colleen_lee

EdDCT is for students interested in the pedagogy of college teaching and research in that field. The EdD program is more general in that it can be tailored to fit interests in a variety of research areas. If teaching performance skills in a higher education setting is your main interest, go with the EdDCT. Otherwise apply to the EdD program. I would be hard pressed to generalize the doctoral candidates. There doesn't seem to be any specific "type" that applies to either program. I will PM you the e-mail address of a doctoral student that has been in the program for a while. No guarantees that he will get back to you before the application deadline. Since it's vacation a lot of people are not checking school e-mail with regularity.

I found my last three NYC apartments on craigslist.

It really depends on how far you're willing to commute. The closest areas of Brooklyn tend to be almost as expensive as living in Manhattan proper. The commute from those areas to TC is about 30 minutes. If you move into the far reaches of Brooklyn you'll find that rent is much cheaper but that your commute can be an hour (and sometimes more) just one way. For some people that is not a big deal, for others it is a big inconvenience. I personally live across to street from TC in a private building not owned by Columbia. I pay $1300/month for a small studio. It's small, but I live alone and I am rarely home anyway so it works perfectly for me. I am willing to pay more for that awesome location. I used to live in Harlem which is generally quite a bit cheaper. A lot of TC and Columbia students choose that option. Some people are at first a bit wary of living in Harlem but Harlem has cleaned up a lot since the 80s and 90s. Most areas of the neighborhood are very safe and well maintained. Other areas to check out are Inwood and Washington Heights, both in the northern parts of Manhattan. You can find a pretty good value for your money there. If you're planning on attending TC on a full-time basis, I would strongly recommend roommates. That will lower your portion of the rent substantially. I recommend checking out craigslist regularly for a few months before you plan to move. It will give you an idea of what the rents are in various neighborhoods and how much space you can get for your money.

I receive some financial aid, but not a ton. TC is notorious for not having much aid to offer students. About half of my tuition is covered by a variety of scholarships that I received from TC. The rest is covered by federal loans. The first step in getting aid is filling out the FAFSA. The FAFSA determines if you qualify for need-based aid (based primarily on your income and assets) including federal grants and federal loans. Once you apply to TC you would then also fill out a scholarship application through Teachers College and that information would be used to determine if you are eligible for any need-based or merit-based grants and scholarships through the university.

I love New York City. It had been my plan to move here since I was 16. Even though I only started at TC this past fall I have been in New York for over a year now. I actually moved here after 2 years living in Florida (Cape Coral) but I am originally from Minnesota so I was quite prepared for the winter weather. I love both Teachers College and Columbia. So far my experience has been fantastic. Workload is difficult to speak to because it varies from program to program. Personally I have found my workload intense but manageable. I am attending part-time (11 credits) as I teach full-time during the day so I have to be diligent about staying on top of the work because if I ease up it can be easy to fall behind. I'd say it's very worth it, however. It's only been a month but I have already made huge networking connections. I've also met some brilliant colleagues and I work with some the top scholars in my field. The access to resources via Columbia is invaluable. The key is to take the time to explore them and utilize them. I am currently cross-registered in a class at the law school.

I am currently at TC. This is my first semester there. I am in the MA in Music and Music Education program.

I am taking 3 classes (1 is online) plus voice lessons which totals to 11 credits. Still technically part-time status. I'm a little nervous, because I also work full-time (more than full-time, really. 55-60 hours a week) and I am wondering if I can really carry this load all semester! I spent 6 hours in the library yesterday doing my readings for the week and I have barely made a dent. And one of my classes has not even started yet!

Pre-grad school when I was still studying for the GRE my favorite place to work was a Starbucks located in the Columbia University neighborhood. But ever since Starbucks started offering free wi-fi it has been really difficult to find a seat and table at any Starbucks in New York City. For grad school I am going to have to find a new study/work space. I don't think my apartment is going to be a good workspace for me as I am just too easily distracted there. Even though I live alone I find myself more apt to procrastinate when I am at home. I sit down to study and suddenly I just CANNOT focus unless I do the dishes. Even if I haven't done the dishes in a month at that moment it becomes imperative that the sink be clean. If not the dishes it's that the bathroom is dirty, or the bed isn't made, or the floor hasn't been swept. Silence or soft buzz are both okay with me. A year living in Manhattan has definitely taught me to tune out surrounding conversation. Natural light is a must! I like access to natural light and windows so that I can gaze out and not feel like I am locked in a cell. I am going to spend these first few weeks canvassing the various campus libraries and lounges to hopefully find my ultimate work space.

Have any of you purchased e-textbooks? My campus (Columbia, Teachers College) appears to be pushing towards a green model and is encouraging e-books over traditional textbooks. I just can't wrap my brain around it! When I finished my bachelors e-readers didn't exist yet (and that was only 5 years ago!) so I feel very married to the holding/experiencing/highlighting/notating process of using a traditional book. I also like being able to keep relevant books on my shelf to reference at later dates.

I will be starting at Teachers College next week (MA, Music and Music Education), but there isn't any action on the TC thread so I am tagging along with the Columbia kids. I am very excited to start meeting all my colleagues and professors!

I'm late to the party. I'll be starting the MA in Music and Music Education program next week. The reason I stumbled into this forum today is because I was originally awarded scholarship money (Tuition Assistance Fund and TC General Scholarship) that was applied to my account on Thursday and then unceremoniously removed yesterday without explanation. The status on my account now says I was "offered" the scholarships instead of the "accepted" it has said since last April. I am of course freaking out because A.) it's the weekend so there is no one in financial aid right now to assuage my anxieties B.) I made my decision to attend TC over NYU because of this scholarship money and C.) school starts next week! I was googling TC scholarships and other keywords to see if anyone is currently having or has previously experienced a similar situation. Phew. Glad to at least put that out there in cyberville. Hopefully this is all just a technical glitch. I am not sure I can justify covering all of those additional expenses in loan money.