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imagical

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Posts posted by imagical

  1. I was wondering about this to so looked into it and found a company called US Mobile that lets you pick exactly what you want from a monthly phone contract (i.e. no. of minutes, texts and amount of data), and you can bring your own device to use with their contract. Also just as fuzzylogician said, the company uses two of the big four carrier networks so looks like it gets pretty good service around the country. It doesn't look like you have to pay a deposit either, and the company actually has a partnership with some US universities which means that if you're a student there, you can pick up a SIM card from the International Office when you arrive for free (or get it shipped if your university isn't on their list of partners). It sounds pretty good to me, and I think that's the option I will go for :)

  2. Hi all! Crossing my fingers for all Master's applicants as they await the admissions decisions.

    I found out a couple of weeks ago that I was admitted to the PhD programme for HDLT at HGSE, and could not be more excited about it! It was the only programme to which I applied because I just felt it was such a good fit, so I know how you all must be feeling as you anticipate hearing from HGSE :) 

    Having gone through this just a couple of weeks ago, I have one piece of advice about the waiting process. I totally understand that you all want to hear as soon as possible and so are trying to figure out when you might hear based on previous years and on conjecture from others who might be more 'in the know'. I echo @PremLeague's previous sentiments, though, about waiting to hear info directly from HGSE. I am obviously now thrilled to have been admitted to the PhD programme, but I had totally written off my admission because in previous years they seemed to make all phone calls on the same day (usually a Tuesday or Wednesday in early February) and only 6 or 7 people tend to post acceptances on Gradcafe. Following this pattern, when people started posting on Tuesday 6th Feb that they had heard from HGSE, I lost all hope, and by Wednesday evening when there were 5 or 6 posts in the results page I had shut myself in my room and starting making alternative arrangements for the future with my boyfriend. This then all resulted in a rather awkward conversation when I got a phone call from HGSE the next day (just before 9am EST, during my lunch break here) to say they were making me an offer of admission! 

    All I'm saying is I completely understand how much you all want this and how impatient you're all becoming as the admissions decisions are approaching, but my advice would be to wait until you've heard anything either way from Harvard directly before drawing conclusions about your admission status, just for your own emotional and mental wellbeing! I could have saved myself some difficult conversations and a very miserable Wednesday evening had I heeded my own advice...

    Good luck to you all as you approach this exciting time, and hope to see you all in Cambridge next year :) 

  3. @gradhopeful0000 I was thinking that too, and I haven’t heard anything either. It definitely seems odd that there was just the one post and nothing more...anybody want to claim that post as the one lucky person haha?

  4. 2 hours ago, Basil23 said:

    CIS applicant here as well; no news!

    Folks that heard back, did the email land in your inbox or your spam?

    Mine was in my inbox but my computer was convinced it was some kind of malware for some reason so I’d make sure to check spam too! Fingers crossed for all of you!!

  5. Hi all! Just wanted to thank you for providing an excellent source of support over the past few months - I found out yesterday I have an interview for the PhD in HDLT! @Cookiz (and others), congratulations on your interview! I'm sure you have no need to stress as your stats are great and your story sounds really interesting :) I hope it goes well and wish you very good luck :D

  6. Hi @Waiting&Hoping2018! I actually only applied to one place, and since I'm anticipating interview invites going out this week (based on previous years' Results pages), I'm pretty much struggling to focus on anything else!! Has anybody heard anything from anywhere they applied? I hope everyone is doing well and is keeping it together better than I am :lol:

  7. @NativeEd that's true! Wow, having initially felt as though there were a huge amount of time between submitting the application and hearing back, interview notification has rolled around quickly! I'm with you in terms of having no regrets about the application, and have adopted a pragmatic philosophy that if I get in, it would be a wonderful and magical opportunity, but if not I don't have to move 3000 miles across the Atlantic and leave all my friends and family! None of my friends are applying this year, which partially explains why I'm relying on this thread for comfort haha! One of my friends from school actually told me that pursuing a PhD at this point is not a great career move, and didn't understand why I would take 5 years out of being able to earn money just to study. The classic 'are you ever going to leave school?' line that people outside of academia don't seem to get -_-

  8. @NativeEd I was wondering about this too! It looks from previous years like they go out on various dates between the middle and end of January, so I think I will hold out until Jan 31st and if I haven't heard I will assume I'm not in! I've been visiting this thread pretty much daily to see if anyone else has posted about PhD applications, so I'm glad I'm not alone. With a few weeks having passed since applications were due, how do you feel about yours? 

    @jmaroon thanks for the insider info!! I recognise your name from last year's thread (not that I've read it millions of times or anything...), so I'm glad to see you're still around to help, and any info you have is much appreciated :)

  9. 4 hours ago, fmtj1996 said:

    Online it says decisions will be available late March but on the thread for last year it looks like they came out in the first week of March. Anyone know if they changed when they release decisions? 

    Looking at the forums in previous years, it looks like early March is the norm for Masters courses too, and doctoral applicants seem to find out by the end of February. I guess maybe they say late March online just in case of delays or to give themselves a couple of weeks extra time if they need it?

  10. 5 hours ago, NativeEd said:

    Hi everyone! I have a question about GRE verification for the PhD program (application through GSAS, not HGSE). Posters from previous years have said that they can tell when their GRE scores have been "verified." Is this the same for PhD apps? I cannot tell if mine have been received or not. For reference, Standardized Test Scores is bold in the applicant portal. Thanks in advance!

