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I took a writing class with Professor Nancy Sommers. One of the best classes EVER because I needed to restore my spirit and it was THE class that I felt inclusion and diversity were honored at HGSE. Through writing and peer review, souls were connected.

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I took a writing class with Professor Nancy Sommers. One of the best classes EVER because I needed to restore my spirit and it was THE class that I felt inclusion and diversity were honored at HGSE. Through writing and peer review, souls were connected.

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- 1.5 Chinese American
- LDIT, started a concentration in GICE, then dropped
- former TFA from Houston, TX - middle/high school teacher of 6 years
- Email me here: cliang3773@gmail.com

I came in having many interests but no clear goal so I took a mix of classes in policy, evaluation, and data. At the end I realized I wanted to do something at the intersection of UX and strategy. Currently I'm at a tech company doing non-education related consulting, but will be milking this opportunity to gain skills and certifications, then moving back to the education space. Passionate about teaching and teachers, learning and learners.

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Agree with everyone saying you don't absolutely need one. However, if you do want one, especially for the Fall, apply early if you're applying on the Hub. I managed to land a dream one on family engagement, and it lasted the whole year. I'm pretty sure if I waited the spot would have been filled by another Harvard student.

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The move (for some of you) before Fall semester will be busy, and during winter break you will want to rest before Spring semester. Both things may prevent you from spending a ton of time thinking through class registration. But make time! Calendar it if you need to. I took an intense J-term and then was resting during winter break to the point where I wish I had spent a bit more time analyzing the choices I had for Spring classes.

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Took a class called Persuasion: The Science and Art of Effective Influence. Very perspective-changing. Honestly helped me tremendously with job apps. The professor is retiring but if this course is offered again, you should consider taking it, even if it might be taught by someone else.

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Hi I’m Lauren! I entered HGSE after working as an Analyst in local government and after recently graduating from undergrad.

Took a mix of classes, some highlights: formative evaluation, informal learning (J term), negotiations, product management (Fall 2 class at HKS), and data science for education. Interned at HKS SLATE for the academic year doing learning design and analysis related work to improve HKS pedagogy.

Reach out if you want to connect!: laurenhom@gse.harvard.edu

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My program was LDIT and I was interested in data (assessment), product management, and starting my own edTech company during HGSE. I had an extensive background in web development and analytics before I became an inclusion teacher in my home district of Boston Public Schools. Ping me anytime on LinkedIn.

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I didn't do any internships via HGSE therefore the course credit did not apply to me.
I was interested in edTech so I cold contacted CEOs and I landed one for the Spring semester. The Harvard name gets you in the door.

Some graduates were enrolled full time and worked full time b/c hybrid allows them to do that.

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I already knew what I wanted to learn so this wasn't an issue for me. It was more of an issue on trying to get in the courses that I wanted.

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I didn't do a concentration because I felt it was limiting to my goals.

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Joe McIntyre. Hands down.
I say this as both a veteran math teacher and someone experienced with databases.

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I recommend anyone to take Negotiation at any school - take the full semester. There's a reason why it's offered at all the schools.

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I cross registered at different schools but MIT was by far the hardest to cross register for because the spots are limited. I also recommend to choose the lightest credit course because it is quite intense compared to Harvard courses.

Standard procedures for HKS, Law School, HBS - be aware of the course scheduling, some classes start and end later/earlier.

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There is an application process, keep tabs on the dates.

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Some classes may have amazing professors but read the course reviews for what you want to get out of it - just skim for the specific course review question for the biggest takeaway.

I overloaded on courses and exhausted myself but I am that type of person who prefers that type of condensed academic experience.

Also professors do not care if you drop it, some can give you access to course materials without enrolling.

