Veterans and Servicemembers Virtual Information Session

Hi everybody, thanks so much for joining us this afternoon. We're going to get started just a minute. But if you can let us know if you can hear us that would be great and also, if you don't mind sharing where you're joining us from today.

Hey Hey, everybody, thanks again for joining us this afternoon. We're so thrilled to be here with you. Welcome to the service member and veteran virtual information session today. We're going to cover a couple of different topic areas will leaving lots of time for your questions so 1st. I'm going to give you an overview. So you know who's in the room won't reduce ourselves here will talk briefly about our degree programs and community will cover some financial aid information and then we're going to finish with some very, very brief information about the application. We want to spend as much time as we can on your questions. I know some of you submitted.

Questions in advance and you can also feel free to type in questions since we get to that point as well.

So let's talk about using the room of my name is Christine Lombardi. I am an assistant director of admission here at the at school and I'm enjoying way by one of my colleagues in the financial aid office in the current students. I'll let you guys introduce yourself. Everybody down the associate director of financial aid. and I will be your main point of contact for veterans benefits here at HTC.

Everybody in the ECB Ruby I did 8 years in the army got as a captain in the learning and teaching programs valientes and uh.

Yeah.

Great wonderful alright, so we'll start by quickly running 3rd degree programs here just to give you a little bit more information about our offerings the 1st is the PhD in education, which is our research based doctoral and it is in Interfamily program offered jointly with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of education. Individuals interested in this program, have a research topic or area of interest that they're really passionate about exploring an they'll spend typically between 5 and 7 years doing that.

This program prepares people who want to be academic academics. Researchers policymakers essentially individuals who are interested in improving education through rigorous scholarship.

There are 3 concentrations in the PhD an we typically encourage you to look at these more as lenses through which you're looking at your topic rather than topics themselves.

The first is cultures institutions in society, education policy and program evaluation and finally human development learning and teaching and again, which which of these concentrations you'll fall into will depend on how you're approaching your particular topic so one topic might fall into one or more of these areas again. It's just kind of how you're looking at it, so if you're interested in generally looking at something in early childhood education. You could be approaching this from a more cultural.

Standpoint you could be looking at kind of like early Head Start programs and Apolosi area, or you could be looking at cognitive development for young children.

Our other doctoral program is the Doctor of Education leadership. Now, this is quite different from the PhD program and that it is a practice based structural.

Its focus specifically on the Usk Pre K through 12 education sector. So this is for individuals who are passionate about working in the American Pre K through 12 education sector and see themselves as being system. Level leaders there after graduation. And by system level. We just mean and you're affecting change at a level of higher than just an individual school so you may be thinking district level state level working in a government organization.

Or a nonprofit agency that's impacting multiple schools.

And this program is a 3 year program that is comprised of two years. Of course work here on campus and then a residency in the 3rd year.

Finally we have 13 different Masters programs. You'll see them all listed. He ran well. We don't have time to go through all of them in this very short virtual I will say that they are quite broad in their scope. Some people might find themselves again interested in in kind of find their interest falling into more than one of these areas and I would say that all of these programs have a good deal of flexibility built into them so even if you're in the education policy management program, you can still explore your interests.

Uh maybe that fall into like cognitive development or curriculum development as well.

Um again there are a more information about all of these programs located on our website. So if you have questions specific to what program might be the best fit for you. I encourage you to kind of take a look at the curriculum and the required courses for each program as well as some of the resources on our website related to some short virtuals at the programs put together as well.

Not much I really briefly about our community here this year, we have 673 students enrolled about 50 of these roughly are PhD students. The rest are or pH D or E. DOD I should say students and the rest are Masters.

They come from 41 states in the District of Columbia.

And this slide is meant to give you a little bit more information about who is in our current class. We are 26% male 74% female. 25% of our students are international students and 33% are self identified students of color.

The briefcase is at the bottom represent the number of years of work experience so you can see, there's a very broad range through all of our program zero to 30 years. Overall, with an average of 4.2 years for Masters programs.

