queenleblanc

Guilty ... 100%. Refreshing email throughout the day, constantly checking my voicemail / phone for missed calls, Checking the mailbox multiple times after I get home from work just to make sure the post man didn't come back later for an imaginary missed envelope/ package ... I haven't gotten to the point of logging into my application status on the hour, but I am logging in to all of them daily. I find that to be tedious because several apps you have to completely close the internet and open it up to get to another school's app, so frustrating... Anyway. At least we have this forum for a bit of "are you this crazy, too?" comfort.

I don't think it could hurt to look for a job at this point. If you get accepted, keep the job until you have to go to school, and that's a bit more $ you won't have to get on grad loans. If you don't get accepted, you're that much farther ahead into finding / starting a job as the plan B. I am currently employed (6th year teaching) and my plan B is to keep on teaching, so... my plan B is also to continue to work, if I am unable to get into ANY grad programs in my field.

As we near the time that we start hearing back on our applications... I'm thinking about what plan B options we have for those of us who absolutely HAVE to get in somewhere this coming year, or perhaps do not want to wait another full year to start an SLP program (i.e., start in the Spring 2014). Are there schools out there that have later application deadlines, rolling admissions, etc, with deadlines after April 15th? What about spring admits for out-of-field (which seems rare), or, out-of-field with pre-reqs? February 1 and 15th seem to be popular app deadlines, and many of us should start hearing something around the end of February / beginning of March ... and 2nd round near the end of March... so I'm just trying to make sure I've checked every corner and every crack to make sure I can get in somewhere this fall (possibly spring if everything falls through). Thanks in advance for helping to restore my sanity ... Ha!

Me too!!! I am trying to find things to keep me busy... Besides teaching full time, taking an online class, and watching my email and mailbox like a hawk.. I have not been historically patient with things like this.... Not even the first time I did a masters ... I asked the committee the next day if I got in (it was a continuing undergrad to grad program, so I knew I was already in anyway... ). This one has been harder to wait because I don't really know anyone and I am coming with prerequisites from out of field... The nerves are intense!

Woah, I just about had a heart attack. UNC might change the status in the application portal online but its emailed and probably postal, too. I about lost my stomach when I read the quoted post that someone got accepted to UNC already.... Too early, according to last years results postings, which look like the earliest is feb 28th.

Chapel Hill has a great and FREE bus system... Best pubic transportation in the triangle area of NC. Biking friendly in town as well. You can make it without a car in CH if you must. There is also a bus that goes to Duke if you need it (robertson). There is a triangle bus that you can pay to go to the south pointe mall, which I did take as an undergrad with no car on campus and you can survive that way. That bus is the triangle transit authority (TTA). Plus, parking on unc's campus is expensive and limited. You will have to park and ride for most things you do on campus. Some apartments have shuttle busses that drop off on campus. As far as Raleigh, there is a bus system for getting to campus (the wolf line) and it does extend a bit past campus to several apartment communities on Oberlin Rd, Avent Ferry Rd, etc. The apartments around Raleigh are a mix. Some are graduates, some are undergrads, and there are a lot of young career people in Raleigh so if quiet is important, you can find it, although you will probably pay more for it. If you want to go completely without a car, you really need to make sure you are on the wolf line. There is a city bus line as well if you have no car; however, I would recommend a car in general for NC State and Duke students, even if you only use it for your trips to the grocery store or out of town events (etc).

Since it has been so long since your previous schooling, and you already have 2 great references, I think the third coming from someone in the online program you took would be desirable - it would show your more recent academic performance. Consider asking a prof from a course where you interacted more on the discussion boards, or a professor who is more well-versed in your academic strengths. Some schools require "professor recommendations" and some specify that two prof references are required, so do check into that. Good luck with the hunt!

I went online this morning in a fit of impatience to remind myself when the application deadlines were, so here's what I know: January 10 - UNC CH January 15 - ECU February 1 - UNCG and USC February 15 - WCU and ASU So... since it is now February 2nd, I am starting the daily checks of my online status for those schools whose deadlines have passed. The info session at USC told us that they start to review earlier than even the application deadline, so I am really just on pins and needles since that is one of my top picks. I would be honored to get accepted to ANY of them, however, because I would not have wasted the $ on applying if I didn't really want to attend. Maybe I will feel even worse after February 15th ... haha! My impatience is growing rapidly!!!!

