imagical

This post so inaccurate that rumors of its existence have actually started flitting around the Ed school. Good work OP, you've made yourself legendarily ill-informed and bitter. 
I am a current PhD student. Three members of my 27 person cohort (I think we are 27...could be 26 or 28...) got a masters at HGSE. I can assure you that they are not here because they 'forked over 60k to Harvard.' They are here because they are fantastic students and researchers. I don't have numbers for how many of us have a masters degree in general, but I know a lot of us don't, myself included. Certainly not 90% of us. 
This is a damaging rumor to start because it could disincentivize people who are excellent candidates from applying to the program. So, to the applicants following this forum thinking about applying next year: yes, the odds are slim and there is a lot of luck involved in the acceptance process. However, if you are a strong student and researcher, you've got as good of a shot as anyone. 

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  

@OperationPhDforMe hi, this is a bit of a delayed response but just want to clear something up in case someone else reads your post. Most HGSE PhD graduates receive an EdM en route to their PhD, they dont come into the PhD program already earning their EdM. I have access to some inside data and the application tags HGSE EdM students/alumni in the process; in past years less than 15% of the applicant pool were either current HGSE students or alum (mostly alum) and like other applicants, they get cut throughout the decision process and some don't even pass the first review.
for reference, i am a current harvard student (not hgse) and a friend has ties to hgse faculty involved in admissions

Hi, all! Would anyone who interview for the PhD program mind sharing how the interview went and what you were told in terms of timeline going forward? 
 
I interviewed this week and I would love to just hear some other experiences so I can know how to interpret mine. Feel free to PM!

@imagical that sounds a good deal, I will take a look... When I lived in the US many people told me that I was not allowed to have a contract phone because I didn't have a SSN, but then I got mine and forgot to check what were the options for me (I was about to leave the states so I didn't care).

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

I'll be attending Harvard as a Ph.D. student in the fall, and I'm a bit lost when it comes to finding apartments. I know that most of the leases start on September 1st, but my program requires us to be in the area for orientation on August 23rd. Because of a job commitment this summer, I won't be able to move until around August 15th, and I'd rather not pay for all of August if possible (though I could if necessary). I also have seen that August 1st leases aren't nearly as common as September 1st ones, which would make me even more hesitant to do that since I don't want to be living somewhere for a year just because it was one of the few okay options available.
Any advice? Would trying to do Airbnb or something from August 15th - September 1st even be worth it? Would that even work out well in terms of actually moving (I plan on buying most of my stuff other than clothes once I'm there since I don't have all that much non-clothing stuff to begin with).

Hi everyone, it's looking likely that I'll be going to Boston in the fall and need much advice!! I was really looking forward to having my own space, but a few days of scrolling in craigslist and zillow have popped this happy bubble and I'm just very anxious now.
I'm really worried about housing esp since I'm an international, and there's a high chance I'd have to do house-hunting via the internet. Is this a really bad idea? Should I just empty my savings account to pay for the overpriced Harvard housing studio for a year and then search for rooms in my second year?
Or, if it's not a terrible idea, should I try to find fee-free deals on craigslist, or for safety's sake pay the fee and work through a realtor? What are some good, reliable sites with a lot of listings?
Also, I have no idea how much my stipend is worth in Boston, i.e. what price range of houses I should be looking at. How much does cost of living for a single grad student minus rent amount to? 
I sound absolutely clueless, yeah.. sorry about that
Any advice is much appreciated!

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  

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  

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  

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  

Like many people, I was just sitting at work, obsessively checking my email when a notice to check a portal came through. I could hardly contain myself. I practically ran out of the office to find a private place to call my husband and my dad. My husband works for the government and was onsite at the time, so I couldn't get through to him. I called my dad, and realized I was like yelling into the phone, haha. I had to make myself quiet down.
Then, as stupid as it might sound, I went to the bathroom and sat in a stall and cried. I cried for like fifteen minutes, and I "talked" to my mom, who passed away in 2015. Just said how grateful I was and how much I wished she was here to tell. When I went back to my desk, I realized there was another page to the offer letter, and it was a decision for some funding. I was so happy and surprised.
I feel immense relief to know this is actually happening. Good luck to everyone out there! Keep faith. <3

Just got the phone call about 30min ago. So excited! Not sure if I'll commit, but it seems promising.

I've been out of the running here for a while, but I registered to wish you all good luck. Here's to hoping the phones keep ringing...

