kingslayer

Okay guys, I'm freaking out--I accidentally put that I was a "Research Assistant" on my resume. I'm part of the research team, but I'm not employed by my school or anything. How badly did I mess up, and please be honest. Ughhh

Thank you! I contacted ETS a couple days ago, and they told me that the scores were sent out on the report date. However, they weren't processed (like you said). Two of my schools with 1/1/16 deadlines processed the scores in time, while another one may just throw out my application entirely (even though it was there). I sent them an email asking them to please use a placeholder, but they won't. Going to call back on Monday and see what can be done. Thank you again!

Hi everyone, Took my GRE on Dec. 8. Scores showed up on Dec. 23. Hours later, the Report Date changed from Pending to 12/23/2015. Automatically assumed this meant is was sent 12/23, but I called my schools today and they haven't received it yet. Going to call ETS tomorrow (they closed at 11 PST today) and ask what's happening. Is the Report Date the actual Sent Date from ETS to my institutions? I'm worried that the names may not match up (even though I used my First/Middle/Last on both the institutions and GRE). What is the best way to handle this?

Sell. Everything.

My GRE scores were sent yesterday (12/23) which is great because I think I have around 6 applications that are due the 1st to the 5th. I'm just in panic mode because transcripts that were sent are not up on my portal yet. I'm telling myself it's because they're busy, but I have no idea of knowing. It was my fault because I sent them out in late November (there's a 1-10 day processing timeframe) due to financial reasons. But I made it really easy for all of my colleges; I pre-typed all of the transcript request forms (I have super bad handwriting), I included address labels so everything would be correct. A couple of them decided to not use said labels--I requested for a transcript to be sent to me, and they spelled my last name incorrectly. What if they did this with a college and it ended up not getting there?? All they literally had to do was print off 12 copies of my transcript, put them each in an envelope, stick on my label and a stamp, and that's basically it. I think if I DON'T get in anywhere, next cycle I'm only going to apply to colleges that ask for scanned transcripts initially, and then official ones if you are accepted. I hate that parts of my future are out of my hands. I actually read a story where the grad school received the transcript, lost it, and auto-rejected the applicant even though it was on them. Nightmares. Same goes with my GRE scores. I've been debating whether or not I want to apply to another college. I really want to, but I don't know which one. I think I need another safety--I was thinking about applying to a pay-to-play college that accepts you as long as you have a heartbeat, but they'd want official transcripts so I wouldn't have enough money for that. At this point, I think time is going to either tick by dreadfully slow, or go into hyperdrive.

@shadowclaw For me, it's comforting as well because I need to hear stories of plus sized people who are in grad school/attending grad school so that way I can feel like I have somewhat of a chance (I'm super selfish right now in that aspect because I'm really scared). I honestly do know/believe someone with a 2.5 GPA and average weight would have a better chance than 3.5 GPA fat me. I am trying to work on myself, but it's not going to happen overnight--it's certainly not going to happen before interviews (if I get any at all) or before I start applying for jobs. Even in the job sector, I'm not going to fare too well even if I will have the luxury of flashing two bachelor's around. It just merges into all aspects of life. I mean, food is the one thing you can't avoid. If you're an alcoholic, you can avoid alcohol. If you're a smoker, you can cut smoking out of your life completely. But you need food to survive. People can understand, "forgive," and want to help someone who is anorexic, but someone who has binge eating disorder is ridiculed, shamed, blamed (especially by people who have no idea & have been average since birth). I have the same problems you have though. like I still have flashback and trauma that accompanies bullying. I've been fat all my life so it's actually become part of my personality. But let's face it; if you were a guy, you probably would have been allowed to go on the trip. Society is much more lenient toward men & body image than women.

Hey everyone, Right now, all of my LORs are turned in except for one. I applied to 15 schools, but I can try and scrape enough money together to apply to another. What is the best way to approach them about this? Should I ask each one first and see if it's ok? It would be due January 15 (plenty of time after holidays) but I don't want to upset them or anything.

