NYnicole726

CONGRATS! {super jealous}... I can imagine - and cannot wait to feel drugged myself LOL Yesterday not ONE piece of mail came.. not ONE.. NO BILLS, JUNK, NOTHING!!!! Like a sick joke already....??! Top it all off - I am actually sick this week.... So my son is going bananas locked in the house pretty much, I run downstairs every 20-minutes to check for mail that never comes... and we are having a heatwave here in NY (over 100+ degrees today).. My birthday is on Tuesday - so it needs to come ASAP or i will be miserable! (Ok, not miserable - I am exaggerating.. but I would be a lot happier plus anxiety/worry FREE!) Congrats again! -- AND I hope to deliver the same news today....(would be nice)... !!!

I am on the fence about this one... just as many others seem to be! While I LOVE trying to read ahead, it is summer! Plus... we have a busy few months+ ahead of us - enjoy the free time, right? Then again... I like getting a little bit ahead. I always read my books a month in advance as an undergrad. Now I know the stakes are higher - but I want to enjoy my last summer too! What I am doing this summer: I found most of my books digitally (most were found on coursesmart.com; some others via. Google books). CourseSmart.com provides previews (as does Google plus some other websites) - The content displayed varies: one textbook @ CourseSmart shows full pages in their entirety for 3-4 chapters while another textbook is only 1/2 pages displayed -- but the entire book). I am reading a little from each book and actually started taking notes for one class (just to get my feet wet on the topics being covered). I don't want to get too far ahead but I want a nice background of knowledge for the first week (or two). I am looking to find cheap (print) books to buy. Otherwise, I MAY go digital this semester.. (entirely different subject - I am undecided as I may miss holding a textbook and highlighting - even though you can digitally highlight, another story..). Back to your question... I think it is nice to get your feet wet - but don't put time aside to study. If you have a free 20-60 minutes and feel like it - pick a book up (or check digital versions for now). Another thing I do to prepare is brush-up on what is going on in the world (aka. reading the news!). Yes, I read the news daily but I am trying to go deeper and more extensively invest time into reading the news. I am an MBA student so I am checking the financial news, business section, markets, etc. rather than the front page stuff I read while sipping my coffee. I don't want to bog my summer down but just brush-up and warm myself up to what is about to happen to my brain. The other day I was able to find a case study online and had the time (and patience, and sanity?) to actually put together a lil' analysis/assignment as "practice". It was nice reassurance that I still "got it" (only been out since graduating in December..) and knew what I was doing.

I actually take courses online so ... I am only a few feet away from my "campus" at all times (laptop) OR .... I will frequently login using my iPhone or iPad - so I basically always have my classes in my pocket or at my desk - sometimes even in my bed! Joking aside... I DO have to travel to the campus 3x throughout my Grad classes for 3-day residencies. The campus is about 3-4 hours away. I am in New York (Long Island) and the campus is upstate (Saratoga Springs) so - travel time depends what time I leave.. 7-8AM on a Sunday = 3 hours; 5-6PM on a Monday = (probably close to) 5-6 hours...

Thank you! I hope the best for you as well. I am actually going nuts right now. My son is asleep and I don't want to open the bedroom door since landscapers are outside and the noise will wake him.. and I can't check the mail! Glad to know someone else that only applied to one school! I didn't think much of it - I only have interest in one school and didn't think (hope I thought correctly..) that I would need a backup... The problem with online programs is required residencies. I am on Long Island so Empire is about 3-4 hour drive from me... There are 3 residencies I must attend throughout my time as a Grad student - which isn't bad.. I looked into some other MBA programs online and the only schools I would consider had residencies... and were too far of a drive from New York...OR, some had weekly or monthly requirements. I can't do that ... It will be difficult enough making arrangements for 3-day residencies (3 times)... So if I am not accepted, the process of finding another A) MBA program that I like/fits in with my goals, etc. Is 99.9% ONLINE; C) Local enough for a drive IF residencies are required.. Very picky situation I have! I cannot attend a traditional brick-&-mortar in-class program because my husband doesn't have a SET "quitting time" work schedule. Some days he may be home at noon while the next day he walks in after 9PM... So I would probably never make it to a class! And... GRE is NOT a requirement @ Empire... So I would have to most likely take the test since I have't (hope I don't have to take that road and instead receive that acceptance letter!)

