Vulpix

BTW, the same GA sent me a "recommended reading list" that Penn's professor Dr. GK sent out to their cohort last year. If anyone's interested in the book list PM me and I'll email it to you! It's a lot of general/pop-academic books about poverty and aid and things like that.

Well, I don't have that work experience, so maybe I won't get in. Which at this point will be a blessing in disguise because I think I really want to go to Penn but would find it difficult to "turn down Harvard" for a lot of reasons. Have you asked your friend if she would have gone to Harvard had she been accepted? I asked the admissions GA in IEDP at Penn if she and her classmates had applied to Harvard, and she said she thought only one person there applied to Harvard. I wonder why that is... perhaps it's the difference between development vs. policy, or maybe it's just that everyone who got into HGSE... WENT to HGSE.... but I'm not sure.

I think the fact that you have made such a long and detailed list about all the positive reasons to pursue it is a good sign that in your heart you really want to do this? Not knowing that many details. Obviously taking loans is a serious decision but it's one worth weighing next to what your future goals are. Also, do you still want to re-apply to PhDs down the road? Do you already have a master's degree? If you don't have one, and want to strengthen your PhD application in the future, I would say yes. Depends on how many loans.

I am 25 and I am already worried about uprooting my life in some way that negatively affects the relatively loose roots I have laid down where I am, and my relationships, depending on where I end up moving. I can't imagine how hard it must be the longer you've been in a place, especially one you've grown up in and have so much invested in. Best of luck to everyone, it's not easy to make these big decisions.

What program is your friend in? IEDP also? I know people who have gone to Penn, but none in this particular program.

I know it was sent later to PhD candidates than masters candidates, including those who have not received word about an interview yet, so I'm really not sure what's going on regarding PhD and financial aid.

Yeah, every applicant gets the financial aid portal, which must be completed before finding about about admissions.

I learned from talking to admissions about PhD applications that the school itself and alleged ranking/statistics literally has no bearing on your likelihood of acceptance, because it's COMPLETELY about fit, and not in the way you might think. For example, I was going to apply to a PhD at Columbia, and I explained what I wanted to study and my area of specialization. The admissions people told me that even if I had the MOST impressive resume of ANY candidate, with the HIGHEST scores and the PERFECT essays/recommendations, I would still be automatically rejected if there wasn't only a faculty member whose interests matched mine, but also a faculty member whose interests matched mine AND they were willing and ABLE to take a doctoral student on. It is a major, multi-year commitment when a professor agrees to take on a doctoral student, and many of them already have a few they are working with and are not in a position to take on more. You are completely at the mercy of "good timing" when it comes to this. The ONLY professor whose interests matched mine was also, by random draw of the department, not eligible in the year I was applying to even take a doctoral student. So in my case, even though I had found a faculty member who FIT me and may have even WANTED to be my advisor, she actually logistically, through no fault of her own or mine, couldn't accept me. In summary, it's almost completely out of your control and arbitrary, and largely a product of good timing with when faculty are able/willing/interested. They don't just take you because you're perfect, they take you because they CAN and their PERSONAL study interests match yours in some way.

That's what it said up until I got my decision email. I don't think it changes until the decision is made. It signifies that your application was complete, so it definitely went through. (For example, mine was still "pending" or something until it was "Ready for Review", at which point the decision could have come at any time). That being said, if you applied for a PhD, phillyhed contacted admissions and found out that all interview invites were sent out last Friday, so presumably if you didn't hear from them on Friday, no invite (but no formal rejection either, because they may find that their invitees are not up to par/do not want to enroll).

Good for you for sticking with it!! I definitely believe it's not only possible to get in a second try, but actually pretty likely if you put in the effort to do all these things. I also can't say enough about how much this site and the collective knowledge and perspective people have brought have helped me make my own SOPs and applications as strong as I could this time around. I'm sure you'll be able to put together an even more incredible profile if you are proactive for the next several months in developing all these different areas of growth!

Sigh That reasoning makes sense, just frustrating of course.

I wish you the best too! I'm so disappointed it didn't work out for you But you still have so many options in front of you. Do not despair!

I am so enthusiastic about Penn's program right now (helps that I was admitted, so I'm kind of forced to be like "I might go there!"). They have a guaranteed international internship, which is incredible. They've also been very clear about all the relevant job skills they help you develop through their required core classes (how to write policy briefs, technical notes, concept notes, log frame, monitoring & evaluating systems, language if desired, etc.) (I don't know what half of those things are ). They seem to really have their s**t together if you know what I mean

This makes a lot of sense. I've frequently read comments by people who were rejected, and upon reflection come to realize that their goals still weren't truly defined/their SOP didn't show a clear commitment to the program, like you said. I was considering going the PhD route this application season, but after meeting with professors and going to open house events, I came to realize that my goals aren't clearly defined yet and I'm simply not ready, so I'm getting a second master's instead until I truly know what I want and am actually prepared to achieve it. I think that's what they're looking for

I am not a re-applicant but I do recall reading some encouraging posts from previous years on here by re-applicants who were accepted into top programs (HGSE) and encouraging others to do the same if you are truly passionate about it. I think the key difference between their applications was the experience piece, and knowing EXACTLY what you want in your SOP.

I echo your sentiments about the size of the cohort and relationships with faculty. A Harvard alum mentioned to me that it's a bit more challenging, though certainly not impossible, to build relationships with faculty. I also went to a small liberal arts school with great faculty relationships, so it's something I would want again. As for Columbia, while the size of the cohort is definitely larger, after having visited the campus several times, I think the faculty are more accessible than you'd think. As a prospective student I was able to arrange a chance to meet with one of the IED professors just to ask more about the program, and when I went to their IED open house, which was at like 7 PM on a Friday night, almost ALL of the professors showed up, with COOKIES that they made, and seemed eager to answer questions and get to know prospective students (and keep in mind none of us have been admitted yet). So that was pretty reassuring that if I go to Columbia, it's exactly what you make of it, the effort you put in, you will get back, I think. My heart is with Penn right now too, but I'll see what happens.

Wow, that's not just a majority, that's literally everyone except for 2 of the 25 doctoral candidates already holds an EdM from HGSE. That's kind of a shocking statistic.

There is still the waitlist etc. Do you have a new plan, try again another year? With other schools? You seem so deserving and it would be a shame not to. I still always find it strange when alums of the schools don't get into those schools a second time. I understand it's competitive and these are different programs (or for you, almost the same?), but still, you've already been vetted because you went there! I have a friend who went to Penn undergrad, didn't get into their medical school but got in to all relevant med school competitors. Just seems bizarre, almost as if it's a disadvantage because they want to diversify or something suspicious.

Nope, just weighing in randomly I didn't even apply to Vanderbilt.

True, they might have sent staff home early

It seems like not, because some people heard back (in IEP) over a week ago, and others are just hearing back now.

So happy for you!! See you there, perhaps! Also, don't despair totally PhD people. It's still 5:51 PM and I didn't receive my admissions until 5:11 on a Friday. They may work late.

So, most of the questions I asked were VERY IEDP-specific, but one valuable piece of information I got from the admissions person LaToya was that Penn does communicate with its "competitors" (I assume Harvard, Vandy, TC, etc.) in trying to plan its admitted students' days on different weekends. I was very concerned about this, so yay!

I really don't think it's true. Well, as an applicant to IEP, I feel like I'm at a disadvantage being American! It seems like 75% of students are international in that program.

Awesome news about hearing back by tomorrow!!!!