Is this a true story? Congratulations, haha that just gives me a lot of confidence 😅 I had a 3.55 in undergrad and am considering possibly applying for a master’s from Harvard in the future!
@@dejacopeland5528 I applied and was accepted with a 3.49 and very low GRE scores. I have a whole series of videos on this channel focused on the HGSE application and I also offer a graduate school essay review service as well.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Thank you for responding to me and congratulations on the amazing academic and professional feat! Due to my undergrad gpa, I was initially discouraged from applying to Ivy League graduate schools, however, I have a mirage of corresponding and supplemental experiences as an educator in academia and community activism, domestically and soon internationally. I’m currently teaching English abroad in Spain and may possibly return next academic year as well. If I’m still considering applying in 2 - 4 years (will soon be 23), I’d love to be connected with you! Are you open to having a chat over Zoom? Thank you in-advance 😊
I am honestly watching all your videos. I will be applying later this year. As a matter of fact, I am gathering everything I have done in undergrad and selecting the stuff I want to highlight in my personal statement. I am looking forward to this this year. I am so happy. I am literally so energized by writing this. Thank you once again, for creating this community.
@@wafabhayani7815 yes, I got into the Harvard graduate school of education in the education policy and management program. I completed the degree back in 2016.
Hi Ivan! This video was so much informative, Thank you very much for this! I'm currently studying B.Sc in Statistics.I am a Bangladeshi student and I just got into college here recently. I want to do my M.Sc in Harvard. As I have about 3 years+ time for M.Sc, I wanna know the pathway and strategy to prepare myself to get into Harvard. Please make a video about it! I'm pretty much sure many of us wanna know about this! 😊
Thanks for the awesome tips Ivan! I am hoping to apply for EdD at HGSE sometime in the next 3 or 4 years. I don't have outstanding scores, so I need all the tips I can get
Hi Marmara, thank you for subscribing! I actually graduated in 2016. I’m a current PhD student in education at UC-San Diego. If you are interested in applying to HGSE, I have a whole playlist discussing the application process. I plan on crating a few more HGSE-related videos in the future and will gladly entertain your questions about the program and school.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Oh Gosh! Thank you so very much. I'd be interested to be a part of the discussion content. I'd love to hear about your experiences in education schools, both from HGSE and UC-San Diego. Keep this up!
Thank you! I am glad the video was helpful. I did create a playlist focused on the Harvard graduate school of education if you want to check it out. Let me know if you have any questions.
I’m an alum of HGSE (Ed.M.). I’d say what makes one competitive is having REAL work experience (I’m starting my 7th year as a Special Education teacher). Undergrad relies on numbers like GPA and test scores. HGSE appreciates real lived experience within the field of education. How have you actually impacted the lives of other people in your day to day work? [edit: I redid my comment to say this: there are a number of things one can do to make their application stand out. For me, I believe my experiences derived from being in a classroom was the edge. For someone else, their experience may differ.
I agree with you, however, some applicants can be successful without work experience. I was accepted straight out of undergrad and they did not count any of my work experiences as such because they weren’t full time. I think the key to a successful application is being able to articulate what impact someone wants to make on the lives of others in the field of education. Applicants can draw from any experiences that are not real work experiences to make that case and to be successful. I don’t believe I ever said that high gpa or test scores are needed. I didn’t have any of that and was still a successful applicant.
Hi Ivan. Thanks for all the info you share. Really helpful. Could you please shed light on the financial aid application? There is a question on the Federal income tax returns' 2023. Is this applicable to international students? Also, I'm unsure if the pzforheimer scholarship for international students? Any advise would be helpful. Thank you.
Federal financial aid is only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents not international students. Almost all fellowship applicants are opened to all students including international students.
Hi Diah, thank you for the support. I hope the video was helpful. I do have a playlist dedicated to the Harvard Graduate School of Education application.
Just for additional information, Harvard GSE's master's programs are not very competitive at all-- the programs have around a 40% acceptance rate if I recall.
