Need some guidance on grad school apps

[Ang2016]

Hello!

I'm currently in my final year of undergrad, set for graduation this May. I majored in political science, but was never 100% sure on what career I wanted to pursue upon graduation. After some serious thought, reflecting on what I enjoy, and some child development courses, I've decided that I'd like to pursue a career as an educator, starting out as an elementary school teacher. 

I decided that I wanted to apply to a masters program for teaching, but am worried because I'm completely at a loss when it comes to grad school applications and am concerned that I didn't really work hard enough as a student to get into a masters program. I've already looked at the requirements for various programs, but I'm concerned that it's too late in the application cycle for me.

I have a few questions:

- I've noticed some programs require I take the GRE while some do not, is this any indication of the quality of the program?

- saying I take the GRE, do I realistically have enough time to study and submit an application for fall 2016?

- my undergrad GPA is  3.3. Is that too low for a masters programs? I just imagine I need almost a perfect GPA for grad school...

- are there any tips/advice you guys have in general?

 

Thank you for any answers and sorry if this is full of silly questions, but I need to ask! 

Edited December 31, 2015 by Ang2016

[Counterpointer]

2 minutes ago, Ang2016 said:

Hello!

I'm currently in my final year of undergrad, set for graduation this May. I majored in political science, but was never 100% sure on what career I wanted to pursue upon graduation. After some serious thought, reflecting on what I enjoy, and some child development courses, I've decided that I'd like to pursue a career as an educator, starting out as an elementary school teacher. 

I decided that I wanted to apply to a masters program for teaching, but am worried because I'm completely at a loss when it comes to grad school applications and am concerned that I didn't really work hard enough as a student to get into a masters program. I've already looked at the requirements for various programs, but I'm concerned that it's too late in the application cycle for me.

I have a few questions:

- I've noticed some programs require I take the GRE while some do not, is this any indication of the quality of the program?

- saying I take the GRE, do I realistically have enough time to study and submit an application for fall 2016?

- my undergrad GPA is  3.3. Is that okay for a masters programs? I just imagine I need almost a perfect GPA for grad school, but maybe I'm focusing that thought on Ph.D. Programs.

- are there any tips/advice you guys have in general?

 

Thank you for any answers and sorry if this is full of silly questions, but I need to ask! 

As an elementary school teacher, why do you need a masters degree? An M.T. (master of teaching) or M.S. degree with teaching certification from top schools (I.E. Harvard, Chicago) would be worth it, but top schools have mostly closed their applications, or closing soon and you won't have time to submit GRE. 

In USA, there's generally a shortage of teachers. You won't need a masters degree to teach. Why don't you just go through a certification process? I don't know where you live but in many states there are certification programs for people who didn't major in education as undergrad. 

3.3 is OK as long as you can make it up in GRE, maybe not for top schools like Harvard though.

I was accepted by Columbia TC back in 2015. It was a masters program+NY certificate.

Columbia's program should still be open. Which subject do you want to teach?

[Vulpix]

You definitely don't need a perfect GPA for grad school (for a PhD, perhaps).  Keep in mind the key difference between many grad schools and undergrad is that grad schools are a money-making business, and many of them do not have a cap on the number of students they can take, unlike undergrad.  Your GPA will get you into a grad program, it just depends what schools you are interested in.  I am currently in a teaching related masters program at a public CUNY school, and although I had great numbers, many of my classmates did not.

Required GRE is not necessarily an indication of the program quality, ESPECIALLY for education, it is often not required (many social sciences/humanities programs do not require GREs).  For example, Teachers College does not require the GRE and it is a highly respected school in general.  The deadlines for some applications for fall 2016 are quickly approaching in January, but there are many programs with spring or rolling admissions deadlines, so if you know where you are interested in, you still have time to take the GRE.  For many schools, you may not even need it, so first look at that and apply to those ones first.

General advice:  if your immediate goal is to be a classroom teacher (as mine was), do not shell out big bucks and go into enormous debt.  I thought I wanted to be a teacher forever, so when I was choosing what grad school to attend, it was between the cheap public school (that I could pay out-of-pocket with no loans because I had a teaching job and each semester was only $1500-2000), vs. the highly prestigious Ivy league school for some $40K+.  Thinking my end game was teaching, I knew there was no reason to attend the prestigious school, and had I not changed my plans, I would be right.  If you're like me, and you wind up wanting to do something in education outside of teaching, you can reconsider your other graduate options down the road.  If you already have an inkling that you may not want to stay in the classroom after a few years, you might want to keep your options open.

[rising_star]

12 minutes ago, Heather1011 said:

General advice:  if your immediate goal is to be a classroom teacher (as mine was), do not shell out big bucks and go into enormous debt.  I thought I wanted to be a teacher forever, so when I was choosing what grad school to attend, it was between the cheap public school (that I could pay out-of-pocket with no loans because I had a teaching job and each semester was only $1500-2000), vs. the highly prestigious Ivy league school for some $40K+. 

This is exactly what I came here to say. There are LOTS of paths to certification for those without an undergraduate major in education, some more controversial (Teach for America, The New Teacher Project) than others. For example, to address teacher shortages, many community colleges have started offering pathways to certification which you can pursue while teaching on a provisional certificate. There are also statewide models which are similar (Georgia's TAPP program comes to mind). If your goal is to get into an elementary school classroom ASAP, then I'd recommend going that route. Instead of the GRE, you'll take the Praxis or whatever state-specific exam there is for the state you want to work in. Doing that and then pursuing a master's degree later is going to result in less debt for you.

[Ang2016]

I'm currently a student in Florida, but my goal is to live and teach in Massachusetts as it'ss where I've always wanted to go post-graduation. I initially belived I needed a master's due to my non-education degree and my lack of experience in a classroom setting. I know undergrad education majors generally  have required classroom time. I've volunteered with children and have worked with them, but lack that direct classroom experience which is why I assumed I really needed to pursue a master's. Plus, I feel like I'd be a horrible teacher due to my non-education background, another reason why I felt like I needed a master's, to play catch up with others who actually majored in education. But, I will look into certification programs because I would rather avoid another student loan if I can and if it matches my current goals.

For right now, my goal is simply to teach in the classroom, grades K-2 as those are the ones which I've enjoyed the most. 

[Vulpix]

11 minutes ago, Ang2016 said:

I'm currently a student in Florida, but my goal is to live and teach in Massachusetts as it'ss where I've always wanted to go post-graduation. I initially belived I needed a master's due to my non-education degree and my lack of experience in a classroom setting. I know undergrad education majors generally  have required classroom time. I've volunteered with children and have worked with them, but lack that direct classroom experience which is why I assumed I really needed to pursue a master's. Plus, I feel like I'd be a horrible teacher due to my non-education background, another reason why I felt like I needed a master's, to play catch up with others who actually majored in education. But, I will look into certification programs because I would rather avoid another student loan if I can and if it matches my current goals.

For right now, my goal is simply to teach in the classroom, grades K-2 as those are the ones which I've enjoyed the most. 

I do think a masters will be necessary down the road, especially to teach in Mass public schools, so it's really a question of now or later.  Keep in mind Massachusetts has arguably the best education system in the country, so getting a teaching job as an uncertified teacher in a public school will be difficult without an education degree, unless you go the non-traditional route mentioned before of TFA or other programs.  So, you are right, you will need a masters and it is good to have some education background.  That being said, you will NOT be a horrible teacher due to the lack of training necessarily---most first year teachers are horrible with plenty of education degrees .  

You can of course teach in any private school and some charters without any education degree, but you have to sell your experience.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Heather1011