    I was wondering about this too. When I log in to my account on GSAS it says “application status submitted” in bold and the list of my recommenders, but nowhere does it mention my GRE scores. After seeing your post I found a link to the applicant portal, and underneath the bold "Standardized Test Scores" mine says GRE General Official 11/2017, so I presume this means these have been received? 

  11. 21 hours ago, Waiting&Hoping2018 said:

    Hey! Yes, I did submit them recently.  I know what you mean about the relief when there's nothing else you can do!  I'm applying to Vanderbilt, Texas-Austin, and UVA.  I think they went well but I always worry I could have done something better.  Where are you applying to?  What are you getting your PhD in?

    Congratulations on submitting, and I'm sure they will have been great! I'm applying to HGSE for the PhD in Human Development, Learning and Teaching. I'm working on my CV at the moment as I have never written an academic CV before, it feels very empty though as I have more employment experience in NGOs than I do research experience :mellow:

  12. Hello! Have you submitted your applications? I am applying for doctoral (PhD) programmes too and have spent the whole day working on my SoP, weirdly looking forward to December 1st when the application will be finished and the outcome will be out of my hands!! Where are you applying? How did your applications go?

  13. I did the same thing! I'm an international student applying for Education PhDs but went through a very similar thought process to you yesterday, suddenly realising that I hadn't waived the right to see my letters. I emailed the admissions office who told me to send a signed letter including my name, program I'm applying to, and names of my recommenders, and stating that I officially waive my right to view their letters. They also told me to tell my recommenders I'd done this, although my reason for changing this isn't because my recommenders asked me to but rather, like you, because I was worried about how adcoms would view my application! But now I just wonder whether having a letter to this effect attached to my application is drawing even more attention to the whole thing...

  14. 1 hour ago, memphismocha said:

    @imagical Thanks! It's hard to gauge my own competitiveness...sometimes I feel confident, sometimes not so much lol. I wish my GRE Quant score was higher, but math isn't really my strong suit. HGSE is definitely my top choice for grad school. Now that I'm done with the GRE, I've started to focus on my application. I am a teacher and teaching a new subject this school year, so I definitely have to find time to squeeze in working on revising my CV, drafting my SOPs, communicating with my LORs, etc. Thankfully the deadline is in January, so I can do most of my work on my apps on the weekend. How are things going for you? 

    Haha yes I know what you mean, I feel like it will be impossible to know if we are competitive until we find out if we've got in or not!! Yeah I feel the same, I did my GRE last week and got 157 on Quant, but like you, maths is just not for me. I'm in a similar position, application-wise: I was spending all my free time on GRE prep and now I've realised I have to actually work on my application! And since I'm applying for the PhD the deadline is in just over three weeks, so I think I should probably get a move on :wacko: I'm suddenly feeling the pressure of the impending deadline and am worried I won't be able to write the statement I want to...it's currently sounding a little too trite and clichéd!

  15. On 03/11/2017 at 4:13 PM, memphismocha said:

    Hey everyone! 

    I've been following this thread and similar ones for awhile. It's been a helpful source of information. I figured it was time to join in the conversation :) 

    I'd definitely appreciate any feedback or thoughts about my stats 

    Program/Concentration: HGSE M.Ed-- EPM Concentration
    GRE Score: V 164; Q 154; AWA- Waiting on scores 
    GPA: 3.98- summa cum laude/highest distinction; honors awards; dean's list every eligible semester; Undergrad Major- English Literature Minor- Multicultural Gender Studies 
    Work Experience: Teach for America alum. This is my fourth year teaching special education in urban schools in Memphis, TN. The year before I did TFA, I was an after school teacher at the school that I went on to do my TFA commitment at.
    Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): a California state university 
    Research Experience: I don't have research experience in the area of education and policy. I did write an undergraduate honors thesis.
    LoR/SoP: My undergraduate thesis advisor who I had a close working relationship with and who I've stayed in touch with; my manager at Teach for America; the lead special education teacher who managed me at my school   
    What Other Schools Are You Applying To: I'm applying to both Masters of Education programs with an emphasis in Education Policy, as well as Masters in Public Policy (MPP) programs.  Education Programs- Vanderbilt, Columbia, UCLA, Stanford, UPenn (maybe); MPP Programs- Princeton WWS, Columbia SIPA, U of Michigan, U of Chicago, Duke (maybe), Carnegie Mellon, USC 

    You sound like a very competitive candidate to me :)! How are you getting on with the application?

     

  16. Hi all! Having been a long-time lurker on the HGSE 2016 and 2017 threads, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and apply :o deciding to post in here suddenly makes this very real...

    Program/Concentration: PhD HDLT
    GRE Score: Taking in October
    GPA: 3.65 undergrad / 3.8 grad currently (waiting on my MSc thesis results!!!) - based on an online converter as my degrees were both in the UK
    Work Experience: A few months as a Key Worker in a school, 2 internships at educational charities/social enterprises
    Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Top 3 UK universities
    Research Experience: Not much - only my MSc thesis, and currently I'm working as a Research Assistant for my Master's supervisor
    LoR/SoP: 1 from undergrad, 1 from my MSc Education course convenor, and 1 from my MSc thesis supervisor, SoP still a work in progress but will talk about my own educational journey, why I'm passionate about education and addressing educational disadvantage, and my research interests
    What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Not sure yet - HGSE just seems such a perfect fit, but I am also looking at Columbia, UPenn, maybe NYU?

    @Edugy thanks for starting the thread, and if you want any info about Oxford let me know - I've just finished my Master's there!

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