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-2020-21 chair of PACE :)
-Arts in Education program part timer
-Arts education program manager turned eLearning designer
-HPL TF ✌🏻
-Korean American, grew up in ktown LA, fully fluent in Korean
-clarahye216@gmail.com
-chat w me about arts, theater, career pivot to learning design

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Went outside my comfort zone and tried a stats class (Intro to R)! A low-risk opportunity to learn something new :) ended up loving it

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Went outside my comfort zone and tried a stats class (Intro to R)! A low-risk opportunity to learn something new :) ended up loving it

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Josephine Kim
Eric Soto Shed
Joe McIntyre
Junlei Li

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In fall i fulfilled the early childhood concentration so I did that - but had a timetable clash in Spring so dropped it and still earned one credit. No big deal. If it suits you do it but don't sacrifice something else you want to do it.

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Did epa with literacy concentration. Was a 5th grade ELA teacher before hgse and now an associate at education first consulting. Feel free to reach out!

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Don’t need one- if you do one, choose it strategically and think about how it’ll help career goals. Don’t do internship for sake of it. I got one of my internships at jimmy Kim’s lab just through going to his office hours during evidence and expressing interest in his work- he reached out to me in November about it

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Did the literacy concentration and loved it. Only do one if you’re passionate about area cuz it can be a few classes

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Curveball answer - check out the undergrad classes - there are some huge classes (500 people style huge) and you can just sit and listen to amazing people who have changed the field. I audited this class and just went to the lectures I found interested as I studied it in undergrad. I met a load of MA/PhD students doing likewise and formed a lovely community:
https://gened.fas.harvard.edu/classes/who-lives-who-dies-who-cares-reimagining-global-health

There's a whole GENED about cooking+science which is also massive!

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Semester:

How can health care systems be restructured to provide high quality care even to the poorest and most vulnerable people on our planet?

Arthur Kleinman, Anne Becker, and Salmaan Keshavjee

If you are sick or hurt, whether you live or die depends not only on biological factors, but social ones: who you are and where you are, what sort of healthcare system is available to help you survive, and what kind of care is available to help you recover, if society believes you deserve it. The global coronavirus pandemic illustrates with dramatic urgency the role social forces play in patterning health inequities and determining individual fates. The vulnerabilties of those most likely to get sick and die from COVID-19 stem from the ongoing effects of systemic racism on racialized subjects, the devaluation of eldercare and precarity of low-paid work under neoliberal forms of governance, and material effects of colonial-era power structures that render health care systems dangerously weak or inaccessible for many communities. Now, as ever, it is imperative to develop frameworks and methodologies to identify and to intervene effectively in harmful social configurations that cause illness and suffering.

Most medical research narrowly focuses on the biological basis of disease, but this course takes a novel biosocial approach to reveal how governments, institutions, and histories shape health and well-being, how poverty and racism get into someone's lymph nodes, how cost- saving measures manifest as tuberculosis in someone's lungs. In doing so, the course challenges the conventional assumptions within the field of global health-examining how interventions influence what happens after a catastrophe in unexpected ways, how the persistence of health inequalities over centuries can be explained, how the structures of powerful institutions influence the policies they develop, how the poor deserve not only health care but high quality health care, and how caregiving and global health are urgent moral practices.

Register for Gen Ed 1093

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Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares? Reimagining Global Health (Gen Ed 1093)

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How can health care systems be restructured to provide high quality care even to the poorest and most vulnerable people on our planet?

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MIT has free printing, $100 art classes, libraries etc. You can use the card the whole year and never actually do a class..... You get all their cross-registered benefits just by getting the card and email immediately without having to commit. If you do drop, drop the class on Harvard AND MIT's portal.

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INTENSE but good for portfolio building if that's your thing.

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Gretchen Brion-Meisels - My favourite class x10000, so kind and supportive! Equity/Research methodology/school partnerships

Eric Soto Shed - So fun, so kind and I always felt we could talk easily! Design/Equity/DEI

Candice Bocala - She has such an amazing history filled with real teaching and practice-based research. Very clear. Special Ed/Teaching collaboration/Evidence/Social Studies teaching/Equity

Matt Miller - Only went to office hours but he was so thoughtful and we went on a lovely walk around HGSE! High level strategy and whole university outlook.

