PENN-sieve

I am currently taking one Higher Education class to increase my competency and also to see if I really want to purse a doctoral degree in Higher Education. My class is on State Policy in Higher Education and I often do not feel I have anything of substance to share with the class. Part of the reason is that we do compare other states to what happens in Pennsylvania and I am not familiar with Pennsylvania policy like the other three people in my class who are all from this state, worked here for many years, and/or have a degree from Penn State. This does wonders for my confidence level about my intelligence (already a shaky area and always really has been).

It does not help that I am intimidated by my professor who is Harvard educated and highly respected in Higher Education research. My professor is such a big shot that he was actively recruited to leave the University of Michigan to teach and research for Penn State! Whatever I say can't be BS because he knows ALL the answers. In fact, all of the professors in this department are like this - big shots that are quoted in all sorts of research; big shots who testify in congress; big shots that can serve as consultants for other universities in their area of expertise!

I worry that I won't be smart enough to get into this program. One of my coworkers was just denied this Spring! And then to help me feel even more confident, US News and World Report released it's rankings of top Higher Education programs and PSU, well, we are...#1!


HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
1. Pennsylvania State University–University Park
2. University of Michigan– Ann Arbor
3. University of California– Los Angeles
4. Michigan State University
5. University of Southern California (Rossier)

From www.usnews.com