queenleblanc

Yep, that would be me too, if I wasn't at work. I think the postal service is talking about canceling Saturday delivery, so now I can't even stalk the post man on the one day I get off from work when mail used to come... Oh well! The waiting is hard, but I think every day that I have to keep waiting, it's a little easier to put it out of my mind and just trust that I will get the right letter from the right university at the right time. It gets easier every day. That, and I have decided that they are all rejections unless I hear otherwise. :-/

What's sad is that last time I took the GRE, I got a six on the writing portion. I know that my academic writing skills haven't suffered that much in 5 years, but they gave me a 4.5 this time. I did not like the time/countdown on that portion of the test; I found that to be distracting. Last time I took the old format (which had better prompts) and I don't remember it being timed, or there was much more time available. I considered a re-take but it seemed that my score fell within the threshold for most schools, so I went with it. If none work out this year, I will definitely re-take before reapplying.

"You're so smart, I think you'll get in everywhere you applied and have to CHOOSE where you are going. They might even call and beg you to come!" ... SMH!!!! I will be very lucky to even get one acceptance letter based on what I have learned about the competitive nature of my program. Never mind that "I'm smart" doesn't work on these applications... because EVERYONE is...

I am absolutely going nuts. My career is nuts right now, and I find that I am making my home life difficult because I'm trying to keep my career afloat until I get into school ... I check my email obsessively, the mailbox too ... just in case the post man forgot something and came back later... certifiably insane, perhaps. It drives me nuts when other schools start notifying but mine have not AT ALL ... not even a peep as to an estimate on WHEN we might hear something. The results board shows we should start hearing something soon... between now and the end of February... but I'm definitely not feeling like the light at the end of the tunnel is anywhere NEAR where I can even get a glimpse. :-(

The new governor of NC is looking into connecting jobs with college courses (insane!). The idea was basically why are our liberal arts colleges offering courses where you can't get good jobs in the field,.... to which I kept thinking that there are not going to be statistically significant linkages to specific college courses, nor is that a proper way to decide what courses are offered anyway. I keep hoping the governor will back off and realize what he is talking about is VOCATIONAL school, where if you major in "plumbing" and don't get a job as a plumber, THAT'S where the connection is to be made. And of course all of the other variables like "I got a different job" or "I couldn't be a plumber in my city right after school so I waited for the job to open up and got another job in the meantime." Rant stopping now... There is a lot of pressure from higher ed institutions in NC on this issue right now and for now, it seems like the governor's office has publicly backed off from this issue.. hopefully the governor remembered his own liberal arts degree and how a versatile graduate can be employable in several different arenas of work! :-) Okay last thought, I promise... the US bureau of labor statistics is a GREAT way to get a feel for average salaries in a LOT of different fields ... if they really want to get into the ROI research...

Shouldn't be a problem in changing. Since most LOR's are done online now anyway, they will know by the email they receive what recommendations to fill out. It would be good to send a courtesy email if you can, like others said, just letting them know that you dropped one or two, or whatever. I took two schools off my list and added two more later, and my LOR people had no issue with that at all (it happens a LOT as you investigate where you want to apply).

If there are any PhD applicants, I don't think they have announced themselves yet. I'd love to talk to someone in a PhD SLP program about preparing for that -- I am also hoping to pursue a PhD in the future and want to make sure I take the steps during the Master's program to set up my application for success!!

I am so stinkin' happy for you guys who got interviews or acceptances already!!! Hopefully you can send some prayers up for the rest of us once you get accepted! STILL waiting to hear ANYTHING from all of my applications. Two of my schools aren't technically "due" until February 15th but it looks like they respond relatively quickly according to the results search page. ... Hoping to hear by the end of February if at all possible!!!

It was a fairly recent change that took audiology up to the doctoral level as the 'entry' degree - I think the historical salary levels have not risen to accompany the change in the amount of schooling. A lot of people still view the clinical doctorate (AuD) as a lower tier degree. As far as SLP/ Aud compared to other medical fields such as PT or OT, I think the US bureau of labor statistics gives some good numbers to look at. OT was only slightly higher on average than SLP. PT was a bit higher than OT if I remember correctly. You have to also take into account that the averages you see on that site are not necessarily the official estimates on pay -- there are SLP's that make much more than the average, although probably not as many at that level compared to the entry level SLP's due to the "shortage" that we always hear about in this field. I'm personally grateful that ASHA keeps the programs from flooding the market with SLP's... higher supply, lower pay ... lower supply, higher pay ... or at least that's how it works in theory, right?! :-)

You may find out something about the school you wouldn't have known otherwise ... I think it's worth it to take the interview and find out what you can't find out online. Meeting potential prof's in person can be a very valuable experience that may just help you make the decision for school #1 or #2. You don't have to "fake" the enthusiasm -- try to remember why you were so excited to apply there to begin with. Maybe you'll find what you CAN be enthusiastic about. At a minimum, be open to learning about them and be polite. I would not ask for reimbursement of air fare when you don't show up for the interview.