OK, so I have developed the following plan. I am not sure it is the best one, but it is the one I am following. It is finetuned to the skype interview, but can be modified to accommodate the on-site interview as well. Tell me what you think.
Plan the process of preparation. Of course, you can always just go with the flow - read a little about the school, reread your SoP, go back to the school's website, etc.. However, during the very interview you have to feel sure that you have done everything to prepare, and the only way to guarantee that (at least in my case) is going through the checkpoints one by one. Double-check the interview time. If you are abroad, use a time zone converter. Double-check. Mark your calendar. Count the days left. You will have a task for each one. To have a visual in your head, plan your outfit and the place where you will have your interview. The outfit has to be smart and simple, nothing exotic - they should pay attention to your words, not your looks. Dress well up and down, despite the fact it's skype and technically you can wear your pj in lieu of pants - this will make you fell professional. Make sure it's your 'you' outfit - something you love and feel comfortable in, something you have worn multiple types with unfaltering success. The background should be simple, too. I am borrowing a high-tech video cam from my friend as well. Make sure there are two sources of internet. I will be using wifi and I will have my mobile internet to share if something happens. Reread your SoP, your CV, and your Writing Sample. Imagine you are someone else, highlight everything that can generate questions. Here's the list I've made: anything unique, anything mysterious (like that course you mentioned in passing but did not elaborate upon), anything your interviewers are good at (pertaining to their area of expertise), because they read 100 SoPs and naturally pay attention to the familiar things. Write the questions down. Do a mock interview if possible - with a friend, a fellow applicant, or even with that ruthless alter ego hiding inside you. Get confused because of some of the questions. Write down all of the confusing/surprising ones. Reflect on your performance. Note areas for improvement. For example, I get nervous, time starts flowing in a strange way, and I feel overwhelmed because of all the things I am attempting to do - keep the question, the answer, pieces of advice from Grad Cafe folk in my head. I also found it difficult to think of examples to illustrate my points. Now the real works starts. You have an advanced list of questions - the original ones augmented by your ''interviewer's'' input. Answer your questions: write the answers down, or answer them in your head. Make concise notes (this is really important). Every answer should be 2-3 min, so that you get as many chances to shine as possible. Make sure to use examples. Look for the best ways to phrase your answers. While you will probably not say the same exact thing, the whole process will direct your mind towards working on the task. It will keep working out different questions and answers while you do other things - eat, sleep, take shower, etc. This is a psychological trick I like to use. Practice answering the questions. I am going to do that staring at my laptop's camera, no kidding. I find that problematic and usually end up looking at the little picture of myself when I talk to people via skype. Practice answering them with assurance and style. This is your chance. Own it, kick ass. One question they will definitely ask, as you might already know, is whether you have questions. Well, you do. Visit the schools website, revisit every conversation you've head with them, everything you know. Think of clever questions for them. Only ask things that demonstrate that you are prepared, you've done your homework, but yet you are thoughtful and curious. I.e. asking about living conditions for grad students is probably not a good idea at this stage - you should have done that prior to applying. Do ask about current and planned research projects, the school's publications, etc. Practice asking questions. Play the whole thing out in your head, think of different scenarios. Read grad cafe, but do not obsess. Do not think about other schools if possible, especially the ones you haven't heard from - it will only stress you out. The day. Put on what you have planned to wear. Make sure you have a spear shirt/tee/blouse in case you spill coffee on the one you have chosen 5 min prior to the interview. Check the time difference if you are abroad again. Abstain from caffeine - you will be full of beans anyways. Instead, eat healthy, drink water/herbal tea. Avoid everything that might make you nervous - checking news, your ex' facebook page, talking to that friend that always makes you feel less than, taking public transport, etc. Make sure you are alone in the room, and it is quiet. Adjust the camera, and the light. 15 minutes in, turn off the sound on your phone, and tablet. Close the facebook page on your laptop. Only have skype e-mail (the one you used for your application) open, nothing else. Check skype connection. Look through your notes. Make sure you are doing something during the minutes you have left, but not overwhelmed with tasks. And... game on!  
 

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 

Hi everyone! 
I'm new to this forum and this is my first post :). 
I have received an email from Harvard GSE earlier today to inform me that I have been shortlisted for the interview stage. The interview will be conducted next Monday. I must say I am positively surprised and very happy, but I am also quite stressed about it... and was hoping to find some information about that interview on this forum. In the meantime, if that helps, below is some information about my application.
Program/Concentration: PhD in Education, EPPE concentration
GRE Score: V 154 (65%), Q 167 (92%), AW 5.5 (98%)   [I only studied for the quantitative section... I know my verbal score is low but I’m a foreigner [French], so I'm counting on the committee to be clement here .]
TOEFL Score: 110/120 (Writing 30/30, Reading 27/30, Speaking 27/30, Listening 26/30)
GPA: N/A (because I studied in France and my school doesn't provide any averages, but I had honors in my undergrad and was Summa Cum Laude in my Masters program in Economics & Public Policy)
Work Experience: a 3-month summer internship at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills when I was a Masters student
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): top French "Grande Ecole" in social sciences, for both my undergrad and masters
Research Experience: 1 Masters thesis & 2.5 years of RAship for professors of economics (including 1.5+ years with a professor of economics at a US top school)
LoR/SoP: 2 from professors I RA'ed for (with one of them, I also took an undergrad-level econ course), 1 from my Master's thesis supervisor (I also took two of his grad-level econ courses and RA'ed for him but it was only data collection stuff), and 1 from one of my grad econometrics professors (he's the only senior prof among my recommenders). My SoP was quite standard, I guess (?): I talked about my academic background and my research experiences, why I wanted to pursue a PhD program in Education (I'm mostly interested in economics of education), what questions I'd like to address and briefly how I plan to tackle these, and which professors I'd be interested in working with.
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: several PhD programs... mostly in economics, but another one in education at Stanford GSE, and 2 in public policy at Harvard Kennedy and Chicago Harris.
Hope this helps. Good luck to everyone! 
And, if anyone has any advice/information regarding the interview, I would greatly appreciate if you could share! Thanks a lot!

