HGSE TIE Fall 2012 - Do I stand a chance?

[Philosopher's Stone]

Hi,

I'm planning to apply to HGSE TIE for Fall 2012 and wondering if someone can help me determine if this is the right time.

I am an international applicant with a B.S(home country) and M.S(tier-2 school, U.S) in Computer Science Engineering and close to 4 years experience in IT development. The 2008 recession caused my "position to be eliminated" and visa issues have prevented me from working since then. I now have a 2 year gap in my resume. During this time I volunteered actively in various service organizations and discovered my love for education through Sunday school teaching and ESL tutoring. My undergrad GPA is 3.5 and grad GPA is 3.7. GRE scores: 690(V), 740(Q) and 4.5(A).

Do I stand a chance with my profile and a 2 year gap in my resume? Should I gain more experience in education before applying? I really like the idea of combining my love/education/experience in technology with education, so TIE is the program that best fits my interests.

[Ed_Doc]

It is very difficult to predict admissions for TIE (a program of which I'm an alumnus), as well as all of the other EdM programs at HGSE. The application process is highly qualitative, with emphasis on developing a strong cohort comprised of people with complementary talents. That being said, I can offer some feedback:

1) Your GRE scores are way over the "average" admitted EdM from the past few years' cohorts, so I wouldn't worry about those. (see here: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/live/class_profile.html )

2) Don't sweat the gap in your resume. They are not uncommon in these turbulent economic times. You're not applying for a job, you're applying to be a member of a learning community. Instead, focus your Statement of Purpose (SOP) on the things you're passionate about.

3) Be sure to identify the professors in the TIE program that might best fit your learning needs, and mention them, and their work, directly in your SOP.

Best of luck!

[Philosopher's Stone]

Thank you for your suggestions, Tut. I appreciate your help very much!

[Limmy87]

I am applying to the TIE program in 2012 as well. I have 3 years of experience as a kindergarten teacher. I am very interested in the use of technology in a primary level, more specifically taking different websites, blogging sites, etc and finding and making them meaningful towards younger learners. What portion of the cohort comes right out of the classroom? Also are there a lot of people interested in primary technology?

[MPCantab]

Applied to TIE as well..