HicklePickle

Mine started with a story about the first college class that got me excited about my major and how it eventually pointed me in the direction of my grad program. It was a nice, concise way of talking about my major, passions, and explaining why I'm pursuing grad school. My SOPs were all very short (1.5 pages, double spaced) but I think they covered all of the necessary information.

My experience with Irvine: - You have to put in a lot of effort if you want a sense of community... a lot - Rent is insanely high near campus (they wanted to renew our 2bed 2bath in Harvard for $2,300/month) - There isn't much to do near by - you need a car or need to rely on someone with a car to do much of anything. The buses don't run on the weekends or at night - Parking is crazy expensive and you must pay for parking anywhere near campus - You can get $2 boba almost any day of the year - The only real "things to do" are food related unless you're getting in a car and driving - You can't ride a bike around the main parts of campus (they have the UCI police handing out tickets) - The weather is nice - It's fairly safe, but I think it's really just because it's a fairly inactive city. I used to walk from my nearby apartment and there were rarely other people walking with me I'm bitter about my experience. I really hated living there and am so glad I'll be living in a city with some culture, activity, and community.

I've been notified by email of admission to two programs, and have "unofficially" (by email) accepted one. Should I wait until I receive my official letter from the school before withdrawing from the other offer? I don't want something to happen where I can't enroll in my choice school OR my back up. Thanks!

There's no aid through the department, but at the interview day all of the students mentioned a state stipend program that was really good. There's so many factors including whether I would qualify for in state tuition after a while, or whether I would get any need based financial aid. Does anyone know how hard it is to qualify for in state? I'm assuming I would register to vote and get a drivers license, etc... I don't really like the other one much. It's okay, and it would get me to the career...but it is so far below the more expensive one. I think my plan is to call the financial aid office when they open and ask what I should expect and whether I can work on campus. If that goes well, I think I'm going to take the better program. More practicum hours, more opportunities in the community, a better place for my family. Agh decisions are tough!

Received two acceptances today! Now the choice is between money and program...sigh. I love one program so much but the other school would basically be free. What to do?!

I know that this is silly, but I can't figure out how to translate credit hour cost to yearly cost. There are additional fees, right? So if the cost per credit hour is $828, what should I expect to pay per semester? Thanks in advance...

I knew I was supposed to hear back this week but I was trying not to be obsessive about checking emails. I checked one time before leaving work and didn't see anything. When I got home, I talked to my grandma about how long it would take and as I was in the middle of saying "well, if I don't hear by Friday I'll give them a call" my email loaded and THERE IT WAS!!!

Hahahah. That is great!

I have interviewed at 3/4 schools I applied to, and have picked my favorite school. Now that I've seen the campus and met the faculty, I am more excited than I've been during this entire process. The only trouble is that they have 5 spots for 14 interviewees! Now I have to just....wait?? It's been less than seven hours since I left the school and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't sleep. I'm wide awake. It's 2:30 in the morning. It's hard to believe some people have been this anxious since they submitted their apps! This is going to be a rough week (at least they said we would hear within one week.) Gahhh.

I guess this isn't an email heart attack, but one school I applied to has an online check system. At the top of your page it says "congratulations! on your decision to pursue graduate studies." Wtf. Heart attack every time.

Yeah, I know my answer didn't write give you what you wanted... but I've heard enough cliche interview answers to steer you away from that. By the way, "tell me about yourself" is usually undergrad highlights, post grad highlights (jobs, classes, others relevant things) and current goals. Mine is, "I graduated from x school in y year with majors in z & b. I've worked at blah blah doing such and such and am looking forward to working in doopdeedoop." BOOM done.

Also, say your answers out loud. Time yourself and try to keep answers under a minute. (I'd aim for 30-45 seconds) consider what is important to the answer and cut out anything irrelevant.

I think you really have to do an honest assessment of yourself. What ARE your strengths, as it relates to counseling? Why are you applying for the program? Why did you pick to apply to the school? What conflicts have you encountered that you've learned from? What other experiences have prepared you got grad schools? Why should they pick you over someone else? I've learned that you can't Google these answers. You have to answer then from your own perspective. That's what the admissions committee is looking for anyway. Nobody wants to hear the same googled answers over and over again.

So I feel silly now-I just finished an interview and there was a writing test. Hah! It was pretty simple and short. But I still do wonder why it's necessary...

Writing tests?! Why would they do this? Isn't that what the GRE writing section is for? Sheesh. Were you warned before the interview that you would have to write? For the one that didn't have a writing prompt, were you told to just...write?

I just love the confidence that is coming from my family. They are all SO SURE that I'm going to get in, despite a KOD on an SOP, and despite the fact that these programs only accept 6-8 students that are all very qualified... Whenever I try to say something about wanting a Plan B, or not wanting to get my hopes up, they tell me to stop being negative. I just don't want the embarrassment if I don't get in anywhere! Also, my grandma has been telling everyoneeeeeee that I've been interviewing. She tells all of my interviewing stories to everyone who calls and talks about me moving (I live with her.) It's sweet and she seems proud, but I'm going to feel silly if I don't get in.

The wait is so long, The interviews seem endless, I want to hear back!

This isn't real. This isn't real. This cannot be real. I have seen this thread floating around and have avoided it so far. Now I wish I hadn't clicked today - pretty sure I developed an ulcer from reading it. Is there a way to hide a thread so I don't have to see it on the top of the forums?

I also want to add that I did my math wrong. My husband and I are paying $1200/6 months for our two cars. Our monthly bill is $202. Sorry about that!

Awesome!

There was a whoooole range of outfits for my masters interview today. I was in a matching suit, and was by far the most dressed up. There was another girl with a dark dress and blazer that was the closest to my wardrobe. Some girls had colored blazers and some were wearing cardigans. The most casual wore dark skinny pants and a colorful blouse. Some wore makeup and others didn't. Many wore glasses and others didn't. The thing that I do want to note, however, is that the girl in the blazer and I arrived first. We were both complimented on our outfits. That alone made me confident that I made the right choice in dressing up!

So this is a hilarious addition: I'm on my way to my first interview and the plane had an emergency landing because an engine went out. I'll be able to make it on time to the interview (assuming nothing else happens) but my second interview is the one that *may* be cancelled. What if the universe is trying to tell me something? Haha. But thanks for the tips everyone. I'm trying to stay positive.

I got an interview for the school with my KOD SOP!

Honestly, I agree and I was the student on my phone. I didn't participate in class. If the professor banned cell phones, I would bring a book of sudoku. That's assuming that I even went to class, which was only when it was required for a grade. Now that I'm applying to grad school, I'm reevaluating my learning style, but 18-21 year old me really just wanted to read a book and learn at the desk in my bedroom. I'm not sure you can do much to make someone listen and participate if they really don't want to. Note: this was in lecture halls of 300-400 students. It's probably different in smaller classes.

I bought a non-refundable plane ticket and Amtrak ticket after confirming that I was REQUIRED to fly literally across the country (California to Connecticut) to attend a 2 hour interview to even be considered for my program. The interview was originally scheduled for this coming Monday. I just received an email saying that they may have to cancel and reschedule the interview for a later date due to a snow storm. My biggest concern (aside from the huge cost of buying a new plane ticket) is that my flight leaves about 30 hours before the interview (I wanted to get my money's worth - explore the city, etc.) so now I'm worried that I'll end up in Connecticut without an interview. What would you do? Can they actually cancel on the day of the interview?