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Bonjour à tous ! I am not applying to a PhD program this year (grad school for French is now in my past), but I saw this in the "waiting" section and just had to pop in and say courage!! The Grad Café helped keep me sane during my waiting process, and I even made a friend. Take care and I hope you all get your top choices. 

Hello! I've lived in Cruces for 8 years, and I graduated from both high school and NMSU with a BA there. I will gladly offer some information on the lovely Las Cruces, New Mexico. First and foremost, I like to refer to Cruces weather as "extremely hot and extremely cold with sprinkles of 'wtf was that?'" The summers you can expect to reach triple digits most of June and July, although July is our rainy season so the thunderstorms are a blessing. The weather stays nice and warm until mid-late October, where it stays nice and cool for a month before the temperatures drop to ~20-30 day time and teens or below at night. January is probably the coldest month, and you can expect nighttime temperatures of below zero and also some light snowfall and hazardous ice conditions. Please do be careful when driving during snow because, as we are a dry, arid climate, nobody prepares for or knows how to drive in icy conditions. April is windy season, where you will probably experience your first sandstorm. The demographics here are pretty even -- about 50% white and 50% hispanic. As we are about 40 minutes from the Mexican border, the environment is heavily hispanic (which means the best Mexican food and green chile of your life!). Still, most people still speak English. Las Cruces is kind of "college-towny" but there are also many professionals who are employed at White Sands missile range or NASA, and there are many families. The city is fairly low-income, which makes finding affordable housing rather easy. There are a lot of apartments within walking distance to NMSU and, if you choose to live farther away like I did, the university is still easily accessible because Las Cruces is directly on I-25, meaning you can just take the interstate and hit University Ave. on exit 6 The campus itself is pretty big and I always thought it was pretty, but I can see why many people might say it's plain. You have a beautiful view of the Organ Mountains from anywhere in Cruces, so that's always a plus. Nightlife in Cruces is amateur; many people go to El Paso (I-25; merge onto I-10 into El Paso; approx. 35 minutes) for the scene on the weekends. There is a bus system on campus that is free for all students. As far as parking, you can park in the free parking lot and a bus comes to take you to central NMSU every 15 minutes. I did this all four years and never paid a dime for parking passes! There are plenty of services for students on campus. Feel free to ask about anything else. I am happy to respond! (Sorry in advance for any typos. Im on my ipad).

Good luck!

Good luck!

This happens all the time, especially when you're teaching a subject like feminist theory.
As a TA, the best strategy is not to deal with it. When you encounter a problematic or vitriolic paper, you tell the course instructor about it and let them handle it. When you're the course instructor, what you do depends on just what you receive and what local laws look like. If you're in Canada and the paper contains threats of violence, or advocates harm to people in protected categories, you probably have to pass it up to the head or dean. But if it's not that bad, then you just ignore the fact that you vehemently disagree and strictly apply your usual grading criteria. So, you check to make sure it's coherent, that the arguments are valid, that it offers a charitable interpretation of its dialectical opponents, etc. And you make lots of suggestions as to how the paper could be improved. Cover your ass by taking a little more time to read and comment on it, and whatever you do, don't explicitly indicate that you find it offensive or stupid. The student is almost certain to come see you about it later, and you need to project absolute professionalism in that interaction. And don't attribute anything to the student, only to the paper. (So don't talk about what you say, talk about what your paper says.)
FWIW, whenever I've gotten papers like these they've been crappy rants. That makes them pretty easy to grade, and it makes it easy to explain why it got such a shitty grade: it's not because your views are stupid and you're a moron, it's because your critique of X is uncharitable, you haven't considered any counterarguments that might be raised by your dialectical opponent, the argument from P to C is clearly invalid, etc.

Yes, you're correct that you will need to meet the basic ASHA requirements. Some grad schools might let you take it prior to graduation while you're in the program, but most of them are going to want you to have it completed before you start. You'd be wise to have them done either way as grad school is enough work without adding that on top. 

You can find a list on ASHA. https://www.asha.org/Certification/Course-Content-Areas-for-SLP-Standards/
I had that all done from my undergrad work, but I would take those classes at a community college if I needed them before applying for grad school.  

