bibliophile222

My LORs were all professors of my online courses who I don't know in person, so I sent them animated ecards.

I just committed to UVM! Yay! Now I need to actually buckle down and plan all the 10,000 things I'll have to do in the next four months...

So since I have nothing better to do I'm just browsing really old threads. This one is pretty awesome and worth starting up again. I haven't had any (interesting) dreams about applications or school, but last week I dreamed that one of my teeth was growing larger and stronger, and someone told me that the others would do the same. I think it's the opposite of missing/loose teeth dreams, which can be about feeling powerless, embarrassed, etc. I took this to mean that with my new stronger teeth I was becoming stronger and taking control of my life. I never thought a dream about a giant tooth would make me feel so uplifted!

NYU's online program has a deadline of June 1st for the Fall cohort and has rolling admissions.

Hi! I haven't committed yet but I am about 97% sure that I will. I'm waiting on NYU's online program but I am doubtful I will find out about admission AND financial aid in time. UVM has offered me a partial scholarship (yay!) which I have to accept by April 9th. I live 3 hours away, so moving won't be too terrible. I'm moving with my boyfriend, so we're looking for a 1 bedroom. I've been checking out rents on craigslist (not cheap, but I guess that also depends on where you're moving from). Burlington requires tenants to give 60 days notice to vacate, so I plan on taking a week off from work in late May or early June to schedule viewings. A six-hour round trip is unpleasant but doable, if I can book a few appointments in one day. If craigslist is too sketchy for you, the Burlington Free Press and the alternate weekly paper Seven Days have some apartment listings. There are also a few different resources that are offered once we commit, including a UVM listserv (maybe even a Graduate listserv?) It sounds like we will get a plethora of helpful information once we're officially in.

I was just offered a 15,000 scholarship yesterday, so it looks like financial decisions are finally being offered. It looks like funding is in somewhat short supply--they told me yesterday when I visited that there is no dedicated funding for TA/RE positions, and I was in the top ten list for funding, so some people probably won't get much. I'm definitely excited to be getting something, but as an out of state student I'll still be taking out some hefty loans.

Okay, so maybe I'm insane, but I think I might try the chemistry exam. I know you said its difficult, but I am a natural test-taker and I think I can squeeze a pass out of it. My idea is to get the exam guide and watch Khan Academy videos, etc on each of the topics while taking notes, then cram my ass off. Am I nuts? I took chemistry in high school (15 years ago!) and I remember a little bit, at least. If the questions are all multiple choice then I think I have a pretty good shot. Any other crazies like me out there?

Oh yeah, I have another one: ask for LORs about three months earlier. Waiting for responses and repeatedly emailing was almost as agonizing as waiting for admissions results. I also should have started researching programs and the application process much earlier. I put it off until November and was scrambling.

APPLY TO CHEAPER PROGRAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I'm praying for a hefty aid package and dreading the thought of the additional 75K in loans if I don't get one. I'm going either way, but I'm going to have a full-blown mortgage by the time I'm done.

Kind of an old thread, but I'm bumping it because I've been trying to figure out chemistry/physics classes that are in the summer, online, and don't cost a fortune. If you're worried about a grade I would see if your potential schools take CLEP exams (both my potential programs do, and it's the route I think I'm going), since they are Pass/No Pass. There is a numerical score that must be reached but it wouldn't show as a grade on a transcript. The chemistry exam is $85-- I plan on getting the CLEP examination guide and finding Khan Academy videos, etc to refresh my long-dormant high school chemistry knowledge. Of course, I would never go this route if I weren't a natural test-taker without test anxiety, as I'll be taking it on a somewhat shaky foundation! Still, something to consider...

No, but I'm leaning towards it (especially since I haven't heard from NYU's online program yet). I'm getting kind of excited about life in Burlington--aside from the winters and the cost of living. On another note, I received an email from UVM today letting me know about open houses for admitted students--on Feb. 16 and March 23. I don't have enough notice to request Friday off from work, and I sadly have not (yet) developed time travel. Maybe someone in admissions screwed up and forgot to send the emails out six weeks ago. Or I'm in a freaky time warp... I've been to Burlington before, but only driven by UVM. I'm planning on going in a couple weeks to get a better feel for it.

