HigherEd2013

Haha. It is taking a lot of work actually. I don't mind spending a bunch of time applying for a scholarship, but finding them is tough. It's much easier to find scholarships for undergrad. Oh well. I'm starting by looking at external scholarships links on different ed school sites. So far, I've applied to a pathetic 2 scholarships, but hoping I can get up to my goal within the 100 days .

This is fantastic advice. Definitely something to keep in mind as we are making our decisions!

Thank you for starting this thread! It seemed lonely with just your post so far, so I thought I would join in . One of my friends suggested I make a pro-con list 2.0. Instead of simply listing out the pros v. cons, have a number rating system (1-5). ie. weather: Philly 1, Palo Alto 5 cohort size Philly 4, Palo Alto 2 etc. etc. After you have a ridiculous number of variables, you can add everything up and see who wins. Not that you could actually make your final decision based on numbers, but it could help quantify the information. I think I'm going to make one of those lists before I visit my schools and after (to see how it changes). This is going to be tough, but we can do it!!!

Congrats!!! Berkeley is supposed to be wonderful.

So in preparation for graduate school (and the fact that I'm about to drop $1,000 on my car ), I've decided to take the 100 day scholarship challenge. One scholarship every day for 100 days. If I apply to 100, I've got to get at least one or two, right? Anyone want to join me?

Haha that made me laugh

Sad! I hate when my predictions are wrong...

Yay! Welcome!

Looking forward to meeting you too! I am kind of middle but unfortunately pretty far south so it's going to be expensive regardless. Oh well! I'm ready to leave my home state and try something new..like potentially living in a place with snow? The idea of that still kind of boggles my mind. Anyone else thinking they would have to buy a new wardrobe for graduate school?

And OMG, how would anyone not on gradcafe know to pay attention to those numbers? Crazyyy...Thank you so much, Airwick! I finally found the two possible PINS you guys were talking about. 5 days!!!

Awww . Well, you already have some great choices and you might have another one come Tuesday . I know how terrible long distance can be. I am right there with you. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. <3

Thanks for the advice! What pin though? I only know my email and password to log into the application. Is there another number I'm missing?

I know! I actually bought my flight yesterday night. One of my consulting friends who travels like crazy told me to book now or the flight would go up in price. She said 3-4 weeks is best deal. Apparently Southwest will credit the flight if you want to back out . I also decided that I should visit all of the schools I'm interested in: Penn, Stanford (and HGSE? Idk). Haven't told my boss yet, hehe. But after a lot of thought, I think I owe it to myself to do that. I always tell my students to visit their schools, so I figured I should follow my own advice.

No problem. I didn't get the info until after I emailed them so you may want to do the same. It's a pretty intense but great schedule. Thanks! Congrats to you on BU and Penn (and probably a bunch more )! We applied to many of the same schools so let me know where your head is after you get all of your decisions back .

Oh and would you rather attend your #5 program or just reapply in a year? That's also something to think about.

Would you only decline the offer if there was no funding or is there more to the story? Would your school even admit you without funding? A lot of PhDs don't admit unless there is funding. I would definitely let her call as long as she doesn't say something like "so and so begged me to call you and find out what was going on" which would be completely unprofessional and unlikely. I think it would help move you up on the wait list. Worst case scenario: you decline the eventual offer and the person underneath you would get the spot. At this point, I think it would be worth a try to get into your #5 program. Just my $0.02.

Ok, I found out more info about the Penn Preview Weekend! The letter says we have until Friday to RSVP but not sure how cut and dry that is because I just found out details today... Anyway, it seems that on Sunday the 24th, there's a dinner that starts at 6:30. Monday is all about welcoming, student panels, financial aid sessions, and a supervisor fair. Tuesday is about the GA interviews! The interviews can last all the way until 5 it seems. Ahhh! I'm thinking about holding off flight info until I hear about HGSE on Tuesday. Really torn at this point.

Echoing merrysoprano: we're all crazy, but proud of it . It just means we care. That's what makes us good educators! I'm so thankful that we have GC. You guys have calmed me down and made me feel better throughout this entire process (and I'm sure will help when it comes down to decision time. Eek!) *warm, fuzzy feelings*

Haha, prediction... I'm feeling Friday. Predicting this information is kind of fun. At the very least, it keeps our thoughts occupied with dates instead of "what happens if I get in/don't get in" .

I finally emailed the coordinator, but no word yet. I received the postcards in the mail, but they had just as much information as the website. I will let you know when I hear back. And thanks! This is so crazy. I can't believe I have the opportunity to attend such amazing schools. The first time I applied to go to graduate school, I got all rejections-- 9 of them. This time around, I was really hesitant to apply to all of these "reach" programs, but I'm really glad I gave it a shot. If anyone is reading this and thinking about applying to graduate school, definitely try some places that you think would most likely reject you. Sometimes you will be surprised .

I was looking at the threads from last year and there were definitely some that got rejected from POLS but got into HGSE. I would not give up hope. I fully expected to be rejected from POLS as well and hope that my HGSE isn't a rejection... Plus, every school is looking for something a little different. You may not have caught the eye of Stanford, but maybe that's because you're more of a Harvard person . Good luck with the rest of your application season!

Strange.. I would call them tomorrow. Maybe they tried to call you but got the wrong number? Thank you. And I truly believe everyone will end up where they are supposed to. <-- excuse my ending a sentence with a preposition You have fantastic options! I know you're going to make a great choice and whatever program you choose will be lucky to have you . According to the Vandy threads, you could even come out without debt!

It depends on the program. Higher Ed is smaller and therefore a lot more competitive... Don't know the exact numbers on that program, but it's definitely not 50%.

I predict next Tuesday at 6pm. I've been pretty close so far with my predictions so I hope it will be around that time. I have jury duty that day though so I'll either be on my phone like crazy or unable to check it at all for the entire day...