International Education Development/Policy Applicants 2016

[teppeice]

On 1/22/2016 at 10:18 PM, marature said:

 

Glad to see fellow Vandy admits! What's your thinking in terms of decisions - I know we all still have to wait for HGSE and TC in March, but right now what do you think of Vandy's IEPM? I'm a bit concerned that it isn't as "international" as the other programs, and there were some slightly negative comments in last year's thread about diversity of the student body. Also it seems more research-oriented/theoretical than Penn or HGSE, or TC for that matter, less practitioner-oriented. Any comments? Anyone know the school/program a bit better?

To be completely honest, Vandy is not exactly my top choice. It's a great school of course, but I am an international student, and I really want to gain access to the resources/ connections available in bigger cities, where the other schools are located in. I concur with you that the Vandy program seems a bit more theory-oriented. And since I plan to work after graduation, I also prefer a more practice-oriented program.  

I just submitted my Penn application a few days ago (urgh procrastination!), so I guess I won't hear back from them until late February. For the time being I think I will do deeper research into the Vandy program. 

[Vulpix]

5 hours ago, teppeice said:

To be completely honest, Vandy is not exactly my top choice. It's a great school of course, but I am an international student, and I really want to gain access to the resources/ connections available in bigger cities, where the other schools are located in. I concur with you that the Vandy program seems a bit more theory-oriented. And since I plan to work after graduation, I also prefer a more practice-oriented program.  

I just submitted my Penn application a few days ago (urgh procrastination!), so I guess I won't hear back from them until late February. For the time being I think I will do deeper research into the Vandy program. 

I am so enthusiastic about Penn's program right now (helps that I was admitted, so I'm kind of forced to be like "I might go there!").  They have a guaranteed international internship, which is incredible.  They've also been very clear about all the relevant job skills they help you develop through their required core classes (how to write policy briefs, technical notes, concept notes, log frame, monitoring & evaluating systems, language if desired, etc.)  (I don't know what half of those things are  ).  They seem to really have their s**t together if you know what I mean  

[teppeice]

17 hours ago, Heather1011 said:

I am so enthusiastic about Penn's program right now (helps that I was admitted, so I'm kind of forced to be like "I might go there!").  They have a guaranteed international internship, which is incredible.  They've also been very clear about all the relevant job skills they help you develop through their required core classes (how to write policy briefs, technical notes, concept notes, log frame, monitoring & evaluating systems, language if desired, etc.)  (I don't know what half of those things are  ).  They seem to really have their s**t together if you know what I mean  

Yes I know! That's so awesome! I have a friend studying at Penn, and she raves about it. I wish I could hear back from them sooner. But I actually just submitted my application on Saturday... It's not even ready for review yet. Have to be patient

[Vulpix]

33 minutes ago, teppeice said:

Yes I know! That's so awesome! I have a friend studying at Penn, and she raves about it. I wish I could hear back from them sooner. But I actually just submitted my application on Saturday... It's not even ready for review yet. Have to be patient

What program is your friend in?  IEDP also?  I know people who have gone to Penn, but none in this particular program.

[teppeice]

On 1/26/2016 at 11:41 PM, Heather1011 said:

What program is your friend in?  IEDP also?  I know people who have gone to Penn, but none in this particular program.

Yes, IEDP. She's from China and she went straight to IEDP after her undergraduate studies! That's quite cool. She basically applied to the same schools that we did - Harvard, Penn, Columbia, NYU, Vanderbilt. All IE program. And she got offers from all school but Harvard - she told me that Harvard IEP is more inclined to accepting candidates with work experience.  

[Vulpix]

4 hours ago, teppeice said:

Yes, IEDP. She's from China and she went straight to IEDP after her undergraduate studies! That's quite cool. She basically applied to the same schools that we did - Harvard, Penn, Columbia, NYU, Vanderbilt. All IE program. And she got offers from all school but Harvard - she told me that Harvard IEP is more inclined to accepting candidates with work experience.  

Well, I don't have that work experience, so maybe I won't get in.  Which at this point will be a blessing in disguise because I think I really want to go to Penn but would find it difficult to "turn down Harvard" for a lot of reasons.  Have you asked your friend if she would have gone to Harvard had she been accepted?  I asked the admissions GA in IEDP at Penn if she and her classmates had applied to Harvard, and she said she thought only one person there applied to Harvard.  I wonder why that is... perhaps it's the difference between development vs. policy, or maybe it's just that everyone who got into HGSE... WENT to HGSE.... but I'm not sure.