Almost all of my apps will not do interviews -- I heard that USC does interviews AFTER you get accepted (weird, huh?) -- ECU does interviews according to the information online but who knows if that is accurate or not. I kind of hope I don't have interviews in a way because I don't have many more days off that I can afford to take!!

ellio215, that sounds pretty cool !! DO IT! ;-) Just kidding... maybe as a part-time gig since you WILL get into school somewhere. :-) The POWER of positive thinking, people! We are ALMOST THERE!!!!

Can't wait to hear your results! I am in for a wait, probably until the end of the month at the earliest ... trying to keep sane one day at a time.

See if your grad school has an "application requirements" section. If it doesn't list an interview out-right, it is possible they don't have any. Only one school where I applied actually has an interview. Another school said that interviews happen AFTER you are accepted (weird, I think?). So... it will vary from school to school and even from program to program. Good luck!!

Just remember that if your application was rejected .... try not to take it so personally. They rejected what THEY saw on paper. It is so difficult to represent yourself in one little application, even with an SOP or any other submissions. So, take it as your PAPER application wasn't what they were looking for THIS time. I say that, and I can tell you that rejection still hurts. I am a teacher who has experienced countless budget cuts, has had to job-hunt 4 out of 5 summers being employed as a teacher ... and every interview that goes well but turns into a "no" hurts. A LOT. I was applying for jobs with shortages in the field, against 20 to 30 other applicants for one spot. That is similar to many grad school programs now. Remember that you are still you, and if there is anything you could take from that experience going forward, maybe your paper version of yourself wasn't the person that they were looking for. Maybe the paper version of yourself didn't represent YOU adequately (even though at round 3 you probably are pretty darn close). The mistake I used to make in interviews early on was trying to "fit me" to them. What you need to do is actually be YOU, and you'll find the right place. Is the PhD dream something that will become reality? Maybe one day. I used to think after I finished my MAT in teaching music, I would teach for a few years, get my national board certification, then go for a PhD program and teach music ed at the collegiate level. DID NOT HAPPEN. Not in a long shot. My dream to pursue a PhD died when my music ed career changed and kept kicking me out (thanks, bad economy). I found a NEW dream. And that's totally possible. I'm pursuing speech-language pathology now. From my conversations with professors, it seems like a PhD in this field is actually more well-fitted for me, and my background in music can help me. So, maybe there is another way to pursue that elusive PhD and live passionately with or without the PhD. No guarantees I'll even make it to the point of applying for PhD programs, but as long as I am passionate about the career, I have a feeling that it won't matter as much. Can you find the career that helps you retain your passion? Whatever you decide to do in the future, whether you keep applying, or re-adjust the dream, be sure that your full heart is into it. Ask for help from people who know the field and can help represent you on paper. Jumping full-force into a dream can also hurt, but it can also lead to amazing things. Don't give up!

It's okay to let the dream change. I'm a career changer. Did the master's in teaching. Did six years teaching. My dream changed, and I'm now in pre-reqs and applying to SLP programs. I also had an aptitude test a long time ago that suggest speech (etc) and I just thought, "well, I'll be teaching some speech with my music teaching career, so there ya go." I wish I had looked into it sooner so that I could have taken the pre-req's for FREE during my time in undergrad at UNC Chapel Hill. I don't regret the TIME I have spent helping students through my six years teaching ... just need a change that the rest of my life will be different. It's OKAY to change. Even if that means quitting one thing and pursuing another. Preaching over. And yes, SLP field is full of originally out-of-field applicants, so you won't be alone. Your experience in PT could be helpful. I will end my statement with the following; don't change your career /school just for the sake of change. Make sure it's what you really want to do. Check into the research on ASHA's website about what SLP's do, check into audiology (a related field), and really expand your research into ALL of the field of SLP. If you don't like touching people, there is an element of that which you cannot escape as an SLP (although I would guess it is significantly less than the PT would do). Be strong in your conviction to change to be in SLP school ... and find the schools that fit you when you eventually start applying. BIG - check into the pre-requisites for SLP. Schools vary widely on what you have to have prior to entry, or can take concurrent with the grad program, etc.

