MangoSmoothie

I can't speak to IUC, but I can speak to JET, as I did it for three years. At the very least, I can tell you many of us have been admitted to or gone on to master's programs, albeit most not in fields related to Japan or Asian studies, and I do know of a few people who had done JET before beginning their PhDs. With JET you have the option of staying in the country, while being paid a generous amount, for a lot longer than 10 months, and you'll have a lot of breaks during the academic year during which you can go to take intensive Japanese language courses around the country that are not that expensive (particularly in March and August). There are some really great ones out there, and AJET actually publishes a list of some of them. Many offer discounts to JET participants. I did this once, but I have a friend who did it almost every August, and his Japanese level is amazing. He came in with a low-level of Japanese, but he had stayed the full five years. That being said, I went to the country knowing no Japanese, but I studied quite a bit in my free time. It was very difficult to actually get sufficient practice and study in. You are working full time, and while most ALTs don't work much overtime, I did a lot, so my free time was largely spent at work where I wasn't using Japanese at all. Even if you don't work overtime, you want to see your friends after work and on weekends, which cuts in to your study time. It's hard, even in an urban area, to find language classes that are at your level, and when you do find them, they can be pretty far away by train travel. You can self-study with or without a tutor, but it's not the same experience as classroom learning. There are some great night or weekend courses out there if you're in the right area, but they do not compare to long-term intensive language study. I don't know if you'd do JET for only a year or for more, but, while many schools won't admit it, it's also bad for the schools when an ALT only stays for one year, and you honestly won't feel comfortable or competent at your job until at least six months in (in all likelihood- I know a few ALTs who had so little expected of them, and therefore had no problem with their work), and by then you're already thinking about and planning for returning home. You can become a great ALT, but you won't come in one, even if you were a teacher in your home country. If your focus is to improve your Japanese as well, I don't think you will improve it in the way you want to in just a year (if you only intend on a year with JET), since that's not your main goal there. Everyone improves their language ability at least somewhat while there on JET, but it truly is different being there to work versus being there to study. Even the most diligent student doesn't improve their language skills as much as they would if they were only studying. You just don't have the time to do so, and after work, even if you might want to study, the pull of meeting your friends for karaoke can be stronger. Admittedly, karaoke or bar time can be turned in to study time, which I did a lot. I do think if you come in with a higher level of Japanese, it's somewhat easier to improve your language ability compared to someone (like me) who comes in with nothing or a very low level. People with higher levels can learn by experience and learn in Japanese and that can supplement their study, and it took me some time of night-class and diligent, time-consuming, independent study before I was able to just go out and use my Japanese, learn by experience, and learn in Japanese. This was true for many of my friends who came with little. Of course you're learning by virtue of being there and being receptive of what's around, but I had to get the basics down before things really started clicking for me, and that took time. This is anecdotal and my memory isn't perfect, but to use the JLPT as a gauge, I had a friend who came in at just below N3 (had barely failed it), and still hadn't made it to N2 after three years, but stopped studying for it. Another friend passed N3 the December after his arrival, and after three years, recently passed N2, and he was very good at studying. Another friend came in at N4, and she had been diligently studying for nearly four years, and never passed N3, and failed N2. One JET came in with N2, and passed N1 the next July with near perfect marks, but was an exceptional student. One friend came in with a Japanese major, and failed N1 the first two times he took it. After... I think it was three years on JET he finally passed. Another friend, also Japanese major and very exceptional in her level, failed N1, having taken it 3 years after beginning work in Japan, but she took it the following December and passed. A final friend who also came in with a major in Japanese and only after three and a half years felt comfortable enough to take N1, but she passed it on the first go. Not that the JLPT is a true measure of your ability and it requires certain knowledge and effort to pass, and this is only anecdotal, but it might be helpful. Intensive studying can get you up to a desired JLPT level faster than studying while on JET can. But studying while on JET, your conversational ability explodes. You'll learn different things, perhaps, and I guess it depends on which is more important to you. You do get to do so many other things on JET too. You have the time and money to travel and see areas of the country that maybe you otherwise couldn't, with friends from around the world you wouldn't otherwise meet. I got to travel around the country so much in