Soliciting Opinions/Experiences About GSEs

[wildviolet]

Hello out there,

My professional goal is to become a professor, and my research interests are in science education (both formal and informal) and teacher education. I recently completed my thesis on language and science education, and I earned a 4.0 GPA and Outstanding Departmental Graduate Student Award at my institution (local state school). My BA is in a science field from a top private university. I have ten years of secondary science teaching experience in public schools in two states. My preliminary revised GRE scores look good (750-800 Q and 650-750 V).

First, what GSEs should I apply to? Am I missing any excellent GSEs with strong programs or faculty in science education that are not on this list? I am restricting geographic location to the west coast (with the exception of UT Austin).

And, second, what do you think my chances are of being admitted? I realize that a good match between my research interests and those of the current faculty will be an important deciding factor. Thanks for your input!

My List (in order of preference, based on my online research and US News ranking)

1. Stanford

2. University of Washington

3. University of Texas, Austin

4. UC Berkeley

5. UCLA

6. USC

[Gvh]

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is supposed to be excellent. I visited the school this summer and everyone is really nice and helpful - I obviously don't know what your exact program would be like, but I would definitely look into if you haven't already.

[ZeChocMoose]

In my experience, it is more about how your research and professional goals "fit" the particular program. I would also look into whether all those schools fund their doctoral students and how many years they guarantee funding for because that will make a difference especially in the dynamics of the program.

When I applied for Education PhD programs, I talked to faculty and current students before I submitted my applications. It was important because it helped trimmed some schools that I thought were a good fit on initial glance but after speaking with several people, I realized that they didn't have the necessary coursework I was interested in, the focus of the program was more on x than on y, or the funding situation left much to be desired. Since applying to one school tends to get expensive when you add in application fees and sending score reports and transcripts, I wanted to make sure I was selecting schools where I would have a great fit and I could see myself being productive because they had the resources I needed. Since my needs were very specific, my initial list of 20 or so schools was narrowed down to three by the time I submitted my applications.

[t_ruth]

I second the note about research fit. There are lots of other good PhD programs on the west coast that offer funding and have professors that work in science ed...depending on your research focus of course. Hard to say re: your stats too--they seem ok, but your writing and fit will be more important.

[Ed_Doc]

"Fit" is the order of the day, I agree. It sounds like you're a strong candidate, overall, and I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a department that will help you develop methodological skills and explore your areas of interest!

[wildviolet]

Thanks for the input.

I've already narrowed down my list to just four, maybe three schools. I contacted a graduate student at my top school, and it sounds like a perfect fit in terms of faculty research, school environment, and funding. From what he told me, it sounds like research interest and fit are most important--if the professor wants you, you're in.

[kismetcapitan]

are you applying directly to Ph.D programs without an M.Ed? It is almost entirely about fit. GPA doesn't matter. Some schools consider GREs. But 95% of it is fitment, which you'll have to demonstrate by your SOP and interview.