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Good point! I wonder whether the focus of the program is perhaps different at each school. I can't speak for TC or Penn. At HGSE, many of my IEP friends concentrated on sharpening their other tools -- for some that was econ or stats, and for others that was policy or intl development. In any case, IEP at HGSE seemed much more centered around understanding the higher level world around international education, which is also quite apparent when you look into the bios of the faculty directing/teaching IEP students. Also, given that a lot of them came from abroad (either as international students or as expats living overseas), many of them already had language skills under their belt, which was very impressive.

AFAIK, there are no foreign language courses offered at HGSE, but of course lots of good courses on bilingualism and languages. Trust me, 4 courses will be more than enough on your plate per semester.

Speaking of which, the career services people at HGSE are fantastic at their jobs. I can't explain how well-connected they are -- plus, they help you prepare for your job search starting the summer before you enroll at Harvard; it's kind of wild!

Harvard! Reasons: 1. I graduated EdM from Harvard. I'm unashamedly biased 2. As a first-gen college student/poc, I felt so much more..."welcomed" by the Harvard community than any other program I visited. For me personally, that mattered -- I turned down grant-based funding from two schools to go to a place where I knew I'll be happier, while growing meaningfully as a person and as a member of an excellent community (albeit for 10 months). 60k in loans later, I still don't regret it, but again, that's a personal choice and I don't expect others to agree. With that said, I will be the 50000th person on this thread to say GO VISIT THE SCHOOLS! Not just the ones you're considering but wherever you are admitted. I visited all the schools I was admitted to, and that made ALL the difference. Also, be assured that at this point, you can't make a terrible decision. Wherever you go, you'll be okay in the end.

I got the invite, too -- it said Admissions is supposed to give us some info about it but it has yet to come! Granted, it's only been a few days, but I'm getting super impatient/anxious here

Pretty much. This was a pretty recent happening at the College. "Harvard Official: A- is Median Grade and A Most Common Across All Three FAS Divisions and SEAS" -- http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/12/5/grade-inflation-divisions-seas/ I think the latter part of what you said is definitely true. The applicant pool is already self-selected, to some degree, due to stats, background, and personal circumstances. This is straight from the HGSE admissions blog (https://hgseadmissions.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/application-advice/): You are considering applying for Harvard: that speaks volumes. It’s a self-selecting applicant pool. Chances are, you have a compelling story to tell about why you want to work in the field of education, have done some amazing things in the last few years, and have an equally good reason for wanting to complete further studies.

Are they actual interviews? I got an email today as well, but it was phrased more as a "please come and visit!" kind of thing, as opposed to a formal interview...

Me! tough luck, though, judging from previous years' threads..

I wouldn't be toooo worried. During the live chat with current PhD students, one of the program directors said that a lot of the professors don't even respond to POI-type emails from prospective applicants, purely for "equity reasons". Given that, I didn't bother reaching out to too many faculty before submitting my application -- I also wanted to keep my options open, so to speak My gut feeling is that if you absolutely had a faculty member(s) that you wanted to work with at HGSE and you wouldn't attend unless you got to work w/that faculty, you would've put that down on your SOP. Otherwise I think the adcom would assume that you are open to working with more than one faculty, which is how HGSE works anyway and seems to be better fit with how you're angling your application.

Well here we go again!... Applying for PhD programs, just a few years out of a master's program. I've been a longtime member of this forum, and it's great to be back! Not in terms of application torture, but because of all you cool cats. Program: PhDGRE Score: 90+ percentileGPA: 3.7 undergraduate. Grad program did not weigh GPA.Work Experience: I'll have 2 years of research experience by the time I (hopefully) matriculate. Plus a smattering of internships and summer jobs -- still below average age for a PhD applicant. Undergrad Institution (Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Private school (Top 20? 30?) Research Experience: My current job is in research. What Other Schools Are You Applying To: See signature below I also completed the master's program at HGSE, so feel free to ask away if you have any questions. In the meantime, seeking help from any past HGSE doctoral program applicants...

