible. It's a very fine difference, to be sure, but I might as well dive as deeply into that difference as possible.

My sense in talking to Harvard students who were choosing between the two schools is that they felt Harvard had more opportunities available. Penn students seem pleased with their situation as well. I have spoken to alums, and both seem pleased with their experiences. Some Penn people seemed a little unsure about their prospects after graduation, whereas Harvard students said they had many leads/interviews for jobs lined up. OK, if you have such negative feelings or think these schools are not worth it, then maybe you are in the wrong thread. I happen to be making a choice between them. And the last point is irrelevant, comparing undergrad to graduate programs. Personally, I saved up money for several years in order to pursue the study of something I am enormously passionate about, and want to get the best education possible. I worked for three years since college, have saved up more than the cost of tuition at either school, so I will not need to go into any debt (or very little) to achieve my goals. I recently finished a masters (in something I'm not passionate about) at a financially cheap, public CUNY, and found the education wildly unfulfilling. I don't want to replicate that experience for a field I care so deeply about, which is why I personally want to go to the best schools. Now that I am choosing between two great schools, I have to figure out where all that $$ will get me the furthest. Since you think it's a $50k/year networking event, then please help me figure out which event has the better party

I think you're missing the point about the importance of making this decision, or any decision. I don't want the name of my school to be my accomplishment at all, I just want to consider what doors the name of my school might open for me. And in talking with alums of Harvard, it seems like... unlimited doors. That is worth considering.

Congrats!!!

I just learned from current students at Penn that they didn't find out that they received the FLAS until AUGUST/SEPTEMBER or early summer... which means I have to decide if I can attend the school without knowing about a major scholarship? Seems so unfair. I don't understand why they would have a March 1 deadline if they're not going to notify me in time to make my decision about where to go to grad school. I know many FLAS applicants are already current students, but I'm applying to a 1 year program and the only chance to get a FLAS is going into my first year. I am very upset that this is the case. Not sure if it's true for all schools. Anyone else familiar with this situation?

Well, I'm not familiar with most of your programs! I only applied to TC, NYU, Penn, and Harvard. I have gotten the impression that TC and NYU are less personal because the schools are very large and you can get lost in them. So I personally am choosing between Penn & Harvard. Sorry I don't know much about all your other choices!

At this point I think it's both.

Right now I'm leaning Harvard. It's hard to say why. Mostly because they're pretty equal programs, so why not go to Harvard? I know that both programs are phenomenal and will award be great opportunities. As cwr said, "you can't really convince any reasonable person that it's a problem." It's still a worthy debate. I know the difference is oranges and oranges. That being said, I think you did get at what I'm getting at---for a one year master's, night as well get the biggest bang for your buck, which might be Harvard.

Have you officially declined something already, then? I could decline TC and NYU right now, but I haven't. In NYU's case, because I literally can't figure out their website

I really don't know how alumni of IE at NYU feel, but I do know that Steinhardt alum in general that I am friends with feel completely anonymous at NYU, being such a huge school. Steinhardt isn't the school of education, it's the school of EVERYTHING, and there's a chance you can get lost. I think for my individualized attention, Penn, Vandy, perhaps one of the others I'm less familiar with are good options. That's something that's important to me, but it may not be to you.

Got the same scholarship as you

I agree in general that the PhD with full funding (at presumably a good school) is a better option. However, I found myself in a similar mindset about a year ago regarding "testing the ropes" and knowing what I'm getting into. I have a masters degree, but am switching fields. I was originally going to apply straight to doctoral programs, because I didn't see the point in having a second masters/thought it would be weird to do. However, I quickly realized that, even if I got accepted to the doctoral programs, I wouldn't really know what I was getting myself into, having never exactly studied it before (international ed. development, like you). So I decided I should get a second masters as a means of entering the workforce in this field, gaining more relevant experience, gauging my interest in it, and then re-evaluate my passion/PhD goals much further down the line. If you aren't 100% positive that this is something you would enjoy studying with the intensity of the PhD, then that would be the primary reason I might say to opt for the masters.