Sounds like languages are most likely just a hobby for you. Whether they look "impressive" on a CV is debatable and ultimately whether or not they will matter at all will depend on your career plans. If you want a career in a therapeutic field, Spanish sounds like a decent choice. Depending on your location, you might ask what other languages underserved communities speak, and that will vary by geographic location. Frankly, though, I would not choose a language based on some vague notion of prestige and I would not put too much stock in what it will do for your career if you're just self-taught and don't even have career plans at the moment. Treat it like what it is -- a hobby. Just go with what's the most fun for you right now. 

Hello! I've lived in Cruces for 8 years, and I graduated from both high school and NMSU with a BA there. I will gladly offer some information on the lovely Las Cruces, New Mexico. First and foremost, I like to refer to Cruces weather as "extremely hot and extremely cold with sprinkles of 'wtf was that?'" The summers you can expect to reach triple digits most of June and July, although July is our rainy season so the thunderstorms are a blessing. The weather stays nice and warm until mid-late October, where it stays nice and cool for a month before the temperatures drop to ~20-30 day time and teens or below at night. January is probably the coldest month, and you can expect nighttime temperatures of below zero and also some light snowfall and hazardous ice conditions. Please do be careful when driving during snow because, as we are a dry, arid climate, nobody prepares for or knows how to drive in icy conditions. April is windy season, where you will probably experience your first sandstorm. The demographics here are pretty even -- about 50% white and 50% hispanic. As we are about 40 minutes from the Mexican border, the environment is heavily hispanic (which means the best Mexican food and green chile of your life!). Still, most people still speak English. Las Cruces is kind of "college-towny" but there are also many professionals who are employed at White Sands missile range or NASA, and there are many families. The city is fairly low-income, which makes finding affordable housing rather easy. There are a lot of apartments within walking distance to NMSU and, if you choose to live farther away like I did, the university is still easily accessible because Las Cruces is directly on I-25, meaning you can just take the interstate and hit University Ave. on exit 6 The campus itself is pretty big and I always thought it was pretty, but I can see why many people might say it's plain. You have a beautiful view of the Organ Mountains from anywhere in Cruces, so that's always a plus. Nightlife in Cruces is amateur; many people go to El Paso (I-25; merge onto I-10 into El Paso; approx. 35 minutes) for the scene on the weekends. There is a bus system on campus that is free for all students. As far as parking, you can park in the free parking lot and a bus comes to take you to central NMSU every 15 minutes. I did this all four years and never paid a dime for parking passes! There are plenty of services for students on campus. Feel free to ask about anything else. I am happy to respond! (Sorry in advance for any typos. Im on my ipad).

Just heard from MIT... I'm in. (exclamation points)

I was just admitted to Harvard..... is this real life? 

I had an interview with UPenn in 2009. I'm still waiting to hear back. Never give up hope! 

On UCLA (for those of you who didn't care to frequently check their For Prospective Graduate Students page, like me):
 
 
(directly copied & pasted from here)
 
So, there!

Another current trend suggests an overwhelming # of misogynists, especially ones who deny that they are sexist, like to point out the number of women in different professions as a way to devalue them.

Please take your negativity and sexism elsewhere. We're here to support each other. Thanks.

Oh hey, so anyone who has a Berkeley interview, I wouldn't worry too much about it. They only ask the questions mentioned in the initial email. They're also all really nice!! I don't know how much the interview helped my chances, but it was a great experience and I really liked the culture the program seems to have

Someone from LA just viewed my academia.edu profile...looks like UCLA is starting to review applications!!!!

Your best option is to let program A know that you have a scheduling conflict and (courteously) ask them if there is a possibility of rescheduling. If they only have 1 interview/visit day, they will probably want to do a skype interview. They won't outright reject you because you have a scheduling conflict.

Hi hellibor,
 
From what I've noticed from these forums alone, choosing to email POIs is a personal choice. Some adamantly recommend writing POIs early; others say to avoid it. I personally choose not to contact POIs out of fear of being "needy", as you put it. My friend, who is applying to similar programs, contacted every one of her POIs as early as September; another flew to France to meet with a POI personally. It's a choice you should make based on how you feel you wish to be perceived, keeping in mind that every POI is going to be different, so there is truly no one "right" answer.
 
Not being a "contacter" myself, I am not fully aware of the timing etiquette; my instinct is telling me it might be a little too late to contact POIs now. I feel it might appear to them as a gesture of formality, rather than a thoughtful inquiry. I'd love to see other answers to this, though. I could be off the mark.
 
