koalalover1

I think it should be double spaced, or 1.5. I just say this because I've emailed the schools I am applying to, and they've generally said they read so many applications that they want the personal statements to be easy to read. After reading so many, it may be easier if the font is a little bit more spaced out than single space. That's just me though!

Oh wow thank you! I don't know how I missed that! Except it says below that this is the criterion for physician assistant I think. I will keep looking, but thank you for the link! I've never seen it before until now!

Hey guys! So I have finished my applications for the most part, but I just have to send my GRE scores to Grand Valley State. I've sent my scores to all my other schools, but I cannot for the life of me find the code to send them to! I emailed their department in the contact info they provide on their site about a week ago, and I have yet to hear anything?? Anybody know where I can find this? Thanks!!

I'm sure something like this has been asked before, but this is my dilemma. I have a school that is due January 1 for all application materials, meaning they don't need our fall transcripts right away. My other deadlines are January 15 and Feb 1, and they do want my Fall grades. I want to do professional transcript entry for the school that does not require Fall grades, but I am nervous I will not be able to manually enter my Fall grades in time for January 15 deadlines. I even emailed the January 1 department and they said they want our transcripts without Fall grades, but all my other schools want Fall grades, some of the deadlines being January 15. I am not sure what to do ? I was planning on requesting transcripts without Fall grades and then again transcripts with Fall (I already requested for transcripts but to wait until Fall, and I'm about to request without Fall grades now before grades are due), but I want to use my professional transcript entry (which I already paid for). Anybody in this situation? The school due January 1 is not one I am really wanting to go to, but it is a back up. The January 15 ones are much more important, so if my Fall grades do not get sent, I do not know what I would do. I guess I'm asking if I am able to manually edit my Fall grades before January 15th

Oh okay, figured it out! Thank you!! I will submit it with both as well tomorrow or Tuesday!

I am applying there as well. I have not submitted my MSU Graduate Application (I plan on it tomorrow - waiting until I get money deposited to pay the fee, and I want to revise my personal statement). To be safe I would put it on both. I'm guessing I will receive the link for Graduate Application Portal after submitting the MSU Graduate Application? I kind of just decided on applying here recently, so I haven't gotten to the entirety of the application yet. I have not received any link to send letters of rec yet. But it's better to be safe than sorry, so I would send it to both!

Thank you guys for the help! See our school's grades are due on December 22nd, so I guess if they close on the 24 they still could be sent out to CSDCAS. I applied for my transcripts to be sent a while ago. That may be farfetched of me to say it will be sent on time, but I will definitely email this department. Two of my eight schools are due January 1...the rest are January 15th or after.

Hi everyone! I was wondering where in CSDCAS we should be entering our Spring of 2016 planned coursework? I can't find anywhere where to put this! Some of my schools want to know what classes I will be taking in the Spring. I am also planning on doing professional transcript entry, but I am still waiting on my Fall transcripts.

Okay, so I have already arranged to have my transcripts sent to CSDCAS after Fall grades are submitted a while ago. However, I am a little nervous that this will be too late before January deadlines. Should I also have my transcripts sent for before Fall semester, too? How fast do transcripts get sent to CSDCAS? I can do transcript requests online through my university, so it would be done by next week I'm assuming if I did a request for grades without Fall today. It would for sure be done by January 1, but before December 28. I just don't know if that matters or not. My school's grades aren't due until December 27th or 28th I believe.... Some of these applications require that you have started CSDCAS applications by January 1, but it says that some transcripts can be sent late. Maybe I am being paranoid, but is it even worth it for schools to receive transcripts without Fall grades on them, then get the Fall ones later? This is mainly a concern because one of my applications due January 15th says it's okay to send them in twice, but none of my other schools say that anywhere. I feel like I should to be safe, so I probably will, but I don't want it to be a hassle for anybody. Also, my schools really just say applications are suppose to be started by January 1st, but aren't completely due until January 15th or later. I am just worried about getting transcripts in on time.