Thanks. I've heard this from many people, and have already eliminated TC as a possibility, even if I get a scholarship. Still choosing between Penn and HGSE.

HGSE at TC have the same list, with virtually the same orgs, lol.

It's worth a shot calling them beforehand, although I'm not sure there's much you can do, at the very least maybe they can give you an impression of your chances. Either way you probably can't make a final decision until you get the full aid package. I, too, am waiting on funding from Harvard (which they said would arrive the last week in March). While I don't expect much, it will likely still be comparable to my other offers, so I'll probably be in a position to decide based on program and gut rather than finances alone.

$80K over two years at Columbia is what percentage of their actual tuition? How much/how long is the HKS degree? I'm in a position where I'm choosing between the same schools (and one other), but I have basically eliminated Columbia because my program costs about $120K over 1.5-2 years, and the Harvard program is way cheaper. Is Harvard the same price as Columbia? It sounds like you love HKS a whole lot. I suggest if you feel like that experience is worth however many loans you would need to take out, it's worthwhile to follow your gut.

I met with a current professor about potentially doing an EdD, and I am close with my former supervisor who got her EdD at TC. She said that TC has been increasing their support for doctoral students over the past few years in particular. That's all I know!

It's definitely a good rate! Hopefully it's not secretly more time-consuming.

When I met with my coworker who is a Harvard alum, while she was effusive in her praise of the school and support for me to go there, she was quick to say, "Listen, there's nothing wrong with saying NO to Harvard. In fact, it's kind of badass."

I think the costs are just about even (Cheaper HGSE program + Cambridge = Pricier Penn program + Philly). I'm still waiting on funding from Harvard now that I've been accepted. I met with a coworker who went to Harvard, and she was also deciding between Penn and HGSE (for a closely related, but not identical, program). She said she visited both schools and left feeling that Harvard's vast network of opportunities just seemed far greater than Penn's. I will see if I feel similarly when I visit. I have felt very personally invested in Penn (because it was my first acceptance in January, so I had two months of nothing but Penn to bask in), and one of the main professors reached out, and we have a mutual colleague who we talked about. A Harvard student just called me last night from my program to answer questions and give advice, and she was also in the same position. She gave me so many examples of the ways in which HGSE students just seem to have unlimited opportunities for such cool projects, so it was very reassuring talking to her about it. Now that I've been accepted, all anyone I mention it to just says "Without a doubt I'd go to Harvard." Obviously they know nothing of my program or goals, which most logical people would say is the key factor. That being said, these are also smart peers who work with me in education and are saying "It's so rare to get the opportunity to go there, get that degree. You don't pass up that chance. Penn is an amazing school, but..." There is something to be said for the Harvard name working in the international field, which is what I'm going into. Not going there for the name itself, but for the purposes of what the name can do to provide me with the most amazing opportunities imaginable. The student I talked to on the phone said, for example, that for one of her classes, part of the class itself was to be a paid consultant for UNICEF. How incredible. Another class, they got to design a curriculum for Iraq's ministry of education and several of them got to travel to different countries to advise governments. Some students were guests at a palace in South America with their professor over spring break. I just feel like the possibilities are endless there, and even though I like a lot of components about Penn's program specifically, I don't want to always wonder what I could have been missing out on at Harvard. These are just my current musings! I'm hoping my visits to both at the end of the month will bring clarity!

Thanks SO much! I feel like I wouldn't have gotten into most of these schools if I hadn't been learning so much from this site! So I guess there is still a chance of other grants? Not sure. And congrats to you too! Equally amazing choices

Did you get that email about applying for GA? It's only a little bit more money, but definitely worth trying for.

Good news for the rest! Sadly $9K + loans won't be an option for me, so with that I say goodbye to TC... where my original plans for grad school started. I've visited the school 3 or 4 times. It's all good, I prefer my other options anyway, but makes me a bit nostalgic for all the thought I put into TC's program.