Cat Time

One of my LOR writers was my supervisor in an education-related job (program coordinator in a university) while the other was my instructor for a course on psychological development from infancy to adolescence, with a focus on methods of learning. That means the latter is very similar to option 1 in the poll, but the writer I've already chosen knows me better and states that I'm their brightest student ever, which I doubt the other would. On the flip-side, the one I've already chosen taught me in a second year course while the other taught me in third year course.

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately I had virtually no contact with the TAs in courses 1 and 2. I am also learning towards option 4, as they are the only professor whom I took multiple courses with and they know my work better than the others. I guess they don't really fit in with my education narrative, but I imagine (or at least hope) that it's fairly standard for people to pursue a master's in education without having much underground experience in that area.

Hi! I plan to apply to Master's of Education programs (I have done no previous grad work), with a focus on education policy and in particular the issue of increasing the post-secondary enrollment of those from low-income groups, with a sub-focus on how post-secondary institutions can facilitate this. As an undergrad I mainly took political science and psychology classes, with very little coursework relevant to education. My interest in education is something I developed independently of organized academics and have continued to develop professionally, and now I am looking to pursue a Master's of Education. I have chosen two letter of recommendation writers who I believe are well suited to the task, but I need one more and am struggling to find a suitable writer. Pretty much every professor (I already have a professional reference) either taught me in something unrelated to education and/or had essentially no involvement with assessing my work (the joys of huge class sizes). This leaves me in a tough spot, and I'm wondering if anyone could give me their opinion as to which of the options (listed with some pros and cons) sounds best. 1. A professor of a childhood and adolescence psychology course I took -I finished first in the class (120+ people) -Loosely tied to education in that we talked about how cognitive abilities change from birth to adolescence, as well as how this impacts learning (this is one of the professor's interests). -I had very little contact with the professor (all assignments marked by TA). Our conversation was limited to brief discussions about the material on exams and an error that resulted in incorrect final marks originally being assigned to each person in the case. 2. A professor of a policy making course I took -I got a high A, though I was not first in the class (about 45 people) as was the case with the above course -We discussed certain attempts at K-12 education reform in the US, although this wasn't a major part of the course and no assignments were tied to this. The professor also got their PHD from one of my goal schools. -TA marked most work. I had more discussion with the professor in this course than the above course, but don't feel that I came across as particularly impressive. 3. A professor of a history course I took -I earned an A+ in this course and what was supposed to be an 8 page term paper turned into a 36 page pager with the instructor's permission (the paper discussed the role of formal education in shaping the ideologies of civil rights leaders, though the focus of the paper was broader than education). Following the course they sent me an email suggesting that I look into honors history programs. -On the other hand, I took this course about 6/7 years ago and it was a first year course (one of my LOR is already coming from someone I only took a 200 level course with) 4. A professor who I took two political science courses with (intro to comparative politics and the politics of immigration) -A+ in both classes and the professor knows me the best out of any of these options. They actually wrote me a letter a few years back for another program; admissions results were solid, though I eventually chose not to pursue that. -Material was, for the most part, not tied to education (their interests are in immigration policy), but there was minor discussion in one course about how early education outcomes have a long lasting and pervasive impact. -Professor has a reserved personality (I don't know if this is at all linked to how highly they praise students in LOR) and I worry that they may be annoyed that I'm now asking them for a new letter to a different program.

Just curious, Education Policy and Management applicants (excluding those who plan on seeking a PHD) what type of jobs do you hope to get after graduation?

Thanks for the responses! I have thought about not mentioning my rank, but my program was fairly large and I think it makes me stand out to say I was the top out of around 200 people. I am also an international student applying to US schools, and I don't want there to be any misconceptions about how good my grades are; where I went to school a 90 percent (close to my average), for example, is a very high grade given to only a small fraction of students,but I know that in many US schools a 90 doesn't reflect nearly the same level of achievement. Of course those in admissions may well be aware of the difference in grading systems, but I don't know if I want to take the chance that they're not.

Hi! First let me say that my question isn't SOP related, but this seems like the most suitable place here to ask it. So I graduated first in my undergraduate program (first as in had the highest cumulative average), which is something I definitely want to note on my CV. However, my university didn't formally rank students, and I was only able to discover my ranking after seeking it out with someone in academic advising. In this case, since the rank doesn't show on my transcript, should I attach a letter from the academic adviser which states that in fact I did graduate first in my program? Should I instead say something like 'documentation available upon request?' Or should I just put the rank and not add anything else about it? Thank you!

Thank you for the helpful response!

That's nice to here! Congrats on your great results

Hi everyone! Sorry if this is out of place here, but I didn't see any threads for 2017 applicants and I don't have the guts to start a 2017 thread in March! I would be very thankful if someone could help me assess my chances of admission for next year. Applying for: Ed.M. Program: Education Policy and Management OR Higher Education (the one I'm leaning toward)GRE Score: V 170, Q 155, AWA: 5.5 (99th, 60th and 98th percentiles)Undergrad GPA: 4.1/4.33; BA in Political Science with a few academic awardsWork Experience: I am 26 and by fall of 2017 I'd have 2 years in university administration (e.g. program coordinator); 2 years as a researcher in a law firm; and a summer experience as a policy analyst for local political party. I worked full-time throughout school and took a little longer to graduate than most (early 2014 graduate), so unfortunately I may fall short on post-grad work experience even though I feel like my WE during university was still significant. Volunteer Experience: Founded a very small non-profit which donates products to local shelters; provide free tutoring to students from low-income backgrounds Undergrad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Public Research Experience: Minimal (UG coursework, research in a law job) What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Not sure