Best of luck!

... when you join GradCafe and realize everyone applying to your programs has better work experience/GPA/GRE scores!

It started to feel real for me when I checked my bank account balance after submitting 10 applications

It started to feel real when I got a call from a POI and she was describing the interview process in more detail than anyone else had previously described to me.
She said something close to this (I was taking notes like crazy):
 
Okay kiddo, you'll sit down with a faculty member, and they'll say, "Tell me about yourself".
And your mind will be scrambling for the most succinct thing to say, but you should jump right into your research. Talk about your hypotheses, results -- don't go straight for the techniques -- show that you understand the ideas behind what you've done. This should calm your anxiety, as it's something to talk about and you are in control of the situation.
After 15 minutes, try to wrap up, and ask them to tell you about their research. Of course, you already know about their research -- you've read a couple of their papers, seen their lab page. Be prepared to ask questions about their research as it relates to something they have said. Being informed, by having read their papers...it isn't so much about digging up some obscure question to launch at them, it's more about having the background to really listen to them and ask questions in the moment, like a real conversation.
When your time is up, shake hands and smile. Do send them a thank-you email at your earliest convenience, as it reminds them of you and leaves them with a warm impression of you.
Okay, kiddo? You're going to do great!
 
After this phone call, I curled up on my couch and felt more things than I can remember. That's when it felt real.

FWIW, I remember being very anxious at times during my application cycle, mostly after submitting my applications because at that point there was nothing more to do than wait. Getting into grad school would have meant moving to a new country, which had implications for my ability to apply for (non-academic) jobs and also for my personal life. It was additionally confounded by some crazy business having to do with my MA advisor and their possibly failing to submit a LOR for me, which led to somewhat of a meltdown and then to additional crazy business involving FedExing materials to a new recommender who was in yet another country and having a friend there buy envelopes and stamps for them since they would be writing and sending letters very last minute. [it worked out, I ended up with four letters.]
 
There was nothing nearly this stressful during grad school. I applied for various conferences and fellowships, and submitted some papers to journals. Like everyone else, I got some acceptances and some rejections. There was nothing that was as high stakes as the grad school application process itself, where I felt like it had that much of an impact, and as a result I don't remember anything that made me anxious in that way. 
 
Now, when you graduate it's a different story again. I went on the job market while dissertating, and it had a profound impact on my quality of life that year. It was like grad school applications on steroids. You write more essays, which take longer. You spend longer living with uncertainty: applications are due around October-November; you may hear back around December for long-list interviews and around January-February for Campus visits. Offers (in my field, this all varies) are made around March. If you are not successful, which most students still in school are not, you need to look for a postdoc or visiting prof position. Those are usually advertised later and require somewhat different application materials. Meanwhile, you are supposed to write a dissertation, but who can concentrate on serious writing when you don't know what country you'll be living in 3-4 months from now, if you'll have a job, what you'll do if not, how your loved ones will fit into all of this, etc. I think my level of anxiety last year was somewhere between high and unbearable between October and March. Then once I knew what I would be doing it became a race to finish everything in time. 
 
This year I have a nice postdoc but I also applied for some TT jobs. This time, the application process was much easier to navigate because I'd already written the application materials and had experience from last year. Revising the materials wasn't nearly as hard as writing everything from scratch. It helps that I can stay at my postdoc, so I am spared the uncertainty. I think that is the single most important factor in the fact that this year I don't feel as anxious. I'll have a peak as interviews come and go, but otherwise I've mostly been ok. Besides, with research and teaching and trying to get publications out of my dissertation, I don't have any time to worry. That helps, too. 
 
In general, I'd say I'm a stable and down to earth person. I don't get anxious very often, but I do find that not being able to control major aspects of my life is very difficult when the stakes are high: I've invested a lot of time into a PhD and now I'm doing a postdoc. Not knowing if/when/where I'll get a job means I am limited in my ability to plan my life, and that's very hard for someone like me, who likes to make plans and lists and schedules. I think this is an inherent and difficult aspect of being an academic. Once you have a job, I think it's like being in grad school: there is a lot of growth and learning, as you get adjusted to your new role. But just when you start getting comfortable, there is the tenure process. I imagine that one is the most stressful of all. 

