bindlestiff

"Alas, Harvard isn't ready for this jelly."

This is actually a favorite pastime of mine. Great topic.
 
"0a/0w/2r 11 The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors"

rlywrmn, it's okay to send a reminder one week before the deadline. But, don't lie and say the programs want the letters 4 business days before the deadline. Everyone knows that isn't true, including the people writing your letters, and they may question why you'd be deceptive about this.

Admin person - not lying. Got an email from Marquette University saying to make sure that all materials are submitted early because it typically takes 3-4 business days to process everything. However, after lisa19's post I figured that the email was referring to mailed in materials and not materials that are submitted online.
And thanks everyone for the words of wisdom! I appreciate it and to everyone that said they're in the same boat as me - I'm sure we'll all be fine!!

I'm with neuronparty on the transcript woes! Nothing more frustrating than sending in your original transcripts and being informed they're incorrect because they didn't arrive in a university envelope, which was not written as a requirement anywhere (now have I ever had to do so before)!!! But I do so enjoy spending ridiculous amounts of money on buying another set of transcripts (seriously, my undergrad uni charges a ridiculous high sum) that I know will be the exact same as the ones I previously sent, even more so because I distinctly remember my rationale for sending them my own very original graduation transcripts were that they would be sent off sooner than if the Examinations Office had to process the order.

Since we're all complaining, let me express my annoyance with being required to send transcripts from universities where you've taken ONE MEASLY CLASS! I have three universities where I have taken one class from each. My wallet is in rough shape after sending a total of 5 transcripts to each place I'm applying. Man, taking courses in high school from different institutions has made my graduate application process a pain!

I'm gearing up to start my last semester of my SLP master's program and my best friend is currently finishing up in OT, so I guess I have some perspective on both.
 
I had never heard that SLP was more "political" than OT before nor seen any evidence of that, so I can't really comment. I've worked in hospitals and nursing homes and, at least in those settings, the amount of paperwork and stress is probably about the same for speech and OT. We all have to write SOAP notes, fill out insurance forms, and fill out physician requests notes for changes in the patients' treatment plans. In the schools, both SLPs and OTs are responsible for filling out IEPs and other necessary paperwork when they are involved with a child. I think it's really more about setting, such as B23 vs. public schools vs. hospitals rather than OT vs. SLP. The major difference would probably be that SLPs typically have larger case loads, adds stress. That said, this also means that there are probably more job opportunities for SLPs, especially in the school systems.
 
As for OT, I don't know if you could find a job where you wouldn't have to help people use the bathroom ... But I will say that if that's a deal breaker for you, then I would find another career path.
 
I personally love SLP, but OT sounds fun, too. Good luck.

Rush University focuses heavily on the medical side.  Their program is actually located inside Rush Hospital in Chicago.  A family member of mine attended Rush and had the opportunity to do many unique medical placements (such as working as part of a craniofacial team).  Additionally, their coursework is very in depth compared to other schools.  I believe my family member had entire courses on topics such as head & neck cancer, TBI, etc.  Rush's program is very rigorous though - so if you decide to go there, be prepared to work hard!

Thanks everyone! Looks like I'll be sending reminders shortly! 
 
Bindlestiff, as for your question I believe that I simply do not have the stats to get into Wisconsin's SLP program. As for how my undergrad went, I loved it. Professors are all amazing (some more than others). My biggest critique on big schools is and always will be huge class sizes. However, that won't be a problem in graduate school. I definitely would have applied if I believed I could get in. Part of me also wants to move on from that chapter of my life to a new university. Haha - hope that answers your question. 

Yes...on the right under "status", once you submit your app, it will show:

(This is mine ☺️)

Your application is
Complete/Not Verified
Complete Date: 01/02/15

Complete date currently being verified: 12/27/14

Yep. You can find this on the instructions page here which describes all of the statuses that show up on that menu:
 
"Complete Date: The date your application was completed and went in line for verification.  Applications are placed in line in chronological order based on their complete date.
 
Complete Date Currently Being Verified: The complete date of applications currently being processed. This information allows you to predict where you are in the verification line. For example, if your complete date is 10/15 and the date currently being verified is 10/14, you likely can expect your application to come up for review soon. Please note that a different number of people turn in their application on any given day, so how long it takes our staff to get through a single complete date often varies."
 
https://portal.csdcas.org/csdcasHelpPages/instructions-and-faq/beginning-the-application/application-statuscsdcas-e-mails-and-notifications/index.html

After you submit, your main portal will say "currently verifying: Jan 1" or whatever date they are currently working on (referring to the submission date of the applications they are currently processing).

Woah, it took them 8 business days?
 
I am really glad I saw this. I had been feeling a little anxious about the whole verification thing as well, but hadn't given it much thought beyond that. 
 
Thank you for posting, deerye525 and OhioAud! 

Hi everyone!
 
Hope we are all taking a moment to breathe as we're submitting our applications.
 
I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me on something about CSDCAS. I submitted my application to Chapman University through CSDCAS after they had received all my transcripts, GRE scores, and LORs. I know they have to go through and "verify" my application (which has not yet happened), and I am concerned/confused about whether this has to be completed before Chapman's application deadline (Jan 15). The FAQ on CSDCAS's website isn't clear about whether making the payment and submitting is enough. Is it possible that I submitted everything and they may not complete everything on their end in time to meet the deadline? 
 
I'm sure it will be fine but my anxieties are getting the best of me.

In case anyone is looking for the color code link OhioAUD mentioned - it is really helpful in clearing up the deadline confusion:
 
https://portal.csdcas.org/csdcasHelpPages/participating-programs-2/

If you click on the participating programs link on CSDCAS it will give you a list of the programs and their application due dates.  The due dates are color coded to show whether the application needs to be submitted, completed, or verified by the stated deadline.  According to that page, your application must be verified by January 15th for Chapman.
 
When I submitted my application it took CSDCAS 8 business days to verify it.  Hopefully they will have your application verified by the 15th!
 
I hope this was helpful!