flyinglion

Wow, another UMich! Combined program in Psychology & Education

I feel you love Harvard more, from your description. you cannot go wrong with either place, then choose the one you like the most. try think about this: when you weighing the choices, how do you think? is it always the pattern that "I love A, but B is very good too." and never got the reverse pattern? if so, maybe you really want to join A. Follow your intuition. That works for me. Hopefully it is helpful.

I am an international student newly admitted to UMich~ thinking of getting there in Mid-August.. Where do people buy furnitures? How about supermarkets?

People began asking me when I will go to school after I made up my mind to accept an offer. But I have no idea about that... I still feel the grad school is so far away but actually it is in the near future!!! Begin to anxious about the future life.. how to prepare for grad school? Ang suggestions? Thanks!

Hey, update: it is fine to say no. yes, it is. I meet with my advisor today, have a nice talk with him. He told me it is fine to turn down offers, just being polite. Decline is a process of recruitment~ I send out all the decline emails, and got very warmly responded. So far so good.

I am with you! Yes... I am another one who said no to Harvard.

I have made up my mind to accept the offer from school A, after long time of thinking and oscillating between choices. But the decision comes more from "feeling" than "thinking", or I just follow my heart because the head cannot decide. I know I make the right decision. but the problem is, I feel scarey to say no to other profs. They are all presitigious ones in the field whom I respect so much.. some of them seems to have a "better match" with my previous work. However, I decide to take an advanture to follow my "gut instinct"... I am really scared to say "no", and I don't know how/.... any advice?

Made up my mind! yes, UM, yes, AA! combined program in education and psychology @ u of michigan!

U of Michigan. I am glad to reach a final decision!!!! And yes, Michigan!!!!!

Berkeley GSE, because they are not able to provide full funding (a big problem, isn't it?)

Well, just my curiosity, why people go for a post doc after PhD? They cannot find a good job? They love someone's researches very much? Or to get some speific training that they cannot receive during grad school?...

Hi, I just have some questions about HGSE... can you help me with that? Thanks! I got into the doctoral program at HGSE, but the EdD degree does not make me feel comfortable. Although the webpage of HGSE, the potential advisor, and the current EdD student try to convince me that Harvard EdD=PhD, for some obvious reasons, I am not sure if I should believe their words wholeheartedly... Because when you grad, you need to step out that HGSE into the outer world, so I doubt how others would perceive this degree given by H. I know that some fellowships are limitted to PhD student only; and one of my friend who just finished her PhD at Berkeley GSE told me that EdD is not highly respected as PhD, and she doesn't percieve Harvard EdD as same as PhD...she also told me that EdD are more practice-oriented, and not easy in job hunting?? For some other obvious reasons, I know that it is dangerous to draw a conclusion when the info is from a small sample (only one, as my friend at Berkeley) or lack of diversity(only from the insiders of HGSE)....So, I just hope if you can tell me your perception about Harvard EdD, do you perceive it as same as PhD? Do you perceive the limitation for job hunting/looking for funding for a harvard EdD student? Thanks !!!

Just have a question...One program told me that for year 2-5, they would guarantee a paid job, and my potential advisor told me that I could work on his project to get hourly income. I calculated the amount, and found that I may need to work at least 20 hours per week to support myself financially. But the question is, I don't know how much does that working load means to me. Students need time to work on their research projects and develop their dissertation studies right? What do you think about that working load? My area would be education/psychology, by the way. Thank you!

well, maybe email... in my case, in Feb I was told by the coordinator of the area about the date they would announce the funding result. After one week of the earlier stated date, I thought the delay may suggest some bad news so I wrote to that coordinator to confirm... However, 5 min later, the grad coordinator wrote to me with the funding letter attached. After another 10 min or so, the head prof of the area wrote to me a congratulation of getting fellowship and he CCed the letter to all the profs of that area!! Oh god, I was scared by them! I feel they are pushy in doing this...they are making me quite uncomfortable....

they say it is a "standard" package: tuitions and fees are covered for 5 years; for 1st year, they provide a fellowship around 10k, plus an RA (about 7k-8k; 10 hours per week, 10 month); for 2-5 years, they guarantee that I can get a working opportunity which would provide about 8k for 10 months. I don't think that package is attractive, some other universities provide me 5 years of full funding, and the amount of the funding can make me live without limitation. But HGSE... Have to say with that money I cannot support myself in Boston... Though they keep on telling that most students in their 2nd-5th years got much more than that mininum 8k; I think it would be super busy while you have to work on probably 2 jobs and at the same time developing your researches... for my background,...I dont know if it is comparable because I am an international student... GPA:3.75; GRE: 660V+800Q+4.5AW; toefl:110; currently undergrad with some research experience but no publication; favorable match of interest with one of the faculty member....

doctoral program , with the concentration "Human Development and Education". Still not sure if I'd like to go there. the EdD degree is a drawback, and they are not as generous as other programs to give multi-year full funding... and, anyone will visit the campus? I am an international student so I won't go there for a visit... could you please share with me your experience there if you intend to visit? Thanks in advance!

My potential wrote to me: "...you would be happy here. Happiness is an important consideration in graduate school." On this point, I agree with him. We need to be happy and confident with the decision. And I think it is important to have a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. But it is important to go out and extend the connection. If I were you, I'd like to contact the students of Option B to get more info about it. Good luck with your decision!

got in, currently my preference is towards it, but still, feel cannot make a decision yet. will meet the potential advisor in a couple of days, maybe make a decision after that,

heard from it days ago..but haven't made my mind yet... maybe will go there, but who knows....

maybe, got the admission, but they are not as generous as other universities to provide multi-year full funding... and, how is the repution of harvard grad sch of education? I guess I am impressed mostly because of the name of Harvard is appealing, and the city is wonderful...

I'll let u know when I know it.. no..I am not from India.. I'm from China... well, it takes pains to decline berkeley...but I am glad I went through and got a warm respond....

well, I dont know now...the result, they say, will be annouced on March 9..oh it is today...guess I will know in a day or two.. I am with you! I mean hesitating towards choices... and I felt so bad when I told the Berkeley prof that I wont go there after he telling me he has found some funding for me....and I am still lingering along the rest choices! after I received the folder from school A, I love the folder so much that I feel wanna writing to them and tell I will go there immediately! but minates later, when I received an email from school B and discovered many oppotunities and resources there, I am towards it; after that, thinking of the smart & nice profs and the exciting researches I could do at school C..I feel depressed...that I am not able to stop changing my mind!

Well, I dont know linguistics, but I know a little of the OSU psychology (I applied to them, and got accepted...I also had many email correspondence with potential advisor, maybe for more than one year....) Here is what I know: there are several programs in OSU psych, and each program is kind of "independent", that they have different required courses etc. As a whole, the OSU psych is OK, I think you are admitted to its cognitive program? Maybe u'd like to contact some current students there and get some info...And it is really important to know that there are also faculty members doing sth that you are also interested in. I am not quite sure, but I heard that a prof named John Opfer had once done sth about music with one of his former student. And I totally understand how hard it is to say sorry to a prof that is very eager in your application and you have a lot of correspondence with.. we are in the same boat.. I felt terrible when I think of turning down the OSU offer, and I felt upset to think about saying sorry to the potential advisor, whose research I've followed for more than one year...

well....that's nearly impossible for me...I am an international student, far far away from US...