Penn GSE

[Aarati Rao]

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

[midmarsh]

4 hours ago, Aarati Rao said:

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

I'm in the same boat as you. I think Harvard is my top choice but it still depends on financial aid info from Harvard. Both programs seem really great though and it's hard to choose between them without having a full picture of what they would cost me.

[midmarsh]

It also sucks that the scholarships I applied/am applying for from Penn won't get back to me until mid-April or May, well after I have to make a decision.

[cokpala]

4 hours ago, Aarati Rao said:

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

Yes- same decision as you and midmarsh. What are you both thinking?

[Vulpix]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:45 AM, Aarati Rao said:

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

 

21 hours ago, midmarsh said:

I'm in the same boat as you. I think Harvard is my top choice but it still depends on financial aid info from Harvard. Both programs seem really great though and it's hard to choose between them without having a full picture of what they would cost me.

This was me last year. It was very hard and confusing. But there is no wrong choice! Feel free to PM if you have specific questions about HGSE

[wtfook]

Hi everyone! I went to Penn GSE for my master's in mental health counseling and have friends who completed or are completing various educational programs in the school. Some include the International Educational Development Master's and Ed Policy PhD. So if you have any questions about what it's like going to school at GSE, the campus, and the experiences people have had in the program let me know! You can ask them here so others can read as well or you can PM me.

If your question is about specific professors, please PM me. I may or may not be able to comment. Cheers!

Edited March 20, 2017 by wtfook

[Lisha]

On 3/17/2017 at 7:15 PM, Aarati Rao said:

Hello, 

I just got accepted into Penn GSE International Education Development Program which is my Dream course. I also got accepted into HGSE for International Education Policy both for MS.Ed. Anyone going through the same decision making process?

Thanks!  

Just heard back from Penn an hour ago, so now I'm in the same situation as you, @midmarsh and @cokpala. Not sure how to go about making this decision! @Vulpix has provided so much useful insight for HGSE, but still very confusing.

[Ed_Cog]

On 3/20/2017 at 6:10 AM, wtfook said:

Hi everyone! I went to Penn GSE for my master's in mental health counseling and have friends who completed or are completing various educational programs in the school. Some include the International Educational Development Master's and Ed Policy PhD. So if you have any questions about what it's like going to school at GSE, the campus, and the experiences people have had in the program let me know! You can ask them here so others can read as well or you can PM me.

If your question is about specific professors, please PM me. I may or may not be able to comment. Cheers!

Hi wtfook, do you have any information about the Teaching, Learning and Leadership Masters program? Have to decide between this and Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, and it's quite the dilemma. One big critique that's consistently leveled against TC is that some classes will be taught by TAs, and was wondering if Penn GSE has the same issue. Any other info on how American-centric the program is (both in terms of student composition and focus of the courses as I'm an international), access to professors outside class, details of the compulsory internship etc. will be really appreciated! 

[wtfook]

10 hours ago, Int_EdPolicy said:

Hi wtfook, do you have any information about the Teaching, Learning and Leadership Masters program? Have to decide between this and Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, and it's quite the dilemma. One big critique that's consistently leveled against TC is that some classes will be taught by TAs, and was wondering if Penn GSE has the same issue. Any other info on how American-centric the program is (both in terms of student composition and focus of the courses as I'm an international), access to professors outside class, details of the compulsory internship etc. will be really appreciated! 

So Penn GSE is really diverse. We have a number of international students, especially Chinese international. Overall, most programs can be pretty white and female leaning, as that is just the overall demographic of most education fields in the US. However, classroom composition overall is always very diverse when it comes to race and ethnicity. Not so much gender. It's pretty heavily female. The school itself is very multicultural so education is often framed around multicultural competency. I don't know a lot about the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership program so I can't speak on that program specifically unfortunately. However, I can say that my overall impression of the school and from my friends in other programs is that the professors and instructors are always looking for multicultural perspectives and encourage multiple opinions. In my program, for example, we did frame most things within an American cultural context since we would be working with clients in the United States. But there was always the philosophy that since the US is so diverse, you will likely work with people who are operating from multiple cultural contexts that are not necessarily "traditionally American." So the perspectives of international students and students of color on how to work with clients are appreciated and valued. 