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Overload the first week and go to lots of classes - start to drop and don't feel bad about leaving. Do what you LIKE not what "must be good" - you have to do it for 10 weeks and struggle is real for classes you get a bad gut feeling for. Reading course evals helps a lot.

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Hi, I'm Natalie! I'm British from Chinese Malaysian/Singaporean diaspora and worked in public schools for 6 years in the UK and a Teach First ambassador.

At HGSE I worked in the Teaching and Learning lab as a Junior Learning Designer and also as a Research Assistant for Candice Bocala. Let me know if those interest you! My new job is as a Research Fellow for cross-dept Ethics Centre at Harvard specialising in Youth Participatory Research in civics and democracy (I did the same class as Ja Hong with Gretchen <3). I cross-registered at Graduate School of Design, Public Health and MIT.

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Didn’t take a class and Started my job search. Not necessarily the right decision for everyone but I wanted a job by graduation and this was a great time to start looking into orgs and get organized

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Select courses based on what you came to do at Harvard and not what everyone around is telling you should do. 

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Select courses based on what you came to do at Harvard and not what everyone around is telling you should do. 

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Write to the professors early on. Understand their process from each professor. Figure out who is the Head TF and keep them CC in each email to the professor about cross-registering.

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Write to the professors early on. Understand their process from each professor. Figure out who is the Head TF and keep them CC in each email to the professor about cross-registering.

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Took course in HKS and taught/co-educated people from all schools of Harvard about them.

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Took course in HKS and taught/co-educated people from all schools of Harvard about them.

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Hi! I am Seleena Vinayraj. 2021-22.
I graduated from HDE with an early childhood concentration. I worked as a preschool teacher for almost 13 years before coming to HGSE; I am pivoting into DEI roles.
You can reach me at seleenavinayraj@gse.harvard.edu

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Be intentional; don't take a class just because your friends are in it. Instead, see what will be your takeaway from the course. Go for the first class and see how the professor conducts the class and if it meets your expectations.

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I took Early childhood, and I liked it. Every other week we would hear about people from different early childhood fields and what they have done with their education. If someone is unsure of what scope lies within early childhood apart from being a teacher, this is an excellent concentration to take.

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Junlei Le, Jack Shonkoff , Monica Higgins , Jo kim, Rick Weissbourd , Tim McCarthy , Aliya El-Amin

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1) A608 Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning with Professor Higgins. This class made me think of the style of leadership I want to incorporate into my professional life. This class also made me challenge my fear of public speaking.

2)  EDUAH125 Science-Driven Innovation in the Early Childhood Ecosystem with Professor Shonkoff, who is an absolute legend.
This class focuses on how adverse experiences ( systemic racism, poverty) in early childhood lead to significant educational achievement disparities and mental and physical well-being.

3) EDUH311 Issues of Diversity in Cross-Cultural Counseling and Advocacy by Professor Jo Kim. It is an excellent course to develop self-awareness of our own and others' life experiences and their impacts on how we interact with individuals who are different from us racially/ ethnically. If you are interested in counseling, teaching, and student support, this course will help develop a more informed undertstaning of issues around diverse students and families in school/ community settings.

4) EDUA011D Real Talk: The Art and Practice of Brave Communication with Professor McCarthy. Another great class to practice the art of public speaking. You will learn how to captivate an audience and how to write a good speech that is succinct.

5) EDUT014M Educating to Transform Society: Preparing Students to Disrupt and Dismantle Racism by Professor El-Amin
The course name itself is self-explanatory.

6) EDUH611 Becoming a Good Person and Leading a Good Life by Professor Weissbourd.
How can we raise children to become good people and lead a good life. This course's four main pillars are morality, love, hope, and purpose, and how we can help children develop these.