I use a binder for each section I'm teaching, as a previous poster mentioned, but instead of lecture notes, I have the course roster and a page for each student. I add their rubrics and research proposals into it as I get them, too. Anytime I meet with a student, I turn to their page and take a few notes. Students love it when you remember what they said, and you'll quickly find that even though you think you know your students' names, you're never going to remember which student asked for what in office hours, unless you write it down. I also do my attendance on paper in this, and keep copies of the syllabus and assignment sheets. Don't let them sucker you. Students will have trouble adjusting to college (especially in the first semester), but when a student comes up with sob story after sob story, refer them to the appropriate campus offices (disability services, counseling, etc.), because if you keep accommodating them without documentation, you're going to run into issues. This is going to sound petty, but don't loan books (or anything, really) to students. I let one of mine use a very expensive Greek history book my first semester teaching because the library didn't have a copy, and it came back with creased pages, a few stains, and a torn book jacket. Suffice it to say, it made it very difficult to be objective on his paper.  When you're meeting with students, leave your office door open. I'd say leave it open, even if they ask for you to close it. Grad students are vulnerable to false accusations, and I know that most students would never do anything of that nature, but the wife of caesar must be beyond repute, right? (This is a tip I got from my supervisor.) If you're meeting with a student and you're concerned about their reaction to what you're going to say (i.e. if you're accusing them of plagiarism or something of that nature), it's ok to have a colleague with you "grading/reading/sleeping" in the corner, so that there's a third party witness. I did this when I had to confront a student about falsifying rough drafts. Don't assume that students can read, not even at an SLAC. Give your assignment a few different ways: verbally, online, and in paper. They still won't read or listen, but at least you can cover your bases. Monitor your international students' progress in the first few days of the course. Make it a point to talk to them and try to get a feel for their ability level in English, especially if you're teaching an English course. This really helped me my first semester, because I discovered that a student had skipped the required pre-req for international students to get into first-year composition, and had I not talked to the department, I probably would have had to fail her. (She got a very low grade the second semester, even with that pre-req...) At the PhD and MA level, most of us are not equipped to deal with TESOL issues, so become friends with the professors in your department who are certified, and get all the resources you can, if you need them.

Part of bring an adult in a job is that occasionally you have to do stuff you would rather not, at times you consider inconvenient but are without your contracted hours.
Unless your career plan is to become a hobo under a bridge.
Starting work at 8.30am for one quiet tutorial near the end of term is not a violation of your basic human rights. 
If you don't have a genuine excuse then there is no way you'll get out of this without sounding whiney, lazy and unprofessional. 
Just bring your laptop, spend an hour doing work/playing games then go back to bed if you wish once it's done. 

I'm completely on your side. Also, I love your signature. Alea iacta est is exactly how I feel during the application season.
 
Hi OP, I'm very sorry to hear of your predicament. Grad school has that nasty tendency to fill people with doubt and frustration, myself included. I'm wondering what your intention is regarding schooling after you finish your year of leveling. You mention the school being far away but that it is designed to be like a flexible distance learning program. Are you able to complete the remainder of your schooling without the commute, or will there still be courses or work that needs to be completed on-site?
 
Along the same vein as what 1Q84 was saying, grad school in the humanities is hard to do without funding. Depending on how you're paying for your schooling (out of your salary, with student loans, etc), this can be very troublesome. It is often strongly encouraged to not pursue education in the humanities without funding; HOWEVER, each student has a different situation. Are there fellowships or grants available through the department? Ultimately, the worth of attending grad school out-of-pocket is contingent upon whether it's worth it to you and what you wish to accomplish. The job market post-graduation is tough for us cursed with a passion in the humanities, but it's not impossible.
 
What struck me quite a bit about your post is that you said it took you six years to decide to apply to grad school. I don't know you or your situation, so I can only say what I feel I would tell myself in a comparable situation: I feel that, IF you're willing to pay the cost of tuition and willing to make the commute for one more semester, you owe it to yourself and to your past six years to try it out.
 
Are there other students in the program with whom you could discuss your concerns? I'm not wholly familiar with the degree program, so somebody who has gone through the leveling program and/or who is completing the MFA might give you a better perspective on what you should do.
 
No matter what you decide, I wish you the best of luck and also the peace to be content with your decision!