hitomimay

It's not over yet. It's only 3:20 over there.

@lkmilam On the application, it asked you to indicate if you would be interested in their Masters program should you not be offered admission to their doctoral program (EdD or EdLD). If you checked this, your application would be referred to the Masters program.

HGSE e-mailed asking me to check the page. Blegh.

So I've been endlessly refreshing my HGSE application page just so I can finally get my life settled for the next 4 years, and then I notice "Application for Admission" because I didn't click on it before. On the top in bold it reads "Congratulations hitomimay!" I squeak from sheer excitement. Then with baited breath, I keep reading "... you have successfully submitted your application". Darnable.

I could be mistaken, but I remember looking up financial aid options last year, and you don't actually have to be science at all. You just need to be working at a low-income school that doesn't meet AYP for 5 years to have loan forgiveness.

Ack! HGSE contacted someone about EdD and they were accepted! Ack! So it begins... ><'' long stretch, I know, but ever so hopeful? Lol.

Congrats litjust! That's so exciting!

@betty buzz-kill: Yup, feel free to PM me whenever, that way I'll get an e-mail notification should you have questions throughout the year.

All schools I applied to (not sure if it's just because it's Education) claimed to have no cut-offs for GREs and GPAs. It truly is a combination of everything, which seriously worked in my favor. However, I'd say 1250 is a safe starting point for most PhDs, not sure about Masters programs though. You can always check their class profiles and see their average GRE/GPA scores and go from there. For instance, Harvard's Education Masters averages were a combined score of 1260, while their PhD students were 1390. I think that should give you a general idea of where you should fall depending on the competitiveness of the program and school you choose to apply to.

Ditto. English might not be the same as Education, but it's been 2 weeks since I received post of my acceptance, but my status online has yet to change from "Under Review: Will Receive by Post". I wouldn't fret, it's just a waiting game from here for USC.

Thanks everyone for the advice! To answer a few questions, I already have a Masters in Education with USC, so it does seem rather pointless now to get a 2nd one from a higher ranked school, unfunded to say the least in this economy (although I think I can get up to half tuition for HGSE), and I've been in touch with a few people from those programs, and there is no guarantee that you'll go straight from their Masters to their PhD. Ah, looks like a PhD for me this year.

Alright, I had to ask this stupid question, but I would really appreciate your input here: So I applied to SUSE and HGSE for their PhD/EdD program. I was deferred to SUSE's Masters program (sadly assuming the same will occur for HGSE), and SUSE/HGSE are ranked #1 and #2 for Ed Policy, while USC is ranked #16 in Ed Policy. How much value does a Masters from a top tier program have in terms of finding better jobs in Ed Policy for the future comparatively to a PhD from USC? I'm trying to decide on which program to go to this upcoming year, and while I'm heavily leaning towards the PhD program at USC, I'll seriously consider the SUSE/HGSE Masters program if most people say there's a huge value to them. Potentially really stupid question, I realize, but I had to know... Thanks!

Congrats litjust!

Sounds awesome to me! I'm totally down. Anyone else care to join? And congrats to everyone on their recent admits. We're almost at the halfway point to everyone one still waiting on the rest of our decisions!

fear factor

opposable thumb

Congrats wayoutwest28 and critic1!!! That's exciting news! Chin up dm242. Good news is out there for you! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Constance11, sorry, I didn't mean to offend. ><''

refreshing gradcafe

I wish I had one people would WANT to do. I spent most of my time creating a 12 page final exam, and then subsequently GRADING the 282 question final... yeah... about that... On the bright side, it took my mind and time away from the stress of waiting during critical time point. Heh heh heh...

Congrats wannabeaphd! I'm sorry we couldn't be in the same cohort, I was really looking forward to it, but hey, we won't be so far that tea/coffee isn't impossible. I'm bound to visit sometime Congrats again! I'm excited for you, it's an incredible program. You deserve it Personally, I don't think it might be the New Orleans thing. I know one of the POI's research is based off of the economics and reformation of the New Orleans school system. You can always call them and ask what it was, I know a lot of programs are more than happy to inform you of their reasoning so that you have a chance to "improve your application...etc" as they say. Don't give up! If you're passionate about it, stick it through! I was accepted from USC a week ago, but I have yet to see any change online for status. They say that results have been sent out and official decisions will be through post. I want it to change online though because I didn't waive my rights to my rec letters and I want to see them soon Keep your chin up! Good news is bound to come.

dance party

Here's my two cents: I wouldn't recommend asking the professor for news. It may seem a little pushy. Adcom and faculty are definitely overwhelmed and busy, and I guarantee they are not being idle, so they may be a little annoyed. Either way, you don't want to tack on a negative impression, especially while they might be trying to decide who to admit and who to reject on the short list... I know the waiting sucks, it does for everyone, but as we all know, the news will come when the news will come. Chin up, I'm sure good news awaits!

Thanks firebird24. I think it's going to be USC for me, and I'm really excited actually.

mental crisis

Well, a lot of this depends on the program, but I know a number of doctoral programs gives applicants the opportunity to defer their application to a Masters program should they be rejected from the doctoral program. Hence, I think it actually makes some sense that PhDs come out first before Masters.