Penn GSE Student Blogs

The graduate student experience is an amalgamation of networking, building your skills, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and most of all reading.
It is that time of year once again where prospective students are considering their graduate school options. Already, people have reached out interested to learn more about the Education Policy Program at Penn. One of the first questions is always “Why did you choose Penn?”
Money is stressful, but don’t let the stress take precedence over the pursuit of your degree. I have personally used these tips to help relieve some of my own finance-induced anxiety. Your time at GSE will go by fast. Keeping money under control, whether through these tips, a budget, or other strategies, will allow you the flexibility to take full advantage of your program and the many resources the university offers.
You know what’s more anxious than your seventeenth first day of class? Finding out you have to introduce yourself first because your clumsy self decided to be an overachiever and sit up front.
...Air is fresh, noise is hushed, the scenery is gorgeous. An enormous territory of greenery and magnificent place to walk around, study or read.
So, here’s my silly confession: quantitative data terrifies me.
I moved to Philadelphia this past summer from Buffalo, in upstate New York, and before that spent a year living in Boston. One of the things that I love most about living here, beyond the affordability, is the strong sense of community that I felt in Buffalo with the amenities, diversity, and resources of Boston.
I’ve loved my coursework. I’ve been consistently excited about my classes, and have really enjoyed feeling my own academic commitments clarify with time.
Although I just moved here four months ago to start my program, I quickly fell in love with Philly and all of its quirks.
Penn GSE is an institution that serves the community it surrounds. It provides various resources to its community, especially to the schools in the city. Two of the resources are research and social justice.
Seeing other Masters students in my cohort after school is great because we get to share stories from the day and give each other feedback on problems we’re having in our classroom. It’s so important to have other teachers in your life. We will never be able to come up with all the solutions we need on our own, and often, the thing we really need the most is someone else’s perspective
One of the first things that struck me was how many vegan-only restaurants there were in Philly and, moreover, how good they were.

What your day in the Urban Teaching Apprentiship Program looks like changes quite a bit throughout the year but for the second half of your program you will be teaching full day in the classroom. I follow a pretty regular schedule with the only thing differing from day to day is if I have class in the evening. Below is my regular schedule on a day where I will teach full day and then have a...

We had about a week of spring break, and many of my GSE friends traveled around the U.S, such as LA, San Francisco, Orlando, and Chicago. I went to see the Niagara Falls in Buffalo and Boston for the first time!

① Niagara Falls / Buffalo

After flying out to Buffalo Niagara airport from Philly, my friend and I rented a car and drove to the Niagara Falls State Park. Although it was...

With hiring season around the corner, students around GSE are donning their best blazers and putting the finishing touches on their updated resumes. Before you walk into that first interview, check out these helpful supports and strategies for Penn students from Penn career services:

1. Meet with a Career Counselor

If you haven’t already been to Penn GSE’s Career...

My job search began right after the winter break in January. Because I am in a one year master’s program, the turnaround for job searching is pretty quick. As it would add to unnecessary stress in the transition to being a full time graduate student, our cohort in the Higher Education Division was advised not to begin the search in the fall semester as most opportunities would become available...

As we know the pressures of grad school are immense, and sometimes it can feel like we are sinking. So here are a few top tips that I have picked up during my time here at Penn for not just surviving, but also thriving at Penn.

Survive:

 1. Stay full and caffeinated

Make use of the many free food opportunities...

Below is a letter to the eager, enthusiastic, and ambitious person I was before I started the UTAP program at Penn GSE. 

            You have so many questions. You are wondering if this school, city, and step is the right choice. You want to jump in now and you spend your hours in June dreaming of what your life as a graduate student will be like (you should...

I took three courses in the fall semester. Since instructors had always prepared rigorous learning materials and made classes engaging and interesting, I did not feel stressed. Instead, I was excited to join every class to acquire new knowledge and skills. My time was quite flexible. I joined the archery club; I became an ambassador in GSE and Weingarten center; I could continue learning...

I am one of the youngest people in my cohort because I decided to begin my graduate school journey immediately after finishing my undergraduate degree. I got my bachelor’s degree at Boston University, where I fell deeply in love with the city of Boston; therefore, when applying to graduate programs, I knew that I wanted to continue to live in a big city. I had never been to Philadelphia before...

