EvolvedGradBlog
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Posts posted by EvolvedGradBlog
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2 minutes ago, Tororo said:
Hello guys!! Has any of you received an acceptance letter from the Stanford school of education?
I applied to the SHIPS (RILE) program and although I haven't gotten any answer my application website changed and it says:
CertiFile® (Certified Credentials Attachment Service)
Certified credentials can be ordered from the school(s) below:(Names of my undergrad universities.)
Like is asking me to submit official transcripts?
I don't know
I'm nervous,
do you think it means something?Have you been contacted by any professors? have you had any interviews?
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Just now, gvjcb1000000 said:
Yes agreed - also largely dependent on whether your chosen supervisors have space/funding to take you on and from my interview, I seemed important that the research is aligned to the POI
Funding for years 1 and 2 comes from the university, so that's not a professor-level issue, in most cases.
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2 minutes ago, FreeZapata said:
I was wondering if the faculty that does the interviewing is typically the one you are assigned as your advisor? Since I listed three POI but only heard back/interviewed with one I'm a bit confused how (advisors) are matched with potential students. Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate it. CTE PhD Applicant.
My understanding is that many(many) people apply, many are tossed out, and there's a remaining smaller pile. The remaining smaller pile goes to professors, based on subject area and specific mention. If a professor contacts you, that means that they chose your application packet out of the pile. After the interview, they report back a "yes" or "no" on the candidate. If you're a "yes", that means " I would recommend this person for admission and I'd like to work with them". The list of "recommend for admission" or " do not recommend" then goes back to admissions, who builds the cohort.
- gvjcb1000000 and FreeZapata
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It is my opinion that Stanford, at the PhD level, is highly focused on developing researchers who will be leaders in the field. Researchers often gain notoriety based on the quality of questions that guide their research. You can become a leading researcher if you've never worked in a lab, but it would be very hard to become a leading researcher without the ability to come up with relevant, interesting questions to study. You have to demonstrate your ability to formulate questions in your application.
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43 minutes ago, FreeZapata said:
Hi Jeremy. Can you shed any insight about their interviews? It seems by leaving it open ended there is a lot of confusion/anxiety on the part of the applicants (myself included : ) Thank you.
What would you like to know, in particular? I don't think that most Master's students have interviews, but most PhD students do interview, often with one or two POI/Faculty.
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Just now, mkkenny13 said:
Thanks for this insight! Which time zone was the 3:30PM release? EST/PST/etc?
I think it was PST.
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7 minutes ago, Blane said:
Hey Jeremy, just checked out your blog. It's really good! Wish I'd seen it earlier in the admissions process, but oh well.
I am presently operating under the assumption I won't be getting in this year (no contact from POI/GSE, and if I'm being honest with myself, I could use a bit more seasoning). What would you suggest for somebody planning on re-applying in terms of building a profile for the following year? For example, I've got a bit of research experience but I don't have any pubs, is that a semi-expectation for programs as competitive as the Stanford GSE? Any help would be highly appreciated!
Which program are you applying to? I think that SHIPS/DAPS folks weight prior research experience more heavily than CTE. My advice around being competitive alway includes a lot of attention to being unique. In regards to research experience, it's not so much the experience itself that makes the difference, it's the exposure that you had to cutting-edge ideas as a member of a lab. With these top (GSE) programs, they're extremely interested in hearing your particular perspective about the state of contemporary education, and gaps in knowledge that you'd like to fill. If you want me to expand on this, I'm glad to.
- FreeZapata and Blane
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For what it's worth, admission decisions were released on February 15th, 2019 at 3:30pm for the 2019 entering class. A friday.
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I'll do a full blog post about this at some point, but I think that the number of applications you submit could(should?) be based on how strong your application is, and how selective your desired schools are. If you've got your heart set on 1 school with an acceptance rate below 5%, you're setting yourself up for stress and disappointment. If you don't get in, you don't even really have enough data to decide how to proceed forward: it could be that your desired advisor is going on sabbatical, or that last year your concentration accepted 1 more student than usual, and this year it'll be one less. It could be that the lab you're trying to join was specifically looking for someone with psychometric research experience, and while you'd likely be accepted next year, this year you're rejected. More applications give you more data and also make it more likely that you'll get in somewhere. A win/win. Whatever you do, don't spend money and time on applying to schools that you're sure that you don't want to go to. ( For future applicants who end up reading this post)
Personally, I applied to 5: 3 in the top 5, and two local programs with higher acceptance rates that wouldn't require me to move.
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On 9/17/2020 at 1:10 PM, emcollins3 said:
Will you can disregard my last post/question since HGSE just updated their website to indicate the GRE will NOT be required for the 2020-21 application cycle and it will be considered optional given continued issues with applicants accessing test sites/dates.