Penn GSE also makes heavy use of adjunct faculty. Professors and adjunct faculty don't have TAs per se. But PhD candidates can teach their own classes once they have taken the required courses and gotten the required experiences. You might be taught by a tenured track assistant professor or tenured professor. But you might also have an adjunct faculty member or PhD candidate who is instructing with a teaching assistantship. If I am being honest, I will say that adjunct instructor quality can vary a great deal. I feel fortunate in that I have only ever had 1 negative experience. All my other classes taught by adjuncts have been great. They were experienced in the field and were a wealth of knowledge. My other classmates have not been as fortunate as me. Interestingly, the person I had a negative experience with ended up getting a tenure track position elsewhere so to some degree it means being tenured or adjunct may or may not mean you'll be a quality instructor. 

Again, I can't speak for the specific instructors in the TLL program, but my overall experience with instructors is that they are willing to meet with you and are always very friendly and warm. The issue is actually pinning them down to get face time with them. It's almost always easier to grab them to talk after class. You definitely need to exercise your assertiveness skills to be friendly but firm in meeting with them and to be proactive in communicating your needs. The faculty are always willing to help but are not necessarily going to approach you. You'll need to approach them, multiple times if necessary. The TLL Program at Penn is pretty rigorous as well. The internships are in schools around the area and if you know anything about the Philadelphia school system, it's in dire straights right now. So you'll be in a VERY high need area with very high need, often times minority, students. It can be pretty stressful and demanding, but having worked in these schools and worked with these kids, it can be incredibly rewarding. The experience will definitely prepare you for pretty much anything else a classroom could throw at you. 

Overall I really liked being at Penn GSE. The students are very active and they're always planning social events for grad students. It's a diverse student body and I had friends of many different backgrounds. I really appreciated being able to interact with such a diverse group of minds and get such diverse perspectives. Philly is also a great city. Penn GSE overall is a smaller institution than TC though, so thats something to consider. It's got a homier feel but TC may also offer more by way of resources and connections. Sorry for writing you a novel! Hope this helps!

Edited March 21, 2017 by wtfook

[Ed_Cog]

13 hours ago, wtfook said:

So Penn GSE is really diverse. We have a number of international students, especially Chinese international. Overall, most programs can be pretty white and female leaning, as that is just the overall demographic of most education fields in the US. However, classroom composition overall is always very diverse when it comes to race and ethnicity. Not so much gender. It's pretty heavily female. The school itself is very multicultural so education is often framed around multicultural competency. I don't know a lot about the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership program so I can't speak on that program specifically unfortunately. However, I can say that my overall impression of the school and from my friends in other programs is that the professors and instructors are always looking for multicultural perspectives and encourage multiple opinions. In my program, for example, we did frame most things within an American cultural context since we would be working with clients in the United States. But there was always the philosophy that since the US is so diverse, you will likely work with people who are operating from multiple cultural contexts that are not necessarily "traditionally American." So the perspectives of international students and students of color on how to work with clients are appreciated and valued. 

 

Thank you so much! For prospective students like me who can't visit the campus, the longer and more detailed the post, the better  

Edited March 22, 2017 by Int_EdPolicy

[RudolftheRed]

Did anyone attend the preview event this weekend? I was unable to go due to some previous commitments, but I want to hear what it was like! 

[travelgirl125]

 Hi everyone!  Current Higher Ed student at Penn GSE...we hope you enjoyed Preview Weekend!  Feel free to ask me any questions if you still have them.

[Lisha]

Hello everyone!

For those who have decided to attend Penn GSE, just wondering how you're going about looking for housing? I came across this Facebook page here and will start looking through it soon.

Just for information, I've been admitted to IEDP and will be moving from India

[CaptBackfire]

Hi, I am also vacillating between Penn GSE IEDP and HGSE IEP, the two factors that draw me towards Penn are the small class size and the international internship experience.

Would anyone know if the Harvard brand name weighs more when it comes to jobs in International NGOs ? Because that is something that I have to consider while making my decision. 

[Vulpix]

35 minutes ago, CaptBackfire said:

Hi, I am also vacillating between Penn GSE IEDP and HGSE IEP, the two factors that draw me towards Penn are the small class size and the international internship experience.

