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Congrats!! Oh, I just meant I got the call and was accepted into the program! I think I'm going with NYU, since it's more established.

Just got a call from Emerson too, accepted! Hopefully everyone's decisions are coming out soon!

Yep, I need all of the prereqs. If I don't do it through my MS, it's a two year post bacc... so a full term isn't really that scary to me, haha. You have all of yours already? I did attend their online info session! I agree, it seems pretty solid, especially given how new it is.

More or less, across the Bay over in Berkeley... It's a bit better here than it is in the city, but still very, very expensive. Living with roommates, you can still expect to pay well over 1k in rent. I hear LA is pretty bad too...

Totally, I have the same thing. I remember even in undergrad, at an admitted students day, this guy came up, I think he was an adcom, and started off with something along the lines of, "Congratulations. And no, don't worry, you really were admitted to Berkeley--no one will come yank you out of your English class. There was no mistake, I promise--you deserve to be here." The whole room burst our in laughter. I think a lot of people feel this way, especially when getting into higher-ranking schools. I feel like I've had it throughout the process... like, I felt like my GRE was a fluke and I got lucky with easy questions, and that my undergrad GPA was a fluke because I wasn't doing a more difficult major, and that I got my way into a lab for research experience by sheer luck, etc. etc. It's so easy to feel that. And I've had it at work and other things too. It's definitely a pervasive problem, especially for women and minorities...

I'm wondering about this too. I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, and it's very nerve-wracking thinking about how to make due without some sort of work. And I don't really have any skillsets that would let me make a lot for minimal hours, sadly. I'm thinking about trying to work part-time--but if school is really a full-time commitment, I'm worried I'll burn out trying to do both...

Yeah, that's right, I just learned that on their webinar recently--that didn't bother me too much since I still need the foundational courses anyway, but it's still worth noting. They really are brand new. I was assuming two years for NYU, since it's 6 terms. That's interesting with the course breakdown... It's also a quicker process with Emerson for the foundational coursework, actually. So they're faster overall. Where did you see that the term lengths fluctuate?

Do folks here have any thoughts on NYU versus Emerson? Pros and cons you've weighed? The programs seem fairly comparable to me for the most part, save for NYU being more established as an online program, having a more known brand name, and offering the Sweden study abroad option... but, of course, costing more.

I applied to Emerson a day after NYU and had my interview two weeks ago. I haven't heard back from Emerson either. Yeah, NYU offered me a 5k scholarship that requires me committing to them by the end of next week- I think they do want to hear back fast.

I submitted May 25, I believe it was--the last day for the early submission period. Also- I should add, check your spam! That's where my acceptance email went. Fingers crossed for you!

I just got in!! Anyone else?

Hah, well, we'll see, I'm waiting to hear back--I can say that the admissions counsellors I talked to seemed positive about it, but that's all I can say definitively.

I worked in home and school settings mainly, though some places will have the children come on-site. It depends on where you work. Also, I worked at one place where I was an employee, and then at another where I was a contractor. It really varies from place to place. There is a bit of overlap in the scope of practice between ABA and SLP, but they are very different fields. At the same time though, it's still 1-on-1 clinical work and there is some focus on communication (as a social behavior), and that makes it good prep. It teaches you a lot about working clinically with kids- how to get kids working toward some target goal/how to motivate them, troubleshooting behavioral issues/thinking critically on the spot, multitasking (like, somehow, you DO learn to give out praise/tokens, arrange the next trial, and note down what happened simultaneously), dealing with parents/teachers, etc. And you will learn a lot about autism, which is relevant. Also, another major plus for me is that I was able to have a clinical LoR. I would do a quick search on YouTube for ABA and see some examples! Then you can really see what sessions look like!

An anecdote, but when I was in undergrad, I had a graduate student instructor who had a somewhat lower GPA and (IIRC) a near-perfect GRE score, with about five years of great research experience. She had a 3.4-3.5, but she was mainly applying to top 10 programs. She said there were a couple Ivy League schools that flat out refused to accept her despite the department and a specific advisor wanting her, but many schools overlooked her GPA (including Berkeley, which is where she ended up). She applied to a lot of schools, always contacted the professors she wanted to study under so they knew her name, and it worked out. I believe she got into a number of other top programs too. So, just an anecdote, but it's definitely possible!

The advice I got when I took a class: Structure is key. They want to see an obvious thesis, easy transitional words in your paragraphs, an obvious conclusion, etc. and strong logical arguments. Take prep time. I took 5-8 minutes to just brainstorm arguments for/against or unstated assumptions + to make an outline, and it helped me a lot. Quality > quantity. ARGUMENT: Introduction: restate argument, with some more info, and a thesis (in this argument, x relies on unstated assumptions, more info is needed to decide, etc. etc.) and possibly list an overview of your points, if you want and time allows. Body, 2-3 paragraphs, each with: topic sentence (an assumption that needs to be examined), why it matters, what information is needed/how to get it, and how that info would strengthen and weaken the argument depending on what the info could tell us. Conclusion: restate thesis, summarize points, nice concluding thought if you can. ISSUE: Intro: rephrase issue in your own words, so they see you understand it. State a thesis with a clear position. Body, 2-3 paragraphs, each with: a reason that supports your position, with evidence!! You can include a, "some people might say [opposite of your topic sentence] but that argument is specious b/c..." here, or make a separate paragraph at the end with rebuttals. I found the former to be easier, but either works. Conclusion, same deal. Try to find some examples- write your essay, and then compare to the perfect 6 essay example! It really helped me- I also went through and actually underlined the structure of it, so I could really see what they were doing. Also, just practice brainstorming too, so you get the hang of what kinds of arguments they tend to open up for you for the argument essay. It's often the same kind of logical fallacies in each one, from what I saw in the practice questions and my one real exam- the faster you can generate a LOT of ideas, the more you'll be able to pick the very best arguments on your GRE. Good luck!