My favorite part of exploring a new city is touring the coffee shops! I truly believe that a local coffee shop can tell you a lot about a city or area. Plus, I love trying new coffees and finding new places to study!

The first coffee shop I explored was ReAnimator Coffee Roasters on 47th and Pine St. Before I even walked in, I knew that it had a good vibe, which was reinforced by the...

The GSE is all about the cohort model for going through your year (or two or 3,4,5) and it helps to create a community of intellectuals and friends to surround yourself with while you work through your studies. To help facilitate bonding within the group, each department sponsors events for the cohort as well as assigns a general coordinator who finds fun things to do and rallies the troops...

Hi! This is Yuki, and I would like to provide you with some tips & things to remember regarding graduate school applications as an international student.

1. Start collecting information about the program you are interested in early

Some of the things you could do to learn more about Penn GSE include reading student blogs that provide you with information about...

Being a full-time graduate student at the Graduate School of Education while having a part time job can make your day pretty packed. Although it sounds like it would be repetitive, a day in a life at Penn actually can vary from time to time if you take the time to change it up a bit. My perfect day (and a day that happens more than you think) would be a combination of class, work, professional...

To be honest, I was not an event person when I was in college. I did not attend many events at all because I was not interested in socializing with others. However, this has changed a lot since I came to GSE. I am surprised that there are so many events at GSE and there is always something to do everyday. I will be focusing on two of my favorite events in this blog.  

The first event...

If we are being entirely honest here, graduate school is really hard. The hours are long and in my program, we are constantly balancing student teaching and Penn coursework. While professors strive to make assignments that will overlap with our student teaching commitments, there is no doubt that this program is a ton of work. However, as I pass the midpoint of my program, I want to share some...

Time really has sped by me these past few months. I entered this program knowing what I wanted to write my thesis on, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. I suppose that’s almost everyone’s thought process—what is next, what comes after this venture?

As a first-generation, low-income, queer college student I never saw myself as a student here at Penn. Once I was accepted, I...

I am taking three classes this semester and working two part jobs that add up to 20 hours per week in total. It may seem very busy with jobs and school life but it is definitely manageable and I truly enjoy my current schedule. I am going to describe a typical Tuesday which is the busiest day for me of the week to show you a clearer image of what is like to be a graduate student at Penn.

...

Midpoint of the semester: Do I give up? Absolutely not! Coming from a quarter-system undergraduate program, the midway point of the semester can feel like it’s time to give up. However, I see the glass as half-full, with the excitement of what I’ve accomplished so far and how close I am to finishing the semester! Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned to help me finish the semester strong...

Scheduling and registering for classes can be a stressful process. It can be time consuming and confusing. We’ve all been there. Here are some tips and tricks to help you out:

- ASK!

Don’t be afraid to ask if you have questions while you schedule and register for classes. Penn staff, faculty, and your cohort are here to help you. Send an email to them to demystify...

It is difficult to believe that the fall semester is wrapping up and that I am already more than halfway through my program here at UPenn GSE.  My program is not your traditional master’s program. Our cohort met for the first time in July beginning our journey to become educators with a summer focused on literacy and understanding the communities where we teach. The summer...

Balancing work and classes in graduate school is a little daunting at first, but it really teaches more about yourself than you think in the long run. Over the past semester, I have acquired some tips and tricks that can help you along the way to make the balance more achievable. I think the first step you have to take is plan ahead! Identify what weeks you will have more work than usual so...

I came from a place where there was little to no public transportation. There were two major downtown areas in my home state, so I experienced a very large transition when I came to Philadelphia. I won’t lie; it was pretty difficult. However, I do think that there are ways to make the transition better. The first tip I have is to make sure you connect with people who are going through the same...

Grad school offers many exciting experiences and opportunities, but with this, there can also be many pressures and struggles. These struggles come in many forms, whether it is assignments, the uncertainty of the future, or your next rent or tuition payment.

These pressures can often lead to many of us feeling down, alone and struggling with our mental health.  This is why focusing on...