From what I remember hearing at the UNC info session, they are interested in the candidate as a whole, not necessarily top numbers. Reaching the minimum gets your application to be reviewed. those without the minimum are likely tossed. They are looking for something more, something unique about each applicant so that their class of accepted students has a diverse set of interests, and I am not talking just about SLP interests. If you are out of field, you will have an equal chance ONLY if you have ALL of the pre-requisites completed or noted as "in-progress" when you submit your application. They will not allow you to enroll unless you have grades in for the pre req classes. Just FYI. One reason I think they may be classified as a top program has to do with the variety of experiences you have for internship and externship opportunities. There are a huge variety of places, age groups, types of clients, settings... More than most of the other schools where I have looked. It helps that the medical "triangle" of NC is huge in Chapel Hill. I did both my undergrad (music performance) and MAT at UNC so I am slightly biased towards them. If you have any UNC questions, Chapel Hill questions,etc let me know!

USC is my top preference; UNC and ECU are tied for second, and the others are all tied for third. Hard to really make a 1-6 distinction but location is important for us. My husband would most likely have to find a new job for every school EXCEPT UNC-CH (I can commute from our current residence, which would be GREAT!). I also own an empty 2-bedroom condo near ECU, so the convenience is there (husband would still have to find a new job). So, a lot hanging in the balance for us. I'm hoping all of the letters come in around the same time so we can compare them all and make the best decision for us if I actually get in more than one place. I'll be looking forward to hearing your results as well as the others on here!

@jmarti37, we applied to UNC and USC! Best of luck, because your profile sounds like you will get In!!!

I am also worried about the GPA thing. Mine isn't super stellar, but my major was also difficult and higher hours required than others. I also already have a grad degree in teaching, so I am hopeful that my six years of experience as a teacher plus positive performance in a previous grad program will be enough. The minimum is 3.0 at all of the SLP programs I have investigated, and I have a 3.26 in undergrad. My previous grad degree doesnt do GPAs so I am having to explain that toone of my application folks who asked. Awkward conversation for sure, because they have never heard of UNC Chapel Hill's ungraded high pass -pass-low pass system for grad school (if you fail a course, you are simply OUT of the whole program). Keep in mind that some programs are interested in you as a person rather than just your numbers. I am relying on that!

I'm freaking out a bit today ... I randomly decided to re-open a document where I typed my answer's to ECU's questionnaire (they don't do an SOP), and I was reading one of my responses which had another school's abbreviation in it ... and I momentarily freaked out that I may have actually submitted the document online that way. Then, I remembered that I actually re-read the doc as I copied into the online questionnaire and I remember specifically changing the school abbreviation. Now, the only thing still making me wonder is whether all that happened in my head (changing the school abbreviation) or if I am self-rationalizing or giving my own version of internalized therapy to calm myself down ... Weird!! I wonder why those things come in our minds THIS late into the application process. My back-up plan is to get into the master's program, and if I don't get in that one, then maybe the other one ... you get the idea. I am ready for a career change pronto. Mentally I keep reminding myself to stay neutral and remember that I still have my teaching job if my applications don't work out this year, but then I remember all of the reasons for heading into a new career, a new master's degree... Anyway, my mind is starting to go NUTS since we are all waiting. This period of time between applications and the notifications is torture!!! Some of my app deadlines were Jan 10 or 15, but the majority were Feb 1 or 15 ... so I am just on pins and needles until I hear SOMETHING besides "your application file is complete and has been forwarded to the committee for review." UGH!!

The type of a/c you want depends on the climate of the geographical area. In the South, you absolutely want central ( part of your electric bill either way). When I worked a summer in Michigan, we were fine with window units which we rarely turned on. Check into how the home or apartment is heated if you end up going with the window units; if you are in a very cold climate, you may need to buy a good space heater like the Eden pure or something else that has low energy ratings.

