jpiccolo

I had a professor tell a class they did the last 60 earned (probably before applying) but it would exclude certain classes. If I remember right it would focus on classes that were 3-4 credits but not any that were 1 or half credit music ensembles or exercise classes or easy filler classes. I guess the focus would be major classes and GE classes which is more indicative of your academic abilities instead of fun easy elective classes. Luckily those classes helped boost my overall gpa which is higher than my comd gpa.

I'm going with backpack. Messenger bags hurt too much when they are heavy especially with just one shoulder. At least for me. I'm trying to decide what backpack though. I had a high Sierra swerve during my undergrad but I need something different. Possibly either a north face or dakine. Something with a decent laptop sleeve, room for books or other belongings when traveling, and a good water bottle holder.

My best advice is to start early and to research programs thoroughly. Find out where your GPA and GRE scores fall in their range of accepted students and be flexible on where you apply if possible. I think part of the reason I did not get accepted the first time around is I really didn't apply to the right schools. I applied to several top-ranked schools and my undergrad, all of which can be tough to get into (in my case). With a boosted resume, higher GRE scores this year, and the right schools, it worked out very well for me this year. Also take a look at some other threads that are a little older. Several other people have been looking for help and there's a lot of great advice in some recent threads. Good luck!

I ended up declining my offer but I did go to the open house and took lots of notes. This is what I got: - lots of people have part time jobs (no more than 10 hours) - need 20 open hours for clinic time during the week - you'll have a co-clinician for your first clients which you get in fall - to work in an Illinois school you'll need to complete the reqs for the professional educator license otherwise you can't get it later - this summer they have you observing dysphagia patients in the hospital which is right across the way from the clinic - lots of opportunities for part-time clinicals outside the clinic such as a Catholic school - there's a computer lab, kitchen, lockers, and student space in the clinic. The clinic itself is super nice and new; shared with PT right now and audiology. Huge materials closet and rooms with two-way mirrors Seems like at least half the students commute and you can park at the clinic which isn't really on the main campus. They try really hard to match your interests and personality to be successful in over 300+ school/nonschool placements. I hope that helps! Even though I turned it down I think they have a great program.

Honestly, I feel the same way. It was hard to let go, but at the same time I know the cost I would've incurred would have been extremely high and taken forever to pay back. I've been up and down all day but I'm glad I'm not alone. And hopefully someone else will appreciate the opportunity to go to the schools we turned down.

I think I sent 1-2 scores last year not to the CSDCAS code but the schools were able to find it. Obviously that's not always the case and now you can prepare in advance where to send them to avoid any mixups that way. And just a note, every school with CSDCAS is different. I only had 1 of 3 CSDCAS schools that had a supplemental app this year. Last year it might have been 2 of 3. I think the concept of CSDCAS is good, but they don't always process very well, it's confusing, schools have extra fees/apps, and schools don't understand how it works either. If you apply to any CSDCAS schools my advice is to E-submit EARLY. That way you don't have to worry about not being verified in time. I E-submitted before Christmas and was verified a couple days later whereas people who submitted around New Years or later were waiting for weeks.

Like jettip I also took the GRE twice. I took a prep course at my undergrad and did a bunch of practice tests and I did okay. When I didn't get into grad school last year I decided to retake it. I gave myself a month to study while working full time last fall. I signed up for a month of Magoosh which gave me tons of practice questions and videos and strategies. They also have a couple free apps. Definitely download the vocab one and practice every spare moment you can. I did my best to study a few hours every night and on Saturdays. My verbal score went up 7 points and again like jettip my math score didn't change at all haha. I was happy to get a 155 though so no complaints. I'm not a huge math person; other than stats I haven't taken math since high school precalc junior year so a good 7 years. I'm more a nerdy grammar/spelling/vocab person and that tends to be more important in our field. I barely prepped for the writing and managed to increase my score on that. I was actually super surprised since I thought one of the prompts was difficult and that I didn't respond very well. I struggled a bit on test day because it's long and tiring so at least take a few practice tests and get used to the long time it takes. I think you can start studying vocab now and get used to drilling that regularly. Kinda depends on what your summer plans are and whether you want to start with a few hours every week or wait til it gets closer and then hit it harder. Just be careful not to burn yourself out. I was so sick of studying by the time I took it so don't study every day starting tomorrow for four hours.