As finals season approaches, many first-year (or in my case, second-year) students at GSE are still trying to figure out the ideal study spots on campus, the ones where they can crank out fifteen-pagers and study for statistics exams like nobody’s business. In my three semesters at Penn, I’ve cultivated a solid rotation of options (though I’m always looking for that next best spot). Below, I’...

1. Stay caffeinated:

The Graduate Student Center offers free coffee to all students who bring their own mug.

2. Stay fed:

Every Monday, stop by GSE for free dinner. Make sure to get there early, as lines get long.

If you’re running between classes and need a quick bite to eat,...

As an undergraduate, I always thought I’d go to graduate school -- I just didn’t know when, or for what. As college graduation approached, I didn’t have a clear idea about what kind of degree I wanted, likely because I was still unclear about what career I wanted to pursue. Though I’d entered college planning on becoming a clinical psychologist, I was leaving with the feeling that I wasn’t...

During my year in between undergrad and graduate school, one of my side gigs was editing my friend’s grad school papers. She attained her Master’s in Leadership and Management and one of her papers really stood out to me because it discussed the paradigm shift between older generations and Millennials’ work-life balance practices. According to her research, Millennials put a greater emphasis...

I’ve always been someone who could understand homesickness in theory. I was born in Philadelphia and lived away from home for two summers at a camp while a teenager. While many people were preoccupied with home, I thrived. While my undergrad was relatively close (4 hours driving away), I spent a few months studying abroad. Again, I thrived and even though I could have talked to my family I...

A half year ago I began my classes at Penn, in June 2017. During this time, I have gone through a great deal of transformation and growth. Now though, a new chapter in life is beginning. As I prepare for the next chapter of my life, certain preparations need to be made. Ideally, I’ll be moving across the country soon which means housing, a car and job applications. Recently, here’s what I’ve...

It’s mid-January and Spring semester is almost in full swing. Looking back at registration, I have pretty much a completely different schedule than what I imagined I would have. I went back and forth to my advisor, asking what she thought about this and that class—lucky for me, she is a great advisor and was incredibly patient with all my questions.

You see, I am only at Penn for one...

Recently, we at the GSE hosted a webchat so that prospective students could ask their questions about the college. An interesting thought that I had never considered, being from the city of Philadelphia natively, was that the weather here in Pennsylvania is not comparable to the weather throughout certain other parts of the world. While Philadelphia isn’t as frigid as areas such as Vermont or...

I moved to Philly almost 8 years ago to attend Drexel University. After these long 8 years, there’s still so much for me to learn about this city! That’s one of many great things about going to school here, the city is huge and full of opportunities to try new things. This is my official list of “bests” in Philly. This is just a starter list of my opinions–I encourage you to explore and...

I have to be honest, my decision to, first, apply and then attend to Penn was a bit serendipitous. As you recall, I am from Southern California, and I am also a first-generation college student. My parents have always been incredibly encouraging and proudof dreams. They do their best to help me in any way they can, but because they have no experience with what I went and am currently going...

January 2018 -new year, new semester, new student teaching placement -and only 4.5 months until the UTAP Elementary Cohort graduates from our program in May! The summer session and first semester were filled with valuable and challenging classwork and experiences in my elementary classroom placement. It was a six-month period, but there was so much going on that it moved by rapidly. It is hard...

Being a full-time student, it makes it a little more difficult to spend your free time getting to know the city instead of sleeping and binge-watching Netflix. Nevertheless, you have to make time for what matters in graduate school, and sometimes that means prioritizing happy hour and karaoke night.

In the beginning of the semester, one of the ladies in my cohort introduced us to Howl at...

Coming to the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, I knew that I would be receiving a high quality educational experience with some of the most brilliant faculty in the business. This is what led me to Penn; knowing I would have an opportunity to work with Marybeth Gasman, Matt Harley, and Laura Perna solidified my decision when applying to Higher Education graduate-level...

Today, I took a trip to the Smithsonian National African-American Museum of History and Culture. This trip, sponsored by the Penn GSE Student Affairs and the School of Arts and Sciences Student Government, may have been the highlight of my semester. Even considering my evenly spread course schedule, admission to student organizations and fellowships, and overall immersion in the overwhelming...

