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I am currently typing from a weird Airbnb in Buffalo, New York right now on my way from Colorado to Boston so I FEEL YOU! Yes, I am ecstatic to be in grad school but this moving thing blows. I'm tired of living out of a car and I don't have an apartment yet! However, I can't complain because I have never moved a family before. The only tip I can offer is get rid of stuff!!! And I am using U-Box—it is great to not have to haul all of my things myself. Good luck!

Oh, maybe I'm wrong then!

Some schools have a grade you have to meet (usually a B or B-) for these prerequisites. Others don't have requirements (Personally, I would not retake them if I was applying to schools that didn't). You will need to contact your programs to find out.

Reading examples is a great idea. Also take a look at personal statement prompts of schools you are interested in, if you can find them. I kept a running document of ANY ideas I had for my personal statement on my computer. It was like a brain dump of bullet points of experiences I wanted to highlight, themes for the essay, and actual language I used in mine. I found it really helpful to have this so I could sort through my ideas. It also helped keep me from becoming overwhelmed by the task because I was worried I would forget good ideas I had or had too many ideas to voice. You will most likely go through many drafts before writing your final essay, so don't be afraid to get something down on paper. Even if you don't like what you've written, at least you've gotten it out of your system and you can start on another draft!

Your GPA is not "embarrassingly low" but I felt the same way about mine, so I understand. I also had a health issue my first year of school. Your GPA does not mean you can't get into program—I got into 4 great ones! I applied to some programs that looked at the last 60 units (my GPA for that is around 3.9) and funnily those were ones I was wait listed at or rejected from. I am not saying you should not apply to schools that look at the last 60. I think you should, and there are other factors that went into play for my rejections (U of A is very competitive anyway, for example). I agree with Crimson Wife about mentioning health issues briefly in your personal statement without being specific; I did. In one sentence, mention that you suffered from health issues which lowered your GPA, but I also suggest you counter that statement with proof that when you were healthy you were able to handle rigorous coursework (e.g., last 60 GPA, etc.) You want to take a positive approach when mentioning it. I emailed schools before applying bringing this up. Most of them suggested doing well on my GRE. You can see my scores below... they're not great (only my verbal was great), but that is the general advice to show you can handle the academic piece. I am glad I emailed them, and most told me that they take a holistic approach to the admissions process. As I'm sure you know, use EdFind! Look at % acceptance, average scores, and the range of GPAs they admitted—I think this last one might be the most important. It will be hard to get into schools that only admit students with a GPA range of 3.5-4.0, even if the average GPA is a little lower than another school's. I also think that our GPAs mean we have to make other aspects of our application really great! I had excellent LoRs, which I think made a big difference. And I think my personal statement was good as well. You can do it!! Good luck!

Emerson College: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1778895245759225/

And congratulations to you!! That is so exciting that you are able to feel good about where you are going! We will both be far from home, and I feel the same way about it being a good experience! Let's connect—there is a Facebook page for CD students titled EC CD MS 17!

I am not sure if we need to do any reading this summer, but if you are motivated, I am reading The Brain That Changes Itself and highly recommend it! It is about neuroplasticity, a fundamental concept behind rehabilitation and development. I did not mean to read something related to my career, but am finding it very relevant.

You guys are all wonderful, thank you so much for your support!

I'm sorry, I have been sort of avoiding this forum because of this decision! It has been a seriously emotional and teary rollercoaster (sort of ridiculous, I know—I am blessed to have options!) but I have come to a decision. I will be attending Emerson next year. My dad was hopeful I would move to Cali—we are Italian, and family is everything!—but he is supportive of my decision. I was talking to my mom and we were discussing how by Christmas I will be 1/4 of the way done if I go to Emerson, and I won't have even started the prerequisites yet at Redlands. There are other factors in the mix... my long-term partner is applying to med school, and if he cannot get into a school near me we will only be apart for one year if I go to Boston, versus two years if I go to Redlands. He is going to apply to soCal programs so we might have the option to be near my family. I know there is no guarantee he will get in, but Emerson just provides flexibility sooner. I'm also not sure if this is viable, but I could possibly stay at home for a few months after my program or do my CFY there. If my dad's health does go downhill, I will need to take a break regardless of whether I am in Cali or Boston—I will be there for my family. My sister and I also laid out all of my breaks. I am planning to purchase tickets to CA for every one of them (they are surprisingly affordable, minus over Thanksgiving), and I am going to try to be home every 2 months. It makes me feel better to know I will be home more often than I have been in my working life over the past 5 years. There was no wrong answer here, and I know I would be very happy at either program. I knew I would regret something if I went to either one, too. I guess the other piece is that in my gut, I really want the experience of Boston and to go to Emerson, and I honestly felt sort of sad when I was admitted to Redlands because I felt obligated to go. I have not heard anything really negative about either program, but I had to pick something! I am worried people will think I am a bad person for choosing the program away from family. I am teary writing this, because I worry so much about my dad, but I cannot plan for his death and I have no idea when it will happen. I am now focusing on trying to feel confident with my decision and moving forward with this adventure! Also, I just need to say, THANK YOU everyone for all of your help!!! (And thanks for the emotional dump here!)

