GraceEun

Anybody here have experience with using Turbo Tax for tax returns? If so, how was it? I'm filing independently for the first time and am a bit unsure of what to do. Thanks!

I thought it was a general rule that decisions don't have to be made until april 15th?

Just got accepted into their program! I'm still going to wait until I get notified of all decisions, but has anybody had experience with this program or GW in general? I would love to get some first-hand advice and information! Thanks!

My worst nightmare I'll look for jobs, hopefully related to my area of interest, and work for a year or so. I'll definitely reapply the following year.

Just had a brief but annoying encounter on the phone with a woman at the graduate admissions office. I was calling to check application status since I could see stuff I had already sent was missing, but the woman pretty much snapped at me and looked up stuff in a huff. I know that these calls are common, and that sometimes callers can be frustrating (I work at an admissions office) but for an applicant who is spending extensive time and money to apply to ___ institution, some courtesy/manners/friendliness would be nice. Makes me kind of question my intent to even apply to that university :/ Oh well. What are your pet peeves?

Awesome! Thanks!

Thanks for the clarification! I'll look into it.

Hello all, I just recently finished up my applications for graduate school, and am now starting to seriously think about financial aid (Fafsa, private scholarships, loans, etc.). I have a few questions though which I hope you all can help me with. 1. Decisions don't come out till March/April--Should I still go ahead and submit FAFSA and other applications before I find out whether or not I got accepted? 2. If I do submit the FAFSA, is it more appropriate to file as independent or dependent? I'm expecting to take out a lot of loans + work-study/internship doing school and will be responsible for paying for all expenses myself. My parents have been great and have helped out tremendously for undergraduate funds. I would think, though, that filing independent this time would be more appropriate since I am not expecting any EFC (expected family contribution)? Thanks!

Just finished applying to all programs! I've applied to: Boston University University of Michigan Vanderbilt Northwestern William&Mary UVA UPenn GW UMass Amherst Hoping for the best while I start on financial aid stuff!

Hi guys, So the deadline for one of my programs is tomorrow, so yesterday I sent a polite reminder email to the recommender. She sent me an email this morning saying it was completed and that she would finish 2 more requests I had previously sent in. However, she then asks if I could ask someone else because she is so busy with the holidays. I only have 2 weeks until the remainder of my letters are due and can't think of anyone I would feel comfortable asking a letter from. What do I do? Also, she asked why I was applying to so many schools. I'm only applying to 8 (which seems to be a reasonable number). How should I respond to this? THANKS SO MUCH! I'm having a little freak out right now lol.

So one of the schools I'm applying to requires both a SOP and Personal Statement. The prompt for the latter is "describe any cultural, geographical, financial, educational, etc., experiences that have led you to pursue a graduate degree here. Some of SOP has some personal history as well, so how do I distinguish the two?

Btw, you don't have to be familiar with this particular field of study. Just general advice is great!

Hello all, I just got done writing my final draft of the Statement of Purpose for higher education administration programs. I have deadlines coming up very soon, but really wanted to get some feedback before hitting send! If anyone is interested, please let me know and I can PM it to you. Thanks!

Pursuing jobs post graduation was definitely one of my initial goals. I was looking into careers as an entry-level education consultant or admissions counselor, but proving the benefits of delaying grad school to my parents has been extremely difficult. They think school is always the best option and want me to at least apply to schools..so I'm obliging. I would love to get in, no doubt, but I'm much more realistic and looking to apply to jobs on the side.

Hi Hitomimay, Thanks for the response! I can totally see where your questions are coming from, so I'll try to clarify. Since I would want to work in a university setting, my interest would largely lie in helping low-income, minority students who are already attending college. Various studies show that being accepted into college for students, especially low-income, minority ones, is only part of the climb, and that various supplemental programs and support need to be available to help students actually graduate. Whether my interest lies in admissions or enrollment, I don't necessarily know for sure. Still, Student Affairs should be a large enough scope to cover it? I think my relevant background shows the realizations I made from my transitions and experiences from K-12 to college populations. I'll make sure I put a lot of work into the essays! Any advice or tips on tools to use? I recently bought a guide to writing grad school statements book, so hopefully that'll help. Thanks!

Hi guys, I was hoping you could all give me some feedback and honest opinions on my chances of getting accepted into higher education administration Master's programs. I feel pretty behind on applications and such because I was convinced that I couldn't get in anywhere with my stats, but I figured I would give it a shot. Current stats: Senior at WashU. Major in Human and Organizational Development--Ed. Policy & English GPA: 3.3-3.4 Summary of Purpose: Focusing in programs with Student Affairs, specifically admissions and enrollment. I would love to work with low-income communities. Relvant Experience: Worked 2 years at the Undergraduate Admissions Office, interned at a KIPP charter school working with development and underserved students, Worked 1 year at the University Disability Services office Volunteered in low-income communities GRE: Quant: 153 Verbal: 160 Writing: 1st attempt--4; 2nd attempt--possible 5? Programs of Interest: Vanderbilt Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan State Boston College University of Georgia U of Pennsylvania Northwestern Teachers College U of Virginia U of South Carolina Boston University University of Washington Ohio State William and Mary U of Mass Amherst I'm well aware that my scores are just average for many of the indicated programs. I would really love to pursue graduate study right after graduation; however, I'm trying to be realistic and see whether my time would be better spent looking for jobs, at least for the first year. Please give any advice you have--I would love to hear your honest and informed thoughts! Also, if there additional programs that could be applicable, feel free to suggest them. For those of you who took the GRE again today like I did, Congrats--it's finally over!