Notes from Appian Way: RPCV2HGSE

Andrew Williams is a Master’s of Education candidate in the Special Studies Program. He is a youth development specialist and soccer coach, working with young players in the U.S., Africa, and Latin America. He is currently developing a soccer-based academic enrichment curriculum for elementary-aged students.

RPCV2HGSE

Graduate school is a world filled with acronyms, but I figure there’s always room for one more. So, this week I’m writing to you in my unofficial capacity as RPCV2HGSE. Wait, you don’t know what that is? Why, it’s a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who has made the transition to being a student at Harvard Graduate School of Education, of course! My inspiration for this post was an email I recently received from a volunteer who is currently serving in Botswana.

She wrote: “How are you? Thanks for getting back to me. I am super excited to learn more about HGSE. I hope I don’t bombard you with too many questions. Unfortunately, my internet is not fast enough to attend their online sessions… Here are some of my questions: What program are you in? How is the student body? Did you apply to HGSE while serving abroad? Are there a lot of Peace Corps Volunteers in the program? Let’s start there for now. I hope all is well.”

I have since replied to her email, but I won’t bore you with all of my answers. What I do want to share is this: Yes, I applied to HGSE from another country while I was serving in the Peace Corps. Yes, it is very possible—despite the challenges—and I highly recommend taking on those challenges if HGSE is the place where you want to be. Read more.

Read more student blog posts about life at the Ed School at Notes from Appian Way.