midnight

I think you need to be realistic. Extremely low GRE scores will keep you out of programs, even less competitive ones. They will also be a hindrance to funding and other opportunities at certain schools. It's not a matter of raining on someone's parade by stating that GRE scores do matter to some degree. A quant score in the fourth percentile or lower is a red flag.

Best of luck to you, too, Tuck! Vandy is an amazing school, and I know you'll do great things there and afterward.

University of Colorado at Boulder! (I declined UVA today; I apologize for the delay, but I was working out some logistics.)

I feel similarly, though I'm sure you can't go wrong either way, Katie! You have two great and well deserved opportunities. Also, I hope all of our Boston people are safe and sound. What a horrific day.

I'd say so. Quite honestly I don't think that the vocab on the new GRE is much of a bear; I have a decent vocabulary and had no issue with any of the words on the current test. My weakness was reading comprehension. Keep an eye out for any repeat words you see during practice. Also, lump together synonyms in your mind whenever you can.

Materials that I strongly recommend-- -Barron's 6 Practice Tests (great realistic practice based on current GRE content) -The ETS GRE book -The Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE -Magoosh's free PDF materials Highly recommend by others-- -Manhattan materials A good baseline test is one of ETS's own Powerprep practice tests *or* a test from the ETS GRE book *or* one of the Barron's 6. Manhattan's tests skew a bit harder and the verbal isn't as accurate in my opinion; Kaplan's tests skew easier. The GRE can be annoying, but it's really not all that bad. It's more exhausting than horrible. Don't psych yourself out. Study, review, and get acquainted with the test format and question types. Practice! You will be prepared more than many other test-takers if you do those things. For analytical writing, look over the essay prompts, make sure you understand the instructions, and do a few timed writing exercises before test day. You don't need to write a masterpiece, just a serviceable, formatted, thorough essay. If you can write lab reports and were able to pass an intro college comp course, you can do well enough on the AW. And most importantly, don't stress too much. You'll be fine!

It definitely wouldn't hurt to begin studying now. I took a Kaplan math course, and I would have gotten a lot more out of it if I had begun refreshing math concepts on my own beforehand. And if you want more practice after taking the prep course, I highly recommend Barron's 6 Practice Tests.

Not much! My thoughts on the program are the same as yours. I will say that as a prospective leveling student, I was able to speak to a student who's currently finishing up her leveling year, and she reinforced that there are some benefits to completing pre-reqs at Boulder because I'll be able to get a leg up on some of the two-year graduate coursework if I want to, plus I'll have a little more time to feel out my options. That's very attractive to me since I'm making a big transition by moving across the country and immediately delving into SLP studies. I know that some of the open house attendees were surprised that Boulder doesn't have a dedicated bilingual track, but I'm confident that anyone who wants to work with Spanish-speaking populations will be able to do so, especially since Boulder is technically an extension of the Denver metro area. The city seems rife with amazing and dynamic SLP opportunities: so many hospitals and schools! Overall, everyone I met was really welcoming, helpful, and enthusiastic, and as someone who'd never been on the Boulder campus before, I found it absolutely beautiful and appealing.

Essentially every program--with the possible exception of certain medically based programs (perhaps someone else can confirm that)--will prepare you to work with children and be eligible for SLP jobs in schools. You have a lot of options on the West Coast, but public schools in California are extremely competitive due to the number of applications they receive.

It was great meeting you, too! I'm sending my acceptance this weekend. And I definitely agree with your impressions of the program. Anyone who's interested in Boulder should read your posts.

I just got back from a trip to Colorado where I attended the Boulder open house. I'm accepting my offer for Boulder this weekend. I loved the campus and the program and am excited to begin taking speech coursework! Congrats to everyone who received good news last week!

I suggest Powerprep, the ETS GRE book, and Barron's Six Practice Tests.

Aw, I'm sorry you're not able to make it. I was looking forward to meeting you! I'll definitely relay any important info and my impressions (not that I have much to draw from) to you after the open house.

I am ecstastic for you! I have to admit to checking your signature every day hoping to see a school next to "accepted."

matrixgrl, I really hope you get good news soon!

Who's definitely attending the open house--CO SLP, Tuck, anyone else? I'm flying to Denver on Thursday, and Friday is supposed to have beautiful weather.

I really think you should focus on boosting your CD GPA as much as possible. It seems like GPA is a very important factor in SLP grad admissions since schools receive so many applications. You have a lot of great things going for you, and your hands-on experiences will make you an attractive applicant--definitely mention those in your SOP and CV! Good luck!

UConn seems to have a highly regarded program. I don't think you can go wrong either way from an academic perspective; it's all about your personal comfort level with loans and debt and where you want to spend the next couple of years.

Which in-state program accepted you? Someone here might be able to offer insight into it that can help with your decision.

While I don't have other offers for comparison, I wouldn't read too much into it. Sounds like typical CYA mode to me.

1. Check the programs' sites. Some will emphasize grades and experience over the GRE; some will give you expected minimum scores. You should definitely focus on quant, but I suggest practicing verbal as well by taking complete practice tests. Like you, I scored the equivalent of 162 on the verbal the first time I took the GRE, and I "studied" verbal exclusively through practice for my retake. The new GRE was less stressful for me than the old one, and the new verbal format seemed easier. Although my verbal score only increased to 164, that's in the 93rd percentile, so I was more than fine with it. 2. You'll find better answers to this question in the education subforum, but it seems like many fall 2013 Vanderbilt applicants also applied to Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UCLA, and Penn.

Good luck, mystique! I think that whatever you ultimately decide will be the best decision for you, but it's reassuring to hear that NYU has a great program. I have full confidence that if you reapply next year, something good will come your way, too.

If CI work is incredibly important to you, Illinois sounds good. Is there any way to find out more about their program before you make a decision? And what's "difficult" about Purdue's program? Challengingly difficult can make for a good, rewarding experience, but incomprehensibly difficult is a whole other kettle of fish.

It might be tough to find upper-level linguistics courses like syntax and morphology offered during the summer, especially online. I looked around a bit and couldn't find anything. Is your matriculation dependent upon a syntax or morphology course, or can you take it at your school in the fall?

-Manhattan and the Magoosh free PDF for quant -A mixture of Barron's, Princeton Review, and the Magoosh free PDF for verbal -Powerprep, the ETS GRE book, and Barron's Six Practice Tests for straightforward test practice