nm16
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Posts posted by nm16
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On 2/4/2020 at 9:58 AM, Rhac16 said:
Any insider info for this year's admissions timeline? :D
it's coming it's coming! as far as i can tell, the faculty have made their choices and decisions will go out once the university approves them
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Some context for previous/future SHIPS applicants: Admissions this past year was more challenging than the usual, most likely due to several faculty going on sabbatical this year (2019-2020). Pro tip: Try to find out whether your POI will be on campus before naming them in your application.
source: am a Stanford student
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12 hours ago, higheredbee said:
no problem! thanks for the well wishes
nonidentifying question: Was there anything about Stanford or GSE that surprised you after starting your program?
great question! yes. so many things. to be fair, i will name a positive & negative:
plus: i am used to schools of education always being underfunded and underrated everywhere, but especially at prestigious schools. not here. in fact, if you need money to kickstart a project, there are at least five sources i can run off the tip of my tongue that will probably fund you. and that's not because i know anything beyond the average student @ stanford; they drill into your head all the resources that are available for you from the moment you step foot into this place. part-time jobs are also plentiful and pay generously, if you're into not being a starving grad student.
minus: classes are by and large a mixed bag. some classes have been horrid because of star-studded faculty who are well-intentioned but honestly do not know how to teach or generally communicate. other classes have been fine, but it is impossible to tell from looking at the course catalog. it's widely known across the gse that it ranks low among other schools within the university on "quality of teaching and learning". an irony considering it's the gse...
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@higheredbee ooh, I'd rather not say, sorry! the doctoral cohorts at the gse are very small and I would probably identify myself
but happy to take random non-identifying questions if you have any... nice to meet you all! and best of luck these next few weeks as the (hopefully) acceptance letters begin rolling in!
- graciasadios and edu_21
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24 minutes ago, hopefulPhD2017 said:
SHIPS & RILE
I did not attempt POI contact, something I now regret. @forgetful26 How about you?
no need for regrets. I attempted POI contact at all 10 schools that I applied to last year, and the majority of those (that includes Stanford) never bothered getting back to me.
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@monastic above mentioned a few great points, but I would add the following caveats/perspectives:
-As a previous Somerville resident and Harvard affiliate, Somerville is NOT a bad place to be if you're planning on studying at Harvard. It seems a bit more inconvenient off the bat, but there are a couple of handy bus routes that will take you straight to Harvard Square from Union Square. The Red line is awesome but it is not the end-all, be-all.
...on the other hand, Winter Hill/north of Highland Ave=NOT the ideal place to live. That uphill walk is like death (literally) especially with snow on the ground; I've also seen way too many cars stuck on that hill because the city didn't bother to plow on time
-If you're a Harvard affiliate looking for a studio or something more reasonable in terms of pricing, I would look around Lechmere or in North Cambridge/East Arlington. Both have bus routes/lines to connect you to Harvard Square, are relatively quiet with young families, and are still more affordable than Harvard/Central/Porter Square.
-For the most part, the best way to find housing in Boston/Cambridge is not to go through a realtor. In my few years as a Cambridge resident, the best "my room/apartment/flat is such a steal!" stories came not from those who worked w/realtors or building mgmt companies, but rather found housing from independent landlords. Just food for thought! I know this is not feasible for everyone, especially if you can't visit your apartment in person before signing the lease.
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There are quite a few questions you can ask your professor(s) as well as anyone working at the school to address those goals. Here are a few resources I pulled off of Google, for your convenience:
https://quantumfrontiers.com/2014/05/25/top-10-questions-for-your-potential-phd-advisergroup/
https://me.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/advice_paper_web.pdf
http://education.seattlepi.com/good-questions-ask-potential-phd-adviser-3094.html
Keep in mind that professors are great sources, but overworked and not altogether unbiased. School staff (admissions, student affairs) and current students can also be good resources for you.
- Levon3 and day_manderly
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@Heather1011 All the options you mentioned sounds viable! There are like a bajillion zipcars in Cambridge. Just book one a few days before you need it, so that you know it'll be there.
As for where to stay, I think that's a personal matter! If you want a last few days of hurrah/hanging out in NYC, you should hang out there and just move everything on July 9. Or, if it's possible, I would ask the current tenant if it's ok to leave your stuff there from July 1 through 9 so that you don't have to worry about your stuff. If you're going to be there as a permanent tenant in like 8 days, they'll for the most part be OK with you leaving a few suitcases to hang out in your future room or something. I've done that before a couple of times.