10.3 for the Doctor of Education leadership in 5.2 for the PhD and finally that Clock at the bottom right represents our full time to part time split you will notice that we are primarily a full time school and this is very intentional, and that our curriculum is designed to be completed in a kind of full time setting typically for Masters program in one academic year. Well, this can be a really big asked to take off time from your from your work.

Having a professional obligations, we find that this allows students to focus on their own professional an academic development during this time.

OK so now I want to move on to talking about financial aid and the application process. So we're going to switch gears. A little bit and I am going to turn the presentation over to my colleague Sean.

Everybody so we have 3 different funding programs for the corresponding academic programs here at HGC. The PhD funding program is a little bit different in that it's actually managed by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. So you work with GSA S. That's their name to receive your funding. But the funding program is a fully funded program that includes tuition and fees support.

Align with state and work support for the full 5 to 7 years of that program so tuition and fees support means that your tuition fees are paid statement works before it means that you receive normally a statement in the early years of the program, then potentially a combination of statement and work opportunities or just work opportunities to meet the living expenses. An other expenses of the program usually during the mid to later years of the program.

Again, you'll work with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences on setting up your funding. An anyone who is admitted to the pH D funding program automatically qualifies for R. I'm sorry anyone who's admitted to the PhD academic program automatically qualifies for the PhD funding program so no extra legwork really is needed for that.

Similarly, the EDL defending program meets your tuition fee needs and also provide statement support Anna paid residency, so with the EDLD funding program that is a funding program that is administered by us here at HTC through our office so tuition and fees are paid directly on your student account for all 3 years of the program stipend usually is paid to you in the first year.

And usually the second year, but there can be a combination again of statement work opportunities to meet your living expenses and then in the 3rd year, you receive a paid residency for some more solid numbers on that. That is $0.20 for the statement amount. That's twenty 7827 thousand $800 for the first year that's paid you over 9 months, which is about $3089.00 per month and then when you reach the 3rd year of the program in the paid residency.

Your salary is usually about a $65,000 or so that's where the salary amounts are running in the paid residency year in year 3.

Then we move on to the EDM aid program that's the most common a program here at HTC because there's the largest numbers of students are in REDF program so there are merit and need based aid programs that merit based programs are contained within the application for admission, so you're able to self identify in apply for merit based scholarships and fellowships as part of the application for admission, you'll be prompted perhaps to write some short.

500 word or less statements if you're interested in the Urban Scholars Program. For example, if you want to focus on early childhood education. You might take a look at the Zans Fellowship. Those are 2. That'll be opportunities for you as part of the application for admission. There are other merit based scholarships that through the admissions process will automatically be considered for such as leadership in Education Award, another so.

The not all merit based scholarships require you to submit any supporting application.

Materials so you'll be presented with those it's pretty straightforward and the merit based opportunities are highly competitive as you can imagine and there are also fairly lucrative in generous so please. Do apply for those even if you are planning on utilizing veterans benefits, which we'll get to in a minute or 2.

Need based aid requires a separate application, so after you apply for admission will contact you about applying for need based financial aid. So need based financial aid includes need based grant program that currently ranges up to $18,500 for the academic year work opportunities through the federal work study program and then loan options, so you add citizen permanent resident applicants are able to.

Barrow with federal student loan if they need In addition to any other aid that they might be receiving which includes veterans benefits.

So, in the next slide, you'll see our basic aid deadlines. January 5th is the merit based fellowship application that corresponds to the HDC admissions application because as I said the merit based fellowship in scholarship. Applications are contained on the admissions application February 7th is when you'll have to have the HTC financial aid application to us and that's completed on line that also includes what we call a restricted scholarship application restricted scholarships.

Dollar ships that are limited to certain people or groups. So it might be something that you're you're from a particular area. You graduated from a particular college. There is some old-time linneage connections. Things of that nature. The Conan scholarship application is listed here. But that's only for teachers that are currently at the Boston or Cambridge, Cambridge Public Schools.