I kinda know the feeling. Somewhere else would be an adventure! A change! That was what was keeping me from automatically accepting the cheapest option. I would consider what facets of the program do you really like and are they much different from the one you don't like. Are the class options much different? The placement opportunities? Faculty you'd rather work with? I realized this week that the placement options are what mattered most - and the cost. I'm going with a school that I can have 1-2 semesters of externship anywhere in the country. While I'm not making the big cross-country change like I've been hoping, I'll have very little debt in the end and in two years, I can hunt for jobs wherever I'd rather be and have a nicer apartment. I probably sound super biased right now towards the cheaper school, but I have a brother with over 100K he owes in loans from undergrad and grad school. He has to have a good job to keep paying the loans and his cost of living is super high. He's gonna be paying them for 25 years. If you go that route, just have your eyes open and if you think you can handle it, maybe work a few hours a week to help curb the cost. Good luck on your decision! I think you can make the best of whichever school you choose.

Thank you!! Now to figure out whether I want to accept it and not my other top choice! Congratulations! what a great feeling.

Definitely check with the programs. Some really emphasize having faculty recommendations. Univ of Utah was one that told me they wanted all faculty to know how I was as a student and that's it. I had to reapply this year and I just asked two of the same profs from last year if they would write for me again. They were very willing and just updated their old letters with new information. It could be worthwhile also if you check with a couple of your old professors to see what they would recommend or what they expect in letters for students who have been out of school longer. Or even if they would feel confident in writing you a good letter if they can comment about things you've been doing and what your grades were back before graduating.

I got off a waitlist today and they gave me until the 20th.

So did I! Still trying to decide whether to go. The tuition is hard to ignore- very cheap!

I have one school that said to accept or decline their offer specifically by 5 pm Central time. My other offers just say no later than the 15th so I'm going with no later than 11:59 pm in each school's time zone.

Maybe contact them and explain you were hoping to pursue a thesis and find out why it was cut. And see if there's other opportunities to do research anyway if you want to.

It's hard to know what rankings to rely on. Besides the U.S. news I know there is some academic analytics company that ranked schools a couple years ago. At the open house for the U of U they said they were ranked 6 out of 300. But US news says Utah is 32. I'm sure the measurements were different so keep that in mind. I got wait listed at two schools in the 100s but I definitely agree the fit was probably wrong. They were just extra schools because I worried about getting in after last years rejections.

It seems like a really good program! I wish we had gotten a tour but the campus and building looked nice on the outside. They have opportunities for externships at local hospitals but they are a little competitive to get. It was ranked 6 out of 300 by some academic analytics company a few years back. They have lots of faculty and they have expertise in almost every part of the field. If you want to try for a GA or other position you can apply but it all depends on funding which is unknown yet. If I can think of other things I'll let you know. I qualified for in state tuition so there's a good chance i might end up there but it's definitely expensive otherwise.

A lot of the schools I've looked at typically set ~12 credits per semester, as in 4 classes. I think most hover around the 9-13 range until graduation. UVA goes anywhere from 10-18 credits depending on the semester and that includes practicum. I think no matter what you'll be busy. You might need to check and see when classes are offered in case they are only allowed taught once a year or have prereqs. I don't know if that was helpful at all. Basically I don't think it's unusual to have 12 credits every semester.

Start exploring programs. Consider what your GPA will be and whether you have a chance. I went through the list of schools on ASHA Edfind and eliminated first by location, then by grades/GRE. Look up schools and see whether they post stats about average scores and number accepted (since we're all a little skeptical about the accuracy of Edfind stats). If they don't post online start emailing or calling them to find out. Get an idea of what GRE score you want to shoot for. Definitely agree with jettip who posted above. Make a google doc with deadlines, whether there are supplemental applications required (such as CSDCAS schools - they sometimes require an application to the school itself in addition to CSDCAS), when professors have submitted letters, etc.

-what's unique about your program/what sets it apart from other programs. -Do students work part-time (if you think you might need to). -How many hours of clinic per week

Anyone going to the open house on Thursday? I'm hoping to go if I can get time off work that afternoon.

I'm considering it. At northern Illinois the students said it was pretty typical to have a PT job. Like 90% of their cohort. If I do a program that starts in fall I've thought about finding another job on top of my current one over the summer. Or possibly doing some freelance editing since my minor is in editing.

Haha not yet. I'm out visiting NIU and MSU this weekend so we'll see how I like those first.

Congrats!! That's gotta feel so great! I'm happy for you.

Good to know. I've assumed I would qualify but figured I needed to double-check. Utah even as a resident isn't that much cheaper than some of the out of state costs for my other schools oddly enough.

Out of state tuition is super expensive at the U. I just emailed them to find out if I qualify as a resident since I did my undergrad in Utah and have lived here for five years. If I don't I'll definitely turn it down. I'm leaning towards some of my other offers but I wouldn't mind going to look around. They haven't scheduled an open house yet I guess.