Ashley Kung

Oden, Thank you for taking the time to reply to my concerns. I am very aware of the amount of applicants with similar stats as mine, which is why I find myself constantly worrying about my application. Additionally, one of my recommenders, despite reassuring me otherwise, did not turn in his recommendation by the deadline, so I already feel like I'm at a disadvantage. I emailed admissions and asked if there was anything I could do about this. The following is their answer: "We are not able to extend the deadline for recommenders. However, they can still submit their letters using the link in the automatic email sent from the application. Since there is a short period between the application deadline and when admissions decisions are released, we cannot guarantee that any materials submitted late will be reviewed alongside the rest of your application. If any materials are missing, your application will be reviewed as is." This makes me think that it may be quite unlikely for me to get in, but I figured I might as well submit my application and see how it goes. As for the admissions rate, thank you for putting it into perspective like that. Applying, I did have the idea that the school seemed to be in need of students, but being reminded that there are considerably less spots available than usual is always both reassuring and (admittedly) terrifying. In any case, I do look forward to finding out soon. Again, thank you for taking the time to reply! Best regards, Ashley

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: IEPGRE 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 undergradWork 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!