It's probably not applicable to this group today. But if you are a current full time teacher in the Boston or Cambridge Public Schools. Please check out our website for information about the Conan scholarship so those are all due on February 7, 2020 and then Lastly February 21st 2020 is when you'll need to have your twenty twenty twenty twenty one free application for federal student aid, Conway known as a fasa complete and sent to our office.

And when we uhm inform you of the opening of our financial aid application will also reiterate all of these deadlines and give you much more detail in instructions about how to apply for aid and what to expect when applying for aid. The short answer is you apply for a Dan then you'll usually receive your a decision in late March after you've received an admissions decisions so that's a really basic timeline and will give you more information as the process moves on.

So the reason why we're doing this virtual is to give you veterans a little bit more information about what it's like to be a veteran student here and in my role. I help to coordinate veterans benefits for use at HC so it's a pretty straightforward process. Eric might be able to weigh out the way and I'm at a little bit more as a student who's gone through it, essentially you'll self identify probably a couple of times if you're a veteran or if you have access to veterans benefits so obviously.

Dependants of veterans can also utilize veterans benefits here at HGC so you self identify on the HTC eight application. You'll also want to secure a recent copy of your VA certificate of eligibility. We usually recommend that you do that kind of in late spring. We want to have it as current as possible. You'll submit your Coe to the HTC financial aid office and you'll also complete an online form called a Harvard notice of student enrollment.

Um we couple those 2 forms together and then at the start of the academic year. We have centralized VA benefits certifiers that will certify your Roman in your program with the VA and then shortly in VA terms shortly so it can be a month or longer. The benefits will begin to kind of flow first certain types of benefits, depending on what chapter you're taking advantage of some benefits might be paid directly to Harvard.

If you're a Chapter 33 eligible student then benefits will be paid directly to Harvard as well as directly to you. Other benefits may just be paid directly to you for example, if you're a Chapter 35 eligible beneficiary. Those benefits may be directly paid those are the most common. VA chapters that we deal with so we are always able to answer questions as we go through the process.

So here's a slide that talks a little bit about the most commonly used benefits here at HTC and that Chapter 33, so we use a 100% benefits eligible eligible student as our model. If you're 100% benefits eligible. This is all current year information so next year, you can expect this to change normally. It changes a little bit. But for current year. Students 100% benefits eligible student would receive 24,477 dollars in tuition support.

From the VA pay directly to HTC and Harvard to pay your tuition. If you're less than 100% eligible then it's a prorated tuition support amount housing in books, they pins are paid directly to you by the VA.

So you would receive monthly housing allowance and your book state pens on their schedule directly if you're eligible if your 100% eligible for Chapter 33 benefits you're also eligible for the yellow ribbon program so HTC provides a matching award with the VA for Yellow Ribbon and the way that it works is that the combination of your tuition fee financial aid, which could be a merit based dollar ship or need based grant.

Or, a combination of those things, plus your VA tuition support, which is that 24,477 dollars up to that amount plus your yellow ribbon between the HGC Yellow Ribbon Award and the VA matching award that will meet your full tuition and fees so even if you don't receive a merit based scholarship or a need based grant your VA tuition support plus your yellow ribbons or will still meet your full tuition and fees for 100% Chapter 33 students only.

Important to note that if you're less than 100% then you're only going to receive your prorated tuition support. You would not be eligible for Yellow Ribbon. But you would also be able to add in any HTC financial aid and so on.

So there's an unlimited number of students for Yellow Ribbon at HGC so you don't need to worry about getting on a list or anything like that. You're not in competition with other students to receive yellow ribbon support, but it should be noted that if you are interested in other programs at other universities or schools that they may have limitations on the number of yellow ribbon awards that they create so just know that that can change from school to school.

But here at HTSC we're happy that we don't have any limits so as soon as we know that you're eligible you're on the list and we follow through with that commitment.

As I mentioned other VA benefits are also certified by Harvard. So whatever chapter you may be eligible for will be in touch with you and kind of work through the process collect the required documentation and kind of keep you on the path to get in. You are your benefits certified and kind of help. You out, all the way through and it's important to note that the very last bullet here that your veterans benefits don't count against your aid eligibility so go ahead and apply for financial aid see what happens there.