I was thinking you could send them now, too, and then again. I am a little confused about this though: if you do the professional entry and have it done now, will they be able to add your fall grades, or should you wait? I was going to do it this weekend, but then I got a notification saying that if I submit it now, I cannot change it later. I know I'm going to use the professional entry because I don't want to screw it up on my own, but I'm not sure if I should send it now or wait until fall? You could also go to your school's registrars office and ask them what they think. That's what I am planning on doing this week, but I figured since this thread was posted, why not add on!

My stats are pretty similar to yours. It's great that you found a diverse amount of schools - really delving into the stats and finding places that would work with the stats is key for anybody applying. I am also in your boat - I have decent experience and good LOR's. That will really help bulk our applications! I have just taken a large focus on my grades this semester, and writing really solid SOP's. Try to tailor the SOP's towards what the university has to offer, and yourself. Being a male does make you stand out as well, but in your SOP, try to think of other ways. Also, if this helps, schools like to look at your last 60 credit GPA, so depending what your grades are that would help, too! I think you have a solid chance to get in somewhere!

Oh, I am worried too! I feel like we all are! Hopefully these schools look at the whole picture and give us a fighting chance! We got this! Best of luck to you as well!!

If it is your number one school, I don't see how it could be a waste of money. If you've never seen the campus before, it would help a lot! I visited one of my potential grad schools this summer, and I am so glad I did! I was on the fence about applying, and now it's in my top three! When you visit, you'll see a lot more than you expect! But on the same token, if you know your heart is set on it, and visiting won't make too much of a difference, you can always change your mind. Just know that no matter what, you'll get something positive out of whatever you decide! Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback everybody! I ended up emailing the school. They said that there were no requirements, but to keep in mind, the people who read the letters read so many of them, so the font and spacing should be reasonable. Mine is size 12, 1.5 spacing, no change in margin, and it fits on two pages. I should be good then! Let's just hope it's enough to be considered.

Hey fellow speech applicants! I have a quick question. Have any of you guys been applying to schools that have a personal statement prompt, but no font or page requirement? If so, what is your general rule of thumb? I've heard between 500-700 words, but that is just me. Do schools really care how many words you type? I have a personal statement for a school with no requirements, but I do not want to sound like I am talking too much. Without editing it, I have 806 word (yikes!). But is is less that two pages in size 12 font, 1.5 space. This one also required that I answer five questions, whereas most of the other schools I am applying to are more general. Is 806 too many? I can easily rid some of it if that is too many! It is one of my top school choices, so I do not want to blow this one! I have another personal statement I wrote that has 696 words, but it is much more general. I also know that some schools like 500 words or less. I will be writing alternate personal statements for those as well.

I am also applying to Bowling Green State University! I am from Wisconsin, so I am applying to UW Whitewater, UW Stevens Point, UW Milwaukee, UW Eau Claire, then Indiana State, Illinois State, Grand Valley State, Michigan State, University of Minnesota Moorhead! My stats right now are Major GPA - 3.59, Overall 3.51, Minor 4.0 - This semester I have another major class, and three more next semester, so these will change! My minor is Special Education, and I have a 4.0. My GRE's are V147, Q147, AW 5.0. I know, they are low, but I have no time to retake it on time! Message me if you want to know anything about these schools, because I feel like we are in a similar boat!

I also have to add my personal essays on CSDCAS because I have to personalize a few of them yet to accommodate the needs of the school, and I am waiting for my LORs to be submitted, so maybe it's because I am not finished with my application yet?

Thanks so much for the help! I noticed on my ETS account where you check your GRE score, it says my scores were received, but I cannot find anywhere on CSDCAS that my scores were received. That's why I am really confused.... especially because I did Scre Select, so all of my scores shouldn't have even sent. Maybe I will try and call CSDCAS just in case! I may just be missing out on where I am suppose to be looking but all I could do on CSDCAS was enter my scores myself. I made sure to look up my GRE codes before the test, and I sent them all directly to the CSDCAS code, not the universities, so I feel like it should be showing up somewhere on CSDCAS.

