Ed_Doc
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Hi! I'm applying to several programs in International and Comparative Education including a range of both excellent and mediocre schools because I have no idea what I'm qualified for. Any insight on that would be greatly appreciated!
GPA: 3.2 (wish i could go back, didn't know I'd go to grad school) from a well respected university (though no ivy league)
GRE: 1490 (V: 720, Q: 770, W: 4.0)
Undergrad Major: English
Recommendations: Hopefully a couple real detailed and positive ones and probably one mediocre one
Experience: Some substitute teacher (months) and 1 year teaching English in Taiwan
I'm assuming my GRE is fine, but everything else seems to be below average. I'm hugely passionate about the field now that I've discovered it and I think I'm a good match for interests in several programs. Out of these schools: Harvard HGSE, NYU Steinhardt, Penn GSE, UCLA, Stanford, Bloomington, Pittsburgh, George Washington and Florida St., which do you think I stand a reasonably chance of getting into, if any?
I'm desperate for any inside information. Thank you so much!
I can't speak for other schools, but HGSE takes a "holistic" view of the candidates...so being relatively low in one area isn't a deal-breaker, especially in the Masters programs. You did very well on the GRE, and a strong Statement of Purpose (SOP) and letters of recommendation should help offset your undergraduate performance.
In my estimation, the SOP is the most important part. HGSE admissions revolves around "fitting" cohorts of students, and your SOP is basically your statement of goodness of fit.
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Hi all,
I am a graduate of Ewha Women's Univesity in Seoul, and I did my undergraduate degree in International Studies. I have only set my goal in education in my last year of university, and I have no record of taking a class regarding education.
My primary goal is to study inter-cultural education, which could relate to my undergrad background, as well as my work experience of teaching at private institutions.
On the otherhand, some of my friends are telling me I should study communications for masters degree first(since it will be more relateable to my debating career as well as undergrad degree), get good GPA there, then so Ph.D in education in a school with a good name to make up for the late entry into the field of education.
This seems to make sense, but I'm worried whether it mighy even be feasible to get accepted into a Ph.D program in education without any background on education to that point. Anyone with a similar experience? And do you reckon my friend's advice is worth considering?
If you've actually taught at private institutions, then not having taken pedagogy or education history courses at the undergraduate level shouldn't be such a big deal. A PhD is primarily a research degree, so it's more important to think about how you'll use your past experience as a teacher to inform your research agenda and questions.
Taking a MA in communication seems to be rather strange advice to me. A research-based MA (or EdM, or whatever that particular school offers) in your future field of research (it sounds like International Education) makes much more sense.
행운을 빌어요!
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It depends entirely on the focus of the Masters or Doctoral program to which you are applying.
For the HGSE EdM, for example, the average was 5.0 years, but you'll notice that the range was 0 to 37 years. That means there was a lot of variability in time worked, but overall it wasn't all that high. On top of that, the number of years worked varies greatly by specific HGSE EdM concentration (there are 13 from which to choose, if I remember right.) Your best bet is to make a short list of those in which you are interested, and contact the program directors for each and ask that specific question.
Good luck!
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Stats for the accepted Ed.L.D class for this year can be found here:
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/live/class_profile.html
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I'm looking at the Prevention Science and Practice program (formerly Risk and Prevention) if that's helpful
. Do you know of anyone who was able to secure a TA position or anything? Thanks!That's a CAS now, right?
There are often Teaching Fellow (Harvard's term for TA) positions open, yes. They are usually posted over the summer, and some classes are traditionally hard to staff.
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Hi everyone! I am considering applying for a HGSE masters course in a few years and was wondering what the funding is like. I recently had to turn down an offer from Columbia due to only getting $12k in aid for the year and was wondering if Harvard is similar? I'd be very grateful if current students would divulge what their funding packages look like
. Thanks in advance!It depends on your area of concentration and financial need. Urban Education specialists are eligible for a special grant that pays all of their tuition, if they commit to going back to an urban school system in a leadership position, for example. In general, HGSE does not give a lot of financial aid for EdM students, however. You'll have to find a way to mitigate the cost of the degree, either by saving in advance, "living like a graduate student" while there, or finding truly gainful employment after.
