blithe

I agree with tr_th--you need to pick what you are passionate about first (it is a 4-6yr commitment) before you pick the school. teachgirl22, I think you have good chances with your experience. However, make sure that you at least break 600 for V/Q for GREs. I know from insiders that 600 (or minimum 60% percentile) is the cutoff for most students unless you have an amazing resume. hitomimay--I was a former TFAer myself and I will say that being in TFA for two years is not a qualifier or pass to good programs/good jobs--most two years get into HGSE's M.A. program but very few get into the PhD. You should look at their stats and average years of experience--that will help you figure out if you are a qualified applicant. My personal opinion is the fact that you still list summer school experience shows me you have no business being in a ed leadership/policy PhD program, especially with such a low undergrad GPA, no publications, and no relevant research experience. You might have better luck in a science ed PhD program. Some suggestions are to take on more leadership roles (i.e. member of instructional leadership team, department chair, program development, VP, Principal, school founder, etc) and also get more "relevant" research experience. Undergrad bio research has very little to do with ed policy unless you want to study how to improve science education.

I agree with previous post: no funding for PhD, don't go!

Hi everyone! I have been working in education for 5 years ranging from teaching to program development in urban education. I am interested in making the transition into international education due to some of my traveling experiences. Informal experiences have led me to become interested in international education, but I don't have any formal work experiences internationally. My question is how critical is it to have international experience if you apply to an international edu program (whether MA or PhD/EdD)? If it helps, I also speak three languages, wrote an honors thesis for my undergrad, and is Teach for America alum. I'm seriously considering Harvard and Stanford's program. If you know what they are looking for, your inputs are greatly appreciated! Thanks!