Would anyone know if the Harvard brand name weighs more when it comes to jobs in International NGOs ? Because that is something that I have to consider while making my decision. 

I don't think it weighs more or less with people who are hiring, but I do think HGSE has a larger alumni network from which to find jobs.

[Aarati Rao]

On 4/4/2017 at 6:26 PM, CaptBackfire said:

Hi, I am also vacillating between Penn GSE IEDP and HGSE IEP, the two factors that draw me towards Penn are the small class size and the international internship experience.

Would anyone know if the Harvard brand name weighs more when it comes to jobs in International NGOs ? Because that is something that I have to consider while making my decision. 

 

I am in the Same Fix. :/ 

[Lisha]

Hello everybody! I've started a Facebook group specifically for GSE 2017-2018 students to connect. You can find it here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1346667225378828/

Please feel free to share with others you know what have been accepted but may not be on this forum.

Thank you!

[Ed_Cog]

Hi all,

Do any of the current students or alumni know the percentage of M.S.Ed. students that receive a Dean's scholarship? Is it one per masters program or is it a handful per program? I've received the Scholarship but it still may not be enough to finance my degree, so I'm applying for external funding as well, and one of the questions for the application was about the selectivity of any scholarships that I've already received.  

[midmarsh]

9 hours ago, Int_EdPolicy said:

Hi all,

Do any of the current students or alumni know the percentage of M.S.Ed. students that receive a Dean's scholarship? Is it one per masters program or is it a handful per program? I've received the Scholarship but it still may not be enough to finance my degree, so I'm applying for external funding as well, and one of the questions for the application was about the selectivity of any scholarships that I've already received.  

Congratulations! I don't know about all the programs, but I think for IEDP, the original email inviting students to apply said that there would only be one person awarded the Dean's Scholarship.

[travelgirl125]

17 hours ago, Int_EdPolicy said:

Hi all,

Do any of the current students or alumni know the percentage of M.S.Ed. students that receive a Dean's scholarship? Is it one per masters program or is it a handful per program? I've received the Scholarship but it still may not be enough to finance my degree, so I'm applying for external funding as well, and one of the questions for the application was about the selectivity of any scholarships that I've already received.  

I believe it's only one per program...this isn't what I've heard from admissions or any official staff, but that is what I've gathered from other students.

[Ed_Cog]

14 hours ago, midmarsh said:

Congratulations! I don't know about all the programs, but I think for IEDP, the original email inviting students to apply said that there would only be one person awarded the Dean's Scholarship.

 

6 hours ago, travelgirl125 said:

I believe it's only one per program...this isn't what I've heard from admissions or any official staff, but that is what I've gathered from other students.

Thanks for the info! 

 

[ProspectiveStudent202]

On 3/19/2017 at 9:10 PM, wtfook said:

Hi everyone! I went to Penn GSE for my master's in mental health counseling and have friends who completed or are completing various educational programs in the school. Some include the International Educational Development Master's and Ed Policy PhD. So if you have any questions about what it's like going to school at GSE, the campus, and the experiences people have had in the program let me know! You can ask them here so others can read as well or you can PM me.

If your question is about specific professors, please PM me. I may or may not be able to comment. Cheers!

@wtfook Hi! I am considering applying for Fall 2018 entry into the Education, Culture, and Society program. I know I'm responding to your comment late, but are you still up for answering a couple questions about Penn GSE?

[thai_iced_tea]

Hi all, 

Did anyone here apply for/accept a Penn GSE ISTR (Independent School Teaching Residency) fellowship? There is maddeningly little information about it online, but it is basically the perfect program for me based on my family/living situation. I'm wondering if it's a good program and how competitive it is?

[KaySsaem]

On 7/3/2017 at 9:15 AM, ProspectiveStudent202 said:

@wtfook Hi! I am considering applying for Fall 2018 entry into the Education, Culture, and Society program. I know I'm responding to your comment late, but are you still up for answering a couple questions about Penn GSE?

Hey! I was in the Ed Policy program c/o 2017, so if you want I may be able to answer a couple of question. Sorry this is like 6 months late.

[singapore_sling]

Anxiously awaiting results for my PhD application to Penn! Anybody else in the same boat??