[HGSE 2017]

On 5/4/2017 at 3:11 AM, UrbanMidwest said:

@cavenue said, "Steve Bannon has a degree from HBS. Let me just leave it at that."

You're right, Bannon does have a degree from HBS - an MBA, specifically. And you don't. He apparently graduated with honors as well. Let me just leave it at that.

K.

[HGSE 2017]

16 hours ago, universe said:

Thanks for that. I went to the admit days at Harvard and felt the same exact thing - a lot of fluff - and not a lot of developed thinkers. I mean, if it was Harvard Law or Business, sure, but the Harvard name doesn't hold too much ground in the Master's system. Also, I know one of my friends who isn't "super" in any field, apart from the fact that they are a teacher, was accepted and that kind of turned me off. 

If being a (presumably very good) teacher does not warrant being considered "super" in the education field, then I'm not sure if an ed. school is the right place for you. 

[HGSE 2017]

58 minutes ago, boscojoba said:

Is there such a thing as a non-cognitive mindset, I wonder?

I have no intention to discuss TFA. This isn't the forum or thread for it.  I don't think I said TFA is creating a white man's burden vibe. What I did want to say is that from what I've heard, the most vocal individuals in IEP program classroom discussions are TFA and Peace Corps alums who talk about development and education in such ill-informed and paternalistic ways stemming from an overinflated sense of messianic self-importance as to create the sort of general white man's burden vibe that's in place. To me, what's lent credence to this are the experiences the international students have shared about how they have been treated by white Americans.

Also, of course I am listening to a few samples of experiences. Did I say otherwise? Am I a researcher evaluating this program who needs to be setting up rigorous controls for validity and reliability? Is anyone on here? I'm just sharing what I know with no more nor less claims of truthfulness than anyone else on this forum. Like I just posted, you can take it or leave it. You or anyone else simply not liking the contents of my post doesn't change its reliability relative to anyone else posting stuff they've heard from people in the program (or elsewhere that's relevant). "Hate" whatever you want to and say I'm a racist. It's no skin off my nose.

I surely don't like the content of your post, and I'd be curious to know the extent of your experience with TFA (coming from someone who has been both a corps member and a TFA staff member). It's just strange that every time you expand on your thoughts, your language becomes even more descriptive (e.g. "ill-informed" "paternalistic" "overinflated sense of messianic self-importance") - doesn't really sound like "someone commenting on something he/she heard from someone else". Rather, I'd have to agree that it sounds like someone with an axe to grind. 

Anywho, you're right that it's not the place for this type of discussion, so I'll leave it at that!

[HGSE 2017]

4 hours ago, boscojoba said:

I'm glad you found it helpful (although not specifically to you! :P) I don't about EPM unfortunately, but I do know from the one ex-coworker/current very good friend that students in other programs have it better. She chose to take this one course that was largely made up of HGSE students from other programs and found both the professor and students MUCH better - i.e. the quality of discussions was great, the professor was actually interested in what he was teaching, that sort of thing. This friend of mine had to go through so much to actually get to the program and it's been heartbreaking over the past year getting updates from her about how awful it's been. A lot of the IEP folks, most particularly the American ones, seem to behave like really immature undergraduates both inside and outside the classroom, creating a terribly toxic social environment for everyone, but very especially for international/minority students. There aren't racist incidents per se, but from what I understand the international student community in the IEP program has been for a few months now talking about smaller acts such as being excluded / not fully included in study/project (I don't know if this is the correct term) groups by their white peers. The popular belief seems to be that "diversity" in the program is simply a buzzword and just an exercise in quota-filling , although of course I/everyone knows quotas aren't officially a thing. It's terribly ironic - given the program is IEP after all. As such, there's this whole white man's burden vibe to most of what's discussed by a lot of white students, particularly ones returned from things such as TFA/the Peace Corps. Cringeville, if you ask me.

There's no denying there are some truly brilliant, well-informed, racially-sensitive and decent folk - white or otherwise - in the program, it's just that they are rare is what I hear, and by no means is the 'culture' of the program reflective of those attributes.

Not here to get into a debate, but I'd just like to point out that everything you are saying is nothing more than hearsay, so I think anyone reading it should take it as such. You are very critical of a program and organizations like TFA (of which, yes, I am an alum) without ever having experienced them for yourself. That tells me everything I need to know about your posts. 

[HGSE 2017]

Accepted - masters, SLP! Pumped!

[HGSE 2017]

11 hours ago, EdM_Hopeful_Applicant said:

One of my recommenders did not have an organizational email address so she had to give her gmail address. I was expecting HGSE to call and follow-up for security reasons because the application said HGSE might follow up in those cases. She hasn't heard anything. Did any of your recommenders get calls from HGSE. Is the fact that HGSE isn't trying to verify that her recommendation is legitimate a bad sign?

I also had a recommender without an organizational e-mail address - I don't believe there has been any follow-up in my case either (although I can't say for sure because I haven't spoken with this particular recommender and I guess it's always possible she received a phone call or something.) I wouldn't worry about it. It seems to me that they would only "investigate" the recommender if the recommendation seemed unusual or out of the ordinary. 

[HGSE 2017]

Hey everyone,

Program: School Leadership 
GRE Score: 164V/161Q/5.0AWA
GPA: 3.6 (double majored with a science)
Work Experience: TFA, 4th year teaching in urban district, 2 teacher leadership roles around curriculum, summer doing school operations work
Undergrad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..):  Private, top 30
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Unsure, probably Penn and Columbia

 

I'm curious if anyone knows anything about the admissions criteria for the School Leadership program - I know they look for people with some leadership roles, but to what extent? Are they looking for applicants who have already worked in administration roles? Also, I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about the urban scholars fellowship - it says it is academic based, and I know I qualify based on my work in an urban district, but what academic credentials are typical of those awarded this fellowship?

Thanks, and good luck to everyone applying!