If you're not on their email list, sign up as they just sent out dates/registration details for upcoming info sessions.That's such great news (for some)! A huge weight off of your shoulders. There's something kind of pleasant about thinking through all your accomplishments and how you'll package them in your letters, but GRE studying feels quite miserable for so many folks.
- mjsmith and HiEdHopeful
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On 8/18/2020 at 8:14 AM, Tea_Drinker said:
Thanks EvolvedGradBlog for starting this thread! I got into the schools I wanted but have decided not to attend this fall as planned because online learning is not for me. This is probably too early but I wonder if you have any intel on fall 2021 at HGSE? Still online? I might need to postpone again if next fall is online still.
No decisions on fall 2021 yet!
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On 8/6/2020 at 3:54 AM, ammarahasan said:
Hi everyone,
My Educational background is of Applied Linguistics. I have done thesis based masters and have teaching experience of 7 years .Now i want to switch to Education . Because i am interested in school administration .Can anyone please guide me which program should i choose. Is it possible for me to get admission in PhD ? TIA
My first recommendation would be to do an EdD rather than a Phd if you want to work as a school administrator.
- t_ruth, ammarahasan and Sigaba
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I think that they (admissions) clearly state that there's no master's-doctorate pathway because of the numbers. If you have 800-ish master's students and 30 doc students, giving new master's admits the impression that the PhD is a likely next step isn't fair, accurate, or in anyone's best interest. I think their message is, " come here for your master's if you truly want a master's, not just as an intermediate step toward the doctorate". I can imagine that if you came to HGSE for a master's, applied for the PhD while you were here and were denied admission , you'd find out during your spring quarter and there's a potential that you'd end your year bitter about getting rejected.
The bit about doing master's/doctorate at different schools: If you look at the top-5 ed school graduate programs and you ask all the deans, " what makes this program unique?", they'll all have an answer. Each school has a different identity. Exposure to more than one of these schools can give you a broader perspective of the top of the field, and I think that's helpful. On the other hand, I know of a person in my HGSE cohort who did their undergrad, master's, and PhD at Harvard and one of my TAs who did their master's and PhD at HGSE. They might feel differently. Mostly personal preference!
- Edugy, PhD2Be2020 and mjsmith
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2 hours ago, JConan said:
Hi Jeremy,
Thank you for starting this thread. I'm wondering what your top advice would be, any classes and activities/clubs you highly recommend, cross-registering with HBS/HLS, and thoughts on exploring independent studies and the like (do you cold email professors you like)? Is it possible to design one's own independent study with another organization outside Harvard and get credit for it? Is there a direct path to a doctorate that one could explore? And lastly, do you hear at a specific time on a Friday?
Thanks!
Classes: There's a period at the beginning of the semester where you can kind of sample courses before making your final decisions. I would recommend being extremely active during that period. Even if you choose not to take a course, just the exposure to the subject matter and the professor could be helpful later. My only courses outside of the Ed school were language courses at GSAS. There will almost definitely be more courses that interest you at the Ed school than you can possibly take, so I think that quite a few people who like the idea of cross-registering don't quite get around to it. Obviously, some people do.
As far as independent studies, I think they're hard to arrange, without support. My advice would be to plan to do an IS second semester, and get everything in order to do so during the first semester. I would chat with my advisor and share my interest -> Ask for their advice or a connection to target-> meet with target professor -> Offer to volunteer/support their work -> try to set up IS for spring.
Activities/Clubs: There's so many interesting talks and events every week, and a number of affinity groups. No specific recommendations, just a promise that if you look hard enough, you'll find your people. If you just google [your interest] Harvard, you'll find something!
In my experience, admission decisions are usually Friday afternoons. I got my email at 2:47pm. I'm going back through previous years of HGSE threads and I'll post a retrospective soon.
As far as the doctorate piece, it's so tough if you want to go straight from master's -> doctorate because you don't even really have time to get a recommendation from an HGSE professor. I can remember attending an applicant information session and asking a question about the masters to doctorate move. The admissions rep stressed that there is no pathway from master's -> doctorate. If that's your plan, you need to make moves on your own. I'm glad to expand on all of that in another post. I'd also say that there's a great benefit to doing a master's at HGSE and doing your doctorate at a different top-5 or top-10 program, so keep that option in consideration.