Good luck!
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I steered away from Ed.D. programs, knowing that I definitely wanted an academic position. I'd ask for alumni profiles of those who went into faculty jobs. Harvard has some profiles on their site: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/doctorate/edd/alumni/index.html but I don't see any academic positions listed. A lot will depend on your advisor and how much you publish, of course...
That said, I didn't even consider TC (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) because of the funding issues. There was no way I was going to go somewhere that didn't fund everyone.
This is going to get a little confusing, and I apologize in advance:
The Ed.D. degree at Harvard is a research degree, and is viewed as a direct equivalent to a PhD earned at other Universities. PhDs at Harvard can only be offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (or programs affiliated with the FAS). So, when the Ed School implemented its Doctoral program, it chose to call the degree Doctorate of Education (EdD). Similarly, the Harvard School of Public Health offers a Doctor of Science (SD) degree, not a PhD.
At other Universities (such as UPenn) the PhD is a research degree and the EdD is a practitioners degree. (The practitioners degree at Harvard is the E.D.Ld.)
So: If you earn an EdD from Harvard, it's a research degree on par with a PhD elsewhere. You can look at the EdD curriculum HERE too see that it's equivalent.
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I am sorry to hear that you can't switch programs. They won't let you reapply next year? Did they give you a reason why?
If you're interested in International Education, you can always keep the TIE concentration, but take all International Education courses as your electives.
In general, here's how it works:
The masters degree curriculum is 32 credit hours. Most people meet it by taking four 4-credit courses in the fall, and four 4-credit courses in the spring, so eight classes total. The TIE curriculum mandates that five of your eight classes be "Technology or Media focused" (there will be a list of classes that meet that requirement in the course catalogue.) You can choose five tech courses that are more based on leadership and research (vice media production), and take three courses specifically focused on International Education as your electives. If your advisor allows it, you could even take an additional course either in the spring or fall, or a J-term January course focusing in that area too.
The title of your degree doesn't matter as much as the classes that you choose to take.
Best of luck.
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im still in shock too. its surreal.
i think it will hit me this Sunday night at the reception.
on the note of being admitted, anyone know the total number of applicants to HGSE and/or the admittance rate? Now that I have been admitted, ive been searching for these stats but i cant find them anywhere...i didnt want to see them before because i was sure it would discourage me.
at any rate, if anyone knows where i can find some legit stats, post it.
thank you!
can't wait till sunday night!!!!
The admissions office will post the acceptance stats later in the spring, as letters of intent come in and the cohorts are known.
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jeebus, has anyone who has applied **only** for an Ed.M. hear anything yet? I also logged in, in a bit of a panic - no change, still says "submitted".
I'm gunning for MBE, Ed.M...still have NOT sent out applications anywhere else, so I'm totally committed! Committed as in, when rock climbing a serious cliff in Yosemite, there's a point where going down, or bailing onto a different route, is not an option...
Ed.M. decision notifications won't go out until March.
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Whoa- the number of applicants is up to 2000 now? Where did you get that number? Last I heard, the pool was about 1000... Unbelieveable!
One of the Deans, in an interview two weeks before the EdLD application deadline, said they had received just over 1850 applications at that point. I assumed the final number would be slightly higher.
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Still no word from HGSE. This erratic snowstorm in the northeast probably is not helping matters as well. I anticipate a delay, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part.
An acceptance by HGSE would give me a chance to help my ancestors shine and bring glory and honor to my family.
Ah, but alas, rejection is seemingly becoming more and more of a possibility. No matter what, I hope that HGSE keeps in mind that people who are going to bring about change in our urban schools are not necessarily going to be those who come from
privileged backgrounds or those who had access to a decent education, test prep materials, and a gamut of other resources.
It would be interesting to get a synopsis of the typical applicant to this program.
As the time ticketh away, keep hope alive! The right news will come to you.