Congrats! Happy it worked out for you... I am sure wait-list was disappointing but still you were able to have that hope - and it worked out in the end! So far I have checked the mail 4x today... Usually I don't bring it in unless I go out -- my husband will carry the mail upstairs when he gets home at night.. Now I am looking for the mailman to walk down the street! I am pretty annoyed about accounting but you are right - it is the price I will have to pay... I actually took (and failed) accounting in... 2003-2004. It is NOT my thing... which is another reason I am worried to take the course. My husband saw my transcripts while I was working on my application (before I knew about the prerequisite) and said himself, "Wow - all good grades...A's... 2 or 3 B's... then you got an F in accounting?" and I laughed it off... "Yeah! Thank GOD I didn't have to take it @ Empire for my Bachelors!". Doh... So now I am studying accounting 3-4 hours per day while my son naps - I hope to be a pro by September and not have to worry about the class. I'd rather focus on my MBA. It is keeping me busy and helping me get back into the groove of studying. There is a 3-day residency I have to attend in September also... So I am really excited for Grad school. My husband says I am a total nerd ("...Who gets excited for a Grad school residency? 3-days of seminars and workshops? YUCK!"). I graduated in December and so far 7-months out of school and I hate it! Never thought i'd say that but I actually miss school. I am going to definitely keep reading the forums to try and whither away the anxiety. I feel a lot better already being able to talk to others and read stories about the waiting game. Like I said, my husband has NO idea what this process is like so I feel alone in the house here. Most of my friends have either completed grad school, already enrolled, or not interested after Bachelors - so I really had no one to vent with and felt like I was talking to myself (I probably was actually..).

Thanks for your replies It makes it a LOT easier knowing I am NOT alone here... I guess I needed to vent here because my husband (although VERY supportive and PATIENT), doesn't "get it"... I think he can't wait for the letter so I stop moping around! The only thing keeping me busy since I am a stay-at-home mom (besides my son) is studying accounting.... Empire has a (goddamn) prerequisite for accounting.. I WISH I knew this prior to graduating (since I already planned on Grad school) but I clearly wasn't thinking ... SO - I am told a conditional undergrad accounting for semester #1 is what will happen since I do not have ACCT... So I have been studying accounting nonstop to prepare myself for September. I dont want accounting to bog down my other Grad level courses as I prefer to focus on those rather than ACCT. The "best" time of the day is the morning... then the mai comes around 1-2PM and I run down the steps - grab a stack of bills, bills, bills, magazine, bills, bills, junk, NO acceptance letter - then I just wanna get the day over with so I can do it again with tomorrows mail. Sundays - those are the WORST! No mail on Sunday... not something an awaiting applicant needs. You are right - I should absolutely be grateful I don't have to wait too long. The original deadline was June 1st. I made the finalized decision to apply in mid-April! Although I had my resume already, I did need to spruce it up Thereafter collecting recommendations and writing essays was a chore. Then my (brand new MacBook Pro) crashed - NATURALLY... and I was out of commission for 2.5 weeks! Luckily Apple replaced the system (with a BRAND NEW Mac) AND saved my essays - WHEW... So this is all pretty new to me. Not to mention the application process was a complete disaster but everything came together VERY well in the end... So I feel very confident but that doubt is eating at me.. I don't want to be TOO confident and then a denial comes and I am let down.. Plus I only applied to one school. I can only take online courses and didn't like any other online MBA programs... If I need to research others - I will if that happens.... But if I am not accepted to Empire, I will take another year to decide what path to take. Ok, I'll stop ranting... Time to check the mail!!!

Hi, everyone! I am new to the forums and SO glad I found this site... Nice to know there are a LOT of other impatient applicants out there. I have absolutely NO patience so it is really driving me crazy every single day when I run to the mailbox and see nothing but junkmail and bills. What a disappointment! It has only been 18 days (July 1st deadline/submittal of app). I graduated SUNY Empire State College (www.esc.edu) in December (2010) with a Bachelors in business and economics. I knew I wanted to (eventually) apply for Graduate school but wasn't sure about WHEN I would do so. I decided to apply @ Empire State College - MBA program. I am currently a stay-at-home mom (operatig a web design and marketing company from home). I figured it would be best to begin now: before my som starts school, before we have a 2nd child, before I return to work. The suspense is KILLING ME!!! It has [only] been less than 3-weeks - after reading some of the threads here I have come to realize I could be waiting awhile...I haven't waited nearly as long as some other members here...But with the semester beginning in less than 2-months - I am HOPING it won't be too much longer... Has anyone here applied to or have any experiences with Empire? My undergrad acceptance letter took maybe 2-3 weeks so I hope Graduate admissions is about the same....!!!!