mjsmith

I've gotten one interview invite so far. It if for UGA's College Student Affairs Administration PhD program. Was surprised to hear from them so early, but I expect the other education programs to start sending stuff out soon.

Thanks sarkat! I was surprised to hear so soon from UGA. I didn't expect to hear anything from anywhere until mid-late January at the earliest. Where else did you apply (if you don't mind me asking)? I too have heard that PhD applicants tend to be notified sometime in February. Hopefully that'll be the case this year as well.

I've applied for the PhD HDLT concentration. Nice to see someone else here in the same boat as me. :-)

Best of luck to those wrapping up their Ed.M. applications tonight and tomorrow! Now it is all over except for the waiting.

Best of luck to you! I understand the nerves, but the relief once you submit it is GREAT!

Congrats on getting it in! I felt the same getting mind in....as well as the void for a few days after. And even though you can't chat about it at work, we're all here (in a virtual sense) to talk about it. After all, we're all in this together.

I had one good-sized paragraph in my SOP that talked about my research interest and how I felt a few specific faculty fit in with that. Had to pare it down some given the 1000 word constraint, but we all do the best we can. Did you get the e-mail about filling out the Ed.M. supplemental information if you're deferred to that group?

I didn't put one directly on mine. I did title the PDF with my name and HGSE SOP when I uploaded it. I'm right there with you! Anxious and hopeful and nervous and a pile of other emotions. Well, you know what they say....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMyCa35_mOg

You can see when they're sent on the ETS website. It'll have the schools listed, and the "pending" will be changed to a date.

Just a heads up to the folks putting in PhD applications. I just had my GRE scores clear today even though I sent them online on the 24th. Might want to put them in through ETS now so they are officially sent before Dec 1st.

I used the Statement of Purpose to tell my story. Though telling the story, putting research interests, the why HSGE, and everything else in 1,000 words wasn't easy!

Just formally submitted my PhD application! Fingers are now crossed, and the waiting game commences! Question for the other PhD applicants: If you checked the box to be considered for the M.Ed. pool if not accepted to the Ph.D. program, any idea when we'd receive the chance to upload the additional documents for that? I assume it wouldn't be until they've made final decisions regarding the Ph.D. program, but if anyone has additional insight I'd love to hear it. :-)

Congrats on the score, HRK1011!

Hey folks. Time for me to be brave and post my stats here. Here it goes...... Program: Education PhD, HDLT ConcentrationGRE Score: V 159, Q 156, AWA: 4.0GPA: Undergrad - 3.2 Previous Grad Degree - 3.2 Current Grad Degree - 3.6 (Still in progress)Work Experience: Worked for several years in clinical medical research (ironically, mostly in hospitals attached to medical schools). After making the jump to education, worked for a year as an editorial assistant for an academic journal in higher education. Currently work as a research assistant for the Dept. of Ed. Leadership on campus. Institutions (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Undergrad: Public Previous Grad School: Private Current Grad School: Public (different institution than undergrad) Research Experience: As noted above, previous work in clinical medical research as well as current position as a research assistant. Honors distinction for thesis from previous masters degree. Two conference presentations at a higher education conference. One presentation accepted for another higher education conference this upcoming Spring. What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Penn State, Florida State, may add one more out of Georgia, Boston College, or Michigan State. Like a lot of folks here, I'm hoping for the SOP and LOR's to nudge things in my favor at HGSE. I feel my research experience and recent coursework trend will (hopefully) offset my more lackluster grades from the past. Finishing up my SOP with the goal to have everything in by the end of this week.

I've stewed on this too, as there are portions of my resume I am planning to discuss in my SOP. After the open house, I plan to highlight a lot of the why/how these events brought me to the field of education, why HGSE would help further the process for me, etc. I think your idea of "re-telling it with a deeper purpose" is the way most people go, but that is just my educated guess.