Nothing yet. 
I looked back on old gradcafe forums, though, and it looks like those of us who are lucky enough to land one can expect to hear about interviews sometime between this Friday (19th) and next Friday (26th). 
Same, though. The waiting is killing me and I just have no idea if I'm a really qualified applicant. 

Hi all! Have any Ph.D. app folks heard anything, or does anyone know about Ph.D interview timing? Please post if/when you have any info this week or next. Trying to distract myself but the waiting is tough! Best of luck to everyone!  

@imagical I will be sure to post here if I find out any additional info or private message you! Good luck.
@NativeEd I applied to special studies at HGSE last year and didn't make it in there, but due to my cross-discipline interest in education/personal development/crisis management I also applied to 2 additional harvard grad programs and ended in grad school. Still get to take HGSE classes so it's a win-win. Best of luck to you.

Program/Concentration: PhD HDLT and Masters Technology, Innovation, and Education
GRE Score: Low: V 153 Q 150 W 4.0
GPA: 3.33 undergrad / 4.0 grad / 3.87 Educational Specialist Degree
Work Experience: Opened a non-profit private school (1 year). Taught in bush Alaska in Native Villages of less than 100 people with plane only access (2 years). Designed and taught undergraduate ESL course.
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): No-name for undergrad. Western Governors (Masters in Curriculum development). American College of Education (For ED.S. in Leadership and Cognitive Science)
Research Experience: Undergrad Research Assistantship (1st place Research and Creative Works Competition). M.S. Thesis on Classroom Gamification. Working with a professor on Teacher Adaptability.
LoR/SoP: 1 from professor I opened the private school with. 1 from the professor I designed ESL courses with. 1 from the professor I am working on Teacher Adaptability research with.  In the SOP I talk about human motivation which I am interested in researching, making research accessible for teachers,  reference professors I want to work with and discuss their work and how I fit. 
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: Boston College, George Mason University, UPenn

@NativeEd I am a student currently at Harvard and I have several friends who work in HGSE. Last year one of them was very helpful in letting me know certain dates and timeframes - they sent out invitations in mid January last year, so a little later than now. I just saw that friend last week, aside from Harvard being closed last week, the meetings for PhD apps have been going on and on the appropriate faculty's schedules and whatnot. They do meet almost weekly around this time. Hope that little bit helps!

Hi everyone. I wasn't sure if I would post here. I've been lurking and trying to figure out what my chances are. I applied to HGSE's Ph.D. program.
Program/Concentration: CIS
GRE Score: V 168, Q 152, AWA: 6 (I took the GRE once, and I studied very hard for the quant, but it's been a long time since I had to use math at that level; I am really happy with my V and AWA, but worried over the low Q. I considered taking the test a few more times, but I elected not to do so in the hopes that my V and AWA scores will be more important, but I don't know.)
GPA: 3.73 undergrad magna cum laude / 3.9 masters
Work Experience: 20 years as a classroom teacher, including 3 years as a technology integrator and about 4 years as a department chair. Some experience consulting. Lots of experience presenting at national/regional/state conferences in many different areas. 
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Public in both cases, and I'm not sure how well regarded (UGA and VA Tech).
Research Experience: None really, but I have published two articles in a peer-reviewed education journal. I also have a well-regarded blog (12 years and counting!).
LoR/SoP: 2 from supervisors and 1 from a colleague who has worked with me closely. SoP focused on assessment in education. I earned my masters in 2010, and all of my undergrad professors are retired (I am a lot older than many of you!); I don't think any of my graduate school professors are still at it, either, or at least, I don't know where they are. I honestly think people who have worked with me would be able to speak more accurately about my abilities than my college professors who might barely be able to recall the work I did in their classes years ago, but I could be wrong. I decided I better not worry about it.
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: None; if I don't get in, I'm content to continue working in my current teaching job. This program is the one I want to try. If I'm not admitted, I probably will not go on to earn a Ph.D. anywhere else. I did research other schools, but my conclusion is that I really want to attend this school and participate in this program. 

Thanks! I hope things are going well with the process for you.  Work experience goes a long way too!