And then you've always got VA benefits to help support so it hopefully is a pretty easy process for you.

I think this is my last slide an this is just our financial aid information. Our website is really useful. It has information on our tuition and fees. It has information about financing options? How to combine you can combine veterans benefits with financial aid or loans. Things of that nature has a bunch of information about applying for Radar Merit based scholarship and fellowship opportunities and all this stuff that I just talked about.

The second website is our student Financial Services website that has specific information about using your veterans benefits year at Harvard so that's also useful website and then Lastly is our email address. You're always welcome to email that address in our reply to you through that address and answer any of your questions so between myself and our central VA benefits certifiers were able to answer almost all questions.

Except what's going on at the VA? Which always changes from year to year. So just expect to be a little bit patient because the VA is involved in the process and it can be. It can be a little wacky from year to year and we are currently in one of those years, so you know, we're all just kind of doing our best so things are working out and we're always going to help keep you updated through the process. So will be available for questions in a little bit and I'll turn it back over to Christine.

Alright so really quickly, I just want to go over the admissions deadlines and the application components. So our first deadline is coming up just around the corner. It's kind of hard to believe. But the PhD deadline is December, 1st 2019 at 5:00 PM. Eastern Standard Time. It's important to note that this application is through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. So you're not going to find it on our website. You'll need to look at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website and again. If you're not in the Eastern Time zone. They are pretty strict about their 5:00 PM.

Eastern Standard Time deadlines just make a note of that.

Our next deadline will be the Doctor of Education Leadership, an that is coming up on December 15th 2019 and I believe both December 1st and December 15th are Sundays this year. So just keep that in mind again. If you have any last minute questions. We do close on Friday and are not open on the weekend so keep that in mind, but December 15th 2019, 2019, is the EDLD deadline and the Masters deadline is January 5th, 2020 for both the DLD and the Masters Deadline, the timing is 11:59 PM.

Eastern Standard Time.

And notification for all of these programs is on line in March 2020, so you'll receive either. An email from ourselves or from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. If you applied for the PhD letting you know as soon as a decision is available to view.

The on line admissions application has the following components. Again, I would urge you to read the application instructions carefully. Whenever you do go to apply because it can be a little bit different for each particular program so just make sure that you read the instructions carefully, but generally it includes the on line application form a statement of purpose, which for our master's and doctoral programs. The DOD program. I should say is 1500 words for the PhD in education is 1000 words so quite a bit shorter.

Uh a resume or state or or current CV.

Standardized test scores, which are the jury, which we do require for all applicants of all programs. If you are applying for the EDLD only you can submit a gmat score and these scores must be from a test again on or after February, 1st, 2015 to be considered valid.

And then if you are a non native English speaker and you did not receive your bachelors degree from an institution where the sole language of instruction in English, you will also need to submit a toefl or Ielts score.

We also require that you upload unofficial transcripts from every institution that you attended Postsecondary.

You wanna enter information for 3 letters of recommendation uhm and quickly at piece of advice. We usually give you here is that if you're able to ask at least one person who can talk to your academic abilities in one person need to talk to your professional abilities, although.

You know if you've been out of school for some time you can always think about how.

Individuals outside of the academic realm, people that you know in your professional life can talk about your academic strengths as well. So it doesn't necessarily have to be from a family member.

And then a few programs do have additional requirements and that you want to pay close attention to for example, the DoD in PhD program do you have an interview component or Masters programs do not? But by invitation the PhD has interviews that took place typically in early February. In the DOD has interviews that will take place in late February this year.

So with that I want to move right into Q&A's that we have plenty of time to get to your questions. I'm happy to answer any questions. You have about the admissions process as well. But I would also encourage you to take advantage to having a chanana current student here with us answer any questions that you have for them as well would be great.