[Vulpix]

BTW, the same GA sent me a "recommended reading list" that Penn's professor Dr. GK sent out to their cohort last year.  If anyone's interested in the book list PM me and I'll email it to you!  It's a lot of general/pop-academic books about poverty and aid and things like that.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Heather1011

[teppeice]

On 1/28/2016 at 8:04 PM, Heather1011 said:

Well, I don't have that work experience, so maybe I won't get in.  Which at this point will be a blessing in disguise because I think I really want to go to Penn but would find it difficult to "turn down Harvard" for a lot of reasons.  Have you asked your friend if she would have gone to Harvard had she been accepted?  I asked the admissions GA in IEDP at Penn if she and her classmates had applied to Harvard, and she said she thought only one person there applied to Harvard.  I wonder why that is... perhaps it's the difference between development vs. policy, or maybe it's just that everyone who got into HGSE... WENT to HGSE.... but I'm not sure.

I don't think it has to be work experience related to international education - at least it doesn't need to be extensive. A HGSE IEP graduate told me that one of his classmates did a World Teach program on a small island, then went on to sell insurance right before going to HGSE. So I believe they are really looking for diversity in candidates! I'm sure you will do fine! 

Yes my friend would definitely have gone to Harvard. Harvard is a big name, especially in China, and it really opens a lot of doors. It would be a huge advantage for her if she ever goes back to China to work.

I am very interested in the book list and would be very grateful if you could send it to me! Thanks a lot! 

Edited January 29, 2016 by teppeice

[Vulpix]

Just got into NYU's International Ed program!  I'm not going, but it's nice to be wanted  I also thought I wouldn't hear back from NYU until like April, so that was a surprise on a Sunday afternoon!

[teppeice]

13 hours ago, Heather1011 said:

Just got into NYU's International Ed program!  I'm not going, but it's nice to be wanted  I also thought I wouldn't hear back from NYU until like April, so that was a surprise on a Sunday afternoon!

Congratulations!! That's amazing!! Did they offer you any scholarship?

When did you submit your application? I submitted mine on Jan 21... So I guess I have to be really patient! Hope you will get offers from all the programs you've applied to

[Vulpix]

2 hours ago, teppeice said:

Congratulations!! That's amazing!! Did they offer you any scholarship?

When did you submit your application? I submitted mine on Jan 21... So I guess I have to be really patient! Hope you will get offers from all the programs you've applied to

I applied some time in early December/late November, so I guess that's why I heard back so soon.  I didn't think it was rolling admissions though, so I was surprised!

ZERO scholarship, which is typical of NYU I've heard.  They did offer $5K for study abroad, but that's it.

[marature]

8 hours ago, Heather1011 said:

I applied some time in early December/late November, so I guess that's why I heard back so soon.  I didn't think it was rolling admissions though, so I was surprised!

ZERO scholarship, which is typical of NYU I've heard.  They did offer $5K for study abroad, but that's it.

Congrats on NYU! I hope your prediction about HGSE comes true and we hear sooner rather than later I've heard from 3 of my schools, interviewing with one this week, and waiting on TC and Harvard for March - which could be soon! 

[HS9191]

On 1/24/2016 at 10:37 PM, marature said:

From past years' Peabody threads, it looks like there is quite a lot of research money floating around, and the Web site itself says that a lot of students do manage to get assistantships, so that's what I would be shooting for.

An admissions office told me early on that it's unusual to combine scholarship and assistantship to get a 'full ride', but I'm optimistic that altho' not everyone is able to, at least some may! There was at least one person on one of the forums who got an assistantship that covered her tuition, I think. Also, Vandy's fees seem much reasonable than some others, and I think living in Nashville would also be less costly than some of the NE cities. 

Hey! Thanks for that. I got in touch with a current student and she also said that one grant may override another, but yes, it is definitely less expensive than the other schools I made it to. Let's see though, fingers crossed!

[HS9191]

On 1/28/2016 at 5:05 PM, Heather1011 said:

BTW, the same GA sent me a "recommended reading list" that Penn's professor Dr. GK sent out to their cohort last year.  If anyone's interested in the book list PM me and I'll email it to you!  It's a lot of general/pop-academic books about poverty and aid and things like that.

Hey can you please share the list with me? Thank you!

[betweenthepages]

Now that most programs have released decisions (and hopefully Harvard will soon, if not today!), what are everyone's thoughts on making the final decision of where to go?

[Vulpix]

1 hour ago, betweenthepages said:

Now that most programs have released decisions (and hopefully Harvard will soon, if not today!), what are everyone's thoughts on making the final decision of where to go?

