civitas
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Everything posted by civitas
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Sigh. Enough though. I wish I can get a better GRE score...
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Well, although I'm a bit hesitated to say so, could you help me to determine which language score should I send to EAS programs? My TOEFL: R30/L29/S23/W28 (110) My IELTS: R8.5/L8.5/S7.0/W6.0 (7.5) Seems that both scores have their weakness..
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Dear all, I've finally got my IELTS score, with a 7.5 overall, 8.5 in reading and listening, 7 in speaking, and 6 in writing (awkward!). Meanwhile, I also hold a TOEFL score of 110 (R30, L29, S23, W28). I have no idea why the speaking and writing parts differ pretty much for the other, maybe due to my limited preparation time (2.5 weeks for TOEFL, 1.5 weeks for IELTS). Therefore the question naturally arises: which score should I send to U.S/Canada graduate schools? Or should I send both so each one may explain for the other? Besides, sending scores from IELTS is rapid and FREE, while TOEFL is slow and relatively EXPENSIVE.. -
Yes, NERVOUS +1 May I ask how many schools do you submit applications to?
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The best one is Columbia University's MARSEA, mostly due to its preference toward working experience. Some other choices: Cornell, Texas Austin, Indiana Bloomington, McGill. I'm applying for Harvard's School of Education, largely due to my related experiences and achievements in this field. Unfortunately, my GPA was too low in my undergraduate institution, therefore I have to take such a strategy. I wonder if I will be rejected by every graduate school lol. I haven't taken a GRE for now, yet as a Chinese student, my estimation is V155-160/Q170/AW4.
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Well, I have heard many of my classmates studying in other fields who have a requirement for publication when applying to graduate programs. I have no idea concerning EAS; few of my classmates published anything in journals even in Chinese, and I am from one of the most prestigious university in Chinese studies in China. What's your opinion about this?
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Your GPA sounds incredible for me. lol. Great profile! I'm applying for MA, so hopefully, the majority of my competitors are not in your shape. Despite having many working experiences in the private sector as well as the political reality in China, I really appreciate your profile. If only I have taken the exams seriously during undergraduate! I was running my own business then. My best wishes to you
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I wonder.. How is your profile if you are located in top programs? I'm a bit hesitated to apply them lol
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Mac isn't a good choice given the limited budget. Also, if you are going to seek something lightweight, the performance shall definitely be compromised. Therefore, if you are not moving a lot, try to consider some 15" laptops with great performance (i7, 16G RAM, SSD). There are a good many cheap choices within your budget, even with a great graphics card (if you are going to do some deep learning stuff).
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Welcome here! You are never late to continue your studies, especially in education. HGSE mentions that their eldest master student to be some 60+, while Ph.D. to be some 35+ if my memory serves me well. However, I'm also a bit hesitating about the source of LoR, and my situation is even more complex. I'm running my own business, although it succeeds in many senses, it seems that I cannot recommend myself. Shall I find some partners to write LoR, or simply find someone with Ph.D. or Professor title?
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That's quite true. Yet, as a bachelor without proper research experience and quite a lot of working experience (in China), shall I mention my affairs in the private sector as well as inside the Chinese institution? After all, I'm applying for an MA, not a Ph.D.
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Thanks for your answer. Therefore, what kind of experience do you think to be most beneficial for me to add to the SoP?
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Thanks. I have always pursued some 'interesting' affairs which influenced my GPA a lot. Back to undergraduate days, I never imagined that one day I would have to apply for another graduate program.
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Well my interest lie in modern and contemporary Chinese political history (Late Qing to Republic times) while also have vast knowledge in ancient (pre-Han) China. Personally I hold some titles in the institution (United Front) system, yet I use this advantage as a window to look into the institution. I want to figure out what's happening now and why it's going in this way, but that's pretty complex. Meanwhile, I'm also applying for another field, largely due to my experience in private sector. I prefer to EAS a lot, while it seems that I need to take a graduate program as soon as possible, so I can't take the risk and wait for another year.
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Some basic info: GPA: 81.35 (out of 100; no official 4.0 scale) Undergraduate Institution: Beijing Normal University (China) Undergraduate Major: Chinese Language and Literature GRE: Not taken yet TOEFL: 110 out of 120 Working Experience: Startup Founder for 4 years (since my sophomore year); one national project of China MoE; one EdTech app with 300,000 users around the world (some 30-40% outside China, mostly India, US, and European countries) Skills: Proficient in computer programming (started in age 10) Awards: Quite a lot from Chinese gov LoR: Something hard; I can find some professors in local universities since they are my cooperation partners for years; no working letter since I'm the boss..
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Glad to meet you! My problem is a most common one: is my profile strong enough? Lots of industry experience, my own EdTech app with 300,000 users, while an irrelevant major, mediocre GPA and strange LoR. Besides, I'm an international applicant.
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How about.. some 81/100? I had 90 in first 2 years, while downgraded to 70+ in last 2 years, mainly due to my startup business. Yet, most of my essential courses were taken in first half of my undergraduate. So, how can I decently explain my GPA in SoP? Shall I directly address this or to indicate my other achievement during the low-GPA period?
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Any reasons? In China most students are relying upon their GPA, GRE and language exam scores to justify their ability for programs..
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Unluckily, no. I'm an international student and despite the fact that my business has plenty of cooperation with local universities, it's obvious that there is no motivation for me to join in their programs. The best EdTech program in my country is located in my undergrad institution, which also lists me into one of their projects (...) as a remarkable EdTech product. Yet, I don't have any research experience (I've been developing EdTech things for courses, not for labs), just as what you said. So I will have a look at digital learning programs. So far, I have examined: Learning and Technology; Learning Science; Educational Technology. Thanks for your advice again
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PS I haven't seen many EdTech MS programs. Northwestern has a Learning Science program but that's an MA. Media Lab is the only MS program I am applying for now since it is fully funded, but I don't have much confidence in myself because it's over-crowded. I don't know anything academic about Ed Psych... Is that still a good idea to apply?
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Surely you are right. I spent the last 2 years in setting up a business in China, and since I have graduated from college there is no chance for me to improve GPA anymore. I think I am going to examine some political things in China for my EAS concentration, and by running a company here I have some first-hand experience in local politics. Is that a positive thing which I may argue for my GPA?
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Are there any 1-year MS program? Or will MS programs provide some financial support? I always thought those master programs require me to pay for everything, so it really matters if a program is 1-year or 2-year long. I don't have enough information, and thanks in advance!
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Since I have plenty of professional experiences, I think by applying for a professional program I may have a better chance to be admitted. Besides, I am applying for Media Lab since I'm a coder for more than 10 years. And I have got my TOEFL score (as an international applicant..) today: R30/L29/S23/W28, hopefully enough for most programs. I don't have more chances to take another TOEFL before deadlines, so it seems sometimes I need to argue somehow. Another consideration for me is financial. MS seems to be overly expensive especially in some regions of U.S. And I simply didn't gain enough money from my own business, mainly due to the maintenance of a de facto non-profit EdTech product. Oh, by the way. My GPA in the undergraduate institution isn't well enough (some 3.0+) but my major is totally irrelevant to Education nor Technology (Chinese Language and Literature). I studied programming myself many years before college, so I didn't think it necessary to choose a major in CS or Math. I am worried about how to solve this in SoP since the GPA is mainly caused by my business (overworked..).
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Thanks! Educational Technology MA. Not prepared for PhD programs yet.
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Good luck to you! What program are you applying for?