<p>I got accepted into HGSE for a master's program in counseling psychology. The program will qualify me to become a licensed counselor at a school or non-profit site (starting pay=$50k). I would love to work as a counselor, but my long-term goal is to work in education reform with a specialization in children's social/psychological issues. To do this program, I will have to take out $30k in loans ($20k federal, $10 private). I have $30k in loans from undergrad, so I will have $60k in total. My cheaper option is the program at the state flagship, which is half the cost. I will have $45k in loans if I go that route. My question is: Is HGSE worth extra $15k of debt ($20k to be conservative)?</p>
<p>It's been my dream to attend graduate school in education and I figured that if I had to pay for one, it might as well be Harvard. I would benefit from alumni connections, a phenomenal guest lecture series that brings in the best in the field, the reputation of the school (esp. in education reform circles and especially abroad), dedicated and experienced peers, and having access to top professors in the field as well as the resources of the university as a whole. I have to say that as a first-generation college student, low-income, and first-generation immigrant, I would value having an HGSE degree given its reputation in education circles and beyond.</p>
<p>My daughter went to HGSE and she absolutely loved it. Contrary to all the stereotypes about Harvard, HGSE is a warm welcoming community (they pronounce it “hug-see” and you really do see a lot of hugging around the place). Her only complaint was that the year went by too fast.</p>
<p>Go to Harvard. It’s worth it.</p>
<p>Also, did you check out restricted scholarships at Harvard. There are tons of crazy ones. My daughter found one for people who went to high school in our hometown. It paid for everything.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I now feel more comfortable about this choice given CC’s stamp of approval :)</p>
<p>Bonanza, that’s great to hear! I actually do qualify for one of the restricted scholarships but haven’t heard back from the committee yet. If I do get it, then my cost will be even lower.</p>
<p>If you want to work as a school counselor, and you know where you want to live, then borrowing the extra money for Harvard will NOT help you get a job, and may even hurt you some. (And if you don’t know where you want to live, figure that out first, and then research where you should get your degree for the best chance of being hired. There are very few places where Harvard will really help you.)</p>
<p>If you want to work in school reform and education policy, the Harvard name WILL help (as would Columbia, Stanford, and various others), especially if you don’t already have shiny, shiny brandnames on your resume. What’s more, unfortunately, going to a more mainstream ed school will probably hurt you some. But I share with bluebayou some skepticism that a MA in counseling psychology will be the right degree. You may want to research the educational backgrounds of people whose careers you want to emulate. Not Geoffrey Canada! You don’t need any degrees if you are going to be Geoffrey Canada (although I think Canada got an MEd from Harvard at the start of his career). You want to know what sorts of backgrounds the people Canada hires as his VPs have.</p>
<p>Fwiw, I am not sure how people interested in (real) reform of education might find Columbia a “place to be” as it is mostly a factory producing the middle level of educators determined to protect the status quo. :)</p>