@sjoh197 Even though we're lucky to live in a country that's more progressive than other countries, we do still have a long way to go. Like women in general are still considered sex objects in many, if not all, aspects of life. And of course we do use that to our advantage sometimes (free drinks, yay! not that I've ever gotten one, hahah.) I would assume that if you're too pretty, you basically become Elle Woods and everything you do is diminished in the eyes of others--"she only got a PhD because she's hooking up with her professors" or "she's only here because of *blah blah blah*" I think eventually that this would become intrinsic as well-"Did I really earn that A, or was it just handed to me?" it could seriously decrease self-worth. I'm really sorry that that's been happening to you. I think you're in a position too where you can't really do anything about it, or at least it's scary to do something about it because it's people who are higher than you. Us girls have to stick together. @knp I think that post is for me, thank you! @gingin6789 Thank you!! A lot of the schools I applied to have this point of stressing diversity. They kind of have to--eventually, minorities will be over 50% of the population in America. I'm going into education, so we have to work on is managing our prejudices and working with diverse populations. A large part of the job is working with children and families who have completely different cultures, religions, goals, expectations, appearances, ect. than I do. Despite this, a vast majority of school psychologists (over 92% according to studies done in 2010) are white. I think that this is just how society is set up: minorities play in sports teams, while white older men coach/own them. My GRE scores are really bad if you compare them to the average of men and of Caucasian people- but if you compare them to white test takers and women, they're good. I think it's an example of how equity rather than equality needs to be incorporated into the grad system.

@Mystic_Fog I'm completely broke but I'd live off eggs for another few months if I could apply to more colleges. I would apply to a 16th but I've already overextended my LORs, I think. but my GRE scores are not great as well. They're OK for a masters program (or at least the bare minimum), but I would never apply to a PhD program with them. I'll probably be in that pile with you as well.

I have no idea. I'm applying to 15 colleges, so if I got rejected from every single college it would be a major blow to me, like I'm not grad school material. I'd probably still end up applying the next cycle, but I would fill time by... lamenting that my favorite colleges didn't accept me (even if it wasn't due to my application) finding a job out of state that relates to my field moving out of state continuing to research losing weight studying for and retaking the GRE feeling glad because my 3.5 Spring 2015 GPA would be my 3.64 Spring 2016 final GPA Have any of you applied to 4+ colleges at once and got rejected from them all? it's one thing if you apply to 3 colleges and get rejected, but if you apply to 15 colleges, that's saying something imho

Hopefully I'm wrong. I think it would just depend on the college itself. I know for sure that some colleges have a minimum GPA requirement for the graduate school. For instance, UWisc-Madison has a 3.0 minimum for acceptance into the school itself. I'd say that a majority of schools I've seen has wanted that 3.0 GPA."Lower-tiered" ones still want a 2.5-- the CSU system has a 2.5 minimum, but "a campus can make exceptions to this rule." And then you have the "pay-to-play" colleges like Brandman who would require a portfolio of work if you're below 2.5. I wouldn't say it's impossible to get in, but it'll just be hard work and something you'd have to really want. I would probably find a job in the field or somewhat related to it, research like hell, and take community college courses and get great grades in them.

@piglet33 "you're very self-sabotaging" true. I put a lot of value and worth into my education because again, I'm fat and black. When you're me, society says you're an idiot who can't do anything. I love school, I love education in general, so it's just hard. I'm trying to disassociate my competence for grad school from this application process but I'm having trouble doing so--it's one thing if you are rejected from three schools, but it's another if you're rejected from 15. I think I'd still apply if I didn't get in next year, but it would hurt. I'm also terrified of working a job I hate & could have been in without a college education. I have a friend who is currently making at least half of my hourly wage more than I am, and she hasn't gone to college at all so she's debt free.