Mondays already suck, so might as well just add more on top. Friday rejections make me grumpy all weekend (I know from experience).

Me too... when did you apply? I submitted mine in early February. I'm really hoping I hear back (with financial info) before April 15th!

I got rejected with very high GRE scores, so the good news for most people (just not me!) is that they do look at more than just GRE. I have no related experience and meh LORs, which obviously weighed against me.

Are you planning on working at all during school? I know it makes everything harder, and if you don't have a GA position it can be difficult to find a part-time job that is flexible and pays decently, but it at least makes finances easier. I would love to just go to school and not have to work, but I don't know how I could swing it otherwise. I did my undergrad and post-bacc online, and I've been working 50-60 hours a week throughout that stretch, so 20 hours a week sounds like a vacation! It's exhausting, but it can be done.

I'm also an out-of-field applicant, and the prereq courses that I took generally did a good job of introducing the topics and vocabulary for those who had no prior experience. However, my undergrad was in Linguistics, which has a LOT of overlap, so I was already on a firm footing with language development, cognition, grammatical structure, etc., so it would probably be a little tougher for someone with no prior experience. I think what's most important going in is to have at least a basic grasp of how language works in a typically-developing person. Maybe explore a bit on linguistic structures in the brain (Broca's area, Wernicke's area, etc), a bit on different types of speech sounds and how we create them, some basic anatomy of the vocal folds, and how young children develop language. I don't think this would take too much effort, just enough for an overall grasp of Language as a whole. I took a couple undergrad courses in communication disorders, which may or may not be a part of a post-baccalaureate program but are often required before beginning a grad program. My current post-bacc program does not go into great detail on various types of communication disorders, so learning more about them will be very helpful for grad school but probably not super important for prereqs.

It's been a while since I lived in Montpelier, so I'm sure cafes have changed a bit, but when it comes to hiking, Hubbard Park is fantastic, with a bunch of hilly trails and a really cool stone tower at the summit. Great place to watch fireworks!

I second the Amherst/Northampton area. I read somewhere (Wikipedia?) that Northampton has the greatest number of lesbians per capita in the country. The LGBTQ community is vibrant, visible, and thoroughly accepted.

Congratulations! I'm waiting to hear back for Fall 2018. I tried to time my application submission so that I heard back from them around the same time as other schools that have an April 15th deadline so I can coordinate. I'm waiting to hear back and also hoping that I hear about financial aid before April 15th! Did they mention anything about financial aid in your acceptance or does that information come later?

I just woke up from four consecutive dreams that I received my acceptance email from UMass. No word yet. I know some people got accepted/waitlisted a few days ago. We had a snowstorm on the 7th so I knew that would delay things a bit. Now I'm freaking out because they're on spring break next week. PLEEEEEEEAAAASE let me find out today!

I dislike pencil for the same reason (leftie struggles) and because it fades over time. As far as pens go, I have to give a shout out to Pentel Energel (liquid gel ink). It writes super smoothly, dries quickly, never leaks, works all the way to the end, and makes my handwriting beautiful. They're $3.69 for a 2-pack at Target. I've already converted my boss.

Yeah, I'm doing my pre-req classes online and working 50 hours a week, but none of that is keeping me from checking emails/portals/results page far too often. It's gotten to the point where even my zoning-out daydreams at work are all related to grad school. I think I just have to accept that this is how it's going to be for the next 2+ years of my life.

I got it the same day I received the congratulatory acceptance letter, on Feb. 7th. The subject line reads "2018-2019 FAFSA received". Did you wait to submit the FAFSA? If not, it might be good to call and make sure they have it.

Sorry, I lied (blaming sleep deprivation). You should have received an email with a link to a financial aid portal--login and pin number provided in the email. Good luck! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a GA position.

So good news, I just saw on the 2018 SLP thread that decisions should start being sent out next week. This is coming from a current undergrad