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2 hours ago, graciasadios said:
I was kind of disappointed by Harvard's housing options. Sure, there are some great properties and locations. However, I was looking for something either below market value OR a 9-10 month lease. Harvard says they put everything at "market value," but I've seen much cheaper apartments elsewhere. I would be willing to pay $1700 for a studio in Cambridge if it were a 10 month lease, but Harvard doesn't offer anything other than one year leases.
My SO and I are planning to move to Cambridge, Somerville, or Allston on August 1st. We are looking for a studio or a shared living situation. Good luck to everyone else who's making a transcontinental move like we are.
You can always get an yearlong lease with Harvard and sublet it for the summer to another Harvard affiliate. That is totally a norm around here and tons of people do that to get an "academic year lease".
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I'm also unclear why those quotes are considered "harsh" -- any elaboration on this would be great, OP!
If I'm assuming correctly, the first quote is addressing age (?) and privilege as an issue... HGSE does a great job in trying to reflect educators from diverse parts of the country, if not the entire world. While I was in the program, there were plenty of educators with 10+ years of experience, and just as many fresh out of undergrad. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from both types of grad students during my time there. Secondly, given that this is a masters program where most people shell out $$$ to attend, there are definitely students who do come from backgrounds of privilege, who arguably have a "savior complex", etc etc. I don't think this took anything away from my HGSE experience; in fact, it was much appreciated to have these people in my classroom, striving to learn how to be allies for all young people and listening to other perspectives.
I would also echo previous posters' sentiments about the value of profession along with academics. To be honest, I don't think HGSE values one more/less than the other. I have certainly met HGSE students who parade their work experience and belittle the coursework, or vice versa. These students have been few and far in between, and the HGSE alum I run into now testify very positively to the value of their graduate education and opportunities at HGSE.
Lastly, I've dipped into several of the schools across Harvard, and have a few friends outside of HGSE -- at the biz school, HKS, the College, Med School, etc. None of said friends have said the ed school was a "joke" or anything similar -- anecdotal, but there you have it! HGSE certainly has areas for improvement, but lack of prestige compared to other Harvard schools would never have been the dealbreaker for me, personally. There are other issues (in education) to be worried about.
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12 minutes ago, sassypenguin said:
Hey,
While you all are waiting, I was wondering if someone could help clarify the difference between Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS) and Human Development, Learning and Teaching (HDLT)? I'm seeing some overlap and want to make sure I apply to the right program. I know I could call the admissions office, but I'm scared to call them. (I'm worried that they'll think that someone who is unsure of the difference is too stupid to go ? )
I'm trying to figure out which one would be a better fit for my interests.
I would encourage you to call them -- Admissions office doesn't make decisions on the PhD level (faculty committees do), so they don't have any stakes on what they tell you, or what you tell them.
The bottom line difference is that HDLT students tend to be more interested in the psych perspectives on education while CIS students tend to have more of a social justice angle. These are mere tendencies and not rules; there are certainly exceptions, and the lines between concentrations are blurrier than when they first started out.
@has716 to clarify, these programs are funded by GSAS, but the bulk of your required classes as well as your main faculty advisors are indeed based in HGSE.
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I am not a parent, but work in Cambridge and have many colleagues who have young families. Can confirm all those cities are great. I also live in North Cambridge, which is cheaper than Harvard Square Cambridge, bikeable, quiet, and has some great parks and open spaces.
I have known several folks who do the commute from Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood quite popular for young families -- it's about a 45-minute ride on the train with a transfer at Downtown Crossing. I have also heard many folks highly praise Peabody Terrace for their great daycare.
I would add Shaler Lane, Holden Green, and Soldiers Field Park to the list of family-friendly Harvard apartments. I wouldn't say any of the Harvard apartments are NOT family friendly -- just that these spaces are known to have lots of families in them.
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On 3/19/2016 at 4:12 AM, pterosaur said:
It's $75 application fee for GSAS housing. It's also guaranteed your first year if you get the application in by the deadline.
Quick note: GSAS housing is only guaranteed for your first year if you're admitted by GSAS. So that excludes a lot of students (HGSE, HKS, etc)
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3 hours ago, Heather1011 said:
Is it true you have to pay just to enter the Harvard lottery?
