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Hi, all. I may seem a bit whiny, but I am kicking myself for not studying more for my GRE. Some family flew in last minute the week before my GRE and, as a result, I did little more than take one full-length practice test out of the official guide. I honestly had only scheduled a week to study as I took the GRE 5 years ago and scored pretty well without prep (165V and 156Q) and I'm a teacher and decided to wait for the summer to study ;-). That said, I took my test today and scored a 170V and 164Q. I know that two of the questions that I missed in quant had to do with probability and I regret not reviewing this before test day. I read somewhere that retaking after a high score looks like score-grubbing and I'm nervous that my Verbal will fall a bit if I retake. Also, I can't comfortably afford the cost to retake (recall I'm a teacher). I'm applying to Doctorate in Ed Leadership programs (including Harvard's infamous Ed.L.D program) as well as Stanford's dual MBA/Masters in Education. My UGPA is imperfect (3.0), but I have a solid grad school GPA from a high-ranking Ed School (I know these aren't as telling due to grade inflation in grad schools). Do you think I should retake given that I am confident that I can boost quant to a 166 or 167 even if my verbal falls to a 167-168? I don't want that verbal score to appear to be a fluke!

Hi, I am working on my resume and SOP for the fall 2016 admissions cycle and I'm really struggling with my resume/CV. I'm applying to PhD programs in math education, and most of the advice online doesn't seem to be directed at people pursuing doctorates in Ed. Specifically, most advise to submit a CV, with research and presentation experience. I did have a small research assitant position as part of my master's program, but it honestly focused more on the collection of data then its interpretation. It was also in no way related to math. As I understand it, my work experience as a teacher is more valuable anyway (and, in fact, a pre-requisite for most of the programs to which I'm applying). How did those of you with teaching experience present it in your CV? Thanks.

Thanks for the insight!

Hi, all. I am a high school math teacher interested in pursuing a PhD in K-12 math education, most likely focused in Geometry and Algebra, based upon my conversations so far with potential advisors. I did not study math in college, nor in grad school (I did an Ed Policy Masters which is where I became further convinced of the need for improved math instruction). I have been in contact with several potential advisors and some outright said that I should go back and do a master's first (Vandy and Columbia and somewhat UVA) while others (Michigan, Michigan State) said that once I arrive at school, I could use a few of my elective credits to make up for this gap. I have self-studied (or MOOC'ed) several Calc courses and I have a pretty high Quant GRE score (167). I have phone calls lined up over the next few weeks with Stanford, Harvard and Penn and I realize that I have not yet told them about my lack of a math degree. Any advice for how I can demonstrate to them that I am a competent math student/teacher despite not having formal credentials in this area? Again, I am certainly willing to work toward closing this gap once enrolled -- I simply don't have the time or finances to take coursework at a university. Really this is a variation of the larger question about how much math math teachers should know to succesfully teach their subject. Ironically, many of the weaknesses that I have noted among other math teachers that I have observed stem from a superficial understanding of their subject. I don't believe that this is the case for me, but am I right that this might be an uphill battle? The very reason that I entered math education is because I was so turned off by math as a middle/high/and even college student. Still, I was always a successful math student, just not one that took too many courses beyond what was required. Finally, certain programs (such as Harvard's and Penn's) are not explicitly "Math Ed PhDs" but are instead Teaching/Learning Degrees in which you may choose to concentrate in math. Would having a prior math degree be less important in these programs? Thanks so much for any insight!

ALSO... do EdDs tend to be less funded?

Hi, all! I'm a little green about the distinction between EdDs and PhDs. It appears (following a quick skimming of the Education Forums here) that a lot of you are looking into PhDs rather than EdDs. I plan to study math education with the goal of preparing teachers and/or writing curriculum and/or working as a math specialist overseeing several schools post grad school. Given that the EdD is "the practitioners degree," the EdD is the appropriate route -- correct? Or does it depend on the school? I'm currently looking at UVA (EdD in curriculum and instruction with a math concentration) and local schools here in Florida. I was really interested in Columbia's program, but I do not have enough math coursework (only a minor). Does anyone know of any other solid programs in math curriculum and instruction? Thanks!

You're welcome, guys. sassywalrus -- Sounds like a plan. I didn't pay down nearly what I wanted to pre-grad school, so I'll have to buckle down extra hard for those 1-3 years afterward. I wasn't making enough money doing what I was doing anyway, so I felt compelled to jump the gun and start my Master's. Work experience will for sure improve your chances of admission and of aid, so good thinking on that. Also, you said that you see a lot of research coming out of the "Florida/Miami" area. Higher Ed stuff? BlazerFalcon -- I think you are an almost sure thing at Penn. If you want a little aid from them, though, maybe try retaking that GRE? You're a little above the average Quant GRE score and a little below the average Verbal. Your GPA is INCREDIBLE (I am very jealous). There will be some students coming from more competitive schools, so their GPAs could stand to be a little lower, but I'm sure few people applying have above a 3.75 or so. And Alabama is a good school still. As for work and extracurriclars, they seem to be in line with what Penn would expect: they show your commitment. jortin10 -- cool to hear. If I decide to pursue a PhD after my Master's, UM will definitely be on my list. What other schools are you looking at? []_[]