I liked Magoosh for verbal, and I wish I'd known about it earlier. I studied all of their more common words, and all of Kaplan's 500. I relied solely on Kaplan for quant and AW. And I did ETS an powerprep exam. I took a Kaplan course- tbh, most of the material was in the book, so the class wasn't strictly necessary to get the info, but it was great for me and kept me motivated. To me the best perk was that they let me do a mock exam at my testing center through Kaplan, and look at the results at home. I got invaluable advice from Kaplan about strategy- for all of the sections, but esp verbal and AW. That alone bumped up my score by a lot. Overall, I think Kaplan's prep is tougher than the real deal, but it makes you super prepared! And it's somewhat adaptive. So I do recommend them, if you want a class. Their online recorded classes that you can watch are pretty good too. It seems great to use ETS. Just make sure to consider whether the exams are adaptive at all- their online powerprep is not. Remember, everything will get harder if you do well on the first exam!! I think it really helps take an online adaptive exam at some point in your prep, so you know what it feels like. My main tips: 1) Verbal: Know the vocab. Be able to answer the question FAST so you have extra time for reading comp questions. I really recommend finding mnemonics or silly associations for each word, or, if you can't, read about its etymology and practice using it (anything that makes you spend a few minutes with the word is more helpful than getting it wrong five times with flash cards, IMO).Anyway, know them well, and don't spent too much time on vocab questions! Read the question without looking at the answers initially, and try to fill in a simple word in your head. E.g., if the sentence says something like, "She was usually talkative, but today, she seemed ___" you should immediately think "not talkative". Then, a word like "laconic" will pop right out at you--and you won't get bogged down trying to think about whether "enervated" also makes sense in context. And always re-read with the words quickly to make sure you picked right. As for reading comp, the answers are always in the text, so it's all a matter of time to pour over the details. The more time you have, the better you'll do. 2) Quant: I don't like math, so for me this was a confidence game. There are strategies- know your pythagorean triples, eliminate strategically, work backwards, etc.- you'll find them everywhere. My main tip if you're also not a math-person is to skip questions if you're not going to get it fast. Mark them, and come back to them later! Each question is worth the same- and you can review all your answers later easily. Make sure you get the easy questions. It really helped me feel confident about the tough one's I'd skipped to get to them at the end with extra time and a lot of easy questions already solved. Also, make sure to practice a LOT of different kinds of questions. 3) AW: Any guide will tell you this- but for the issue, pick your side, and for the analyze an argument one, don't! I think some basic essay advice is solid here- spend 5-10 min on prep, and do a quick outline so you know where you're going. Do all the nice touches- open each paragraph with a nice transitional word, and make it easy for them to see structure. Your conclusion matters more than another body paragraph does! The grader will give you 2 minutes of his or her time. Make it easy for them to give you that high score. It's all about structure! Good luck!

Mm, @sauntare we applied at the same time then, it's been two weeks for me too. I attended the application webinar, and they said within 6 weeks, so hopefully they're already looking at it...

I'm curious to know, how fast are people hearing back? I also applied for September!

I got my RBT, and worked as a behavioral therapist for a year. Happy to answer any questions about that if you're interesting. I am also an out-of-field applicant (psychology)!

@bibliophile222, Woah... nearly a 4.00, an insanely high GRE (and, congrats on that!), plus you completed a post-bacc... I'm surprised you were rejected from some of those schools. It really IS a capricious decision-making process. Thanks for the tip re: post-bacc programs. If I'm not accepted, I'll probably call NYU and Emerson and ask what programs they would recommend I do to strengthen my application. @Felice, Thank you! It's really helpful to see another psychology major's stats! Mm, I would be, but I just really don't want to relocate, and in my area I have two campus programs to pick from (both of which require prereqs). If I don't get in, I'll probably just try to get prereqs done and re-apply.

I have a bachelor's from Berkeley in psychology, with no CSD coursework. The semi-relevant experience I have is: 1) ABA therapy experience for a year, and 2) working at a lab that did hearing aid/auditory cognition research for nearly two years. My GPA is strong, about 3.95 cumulative, and my GRE score is 162 V, 159 Q, 5 AWA. I just worry the lack of CSD coursework could hurt me. My LoRs were written by the head of the auditory science lab, my American Sign Language professor (who actually holds an MSc in CSD himself), and my clinical manager from my ABA position. I recently applied to the online programs at NYU and Emerson. I am really crossing my fingers that I get in despite not having a post-bacc. Distance-learning/hybrid programs would be a perfect fit for me, and both programs offer foundational coursework for non-CSD majors. But I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what sorts of post-bacc programs I could look into if I do not get in? There aren't many options in my area if I do not get in to these, and I would need to have the coursework done for all of them. I want to start working on a back-up plan, in case I am not accepted. Also, are there people here who got into CSD programs without the pre-reqs? And, if you don't mind, what were your stats? Thanks!