If I recall correctly, the lottery for GSAS residence halls cost a lot of money (almost as much as the app itself!), but I didn't pay anything to enter the regular Harvard Housing lottery. Although, take note that this was several years ago, so rules may have changed. I would imagine Harvard Housing would tell you if you emailed to ask -- they are very responsive on emails.
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^ echo that. But just a small note: I am familiar with the Peabody program(s), and they are much better supplied on the k-12 end than on the higher ed end of the spectrum.
If you want to go into politics, an MPP/JD might be something worth looking into. That way, you have the language for both education and law/politics.
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On 3/16/2016 at 0:45 PM, mxborder said:
While I haven't completely decided about where I'll be in the fall, I'm trying to get a sense of some of the logistics to better inform my decision. If I do end up at Harvard for a PhD in the fall, I'm leaning towards going through HUS for a one-bedroom, and there seemed to be some good options for around 2k/month or a little less. I will be moving with my partner (and our dog), so splitting the rent would make the 2k rent on a grad stipend a bit more reasonable.
I looked at sites like craigslist, trulia, and padmapper and it seems like there are very few (if any!) dog-friendly rentals in Cambridge/Somerville! HUS seemed to have a bunch of dog-friendly options.
A couple of questions for people who have been through this process:
-Is trying to find off-campus housing with a dog as difficult as it has initially seemed? Are places that are listed "no pets" ever willing to make exceptions, especially if you have good references or even pet references from previous landlords?-Is the HUS lottery crazy, and is it reasonable to expect to end up with a dog-friendly one bedroom on the cheaper end of what they offer( ~2k)? (This looks like it could be Botanic Gardens, 23-25 Flagg, Holden Green, 8A Mt Auburn, 5a Sacramento, or Shaler Lane)
-Is 2k for a one bedroom significantly higher than what I could otherwise find not through HUS? I know deals can be found in Cambridge/Somerville, but if looking for a 1 bedroom without roommates, is it worth searching around (and then paying 4 months upfront for first/last/security/realtor's fee) or just taking the easier option?
-Is the start-date for the HUS lease flexible? Could I move in at the beginning of August, for example? Also can these leases be renewed from year to year, or if I wanted to stay would I have to reenter the lottery?
Thanks!
1. Finding off campus housing that is pet friendly should be slightly easier in Somerville than in Cambridge. If you are looking for Cambridge, search for East Cambridge or North Cambridge housing, or you'll likely pay a steep price for something ridiculous. In any case, pet friendly housing is often slightly more expensive, but that's the cost of having a pet here in BOS
Tip: individual landlords are often easier to sway than big management properties, esp if your pet is a smaller size. References could be big. Maybe get a note from your doctor to get your pet certified as an emotional support animal?
2. Harvard Housing lottery can be crazy if you end up on the latter end of the lottery. People literally log on at 6:00:01 AM (if the lottery begins at 6AM on a certain day, for example) and take whatever they can get. But the housing is great, everything is on a single bill, and it's somewhat on par price-wise with the rest of Cambridge. Harvard Housing is REALLY worth it if you're staying at Harvard for a long time, want to stay in one apartment, and don't want to deal with a crazy landlord (like mine) who randomly decides to raise your rent for the 2017-18 school year by $300/month. Cambridge/Somerville doesn't have rent control.
3. You can definitely find <2k for a one bedroom in the neighborhoods I mentioned in #1. I'll message you some places you can look in that have been helpful for me.
4. Harvard Housing leases, as of current time in writing, are renewable as long as you remain a Harvard affiliate during all those years. All the lease times vary based on when the past tenant is moving out. So, on the day of your lottery, you may see five Botanic Gardens apartments, all with different move out dates (the tenants can choose to move out earlier or to do a summer extension -- I believe right now is when they should be applying for summer extensions) all throughout the summer.
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Congrats to everyone who was accepted! Hope you'll join this amazing community. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help in your decision making process!
If you were rejected: This is not the end of the world!!! You all have such great resumes, better in many ways than mine, and with HGSE it's always an issue of fit rather than being qualified. I got rejected a few weeks ago as well, so I feel y'all
Before you (potentially) leave gradcafe forever, I hope you can give back to future users of this community by posting your stats or insights (as much as you are comfortable with) on the results board!