Uh so take him and and take those in I'm going to start with the question, um, which is can you tell me Eric a little bit about what you were doing before you came to HTC and why you decided to apply to HTC or your particular program. Yeah, absolutely so I graduated from the University of Minnesota 2010. I was in ROTC had aspirations to 20 years in the Army retired 42 and then as I was an officer artillery officer and I spent a lot of time.

Um tune leader for support officer where I was training coaching mentoring young soldiers from all across the USA and creating this environment of learning and cohesion and then as I got promoted I start start doing that less and less and I realize I missed that and that I wanted to keep doing that as my career, so I put in my reef red and then after 8 years. It got out, then I took about 18 months often just detox from the.

The high stress work environment of the army just working as a barista or road trip in seeing friends and then I decided to go into the learning and teaching them up. So I want to be a high school history teacher is what I want to do so. The teacher education program is what certifies you to be a teacher. But it shows the learning and teaching program because it's most flexible program at hugs E and it just encourages you to take the classes that excite you an build a foundation for learning and educating in general.

And after coming from the army, which is very regimented that just was more appealing to me.

I'm so be applying for the teacher education program coming up, but

Yeah, that's why I chose it on T and Harvard and it shows, however, just because.

Uh you my friend going to Dartmouth and I gave it a Hail Mary and I loved like the history and the New England area. So I gave it a shot and was absolutely shocked when I.

Guy accepted that's great girl along those lines of being like a surprise. I guess I was there anything that surprised you once you got here on campus weather about the program or can be being in Boston or about the school whatever.

Uh yeah, I think uhm.

You expect it to be a lot more social network. Winklevoss twin alot of the students here and in the staff just Harvard has a nor of it like you think it's going to be very formal and kind of cold expected and it's the complete opposite from the staff and students alike. Just the most friendliest supportive environment. I've been in school, Wise Undergrad High School Junior High Elementary.

Almonds can shocking to me how like

Uh.

The faculty and other students would reach out offering help instead of waiting for you to be in a bind and has come running for health.

So it's kind of cool temperature wise here, sometimes, but I like to think the community is not great. So I guess along that line, a little bit are there any involved in the community in anyway like outside of class or can you talk a little bit about like your cohort experience that kind of thing, yeah, our cohorts about.

45 people for the learning teaching and were.

I should have become really close with each other so we try to do cohort activities. Every now and then and then started liking. WhatsApp chat groups trying to get people to go out on the town and get people involved like went. Apple picking and then we're doing karaoke soon. And we do trivia every everyone say just the rotating group of people and then.

Then there's a lot of artistic students and they will put on shows and there's a lot of.

I speakers come here that I haven't been able to experience this much. But I'll be taking 1 less class next semester. So I'll have much more time to do all these awesome. Things are being offered here. I'm looking forward to that. One thing that people often ask is about again. If you have questions out there in the audience. Feel free to type them in. But a couple people ask before the session about housing, particularly as people might be more likely to locate here if your weather currently in the service or.

Were formally in the service and living all over the world and what was that process like for you. Um thinking about housing in particular, how difficult was it to find housing here in the Boston area. Yeah, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. That was by far the most difficult part of the whole coming to Harvard process.

However, the whole Boston area is a pretty crazy market as far as as far as housing goes.

The rents pretty high uhm and it's like 80% of apartments or houses. Turnover September, 1st, which is class is already starting at that point so.

I uh.

So moving on here, I had a friend moving out.

At the same time, so we decided to be roommates and we started looking on on Line Zillow.

Craigslist every every website, we could find looking for apartments opening August 1st.

And then in Boston, you have to do a pretty much have to go through a realtor. So we found a realtor try to set up different spots that we want to see. And we were able to come out here and actually go look at apartments for 2 days so I like 15 different apartments and.

Be aware that allowed the places that list online. You know they use the fisheye lens to make it seem a lot bigger than it is so it kind of caution, signing anything before you've actually seen the place and then it's also a really expensive upfront cost so I had to pay first month last month security deposit.

And the Realtor City, which is all one months around so Luckily. I had saved away for a couple years and was able to get that going.

