marycaryne

Considering the assistantships offered a stipend and tuition waiver, I couldn't refuse. Also I took on the GPC because there are issues going on that need addressing and I want to see reflected in the policies. Had the issues not occurred, I likely would have turned it down. And I feel we all need to be awarded degrees for time management.

Wooo it has been a few months and holy cricket I can't believe how time has flown and I have gone from waiting anxiously for a response (ANY response) to now being full immersed. I have 10 hours of class, I am a TA teaching two labs, as well as an RA. I was also asked to be part of the graduate policy committee for our department which is pretty awesome. So all of that to say that man I am exhausted! But really, I love it.

@Cat_Robutt UGH don't remind me. I'm nowhere near ready. My husband is still looking for a job in Florida, we are still looking for an apartment, we have to figure out all the school stuff for our kids... All by the end of next month. Can I magically fast forward time to where that's all done? And to where we are already moved as well? Because I am NOT looking forward to that either. I hate moving. I don't care about a new place to live...I just hate packing everything up and driving forever and unpacking everything. But my anniversary is in 10 days so that's cool.

I am an evangelical Christian and my husband is an ordained reverend. We both agree that if anyone shows any hatred towards another person, they are not a Christian no matter what they claim...the Bible speaks VERY clearly about not hating our neighbors and loving one another regardless of a difference of lifestyles, beliefs, etc. We can disagree with someone without resorting to hatred or even a dislike. Just on the most basic level, showing any hatred towards another person because of their religious beliefs, because of who they love, etc is just an opportunity to shut the doors on open communication. How can we expect anyone to listen to us if we are too busy hating them? Maybe it's because I grew up in a family that is very diverse...my parents are Protestant, my extended family is Roman Catholic (primarily by name only), I have one aunt who is a lesbian, another who is an atheist, some are white, some are Hispanic... It has just taught me that no matter where we stand, we can still love each other and be there for one another. I really don't get why people who may disagree with a different lifestyle cannot simply just care for another human being. Last I checked, Jesus wasn't hanging out with the Pharisees. As far as Westboro goes, nothing they say or do surprises me anymore. I wish the media would stop giving them attention because it isn't like they are going to change. So why keep giving them the press they want?

My program is merchandising, not SLP, but I wanted to chime in on the writing since that was the section my program put its primary focus on. Yes I did study, and hard, for the other sections. And at least you get a score when you take practice tests, giving you a good idea of how you may perform on test day. But obviously you don't know what you'll score with a practice AW test, so I read up a lot on it. I did my undergrad online, and online schooling tends to be writing intensive, so I got a LOT of practice in writing through that. I'm also with coffeecode in that "old fashioned" sense of becoming a better writer by being a big reader. I have noticed that those I personally know who do not write very well are the same people who also do not read very much. Read books, newspapers, journals, magazines...just get an idea of how ideas and thoughts are being articulated into information for the reader. One of my GRE resources was Cracking the GRE by The Princeton Review. I felt they had a great section on the essay, at least from my perspective. They clearly explained what was being asked, gave plenty of examples of how to approach it, things the graders look for, etc. I took several practice AW tests just to time myself so that I would be comfortable being able to brainstorm, do an essay, and very quickly review everything within that timelimit. Then I'd review the essay on my own to look at how I could improve. Then I would take another practice AW test (maybe a week or two later), putting those mental notes on improvement quite literally to the test. By my last practice test I noticed a big difference between it and my first practice test. Come test day, I was very comfortable with how to go about doing the essays. I wound up getting a 5.5.

I have not heard that at all. I'm not sure why they would hide your scores from you unless they were sent to a school. Taking the test doesn't mean you're required to send the scores somewhere (although I am not sure why you'd take it if you had no intention of sending them off). Now it IS a smart idea to have a few schools ready to send them off to right when you take the test because it's free for up to 4 or 5 schools on test day (can't remember exactly how many). Anything extra or not sent at that time will have a charge.

What brand is it?? And about how much? I've been looking for a good planner but so far haven't liked any that I have seen.

@BFreeman03 That's how it happened with mine when I did it in January. But unless it is past the 10-15 days, I wouldn't stress about it.

If you took the test on a computer, you should have seen your unofficial quant and verbal scores immediately after you finished the test. The writing score would be the only one you would need to wait on. They do say 10-15 days, but that score was posted for me in a week. I actually did really well with the AW - I had a 5.5. I credit two things for that: doing my undergrad online as online degrees are typically very writing intensive, and then doing several practice timed writing tests so I had a good feel. AW was important to me since my program focuses more on that score than quant/verbal. So needless to say I was on pins and needles waiting for that one. SO glad it took less time to receive it than the site stated. @DBear My quant and verbal were posted right away, but the AW score remained blank until it was posted a week later.