three years, but there's still more I want to see, and I've been to some places twice or more, because there's always more to see. With JET, you have the time and money to do this. Between happy Mondays and the other frequent breaks, you will have ample time to get out and travel, and it's easy to leave work behind for that time. Even the little things, like having time and money to go to museums, exhibits, festivals, concerts, movies, restaurants, shopping, etc. These are all ways to further your appreciation and understanding of the culture, and by being out more, it improves your language. My focus was purely on conversational fluency, since I never intended to use Japanese for academics or a job, and having the time and money to spend in bars even was amazing for this. Also, the students. I don't know if many ALTs feel as strongly as I do about their students, but my students made my time in Japan, which is why I gave them so much of it. I loved my students, and they were able to teach me so much about schools there, their culture, and I was able to give them something they just couldn't get elsewhere: totally free, no strings attached English conversation and cultural exchange. I got to see how my presence affected them as students and affected their ambitions and goals for the future. I still text and skype some of my former students, am facebook friends with many (obviously they're older students and out of high school now), and a few are planning on visiting in the near future. Having students of English is an amazing experience, and you learn so much from them. Being a teacher in their school and in their classroom teaches and shows you things you just don't get elsewhere. Placement affects your experience a lot. I was in a very urban placement, which actually made it far more difficult to find people to speak Japanese with, because everyone wanted to speak English. I've heard being in the inaka is a big help for your Japanese, since far fewer people can speak it or want to. Cost of living is much cheaper there too. Plus, as you know, Japanese people work a ridiculous amount of hours, so it can actually be hard to make Japanese friends with whom to speak Japanese, since they're working all the freaking time. My friend and I were so fed up at knowing no one to speak with that we'd meet for dinner twice a week and speak Japanese to each other at restaurants which was really confusing to the staff. Many people in my area who had Japanese friends had met those friends while doing study abroad programs during undergrad. Obviously we made Japanese friends, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Truly, my biggest problem was finding Japanese people to speak Japanese with outside of the bar. I tended to acquiesce pretty easily to my friends wanting to use English though, because when we became friends, their English was better than my Japanese and they were so eager to use English. Then we just fell in to that routine, and it was hard to get out. This is just anecdotal, but it was also... harder as a female foreigner to find people who wanted to speak Japanese. It does seem like it was much easier as a man to find people to speak Japanese with. Again, this is my experience, and I think my female friends felt the same. YMMV Being in a high school versus elementary school is different as well, since, at least in my prefecture, you basically had to use some Japanese in elementary schools. I worked in a high school, and I only ever used Japanese with the staff who weren't English teachers, when we worked up the courage to talk to each other. I never used it with students (although I learned by listening to them talk to each other), and I never used it with my JTEs. Assuming you haven't accepted the JET program's offer, the nice thing is you can apply again in a future year, and it could be a nice back-up plan in case you don't get accepted to a graduate program. If you do end up with JET, I think if you go in with the intention of staying one year, you probably won't. You'll be loving the experience you're having so much that you won't want to leave, and you won't have to. The longer you can do JET as well, the better your Japanese will become, and the more you can experience. And you will be making a great salary for someone right out of undergrad, so you will have money to pay off loans and travel and do whatever you want to make your stay in the country amazing. JET really is what you make of it, and some factors are out of your hands, but it's not an experience many people regret. Everyone does have a different experience, so my experience won't match another former JETs and probably won't match yours much if you go that route. Still, I wouldn't change it one bit. The biggest caveat though: Man, did my English get crappy while living there. Edit to add: I think this is a very, very important difference between the two. And like I said, the longer you're on JET, the better you will get at these things yytk mentioned. I am not fluent at all in Japanese, and my experience will be different from yours since you're coming in with some Japanese. But after two years, even I could hold a conversation in Japanese far better than my friend who studied and majored in it at university, but never went to Japan. (I came back and we did some kaiwa at the uni, but man... I felt bad for her.) But if you are only thinking of JET for a year, and your goal is language improvement, I don't know that JET is the best option for that in just a year. But if you're not intending on just a year, I think you can get a lot more out of JET.