- DogeCoin, PhD2Be2020, emcollins3 and 2 others
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You just need to make a choice, for admission's sake. It's going to be unnecessarily challenging to get accepted if you try to craft an SoP and incorporate all of those things. I'm not sure what kind(s) of program(s) you're applying to, but if you're thinking full-time and funded, then you'll have to make a direct connection with a professor or a department. This professor will most likely have very focused interests and their willingness to bring you in as an advisee will often be based on how your interests align with theirs. Personally, I crafted a super-focused SoP, but assessed the schools that I got into based on my ability to branch out and learn a number of different things if I were to enroll. I spent my first doctoral year all over the place. Psychology, law, foreign languages, jazz guitar, business. It wasn't easy, but it helped me to narrow in on a focus. To find my little corner of academia. You have to have a focus as a late-stage doctoral student, but I think you'd be able to do some really interesting interdisciplinary work if you pursue your interests broadly during the first few years. Just make it easy for someone at a university to imagine you in their department as a first step. Best of luck. Glad to chat more if you'd like.
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Hi Everyone!
I'm a recent HGSE graduate and writer for a graduate admission tips/advice blog called The Evolved Graduate ( evolvedgrad.com ). On the blog, I draw heavily on my experience at HGSE, and I hope that it's helpful to you as you make your way through the application process. I thought I'd get the ball rolling here for 2021 applicants. The HGSE 2020 thread has a longer life this season because of the second around of admissions, but I can imagine that 2021 applicants will soon arrive in larger numbers. I really enjoyed my time at HGSE, learned many lessons ( some on time, some too late!) and I'm glad to be a resource to any of you who'd like some perspective from former student. If there''s any graduate admission topics that you'd like covered in the blog please let me know. Additionally, I'm still in a facebook group with my HGSE class, so any questions that I can't answer, I could share with that larger group. Best of luck!
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You said " it seems like you're just supposed to know how to do this", but I wonder if having conversations with folks at schools you're interested in would provide you with a bit more clarity.
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24 minutes ago, DrPH Applicant said:
Hey, congratulations! This is amazing!
Which specific program did you apply to at Harvard?
Language and Literacy at HGSE
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On 7/1/2020 at 7:22 PM, maymalone said:
Hey all! This is May, I went to the University of Chicago for undergrad. UChicago has a teacher education program called UTEP that’s been a lot more overt in its commitment to equity and anti-racist practices than most teacher education programs right now, I think. One of their alums also just published an op-ed about how her UTEP coach helped her stopped being the teacher she never swore she’d be — but ended up becoming once she was in the classroom. Does anyone else have experiences like this as a teacher? (She wrote: “It is a very different question to ask, ‘Does every student derserve patience and equity?’ when sitting with peers in a master’s program versus standing in front of a ten-year-old who has just rolled their eyes or a twelve-year-old who just cursed you out. I found myself resorting to poor practices—mirroring the teacher I had sworn against becoming instead of the one I envisioned being.”)
She said her UTEP coach helped her a lot in getting back on track to being the teacher she always hoped to be, and actually advancing equity in the classroom. I know that UTEP briefly reopened its application window for fall 2020 enrollment until Aug. 1 because they explicitly want people who’ve been inspired by recent events to be able to make the change they want to see — they’re encouraging activists to become teachers. Anyone else view teaching as potential activism?
I'd say activism is a part of it, but you're really there to teach children. The activism might live in how you teach them, what you teach them, and how you advocate for them and their families with other stakeholders. I've seen teachers erode any standing they had in their school community by conflating advocacy and education, but I've also seen teachers propel themselves more quickly toward better pedagogy because of their activist ambitions.
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On 6/1/2020 at 4:48 PM, bayesian_network said:
Hey there,
As an incoming master's student this fall (not in the US) I'm interested in getting to know about the things required to be a tenure track professor in education in the United States. I know that publications matter, but how many papers does a PhD student in education typically publish during the program? Do a lot of PhDs go on to do postdoc? If so, approximately how many years of postdoc does someone who go on to becoming a tenure track professor do? How do you know your papers are good enough to be considered for such position (publishing dozens in shitty journals vs publishing 2 or 3 in top journals) in education specifically? How do these standards differ by the tiers of the universities that you're hoping to become a professor in?
I come from a natural science discipline for my bachelor's degree and it feels like these things are completely different for education, and I thought it'd be a good idea to get used to how things work in this area. Thanks!
Hello!
Good on you for thinking about this early. Here are my answers to your questions:
How many papers published? 1-5, depending on your field and the focus of your school. Some universities push this harder than others.
Do lots of PhDs do postdoc? It's a calculated decision, and I wouldn't say it's super common. Students/Faculty that I know who've done it did so for reasons like " There was a phenomenal lab that I wanted to work in, and this was the best way to get that experience", " The economy and job market were sh*t", or " I wanted to see how another university was approaching my topics of interest before going out into the world for professor jobs"
Best of luck, shoot me a message if you have any questions.