Hi everyone! My name is Katya Murillo, a southern California native. Honestly, growing up in SoCal, I never thought I would want to leave, I mean who would when you have Disneyland, the beach, the mountains, and the dessert all less than a two-hour drive away in any direction? Plus, my favorite part about living in SoCal was being a "short" 6-hour drive from my family in Baja California,...

The first semester in the Elementary Education Urban Teacher Apprenticeship Program (UTAP) is packed with classes and fieldwork. It’s busy, but we dedicate the majority of the first semester to classes and two and a half days of our school placement site, so we can mainly focus on our teaching practice during the second semester of the program. Every day is slightly different, but on Wednesday...

After graduating from my alma mater, Paul Quinn College, attending a selective elite institution was always in the plan. Admission to graduate school was something I knew I would need, considering my life goals and career trajectory, mainly because of the narrowed focus and collaborative nature professional school provides for its students. This fine-tooth comb was what I desired so that I...

I’ve been in school every single year since I was 3 years old, two decades ago. I’ve done my master’s degree immediately following my undergraduate degree, and feel like if anyone is an expert on classroom learning, it’s me. But in May, that will be coming to an end. This is possibly my final year of school. I’m sure there are many other people around me in similar situations and so it’s...

This post is in no way intended to be written as an expert of all things Philly, but I wanted to list out my favorite finds in this great city as someone almost two months in. Since I have limited experience, I only have two categories: Places & Food.

Places

Penn’s Landing: This is a biased fave because when me and my husband first...

Disappointment, and failure, are a part of life. They are things that cannot be avoided without also avoiding great moments. This week, I encountered my first scholastic failure since becoming a student here at the GSE. I was tasked to write a paper on an instrument; I had the option of working within the group but thought that I’d have a more fulfilling time if I was able to create the entire...

During my fall semester, I was both a full-time student and a research assessor at CPRE. I was very eager about my position and getting experience in data collection. Because we were working with Philadelphia School District, our schedule was very concrete. We dedicated two days of the week to being in schools, assessing students, and returning to the office to input/record data. For your...

Now that midterms are over (well, sort of), I think it’ll help my self-esteem and your inquiring mind on how I survived them. First off, it’s important to understand that mid-terms mean different things depending on the program and which classes that you take. I had all papers and projects due for mid-terms, no exams. However, my roommate had an in-class mid-term where she was given two hours...

I visited every institution that I applied to. This was something I did when I applied to undergrad institutions and it served me well in deciding which institutions feltlike the right fit. There were institutions that on paper (or now, online) sounded like great fits, but visiting left me with a different idea. As I walked onto Penn’s campus, on a rainy Saturday in March, I looked around to...

I’d like to take this post to speak about something that legitimately surprised me when I initially arrived at the University of Pennsylvania. I went to one of those large state schools with thousands of students, where you feel more like a number than a person. I’d have issues getting professors’ time because many of them had research as their priority and teaching was something secondary...

One of my program’s favorite things to say is “it depends” when it comes to situations in counseling and mental health. The same can be applied to nearly every situation in life, especially the decision on where to go to graduate school.

Personally, I applied to four schools; three in New Jersey, plus Penn. The three New Jersey schools were “ranked” differently, however their...

I, like a number of other students, pursue work in addition to the responsibilities of class. Right now I am an employee at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Information Services department, doing 25-30 hours a week. This, on top of my 4 classes (10 hours), leads to a pressing schedule for the majority of the week. I’ve compiled a list of a few of the ways that I stay sane with so many...

Now that I’m five weeks into my program (ONE FULL THIRD THROUGH THE SEMESTER), let’s talk about my balancing act so far. As always,a little background about my experience with balancing acts. When I was in high school, I was the girl that was involved in EVERYTHING while also holding a part-time job my last two years. In undergrad, I calmed down a bit and spent a significant amount of time...

7:00 –Wake Up, Check Email

7:30 –Make Breakfast, Pack Lunch & Snacks

7:45 –Hair, Makeup, Outfit (Make sure you’re warm if it’s past October!)

8:15 –Leave for class (if you’re using public transit, make sure you leave some wiggle room for late buses/trains!)

9:00 –Intro to Stats

11:30 –Decompress with friends about class, likely over coffee, a trip to Spread...