Mine are also different. Not much different, but what I typed in vs what is on the official report may not necessarily match when they get it. I think schools had me upload a copy of my unofficial score report, which backs up the numbers that I typed in. Like others said, with the new score system, I would bet that they are used to the percentile changing through the year.

Wow, congrats to you guys / gals who are starting to hear something! Repeated refreshing going on over here...

Unfortunately the pre-reqs I need can only be done on campus for this particular school. Talked with the person who emailed me and there are no online or off-site options for these particular ones. They are the same two classes that I knew I'd have to have, but we originally thought they were both Summer II. Maybe it's all a wash in the end if I'm in my top-preferred program. I need this career change ASAP!

Just got an email from a grad admissions / program coordinator about the starting term of their program since I'm out-of-field (with some pre-requisites). I thought I was all set to start during the second summer session if I get accepted ... but they realized today that I have to start during the first summer session because one of the two pre-reqs I still need is a two-session thing... I am disappointed, because if I have to resign early from my teaching job to start during the first summer session, I will lose my local bonus (over $1800) which is only given to those teachers who work for the entire school year... UGH! I considered the alternative of having the majority of the summer available to find and start a part-time job in the area of that school, which could help make up for the bonus pay that I'd lose... but MAN I'd love to get into that school... well, also anywhere else I applied, too. Wouldn't have wasted the $ otherwise! Going to try to stay positive about this. :-/

Know what you mean ... i think part of it is UNC hyping itself up, but it could be other factors too. I think another person on here posted something about accepted vs applied percentages, and I agree with the idea that on EdFind, that statistic is REALLY flawed. Even if someone doesn't quite meet the requirements for GPA, pre-coursework, etc, they are counted in the number of applicants, which can inflate the numbers. I will say this ... out of all of the programs I visited in person over the Fall, UNC's program probably has the most variety of settings out there, and they are hooked up with a super-high ranked medical school right next door, and possible placement in a nationally-recognized school system. Plus, people from all over the triangle come to the Chapel Hill area for learning intervention. I think I remember a study abroad program ... maybe in Costa Rica (?) can't remember right now. UNC is one of my top preferences at this point. (if you couldn't tell, HAHA!) I think many schools give you a complete education in the many areas of SLP, but the "reputation" of the placements that you can get is probably what jumps UNC above some of the other programs on the US news rankings.

Get a temporary phone -- Net10, straight talk, etc, that can call internationally. Have someone you trust check your email (etc) while you are out, and check in with that person daily. The no-contract plans will keep you safe from further subscription to the cell phone once you return. We actually use these phones for our cell phones so we weren't roped into a contract anymore (and they are VERY cheap nowadays). Better to spend a little to communicate over something so important than to miss the info and possibly delay your chance to talk with professors, etc.

If you want to apply to do ECU's online pre-req classes, the deadline is March 1 and is first-come, first serve. I missed the deadline last year and had to pay more for an out-of-state school (Longwood University in VA) to take my pre-reqs. I'm on a mission for a career change and just could not wait any longer to get started on the pre-reqs. Check on the pre-reqs for the pre-reqs. If you haven't already done Biology and Statistics, do them now. I did my biology class online with a local community college for super cheap (less than $300 for the whole course, 4 credits). Stats could be done the same way. Be proactive. Put together a list of pre-reqs for all of the universities that you THINK you'll be applying come next year, and then see what courses you need. Some universities can work an extra pre-req course or two INTO your grad program, while others require grades (etc) to even enroll in their program. Basically, decide what courses you absolutely have to have, what sequence you'll need to take them to get them finished during the time frame you are considering. Check to see if there "optional" courses (ones that you could potentially take during the summer prior to grad school, or not required to apply or enroll). Better to take MORE pre-req courses than less. Some schools withhold financial aid if you are still taking an "undergrad" level course such as a pre-req, which means you could be taking out traditional loans for a semester or more if you still have to complete them. For example, only two of my schools require "Speech Science" to be completed before enrollment. The way I scheduled my pre-req courses, I am going to take Speech Science during the summer session (which I don't register for until April +). If I decide to go to another school on my list where SPSci is not required as a pre-req, I can save that money. If I decide to go to one of the two, then I know I will need to register for it. Check tuition cost, and those little "university" fees that may cost you more in the end. If you're going online, there are a lot of options, and all courses are beginning to be VERY well vetted by the ASHA people who assign accreditation status, which is usually required even for schools that offer the pre-reqs.