Check in your "student fees" section if you can find it - usually you either have to provide proof of insurance or you pay into your school's student health plan. The benefit of the school's SHP is that the rates are usually WAY lower than you can find even if you do single-payer on your own. $500 to $600 a semester (4-5 months) is better than $250 a month, and you can visit student health right there on campus (usually accepts walk-ins, yet another benefit). If you have insurance through another source, such a a spouse or you elect to find your own single-payer insurance, you will have to fill out a proof of insurance form with your university so that you are not charged for the student fee for SHP. Every university varies on this policy slightly, so call your student cashier office to get an itemized bill, or contact your tuition/fees folks to see what is expected to be on your student bill. Financial Aid may also have this information.

I was annoyed by the data-bit limitations on uploaded transcript copies into online applications. I kept having to reduce file sizes (which distorts the scanned document) in order to get the fool things to upload. One of my applications I could not reduce a transcript's scanned file size enough through ANY method to get it to upload so I had to waste my last official transcript on hand to mail them one (they wanted unofficial ones online and officials in the mail and would not accept unofficial ones in the mail). With the new age of technology ... you'd think they could establish a way for you to upload whatever file size you had, scan it for any virus attachments, and go on. We're not talking gargantuan file sizes here. I now know a lot more about reducing file sizes than I ever wanted to know.

1- set aside an equal amount every month that you can afford to pay on the debt. Start at $25 a month, and if you go more than that, make sure that you can maintain that payment consistently throughout your PhD program should you go that route. Not sure how to do $25 a month? Take away your starbucks or other unnecessary expense. Start a pocket-change jar. When you have an extra $5 in your wallet, instead of spending it at the local fast food joint, put it in an envelope or jar labeled "debt relief" or something like that, so you don't touch the money. Carry snacks with you instead of hitting up the vending machine. Pay a little bit on your loans once you have accumulated the extra $25. The satisfaction you feel from making even that small payment one time will help you to keep it going. And you'll save hundreds or more in interest down the road. 2- once you have income from a part-time job, or start working full-time, create your budget and try the Dave Ramsey "snowball" debt plan. Pay as much as you can on the lowest debt that you owe, and when that is paid off, roll that payment into the next lowest debt that you owe. Google search for 'Dave Ramsey total money makeover' to learn more about it. I know a lot of people that find success with this plan, and my husband and I are also having a lot of success with it. We have already paid off several debts that would not have been paid off until 2016 if we kept the payment amounts that were scheduled. 3- remember that you're still in school and if you go to the PhD program, you will STILL be in school for some considerable time. Pay what you can, but remember that the full-time job that supplies you with the income to pay your loans will eventually come. :-)

If you want the collections agency to delete it from your credit report ... you may want to actually find legal representation to ensure that it actually happens. Usually whoever you owe for that bill is the only agency that can REMOVE the collections item from your credit report, not the actual collections agency. Pay the bill for sure, ASAP, but before you pay it ... make sure that you cover your bases and follow-through by demanding a follow-up credit report that shows the debt is cleared once you pay it.

Everywhere I applied has a check-box for sending your application to be considered for all sources of funding. There were some additional check-boxes to designate if you wanted to be considered for research or graduate assistantships. One school had a separate scholarship essay to be written if you wanted to be considered for any merit-based scholarships. Definitely check with the department websites if there is a FAQ document for applicants or call / email if you can't find the answers you need. I think the answers to your questions may also vary with the field of graduate study -- some fields seem to have more funding opportunities available. Google-search scholarships for your field to see what is out there from non-profit organizations or national organizations in whatever your area of study is. Some schools will automatically submit applications to all of these programs for you, while other schools expect you to do the legwork yourself on any outside scholarships. Best of luck to you!