Hi Isaiah, thank you for the information. Can you provide the reference or link to this data? That way people can determine if that data is accurate. Personally, I think that it is competitive. HGSE looks for a certain type of student and if you can capitalize on that then you're odds of acceptance are greater. Anecdotally, I know a lot of friends, colleagues, and subscribers who did not gain admission to HGSE. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is competitive, but not impossible to gain admissions. Hence, why I created this channel to share all of my advice on graduate school admissions to allow people to know how to best tackle the application process.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Sure thing! Harvard GSE doesn't provide the numbers themself (perhaps because of the relatively higher acceptance rate). Peterson's, a source I like to use, most recently reports a *36% acceptance rate.* For some reason RU-vid won't let me insert links in my comments (they'll immediately remove it if I do), but a google search will lead to the website I am referring to! Other sources tend to show acceptance rates around 35-40%.
Hey. Great content! I am interested in doing my PhD at Harvard Business School. Is it necessary to havr articles/journals published? If so, what type and how many? Thank you!
Hi Shujayet, it is not required. However, it will make you a stronger applicant especially for PhD programs at elite institutions. I would recommend having at least one or two and they should be in journals in your field. As an undergraduate student this could be hard to do because publishing an article could take years due to the process. Look into publishing in the Journal of Undergraduate Research and others in your field. The key is to show the committee that you have experience with publishing you scholarly work.
Hi Ivan! My GPA is >3.8 now. However, I got 2 Fs (in two courses unrelated to my field) in my freshman year coz I suffered from depression. Anyway, I managed to get straight As in other courses, especially those related to my field (pharmaceutical chemistry). I had 2 internships at two pharmaceutical companies, two summer schools, and one workshop. I also have more than a year of experience in medicinal chemistry and I will be publishing a paper soon (as a 2nd author). I also had a contribution to a grant proposal (did not get the funding organization response yet!). Extracurricularly, I had a small business (unfortunately, it failed) and I worked in student activities. I have a goal. I wanna get back to my home country after I finish my postgraduate studies and have some experience so I can lead the R&D process of drug production because we don’t have that in Egypt! What are my chances? Are the Fs that I got gonna affect me? Sorry for the long comment :”!
Hi Ka, I think you have great experience! I would not worry about the F’s you attained during your freshman year. Grad school committee members use the transcript for a few purposes. One of those is to see progression. So as long as you are showing that you performed better every year then you should be fine. They also look at the difficulty of your courses to assess performance. I could not determine your chances of being accepted because programs differ in terms of what they seek in their successful applicants. All I can say is that you need to work hard at showcasing who you are and your goals in all aspects of the application. I hope this helps.
Hi Lucifer, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what you make out of your experience in undergrad. For example, your GPA, your coursework, research experiences, internships, etc.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Alright! Thank you!! I would also like to ask if me, as an undergrad, would still be at a disadvantage when applying to the Harvard Undergaduate School, because I don't have an SAT score, although Harvard has mentioned SAT isn't compulsory for this year's session.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Thank you nonetheless! I will try to submit my applications this year, and if I am not admitted, I'll try my best after graduation. Thanks a lot! Keep going!!
Thank you! I am glad I am able to help you with the grad school app process. Please subscribe for more information about the graduate school application process.
Hey Ivan, thanks for the informative video. I have a few queries to ask, was M.Ed @ Harvard your first Master's degree? How can an international student enhance his/her application? Any tips for an international student would be supportive.
Hi, yes the masters at Harvard is my only master degree. It’s hard to really pinpoint one or a few things that would enhance an application. I would say having clear reasons as to why you want to attend is key and utilizing your experiences to explain how you came up with that decision is important. And you need to stand out by having a clear mission for the way you want to impact peoples lives.
That is probably the case. I applied back in 2014 and was accepted in 2015. Then, it was required. My advice if it’s optional is to assess your overall application to determine if GRE scores would boost your chances of getting in. If you think your application is strong without the GRE scores then I wouldn’t take them. If you feel like you have a low gpa for example then high gre scores can offset a low gpa. Good luck.
Hello brother, thank you so much for very informative videos. I am from India. Do you know any Research opportunities at Harvard for International applicants?
