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to have something in writing for my file) stating that I accepted an admissions offer and ask that my application be withdrawn if a decision has not been rendered at this point in time.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.

Regarding acceptances/rejections from similar programs, I would say don't overthink it. My mom keeps telling me "que sera sera. Whatever will be, will be!"

Congratulations! When I woke up at 7:30 I refreshed the results page (so cringe worthy that this is how I start my days) and was so surprised to see that two people had posted they received responses today.

Thanks, Trina, but I'm not really sure at the moment. Northwestern is the only school I've visited, so I think I'll have a better idea after the Purdue and IU open houses on the 23rd. I am so thankful to have options, but the prospect of choosing seems so daunting now. Are you leaning towards Rush or Purdue? Congratulations on your acceptances! It seems like Rush was especially competitive this year. Trevs326, I hope they release your decision soon. I can relate to how uncomfortable it feels to be in limbo. I don't know if you had a similar experience with UW-Madison, but I had such a hard time knowing decisions were being sent out and being in the dark. My stress related eye twitch reared its ugly head and I just wanted to know either way. Congratulations on your other acceptances! If you both are attending the Purdue open house, we'll have to compare notes on here!

Northwestern decisions are up! I am ecstatic and shocked to be accepted. During the application process, NU was my shoot for the moon/I just want to see if they'd even wait list me school. Good luck to everyone!

Definitely don't stress about it. There's a full explanation on their website, but the abbreviated version is that faculty and administrators at accredited programs review other programs. Since they're peer reviews, research plays a big role. They should be taken with a grain of salt for that reason.

Haha, yes I thought that might cheer some people up!

US News World & Report posted its 2013 rankings today. While we all know these should be taken with a grain of salt, I thought it was interesting to see the changes. Here's hoping this week brings good news!

Congratulations to you as well! If I can make arrangements to visit, I will message you a recap.

One of my professors went to Western for her undergrad and spoke highly of her experience. I applied there because she spoke about how involved one of the instructors, Sandra Glista, is with aphasia and aphasia advocacy, which are interests of mine. Someone on the results forum last year mentioned their program is great for those interested in working in school settings and with children. Did you go to their open house in February? I wish I did, because the acceptance email didn't mention anything about an open house. Did anyone on here attend?

I also attended the Northwestern open house and overheard a mother speaking with some faculty about what she felt "didn't work" about the open house. Her tone was very off putting and harsh. While this is an extreme example, I would make sure you're both on the same page regarding her level of involvement. It would be embarrassing for both of you if you had different expectations. My mom is also driving with me to my open houses, but we both felt it was best for me to go alone. Even though my mom worked in the medical field for a long time, she said she would be oblivious about most of the speech-language pathology terminology and didn't think she'd get much out of it. I feel like I'm going to follow my gut after I've completed my visits and use my mom as a resource to talk it out. I hadn't thought about a lot of the points raised above, but I can see both sides of the issue.