jesbriwel

I hope your visit goes well- I am sure that will be the most useful in deciding! I would ask really specific questions about the size of your cohort, average class size for your core courses, and the relationship you can expect to have with your advisor. The flexibility of electives at HGSE really is great- I am taking a course at the Kennedy school this semester that I really enjoy. This is where knowing the input you'll get from your advisor could come in handy: I wasn't sure how to navigate the elective selection process, and had no input from my advisor. Other programs seem to do a better job in that area than mine, so it would be good to know up front. Good luck, and if you want some good restaurants or bars while you're in Cambridge- skip Harvard square and go to Inman or Davis square- waaaaay better choices!

Hi dfree 86, I used this forum last year for the same questions, and didn't get any good answers, so I hope I can help. I am finishing up my Ed.M. at HGSE right now, and went through the same thought process as you did when it came to selecting school last year. To cut to the chase: I have been fairly disappointed with the Master's program here. While not in the same focus area as you (I am in the Mind, Brain, and Education program), I have heard similar complaints across the board. The Ed school has faced the same budget constraints of other universities during the recession, and thus has doubled the size of incoming Master's classes, without adding faculty or staff. I have only had one class that had less than 25 people in it, and it was technically through the Kennedy school of government, not the Ed school. I also have yet to have a face to face conversation with my advisor this year. So while the name is flashy (at least once you are outside of Boston), I would strongly urge you to go with the program that you know to be of the highest quality (which sounds like TC from your description) rather than the flashy name. Hope this helps!

TeeDub/ MonaMour- I'm also applying to the MBE program- and have been doing all my applying and research from a third world country, which has been a difficult process. I have NO frame of reference for how many people apply to the program, how many they admit, what kind of people they admit...etc. ANY info you can share would be wonderful!!