midnight

Seriously. I'd rather complete an entire post-bacc program than apply to that many schools. Twenty likely rejections would be torturous.

Check the Canadian applicant thread here if you haven't already. The posters there can help you with that side of things. As for US schools, I know that the Canadians here have done very well this year with acceptances to US programs, including very competitive ones.

I'm sending my profs thank-you cards; I've also toyed with the idea of giving them books (~$15 each) that I think they would enjoy, but a card by itself is considered absolutely fine. I'm not sure what you should do about the prof who had to overnight the letter. I'd definitely write a heartfelt thank-you note, but it's kind of messy otherwise since it was the professor's oversight, and I don't think it's your responsibility to reimburse her (not that you said it was).

Absolutely. You can fine-tune your SOP, gain more experience to add to your CV, apply to different or more programs, etc. But it's so not even close to being over. UVA hasn't even notified in-fielders as far as I can tell; neither has USC or FSU! And isn't USF still up in the air as well?! I came across the Churchill quotation in my signature on this board earlier today, and it speaks volumes to me. It think it's appropriate for everyone in the middle of this process!

I'm still thinking only good thoughts for you. I know how badly you want to attend school, and I know you'll be an amazing, passionate SLP.

Bcjami, I took a Kaplan course (only the math portion), and I don't recommend it. It wasn't bad, and the instructor was really nice, but it wasn't worth the exorbitant price tag! I felt ripped off, though my quant score did improve significantly upon retake (albeit I think that had more to do with the new test format since my first GRE attempt was with the old CAT version). Even if your GRE is lower than you'd like, it may not be too low for many schools, especially since your GPA is solid. Some schools give GRE minimum guidelines or accepted student averages so you have an idea as to what they expect, and even some of the more competitive programs don't necessarily place as much weight on GREs as they do the total app. If your GRE is 300+, you're fine for a lot of programs; 310+ seems competitive for essentially every program. And I've definitely seen people on the results page who were accepted with lower scores.

I didn't sit down and memorize vocabulary per se, but if I ran across a word in practice that I didn't recognize or couldn't comfortably guess the meaning of, I would write it down and remember it--and if I came across a word more than once, I made sure that I saved it in my brain for test day. Vocabulary is my strong suit, though. Given the new GRE format, whenever you see a word in practice that you don't know or are unsure of, I really recommend memorizing it along with its synonyms.

The GRE often matters when it comes to admissions and funding, and for the kinds of programs you're interested in, I think a verbal score of 153 will hinder you in the competitive PhD process. I'm not saying that the GRE is a be-all and end-all, nor will the GRE alone get anyone into a school, but its importance depends on the program--and there's often not a concrete way to know just how important it is to a particular adcom (though for top humanities programs, I'd say it's important). Do you think there's any way you could improve with a lot of focused practice? Some people swear by Manhattan Prep, and I personally found Barron's Six Practice Tests to be immensely helpful. The ETS's own materials and Powerprep are good, too, while timed practice for AW can make a huge difference as well. Check this out, too: https://grediagnostic.ets.org/GREDWeb/gred/signIn.jsp

It is basically impossible to find an inexpensive apartment in all of the DC metro area, be it close to the Metro or not. You may be able to find a cheaper room for rent (though that will run at least $500 a month, often more like $700+), but even studio apartments and efficiencies are pricey, especially if they're close to public transit. Everything in DC is expensive. I don't doubt your ability to budget and stretch a dollar, but when it comes to things like rent and other necessities like groceries, you're going to pay a premium in the city and surrounding Virginia and Maryland counties.

First and foremost, it's the only route to the profession I want (SLP). Also, I love learning, challenging my mind, and acquiring new skills while honing my old ones.

Somehow I doubt that older students (30+) are the majority anywhere. And "old folks" aren't a different species. I think you'll be fine.