Omg the Snorks! Yassss!!! My show of the day was Rainbow Brite. Man I WAS Rainbow Brite. You could not convince me otherwise. And Jem. Still looking for earrings that turn me into a rockstar.

Can you ask your former academic advisor? I did my undergrad online, which makes it impossible to build relationships with profs. Fortunately I had a couple that knew me and my work very well since I took a few of their classes and was able to get them to write an LOR. My supervisor wrote the third LOR. But one school (actually the one I will be attending) required at least three academic LORs, so I wound up asking my advisor since she was the only other one who saw my progress throughout my undergrad and we had enough communication that I felt she could write one for me. She was happy to do it, but let me know that she was not allowed to discuss my grades or GPA. That was no problem for me since I had a 4.0 and the school was getting a transcript anyway. As a "just in case," I still had a professional LOR submitted for that school. Anyway, that was my experience and how I "worked around" it since I really didn't have anyone else I could ask.

Sadly I understand this all too well. Whar's really pathetic though is that my mom only seems to really pay attention if something bad is happening to us....as if she takes delight in when something isn't going right in my life. It's really rather disgusting. I have something to celebrate? She's not really interested. Something goes wrong? She's ALL ears.

In my view, there are two very different things going on: the need for a letter to get out of an apartment contract and the desire to continue your education elsewhere. Whereas a potential school may ask about why you stopped working with an advisor, the apartments are not really going to care. They simply want proof of termination. They do not care if you loved blue but your advisor hated it. They do not care if your professor was offended by the amount of sour cream you put on your nachos. Similarly they do not care if you were not interested in a project. All they care about is the leasing contract and the fact they need proof of termination for you to get out of that. Employers typically provide very generic letters in cases where such proof needs to be provided. Whether her reasoning of "insufficient funds" was part of her real reason for letting you go (as fuzzylogician said, it may not necessarily be unrelated to a lack of interest on your part), the bottom line is that she was just writing what essentially equates to a typical letter with relatively vague reasons just so it is sufficient as proof of termination. Your advisor already told you that she would be honest with other schools. I would expect that if asked, she would do exactly what she said she would do. School admission is very different than needing a letter to get out of an apartment contract and I wouldn't compare a letter she gave you for that to a potential answer she may give to an actual school. Personally, I always advise being honest but putting a positive spin on it. For example, if you were genuinely not interested in a project, then be honest about that but share your passion for a potential future project and your desire to continue your education. Of course there is always the potential that it could still hurt you. Fuzzylogician made some great suggestions to try build a case in your favor, such as gaining work experience in a related industry and getting strong letters from employers. It can show that you really are interested in a future in that industry, even if not for the specific project you were working on. Bottom line though is that as pointed out, our opinions really don't matter much. You may not want to bring this up to the advisor again, but if you really want these questions answered, you don't have much of a choice.

People having it worse is no reason for you to not be able to wish for a good relationship with any family member, especially a parent. People having it worse doesn't mean you aren't allowed to feel. It's like saying "people have it better so you can't be happy about xyz." It's ok to be disappointed and upset by your current relationship with your dad regardless of what others are going through. And for what it's worth, I wish I had a decent relationship with my parents (especially my mom) as well...particularly one that was genuine. It's a sucky feeling. I'm sorry you have to feel that way too.

I agree with Sigaba. As it stands right now, your SOP has a very generic feel to it. If I was the one reading it as part of an admissions committee, there is nothing about it that really stands out and would make me want you as a student over someone else. A couple things... I would really specific exactly what you are hoping to research and why. How is that research going to benefit your future career? Second, I would talk about the school in specific. What about THAT school made you want to apply there? Is there a specific professor whose research works well with yours? You have very general statements that could apply to any school. Give detailed reasons why School X is the one you want to attend. It shows you're paying attention to what they are doing rather than just handing out generic letters to everyone. Remember, they are not just looking to see if the school is a good fit for you, but also if you are a good fit for the school. My program is merchandising, so obviously different than yours. But in my SOP, I explained why I loved merchandising and how I saw it benefiting both retailers and consumers alike. I have worked as a visual merchandiser for the last couple of years and I explained how I was able to apply my studies in very practical ways and see how consumers responded, while getting a good idea of what worked and didn't work (and gave a couple specific examples). I explained my research interests and why I felt it was essential not just to my continuing career as a merchandiser, but also so retailers in general have a better understanding of how merchandising works. I also talked about a particular professor who has done research that aligns well with my research interests. This was in the letter I sent to Florida State, which was my top choice. I was accepted. Obviously an SOP shouldn't be novel length (mine was about 1.5 - 2 pages), but detail is important as well as showing a genuine interest in a specific school you're applying to. If you're applying to more than one school, change your SOP to fit that school. It definitely should not be one generic one you send to all schools. Hope that helps!

