Hello all,
Thanks to everyone who has participated in keeping this thread alive. I have only very recently discovered it but I quickly read through all 31 (31!) pages and it proved to be a great crash course in everything to consider during the application process.
I am facing a dilemma that I hope people on this thread can help resolve. I have been accepted into the IEPA program at Stanford GSE and the IEP program at Harvard GSE. Stanford has offered as small tuition fellowship (10k) and Harvard has offered a grant (16k). As an international student I am not eligible for subsidized loans or the work study program so I will have to rely on my savings and a big student loan.
About 10 days ago, I received an email from the Financial Aid office at HGSE informing me that I had been considered for the Urban Scholars Award and while they aren't offering me one I have been designated as an 'alternate'. This means that should an award become available I will get it (yay) but there is no way to predict if at all this would happen and when (boo). I was told that being an alternate does not disqualify me from being considered for other forms of aid. I am a bit confused why I was not considered for a merit based award (Leadership in Education etc.) which seem to have more generic eligibility criteria than Urban Scholars. Oh well. Assuming that neither school will offer me any more at this point of time, this makes the Stanford program about 9k more expensive than Harvard.
So here are my questions -
1. How likely is it for someone to turn down the Urban Scholars Award? It seems very very unlikely to me. I can't think of any considerations that could make someone not want it. On the other hand the prospect (no matter how unlikely) of a full tuition waiver and being part of the Urban Scholars cohort seems too sweet to ignore. I am not sure how much weight I should attach to this in my decision making. Suggestions?
2. If I take the award out of the equation, I still need to decide which school to go to. HGSE is cheaper (both on account of being a shorter program and considering the aid that is currently on offer, Cambridge seems cheaper than the west coast), it seems like a far more vibrant place to be (more diverse, lots of conferences, seminars etc.), I'm told the faculty is more influential and better connected and career services at HGSE appear superior. In my home country HGSE is a huge brand - many people don't even know Stanford has an Ed School :/ The small numbers of Stanford grads/ aspiring grads or much talk of Stanford GSE at all on this chat forum is conspicuous.
On the other hand - key aspects of the Stanford IEPA program are a big draw for me - a smaller cohort (15-20 vs. >60 at HGSE), longer duration (12 months vs. 9 at HGSE, more coursework) and emphasis on the MA paper. Given my education and work background I am confident that foregoing the HGSE brand and the networking opportunities that it brings will not significantly disadvantage me in the job market in my home country. All these considerations have enabled me to avoid caving to the "... but Harvard is HARVARD" line.
Are there any other aspects of the grad school experience that I should consider? As a foreign student I can't visit both campuses to decide. Happy to hear anyone who would like to weigh in on this decision.
Apologies for the long message. Also, I'm sorry for airing a dilemma which is definitely not whine-worthy - I know I'm very fortunate to be where I am! Congratulations to all successful applicants. Look forward to hearing opinions on my queries.
