Hi! I’m a senior at UChicago with good stats and a passion for education. I’ve been considering grad programs and Harvard Grad School of Education came on my radar. I read somewhere that this program has something like a 2% rate of admission, and I’m honestly just debating on whether or not applying for a program like this is worth it if the admission rate is so low. I’m also wondering if this stat is accurate – I found it in an obscure article but haven’t seen any other stats.
Advice would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Given that you are succeeding at an ‘elite’ school, the question of % acceptance is the least relevant metric in deciding whether to apply to Harvard for a graduate degree in Education.
You didn’t specify whether you are looking at Masters or PhD programs, and there are differences from an application perspective, but both will want to assess how good the fit is between what you are looking for and what they offer. An admissions dean from Columbia put it this way: ‘Be as clear and specific as possible about what you are looking for from this [Masters] program and where you want to go with it. We know what we do and that will help us see if we are a good fit’.
Yes, Harvard is a lovely shiny name: but how much do you know about the specifics of the program you are considering? how much do you know about what you want from a graduate degree? do you know where their graduates typically go - and is that where you want to go?
Gradschoolkid2 let go of the grad school that she had dreamed of since she was 16, because by the time she was in a position to be accepting a place she realized that her direction had shifted enough that another school was a better fit. That came from working between undergrad and grad. Although Harvard does have some Ed grad students who are straight out of undergrad they are exceptional: typically the students have 3-5 years work experience.