Hey guys, I know we're all anxious to have a facebook group for our program, but the point of this thread was to be easy to search. You can post what you want, but the OP asked people not to post requests in order to make searching easy, and asking if groups have been made is in the same vein, as it makes searching harder. If someone on here has made or found a facebook group, I bet they'll post it, so it might be best to just wait until your uni's facebook group is posted, or ask about it in the Applicants, Admissions or Decisions thread if you need someone to help make the group with you.

Some of you are having really hard time of it. I hope you feel better glow_gene, and things turn around for you cosmojo. My vent which isn't even on the same level: I made pizza for dinner... But I dropped it on the floor before I could even cut it. I'm not totally opposed to floor pizza, but I haven't wiped my floors in a long time, and it landed toppings-side down. I'm mostly mad because I don't have enough money to be dropping my food on the floor and not eating it. Also, this was mentioned before, but I'm seriously getting irritated by the SLP folks using the results search as a forum and asking questions and discussing schools there. There's a very active SLP sub-forum with lots of discussion. Stop clogging up the results search.

Also from Wisconsin, and decided on WMU! Be prepared to be absolutely amazed when you tour. Their facilities, their faculty, the current students are all amazing, and you get so many opportunities there! I fell in love when I went. I won't lie, if I get off a waitlist at a cheaper school, I might end up attending one of those because WMU is very expensive, even with in-state tuition the second year. I did have another option that was cheaper, but I toured it and it was definitely not a good fit and not a good program for me so I decided on WMU. Even if I do end up going to a cheaper school, WMU is my top choice, and my visit there made it so. It's a great program! I'm so excited to attend, and I think they produce great SLPs. If you want to know about the area, there's a Kalamazoo thread over in the City Guide forum with some good information. I recommend checking that out OP.

Sorry, thought that was a snark at me. I just know I was bummed when I learned initial offers went out at the university whose offer I accpeted as they hadn't contacted us about it, so I know it's good to hear that the initial offers went out. I the offers can trickle down to you guys though!

Yes, of course they will be. I was just giving the information I knew about the initial offers since I happen to know someone who received one...

I believe the initial offers been given out already as I know someone who received one, but your best bet is to call and ask.

Thanks for the responses! I visited and a few people said they drove, but most in my program seemed to walk and some lived in the "student ghetto." I'm kind of learning toward driving if the buses aren't great. The parking permits are much cheaper than at my undergrad uni (Over $1,000 for the year, and very difficult to get), so the price at WMU seems cheap to me. I've also been told by current students and students who hope to get residency for tuition purposes that they have gotten in-state residency the second year no problem. Our program has no break in the summer, which might be why. Good to know that really happens. Would anyone recommend or advise against living in, say, Portage and driving? Glad to hear at least the jazz program is good! I love live music, and I'm going to miss my cheap student tickets to the symphony in my current city, so I'll be seeking out options if I end up in Kalamazoo.

This is a totally juvenile rant, but it is something that really irritates me. I know this isn't elementary or high school, and we do not have assigned seats. But we've all generally been sitting in the same seats that we choose for awhile now. It's the tenth week of class, and I sit in the same seats in all of my classes. I like my seats. I like the consistency. I like my view of the projectors and the professors. Why are you trying to change things now, classmates? Why would you get there and take the seat I love? You're breaking my heart, classmates. I just like having the seat I've always sat in, and I don't get what prompts people to suddenly switch things up ten weeks into the semester. I know it's petty and juvenile, but I just like the damn seat I've sat in for the whole semester! I've always felt there was a tacit understanding that after the first or second week of class, that's your unofficial seat, and you don't switch it up. Maybe I'm mistaken. Also, I am fortunate to have a decision between grad programs. Two extremes, though. One is a smaller rural school that will provide limited opportunities, but is very cheap. The other is a great program that I am in love with, with tons of opportunities, but is very expensive--twice as much as the other school. I keep bouncing between them. Which school I go to won't affect my future job prospects and salary much or at all, so it seems like the cheaper one is the way to go, but I just felt so much better about the other program, and felt I would learn more and get a bigger variety of opportunities. This is a hard decision, although maybe it shouldn't be. I don't know if it's really a vent, but I can't decide, and I bet my friends and family want to vent about how I won't shut up about this decision...

