michigan girl

^ I know UPenn guarantees 4-years of funding for their doctoral students. Most American PhD programs are completed in 4-7 years.

I wonder will the HGSE doctoral concentrations remain the same under the new PhD program or will it evolve into something similar to the Social Policy PhD program (Government or Sociology track).

School reputation doesn't matter if your career goal is secondary teaching (with certification). Teachers don't earn a decent entry-level salary; therefore, I would not recommend going into too much debt.

This statement is ridiculous. The emergence of education schools did not lead to a decline in educational quality. What caused the decline is a policy shift from an emphasis in access/achievement (in the 1960s and 1970s) to an emphasis in accountability and other controversial measures (since the 1980s) that continue to ignore three factors: poverty, institutional racism and structural inequality. As long as these so-called educators--ironically, many have little-to-no classroom experience--ignore these factors and continue their war against middle-class communities, little progress will occur in K-12 education. I am an aspiring higher education professional, but even I can see the flaw in Simpson's statement.

I will echo what missingtokyo: are you planning to seek certification and teach K-12 students? If the answer is yes, then I don't understand why you want to pass up Ohio State (especially if you desire to remain in Ohio).

I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but if you already have a Master of Education or related degree, that could cut your degree time to 3-4 years at the doctoral level.

I think a school's prestige/brand only matters in two cases: 1) you want to concentrate in macro practice and work in administration for big-name organizations such as the federal government or the United Nations; 2) you want a research career at the best social work programs. The well-known privates and state flagship programs tend to offer the best macro practice concentrations.

Durrell, what is the source for your claim? I have never heard of Harvard ending its Ed.D program. Their Ed.D is the equivalent of a Ph.D (research-based) whereas the Ed.L.D. is the practice-based degree.

Just for the record, a Harvard Ed.D is equivalent to a PhD at other education schools. Harvard has this institutional policy that only the Faculty of Arts and Sciences can grant Ph.D. degrees. There is nothing "inferior" about the Harvard Ed.D. However, as everyone stated, I think Michigan (promise of full funding and strong job placement) is the better choice.

I would also add that it's unrealistic to expect full-funding offers at the master's degree level. Most master's students pay for some portion of their education. If HGSE is offering you any scholarship funding, I wouldn't necessarily pass that up. If you cannot absolutely afford HGSE, then re-apply to more schools in the next round.

I have a 13" laptop connected to a 20" external LCD. When I'm home, I use the LCD. The size of the laptop makes it very convenient for travel.

^ Penn is actually doing graduate asssistantship interviews between March 20 and April 1. Most Penn Higher Education students complete a GA.

Congrats, jimindc!

Name brand only matters in research, consulting, and policy-making contexts. If you're only planning to teach K-12 subjects in public schools, name brand is less relevant. What matters more is which program offers the best student teaching opportunities and job placements in a particular region. For instance, if I want to teach K-12 in a public school district in Southeast Michigan, it would be wise for me to enroll in the education schools at Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State, or Eastern Michigan. HGSE or TC-Columbia degree won't increase my chances of employability because the local programs already have an existing placement system for local teachers.

I'm also glad Michigan is back to #1 in social work

FreedomInEducation, is there a reason why you cannot attend HGSE?

OP, you stated that your GRE expires this year and you applied to Penn GSE's school leadership program. If accepted, you will have the chance to keep your full-time job too. If Penn GSE offers you scholarship money, I would take the offer. The GRE also changed last year, and you would have to pay more money to study and retake the exam. Be glad that you won't have to go into a lot of debt for a degree that would grant you similar opportunities as HGSE. This isn't business school or law school where the name of the school determines your future salary potential and job placement.

I would wait to see what your financial aid package looks like for Penn GSE before you make a decision.. If Penn GSE offers you a scholarship, I don't see why you should pass it up.

I still think USPS Media Mail is a great deal for books/music/DVDs. However, if I was shipping valuable items like clothes and kitchen appliances, I would highly recommend FedEx or UPS for peace of mind.

Generally, it doesn't matter where you attend for your MSW as long as it's CSWE-accredited. Make sure the program can help you obtain your social work licensure. I would say brand name matters in two instances: 1) you want a research career at a top-ranked university, or 2) you want to concentrate in macro practice. Most top-ranked private and state flagship social work programs offer good coursework and field placements in community organizing, management, and policy evaluation.

Some people may disagree with me, but here's my opinion: If your interests are K-12 teaching in rural schools, I recommend Lewis and Clark. Rural areas have stronger networking connections with local universities for a variety of reasons. Local candidates can obtain their student teaching in rural settings and prepare for state teacher certification. Local school districts are not enamored by the prestige of the degree; it's whether you can connect with the students or environment. Name brand schools like Harvard and Columbia have specialties in urban education. Whether your degree is from L&C or HGSE, you will still receive the same salary. Please keep this mind. This advice also applies to public K-12 districts in other metropolitan areas: these districts will naturally prefer teaching graduates from local universities.

I definitely recommend USPS Media Mail to ship books/DVDs/CDs. Ship them in small-to-medium sized boxes so that they can be easy to lift. If they're too heavy, USPS will inspect the boxes.

I want to add that the cost of attendance is about $60,000 in high cost-of-living areas like California and NYC. $50K sounds about right for college town/Southern/Midwest locations. Much less if you're an in-state student at a public university.There are additional factors: Is the master's degree a one-year or two-year program? Are there graduate assistantships (TA/RA/GA) included with your financial aid package? I believe it's never worth it if you receive absolutely no kind of financial assistance from the program. If the program really desires you, they'll offer you some funding. One of my top choices is a one-year master's program that includes a scholarship, graduate assistantship, professors who do amazing relevant research, and outstanding job placement/alumni network. In my case, I think it's worth the debt. I would never pay full cost simply because I can't afford it. Get a job to save money, improve your application, and re-apply in the next round. I'm also not sure why you'll need to incur private loans when Direct Grad PLUS loans exist (you can borrow up to the cost of attendance, and they're federal loans).

I live in a low cost-of-living area and I pay rent by check. Never use debit/credit cards! Although my due date is the 1st, I have until the 7th to submit the full amount without late penalty. Look for apartments that give you that flexibility/relief. When I'm running low on money, I always slip the rent check underneath the leasing office door on the 6th/7th. The landlord won't deposit until the 10th-12th. Also, is there any reason why you cannot live in campus housing?

Penn / UPenn = University of Pennsylvania Penn State = Pennsylvania State University