^ Second the above. While you already seem like a strong candidate (previous publications, internships that are relevant), I think your SOP will be your strongest card in the game to proving that you have the maturity and tenacity to make it through a PhD program. For example, your SOP should probably explain why a PhD is a better fit for you, rather than a MA or MEd. What is your end goal w/a PhD? Why is it an essential? That's probably the golden question to answer there. :)

Yeah, I certainly agree with that, too. It's amazing how inspired young people can become from even the simplest conversations with folks from "big-name" schools. That stroke of inspiration can turn into motivation, and then who knows where it'll go from there! If anything, individuals doing systemic-level reform should engage with youth and young people more often, too, whether it be as a part of their daily work or as a service-learning opportunity. Maybe you can be a part of starting that dialogue/cause at HGSE next year. On a bigger note, I hope everyone is excited for Open House this week/weekend! We're all quite excited to meet you all.

I daresay that quite a few HGSE students actually go on to acquire school leadership positions or pursue other opportunities that afford them direct contact with students. Many students here have been former teachers or in programs such as TFA/Americorps, although they do not belong in the School Leadership cohort. So, there are folks definitely interested in returning to their students, on the school or the district level, as educators at many different types of schools (e.g., charter, private, public, urban, you name it). It may not seem that way, depending on the "clique" one joins here at the school, but you only do find what you seek

I just wanted to reply very quickly to this message below which I posted a few days ago! Thank you, all you kind people, for your messages and questions! I am very glad and very willing to answer your private messages. Unfortunately I'm on travel this week w/other HGSE students for a school event and will be glad to answer your questions very soon by the end of this week. Just a quick PSA ... sorry if this does not contribute to the thread. Looking forward to seeing some of you in person at the Admitted Student events ! PS -- I highly recommend the Harvard Grad Market group on Facebook, if you are considering affordable housing options beyond a dormitory. I think you might need Harvard affiliation before you can join the group, but it has TONS of private listings from Harvard-affiliated students for rooms, housing, home appliances/goods, etc., especially over the summer. I've personally found it a very reliable source, especially because it's just the Harvard-wide community and we can sort of trust each other on a different level than, say, on Craigslist.org.

1. How are the facilities? From what I can tell, classes are mostly in Larsen and Gutman - 1960s monstrosities! Are they as dated as they look online? Any classes at Longfellow? You are correct about most classes being in Larsen and Gutman, but there are a handful of classes held in Longfellow. Facilities are not the newest but they are not unusable either. Beyond the facilities, I've been amazed by how supportive the HGSE IT folks are with classroom teaching & learning. They do a really amazing job in keeping classes recorded (if requested), handling mics/cameras, prepping professors' videos and powerpoints, you name it. Not many universities have an army of IT people dedicated to classroom tech needs around the clock. Currently Longfellow is undergoing renovation for all you future student folks, so if you are attending Open House in April, don't be alarmed at the scaffolding and construction noises! 2. How big are the classes generally? Good interaction with profs outside the classroom? Office hours? My classes this year varied greatly in terms of size. The classes where I enrolled w/o permission of the instructor could be as large as 70-80 folks. Classes with size restrictions or enrollment permissions are smaller, about half that size or less. Professors are generally very open to talk and to offer office hours, even if you aren't in their class for the semester. I sought out to prove this the first week of the school year by going to Prof. Reville's office hours. He's the former Secretary of Ed for the state of MA, and I dropped in just to say hi and ask about internship opportunities in his former office, just because. There are a select few who are truly, honestly accomplished people, and therefore naturally seem to have less time to offer because they're so busy around the clock. You can also see some of them quite often hanging around talking to students or other staff during lunch hour or coffee breaks. 3. Did any of you live in on campus grad housing (eg Cronkhite)? How is the community feel? I live in Harvard University Housing. There is an AMAZING community of Harvard-wide students and staff, and programmed events happening almost daily (think wine tastings, trips to the museum, movie nights, panels, etc.). But to be honest I haven't been able to take advantage of those events because grad school itself keeps you insanely busy 4. What was the best part of your experience? Meeting so many AMAZING people -- within & outside of my cohort, professors, random classmates from other Harvard schools, the cute cashier ladies at Gutman Café, conference attendees, famous people, etc., who all evidently LOVE what they do and willingly share their passions with me. It is a community with so many diverse interests and cultures, united by unmatched drive & passion. 5. What was the worst part of your experience? This winter - it's been bad. I'm from California... what can I say. haha If you're looking for a variety of responses, I would suggest contacting your program coordinator to request whether you can keep in touch w/some current students or recent alumni. That's what I did. Hope this helps!

