db2290

I'm in the reverse position as you (British but currently doing a Ph.D in the United States). I've found that since being in the US system, most students and/or professors have a very limited knowledge of UK universities other than Oxbridge and a few highly ranked others (LSE, UCL and Imperial perhaps, depending on discipline), even if those universities are ranked nationally and internationally very highly. I'm not sure how much of an issue this is, and it depends somewhat on what you want to do most Masters (I'm assuming this is for a Masters, correct?). If you aren't hoping to go into academia and just want to get a job, I think that brand-name matters more than if you want to go onto a Ph.D, in which case your professors might be aware of the work coming out of that University and department. Last thing - Although Glasgow and Nottingham are "Russell Group", they aren't on par with Oxford or Cambridge by any means. The Russell group designation can be broad (and therefore fairly imperfect) when it comes to quality. For instance, the University of Leeds is RG and is 26 in the last Times ranking.

I second this. As a current HGSE student (not in the Master's program, but I work with faculty members who are on the admissions boards), I can safely say that people in the Ed.M program come from all professional backgrounds and experiences, and this is especially true of the Psychology-focused programs. What is more important, as hitomimay states, is a clear interest and 'narrative' that is evident in your SOP. I would make your decision about what to major in dependent on your long-term (i.e. post grad-school) goals and interests, as they stand now. Any other HGSE-related questions, please feel free to PM me!

as a current Ed.D student at HGSE, I can confirm that it is highly likely the Ed.D will be discontinued (although contrary to Durrell, there will be two more intakes before this happens). If anyone would like info about the program, feel free to PM me.

I disagree, but this depends where you'll be travelling to. I really like Lower Allston - it's quiet, safe, and there is a big Shaw's nearby (I am pretty close to Harvard stadium). Although you have to walk to a T stop, you can walk into Harvard Square in under half an hour (and considerably less depending on where you live). There are also pretty good bus connections. The 66 runs North to H Square and south to Brookline, and then onto the Longwood Medical Area (I think). There is also a 77 that takes you to Central Square. I have lived in the Brighton Avenue area of Allston as an undergrad. I liked it then, but only because there were lots of bars and restaurants on my doorstep. Where I am now, I can still walk there in 20 minutes so it's no big deal, I just don't have to deal with noise, obnoxious undergrads and badly maintained apartments.

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I'm at Harvard now, and for what it's worth, I'm enjoying myself immensely. That said, I'm not sure of the specifics of your program, field or experiences there so I can't comment on your situation. I'm wondering what specific problems you are facing and what you refer to when you speak about the 'physical environment'. If there is a specific issue with your program, as it seems you are implying, there should be some kind of forum where you can speak to a program administrator? If many of you are having similar issues then this might be the best course of action. Lastly, I would give it slightly longer if you are considering withdrawing. This is for a number of reasons: firstly, it is likely you have already paid tuition for this semester and it is already 'sunk costs'; second, you may have a change of heart by Christmas time; and third, you have no clue (at least as far as your post indicates) if you will face similar problems at Columbia. It is also considerably more expensive at Columbia, of course. Anyway, hope you reach some conclusion. Sounds like you are in quite a predicament!

I'm a current Harvard Ed.D student. Based on your backgrounds, I think you are both in a good position to be able to apply. It is particularly important, though, to carefully consider your motivation for graduate study: what questions resulted from your experiences in schools?; what do you think is missing? You need to be able to carefully present your work experiences in a way which shows admissions committees that that are burning questions that you wan't answered. And, contrary to blithe's comments, I wouldn't be put off if you've only had 2 years TFA experience. I only had two years teaching experience and was successful (although admittedly, I had done a Masters and some research doing my MA and undergrad). There is a real range of experiences. Having only 2 years experience might just mean that you have to work a little harder to demonstrate your expertise. Hope that's helpful

I just started using it - I'm not in the hard sciences though so haven't delved too deeply into equations and so on. I found this template particularly useful for beginners to play around with and get a sense of the command structure: http://www-h.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/ThesisStyle/

You're kind of right - it's certainly more complicated (I'm British and applied for Ph.Ds in both locations). The general distinction is this, from my experience: In the States, funding is more or less given with the offer of a place and comes from a big centralised 'pot'. In the UK, funding is a separate issue from actual admission to do a Ph.D. For instance, you might get offered a Ph.D place but your supervisor might not be able to get the necessary funding, or the other way around (although in practice, if you come with funding, a university is very likely not going to turn you down). In the UK, supervisors will offer 'studentships' which are basically funded Ph.D positions. In order to apply for them, you will have to contact the supervisor in question and sufficiently convince them that you want to apply). You will then probably have to apply formally to the University. My advice to you is to contact potential supervisors first and they will let you know if they have/can get funding to support you. Hope that helps.

Hi all, I was just wondering what the protocol was for publishing a paper that was borne from a project at a previous institution (in my case, my Masters thesis) when you have moved to a new university (in my case, for a Ph.D)? Do I list my old or current institution under my affiliation. Thanks in advance! Db

Ah, I lived in Boston a few years ago lived down the road from Coolidge Corner and it was great, highly recommended. Really nice feel, great supermarket there (Trader Joe's) and transport links were really good too.

Yeah, Harvard accommodation was also tempting but I'm living with a non-Harvard friend so couldn't go down the university housing route unfortunately! As for the visa, I was lucky enough to be born in the States and therefore managed to circumvent any visa issues for myself (although not for my fiance so still have to wade through piles of forms). Regarding shipping, these guys (http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/homepage/default.aspx) came as recommended on the forum and elsewhere so I'm probably going to use them. Still bloody expensive though!