My GPA is good (depending on how it's calculated). My GRE scores could be better, but I'm not applying to a PhD program yet. My letters of rec are (hopefully) amazing. My personal statement is great (though I'm beginning to nitpick and hate it). On paper, I think I'm an ok candidate. I know I can do the work if given a chance. The only problem (and why I'm so stressed all of the time and applying to so many colleges) is that I'm a plus-sized minority female. It's basically one of the worst trifectas ever. I'm fat, so that must mean I'm lazy, stupid and undisciplined. I'm Black, so I'm assumed to be on welfare, violent, lazy (again), and uneducated. And I'm a woman, so my worth is obviously based in my appearance, and I'm subservient. I haven't been more annoyed. Most of the time I feel like I'm already rejected, even though I haven't even finished submitting my applications. I have average sized friends who are only going to apply to social work programs because they don't want to even attempt the GRE. I spent two years going to five different colleges at once because of lack of classes & overpopulation--if you ask me, that's far from lazy. I could have graduated last spring, but I stayed because I wanted to double major. And yet the thing that defines me the most to everyone else is that I'm fat, and all of the microaggressions that go with it. Maybe I should have taken the "easy way" and applied for social work programs--avoided the GRE route entirely. Admittedly, I was stupid in the sense that I elected to take the GRE during the semester than during the summer. Next time, that won't happen. Most of my colleges are out of state and will do phone or skype interviews, which is both good and bad. I still don't know which is worse: me somehow finding the money to fly out there and have them see me (so they can later reject me), or losing that personal touch on a skype/phone interview. I don't know. All I can do is the best I can do. I specialize in kicking myself when I'm down and making something over nothing. I just hope that the people who interview me (if I'm even interviewed at all) will look past that and see what I'm able to do. Speaking of which, how are people staying so positive throughout this whole application process? I don't want to get my hopes up and say I'll get accepted somewhere (just in case I don't get in), but I also don't want negative karma. I wanted to apply to another school and my professor was like "Am I done? Don't bother me again!" I know she was joking, but I don't want to ask too much from them (especially since I applied to 15 colleges). I'm in panic mode because I go to state school that's pretty much unknown unless you live in my area. Which is bad, because I don't have a plan B--I'm going to go to grad school. When I first started applying, I had a list of favorites and some I thought were ~~safety~~. That idea has pretty much died. All of the programs I've applied to are good school, and I would fit in so well. None of them are safeties anymore--I could be rejected from all of them based on my resume, or my GRE, or my grades, just anything. Despite all of this, I'm lucky. I don't have a significant other. I don't have children. I don't have best friends or people who can hold me back here and prevent me from moving across the country. My mom is highly supportive of me, and she will move with me wherever I go. We and our dogs are the only family we've got. We do lack money, but I've been preparing myself to be in debt for the rest of my life. I'm lucky that I have a good job (at least until I lose it when I graduate. Work-study.) and I'm able to apply to so many colleges. I just hope someone takes a chance on me so I can make whatever school I go to proud.

People are already being rejected from programs-- for instance, the University of Georgia rejected three people already, but set up two interviews with others. What does this usually mean? Did they not pass minimum qualifications or something, or people who started the app but didn't finish it?

That's no problem! Though if you're applying to a school with the initials LC in them, I didn't apply. Good luck! And thank you! Yeah, it's also super competitive here because people are California dreamin'. I've lived here all my life so I'm basically done. But I don't see why you're worried at all! You have above a 3.0, you actually have experience working with people who have special needs, you are a veteran, your GRE scores are great, and if you're a man you can get that glass escalator up. I only applied to so many schools because I'm genuinely scared I'm going to get in anywhere. I thought I wrote an amazing personal statement, but now I hate it and I have no idea what my recommenders said.

Congrats! Super jells

If you don't mind me asking, which school did you apply to with the 302 GRE score? I applied to only 15 colleges and if I can afford it somehow, I'd like to get to at least 17.

Hi guys, I took the GRE on the 8th and so my scores haven't been posted yet (they're still pending). However, I wanted to pay for the scores to be sent to a few more schools. Should I wait until the scores are posted, or would buying the scores right now not work?

It honestly just depends on the school. The best thing you can do is call and ask. For example, I wanted to apply to a PsyD program & they wanted everything in by December 1. However, another program's deadline date is today as well, and they are ok with me not having my official GRE scores in yet.

@fuzzylogician Thank you! All the stressors of graduate applications/finals/work/money are just starting to mount up and so I'm paranoid about everything.

@bicsy Uh oh, that's not good--after I noticed I forgot to thank them, i started adding a "Thank you so much for you consideration." type line to the last couple of schools i applied to. ughhh

This happened to me as well. I completely forgot to add a line thanking whoever is reading it for reading it. Hopefully it's not the end of the world =[

Hi everyone! Do you know of anyone who has gotten into an EdS program with a lower GRE score? Is there anything I can do right now that will help my application? I can't redo the exam until next year, so I'm stuck with the scores. Please don't give me false modesty--if you got a 50th and above, you did better than I did. I got 301 combined so now I'm in panic mode. I have a good GPA, good letters, and a good SOP, but it's just the GRE score. I'm sort of freaking out because maybe I should have took the easy way out and gone into social work (no GRE required) rather than push myself to do what I really want.

Hi everyone, When I first began school, I was a bad student. I took courses, stopped going to them, and ultimately got an F in three courses. However, I retook the courses and got A's/B's. As far as my college is concerned, my GPA is 3.5. However, I just calculated my cumulative GPA with the F's and I have a 3.26. I called one of the colleges I applied to and they told me that they will include the F's I received almost 6 years ago. Is every college like this? I also withdrew from a bunch of courses and therefore received W's. Will those be counted negatively as well? For the past 4 years I have not done that, and my grades have been A's/B's, so I don't want mistakes I made as a teen to come back and haunt me.

MSW. always MSW. mft doesn't travel well, you can do more with an msw, ect