W
The program is so new that I'm not sure the first year's cohort will be a valid representation of all of the different talent they're looking for.
Also, please keep in mind that this is just a pilot year, so the cohort is small and the application pool was massive...the final numbers were just over 2000 applications for 25 spots. That's roughly a 1% admissions rate. Not getting into the pilot cohort certainly doesn't make anyone a failure.
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...I know the admission deadline is March 26th, but how much earlier do you think they'll begin to contact us?
Has anyone considered where you'd live? Are you planning to live alone or with a roommate? That's a huge debate for me. I'd love to have a roommate to cut costs; however, how much is my peace worth? A bad roommate can ruin the whole experience! What are your thoughts?
Great questions!
As a TIE ('07) alumnus and current Ed.D. student at HGSE, I might be able to address them.
You'll likely hear back by mid-March, though that isn't certain given the rise in applications across the board the past couple of years. As far as your housing concern goes: admissions packets will contain information about on-campus graduate student housing, which is the way to go if you're concerned about peace-and-quiet. You'll also be given access to a secure website where you can browse or post to forums with information about other HGSE students looking for roommates.
Best of luck!
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Some of these numbers may be rounded (I don't really feel like looking them up...they're close!) I was accepted into the HGSE '09 EdD cohort, and am about half-way through my first year there. I did my masters there in '06-'07.
GRE Score: 1400 (Q800 V600), 5.0
GPA: 3.95 Undergrad, 3.95 Masters
Work Experience: 6 years Navy nuclear engineering, 3 years teaching, aprox. 2 years research
Undergrad Institution(Public, Private, Ivy, etc..): Public Urban teacher-preparation focus
Research Experience: Survey research in undergrad, two research projects during my Masters year @ HGSE, but nothing published
Applying for PhD or Masters: EdD
Program: EPLP
What Schools Are You Applying To: HGSE (again, this was in 2008 for the 2009 cohort)
Acceptances: HGSE
You can see that my GRE average is about par, but verbal is a bit low compared to my cohort:
General Record Test (GRE)
Doctor of Education students
Verbal Average: 665
Quantitative Average: 677
Analytical Writing Average: 5.1
It should be noted that there is no *minimum* GRE cutoff in theory, though the grades, if VERY low, are likely used as a pre-screening measure.
My work experience was a bit higher, compared to the cohort:
Ed.D. students: Range: 0-18 Average: 7
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Good luck to everyone here, it looks like there is quite a talent pool in this forum.
I applied to the TEP program, though I'm not fresh out of college. I actually have three years of teaching experience without a teaching degree. I exchanged emails with Susan Kandel, who was incredibly helpful and replied very fast and with detailed explanations. I'm an international student so I hope that won't make it very difficult, but wanting to be a teacher in USA coming from a foreign country is not easy. I just think that there are much better opportunities to learn and grow as a teacher in the US.
Anyway I hope this works out for everyone, that even if we can't get into Harvard, we get accepted into other good schools.
Best of luck everyone!
(Ed.M. TIE, current EdD student)
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p.s. If you are committed to urban education and would like to earn your masters AND teach for a couple more years prior to starting your doctoral studies, Yale has a fully funded program:
http://www.yale.edu/tprep/urban/program.html
Good luck!
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Thanks for your reply!
Money is of serious consideration for me.
There are very few masters programs that will give me significant financial aid. I am already $50,000 in debt from private undergrad and the education field doesn't exactly pay (particularly since I am interested in urban education). I worked for 2yrs teaching in an urban charter school and I barely made enough money to support myself. So pursing my doctorate is really attractive option to me bc it would be paid w/stipend.
Sidebar question... How many classmates of yours in the doctoral program at HGSE are African American or Hispanic???
The admissions office has the full numbers, but my specific cohort is about 17-20% African American and Hispanic, though there are other ethnic groups (various Asian, Native American, Indian, etc.) that also contribute to the cohort's diversity. It's probably fair to say that our group is representative of the Doctoral population. I'm not sure about the EdM diversity numbers.