Hi, guys. I completed my undergrad at Miami just over a year ago and will be attending Penn in the Fall (for Ed Policy -- plan to take ~half of my classes in Qualitative Research Methods/Stats). I can hopefully provide some insight into the UM vibe and Penn GSE admissions (just not necessarily about the respective programs you are interested in). First, I love, love Miami and UM. I chose it (finances and distance from home being major considerations) over Columbia, though I did still accrue slightly higher than average debt to attend (I feel you, Sassy Walrus). If you want that ACC, big game, school-spirit-drenched campus, Miami has it. Additionally, the academic programs are increasingly well-respected, the School of Ed included. I don't know too much about the RME program, other than that I was also super-interested. I chose not to apply after all, because I wanted more Ed Policy context, and I was accepted to Penn before the UM deadline (via rolling admissions) with a merit-scholarship. All this said, I would only consider UM if I were you if I had a vigilant plan to pay down that debt when you are done. I spent this past year living at home with my parents and putting 75 percent of my earnings toward my loans (still have a ways to go... only worked two part-time jobs totaling less than a full-time). I plan to live similarly for about two years after grad school. I am sure you've made similar considerations. So if the Miami program has more than just a slight edge over Rutgers, I would strongly consider it with some sacrifices, but if that edge is only slight, I wouldn't. As for Penn GSE admissions, I think the biggest part of the application is probably commitment to education through work/volunteer experiences and as conveyed by your essay. I was a substitute teacher and tutor throughout much of college and worked at a school for this past year. As far as numbers, I had only a 3.2 GPA (after a failed attempt as a pre-dental bio major) from UM but relatively high GREs: 167 Verbal (710 on old GRE) and 158 Quant (740 on old scale). Oh, yeah, and a dreadful 4 for Writing. I got the $10k merit scholarship -- I believe there is also a $5k and $13,500 package. I am Cuban (though my Spanish is just average), so maybe that helped, too?

Congrats all! And congrats, Texan Lex. See you at Penn!

Still waiting, too, and I am American. I hear results come out in "waves" -- I just don't know how many waves there are and if being in a later wave means less likelihood for acceptance. Looks like last year some people were notified in late March (but they were PhD) and even mid-late April! But the three April decisions (that were posted here anyway) were all acceptances. It would be really nice if Vandy kept us better updated, huh? Well, good luck!

Hi to you, too, fellow creeper. I don't want to give my name here for obvious reasons, but feel free to say "hi" on FB... if you can find me. Haha. My profile pics match. And good luck to everyone in making your decisions! I guess what I forgot to mention is that the reason why I am not really considering Vandy or Chicago (assuming I get in) is for financial reasons. Those programs are two years and, while I'd love to get all that extra learning in, two years versus one year means two times the cost (I'm a mathematical genius, as you can tell, which Harvard must have overlooked). That and I haven't left Miami for more than two weeks at a time in my life. Plus, Penn's program in Ed Policy seems (on the surface... have to do some more research) to be great. Penn GSE is great. Penn as a University is great. And Philly's great (but one winter there will be enough, thank you very much).

Harvard just made my decision easy: rejected. But I am not too upset. I actually had a bad experience waiting for a slice of pizza at a baseball game right before I found out, and I felt that was more emotionally taxing than the rejection! Haha. Because even despite name recognition, Penn and Harvard were neck and neck for me. So, regardless of what happens with the two remaining schools I am waiting on (Chicago Harris for an Masters in Public Policy with an Education concentration) and Vandy (MPP Ed Policy), I am super excited for Penn! Accepted: PennGSE (Masters Ed Policy), GWU (Masters Ed Policy) Rejected: HGSE Attending: PennGSE! By the way, Texan Lex, I saw you in the Penn GSE Accepted Students Group. It seems like a great bunch of people. Makes me super excited for Penn.

I sent my GRE scores immediately after I took the test, so I was surprised also to find them missing on the application manager (or whatever it is). I e-mailed them and they said, basically, to take that page with a grain of salt. They'll contact us if anything is needed at the time of review.

I should have checked that! That sounds a lot better.

I was really hoping that as more people took the revised exam that score range accuracy would improve. Not the case: Verbal range: 700-800 (Actual: 164 or 670) Quant range: 700-800 (Actual: 156 or 720 (low end range)) Writing: 4.0 (yikes) So my quant score was in range. Not complaining there -- though a 156 doesn't have the (illusory) panache of a 720. Just wish my verbal was in range! I told myself before I opened my eyes on the "view scores online" page that I'd be happy with any verbal above a 165 and quant above 155. The 4.0 is just ridiculous. I guess I needed to write to the test, a method I didn't bother learning (but should have). Anyway, so I made 320 -- exactly. I guess that, outside of this forum, that looks quite good.