memphismocha

Hi everyone! Thanks for making this forum. ? I am interested in applying to the University of Toronto’s school and clinical child MA program (and then continue on in their PhD program, ideally). I am from the U.S. and don’t know much about the university system in Canada. My partner just accepted a faculty position at UofT, hence the reason for the move lol. I know that programs are very competitive. I am very excited about the possibility of doing a combined school/clinical program. A little bit about me: I’m currently a research assistant at a Harvard affiliated hospital working on a study examining the etiology of trauma-spectrum disorders. I received my masters in human development and psychology from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education last spring. Previously, I taught special education through Teach for America. Some areas of potential weakness for me- haven’t taken the psych GRE test, my GRE quant score is in the 55th %tile, and my bachelor’s is not in psychology (it’s in English and multicultural gender studies). I look forward to this forum being a supportive space, and look forward to learning from you all and getting to know you more!

@ZWPI'm also deciding between Vandy MPP and HGSE HDP. I'm leaning towards Harvard right now. My main worry is how fast the program is and whether it will afford me enough time to truly strengthen my research, data analysis and quant skills. At this point in time, I am interested in pursuing a Phd. My thought is that I will look for a research position/fellowship at Harvard or in Boston after grad school, and apply to doctoral programs during that first year. I wonder if HGSE will give me enough of a boost in those "hard" quant skills that I lack (I've been teaching since I graduated from college-- with a degree in literature, lol) that I will be a competitive candidate for a research position that first year out and phd programs. Idk...it's a big choice...that we have 6 days to make lol. Best of luck with your decision making process, and feel free to DM me or respond here to keep discussing the pros/cons of both options given our specific interests/situations!

@edu_21 Yes, I'm with you there... I don't know how competitive I'd be for the fellowship or how many other admitted students in Human Development & Psych have urban education background, but I'm a TFA alum & this is my 5th year in the classroom. Fingers crossed for us both

Ok, so need-based financial aid does take that into account, whereas merit scholarships (like the urban scholarship for example) does not. Good to know. Thanks!

I'm wondering if an admitted student's savings or funds in their name (like stocks) are considered by admissions when they are deciding who to give merit scholarships & fellowships to...Does anyone have any info about this?

Accepted to HDP! Age: 26 Undergrad GPA: 3.98 GRE: 164 Verbal; 155 Quant; 5.0 AW Professional background: Teach for America, 5 years teaching experience as a special education teacher Congrats everyone!!

Lol yes, it is getting kind of nerve wracking. I've heard back from Vandy, but I'm anxious and excited to hear back from the rest of the schools I applied to. Only a few more days!

@sheriberi Yes, I agree! All of the programs at HGSE really appealed to me. I was also deciding between MBE & HDP. I'm a special educator right now, and thought it would be fascinating to study learning disabilities at the brain level. I applied to Vanderbilt, UPenn and Columbia. I wanted to apply to UC Berkeley and UCLA because I'm from Cali, but the deadline was too early for me to do well on the applications, or so I felt like at the time. Have you heard back from any schools yet?

@sheriberi No I actually applied to Human Development & Psych at HGSE...it really interests me How about you? Did you apply anywhere else other than Stanford & HGSE?

@sheriberi I'm just guessing based on previous years, but it is just conjecture. Also, I think Stanford usually sends out their decisions before Harvard does, and I'm pretty sure Harvard will send their decisions out this Friday. Did you apply to both schools too?

I applied to POLS too! I'm thinking this will be the week we probably hear back!

@SSPhopeful Yes, hopefully so! Crossing my fingers for us both!

@SSPhopeful Yes I am! I did TFA here and I stayed to teach after my commitment. @smashtron Thanks so much! That is helpful to know. It will be hard to wait for information about funding...that will definitely majorly impact my decision about whether or not I can attend if I am admitted.

Does anyone know if information about scholarships, like the Urban Fellowship, will be included in the admittance letter? Or would we find out all of that financial info later in the month of March?

I applied to Human Development & Psychology! Did anyone else also apply to Stanford? I’m wondering if their decision will come out this Friday.

Hey @Sof45! I've been trying to guess when the results will be posted. I've been thinking it may be March 2nd too...can't believe that is only 2 weeks away!! Which program did you apply to?

@TMW88 Yeah, I'm in a similar position. I'm still teaching, and so it's been hard juggling both work & applying. I'm looking forward to winter break to work on my SoP. I have a lot of notes and ideas that I need to make more concrete. I agree that it's tricky to figure out the best tone and organization...this is my first time applying to grad school and crafting a SoP for a program like this. You seem like an excellent applicant...your work experience after TFA sounds very interesting! Are you applying to any other schools besides Harvard?

Hey @TMW88! I'm a TFA alum who is also applying to Harvard's M.Ed program. I was initially thinking of EPM, but have changed the concentration I'm interested in to Human Development & Psych. Your stats seem really stellar...you sound like an excellent candidate for the program. Of course, I am no expert and am currently going through the application process along with you. How's your application coming along?

@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?

@aina7 Thanks! Are you a current student at HGSE?

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 ConcentrationGRE 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