Hey folks. Got delayed a bit on my flights back, so getting to this later than I thought I would (but still wanted to deliver as promised before heading to bed). Just to up front, the breakout sessions I went to were the ones for applicants applying to the PhD program, so a few details might be more focused towards that. But the rest came from general sessions where everyone was in attendance. Any others that were there (as well as some of the HGSE alumni that are already involved in this thread), please fill in any blanks I may have. Admissions Admissions wound up speaking to us a couple of times during the day. They highlighted many of the centers/programs/projects affiliated with HGSE (such as Project Zero, The Center on the Developing Child, Center for Education Policy Research, etc.). The noted several times that students are encouraged to seek out places to get involved (both on and off campus), but that it is on the student to show the initiative for this. They noted that HGSE students are not afraid to have difficult conversations, be it with one another, with faculty, or with others. A question they posed to us (and repeated by others in one form or another throughout the day) was: What brings you here today? This was posed more than once throughout the day. In the end, the Admissions Office is there to help us as prospective students make a good, informed decision as we apply and (hopefully) decide where to go for graduate school. In your Statement of Purpose (SOP), make sure to touch on things like: (note, ones in italics are from the PhD breakout session) Describe your trajectory up until this point (personal, academic and/or intellectual) Demonstrate that you're a good "fit" for HGSE Do NOT re-hash your resume (but you may mention parts of it as needed while telling your story) Revise, revise, revise Have people read it and offer advice BEFORE you submit it Weave together a narrative What kind of researcher do you want to be? Talk about the questions you have, and how HGSE can help you answer those questions For your Letters of Recommendation: Make sure the writers: Are people that know you well Are able to address professional and/or academic abilities (and should have at least one covering each area) For the PhD applicants, it was mentioned to look at professors in the three tracks to help you determine which track to apply to. Have a idea/question you're passionate about, and be able to explain WHY you're passionate about it. Convey a sense of being a researcher who has an open mind. Be able to show you know what a research question looks like. The PhD application is due before the other application (Dec 1st at 5:00pm EST). Invited candidates will be interviewed via Skype around late January. Faculty Dr. Stephanie Jones, Dr. Gigi Luk, and Dr. Martin West spoke to us to give their perspectives regarding HGSE. All three commented how research is integrated into most courses they teach. They noted that faculty are quite easy to meet with and excited to have students get involved in their projects/research. However, the student must take the initiative to get involved. Faculty are supportive and willing to assist students in undertaking independent study of a topic. The teaching is very dynamic, to the point one faculty member noted: "It isn't the same course every year". Students are encouraged to make their viewpoint known in class, even if it differs from the views of the faculty member and/or other students. Students Many, many students talked with us throughout the day. Among the quote/tidbits of advice I heard from them are: "Faculty are interested in finding out what students are interested in and what they want to explore" "You'll have lots and lots of opportunities to learn outside the classroom" Try to find faculty that share your interest early on in your time here "I was surprised to have to learn how to say 'no' due to all the opportunities" Surprised how much is learned from peers in classes There is no typical day at HGSE "The PhD cohort is both my personal hangout and my professional hangout" Financial Aid Much of the financial aid information can be found on their website (www.gse.harvard.edu/financialaid). One thing to note: you'll be putting in your financial aid application BEFORE you know if you've been accepted to HGSE. The HGSE financial aid application is due Feb 12, 2016, and the 2016-2017 FAFSA will need to be in by Feb 26, 2016. Alumni Masters and doctoral alumni spoke about their time at HGSE. Key points that they mentioned included: HGSE helped me find my place in the world It changed how I though about the world I now ask "What is the real problem here?" when examining a situation I learned how to really learn The alumni network is incredible Faculty are good about discussing practice, research, and policy in their classes

I'm flying/traveling most of the day today, but I'll post my thoughts/reflections/insights from the open house when I get settled back home tonight.

Hey everyone Just stumbled on this forum (wish I'd found it sooner). Excited to be jumping in here. I'll add more about myself shortly, but just wanted to see if anyone else will be at the HGSE daylong open-house tomorrow? I'd be happy to post impressions and insights I get from them after attending if people here would be interested in that. Best of luck to everyone as we apply!