Okay, sorry if this seems like a stupid question, but I have been hearing both sides of this. So I have heard that if you took a GRE over the summer, before the CSDCAS portal opens, your GRE score did not send to the school. Is this true? I thought that it was not true and your scores still send, because on my ETS GRE portal it says my scores were requested to be sent, but I have been hearing the opposite. My problem is I am horrible at standardized tests. I totally bombed it my first try (I took it way earlier than I should have), but still sent scores in (stupid, but I was not expecting to take it three times and was nervous I would do worse on the writing and quant). My second GRE was before September 17 (it was August 26th), and I sent my score to four schools because I was happy with two of my scores, but not the third (again). I was not sure if I wanted to retake it, but for the sake of my verbal score I ended up deciding to. I took the GRE again on September 26th and ended up doing better, but my quant score went down. I am just curious if the schools are going to get my first set of scores or not. I did Score Select, but on my ETS GRE portal it says all three of my scores were received by schools. Also sorry if this post is confusing.... I just really want to know and I've been trying to find a definite answer.

jmk - I have no problem doing that. I just wanted to see if people had opinions on it, because if I didn't have to spend extra money to send two sets of scores, I wouldn't. My writing score is a 5.0, verbal 147. I know, my scores are low, but with my given circumstances I'm not gonna retake it. I am bad at testing, and am planning on applying to schools with no GRE cut-off requirements because of it. I also hope the other aspects of my application balance out the low GRE. I just wasn't sure because the other time I took the test, my verbal was only a 143 (I was not having a good day even going into the exam) but my quant was `147.

I also am curious if anybody knows this. I took the GRE over the summer and sent scores to CSDCAS schools ( I know CSDCAS does not open until September 17, so I don't even think my scores will be sent). I retook it about a week ago because my verbal score was low, and I did a lot better, but my quantitative went from 147 to a 144. I am wondering if I am able to send my latest scores and another to schools, or am I too late for this? My quantitative is lower than a lot of ranges for the schools I am applying for (they say 145 on any score is a cut off, and I have a 144 on the score with the best verbal ) but on my previous test, my quantitative is a 147! This is just super stressful because I don't want to take the test AGAIN because I have already received the score cut off, but not on the same exam as my best verbal (aka the one that I need to be sending in). I know quantitative is not a big deal compared to verbal, but I would hate to be rejected because of that. My verbal score is right below the average (150) for the schools I am applying to, so I feel like I need to have both scores sent in to even have a chance, because a 144 quant is not good for me, but a 147 is. My writing is above the averages at all the schools I want to apply to (4.5), so I am hoping I will be okay with my resume and grades. I also have my back up plan all in line because I know I am on the lower end here, but I am gaining a lot of resume experience this year (this will be the meat of my application...It needs to be though) and my major GPA isn't awful (3.59) undergrad is a 3.5, but I also have four major classes left, and I am currently in undergrad research. I would just hate to not try. I also am looking for schools that are around my range of grades and resume experience. My grades are that low because I did track and field for two years. My last 60 will be a 3.8, if that even helps me...

So this website for sure applies to SLP programs, too? That makes me feel so much more relieved! I should probably send schools both of those test scores then? I feel as though a 144 is very low for quant, and I want my 147 to be seen. I just did awful on the verbal section that round, so I had to retake it, and I don't want that bad first score to offset my chances!

You could definitely mention English not being your first language in your SOP! That is amazing! Any school you apply to would see that as a way you stand out from the pool of applicants. If you're concerned about the writing, I would try to find practice prompts, and time yourself to see where you're at. Or if you're worried, to get a starting point, do a writing prompt un-timed, and see how long it takes you! I've never personally used Magoosh, but I hear wonderful things about it! That will make a big difference, especially for the vocabulary! You could also just google tips for vocabulary portion of GRE, and see what you can find! There's so much out there you can do!

Thanks so much for the responses! I did Score Select for my tests, but I am just concerned mine are too low. I have what I need for myself, but my verbal is one date and my quantitative is the other! Hopefully the schools look at both!

Does anybody know if schools only look at your most recent GRE score, or take the best scores if you have multiple? I am just wondering because one of my quantitative scores was a 147, but on my re-take I did better on my vocab than I did the first time, but my quantitative went down to a 144! I am a terrible test taker (I have bad test anxiety), so I know my scores are not going to be extremely competitive. Not to use that as an excuse, but I am working on making myself more well-rounded on other aspects of my application. I am just curious if it is possible for schools to combine scores, or if they just look at the most recent!