Hey! I'm a Londoner, moving to Boston in August to start my doctorate at Harvard. Are you there just for the summer or beyond? You sorted out accommodation etc?

I was in the same situation! My program starts on August 22nd and couldn't find anything for August 1st. I just bit the bullet and signed for September and hoping to find a sublet for 2 weeks or so in August. This is more of an issue for me as a doctoral student, as I will potentially be tied in to 6 years of August to August renting this way.

That would depend on what you mean by development. For education, the Institute of Education (London) is particularly well respected. In terms of psychological development, psychology departments in UCL, Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol are particularly good. But it really depends on your research interests.

It would almost be better to try and do a funded Ed.D/Ph.D, and save yourself the mountains of accumulated debt. If education really is your passion, this seems like a good compromise...

I'm sure its fine to go a little over (maybe 1050 on a 1000 word count statement) and I'm sure lots of people go over way more than that and get in, but personally I think its a gamble. You want your SOP to be judged on its merit, not thrown out because you were slightly too verbose. You are always facing the possibility that an ad com member will take a look, think "why can't this guy follow the instructions like the rest of the 500 candidates" and will either not consider it OR make it count against you. Again, I'm sure this isn't too common a problem, but faced with two completely equivalent candidates, surely the only who has gone within the word limit will get the offer....

It's tough. I'm starting the Ed.D at HGSE in the fall but I was seriously considering applying for the Ed.M at one point too. My considerations were as follows: 1) Like you, I have accumulated debt from undergrad and 2) Education isn't a lucrative career by any means, and therefore it won't be easy to pay it back. That said, you don't know what financial aid you will be offered, you can probably lessen their estimated costs by a few thousand by living frugally, and also earn some money doing Work Study placements. I think you are right to question whether its the right thing. If you are really set on the program (and I know lots of people who did the prevention Ed.M and loved it) then I guess it's worth some of the sacrifice! Best of luck with your decision

My advice: - Understand that the admission process is unpredictable. Reading these boards, especially, highlighted that many others had more appropriate experience than I did (an abundance of conference presentations, publications and years of research experience). Yet I fortunately got into my top choice because I felt I brought quite a unique background to the program and therefore stood out. Which leads me to..... - Start thinking of your graduate school applications a YEAR (or more) on advance. I know not everyone has this luxury but my 'dream' school and program (that I was admitted to) was something that I had considered for a very very long time in advance. I was actually a bit obsessed by it. This guided my research activities and my work experiences for a couple of years before. Having a good 'fit' is more than just a claim on a SOP but something that should ideally be obvious and undeniable from your experiences until that point. - GREs are a necessary evil. There was a debate earlier in this thread about whether preparation would lead to a better score. I think that until a certain point in the test (approx the 700 mark for both Quant and Verbal), practice really does help boost your score. I think anything above that and it is purely down to pot luck if there is a highly obscure word which you are completely flummoxed by. That said, I would practice early and incorporate revision into train journeys, waiting for a bus and so on. I had an app for my iphone which I would use to test me on words at any available opportunity. This is especially pertinent if you are working and busy when you should be studying. Doing 2 hours a week 8 months in advance will be of more benefit than cramming like a madman two weeks before and will lead to better recall. Although you could do both of course - Revise your SOP over and over again. And start early! - Don't assume that safety schools will definitely take you and reach schools are unlikely to. I got accepted to my first choice and rejected from a number of the others. Go figure. - But lastly, and most importantly, ignore everything I said No seriously, the state of higher education funding at the moment and the huge number of grad applicants means that admissions decisions will be made on the most arbitrary of reasons and I know from my own admissions journey that you mustn't take it personally or get down about it. There are always other options or next year, and don't let it for a second cast doubt on your aspirations or ability.

I think there is no problem. As a Brit who has done graduate work in the USA, currently doing a masters in the UK and going back to do a Ph.D in the states next year, I have a few comments. It IS a hassle to revise for the GRE etc whilst studying, but as far as I can see, there is far less workload at UK universities and therefore you might be at an advantage in that respect. PS - This is a great program, run with UCL and Yale, which might just be the kind of thing you're looking for. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences-faculty/degree-programmes/psychodynamic-developmental-neuroscience/

I've had a similar experience, getting rejected or waitlisted for some lesser schools but getting an acceptance to a top top 'Hogwarts' school! Although this didn't easy my fretting that I got in by mistake, I was pretty sure why. I knew that my research interests just matched better at the top school. I wouldn't worry about it. It would be strange if the program wasn't for you or anything but I'm sure it can be explained by how well you fit into the incoming cohort and match with profs.

I'd try gumtree.com as a first port of call, they might very well have short term rental information there.

Haha, how could anyone not want to converse about farming or postmodernism after a few beers! I have lived in Allston before (when I was an undergrad) and it IS a bit grimy. That said, it was also a lot of fun, but I won't be living there again. BTW, hurrah, I'm also going to HGSE this fall

My impression, as a British graduate who is going to a Ph.D in the States (I also am currently a student at UCL was offered a Ph.D there too, as I see from your signature) is that there are fairly significant differences between doctorates in the two countries, although this may be field specific. Certainly in my field (Psychology/Education), the British doctorates are much more specific and less learning focused (by this I mean that you don't really take ANY classes and just concentrate on the project at hand). However, they are also about half the length of time! Someone mentioned foreign Ph.Ds being looked down upon; as someone who is doing one abroad and planning on living back in Europe afterward, I don't think, and certainly hope, this isn't the case. I think different, international perspectives are quite highly regarded in academia and I don't see how this would be anything but a benefit.

I don't have an answer for that except my stipend is only $10500 a year!! Oh dear

Also accepted for Human Development and Education at HGSE! Over the moon