Carolina2008

It was okay, but not as much as I had hoped. I will clearly have to work some to make up the difference. As of this point my best aid offer is from UPenn, but I'm going to try to see if I can make it work at Harvard. Most of it was loans. There is a max on how much need based grant money you can get, which is somewhere in the vicinity of $12k. So anything more than that is either scholarships, work study, or loans. One advantage is it appears that not all decisions on restricted scholarships have been made, so there is still the possibility of getting more before the April 15th deadline. That is if you qualified for any of those. I noticed your other post on whether $60k in loans is too much. There is a cap on how much stafford and perkins loan money you can get a year, which is only about half of the total cost of a single year at Harvard. So anything more has to be private or graduate plus loans. If you are not opposed to working some though, you can make up the difference. Boston is expensive, but that also typically means higher part-time salaries. For instance, I just interviewed for a part-time job last week that paid $18-22 an hour. The only thing is working can be rough if you are trying to do a one year Masters. In my case I've already done this once. It is intense and not fun, but it is doable up to 20 hours a week. I suppose it all comes down to just how bad you want to go to Harvard. In my case this program is a particularly good fit for my goals, so it is my first priority. Good luck to those still waiting!

FYI I received my aid award today. I'm assuming they all went out at the same time, but since I live on the outskirts of Boston I probably received mine earlier than most.

I called the financial aid office friday, but all they would say was I should receive something by the end of the month. I am getting a little nervous I really need to win one of the scholarships I applied for.

Hi JT, According to admissions that information will be out by the end of the month.

Agreed, the video was a nice touch!

I'm in!!! Good luck to all those still waiting!!!

I wouldn't say I'm reading for preparation, but here is what I am currently working on: The Lost Soul of Higher Education - Ellen Schrecker Teachers as Cultural Workers - Paulo Freire Lives on the Boundary - Michael Rose

Great! So are you planning to attend visitation weekend? Admissions told me I should of heard from the Internship Coordinator by now, but I've yet to receive an email. All I've got from UPenn is a an admissions letter and a scholarship offer. Who contacted you exactly? That said I'm eager to hear from Harvard too! Both are great schools, but I live within commuting distance of Harvard and it seems like Harvard has better financial aid. Are you leaning towards one school or another?

I did. I noticed you applied to UPenn too. Have you received a decision yet? I got my acceptance a couple weeks ago, but I'm still waiting on details about the visitation weekend. Then again I think last week was spring break at Penn, so maybe that is the cause of the hold up. I only applied to two schools, UPenn and Harvard, so I'm really hoping for an acceptance from Harvard, that way I will have a choice.

Agreed, though it seems some programs, Harvard for example, more actively seek it than others.

Program: Ed.M. in Higher Education Administration Undergrad: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UG GPA: 3.6 UG Majors & GPAs: History 3.8 / Psychology 3.2 Graduate / Degree: Brown University / Masters in History Grad GPA: 3.6 GRE: 1150 / 4.5 I have two years of funded research experience as an undergraduate then graduate fellow, plus additional research experience as a faculty assistant. I also have two years in residential education and three years in non-profit management. This course of study is a change for me. Prior to applying to this program I was working towards a PhD in Modern U.S. History with a focus on late twentieth century social justice issues. However, my interests shifted and I want to work more directly on college access and success issues. I think my chances are good. I've already been accepted to Penn GSE (the better school if you believe US News) with a scholarship. Though my GRE scores are low, mostly because of math, I was accepted to Brown's PhD program with full funding two years ago and their acceptance rate was something like 10%. That said, in my experience, graduate admissions cannot be boiled down to simple stats. For example when I applied to PhD programs two years ago I was accepted to my first choice school, Brown, but none of my safety schools. Stats are important for an initial review, but I think in the end it boils down to your "fit" in the program, LOR, and personal statement. I think the HGSE cares more about graduating leaders in the field than simply those with the highest stats. I can only hope this is the impression they get from my application. This is simply my opinion of course. Take it for what you will.

Based on my interaction with admissions, my understanding is they look to admit more traditionally underrepresented populations. This usually boils down to African-Americans, Native-Americans, those with Latin American origins, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, first-generation students, and on occasion LGBT identified students. Since men are not underrepresented in graduate school (even if they are in the HGSE) they are generally not given preference. That said women are not given preference either, unless of course it is an extremely male dominated field like Mathematics or Science. The one exception here is if you wish to teach at the primary secondary level. Since men are underrepresented there, I'm not sure if that will work to your advantage or not. It probably depends on whether you brought up the imbalance in your essay or not. As far as being a board certified teacher, admissions reps stated that education experience is given positive weight, but it is only a portion of the decision. Hope this helps!