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5 minutes ago, Shlee467 said:
Haha I JUST did the same exact thing and yes, the email notification came out at exactly 5:06 CST! But I knew before the email came out because the status update happened before they emailed everyone.
Hahaha. "Important mainly because of the words in the message." chuckled out loud at that one.
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Just now, nrvsandexcited94 said:
same, i think they might not be coming today.. it's really late
Just now, Heather1011 said:In the past these things have come at 5:30. I found out from penn at 5:15. There still hope
You guys made me curious enough to check... In 2013 I received my notification at 6:06 PM Eastern Time. SO, sometimes it's REALLY late! haha
- nrvsandexcited94 and Vulpix
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@Heather1011 I believe the regular phone-a-thons are specific to program; I don't think the student of color calls are specific to program. I can see them going back & forth on the latter, though, especially depending on supply of callers and how that varies year to year.
@gradstudenttobe33 I don't recall anyone at gradcafe being waitlisted for master's programs during my admissions year! I don't think HGSE has a goal of filling "quotas" or "caps" per program, which I think other folks have mentioned here in the past, so I doubt that waitlisting is a go-to for them. For the most part it should be a straight acceptance or rejection. I believe the results section indicates similarly.
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14 hours ago, Heather1011 said:
Also, on a separate note... how fun would this be next year, as an HGSE student, to get to call an accepted student? I personally would love doing that. Granted, it'd be way more fun if that was the first time they're hearing it, but still!
Confirming that I was on the HGSE 2014 thread and I got my acceptance letter late Friday evening (I was in the UK at that time)! I also participated in the phone-a-thon as a current student the following year. You're right, it's a blast! Granted, they already know they've been accepted, but I loved the note of surprise when the prospective students pick up the phone and realize it's a fellow HGSE student. They also have a special phone-a-thon for students of color, which was very meaningful to me. I was flattered and very grateful when I received that call.
*also a heads up: if you do get accepted and receive the call, there is no need to impress the student or to bombard them with questions! I always preempted my phone call by saying "you totally don't have to ask me impressive and open-ended questions right now; feel free to save my number and just call me whenever you want" to somewhat lower their stress levels, but that wasn't part of the script, ha.
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PMed you, @pterosaur !
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On 2/10/2016 at 3:17 AM, pterosaur said:
I was thinking the utilities included, lack of realtor fees, and not having to fly overseas to look for apartments would make up for the increased costs to be good for a first year option. They looked like normal apartments online. What makes it dorm-like?
There are some that actually look more like dorms; the ones I can think of off the top of my head are 29 Garden Street and Haskins Hall. Others are more like the average apartments with lots of families -- Mt Auburn, Holden Green, Akron, Peabody Terrace. The utilities being included is definitely a perk, as is having one bill.
Some other things I can think of off the top of my head:
- One Western and Soldiers Field mainly house HBS students, and are "across the river", so farther from the other housing units.
- Peabody Terrace is a bit grey and bleak on the inside, but lots of families live there bc daycare is at PT. I also have seen many PT residents split a one bedroom to make it even cheaper -- with one roommate living in a curtained-off living room (!!)
- It's not a MUST to get them furnished. There are a few very active Facebook groups and email listservs amongst certain programs/groups that are always selling used furnishings and the like. You'd probably save money if you didn't get the furnished apartments.
All are perfectly fine to live in -- safe neighborhoods, good communities, on-time repairs, etc.
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On 2/10/2016 at 10:42 AM, ts1493 said:
I've been living abroad for the last two years and a little nervous to come back and look for housing and make the Sept 1 move in date (what I will just call the apocalypse in Boston hahaha). Are people mostly using Craigslist, or are there any good apps/websites that have replaced that as a resource? I've been bookmarking some possible realtors but would just like to know if there are any other good options....
If you're lookign to rent, I recommend padmapper.com ! It pulls together all the resources from Craigslist, apartments.com, etc etc...
there are also tons of Facebook groups for roommate and apartment searches; each school in Boston/Cambridge seems to have its own. So I'd look into that too!
Stanford GSE Fall 2020
in Education Forums
Posted
I would put my bets on tomorrow late afternoon for the official e-mail. Hopefully the PIs will be calling folks earlier than that. Crossing my fingers for all of you!