jlt646

Rejected from the Education Policy PhD, but accepted to the MsEd with a $13.5k scholarship. Not sure how I feel about this option, because it still means about a zillion dollars in loans, and I was accepted to another PhD program with GA funding. Just kidding. I know how I feel about this option. I feel negatively. That's so much loan debt.

Hi everyone! I was recently offered funding in the form of an assistantship. I noticed that it isn't necessarily renewable for the following years, though, which is kind of terrifying. Do any of you have experience navigating the world of doctoral funding that isn't guaranteed? Have your assistantships been renewed every year? Thanks!

Seconded- I have lived in the Northeast for my entire life, but State College feels new and different in ways I can't really describe. Maybe it's because it's so far from the nearest city? Unsure. I hope this thread gets active again before I move!

Really thankful that this thread exists, but still kind of worried about my future in State College, PA- what do queer adults do in the Valley?

Congratulations to the Ed Policy PhD acceptance on the results board!

Late to the party, but glad it exists. I've heard from one program, but no funding letter yet. Waiting on two more, but at this point I'm ready to just be done with it and commit to the school that accepted me in January. No one in the boards for my field is talking about Penn State (ack?) but I'm getting psyched about living in State College. Not psyched enough yet to stop refreshing my email every five minutes, though. Can we just fast forward to March?

This is a common misconception about what FAFSA actually does. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is just the beginning step, and is not actually a loan application. The FAFSA uses the income information that you provide to make an estimate about what you should be expected to pay for school, and that estimate is passed on to colleges/universities in order to figure out how much they should offer in a package, and what the breakdown of that package should be. That package is made up of institutional grants/scholarships, federal grants, federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and occasional state grants. tl;dr- Definitely up to the school, not the government, to determine what kind of financial aid you get for your program, and the government doesn't just offer loans!

@rising_star Thank you! I feel better knowing that reimbursement is not necessarily the standard.

Maybe the question says it all, but I've been invited to an admitted students weekend at one of my top choice PhD programs, and I'm psyched. I just found out, however, that travel isn't reimbursed. Am I right to feel kind of weird about that? I thought it was the norm for schools to pay for at least some of that cost, since they're attempting to lure you into the program.

Hi everyone! My application status still reads "submitted" and there has been no change since the deadline- are any of you still in this boat? It seems odd that it hasn't gone into review.

Same here- official rejection came through this morning. Still waiting on Penn and Columbia, but feeling like no news is bad news.

Specialty ranking. For Education Policy, it's #10. (Source: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/education-policy-rankings?int=a11808&int=a06908) I know the difference between Penn and Penn State!

Anyone else apply to Penn State, or hear back? It's a top ten program, so I've been surprised to not see it come up in these forums yet.

Thanks- you too! Nothing from Penn, either. Trying to keep myself distracted with bad reality TV and the blizzard, but of course I'm refreshing e-mails every five minutes.

Saw it, panicked instantly.

Filled with very real panic now, because I'm getting no emails. This process is the worst. Ack.

I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for you!

My last recommender finally submitted this afternoon. My first deadline is tomorrow. I've been freaking out all weekend- it made for a very stressful Thanksgiving. Lots of refreshing my email. Now that they're in, I don't really know what to expect, or what to do with myself. I've decided that I'll be okay if I get rejected from every program, but I'm really hoping for at least an interview. I'll be in here with all of you- good luck, everyone!

I went to Bryn Mawr! Better dead than co-ed. No, no- Vassar is an excellent place. I'm from that area of NY originally, and I miss it all the time. Good luck with your SOP! It was the hardest part of my applications, for sure. To call the process of writing it akin to a bloodletting would be an understatement- and I was an English major!

Hi everyone! Program: Education PhD, CIS ConcentrationGRE Score: V 166, Q 156, AWA: 4.5 GPA: Undergrad- 3.7 total, 3.9 in majorWork Experience: Finished undergrad as a non-traditional student, so I had about 7 years of work experience before going back. In the field, I'm participating in a one year fellowship with an awesome college access nonprofit in Philly. I'm in a high need high school full time, doing workshops, mentoring, college prep, tutoring, and about a million other things. Undergrad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Private- Seven Sisters Research Experience: Honors thesis in undergrad, but minimal otherwise. What Other Schools Are You Applying To: UPenn, Columbia TC, Penn State I'm hoping that my LOR and SOP are enough to swing the HGSE vote in my direction, but I know that I look like a lot of other applicants. Everything is in and done, and I'm just waiting. Until March. (Ugh.) Happy to be here, good luck everyone!