JT, Generally, April 15th is the universal acceptance date for all US programs. This may not be the case with programs that have rolling admissions, but it will be for Harvard.

Try Baity Hill Student Family Housing. They typically have a few extra rooms for single grads. The apartments are new (2005) and operated like a normal apartment complex with their own leasing office and no RAs. Plus your rent includes all utilities even cable and internet. I lived there for two years. They are on the southern most portion of campus and are very quiet. It is about a 15 minute walk to Franklin street from there and buses pick up there every 7 minutes.

GRE Score: 1100 (mostly bc of low math scores) 4.5 GPA: UG: 3.6 Grad: 3.6 Work Experience: 2+ years research / 2 years residential education / 3 years nonprofit management Undergrad Institution(Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): UG: Highly Selective Public / Grad: Ivy Research Experience: 2 years funded as research fellow / 1 year research assistant Applying for PhD or Masters: Masters Program: Higher Education Administration What Schools Are You Applying To: UPenn & Harvard Acceptances: UPenn (still waiting on Harvard)

We are in the same situation. Harvard would not require us to move and Philadelphia is not exactly a cheap city. The one advantage for us is it would bring us closer to family in NC. Well good luck! I hope you can work it out. I few of my friends went to Penn and they loved it!

I am planning on going too. My understanding is everybody in the Higher Ed program are required to be graduate assistantships and interviews for those position start that weekend. So, are you definitely going to Penn? I'm still waiting on Harvard before I make any final decisions. It will be a tough call if I get into both though. I think Penn has the better program, but I am already within commuting distance to Harvard and I just love the atmosphere there... or at least the atmosphere in the Grad. School of Ed. the rest of campus is kind of stuffy.

Congratulations on getting in! I received an acceptance letter the same day along with a scholarship offer. Have you heard anything from the program coordinator yet? My letter stated that he/she would contact me about the visitation weekend and interviewing for graduate assistantships. I think they start interviewing later next month.

My understanding is they make it their goal to provide a decision within 4 weeks, but they do not promise to do so. An admissions rep at Penn told me they reach this goal nine times out of ten. A later decision does not reflect on the likelihood you will be accepted though... according to the rep. That said I'm very anxious as well. I submitted my application on the 15th and it was forwarded to the committee on the 20th. Have you been reading their admissions blog? It is a great way to keep up to date on the status of everything. According to the blog they sent out Doctoral program decisions last week. Maybe they will get around to Masters this week. Best of luck!

Disclaimer: This opinion is based on my experience applying to PhD programs two years ago (I've since changed fields and am reapplying) and what close friends who are professors have told me. In theory it shouldn't. However, it does for two reasons. 1) If you are a professor and have met with the student who wants to work with you, it is less of a risk. They have a better idea of who you are and how well you will work with them. Remember, a professor accepting you as a student (at least for PhD programs) is a career move for them too. If you do great, it will look good on them. Even if they are not on the admissions committee they know everybody who is and likely have daily contact with them. They can thus flag your application for a more careful review. 2) Simple name recognition. If you have a strong application, you want them to spend the most time possible with your materials. Committees review hundreds and in some cases thousands of applications. At one point or another it all begins to bleed together. Anything you can do to stand out (in a good way) is great! That said I have friends who are professors who hate students who do this. Others, however, prefer it. When I applied two years ago I sent a very brief email to the Professors I wanted to work with. I did this after the start of the fall semester, when they are back in the groove of teaching but not yet rushed by grading and finals. I simply stated that I was interested in working with them and wanted to know if they would be willing to speak with me sometime. Half the professors I wrote ignored my email. Of the ones I did speak with, I was accepted to the programs in which I had the strongest connection with the professor.

I did a great deal of research (spoke to alumni, students, and admissions reps) before applying and my sense is if you can demonstrate a strong commitment you have a shot. One current student said he had 770 on his GREs and came straight for a smaller public undergrad, his background and commitment overshadowed this, however. In my case I have and 1100 GRE (mostly low in Math), 3.6 GPA with a bachelors in History & Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, 3.6 GPA from Brown with a Masters in History, 3 years in non-profit management, 2 years in Higher Ed, & 2 yrs in research. I highlighted in my essay, however, that I was a low-income first generation student and former high school dropout. Since I want to work on college access & success issues I think that gives me a unique perspective. I don't know whether I'll get in or not, but I did receive a lot of encouragement from the school. I think HGSE looks for diversity & passion first & foremost, so you might as well give it a shot!

There is an interview component for one of the scholarships to the Teacher Education Program. I assume that is what this is. I am not the poster, however.