It is frustrating that this is taking so long, but it is also great that they are being so communicative in this process. I think I am going to remove myself from the wait list. I hope this helps you guys out!

I got another saying this: Dear XXXX, This is just a note to let you know that the Graduate School has not received the program's admission recommendations yet. We hope to have them soon, but it may take up to three days for us to process the decisions when we get them from the program. Please be patient with us. We will try to keep you informed of any new information we receive from the program. Thank you, Your Admissions Specialists Julia A Madison 828-227-2925 jamadison@wcu.edu Marcia Godfrey 828-227-3175 mcgodfrey@wcu.edu Western Carolina University 110 Cordelia Camp Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 Fax: 828-227-7480 GOOD LUCK!!!! I'm hoping you get in!!!

Yes; I was offered a spot on the 19th.

MGH offers 5 prereqs that you can complete in one summer.

I want to be in the west after my program, but probably no Cali. Does that make a big difference career-wise in this field? I AM SO TORN!!!

Gosh, that's so hard! What a switch, but congrats! Isn't it hard to change your whole mindset about where you will be living and everything? Thank you so much for the offer to connect—I may take you up on that!

Guyssss Redlands offered me a spot today with 24 hours to accept! I should be more excited but I feel ill.....!

I think that class will be challenging at an accelerated pace no matter where you take it! I will be taking an accelerated A&P class at Emerson this summer, and I know it will be a ton of work.

Hi there—I absolutely do not think it is silly to get an associate's after earning your bachelor's. If the career move makes sense for you individually, then I think it could be a great move for you! I have friends that have done the same thing (for nursing and PTA). I agree with you—I looked into direct-entry MSN programs and they are very, very competitive, and would probably not make sense to plan for with your GPA. I know nursing can also be difficult to get into, depending on where you live (I don't know anything about NY!). I have heard that some schools have waitlists, and accelerated programs are competitive where I live, but that may not be the same in NY. I have heard good things about OTA to OT bridge programs (if you ever decide to do that). And OTAs make good salaries and do meaningful work. My other thought is that the careers/degrees you listed are all under the health/human services umbrella, but they are all very different careers. Is there one that makes the most sense financially/personally? It sounds like you are not 100% certain about your long-term goals (MSN, nutrition, MS in Education, and M.S. in Public Health - which is fine, by the way!), so what makes more sense for you short-term? Unless you have a clear idea of what you want 10 years down the road, I think choosing what makes the most sense to you right now based on $ and your interests is a good way to decide what the next step may be for you. It seems like if we continue to do what interests us, we are oftentimes guided towards a path that we are happy with. It also sounds like taking more prerequisites is not an ideal situation for you, which is totally fine and makes sense. It can be difficult financially, and it is hard when there is no guarantee of acceptance into a program later. I think that is a good thing to continue factoring in. Congratulations on taking the next step! You sound like me—I had SO MANY interests, and it took me some time to find what I truly wanted and what was a best fit for me. I am glad I took the time to figure it all out, though

Some schools have off-campus housing support. I would check in with your program and see if they do. It also depends on the area. I am planning to move to Boston, which is a big college city, so I am connecting with a rental realtor who offers video tours of apartments (I also live on the other side of the country). Also, lots of people are looking for roommates on my program's Facebook page—does your program have one yet? You could make one, if not! I also do believe this will be addressed in orientation. You should meet current grad students there so I would be prepared to ask them about housing! That's nice that you only live 2 hours away, though! That makes it a lot easier.

Probably less affordable, but MGH does! I second ENMU.

I never heard from one and I know they sent out rejections as well as waitlists and acceptances, so I am a little confused! Also, their portal says my application is "complete and ready for review," so I submitted everything. I would call any programs you are seriously interested in still!

Just curious... did you ever hear from App State? My application has been "Complete and Ready for Review" since February. I haven't called them because I have decided not to go there either way but I just think it's weird that I never heard anything!

I had to decide by the 15th, so I did and am okay with losing my deposit if I accept a position off of a waitlist. I am personally willing to wait as long as I can before I have to start locking down plans for the school that I already accepted (which is about May 1st). If I had longer before I needed to find a place to live and take classes then I would wait. Did you decide not to do Northeastern?

I can't really answer your questions because I have not attended these schools but I wanted to contribute since you haven't heard anything back yet! I have a friend at MGH and visited their facilities, and it looks amazing. I know nothing about UCF. I hope you were able to visit UCF because I feel like that would help you immensely! Just from the information you've stated here, unless there is something really wrong with the program, it sounds like UCF if going to be a GREAT school for you. MGH is excellent, but Orlando would have access to great clinical experiences as well. And the in-state tuition.... wow! But we all have different backgrounds and motivations, so my input can only be so helpful. I hope you have been able to get some more information on UCF!