I have a lot of waitlists, one I would attend over my current top choice I've been accepted to. In a way, I'm hoping I don't get off the waitlist, because I've already been having such a hard time making a decision between the programs I've been accepted to, and I can't imagine having to make this decision again, but with less time! But I'll second what's been said and say this does happen, and the programs do expect it to happen. I don't want to be a person who does rescind an acceptance, but if it happens, it's not the end of the world.

Just to put a little more positive energy back in to this thread, I wanted to put part of an email I received about my waitlist status at PSU, which a few others here have received as well. I know when all you have is waitlists, it can be frustrating and you're disappointed, and I, at times, am not truly happy with my waitlist status as well. Schools also don't really do a good job about telling students what a waitlist really means, just that "You're on the waitlist. Wait more." This email was really comforting, and I really appreciated the thoughtful words. It's true, not all schools think of a waitlist this way, but a great majority do. "I realize that placement on the waiting list can be disappointing. I want to be sure you are aware that only a select number of highly qualified individuals are placed on our list, and your inclusion is a reflection of our high regard for your academic record and experience. You are among those whom we would admit if we had the resources to do so. Due to the high number of extremely qualified applicants this year and the limited number of available seats in the graduate program, our decision was especially difficult. We deeply regret that we cannot accept a larger number of students" I have received harsh rejections, neutral rejections, neutral waitlist letters, and acceptances, but this letter made me feel just as good as an acceptance email (which I know is easier to say because I have been accepted). Waitlists generally do mean the school believes you are qualified and will succeed at their school and as an SLP, but they just have limited spots. If you're on waitlists, stay positive! You are a good applicant, but have just been a victim of small program sizes.

I hope I don't sound harsh, but this is actually a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I totally agree that if people 100% know that they don't want to attend a school and have submitted their intent at another school, it is very nice and a professional courtesy to notify as soon as you have made that decision, and it doesn't make sense to delay that, even. I know a girl who has already sent in her intent to enroll to her top choice (back in late Feb), and still hasn't notified the other 4 or 5 schools she's been accepted to that she won't attend. It's better for the school if you notify sooner as well. It is something that has skipped her mind at times I know, because she's focused on coursework and was so excited getting in to her top choice. However, I do not believe you should only hold on to two or three acceptances, and I don't think those on the waitlist should pressure those with acceptances. We have until April 15th to make that final decision for a reason. It is not a decision that should be rushed, and it will not affect people on the waitlist significantly or at all if it's made closer to that date. People with many acceptances should not be pushed to rush their decisions and they might be waiting on funding information, waiting to visit programs, to talk to advisors, or any number of things, and they have every right to take as much time as they need to make their final decisions. I only have two acceptances, but I was given until April 15th for a reason, and I will take my time to fully decide because I want to make sure I make an informed decision. I'm about 90% on one school right now, but I'll be visiting the other one this upcoming week or the next, and I won't send in my notification to either school before then. Whether a person tells a school they are are enrolling March 15th or April 14th, other people will be pulled from the waitlist, and it does not change which person or how many. Schools don't generally notify before April 15th if someone is pulled off the waitlist anyway. I'm also hoping to be pulled from waitlists, but I don't want people who were accepted to feel rushed by their peers into making decisions. You guys take your time! You earned it. I'll wait patiently, because April 15th really isn't that far away anymore.