Thinking good thoughts for you, MammaD! It really isn't over until it's over. The program you applied to might not formally reject people until first-round accepted applicants notify them with their decisions, or they might not have notified anyone yet--it is 100% possible as every program, even within the same school, functions differently and works on a different time frame. In my field, we're all still waiting to hear back from the majority of schools, and some of the deadlines were back in December or early January. Oh, also, I don't think you need to justify where you applied and why. It would have been a bad move to apply to programs you were only somewhat interested in or that weren't a good fit just because, and adcoms usually see through that tactic anyway. I only applied to two programs due to my very specific needs (i.e, I'm 32, married, and needed a school with a pre-req track; I'm not willing to move somewhere that doesn't appeal to me or that is far away from all of my family and friends); it would have been a waste of time and money for me to apply far and wide given my personal situation, though I knew it was risky to apply to so few schools. This process is tough for everyone, even fresh-faced undergrads, but I really can't imagine going through it while raising kids and supporting a family. Kudos to you and everyone else who's done it.

I'm in an entirely different field, but this thread is still incredibly helpful and informative. Thank you so much for starting it and answering everyone, FertMigMort, and thanks to everyone else for asking great questions and giving good advice as well.

Oh yeah, I've been to Boulder before; my husband went to high school in Littleton, and we have friends and family out there. I've just never been there as a prospective student, so it feels new and anxiety-inducing! Haha. And that's funny, I get what you're saying about colleges as intimidating places. I've been to the Princeton, Harvard (the American Hogwarts!), and William and Mary campuses, and they seem almost hallowed and have so much history.

Yeah, I'm taking an unrelated trip out to Colorado later this month, so I hope acceptances are out by then. I really want to visit the campus, and it would be so sad to check it out, fall in love, and then receive a rejection letter.

Judging from past years, I assume we'll hear from Boulder around March 19 or so as well.

Good points, mystique (and OMG, sorry, but I laughed at your mother's comment--my dad would've said the same thing). I considered majoring in French or Spanish, but that was with the express purpose of becoming a teacher. My alma mater even says "we do not recommend majoring in Spanish by itself" on the department website.

Agreed, though I think either scenario would create similar complaints about competitiveness, basing students' worth on GPA, who discovered the field first, etc. I think we need to be realistic and understand that admissions to any program are tough and often cutthroat. It's like that in nearly every other field; SLP has just recently become so. I know what OT and PT folks go through, and it is trial by fire compared to SLP admissions (e.g., hundreds of required volunteer hours just to apply with no guarantee of entrance).

I read somewhere that while some schools would love to expand their programs, ASHA won't allow for it (can't remember the specific reasoning, but it made sense when I read it, haha). I also heard that school clinics and SLP programs are very expensive to run, so many schools' budgets can't accommodate bigger programs. Now neither of those things explains not putting a cap on undergrad CD majors or changing the entire process, but I think it's probably leading up to that. I totally get current and recent CD majors' frustrations.

RN2SLP: Did you get any further notification from UVA? I'm still waiting.

Oh, and I have to chime in on the whole hyper-competitive SLP admissions process: It simply wasn't hyper-competitive until a few years ago. I do believe most CDis applicants were able to be accepted to programs in 2008 and earlier. My friend from college (we graduated in 2008) discovered SLP and applied to GWU on a whim as an out-of-fielder. She had a so-so GPA, a decent GRE, and a small amount of somewhat relevant experience. She was accepted and is now about to complete her degree, but I bet today she could have easily been waitlisted or possibly even outright rejected. The field is still adjusting to the influx of prospective SLPs. Boulder had an unprecedented amount of apps last year (over 500!) and I believe the year before as well; I won't be surprised if there are even more this year. With the economy tanking and the need for healthcare workers growing, SLP is a highly attractive career due to the degree time frame and job placement. But as long as you can get into a school, it's good that the SLP programs are still competitive and aren't allowing a glut of applicants in; otherwise I don't doubt that SLP jobs would be harder and harder to find (as we've seen this happen in other professional fields like law). Then you'd end up with very specific bachelor's and master's degrees and nowhere to go.

Congrats, KCald!

There is, but not too much. If you ever drive through town again on a nice day, I do recommend visiting Maymont Park or Belle Isle.

Thanks for all the info, AMarie! I've lived in Richmond my entire life aside from a five-year stint in northern VA, but I don't make it out to Charlottesville very much.

I'm an older student, so I doubt I'll feel very connected to undergrad life wherever I go. I'm okay with that, but I hope to explore Cville and the surrounding area, especially the restaurants.