How many times people take the GRE can depend on a couple things: -Were the scores they got what was needed for their desired school/program? -Are they applying within the five years they took the GRE? (scores are only valid for 5 years) I only took it once. My quant score was eh, my verbal score was about average. But my program focuses heavily on the written score, and I got a 5.5 in that. I got accepted into my top choice. My suggestion is to take a few practice tests. It could help give you an idea of what you may get on test day.

We had that just a few years ago. I think it was the hottest summer on record or something like that in 2011 I believe? My kids were miserable with cabin fever...and so was I. I have several friends in Florida and they were all complaining about the temps being in the 90s..the kind that cools off with the brief afternoon shower and is pleasant in the evenings. And I remember one night in particular when I couldn't sleep, it was 3am, and it was still over 100. I'm looking forward enjoying our Florida summers again.

I am not familiar with that program or the top tier schools for it, so I apologize. But my undergrad degree was online. If they haven't outright rejected it, I don't see how it should be a problem. As long as it is from an accredited school, then they shouldn't reject the school anyway. Although I will say that because the popularity growth of online schooling is still relatively recent, there may be some admissions committee member still of a mindset that online school = degree mill. Fortunately because respected schools are adding online programs, this is a mentality that is going away. However, I understand them taking it on a case by case basis. I began my online degree at the University of Oklahoma. At the time they had about 15 majors. When looking to register for the fall semester of my sophomore year, I could not find any of the required classes for my major. Thinking that was odd, I emailed my advisor who informed me the entire program change and the majors were eliminated. We were now "liberal studies" which pretty much meant all of our classes were going to be those generic ones. The school had never bothered to inform us about this change. I transferred over to Southern New Hampshire University. I majored in fashion merchandising there and got a great education with very detailed and relevant (and challenging) classes for my major. I will be attending Florida State University in the fall to continue my studies in merchandising. My degree being online wasn't an issue for them. I didn't even have research done. But I had a 4.0, was getting my degree in the field I wanted to continue studying in, was already working as a merchandiser, and my research interests went along well with a professor they have on faculty. Online degree? No big deal...I got accepted and was offered a teaching assistantship. But honestly, I have to wonder if all that would have been the same had I stayed at OU. Yeah, the degree would have been from a more well known school. But because of how they redid the program, all those classes basically would have been as if I chose whatever random electives looked cool to me until I had enough credit hours to consider it a bachelor's. And I just don't believe I would have been accepted into grad school with that. And for that reason, I can see why any grad school would evaluate an online degree. I don't know if OU's program has changed again during that time though. I don't know how much of a help that is. Probably not much. But as I did my degree online and still got accepted into grad school with a TA, it isn't something I would stress about too much.

Oh my gosh, major vent here. It's a bit lengthy, but I just need to spill. I graduated with my bachelor's last month. Because of having a family and working full time, I did my degree online. So we traveled to go to my graduation. We live in OKC, and my family, who was also going, lives in Chicago. We drove all night to Chicago arriving on a Thursday and we were all flying out at 6am on Friday. We told them we needed to be on the way to their airport no later than 3:30am. While my husband and I had ourselves, our 7 and 6 year old children, and all our stuff ready to go, they were taking their sweet time. We kept getting on them, but we weren't on the road until about 4am. Mind you, they are not children...it's my parents (in their mid 50s), my 26 year old brother, my 22 year old sister, and my 17 year old brother. We get into O'Hare and the security line is insane and going slow. So we tell them we absolutely must run to our gate once we get through. No walking, it needed to be a run because we were at the last gate. Did any of them run? Nope. They walked. And not even a really fast walk. Just a more quickened pace than a stroll. We missed our flight. I was ready to break down crying but we were beyond lucky that the next flight an hour later had enough seats for all of us. They had a mess up with the rental car place because neither of my parents bothered to listen to any of the information I repeatedly told them over the last several months, nor did they read any of the fine print. After sitting and waiting for them to stop their arguing with the agent, we were finally on our way. I had an academic awards ceremony that night with a reception afterwards. My mom spent almost the entire reception gushing over ANOTHER graduate and her accomplishment. Neither of my parents even congratulated me or took a picture with me. Yet my dad, who is a hobby photographer, got plenty of pictures of this other graduate and had me get her email to send the pictures to her. Graduation was on that Saturday. I told them I had to be there at 1pm and if they wanted a decent seat, they should arrive at the same time. Plenty of agreements all around. At 12:40 I knocked on their hotel door and no one is fully ready. I told them we have to go and my mom said to go on ahead, she is just going to finish her eye makeup and they will be right behind us. Ok cool. My husband drops me off and goes to park. Soon before the graduation starts, he is texting me saying that none of my family is responding to his calls or texts. Apparently they finally showed up JUST as the lights dimmed...because they decided to go to McDonald's. When my kids had to use the bathroom, none of them wanted to help my husband out so he could stay and actually watch the ceremony. After the ceremony, I excitedly went out to find my family. My husband and kids were there very happily greeting me. The rest of my family was nowhere to be found. My husband said they left and told us to text them when deciding on a place to eat. I immediately called and asked why they weren't there because I was excited to see them. My dad goes "oh I didn't think we were allowed." So the tons of people waiting outside was an indication they weren't allowed to wait outside? So again, no pictures with my family. We met up at the hotel and my dad seemed annoyed that I had asked him to take just one picture of me with my husband and kids in my cap and gown. None of my family members seemed interested in getting pictures with me. I just picked some fast food place for dinner and pretty much none of my family spoke to me...they were more interested in their other conversations, and my siblings left to go back to their room to watch tv. I spent the evening mostly quiet as my dad rambled on about something to my husband. The next morning they were to fly back to Chicago with our children while my husband and I stayed behind since we were flying to Paris the day after that. My husband stressed that to avoid the mishap of Friday, we were leaving with even more time to spare. We gave them a "must leave" time. We are waiting in the lobby and the time comes and none of them are with us. They come down several minutes past and my dad tells me that he and my mom are going to Starbucks across the street (nevermind there is free coffee in the lobby). My husband and I try to contain our anger. Fortunately everyone gets there in time and they get back to Chicago without further problem. But the entire ride to their airport I was crying. I was the first in my family to graduate. Being in my mid-30s obviously meant I waited a long time for this day. And none of them cared. The "I'm so proud of you" mantras they kept posting on Facebook were all for show. I told my husband that when I graduate from grad school, they aren't invited. Simple as that. They don't deserve to be part of that celebration. Oh, and while my dad is busy posting his well edited pictures of bugs on Facebook and has already emailed the other graduate the pics he took of her, I have yet to see the single picture he took of me from graduation. At least Paris was awesome! Ok, that feels somewhat better to get out. Major kudos to you if you made it through.

