PsycD

I've accepted, turned down all other offers, and paid my deposit, and I am STILL nervous. Big decision jitters.

I spent two years in my school's Applied Psyc lab, then got a full-time job post-bac at Johns Hopkins doing research. Research institutions are always hiring.

Psyc labs are awesome for research experience if you get involved in all aspects of the process, and it's often easy to make connections with CSD/SLP. Can't beat it.

Yay!! I'm glad someone from here will be there with me. My visit was fantastic. I loved my PI, my future research team, the city, the food (it's showing on my belly)...everything. I turned down a wonderful offer with more funding to go there. Although turning down that other offer has given me an ulcer just thinking about it, McGill is the place for me.

Ummm, will anyone be joining me at McGill in the Fall??? Come April 15th, we may need a Canadian final decision thread.

I knew that the GradCafe SLPers would go crazy when one of our group favs, TwinGuy, got the acceptance we all knew was coming CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I was having nightmares that killer bears and a guy in a motorcycle gang possessed by Jason Vorhees was trying to kill me so I logged on here instead of going back to sleep...so glad I did. Congrats to all of you! I'm so happy for you guys!!!

I really hope it's 12am tonight for you guys.

I can't wait until this is over for all of us. I have, literally, made myself sick from the stress of it all. I have finally formally accepted an offer, rejected my remaining offer, and will now have to spend the next week recovering my physical health and sanity. This whole experience has been so overwhelming, I can't even think about celebrating yet. Regardless of the final outcome, just know that you all kick a** for having the balls to put yourselves through this.

Oh Kitty...I've tried letting other people choose for me. Hmmm let's see... There was the conservative Christian with the porn and gambling addiction, the military officer sex-addict who, while on a road trip to New York decided it was a good time to tell me he was still married, and the guy who fell in love with a cheerleader...a male cheerleader.

I just got back from spending the last week visiting my top two choices...McGill University it is! Why McGill? Well... 1) I couldn't have asked for a better fit. 2) My PI and the students on my future research team are beyond awesome. 3) Montreal is one of the coolest cities on the planet. 4) Getting to experience francophone culture and finally speaking the French my mom made me learn. 5) It has two things a girl needs to get through life...great food and men with accents. 6) I get to live in another country for at least 4 years. 7) Umm...it's McGill University.

Having the guy you're dating take you out to a restaurant where his "friend" is working, finding out the "friend" who is waiting on you is your date's ex-girlfriend, who he confesses to still being in love with......on your birthday.

Decision made. A good night's sleep does wonders for the mind. Neither will put me into debt, and my dream school is worth the tighter budget. Dream school it is!

I'm glad to see some acceptances again! It has been pretty tough for our group lately.

"Oooh I'm coming to visit you in Montreal!!!" Ummm...when I lived 30 miles from you, I never saw you, but now you're gonna make the effort to see me when I'm living in another country because you want a cheap vacation???

I'm gonna have a nervous breakdown. I didn't expect to have this problem. I visited my second choice today and like it wayyyy more than I thought I would. Only thing left is to meet with the grad students. I'm almost hoping we won't get along so that my choice will be easier...that's how crazy this is making me. Who hopes NOT to get along with people???

You are def not alone. I'm having the Dream School vs Dream Funding dilemma right now. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I'm trying to weigh Funding, Fit, Reputation, Program Structure, And Geographic Location, but funding is such a major factor. My dream school meets all of my criteria except for the funding.

Hahaha! I'll drink to that!

Thanks, MTL! I arrived in Montreal last night. It is cold for sure! French is a struggle but I'm trying to speak it when I can. If I go to McGill I'm going to have to spend the summer here learning the language more...it's stressing me out.

There really is no formula for this. Our stats this year are all over the place. Be mindful of stats but don't compare yourself to others and let that deter you from applying. The only way you can be sure you won't get accepted is to not apply. Apply to a mix of reach, par, and "less competitive" programs based on your own stats and you'll be fine. At the graduate level, fit is extremely important as well, so be sure to pick a program with specialties/research that would be good match for your background and interests. Coming from out of field I'll leave the issue of spending more time as an SLPA to someone else; but, from what I understand that won't give you the leg up you may think it will. Just pick programs that are a good match for you and apply. That's it.

I just typed an entire response in the wrong thread. And I want to be a grad student. Smh...

Funding Fit Shared Research/Clinical Interests Program Structure Post-Graduate Outcomes (Check their stats on alumni placements) Cost of Living Location Climate Most importantly...your gut. Trust it.

You guys are hilarious lol I'm leaving for Montreal in a few hours, along with many layers of clothing. It was almost 60 degrees where I live today. I just checked the weather in Montreal...it's so NOT 60 degrees.

I posted somewhere a while ago that I was convinced every uni had a Committee of Cruelty whose job was to come up with ways to torture its applicants. It's the only explanation for some of the things they do, i.e. UofA and that staggered notification craziness. Doing it over a couple of days maybe I could understand...but staggering til April 1st?!?!

Take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Most of us look we got shot in our signatures and are bleeding all over the place from all the red rejections.