Yeah, so it's that was the worst part for sure. Anyway, thank you. I think that's that's really helpful. I can definitely especially removing from a different city or different country. It can be a little bit daunting. I see a couple of questions here from Angelan for the first question I can say we do have internships here in campus that you can do as a graduate student.

Here are you doing, any sort of like internship opportunity here. Uh I'm not doing internship. I this is my first time back in school in over a decade. So I wanted to just focus on not failing out of Harvard after getting in but just picked up a job working in the innovation studio as a part time student just 'cause I've kind of got into the swing of school again. There was a lot of there's a lot of opportunities for for part time work or.

I'm fellowships and internships. I just decided not to do that immediately the first master, but I think that they open up each semester. So this last properties for them. Yeah, that's absolutely true Val from our career services office there in touch with you from? I think the summer before you get here. But you're right if you don't want to do something when you first get here, there's plenty of opportunities to figure out what works for you. Later on in a little bit too. On that assist graduate assistantships are kind of formalized.

Positions and that are often reserved for the pH D or EDLD. Students simply because they are multi year students and formal assistantships usually have a continuity element to them. But for EDM Masters level students, as Eric was mentioning there's a lot of opportunities on line and there are some graduate assistantships available for Masters students. They're just not quite as plentiful as one might imagine so there are a lot of.

Find an off-campus work opportunities through federal work study non federal work study all across varying job types and often in areas that might suit your personal or professional or academic interest. So if you want to work while you're a student and you get fit. It all in. It's a very, very achievable thing to do, if that's something that you'd.

Like to do with the with the on campus. We are off is actually gets a lot of questions about this too. With the on campus housing question. There is on campus graduate housing, but it's very limited so at Harvard University University Wide. There are more students at Harvard than there are housing units, particularly for graduate students. So there is a graduate housing lottery that you can enter into if you're interested.

Campus housing so that usually is in the late spring and again limited positions so it's a lottery. So you never know what you're going to get so I think I think Eric's advice of doing a lot of early planning making some visits if you're able to not signing a lease until you see what you're getting trying to network with other admitted students in your program can be helpful if you're looking to maybe.

Find a roommate or there are some housing units, both near campus off campus that are almost like Generationally passed from students to students. I used to live in an apartment building. Where is like there is just a rotating cast of Harvard students that would move in every year and there's like 1 constant that kind of state from year to year. So those types of things happen, it is a little. It is definitely trickier definitely expensive so early budgeting and financial planning is really essential.

Or, a finding housing and getting moved here. Those are important things as well. Please jump in real quick.

I joined the like Facebook group for the learning teaching cohort after I got admitted but there's a HTC twenty. Twenty one Facebook group that will be created and a lot of people found roommates and housing through there. There's a lot of people that network through there and then kind of wish I had known about that before and.

About half the people in my cohort found really great roommates or cool place through there, so definitely check that out. Yeah, that's a good tab in the office is June. Affairs is also a great resource. If you have questions about housing availability or navigating through the Harvard Housing Lottery.

Um to get to the last couple questions that you asked Anjalum Eric. How do you feel about being on campus as a student veteran and are there many other student veterans on campus or every few and far between, so for the.

Ed school bird pretty limited. I'd met like 2 others in the Ed School. and I don't have any classes with them. So yeah, and far between here.

But it's surprising how small that school is it like soon wise and also building wise. I'm at a window and I can see the entire college because it's three buildings pretty much so. If you see people sequel people. They're going to be around the rest of Harvard in general is was very active in reaching out when I came out here, there were a couple barbecues and meet up San just.

You know, I had 4 or 5 students get in touch with me. That um were giving me advice. I'd ask question. I think maybe the financial aid office and I got linked up with a bunch of people so I know in the other schools there's a lot more.

Veterans attending think the school doesn't jobs, many for some some reason, but there's more applications this year than last year.

But as far as being a veteran and campus.

I had nothing but positive experiences with it and kind of you know, kind of surprised by that as well. I've had some negative experiences being an RTC.

In college uhm, but I didn't experience any of that, so far knock on wood that there are more than 2 and less than 10 veterans at HTC is just current Copart varies, but it is generally a small population. But as Eric said the University as a whole does tried to reach out and there's some larger groups. I think sometimes it starts and stops.