I grew up in Chicago so public transportation is no problem for me. I used it almost every day. When my husband and I were in Paris last month, we had no issues using the Metro. But I have noticed public transportation can be confusing and takes awhile to learn for those who weren't exposed to it early on...especially with a system that may not have a regular schedule. In Chicago, the CTA is always running. Missed a bus or train? Catch the next one in a couple minutes or so. Here in OKC, if you miss one, another might not come for an hour or two.

I live in Oklahoma City and dry heat is normal here. But when you have summers that can go upwards of over 100 and does not cool off in the evenings and you have constant heat advisories telling people to not go outside, and everything is dead from the lack of rain, and there's not a lot of shade because it's a prairie state...even dry heat becomes unbearable. It makes me really happy to be moving back to Florida. I can handle the humidity, especially when a lovely afternoon shower helps to cool things off. We have found Florida summers to be much more tolerable than our Oklahoma ones.

@Cat_Robutt I dressed up as a Stormtrooper using a crop top and leggings I got from Poprageous. Next year my plan is to go as Captain Phasma as I am rather obsessed with her. It is quite common for people to dress up during the Disney races according to the theme of the race. They have a Star Wars race at Disneyland already, but it is Light Side. This Disney World one was Dark Side, which was fun. Costuming is a way of life for me...whether normally or in a race. I'm a member of the 501st Legion, which is a Star Wars costuming club (Dark Side only) and I have Stormtrooper armor for it. Those pugs are ADORABLE!!!

When I took the GRE in January, we were told that we had to leave our ID with the administrator when taking a break. Honestly, this is a weird question. I'm not sure why someone would insist on knowing how one could cheat...followed by admitting you'd do it if you weren't afraid of getting caught. Politics of the test aside, it's just completely unethical.

@hippyscientist The half marathon was great! It was a Star Wars themed one at Disney World and being the huge SW fan that I am, I had to go. I plan on doing it again next year. The weather was pretty cooperative and I really couldn't have asked for better conditions considering it was in Florida. A few of my last training runs in Oklahoma had higher humidity at about 80%...that was brutal. Between temps in the 60s when we started (5am) and humidity at about 50% if I recall correctly, it really wasn't bad. The only bad part was that there was some bad bottlenecking at a couple of spots and some walkers who did not honor the etiquette of moving to the right...forcing many of us to weave around them.

When I took the GRE, they compared the photo on my ID to me. When I signed some paperwork or whatever it was, they compared the signature to that on my ID. I know they took a picture of me, but I've never heard of it being sent to schools. My guess is that the photo is kept on file for comparison purposes if someone decides to retake the test or take a different one. That way they can ensure that it is the same person every time. That's just a guess though. Not really how one could get away with having someone else take the test for them. It's possible your friend is BSing you, but I'm not really sure what you would gain from that knowledge. From a personal perspective, he either lied to GMAC or he lied to you...either way, it's not exactly a class act.