hopingforgradschool

They must have seen something in your app that compelled them to take you. I had a classmate in undergrad with a similar background except she taught in developing countries over the summers in college, but she didn't get in. She applied to the teacher's ed program though, not learning/teaching. I think experience is weighed more heavily in teacher's ed. Her essays were extremely well-written and unique. Don't worry...it's completely fine to say you have no work experience but you're interested in learning about X, Y, X topics. They value fresh grads at HGSE. I was one when I went, and that's how I felt.

Phil413, no offense intended. I'm actually Asian myself and have family there. I was simply referring to the fact that more teaching jobs with competitive compensation are available in Asia (at least Korea, HK, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Singapore) than in other parts of the world. I have no qualms about moving to Asia to grow my venture since the demand there for a quality education is so strong, and many of the cities are able to provide a high-quality standard of living.

Hi everyone, I'm the original poster. I was deciding whether to attend HGSE in spring 2011. I ultimately decided to attend HGSE (HDP...I requested a switch due to the more flexible requirements) over Stanford (POLS), Penn, and Columbia and graduated in 2012. I just want to say that I can't even imagine my life if I had turned HGSE down. It would have been the biggest mistake of my life! I came to HGSE straight from undergrad with no full-time work experience...BUT fast forward to 2014, I've founded my own education-related (and HDP-related) company in Boston and am on-track to making hundreds of thousands per year in profit (and millions in revenue). I'm happy to report that I've paid back my loans 100% as of 2013. This was a most unexpected outcome but the HGSE name truly has opened doors for me. If anything, being at HGSE gave me an unexpected extra boost of confidence to challenge myself and transform my ideas into reality. The HGSE credential is also very useful when it comes to getting $,$$$,$$$ investment from angel investors and VCs. If you get in and are pepared to challenge yourself, DO IT!!!!!! Best decision of my life.

Hey guys, so I ultimately chose Harvard over Columbia, Stanford, and Penn. I've been here just over a week and I already feel I made the right decision. In just my first week, I've already made fantastic connections with people (students, faculty, staff) who have such rich experiences and connections to the education world (and beyond) that I'm not worried at all about finding a job afterwards. I know there will always be something out there, even if it might take me a few weeks to land a gig. Worst case scenario, you can always teach in Asia My professors are amazing and topnotch in their fields. Being in their classes motivates me to push myself harder than ever, and it's really inspiring. Everybody is so approachable and genuinely friendly here it's like grad school heaven. People literally are not afraid to introduce themselves to people they haven't met, and the well-funded social events don't hurt in facilitating such connections. People also organize their own parties and the members of different programs are not cliquey at all. At HGSE, I truly feel anything is possible. It's easy to tell money flows through this place. Programs are well-funded, the classrooms are world-class (though the exterior of some buildings at HGSE might not be so aesthetically pleasing), grants are very accessible to students who have a compelling idea and want to go with it. Just this first week, people have already formed groups around various issues like Autism Research and the Philosophy of Education. That's the great thing about HGSE- it's the perfect size. It's not too small like Stanford's or too big like Columbia's. It's great for forming a lot of connections that are actually sustainable because you will be seeing some of these same people everyday on campus. HGSE students also have a lot of pride in the institution and the Graduate School of Education is seen as very prestigious and noble in the university all around. After all I've experienced so far (and like I said, it's only been about a week), I don't even want to think back about how things would've been different for me had I decided not to come. I know this experience will transform me in ways I can't even imagine right now. If you get into HGSE, just go! But if you're still ambivalent, I'm pretty sure a visit will convince you.

I'm a very frugal spender so if I do manage to get a $50k job, I think I'll be able to pay off $1,000 per month just fine (I rarely buy clothes or eat out, spend little on entertainment, dislike shopping, etc). The question is if I can get a job like that in the first place. If yes, then I will not hesitate to accept the offer.

Just received my FA package today. Got 8,500 federal subsidized loans; 12,000 federal unsubsidized, and $6,000 federal Perkins. According to the accompanying brochure, the first two figures are the maximum amounts granted for each type, but I'm not sure about Perkins (this website says the maximum is $8,000: http://www.studentlo...ans/perkins.php). Additionally, I'm offered $11,400 in grants and $5,000 in work-study, bringing the total awards to $42,900. Since the cost of attendance is $61,172, I will have to take out $18,272 in private loans. Does anybody know the maximum amount of grants HGSE can offer? I'm hoping they can at least match Penn's $13,500. Of course, I will be asking HGSE these questions as well. Would love to hear from others who were able to bargain successfully though.

Thanks for the reply. I still haven't gotten my package yet but I have a feeling it will come tomorrow. It sucks that only half of the loans can be federal loans...this must mean the rest won't qualify for the federal government's loan forgiveness program? Well I can't wait to get my info in the mail so I can finally make a decision with everything before me. Good luck to all.

Carolina, how did your package turn out? Is it mostly loans? How much in grants? I can't wait to receive this info...hopefully later today or tomorrow.

Thank you all for your opinions. I will do some research on the kinds of jobs that will be available to me as a PSP grad but if any of you have insights on that, I would greatly appreciate it. I've been in contact with the career services office and several students asking for their perspective. I've tried contacting financial aid also but I think they're busy calculating packages so they haven't gotten back to me yet. It's kinda depressing getting into such a great program and not having the means to pay for it. Originally, I was all for taking out loans especially if it's for Harvard, but then I realize I might just be digging myself into a deep hole. I come from a poor family so there's pressure on me to be self-sufficient and start paying off my undergrad loans. This will be an agonizing decision for sure.

So I got accepted to HGSE's master's program in prevention science and haven't received financial aid info yet, but the worst case scenario is I will be borrowing the maximum $60k or so. Do you guys think this investment will be worth it? I will also have $35k in loans from undergrad, so my total will be just under $100k!!! I will also be going straight from undergrad so I won't have full-time work experience under my belt. Prevention science does have a required practicum so that will give me work experience. I also volunteered throughout high school and for several months in college at a bunch of education sites (after school programs and the like), so those might help in helping me find a job. I was so excited to get in, but I'm just not sure if I can or should shoulder this debt. My undergrad degree is in a soft science so I doubt I can get a job with it alone. What do you guys think? I welcome all opinions.

IN!!!!!!! For future reference, the timestamp on the email is 4:44 pm ET.

omg this is super exciting and nerve-wracking.

wait so decisions are coming out TODAY?! Is that guaranteed? How sure was the person on the phone? I will be refreshing my inbox now non-stop haha.

Congrats to all who've gotten in already! Does this mean those of us whose decisions haven't been posted yet aren't getting in? It would really help if you guys specify if you just applied for a masters or both a masters and EdD.