HGSE Admissions Blog

In higher education, it’s easy to feel like there is a natural hierarchy to a campus that prominently features faculty at the pinnacle of academic achievement. And it’s true – HGSE attracts the top minds in the field. But, with some of the kindest hearts.

I recently met with a faculty member for coffee in our Gutman Library cafe. I’m not taking her class or even in her program. I was looking for career advice and a colleague encouraged me to reach out for guidance. I was irrationally nervous sending an introductory email. Even as a staff member who regularly interacts with faculty, I couldn’t help but think, who am I to meet with this incredibly important person?

I wince thinking back to that feeling. Especially since minutes in to our conversation over coffee, I was completely at ease and we both spoke freely about our lives. We talked about my future, her career, and the trade-offs of being women in higher education. I left Gutman Cafe refreshed. We parted ways on Appian Way with me disclosing my anxiety around reaching out and her last words were we [faculty] also have hopes and fears. A gentle reminder of the constructed pressure surrounding interactions with faculty versus the reality that they are indeed humans (albeit very accomplished ones).

My advice, get to know the faculty. Deeply. The faculty at HGSE have a wealth of not only knowledge but experiences. They have lives, families, ambitions, and regrets. Don’t just reach out about research projects or letters of recommendation, but instead seek advice, discuss, share, and ideate.

And while HGSE faculty are approachable and caring individuals, I find my best conversations occur when I am prepared. I hope these tips from my experience are useful when you reach out and interact with faculty during your time at HGSE:

• When emailing faculty, copy their faculty assistant. It helps tremendously with scheduling and they’re all very kind and helpful.
• Do your research and prep. While faculty are happy to discuss life and learning, you’ll get the most out of your chat if you have a few bullets that you’d like to cover. It doesn’t have to be formal, but know what you’d like to leave with.
• Follow up. Faculty members want to stay connected, but they are incredibly busy. If they say reach out in two weeks – do it! Faculty mean what they say, so don’t be shy.
• Again, always be kind to faculty assistants – they make the academia world go round 🙂

Blog written by Madison Probus. Photo courtesy of @harvardeducation on instagram

Hi! My name is Madison Probus. I am a part-time student in my second year of the Education Policy and Management Program. I work full-time as a staff assistant in the HGSE Dean’s Office and am going on my third year as an HGSE staff member. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, and worked for two years before moving to Cambridge. In Austin, I worked as the administrative projects coordinator for a non-profit providing wrap-around services for K-12 students. I call Houston, TX home and look forward to returning one day. But while in Cambridge, I’m exploring the free and discounted museums, hiking trails, and New England day trip destinations. My fiance and I have really come to enjoy the city. There are so many exciting opportunities at HGSE and in the Greater Boston area to discover new hobbies and engage in a community.