I've been creeping on this topic for awhile and wanted to say CONGRATS to all of you! I'm a graduating EdM student at HGSE. It's been a fantastic experience for me, and I'm so excited that you all have this opportunity open for you. If anything, I would say the following things -- 1. GO VISIT! If your travel exceeds a certain # of miles, HGSE does offer travel assistance. I got my flight taken care of last year and that really helped. Also, visiting the schools really makes a difference especially if you are on the borderline about where you should matriculate. I would have attended a completely different program if I had not made the visits to all the schools. 2. HGSE is not known for generous financial aid packages. Just throwing that out there, in case any of you had high hopes for a 100% grants, need-based package... haha. Maybe it'll change over the years! We're definitely trying to change that now. 3. Get to know each other!!! This time (admissions~first day of class) is basically when you'll get to meet everyone and anyone because you don't have a ton of bias about "your cohort"... and also because you have TIME (I seriously don't have free time anymore). Once classes start it's more challenging to get to know folks outside of your cohort, esp if you are in a program w/required classes. In particular, I think I can speak for my experiences as a student of color, a student from the West Coast, and as a young student (direct from undergraduate), so feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about those aspects of my HGSE experiences!...

I am a current master's candidate at HGSE, graduating this May. I came straight from undergrad and faced the same dilemma you have now. This is probably not the straightforward answer you (and others) may want, but it pretty much depends on your attitude. As someone else said here, there was something about your admissions file that convinced the committee that you can pull off the master's courseload just as well as other experienced folks, and that you have great potential upon getting your graduate degree. Ageism does exist at HGSE. There will be people speaking up during class by prefacing their thoughts with "Now, I've been an educator for the past ten years, and...". There will be PLENTY who see you in a different light once you explain to them that you don't have teaching experience (or basically any full-time professional experience). But that's the trick, I think -- that people pretty much cannot see that you are any "less" than others unless you go up to every one of them and tell them you just got your bachelor's degree. As long as you portray yourself in a way where it is evident that you are confident about your skills, abilities, and knowledge (regardless of how short or long your experiences have been), and take advantage of the myriad opportunities HGSE offers without letting your age/resume get in the way, you will be just fine.

^ Yep. Without IBR I think I've calculated that my monthly student loan payments would be at least around $750-800. That sounds about right, right? Using this right now to figure out whether my master's degree at HGSE would be worth it... This is scary. On the other hand, I can't wait to meet all of you this weekend so that we can commiserate in person, you know

Thanks! You are loads of help lately. I did know about the loan forgiveness program but IBR is new to me. This does make me feel quite a bit better! This is my first encounter with loans of any kind, so please forgive my ignorance.

As a Korean American, I fully approve of this message.

I feel you. I thought the loans would be worth it, but I've been poring over loan repayment calculators and I feel like it's definitely going to be a struggle to pay back 60k in loans in a reasonable amount of time (5-10 years was my goal). That is, unless HGSE leads me to an amazing, relatively well-paid job... I'm also going to be pursuing a PhD within that time frame, too, so this is quite complicated. Right now it's between UCLA and HGSE for me. Help, anyone! help!!

Got my letter too. $7,600 in grants, plus $20,500 unsubsidized loans. Not even a work study bit or perkins loans. This means about 60k in loans since the rest will have to come from GradPLUS. Harvard is looking a lot more unattractive :/ ugh, what to do?!

^ do a poll! Doodle or WhenIsGood or the likes. I did RSVP for One Harvard just in case, but if it seems redundant and/or if I get sufficient information to make my decision at Friday's Open House, I'm down to join you guys anytime on Saturday.

I loved how the faculty hung around with us all day! It really gave me a better picture of what the classroom setting would look like, and which professor I'd get along with as an informal "mentor"/networking contact. Also, the tour was just bad pIanning on their part. I think a good half of us didn't get to go, including myself... so I just ended up wandering around the area during down time between interviews. I stalked some other students/locals for a bit at a coffee shop and followed undergrad tour groups whenever I found one. It was nice! UM has some gorgeous buildings; I didn't expect that. Nonetheless, I have some concerns about the program, like the addition of the new concentrations (seemingly without much preparation as to what they will look like) + my favorite faculty members going on sabbatical.

For those of you who attended CVD -- I'm curious as to what you thought about the school/program!