Tigris

Congrats on the interview! From my experience it seems like it varies a lot between schools, anywhere from a few days to respond to about a month. A lot of times it just depends on the timing of department meetings and things like that, depending on how the university makes admissions decisions. I think it's definitely reasonable to check in with an email after a couple of weeks.

The cost of living in Seattle is definitely higher than average, but I think that $2250 should be enough to comfortably live on, if you are planning to share an apartment with someone else. When I lived near UW, I was paying $1200 a month for a one-bedroom, but I didn't share with anyone. There are definitely 2-bedrooms available for around $1800, especially north of campus, so I would estimate paying around $900 a month. I might be biased because I've lived here for so long, but I really wouldn't worry too much about the earthquake danger. I would avoid living in any old brick buildings, but overall Seattle is built to withstand most earthquakes. I don't want to say that there is no risk of damage from earthquakes, because that's definitely not true, but I feel perfectly safe living here and having an earthquake preparedness kit in my car. In the one earthquake I have been in here (6.8 magnitude), one person died, and it was from a heart attack. Believe me, I completely know how you are feeling! It is a difficult decision to make, and it's good that you are considering these things. I might be moving to Miami to start grad school in the fall, and I'm a little worried not knowing what to expect about hurricanes! Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Congrats on your acceptances!

I've never been to Austin, so I'm sorry that I can't answer your other question very well, but I've lived in Seattle my whole life. It is true that the city is in an area that is statistically "due" for a large earthquake (it happens on average every 300 years, and it's been about 315 years since the last one), but in my time here, I've only ever been in one medium-sized earthquake. While it's smart to be prepared, I don't think Seattle is disaster-prone or unsafe. A lot of the buildings here, especially newer ones, are built with earthquakes in mind.

In past years my top two schools have sent out decisions Valentine's weekend. I am trying so hard to not check my email every two minutes... but I'm still checking my email every two minutes.

Bengal tigers are one of my favorite animals. I was tired and thought it sounded cool at the time. (Also, my username is secretly a Hunger Games reference.)

My boyfriend got a huge bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans for Christmas. I think I've eaten most of them.

School Name: UCLADate Interview Invite Received: 1/19/16Degree: PhDType: Clinical Psychology Notified via: Phone CallFrom: Graduate StudentInterview Date: 2/4-2/6

I've lived in Seattle my whole life and also went to undergrad there, so hopefully I can help a little! I'd definitely agree that Seattle Pacific University is a strong school and worth considering as well, but I'm not sure what they offer as far as MA counseling/clinical psych programs. I know they have a marriage and family therapy MA program and a strong I/O psych program, but I'm not sure besides that. Seattle U has a good reputation and I know a few people who currently attend who are really happy there. It's right in the heart of the city, within walking distance of downtown. Western is also a great school with a lot to offer. I haven't been up to Bellingham much, but it has a very different feel from Seattle. Depending on what you like about Seattle, it may or may not have what you are looking for. It's in a very beautiful area of Washington! Honestly, I would not recommend Northwest. It doesn't have as high of a reputation as the other schools, though, to be fair, I don't know a lot about their graduate-level programs/quality of training.

I finished and sent in all of my applications last week, since they are all due Dec 1st and I didn't want to work on them over the holiday. I'm still waiting on one letter writer to send in the last few letters, but I'm pretty sure it will get done today. My Thanksgiving was good! It was very relaxing and I was able to take some time off work and spend time with family.

This is my first year applying. I don't feel too nervous, but I'm sure that will change once I have all my applications turned in and I'm waiting to hear back from schools! I'm interested in Clinical Health Psych programs. I'm applying to: University of Miami, UCLA, UCSD/SDSU, Iowa, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Colorado-Denver.