<p>Hi all,
I am a senior at one of the top 3 public schools in the nation. My extra-curricular and leadership are fine, but my GPA not that great - its a little over 3.0. I double majored in Economics and Politics. </p>
<p>As I look to the future, I plan to get a graduate degree in Education/Education policy and have been looking into the best grad schools in that area. I intend to prepare myself in the coming year or two, in order to get into the best possible grad school. </p>
<p>Specifically, I am interested to know more about A) Harvard Graduate School of Education B)Vanderbilt - Peabody B)Stanford C)Northwestern D)University of Texas - Austin</p>
<p>Based on my research, all of the above schools seem to have the best programs. If someone can shed light on:
a) what is the typical academic profile of people who go into these schools i.e. GPA, schools they come from, majors
b) What the typical careers paths are of those who go into these schools</p>
<p>Mainly, I know my GPA is low and a detriment to my prospects. However, I would like to improve over the next year or two, in order to better my chances of getting into either of these schools. </p>
<p>However, do I have any chances at all? If not, with my GPA, what grad schools am I likely to get into for education/ed policy?</p>
<p>Any advise in terms of how to best prepare to get into these schools is most appreciated.</p>
<p>Why do you want to get a graduate degree in Education? Especially at an Ivy? Unless you have some amazing financial aid, a graduate degree in Education is not going to pay off in the long-term, so I hope you have a pretty good reason for wanting to go down this road…</p>
<p>If you’re hoping to get into the politics of education: don’t even bother unless you’re willing to be a teacher for a few years.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m not really seeing where grad schools in education/education policy are going to jump on your application. What experience and qualifications do you have that prepare you to perform research on education issues? Anything? Why should they take you over similar candidates with better GPAs and experience in education issues? “Extra-curricular and leadership” are completely irrelevant non-factors for graduate admission. Gradcoms don’t care what clubs you were in or how many semesters you served on the student senate.</p>
<p>I’d suggest pursuing internships and/or employment in the field for a year or two - whether as a teacher, support staff, policy analyst for an education NGO, etc. - if you’re really interested in this direction. They will make your application much more compelling.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advise. Polar, you raise great questions. I appreciate it.
Its helpful to know that work experience will impact my application. I have thought about it - how to make myself competitive - and I suppose the answer lies in teaching/having practical education. </p>
<p>However, what I wasn’t able to get a sense of - will getting a grad degree add no value? As for why Ivy - well, I didnt mention Harvard because it was an IVy but because it is supposed to have one of the strongest programs in education - along with Vanderbilt. If getting a grad degree is not going to get me where I want to be, what will?</p>
<p>Would appreciate your input on that. Thanks!</p>
<p>Work experience–to answer your question succinctly.</p>
<p>A graduate degree in education without the necessary work experience as foundation/backbone will not be marketable. It’s the same issue with a person getting an MBA without any work experience – employers want growth of knowledge from application to refinement, not just rote education.</p>
<p>MBA, MPP/MPA, MEd, etc.: all these degrees typically require (at least the top schools) work experience to gain admission. The ones that are known to take students straight from undergraduate are typically the ones not worth going to.</p>
<p>You haven’t told us what you really want to do with a graduate degree in education. Do you want to teach? Do you want to get into politics? What do you want to do post graduation?</p>
<p>I’m opposed to a graduate degree in education because you will have to take out a significant amount of debt in order to get the degree and the pay increase is minimal at best. Educators seeking graduate degrees are almost always better off getting a degree at a local university, because a graduate degree is just a check box for educators.</p>
<p>you raise some very valid, practical and important concerns. I want to get a grad degree in order to get into education consulting/policy making. </p>
<p>The investment is significant but I figure that going into a better program also increases your chances of getting a job of your liking but I could be totally mistaken.</p>
<p>An MEd is meant for prospective teachers, so if you’re not looking to go into teaching as a career then I don’t think it’s the right degree. If you’re looking to go into policymaking you would be better off with a JD imo.</p>
<p>And if you do make it, can you please tell politicians that raising standards doesn’t magically make kids smarter? It just forces teachers to brush over everything, making it that much harder for students learn.</p>