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I took a break and went home to India. The best decision ever. The fall semester was intense, and this break gave me time to breathe and return rejuvenated for the spring semester.

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Every class looks very impressive; you can't take it all, and I would advise only taking 16 credits because it will get intense. Be intentional about what you want to take away from this year at HGSE and take classes that will help further you professionally and personally.

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I relaxed!! Fall semester burned me out! It’s okay to rest

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Register for 20cr (even if you will take less) and/sit in on more classes for the first week. Then drop the ones you’re not feeling. That way you won’t be behind. I ended up dropping a class right at add drop and was down to 12cr and was too late to join any other fall 1s.

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My S501Y-S502Y CPAR team at Next Wave/Full Circle Schools after our year end research presentation.

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Gretchen’s Researching in Community (S501Y + S502Y) I swear it’s the only class at HGSE that has you partner with a school to drive change.

Dr. V (Christina Villareal)’s Healing Centered Engagement T410D. Learn to metabolize your trauma babyyyyy

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Dr. V, loyal PACE member Colin, and I at Harvard’s Inaugural APIDA grad. Find profs that will gas you up and take time to meet with you and help you secure opportunities. 

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Gretchen Brion-Meisels
Dr. V (Christina Villareal)
Jo (Josephine Kim, not to be confused with Joe McIntyre who is an amazing prof too)
Junlei Li

My perspective as somebody who studies holistic student support)

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Go to week 1 of class to suss out prof and classmates vibe!

Also try to recenter yourself as to not get pressured into classes you feel everybody is saying to take. This is your life, not theirs.

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My students at Boston International Newcomers Academy

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Professors (either be in their class or work for them. They rarely have time for anybody outside) I got an policy research internship with Mandy Savitz-Romer and the School Counseling Lab, which I applied to through a hub posting. Internship wasn’t a good fit, but I built a relationship and she was the head of the Counseling Program and she referred me into my dream internship at the Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA) in Boston Public Schools teaching immigrant students about mental health, SEL, and the social determinants of health.

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Ja-Hon Wang here. 2021-2022 Chair of PACE. Focused my studies on Student Support Policy: EPA. Interned at HGSE’s School Counseling Lab. Did Gretchen’s CPAR project at a Therepeutic Alternative School. Interned teaching SEL to immigrant kids at BPS. Came from background in international higher ed and social work research. Planning to work as a HS teacher with immigrant students.
HMU jahon_wang@gse.harvard.edu

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Go through the entire catalog up till the last day because new classes are added sometimes. Check out the course evaluations and definitely look into the professor's background experiences!

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I took Bruno Della Chiesa's course and it was fascinating! Definitely not for everybody but I really enjoyed it!

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Get in touch with the registrar's office for the school you're cross registering early on to address any problems you encounter -- don't wait! Also I promise it is a lot easier than it is made to be once you get familiar with the portal (esp MIT)!

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Adding to Ja Hon's list, Irvin Scott + Bruno Della Chiesa + Luke Miratrix

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Hi I'm Colin! I entered HGSE from previously working as a program evaluator! I ended up taking a random mix of classes (i.e. Faith and Education, Data Science, Learning in  Globalizing World, etc) that I enjoyed a lot!

Reach out if you want to see which data related courses might be a good fit for you or if you simply want a new friend 😅! My email is colinliu@nyu.edu

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A608 - Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning with Monica Higgins. One of the most insightful courses I have taken in the management space. Low effort class with an immense return.

S040 - Introductory and Intermediate Statistics for Educational Research: Applied Linear Regression with Joe McIntyre. I always wanted to learn how to code and Joe made this so approachable, fun, and informative.

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Joe McIntyre, Monica Higgins, Andrew Ho, Carrie Conaway, Susan Dynarski

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I ended up not declaring a concentration and it's totally okay to do so. However I will list some pros and cons.
Pros: You are able to network and connect with like-minded individuals more closely, and they have certain events for specific concentrations throughout the year.
Cons: You would most likely have to take certain modules to satisfy your concentration requirement which limits the amount of choice you have selecting subjects.