Student Teacher Self-Care: Running in Philly

The UPenn Urban Teacher Residency Program (UTAP) packs a lot of courses and experience into one year, so there is a lot of time spent in class, at school and doing work for classes. Running is one way that I have always practiced “self-care” -taking care of my mind and body so that I can keep my anxiety in check and be a...

I decided to apply to Penn GSE shortly after a stint in a financial role in New York City the summer of my junior year. I had worked for years towards getting this position and I was quickly realizing that it was not the kind of work that would suit me for a career. I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the city and the need to be at work for upwards of twelve hours, but incredibly...

Balancing school and a graduate assistantship has certainly been a unique challenge, but a very worthwhile experience. On top of attending about 10 hours of class each week along with studying outside the classroom, the graduate assistantship is a 20 hour per week paid position designed to provide GSE students with a professional work opportunity during the school year. For me, working in Penn...

I decided for my first post to be about the transition to Philly. When thinking of a title, I thought Motown Philly was perfect. First off, who hates Boyz II Men?! Secondly, if you’re unfamiliar with the song, it tells the story of how the Boyz II Men group came about and their dreams coming true. Now the song title Motown Philly is special to me because I’m from Detroit, and among many of the...

As a young child, I often in involved myself in “the most of things” when it came to extra and co-curricular activities. The most of things--meaning fully-engaged and spirited in whatever the mission was for me in and out of school. I can reflect onholding my younger sisters hand while walking into the local YMCA to take summer swimming classes; as nervous as she was, I was too. Eventually, we...

I am so glad that I listened to all the former students that told me to take History of American School Reform with Dr. Jon Zimmerman. One, how cool is that last name? Two, do you know the history of public education in the United States and the reforms taking place since Antebellum? Yeah, I didn’t either. But, I wasn’t the only one that heard that Dr. Zimmerman was a cool professor. Day 1 –...

As the time drew near to choose which graduate programs I was going to apply to, Penn wasn’t even on my original list. I visited schools like NYU, dabbled with Columbia, and a few other small programs in New Jersey. It wasn’t until a professor of mine, whom I truly admire, who one day in class just said flat out to me, “Why don’t you look at Penn?”

At first, I thought “no way would a...

I grew up in a very small town in Gloucester County in Southern New Jersey. We were actually rated the slowest paced town in the state, and horses still trot along busy roads. That bubble of being a small-town girl was inevitably popped when I entered my undergraduate career at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and even more so when I began my graduate studies at Penn.

Moving to West...

I spent my first year after undergrad in an elementary school as a full-time literacy intervention tutor and the next two years at the literacy nonprofit that implemented the program. I knew that I was interested in staying in the education field, but I was not 100% sure what specific role I wanted in my career.

I was extremely fortunate to work closely with many former and current...

July 3, 2017. The day I moved to Mantua, a small neighborhood on the northern side of Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. I came to visit Penn GSE during the Admissions Open House in March of 2017, so I was slightly familiar with University City, but what I didn’t realize was when I signed on to move into my apartment, that I would be relocating to one of the most under-...

There are going to be so many options and such little time. At the beginning of the fall semester, expect to get a Program of Study for Education Policy. If you’re impatient like me, you can attempt to Google search for a program of study and get an idea of what courses will be offered in your program and during which semesters. From your undergraduate experience, you may already know to find...

Here you are. After all that deliberation, back and forth, upside down/inside out decision making you’re here. How? You’re not really sure, but you are. Congratulations.

As you embark on this little thing you call “The Dream” make sure you don’t lose your vision. That little seventh grade version of yourself who had this little idea to help people one day, don’t lose her. She would be...

Looking for coffee? The choices are endless. Personally, I’m a huge for of the GSE Café coffee options. And, they’re rather cost-friend. Needless to say, convenient. If you’re a Starbucks fan, there’s one on every corner. If you’re willing to venture out a little, Joe’s Coffee on Drexel’s side of town serves a nice cup of coffee and so does Green Line Café on 40th street. Food options are also...

I moved to Philadelphia a month before school started and I had visited twice since being admitted so, needless to say, I was really excited about moving to Philadelphia! I moved from Durham, NC where I did my undergrad at Duke and then taught for four years. Born and raised in Los Angeles, you would think I would have no problem adjusting to living in a big city again, but LA, Durham, and...