Loseric

Thanks, emg! I really wish I could, but I have another commitment that day and can't go. I think I'm going to visit another day, if I can (emailed them and waiting to hear back). Are you going to attend? If you do, you'll have to let me know how it goes!

Ditto, HigherEd. I got the expired link too.

I remember emailing them when I was first investigating schools, and I'm pretty sure this coming year is their first for their M.Ed program. While they're very highly ranked for their PhD program, I personally would be a little wary of being in a school's first class for a degree. But, that's just me - I'm sure others can speak more to UGA's graduate programs.

I forgot about Tufts! I attended their graduation ceremonies last year and was surprised by how nice the campus was. But, I think I'm more in love with the Somerville/Davis square area. What a cute and quirky little college town!

Count me in for another accepted to Michigan yesterday! Yay! Very excited.

I didn't see your message and ended up emailing them anyway and got the same response. It seems slightly strange to me that they'd review the app with just the unofficial self-reported GRE scores, but they said that was just fine. Like you said - not really sure how I feel about that. At least I don't have to worry about being incomplete anymore? Heh.

Great topic, CQE! I love visiting college campuses, but I guess that comes with the territory of being a higher ed nerd. I've seen my fair share of campuses, but I'm always up for more! I am a big fan of Duke, their buildings are simply gorgeous and I love the whole woodsy setting in NC. I finally visited Harvard for the first time last year, and I was a little let down, tbh. I think because I had very high expectations (it was my #1 choice for undergrad that I dreamed about for years), I was a little disappointed after all those years of build-up. But, that being said, the campus is very pretty and I love the Harvard Square area - the quintessential college town setting. My favorite campus, though, has to be Stanford. Beautiful architecture, a gorgeous quad designed by Frederick Olmsted (Central Park architect), and lots of green and flora. Set on its own 8,000 acres, it feels like a world unto itself. But, I could be a little biased.

Just joining in on this thread because I'm in the same boat. Scouting out airfare for my first visit later this month and it's starting to hit me that these costs are really going to add up! I've already decided that I'm going to only visit my top choices in order to narrow down the field - it'd be too costly and probably impossible to do so many visits otherwise. I've been admitted to two schools so far and the difference between their visit days are striking - one is a full program for two days and the other is just one day of a few sessions. I really hope this doesn't sound entitled or anything, but I hope these visits are worthwhile. The comments upthread about the lackluster BC visit made me nervous for what I can expect! Schools should know that students are paying out of pocket for these visits, so they can at least put on a decent program and present themselves well to their prospective students. Seconding emg's question above - any advice for questions to ask, things to keep an eye out for at visit weekends are much appreciated.

Sorry to hear that, Ednerd...my first official news was a rejection too and it really sucked. Rejection sucks, but it's not the end - I think things work out how they're supposed to, and you'll end up at the school that's right for you. I hope you get some good news soon!

Maybe I'm weird, but I've come to dread checking my email. The unpredictability of when some schools send out their decisions is what gets me. It's like you never know when there will be an admissions bomb hiding in your inbox! It's so nice to have an outlet here with people who understand what you're going through! Admissions anxiety loves company

Thanks for the heads up on the application checklist - had no idea it would be ready on February 1. My application is still listed as incomplete despite having received everything. Looks like I'm going to have to email.

Congrats to everyone on their acceptances lately! The end of January has been busy but I'm sure February will bring us all even more news. Good luck everyone!

Me too, suorange! I'm pretty excited about the acceptance but a little disappointed that the visit is just a day rather than a weekend. Still trying to figure out if I can attend.

The fraction is a great suggestion - usually they're the trick. One of the prep books recommends trying the ZONE 1 formula: zero, one, negatives, extremely large/small.

Definitely pack a snack. I was suspicious of this tip, thinking, "eh, I never get hungry during standardized tests, I'll be fine". But after a few hours of GRE test taking, your body and brain will thank you! Nothing too sugary, but a little sugar will help. I packed a granola bar and some pieces of dark chocolate and I was so grateful for how it helped me power through the end of the exam. Although I wouldn't cram before the test, I reviewed problem types and vocab for about an hour while waiting outside the testing center. It was a good warm-up to get my brain into test mode. Write, write, write, and then write some more for AW! You do want it to be well-written and cogent, of course, but write a lot - aim for at least 5 paragraphs, if not more. I swear, I think they grade based on length rather than content. Little known fact, at least to me: create your own mini breaks at the end of a section. I was worried about how short the breaks between sections seemed, but since you pace your own test, at the end of a section you'll get a prompt saying click next to go on. This part isn't timed so take advantage of it! Wait a little bit, breathe, stretch, blink, whatever before clicking next. Having slightly longer breaks during this time really helped me to decompress and prepare myself for the next round.

Thanks, emg and edyoukateor! I'm really excited, this program is easily in my top three list for schools. Ednerd, I applied for the Masters in higher education administration. I'm thinking the MA turnaround time is a lot quicker than the PhD's, even if your deadline was earlier. Good luck to you - hope you hear soon!

Not sure if anyone else applied to Northwestern on here (haven't seen the name mentioned much), but I heard from them today via postal mail. My first acceptance and a really nice surprise! I submitted my application on 1/14 (the deadline) and the letter was sent on 1/23. What a turnaround time!

Thanks, emg! Fingers crossed that it won't conflict with any of the other preview weekends.

Emg, if you wouldn't mind sharing, when is Penn's preview weekend?

Speaking of Vanderbilt, for those who applied - did you also get the "Life in Nashville" email last week? I was trying to figure out if it was a hint at acceptance, as there's a line in there that says "while you pursue your graduate studies with us". Or (more likely!) it could be one of those dang update letters that schools love to send out so we freak out a little bit when we see an email from them in our inbox!

OP, this link from the Admissions blog should explain the reason behind the complete/incomplete issue: http://penngseadmissions.blogspot.com/2010/04/man-vs-machine.html. FYI, while that's true of some programs, the HE program has a priority deadline (1/15) and a final deadline in March.

Eek! Looks I'll be delaying that trip then. Thanks for the info, ZeChocMoose. I'm applying to: HGSE, UPENN, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Stanford, Columbia, UVA, UMichigan, and Michigan state, if that helps any. Is it common for all schools to schedule interviews during visit days? If so, I'm a little nervous at the idea of possibly keeping up with potential interviews/visits.

Have been reading a few threads on here lately and it seems like visitation days or weekends are common for admitted students, even those in MA programs. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic here, but I'm trying to plan a trip for March and am wondering if I might miss some of these visitation days as a result of being out of town. I'm applying for my MA in higher education, and this especially concerns me as I know some of these weekends involve interviews for internships and assistantships. Can those experienced posters give us an idea of what schools usually have visitation weekends, and when they usually are held? Thanks in advance.

Concur with UVA and Northwestern. Boston College is another one that only requires 2 letters.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Personally, I think the 1500 word limit is more for the benefit of the Ed.D and Ed.LD candidates than the MA ones. As a Master's candidate, I found the 500 word limits at other schools challenging, so I can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been for someone applying at the PhD level with significantly more experience, research interests to describe, etc. I worked on it and was pretty thoughtful, and my Harvard statement ended up being 1499 words. I felt I answered the questions well and said all I wanted to say, so all is well. What a relief to have it finished, though!