People who smoke in front of entryways and bus stops. Look, I don't care about your health. I really don't. I do unhealthy things too, so you can smoke away. But my unhealthy habits don't make people walk through clouds of crappy smelling smoke, making them cough and their eyes water when it's particularly heavy, just to get to class, or just when waiting for the bus. You're not meant to smoke within 25 feet of entrances or at bus stops anyway. :\

It really is going to depend on the person. I'm a type of person that doesn't do well with roommates, because I have my own bad habits I'm not really willing to give up, but I'd feel bad if I did something to make them mad, and they'll have theirs that will annoy me as well. I've lived on my own for 6 years now, and I haven't had a problem. It's not terrible lonely, since because you live alone, you're a bit more likely to seek out social activities and plan events with other people. There's been some surveys done about that, actually. With roommates, socializing is across the hall, but when you live alone you need to make a little bit more effort. It doesn't require much effort, though, and I've never felt lonely, other than maybe the first week in a new place when I don't know anyone. I'd also be tempted not to live with someone in the program, since I don't have a high tolerance for how long I can be around people. This was proven to me when I travelled abroad with a friend I'd never spent more than a day with, and on the 3rd day of our trip, I just wanted to be done with her. We're still good friends, but I don't know if I can spend that much time with my friends, let alone with a stranger, and I'm not going to commit to a year without knowing. If I'm seeing a person every day in class, then at home, no matter who you are, I'm going to start getting irritated with you, and that's no fun for either of us. Maybe that makes me sound unfriendly, but I'm really not. I just prefer not to live with my friends and be able to go home and be alone. Not all people are okay being alone though, so if you're not, don't live alone. I do get scared sometimes when I hear bumps in the night, but that's one reason I want to get a cat; if I have a cat, I can blame spooky or suspicious noises on the cat. Generally though, I've rarely been scared, and I've lived alone in new towns, and new towns in new countries. Once you do it once, you get over the apprehension of living alone, I think. I am jealous of the financial benefit of having a roommate, and for some people that's huge. I think it's worth a little more to live alone though, in my case.

That's true, but keep in mind that it may have changed this year! Only two people (myself included) have posted results, and last year more than two posted on the first day results were released. You still have a chance! For what it's worth, my email came from a department email, not a CSDCAS email. Notifications sent through CSDCAS come from the email donotreply@webadmit.com or something similar. It's likely then the results weren't all sent out at once if a person is manually sending them out. Don't count yourself out just yet!

People don't necessarily post right as they get their acceptance so the time you see a result posted doesn't mean that's when people got the result. I got my accpetance from them around 4:00 central time today, which is not an unusual time to get a response. It's when a few other schools have notified me as well. It seems like in past years UWW sends out everything all together, but maybe that changed this year. Just be patient, even though it's hard; I'm sure you'll hear soon. At any rate, this probably means you'll be hearing by tomorrow or the day after so that's good! They did mention today was a day they were aiming for. They wouldn't be the first school to send out emails after business hours though. (I've heard of 9pm Saturday results and my friend got a result Saturday morning even.)

I think accepting a waitlist just depends on the school. 3 required confirmation, and 1 didn't for me. Maybe the one just assumes that of course everyone wants to remain on their waitlist, because they're so great... I followed up with that school just to be sure, but they assured me that I didn't need to take any action and that they would contact me after April 15th if a spot opens up. Also I doubt they randomly pick people off the waitlist. Most programs seem to rank, even if they don't release this rank to us. With the amount of time and effort programs put in to selecting their applicants for admission, I can't imagine they don't have a system for their waitlisted applicants. I do have one acceptance already, but some of my schools for which I'm on the waitlist are considerably cheaper, and I am seriously considering attending if I get the chance to. The waiting is so hard!

It's not even private school. It's just out-of-state tuition! I glanced at tuition before applying, but mistook the per semester tuition as the per year. Most of the study abroad programs are around 3 weeks in length, and you get to do some clinic work! One of them isn't doing clinic work but observing the impacts of health care policy, which I am still interested in. I would love to do one of these programs, but they're not terribly common.

You should have kept reading the thread! A few posts after that someone mentioned just this.