So insightful Thank you! I have a question. All the certificates (from edX/Coursera) or other certificates of volunteering, how do the institutions know that you have them? Do we have to send them? Like is there any portal for submission to support co-curricular documents mentioned in cv or sop? (in case of phD/masters)
Thanks! And there is not a section on the application to upload certificates. I believe there is a section that asks if you have any certificates. I remember I put my teaching certification information there. You can also mention it in the SOP or add a certification section to your resume/CV. Good luck with your application.
@@ishanij452 In my opinion, certificates such as the ones you mentioned don’t hold that much weight in terms of gaining admission to HGSE. They care more about the SOP and letters of recommendation. With this said, I don’t think they will check the authenticity of the certificates unless they suspect and applicant to be lying about attainment of those certificates. They can simply contact the organization and ask for a report or they might have you send them the certificates. If you gain admission and an applicant was untruthful they can revoke the admission.
Hi Ivan. Do you have a sample for project proposal budget? I need to use this proposal for the admission, but not sure what to include in the budget as some expenses might be already covered in the fellowship? Do you have a guideline for most considered expenses for 3 years research?
Hi, I do not have an example. I did not have to submit a budget for graduate school admission. However, I would include things like equipment, research analysis software subscription, travel to conferences, compensation for study participants, etc.
Hi, I only offer a statement of purpose review service. Here is the link: www.fiverr.com/s/V21gKz?CopyLink_Mobile. Once you place your order and upload your SOP I will get started on the feedback.
What research opportunities can you recommend to an undergrad senior who is graduating soon? Are these opportunities available outside of college? Are there any alternatives?
During the academic year, you should go to your undergraduate research center to see what’s available. For the most part, you would have had to apply for these opportunities a year in advance so it might be limited. You could apply for summer opportunities, however, if you plan to apply to graduate school this fall then you won’t be able to add it to your resume nor write about it in your SOP. For research opportunities, it’s hard to find experiences especially during your last year :/
That would be a tough video to make because with a Master of Education you can virtually get a job in whatever you want. Many of my peers work in policy, education technology, higher education, teachers, consultants, founded their own startup, etc. it’s really up to the person to decide how they want to utilize the degree and what courses and resources to use while at hgse that will provide them with the skills to meet their career goals.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool my major is education... No it i's not in Harvard, and i am thinking about applying for Master’s in Harvard.... That's why i am curious about its career
@@esratzahanesha7616 A degree from Harvard is going to help you get any job. The name alone will open doors and the network you’ll get helps a lot. Moreover, the knowledge and skills you gain will help you do anything you want in the education sector. Education is a broad term/sector you should be able to get many jobs. I haven’t heard from any Harvard graduate school of education alumni who hasn’t gotten a job in their chosen sector.
For the Harvard Graduate School of Education, there is only one admissions deadline and it’s sometime in early January. Decision are sent out in March.
Hello Ivan, Thank you so much for your tips! They're really helpful :) I want go get into Havard and i'm doing a plan for the next 2 years to make it possible. I'm a 25 year old portuguese artist who did a bachelor in Design and a year ago i founs my passion in education and leadership, leaening through books and courses. I would love to get into Havard because i have a strong desire to change the education system in my country (as my grandfather did in the 60s) but i want to ask you if it's okay to apply for a masters at 27/28 years old or if it's too late. How old were you when you applied? Kind regards, Teresa
Hi Teresa, That is awesome that you want to change the education system for your country! To answer your question, I do not think it is too late to apply for a Masters degree. I applied at age 23 right after completing my Bachelor degree. The only thing that I would plan for is funding the degree. A Masters degree at HGSE is super expensive. I had to borrow loans to fund it. For me the return on investment was worth it. I knew that I could pay off the debt in a reasonable amount of time and I knew that I would assume a role that paid well enough to help me not only pay the loans, but also live the life I envisioned for myself. With this said, I would establish a financial plan now to see if it would be feasible for you to attend given the price. If the price of the education is not an issue, I would definitely apply because it is never too late to pursue any degree.
@@IvanValdovinosGradSchool Hello Ivan, Thank you so much for your answer in such a short amount of time! You're really kind and your words helped me. Thank you once again, keep up the good work, hope to see your channel become successful and may you achieve everything you want in life :) Thank you once again! Kind regards, Teresa