Are you public school certified? Stafford and Perkins loans have deferment and abatement options for urban certified teachers in certain fields. (You likely already knew that.)
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I don't have a lot of experience in the education field...
I worked for two years as teacher in urban charter school
I am currently a research fellow - helping to analyze the effectiveness of the use of the stimulus dollars in my state
These schools don't list the avg GPA but I am going to assume that my GPA is much lower than the mean.
Which is why I am panicking and wondering if I need to retake the GRE. What do you think???
I can only speak for HGSE -
In general I'd recommend applying for the EdM program there first. It gives you a chance to gauge the environment and develop relationships with faculty who are doing research in your field. I wouldn't worry about retaking your GRE so much as developing a compelling Statement of Purpose that signals your passion and desire to contribute to knowledge in your field.
Doctoral programs, even in education, value experience as a researcher/analyst almost as much as classroom teaching experience...so I wouldn't worry about your lack of time in the classroom.
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Sorry to probe, but I have a few of questions:
-With such a strong academic record, why are you opposed to taking the GRE (or, why are you focusing on programs where it isn't required?)
-Does the English Education degree at SUNY not lead to certification?
-In what state are you seeking certification? (You listed a school in NY and a school in VT)
Your GPA, honors, and activities are all very strong. I'd highly recommend the Teacher Education Program (TEP) Master of Education degree from Harvard. It's an intensive year-long program that leads to MA state certification. There's also a very neat Masters program at Yale that leads to CT certification and has a funding option available if you sign on to teach in the New Haven public school system for a set amount of time post graduation.
There's nothing wrong with applying to schools you think are "out of your league." Think of it as testing your Zone of Proximal Development.
Good luck!
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You've probably already seen it, but this is the aggregate data for Cambridge. Unfortunately US students are lumped in with "Other" (non UK/EU), so it's hard to parse out the exact numbers:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/camdata ... duate.html
For the Education-specific admissions rates you can scroll down and select the program from the drop-box at the top of the page.
I couldn't find anything like this on the Oxford site, but the admissions rates seem to be about the same based on informal browsing of forums.
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I know people who have done so as Rhodes (well, they did Masters but one stayed on for her PhD) or Gates Cambridge Scholars.
The major thing to consider with Oxford/Cambridge is that as a US student you have to have proof of full funding as part of the admissions process, as there is no financial aid structure there that is similar to what you would get at a US school. So be sure you can fully afford it out of pocket or have grants/scholarships lined up at the time of application.
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Since your focus is on Policy & Reform, you're interested in research, and you have some classroom teaching time under your belt already...I'm not entirely sure going back into the classroom is going to help advance your goals. You'd probably benefit more from working for a NGO or non-profit that has an education policy/research focus or local/state/federal government agency with an education policy focus.
More time as a classroom teacher is going to frame you more as a "practitioner" than a "researcher", which may run counter to your goals. I agree that an intimate understanding of classroom teaching is important, but there are many dimensions to consider when framing yourself as an education policy analyst/researcher in your application.
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I agree with t_ruth 100%
While experience is a factor, there are many different things that make you a well-rounded candidate for a PhD / EdD program.
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We are fully funded, yes (tuition and health fees covered all 5 years, and a living stipend the first year), but that's largely based on the fact that the current Ed.D. degree scheme is research-based, even the USP degree. This makes it similar in form to the PhDs offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which are also often fully funded.
The proposed Ed.LD. degree would be a professional degree, in line with the JD, MD, MBA, etc, which are privately funded by the student or other sources outside of the University.
I don't see how offering BOTH a research-based and practitioner-focused Ed.D. helps clear up the confusion about the value of the Ed.D. degree overall. This makes me wonder of HGSE has struck a deal with GSAS to start granting PhDs for their research degrees...that's entirely speculation, however.
Ph.D. Admission chances
in Education Forums
Posted
You've got a lot going for you to help offset the low-ish Undergrad GPA: A strong Graduate level GPA, presumably strong GRE scores, and experience. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Experience and personal growth trump undergrad scores, in my opinion.