Did you hear back from TC yet?  I only have half of my decisions in, and even then, we won't have all the financial info for a few weeks, so I feel like I'm still miles away from being able to decide! (Even though I've completely eliminated NYU, it's a dead heat between Penn and HGSE right now, and TC in third as long as they don't offer me some scholarship).

Do you guys think the difference between development and policy should be a major deciding factor?  I'm new to the field in general, but know I have a stronger interest in development, but am open to everything.  Should I be concerned about the differences between Penn/TC vs. HGSE with the policy focus?  How will this change the nature of my education and the skills I will acquire?

[betweenthepages]

11 minutes ago, Heather1011 said:

Did you hear back from TC yet?  I only have half of my decisions in, and even then, we won't have all the financial info for a few weeks, so I feel like I'm still miles away from being able to decide! (Even though I've completely eliminated NYU, it's a dead heat between Penn and HGSE right now, and TC in third as long as they don't offer me some scholarship).

Do you guys think the difference between development and policy should be a major deciding factor?  I'm new to the field in general, but know I have a stronger interest in development, but am open to everything.  Should I be concerned about the differences between Penn/TC vs. HGSE with the policy focus?  How will this change the nature of my education and the skills I will acquire?

I heard back from TC yesterday with an acceptance! No aid info yet though...

[Vulpix]

9 minutes ago, betweenthepages said:

I heard back from TC yesterday with an acceptance! No aid info yet though...

I haven't heard back yet  I hope that doesn't mean I'm rejected! (Although at this point I don't care, because I prefer Penn, but still... I met with a professor there, everyone I know has been accepted to TC, so I'd just be very surprised!)

[betweenthepages]

16 minutes ago, Heather1011 said:

I haven't heard back yet  I hope that doesn't mean I'm rejected! (Although at this point I don't care, because I prefer Penn, but still... I met with a professor there, everyone I know has been accepted to TC, so I'd just be very surprised!)

I applied for the MA, not MEd, because I don't have a Masters yet, so maybe they're moving through those pools separately? I hope you'll hear soon!

[marature]

26 minutes ago, Heather1011 said:

I haven't heard back yet  I hope that doesn't mean I'm rejected! (Although at this point I don't care, because I prefer Penn, but still... I met with a professor there, everyone I know has been accepted to TC, so I'd just be very surprised!)

Since we've been all geared up for the HGSE decision, I was surprised to get an email from TC this morning (my time)! Directed to Web site, confetti as someone else said. An acceptance, but no funding info. Does anyone know when we can expect that? Or how to know if no funding is offered?

 

[Vulpix]

17 minutes ago, betweenthepages said:

I applied for the MA, not MEd, because I don't have a Masters yet, so maybe they're moving through those pools separately? I hope you'll hear soon!

I applied to the MA too, even though I already have an MSEd (I didn't think the difference was significant enough to warrant paying for the extra few classes).  Maybe they moved me to the other pool though?  I'm hoping to hear today now!!

[marature]

2 hours ago, betweenthepages said:

Now that most programs have released decisions (and hopefully Harvard will soon, if not today!), what are everyone's thoughts on making the final decision of where to go?

It's tough, but my top choice right now is UMass Amherst International Education - their program is the most flexible (almost no core courses) and funding opportunities are good (assistantships with almost full tuition waiver). Even though they don't have the prestigious name, the program seems very focused on practice and building skills for working in the development world. It's designed for mid-career professionals.

Penn would have been my top choice - a happy mix of practice and network - but it's so expensive! HGSE is similar; if they offer a better package, that would give me a lot of food for thought.

I attended an AU ITEP webinar and received a very positive impression - the people seem to be very friendly and there's a lot of networking opportunities with all the intl orgs in DC. However, there are a LOT of required courses, and some of them don't interest me. A similar program, but perhaps in a less diverse setting, is Vandy. The Peabody admitted student group on FB has been great for learning more about the program. One current student in particular has been very helpful in answering questions, so I feel I have a good avenue for finding out more. It's a toss-up between the two of them, to me.  

I do hope the rest of the decisions come in soon!

Edited March 4, 2016 by marature

[Vulpix]

Now I'm freaking out about not hearing from TC!!! 

[marature]

9 minutes ago, Heather1011 said:

Now I'm freaking out about not hearing from TC!!! 

I'm sure it'll come in soon!

[Vulpix]

1 minute ago, marature said:

I'm sure it'll come in soon!

Maybe they only notified international students?  Are both of you international?