Only Two Words Matter

I think it is no coincidence that on March 4th I received my acceptance to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education - symbolic! The email with the link to the acceptance letter was actually sent on March 3rd but I didn’t get it until Saturday night. Then I forgot my password and tried to reset it but that wasn’t working no matter what we tried. So I gave up for a little bit and was working on my Sunday school lesson until Caleb asked if I had heard from them and as soon as I tried calling and was in the process of leaving a voice message the email to reset the password came in! Then about 10 more password reset email’s arrived shortly after that :) 

Once I finally got in but before I opened the letter I told my oldest son Caleb that there were only two words that mattered and would tell me everything there was to know. If the first word was Thank you then I didn’t get in, if it said Congratulations then I did. Ok, technically that is three words. 

This is the beginning of the letter…

Dear Elizabeth, Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to the Master of Education program in Prevention Science and Practice (Prevention Practice: Adolescence) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to pursue full-time study for the 2017-2018 academic year. You will be a part of a cohort of students who bring with them not only impressive professional experience and excellent academic training, but also dedication to the profession of education. You are to be commended on the fine record of achievement by which you earned your place in the class.

This is a little more about the program I will be attending…

Learn how to promote positive educational, personal, and social outcomes for children and youth, and strengthen the schools and communities that shape their development. 

In the Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, you will explore the many risk and protective influences on child and adolescent development, and learn how to design strengths-based interventions that promote well-being across academic, social-emotional, and health domains. In PSP, we put a heavy emphasis on applied practice. The core of our program is a yearlong field practicum or research project that immerses you in the real-world applications of prevention science.  

We offer three distinct curricular strands within PSP:

• The prevention practice strand prepares you to work directly with children and young adults across a variety of settings, including schools, nonprofit organizations, and community-based programs.

I was so grateful to be able to celebrate in person with Caleb with ice cream and a silly 80’s movie! I’m starting to recover from the shock but not the excitement! 

I’ve accepted the offer, applied for on campus housing (Do I get a studio or 1 bedroom? Do I live on campus or off campus? etc.), applied for financial aid and between now and August I need to do a million things including going to Paris this Saturday with my mom, figure out what to do with furniture and stuff I won’t have room for, organize packing and cleaning, finishing up my job, plan & calendar important activities and travel etc. and make sure I get everything ready to move this summer! March forth indeed! 

Oh and I also need to look for t-shirts for my kids that say ‘My Mom goes to Harvard’ ;)