HigherEd2013

At this point, I don't think an email would hurt (especially if you haven't sent one to this school yet). There's a chance they could be doing more than one interview weekend. Either way, it would give you some certainty.

"Don't you have to teach first? I'm pretty sure that's what you need to do." Nope..there really is more to education than K-12 teaching... And my favorite: Me: Dad, I got in! Dad: That's great! If you go there, is that a back way into their PhD program? Me: *Sigh* No, I just want my master's! Dad: Oh *Disappointed*

Hahaha. I suppose there are worse animals to be . If you actually were a dog, you wouldn't be worried about any of this and instead would be wondering when your next meal would be. Not so bad, eh? In all seriousness, I think that is happening to all of us, so you are in good company .

When I visited, they told me we would find out by March 15th, but I think it also depends on the program. Fingers crossed!

I PMed you . Did they tell you when Admit day was?? I really want to visit, but I think I'm going to wait on other schools because traveling is so darn expensive!

Oh wow, I'm sure it will work out for the best! I'm crossing my fingers for you. Good luck! Eh, Plan B's are overrated. Plus, you find out if you need one pretty quickly this semester so you have enough time to come up with one .

Gosh.. I really, REALLY want a cat but it's probably a bad idea financially. My master's programs rarely give much aid and moving states is going to be expensive enough. However, I have decided that when I finally get one, his name will be Waldo and he will be orange with stripes. Whenever I am looking for him, I'll be able to legitimately ask "Where's Waldo???"

Fantastic analogy. I keep telling myself that I'll get into the places I'm supposed to and that the places I get rejected from were just wrong for me.

It's good to be practical! Just take time to celebrate.

This is an exciting time! And guess what... It's February in a few hours so we are bound to hear back from more programs soon! Congrats to everyone who has heard good news so far. I'm crossing my fingers that everyone gets accepted to their first choice school!

I'm so excited! I just received my first ever acceptance today from UCLA! I hope everyone gets to experience that feeling this season .

Right now, my plan A and plan B are pretty much the same. Step One: Buy a bunch of girl scout cookies (Thanks to the Girl Scout Cookie Finder Ap) Step Two: Put said cookies in the freezer Step Three: *Acceptance* Yay!!! Cookies to celebrate! Alternate Step Three: *Rejection* Well... I guess I still have cookies. Yum?

According to their website, you're fine if it's in the 4th. My taxes will in no way be complete so I just used estimated information. Once I finish taxes (sometime before we have to send in the 1040s and W-2s), I'll edit it and use the data retrieval tool. I hate that HGSE wants all of this.. none of my other schools had anything other than the scholarship portion that was already included in the admissions application.

I wouldn't. While that's a great experience, you already have one of those on your resume. I would only let them know if you had a paper published, are presenting at a conference or something like that. Good luck! Hope you get that acceptance soon!

Ahhhh!!! I have to wait for at least another month for my first decision... I was hoping I would wait to go crazy until mid-February .

I was playing mini-golf and said to myself, "If I can get a hole-in-one, I will be accepted to graduate school." I got it! Then I started doing that with school names for the rest of the course... I'm so glad I found this site. Anyone in "real life" would think I'm super insane.

On Friday, I found myself rereading an " your application is complete" email. I noticed that it said "Please note, only applications that are complete by the deadline are guaranteed review." Now, while I had everything in days and days in advance (confirmed before I got that email), I got that email the day after the deadline. I started a reply email asking if my application would still be reviewed but saved it as a draft because I didn't want to come across as an idiot... I'm losing my mind, right? There's no way I can control when they process my stuff. As long as everything was there by the deadline, I should be fine, right? Someone alleviate my fears, please .

I work with FAFSAs all the time at my current job. Please, please, PLEASE use the IRS data retrieval tool when you put in tax info for 2012. It's new as of last year. If you file electronically, it takes "2 weeks" (although last year with my students, it took closer to a month sometimes) to work so plan accordingly. If you file by mail, good luck. If you don't use this tool, there's a huge chance that you'll be flagged for verification aka. extra paperwork. Also, word from Dept of Ed as of last Friday is that the tool won't be available until the end of February as opposed to the beginning...

To the person who got accepted to the Higher Ed program today: when was your application "complete"?

I would stay home longer, get a local job and save some money. In the scheme of things, 6 months isn't going to make a big difference. Moving is pretty stressful and will cost you more money probably.

I was at work all day and now can reply to this. Just click "Apply" on the left hand side which will give you a drop down menu and click "Check Application Status."

Been there, done that myself. Actually, a few years ago, I was applying for a PhD in Psychology and got rejected from all 9 programs I applied to with no interviews. Now, keep in mind that at that point, I shouldn't have been applying as I didn't have a clear idea what I wanted to study and was scared of the real world. You probably are in a different situation and much more qualified and certain. Whatever happens, happens for a reason. Personally, I took a job I loved for two years and am now applying to a different type of program that fits me more. Remember that these people just want you to succeed. Whatever you need to do, whether it be go this year or take a year off, they'll be proud of you no matter what. Plus, I'm pretty sure those people have experienced some sort of rejection or failure in their lives too, so they'll understand. Also, remember that this process is really competitive. A rejection does not mean you weren't a good candidate. Worst case scenario, you'll work for a little while, get publications and other awesome things and get into wonderful schools the next year. But...You haven't heard back from all of your schools yet, so you're still in the running . Don't lose hope yet!

Technically, an "official" transcript becomes unofficial the second you open it because you are breaking the seal. Therefore, no one's uploaded transcript can be official if that's any consolation. If you're nervous, I would go ahead and ask. I would think that whatever you uploaded will suffice, but that's just my opinion.

I realized today how much I was losing it. I've gotten several emails from programs stating that my application is "incomplete" because they need recommendations. However, when I log into their site, I can confirm that my recommenders put in their letters (unfortunately, only a few days ago). I keep wanting to email the programs, but stop myself so I don't look like an idiot when they manually process it in a few days... This forum is a great outlet though! I don't have to bug my friends with my incessant worrying.

After a week I would probably call. I would say something like, "I tried emailing, but I wasn't sure if I emailed the correct person." Sad to say it, but "playing dumb" on things like that can work in your favor. It sounds way better than, "I emailed, but you guys were too incompetent/slow to email me back so I'm getting impatient." Also, acknowledging that they are super busy and important (both true) will help . Admissions officers can be your best friends or worst nightmares. One of my friends told me that there are actual lists at colleges of "difficult people" and you definitely don't want to be on one. Good luck!