sophiemouse

I wrote this on another thread but it is my understanding that there are approximately 13 awarded and they are nominated across the entire program so really competitive.

Somewhere at the beginning of this thread, there was a discussion about the Leadership in Education Award. For anyone reading this for next year, it is my understanding that there are only approximately 13 (less or more) awarded altogether, about one for each program, but not necessarily one in each program. So don't feel bad if you don't get it, it's really competitive....and know that if you did, you were a leading candidate not only in your program concentration, but across the school of education.... PS....there are other merit awards they don't advertise and by and large, Harvard gives much more need based aid than merit aid per their philosophy....

Um, living in California, I have to tell you how ridiculous this forum chain sounds to most sane people living here. If this is really a decision on why you wouldn't go to Stanford, please don't go....you will be on egg shells waiting for earthquakes the entire time you are in school. And I've lived here 10 years and only felt a few minor ones....buck up!

It's easy to get caught up in GRE scores and GPAs, especially on this site, as the majority of applicants are within five to seven years of having graduated undergrad and GRE and GPA can be more defining in their chances than work experience, thus maybe a bit overemphasized. Not that they aren't deciding factors, but admissions folks tend to not weigh those as heavily, once you have significant work experience in a leadership capacity. They also recognize that the longer you have been out of school, particularly for quant, the more difficult it is to get a higher score. That said, for a PHD, you still need high everything as it is very competitive, particularly at the schools you mentioned. Having a MA, amazing work experience and significant research under your belt AND more importantly, research interests that match a professor's at the schools you mentioned, are really the deciding factors. Since you have time before you would be able to apply, I would research schools that match your interest, zero in on those professors, and take it from there. You can take the GRE again. As far as your scores, your verbal is competitive, quantitative is higher than most people who have been out of school for ten years (that's why the percentage is so low, you are not only "competing" with students just out of college but also applicants who need high quantitative to get into physics, math, etc.). For what you want to do, the AWA is lower than they like.

Any idea on how many of the Leadership in Education scholarships they give out and the profile of awardees?

Can anyone give any feedback on the fellowships MA ED programs offer? Stanford did give me a fellowship for about 1/3 of the tuition and I have no idea if that is the most I should expect for a MA degree? Just trying to gauge as I figure out how to pay for the rest. Also, I have not had success finding sources for outside fellowships...any advice would be welcome!

Anyone apply to the HGSE Special Studies program or know the acceptance rate? It's kind of the funkiest one of the bunch.