But it kind of depends and varies on the year with that how many veterans are on campus.

Yeah.

Uhm I want to just address the questions being from Elizabeth Ann and kind of generally think about programs is that you don't need to have research prior research research experience to apply for any of our Masters programs. In particular, really any of our programs. So I don't think that's a big downside at all to apply. I would say in reviewing applications. We are reviewing everything that you submit so we do review applications. Holistic Lee, which means that everything you submit gets read and evaluated.

And we're trying to kind of form this mosaic picture of your Canada. C UM so not having prior research experience is not a problem. I would say you know, we're you'll hear I say this a lot. If you interact with the test before senior version was really concerned about program fit. We want to make sure that you are applying to a program that you think is going to fit with your interests. An fits with kind of your educational journey, so in your journey to this point. So where where are you coming from? How is it led you to this particular program and how do you see this particular program?

Sitting in your next steps whether that's a few years down the line right out of the program where you're no longer term goals as well. and I think that's true of all of our programs so again. I wouldn't get too hung up on not having a specific background or a particular type of experience. We're looking to bring in people with a wide range of background experiences work experience is coming from different places in life.

Um so I'd say, you know just if you can articulate that kind of path to us. I think that's that can be really helpful.

Um see them now, um Eric I'm going to ask you one last question, which is is there anything that you wish you knew about the application process thinking back to this time last year or as you're approaching the process.

Um.

Yeah, I think the like you were saying, with the UM mosaic of your application.

I was really nervous after I submitted my application learning teaching when I found out that like 90% of the people in the program have already been teachers for couple years and I kind of freaked out that I was like in the wrong program, I made a panicked Phone calls, but also just.

The.

It was really intimidating the all the different like on line.

Profiles and websites and there's so many different things. You gotta fly to and if you don't go and check it. At the right time you kind of behind the 8 ball that.

So yes, just

I wish I had like kind of explored when they they send out the least. All this stuff and I just didn't really dig into it. I just wish I had gone in and figured out which each site was foreign.

How many different in this in my Harvard there's sometimes it's like 9 different things so that the online portion of it was probably the most confusing intimidating for me, but

Um the yeah, the letters of recommendation had to get clarification on as well. 'cause. It's been over 10 years since I've been in school I didn't remember the names of any of my teachers and I was sure they didn't know me so I went and just had a couple of different commanders and coworkers just ask him can you talk about?

But how I'm working and how that might.

You know translate to the school process and then after if they got accepted as.

It did something right, but that was probably the.

The biggest thing I was worried about as well as the letters of recommendation.

Yeah, I think that that's totally great way to approach it, too, as I think a lot of people specially if you've been out of school for some time and time definitely get hung up on the I don't have somebody to talk about me as a student and I received from the emissions perspective we generally see the best letters come from people who know you well and can talk about.

Your again, you're if you think about your interest in the program or your skills that are going to translate as a student so I think that's great advice to think about really about who to ask and thinking about what people can what different people can add to your application and then might also mean doing things like sharing your statement of purpose. If you're comfortable with your recommender so they get a sense of why you're applying to this particular program can be helpful as well.

Um either of the HTC problems, considering military schools or experience so if you're thinking about do we can? How do we kind of look at military school array or experience um?

I would say you know, we definitely value for all of our programs. We value people coming in with prior experience whether that.

In the civilian sector or you know prior military experience as well so we certainly consider that as.

Years of experience, um again as I mentioned we're looking to bring in people with all different backgrounds of and people with different expertise. So I think it's really valuable to have.

Uhm no backgrounds perspective like yours in the classroom along with you know, thinking about like the LNG for him along with all of these and teachers.

Uhm I think something that's really valuable is not just having a classroom full of people with all the same experience. Rather, it's interesting to have people come in with different experiences and I think bringing in the perspective from military school or military experience is is really valuable in the classroom as well, and something that we recognize jump in there, so like if you were asking about like military schools, like airborne air assault.

