badgpahopeful

Thank you for responding! I agree. Especially with this upcoming application/matriculation year being the first fully in-person one after 2 years (hopefully), competition may be stiff. If I were accepted into both Harvard programs, I'm on the fence which I would choose, to be honest. I appreciate the more broad & interdisciplinary aspect of the MPP, so I could be a bit more flexible in my career. I also really enjoy quant. With my application, I would highlight wanting to do the Program on Educational Policy & Governance fellowship. The Ed.M is more aligned with my experiences and current wants, but the field of ed policy seems so niche and small. I will just give my best effort to both applications and see what happens. And noted; I have heard/read very polarizing things about Brandeis Heller School - mainly just about the programs in general. Though, I haven't heard much about them in the education world, so I'm very interested in your perspective!

Hello all! This is very early in advance, as these will be for applications I put together this fall to start in Fall 2022. Honesty is very much appreciated Applying to: Harvard Grad School of Education (Ed.M Education Policy & Analysis), Harvard Kennedy School (MPP), Brandeis University Heller School (MPP w/ concentration in Child, Youth, and Family Policy), Tufts University (M.A. in Education Studies), Boston University (M.A. Education Policy Studies & Ed.M Educational Leadership & Policy Studies). All of these are local schools, and I'm sticking to the greater Boston area - really shooting my shot with some of these, but I figured, "why not?!" Degree: Was on track to get my dual degree in chemistry and psychology a couple years ago. Wasn't able to complete it, so I'll be getting my RBA (Regents Bachelor of Arts) this spring. I plan to explain this in my SOP and/or optional statements. GPA: 3.0 (I know MPP's value quant, and I have A's and B's in all of my quant-heavy courses) Work Experiences: By application time, will have worked for 3 years with a grassroots education non-profit that provides an after-school program for low-income students of color. I've done interesting work in developing an abolitionist social-emotional learning curriculum that teachers our students to community organize, where we will wrap up the year with community projects. We also connect our families to resources and assistance when necessary, because our philosophy is that children need to feel safe to effectively learn. In undergrad, I was the Director for our university's chapter of a national non-profit that provides kids whose parents have cancer a free week of camp (my year as Director we raised $65,000, recruited more campers & volunteers - far surpassing the previous year's metrics). Also did an internship in a sleep lab that studied sleep disorders in children. I was an undergrad research assistant for a lab that conducted research on childhood trauma, health, and personality. GRE: 167V, 168Q, 5.5AWA SOP: I'm from WV and participated in the West Virginia Teacher's strike. Also, WV has a notoriously bad public school system I will write about. I plan to write my SOP about my dedication to grassroots movements and how I want to give communities/coalitions/marginalized groups the specific policy language they need to enact change. I want to work for either state/city governments in education policy or with an education advocacy group. I've taken a Community Organizing course that was impactful, and I plan to use my current work experience to bolster my claims that education is inequitable. For each school, I know the specific courses I'm eager for, faculty I'm interested in, and initiatives/fellowships I plan to apply for so I can make my SOP very personalized. LOR: 3 recommendations: My very understanding undergrad advisor who can write on behalf of my low GPA, my current boss (Brandeis alum) who can attest to my work, and when I need a 3rd I will either use my Community Organizing course professor or someone who runs professional development community meetings around education that I attend & have developed a professional relationship with. If you made it this far... thank you!