Univ of South Carolina, App State, and ECU accept without pre-reqs. That usually extends your graduate program by up to 1 year, but you can get in out-of-field without pre-req's. IF you want to go the pre-SLP coursework route, check Ohio State, USU, and others. I'm doing mine through Longwood University in VA, all online. Biggest thing is to check the tuition rates. I missed the deadlines for OSU (which apparently has a really great tuition rate for out-of-state), so I had to find a program that I could get into, and Longwood had the opening I needed. I am currently teaching full-time and that is definitely MORE than a full-time job, so you CAN do it. I would not suggest more than 2 classes a semester unless you are working part-time, however. I took 10 credit hours over the summer which really helped me out, but the month of May to early June was pure misery as far as the coursework AND working. There is a community college in NC that has the SLP-A courses (on campus) which actually fulfill some of the pre-SLP coursework (but not all), and if it was close enough for me to go to that comm college, it would have saved me a boat load of tuition money. You might just get lucky and be close enough to one in your state. There are other universities that accept without pre-req's. Some of them will make you take summer courses to catch up. Beware, if you are taking undergrad level classes while enrolled in grad school, you may NOT be eligible for fed-assisted funding (subsidized stafford loans, etc). Do check into that. By the way, I'm also out-of-field. I'm coming from a music performance undergrad, a master's in teaching music, and 6 years of teaching ... so you're not the only out-of-field. One program I visited had nearly half of their current SLP students as out-of-field, and they loved the varied experiences in a class like that.

For the school you are currently taking a class (but no transcript available yet), you can send an enrollment verification form. Once you enroll in the graduate program, they will require final transcripts from any courses in progress during your application period, at which time you can send your completed course transcript. On all of my SLP schools, at least an unofficial transcript was required even if a course was in progress, so an EV form would be the best route in this circumstance. You may try requesting it to be electronically sent to you to make the upload process easier. Everywhere I applied required ALL transcripts, even if you had a transfer course appearing on another transcripts. They want to see original course grades and the explanation for the grading system from all of the places you took UG and Grad level courses. That would include your double-enrollment or whatever it was during high school, because college credit was received. Best of luck!

As an educator, I want to add a few things for you to consider. 1. Any "supervisor" (advisor, administrator, professor, etc.) wants to see you try things that they find to be successful. When you show them that you are trying their way but with your own style, they see you as a success. 2. If you are feeling friction and feel like it's because of age or family differences, it could be a self-imposed "rationale" you are creating. We always see things through the lens of our personal experiences and the life around us. Perhaps it is really you making these comparisons about marital status or family status because you feel defensive after hearing criticism. 3. It is possible that the friction is actually REAL. The advisor/prof may realize that they are younger than you (the student), and that automatically creates a sense of "I have to show them that even though he/she is older, I am the expert in the room." I've been in that position -- teaching people who are actually older than me and more experienced in other aspects of life, and it's a challenge to be the expert without coming across the wrong way. Try telling them that you feel as though you are singled out for criticism at times and would appreciate all the ideas they have to offer but perhaps a more private setting for criticism (rather than in front of your peers) would be easier for you to hear. We ALL have sensitivities in this area - around our peers, we want to feel confident, we want them to see how smart / good / put-together we are. 4. Don't look at the praise of your peers versus the criticism of your work as a competition, or as a peer-against-peer thing. It is work, part of your graduate training ... and ultimately your advisor WANTS to make you better. If I had a professor willing to give me constructive criticism that would make me better, while only offering positive reinforcement to my peers, I would be grateful for the opportunity to improve. In my K-12 teaching career, there were times that I was DYING to hear things that would make me a better educator. I also had times where my peers got "empty" critiques and I felt like my critiques had a lot of meat in them (things I could really learn and change). 5. You WILL develop your own style -- but part of the graduate experience is that you learn THAT school's philosophy, etc. You don't have to buy the whole kit and kaboodle as far as assimilation, but they want to see you as a ____ (school name) university scholar that they can brag about. I don't know if this offers any insight that you can take to heart. Do try to put the shoe on the other foot and see it from your advisor's perspective, and remember that it isn't really supposed to be "personal." We ALL have a tendency to take things too personally. Appreciate the opportunity to make yourself better, and if you feel unjustly criticized, back it up in a private discussion (rather than in front of your peers). The maturity will be appreciated by your advisor and will speak volumes of your character. Good luck!

I'm sending a box of whitman's chocolates and a dollar-tree purchased thank you card to my LOR's. Inexpensive, yet tasty. And doesn't look like a bribe. I'm mailing them out tomorrow to the ones that are not local.