TheLeoLinguist

I think this could be helpful for current and future applicants. 
Comment below:
Your "candidate profile" (whatever this means to you, possibly including: majors, minors, gre scores, gpa, publications, work experience, etc.). To which schools/programs you applied. What your interests/focuses would be. [Optional] Update when you hear back from the schools

I was thinking the other day about starting one of these threads, but I got busy with pre-flight for the GRE (took it yesterday) and in the meantime you beat me to it.  Cheers!
I'm basically going the MA route in this cycle as well, but not sure if I would try to go on to the PhD later, or not.  I'm zeroing in on computational linguistics, and the idea I had was to find a linguistics MA program that would help me fill in both my linguistics gaps and my computer science gaps before trying (in the next round) for a program like the University of Washington's CL master's.  The goal there would be to end up working in industry somehow.
That being said, I always wanted to finish a PhD--I got all the way to the ABD level in cultural anthropology during a previous life--so if there was a way to still finish a PhD (albeit a different one) en passant, that would be awesome.
I'm 53 and work at Microsoft (but not as a developer), and have no idea whether what I'm trying to do is incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.  Probably both.  Either way, I'm not seeing a lot of similar demographics to compare myself to, so if anyone wants to offer advice or feedback, feel free.  (Just be gentle. )
Oh, and, to top off the complications--for various personal reasons, I'm trying to center my application process on programs near where my folks are / where I grew up.  So far I am planning to apply to the University of Kentucky (I was an undergrad there) and Northern Illinois University (does a lot of Southeast Asian studies and that was my focus in anthro, plus I think I can loop in a lot of computer science there), and I'm thinking Ohio State because (a) geography, (b) good, (c) good for CL as far as I can tell, (d) why not.  Here again, if anyone has advice on places I should add to the list (Indiana? the remaining pieces of UNC's program?), feel free.
Looking forward to hearing what all the rest of you are up to.  I envy you your youth and achievements--may you all succeed!