JConan

Yes, I am only aware of people getting into SSP full-time. It seems they did not accept ANYONE to SSP part-time because SSP itself is ending. So that seems like an unfair assessment of our ability because they internally decided to end the program we applied for. Is there anyone else on here who can concur or provide info to the contrary?

Is there anyone who applied for part-time SSP who got accepted? Or because SSP won't be running again - did they just decide it would be hard to have stragglers around and therefore did not accept anyone part-time for SSP?

@N.H. discrimination is real in America and so I hear you and feel for you. I have struggled with feeling accepted in the US myself. You have done some incredible things and I hope you will continue on that path. People with certain backgrounds and styles of communication are prioritized here, and depending on the country you are from, that is different in other places.

I got rejected too unfortunately. I wish there was a way to find out why because I felt I had a strong background. Also hearing about someone being on the waitlist makes me wonder - damn, I didn't even get into the waitlist? Their letter is templated for sure: I regret to inform you that you have not been offered admission to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for graduate study during the 2020-21 academic year. In response to our decision to offer an online degree opportunity, we received an unexpected—and unprecedented—number of applications. As a result, we were faced with the challenging task of having to select a small number of applicants from an enormously talented and deep pool. Although we are not able to offer you admission this year, we recognize that education needs talented and motivated individuals like you more than ever before. We hope that we can still stay connected to you through our many events and opportunities available to education professionals and the public.It is also possible to apply again next year through a simplified application process. Should this be of interest, I encourage you to visit the HGSE website in early fall when we will have information about our degree program offerings for 2021-22 and beyond, as well as a live application.We appreciate your interest in our programs, and we know you’ll continue to make a difference on behalf of learners around the world.

No they are not a reference, but they did encourage me to apply - I could be considered a colleague because I work in similar circles to them. They said I would be an excellent candidate. I don't know their current status but they at least used to be the director of the program - so let's assume they are an important member. I did assume the people reviewing would be faculty 'cos what I've proposed could be close collaborations with faculty, but I guess that's not the case.

OK - that is fair. And some of you clearly know more about this process than I do. Let me just borrow your insight a little more. Is it common for a faculty member who is an important part of the program I applied to, to in anyway influence this process? In other words, if you have had a positive interaction with them and they think you would be an excellent candidate, would it be common for them to have left a note for this admissions committee to keep an eye out for this application or something like that? Or would that be inappropriate? I am assuming here, of course, that the admissions committee is different from faculty. This may be a sign of how little I know about the admissions process, but I thought the people who would review my application were the actual faculty?

I admit that part of the reason I've been tracking my personal website stats is cos of anxiety/curiosity about finding out if they visited it. But at the same time, I am also disappointed/concerned that they didn't. This is because I am a visual arts person - having done a lot of work in film, media, illustration, virtual reality etc. This was a good component of my application proposal - so even from a holistic review perspective, I feel like they wouldn't get a true sense of me without reviewing such important elements of my submission, which are only found on my website/links that they clearly have not visited. Is there anyone else on this forum who had links/websites as part of their CV or application, and who has seen/not seen views on it that could be attributed to Harvard? How do you feel about it?

Thank you for your response Jeremy. Those are some invaluable nuggets. I look forward to hearing you retrospective on admission email times. I admit I'm a little surprised to hear that there is no pathway from Master's to Doctorate because it seems like they would want to encourage that (even from a financial perspective) and 'cos they mention that credits can be transferred over for up to three years. Is there a specific reason u mention doing a Doctorate at a different place than Harvard/the place u do ur Master's? My other question, beyond these, would be any perspective on scholarships or financial aid or even loans - like, any advice based on ur experience. I was a first generation college student who grew up in a low-income family, but to be honest, scholarships have been hard to search for on top of full-time work and considering advanced studies. Thanks for taking the initiative of posting here unprompted and being so open with ur advice.

Thank you @Ibn Rushd for those useful links and explanation. I have been worries because my included website has seen no views/hits that would indicate that HGSE people are considering me. But I'm hoping that's not a bad sign and that they are focused only on the written portions, choosing not to go to any links.

Would you mind elaborating on this @Jimmy54? Where did you hear that the SSP is going away, and what does that mean?

It sounds like no-one on this thread has heard back and everyone is expecting to hear tomorrow or the day after (July 31st or August 1st). If anyone has heard or knows otherwise, please share!

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!