Halo something like that uhm I would recommend if you're you know.

Especially if you've been in the military for a long time.

You know.

Most people outside the military don't know what any of those mean so if you're talking about that in your statement of purpose. Just kind of breakdown. Layman terms and tell like how that effects how you are as a person and how it shaped you or something like that. Of course work. I don't think so. I don't think you guys do you ever think about like? Yeah, in lieu of course work here? We don't accept transfer credits?

Across the board, so pretty because our Masters programs are one year in length. Currently, so like you come in. In the follow you, graduate in the spring or you coming in the summer and graduate following spring. You do need to complete typically the 32 credits.

Uh.

My basic basic officers leaders course in my calvins career course. I don't think they didn't count as anything. I got to credit or module. They were just experiences to add to the statement purpose right exactly.

Great well if there are no other questions. I want to make sure we.

Have some time just so that you can see different ways to connect with us in the future so whether this is your first time connecting with us or this is somewhere along your journey. Uh we do have right now program specific information session recordings listed on our website, so if you're thinking about particular programs.

Uh in your kind of setting which may be best. This is a good resource for you to look at we also have other virtual information sessions coming up, including one for a master student chat coming up shortly and you can also connect with us. Anytime an email as well, and let me put my email address here so you can reach out and connect with me as well in the future.

Oh, the Premier one last question here. Sean do you know the answer to this? I do know the answer to that so the faster it really is only do so. The fast is really used as a way to determine your aid. Eligibility for existing 8 programs federal an institutional so there are a limited number of grants. Available federal grants available to graduate students. You would not be eligible for a couple Grand.

As a graduate student so that's the most common federal grant utilized by undergraduate students at a lot of people here about in know about and may have received as an undergraduate student. Those are not available to graduate students so that may be what you're referring to but what will do is we will use the facet to determine your eligibility for HGC grants. If you're in an approved program. There may be things like teach grants if you're moving into teaching.

In certain fields that's a federal grant so the.

It's not true that Facile will not provide any grants. If you already have your Bachelors Degree. It just means that the types of grants are more limited.

And then one last question there that came up is a total cost of attendance for Masters. The current cost of attendance.

For 2019 twenty twenty is $82,776.

That's including padding, I was in that includes housing and living allowances for the 9 month academic year for a single student only so that's important to note. So often times are particularly our veterans. Students are more likely to have families or dependants. So it's important to note that you're financially cost of attendance in your budget is set only on you, even if you do have dependents.

And so that's something that's important to note and you can see a budget breakdown on our website. So you can see how much tuition and fees are and how much the you know things like housing allowances and personal expense. Allowances are for the 9 month academic year. An the spoiler is the tuition and fees are the largest part of the custom attendance, which is for this year about $55,050.

But again if you have depending on your veterans benefits in your 8 eligibility. You may have that full amount for tuition, and fees. Matt Indiana in aid through through a combination of those sources and then again, the difference between that and that $82,000 cost of attendance can be met. In other ways. It can be met. In other sources of aid in student loans often times where are veterans students?

Personally.

Once their tuition and fees are paid through their VA benefits there if there are 100% eligible for Chapter 33 for example, then their base housing housing allowance comes in. It helps to meet there at least hopefully most of their housing costs. During the program so they don't have to rely so much on traditional forms of financially. But those forms of financial aid are still available, so will work with you to kind of get that package together.

And benefit you to the maximum amount possible so you just remind me of the other difficult thing of moving out here for the housing thing I expected. Most of the Realtors to know about the GI Bill and what it did for you and I had to end up like explaining housing allowance and then finding a way to show the Realtor, an whoever you're applying to how much money you'll be getting per month.

'Cause I need to see a proof of either job offer salary or your financial aid. So I would just start gathering that information. Now 'cause I Luckily. I had in like giant stack of VA paperwork, but then I had to take screenshots and bank accounts and stuff like that. It was just be aware that not everyone is knowledgeable about what the GI bill is an or any benefits that you'd be getting when you start moving out here? Yes. Thank you for the.