I'm still waiting to hear back from a few of my schools, but I only have one acceptance and three waitlists now. Unless I get another acceptance or taken off a waitlist, the decision is made for me. Ultimately, for me, it might come down to price. I only applied to schools whose programs I liked for whatever reason and in areas I would be okay living. I won't lie, I'd like to live in a bigger city, but a few of my programs are in smaller cities of around 20,000 people. That doesn't appeal to me, but I'll live there for two years if I must. Price is huge, though. The school I got accepted to has a price tag of around $67,000 for 5 semesters if I'm understanding right... but many of my other schools I have instate tuition, and that price tag is closer to $25,000. It's a huge difference to me, since I already have $50,000 worth of loans in undergrad/post-bacc debt. The starting salary for an SLP is not that high that I would be able to comfortably pay off that much more in loans each month. It's possible I might get funding still for the expensive school, but things are still up in the air. I can't wait until it's closer to April so I know where I stand and can start making decisions. I absolutely am in love with the school with a 67K price tag though, but I applied to it last minute, and I didn't inspect price closely enough before applying. I regret that, since I had only meant to apply to schools within my budget. A few other things for me are whether or not the department has study abroad options, since I really wanted to do something abroad while in grad school. Many of my programs offer options abroad, and this might be a final factor I consider, assuming I am admitted to another school. I also would like to go to a school with an AAC lab or a focus on AAC devices, but that was also something that factored in to my initial search for schools and many satisfy this requirement. Because it will not be hard to find a job after graduation no matter what uni I go to, I really am focused on price first. My starting salary will be in the same range no matter where I get a job, even if grad tuition is not!

Just for reference, I think what schools mean when they say they'll notify from CSDCAS is they send out emails via CSDCAS. The donotreply email is usually the "CSDCAS" email. It just means schools are sending out decisions "through CSDCAS," but really, it's emails to applicants through CSDCAS's services, if that makes sense. To ensure notifications are received from your programs, designate donotreply@webadmit.org and @sendgrid.me as “safe” sources on your e-mail contact list. This will avoid your inbox from filtering important messages from your CSD programs as SPAM. https://portal.csdcas.org/csdcasHelpPages/instructions-and-faq/processing-your-application/application-mailing/ Sorry you didn't get in to this school, but good luck deciding where to go and congrats on your acceptance to UW Eau Claire!

Like others have said, it's really not! You can apply next year, and you'll have a whole additional year's worth of experience under your belt that will work to your advantage. Plus, those California schools are known for being even more hyper-competitive than the rest of the country! Unless you have your heart set on California (and I know there are good reasons to, especially if you want to work in California later in life), you can probably find some great programs that are affordable and you love in other places! But regardless, you'll be an even stronger applicant next year, because you'll have a whole 'nother year of experience. But you are not alone in having to apply for more than one application season, and having to apply more than once doesn't make you a worse applicant (or person!) than anyone else.

Just to add additional options, UW Eau Claire does allow people to take their online courses one at a time, without being in the post-bacc, but they do fill quickly. They also offer audiology in the summer, as well as many of their courses. Other courses are just recommended prereqs, not required, but I think being concurrently enrolled in those classes should cause you no problem. http://www.uwec.edu/CE/programs/csdpostbac.htm I would email to double check that you can enroll in it without being in the post-bacc, but I am pretty certain you can. The price is comparable to other places ($375 a credit).

I hope this doesn't sound snarky, but I'm a big advocate of using the search, and this exact same thread was created only 4 days okay, by neucool...

Bumping this thread for this year! Any others accepted to WMU out there? I'll be going to one of the Open Houses, and I'm excited to see the campus and the facilities. Has anyone had any experience with changing their residency for tuition purposes at WMU? Their OOS tuition is a lot more than I thought it was. They advertise this can be done and how to do it, but I'm just wondering if anyone has been successful in doing so. Also, has anyone this year heard about funding yet? They said in the email we'd hear in a few weeks. I don't expect to get any, but I'm still hoping a little bit!