MAT/MEd Applicant Looking for Input/Evaluations

[KGA1982]

Hello.  After looking at the forum for a bit it seemed like these sorts of "evaluate me please!" posts are considered kosher here on gradcafe, so here it goes.  Any input is appreciated as long as it's thoughtful and constructive.

 

I'm looking to apply to MAT programs or MEd programs in curriculum and instruction.  I earned my BA in History and Political Science from the University of Colorado - Boulder in 2006.  My undergraduate GPA was 3.05 (3.4 if you take out my disastrous freshman attempt to be pre-med).  I earned my JD from the University of Missouri - Columbia in 2009.  Their GPA scale is infuriating to convert but I feel safe saying it would be 2.75-2.9 on a 4.0 scale.  I've spent the last three years in the Army as an airborne infantryman and now as a special operations trainee.  Along the way I've picked up basic Korean language skills which I plan to improve and augment with Japanese.  I plan on serving another 2 years before I get out and (hopefully) begin a masters program.  I also have aspirations of obtaining an EdD or a policy-related PhD at some point in the future as well.

 

My wish list of schools is: UNC - Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, University of Texas - Austin, Texas A&M, University of Washington, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and University of Colorado - Boulder.

 

My initial goal is to be classroom teacher in a high school but I do someday want to move into administration.

 

Based on my background I would like to see some honest feedback on how realistic my wish list of schools looks.  Also I'd like to hear whether, based on my goals, readers think an MAT or an MEd would be my best route.  If you have any other thoughts on how attractive I'd be as a teaching applicant, please feel free to chime in.  Thanks in advance for any help that comes my way.

[TimB]

UNC accepts about 74% of their applicants for teaching, NC State doesn't publish numbers but I imagine it's harder. Just so you know, NC State only accepts secondary teachers in the spring. 

 

Not sure about their STEM programs which are different.

 

Duke has a small education program with a focus on graduate study. Good news is that it has lots of fellowships making the cost low, the bad news is that it is very selective for a teaching program (32% acceptance rate).

[KGA1982]

TimB,

 

Seeing that acceptance rate for UNC puts some concerns to rest.  That's definitely my top choice if I end up attending here in North Carolina.  The Army has been pretty good to me, allowing me to pay for the degree with cash savings.  So, funding isn't an issue for me.  Thanks so much for the info!

[TimB]

One thing to note about UNC though is that they have a lot of prerequisites you HAVE to take for social studies, and you NEED to have been a English major to enroll in their English program. They are very inflexible about this, at least in their emails, IDK if they would not consider you if you applied. However, as a history and poli-sci major I think you will have most if not all your bases covered. Perhaps if you are just missing one class it's not as big a deal (I was missing 5). 

 

It kind of took the wind out of my sails. I passed the Praxis social studies content handily exam without studying (took it just for my own benefit to reassure myself I wasn't woefully uneducated in the field I wanted to teach), and have a background working for state and federal government, but apparently I need to take UNC's government 101 class to qualify. It's a head scratcher.