Jeremy
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On 7/3/2020 at 3:43 PM, RizzleSizzle said:
OMG Congratulations! Can you give some tips as to how did you get in?
Hi all,
Congrats to all those who've been admitted!
I was 3/3 admit as Harvard/Stanford/Upenn, and glad to support all of you in this process in any way that's helpful. People are always looking for tips about how to get in, so I thought I'd offer one: "Write" your letters of recommendation without actually writing them. When you ask someone to write you a letter, you are hoping that 1) the person that you've asked is a great writer and 2) that they highlight some aspect of your story that will make you desirable for the schools to which you apply. You have no control over their writing ability, and I assume you wouldn't ask them if you weren't confident that they were a solid writer( I had an experience where I asked a professor that I loved to write a letter for a lower-stakes fellowship and the letter he sent was full of typos and poorly written! The Horror!). You do, however, have some control over what they highlight about you. My letter writers asked for a resume, and I provided it , but I also gave them bullet points about things that I hope they'd mention, for each school. This way, I didn't feel so bad asking a person to write me three different letters for three different programs, because I gave them additional support in doing so. These schools want to know you, and also know what you've done that might interest them. Supporting your letter writers in differentiating is helpful. Shoot me a message if you have any questions. Again, congrats to admits, and best of luck to those future-applicants!
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On 7/13/2020 at 8:15 AM, Ashley Kung said:
Hi all,
With the deadline for the online program this year a day away, I'm getting super anxious and am definitely overthinking everything. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to give me a low-down on what to expect realistically? Here are my stats:
Program/Concentration: IEP
GRE Score: V 165 / M 159 / 5.5 AW (As you can see, my math isn't that great, but I'm pretty happy with the verbal and AW sections.)
GPA: 3.34 undergrad
Work Experience: One year as a full time tutor, six months of which are concomitant with additional responsibilities as an educational consultant, and one year of tutoring during college as a side job
Undergrad/Grad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Columbia University
Research Experience: None.
LoR/SoP: I have two recommendations from professors I had enjoyable classes with, and one from my current boss. My SoP focuses on how I wish to make education and consulting services more accessible to students of all backgrounds.
What Other Schools Are You Applying To: TC, NYU, USC, NYIT, UPenn, University of Texas at Austin, and BU.Additional information: My undergrad GPA is low because I learned too late how to best manage my time and optimize my results. My semester GPAs increase from about a 3.0 to about a 3.7 by the fall of my senior year, but it goes a bit down again in the spring because I was an idiot and took on too much at once. Would HGSE look at this and be understanding? What's the best way I can show that I have learned from my mistakes and am hoping that they will take a chance on me? I know that there's a part that asks you to elaborate if you don't think your GPA is indicative of your actual performance of a student, so would that be the right place?
Good luck to those applying in July, and congratulations to those who have made it in already!To echo previous comments, nothing about what you've posted would preclude you from getting in to HGSE. My questions would be about your recommendations and your SoP. Absolutely critical parts of your application, and any assessment of your chances without them wouldn't be accurate. I'll say that increasing access to high-quality education for the children who are not currently getting it is something they look for. Best of luck! 3/3 admit at Harvard/Stanford/Upenn, shoot me a message if you have any questions!
Jeremy
Evolvedgrad.com
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Seconding what @iheartscience said, it's the essays. There will be some folks in each cohort who have academic/testing profiles similar to yours, whether they post on GradeCafe or not. Some of you will get in and some of you won't, and the ones who get in will be those with the most compelling reasons for pursuing a career in education. In the programs you listed, you would spend varied amounts of time in actual classrooms in schools. As you are crafting your statement, I think it would benefit you to include something to the effect of, " among the top teacher ed programs in the country, this program has a significant student-teaching component, which I think will be a critical part of my success after I finish the program". Often, the folks to lead this programs pride themselves on the things that make them different. You should know what those differences are, and call them out.
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Hi Folks,
I'm currently a 1st-Year PhD student at Top-5 program. I remember how nerve-wracking this period was about a year ago, and I see on this forum that many of you are going through the same thing. As a first-year PhD student, particularly closer to the beginning of the year, there's a fair amount of discussion among us about our application and interview processes. As these discussions are happening, I often think to myself, " Gosh, I wish I'd known this when I was applying!". To ask my question more concretely: Would you be interested in hearing the perspectives of Doctoral Students accepted at places like Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern, Upenn, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Teacher's College, U of W? If so, what kinds of questions do you have? If you'd rather message me directly, please feel free. Thanks, and best of luck.
Stanford GSE 2021
in Education Forums
Posted
Doctoral Students?