gracie114

I would not exceed the number of recommenders. Schools are deluged with applications and don't have extra time to devote to reading an additional recommendation letter. I sent two or three to the schools I applied to (depending on their stipulations), because I didn't want to potentially give off the vibe that I thought I was more important than other applicants or that I didn't think the rules applied to me. I think you should go with whoever knows you best. If worked has shaped your experience enough to be mentioned in your statement of purpose, then I say go for that. When I mentioned a professor in my statement who wrote me a LOR, I said something like (please see letter of recommendation) so the adcomm could tie what I was saying in my statement together with what my prof had to say about me. And In regards to the statement "Am I overthinking it?", that statement was basically the story of my life during the application season!

I was holding off until you confirmed it was her until I said this, but you are a STAAAAAAAAAR! Somebody bring you some HAAAAAAAAAAAAAM! But seriously, congratulations on both acceptances!

If you go to Germany, have a Beck's beer for me! Also, is that Liz Lemon in your photo?

Congratulations, badgerslp! I second what everyone else has said about picking the Fulbright program. If they won't let you defer, your Fulbright experiences will only strengthen your application next year. If you give up your spot at the program you're considering, you might also be making someone else's dream come true when they are taken off the waitlist.

Thank you, GandalfTheGrey! I emailed their graduate secretary (I thought maybe it would be best for them to have something in writing for my file) stating that I accepted an admissions offer and ask that my application be withdrawn if a decision has not been rendered at this point in time. And yes, $95 was a hard pill to swallow. Thanks, CSDCAS!

Does anyone have experience on withdrawing an application from a program? I am still waiting to hear back from Central, but I committed to IU yesterday (woo!). While part of me wants to hear back either way because I spent $95 applying to their program, I do not want to waste their time. Is this something I should email the graduate chair about? The graduate secretary?

That's a hard one. I visited Madison (not the school, just the town) when I was in admissions limbo and had a really hard time being there not knowing what was going to happen. While I had a feeling I wasn't going to be accepted, I had a hard enjoying myself. I had a nagging feeling in my head that I shouldn't enjoy myself too much, because I didn't want to get attached and get disappointed. I agree with you that visiting might work in your favor. Are you close to St. Xavier or would this require you paying a lot on gas or a plane ticket? Do you have a professor you could ask about this? Some insider information would probably be more helpful than anything we have to say on here!

I wanted to share this post with those of you who are not members of this community. Users have posted where they graduated from/are currently attending. http://speechpathology.livejournal.com/607106.html#comments

Great advice! The numbers on that website are often out of date, so it's best to get the statistics from the schools themselves. I also made an Excel spreadsheet and it was very helpful. Each of the six schools I applied to had its own row and I color coded them by state. These are the columns I used: school website (with hyperlink inserted), location, distance from home, average incoming GPA, average GRE score, tuition rate, deadline, # of letters of recommendation needed, deadline, GRE institution code, # of transcripts needed, faculty doing research that matched my interests for my personal statement, my username and password for their application website, and a hyperlink to the application status website. I would recommend Donald Asher's book about personal statements. I found it very helpful. Another piece of advice I wish I had received was to know what schools you're applying to before you take the GRE! I liked that by taking it in the summer I had ample opportunity to retake it, but I had no idea what schools I was applying to at that point. I wound up sending them to all in state schools and wound up only applying to two of those schools. Your undergrad institution also automatically gets a copy, so don't waste sending a score report on them. Good for you for already thinking about this! You're way ahead of most of your peers.

How exciting for you and everyone else who has made decisions! I look forward to the day when I can actually give a definitive answer when people ask what I'll be doing next year.

I haven't. I felt like such a chump when I saw a letter from them and thought it might be scholarship news!

I'm very excited as well! I'm from Michigan and have never been to Bloomington before. How about you?

Agreed. I'd err on the side of caution and avoid jeans. It's the first time we'll be meeting our potential professors, so I think it's important to look nice. I am so excited for this weekend! Is anyone else also doing a double header and seeing both IU and Purdue?

Hi! I am in exactly the same position. Did you visit each department prior to applying or just the cities? I have no experience with either program or city (yet!), so I can't help on that front. Are you going to both open houses? I think at that point I'll have a much better feel for the programs and be able to make a more informed decision. I think there's something to be said for following your gut reaction. Are there any faculty members doing work that interests you more than the other program?

Congratulations on your acceptance! It sounds like USPS made a mistake and you should have received an invite. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the open house.