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Search the Hub for job opportunities and also explore the research labs at Harvard. Good suggestions would be the Education Redesign Lab, Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR), and the Project on Workforce. Take a look at the professors working there are send an email requesting for an informational interveiw to learn more about the work they do.
Or if a particular opportunity sparks your interest, just apply! Depending on the lab, it's not super competitive so the chances are that you will at least be called for an interview.

Also utilize the career services office to brush up on your interview, resume, and cover letter skills.

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If course selection previews are being recorded again this year, then know that you don't have to go to all of them. I tried going to as many as possible in the Fall and was just overwhelmed with everything else that was also going on. In the Spring, I just went to the previews for courses I was on the fence about where I wanted to ask a question live.

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Informal Learning with Joe Blatt! It ended up being online for us due to COVID, but it was still intense and a lot of fun. I think it depends on what you're looking to get out of the course, so I would ask various people about their experience. The short transition period between this course and Spring term can be tiring, but I'm glad I took it

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Be patient if you're on the waitlist and be enrolled in backup classes. My experience with the HKS waitlist is that you won't find out until the last minute if you get in (depending on the popularity of the course), which can be stressful so just be persistent and have a plan.

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Christine Reich, Joe Blatt, Whitney Benns, Luke Miratrix, Kathy Pham (HKS), Joe McIntyre, Jo Kim

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1. Go through the complete course catalog and course registration procedures before registration begins. Often times, course registration procedures are posted on Canvas sites and the my.Harvard page shows there are no special procedures.
2. Know, and take comfort in the fact that I can't take it all
3. Attend as many course previews as possible
4. Sit through a number of classes in the add/drop period and then decide
5. 16 credits done well are better than 20 credits done haphazardly

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A320 - School Design Workshop with Linda Nathan
This was hands down the one course, where I learned so many new things, and it pushed me to challenge my perceptions of what works in my context. Super plus point - Linda is super fun, understanding and engaging as an instructor and takes a genuine interest in each student's learning as long as you are motivated. I went through some difficult personal circumstances in the semester I took this course in, and she was really understanding in not just relaxing deadlines but helping me think and revise assignments to best suit my learning goals

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Linda Nathan, Joe McIntyre, Joe Blatt

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S040 & S052 — Was never a “data/math person” previously but came to really, really enjoy stats because of these courses. Now I’m hoping to apply them in any and all future work I get.

Digital Fabrication — VERY homework heavy because you’re practically building stuff every week. But it was so much fun to learn all these skills!

Formative Evaluation — Lectures were honestly too lengthy, but you get to work with real stakeholders and do a proper real world evaluation for them. I am able to include the work I did here in my resume.

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None of the concentrations were aligned with my interest, so I didn’t declare any. I just made sure that I was able to craft a narrative for myself throughout my year at HGSE.

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You do not NEED an internship. It’s okay to take this year to focus on academic work if that’s what you want to do.

I took an internship in the fall, and while I did learn a lot, I rushed through the application process and ended up with something that wasn’t aligned with what I wanted to do. I took an internship for the sake of it.

If you’re an international student — you may be able to work on campus jobs with labs in place of taking them for internship credit. Just an FYI.

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International student here (also studied in the US for undergrad).

Here are the courses I took: LDIT 101, T522 (Dock’s), T511J (Dede’s), T523 (Formative Eval w Christine Reich), Informal learning, S040 & S052, digital fabrication, Learning Creative Learning at MIT.

I interned at Prof Karen Brennan’s lab and maxed out my credits while at HGSE.

My background is in marketing and nonprofit management. This was my big career pivot into education, where I believe I truly belong. Happy to get in touch with anyone! denisefabella@gse.Harvard.edu