esopha

Whoa! Apparently complaining about it on the internet helped! My application is "received" and "verifying" now. Yay!

I just sent my Iowa-specific application in, and I had to send separate GRE scores. I'm guessing the grad school looks at them separately. Just read and re-read the instructions on every department's page. You'll figure it out!

SO I submitted one of my CSDCAS applications about a week ago and for some reason CSDCAS seems to think that my in-progress coursework isn't in progress and they need to get a transcript for classes I haven't completed yet before they'll process anything. I've emailed support twice and called them at least once and no one knows what's up, because apparently everything is entered correctly. Frustrating. I might just start calling them once a day.

Honestly, I think what you did at the info session was probably better than sending an email, which I'm sure blend together. When I was visiting colleges years and years ago, I almost always got better reactions when I spoke to people in person, and even a few follow-up emails, which wasn't really the case with any other method of communication I tried. I've emailed a couple of graduate departments (whoever is listed as the contact for graduate admissions) and asked questions, but almost immediately after, I start going, "Oh God I bet I sounded like an idiot, why did I do that, they're never going to let me in, why didn't I end that email differently, oh God" so I'm not sure it's helpful for your mental health, either. Overall, I think the best way to stand out is to have good stats and a strong SOP (I know, I know, cliche). It's kind of like applying for jobs, I think, where you can overshoot if you try to make too much of an impression. It's a professional program, after all, kind of like business school? Unless you're planning on doing research or something with a specific professor - in which case, email away!

Can you contact the professors who wrote you letters before, list what you've done to improve your application, and see if they'll consider writing you another one? I can also commiserate about having difficulties finding places to volunteer. When I was living in the midwest, everywhere I emailed was happy to help and even offered me volunteering opportunities, and now that I'm back on the east coast, it's maybe one out of five places that will email me back. It's hard not to read stereotypes into it... (And I'm saying that as an east coast native.) Do you have observation hours already? What about working at an assisted living facility or a senior community center? You can do all sorts of things there, read books, play card games, etc, and they're adults, so no privacy concerns!

Oh, thanks for the screenshot! That's what I did, too, but it didn't register as a "drop down menu" for me, so I was worried that I missed something.

I sure hope not.

What browser are you using? When I look at the transcript entry page at the bottom, all I see is a bunch of course names that are all smushed together, and there's no drop down menu.

I did this in the "Program Materials" section for each of the schools. I don't think you can do it from Transcript Entry.

The new CSDCAS interface is hella buggy. I've already had to email them about weird things that are going on with my materials. Sigh.

Oh, another thing, I heard from someone on an ad comm (NOT in SLP, lol) that if department's don't require GRE scores, don't send them as an "extra" because sometimes they have pools of candidates who haveGRE scores vs. not, and generally the ones who send GRE scores do so because they're super high, so you end up getting compared to people in that pool. I don't know if that's how it works everywhere, but it might be something to clarify with the departments you're applying to.

Also, read this thread about how to write your GRE essay. It was really helpful for me: https://www.reddit.com/r/GRE/comments/3jo4e0/170q_165v_60_awa_my_writing_guide/ Especially pay attention to the "beat the e-grader" parts of it.

Yeah, they are the two free tests that ETS provides. I also bought a prep book and used the mock tests in the back to prep myself. The way I did it was 1 Power Prep, then all the paper mock tests, then the last Power Prep, and then the GRE. I hope that helps!!

Have you tried taking the Power Prep practice tests? They're available via the ETS website. Since you said your score improved your third time, maybe what you need is more practice of the actual test-taking part, not the subject matter? The GRE is long and grueling, and the interface is not user-friendly. I drilled myself a lot in the last month before the test, and I think that helped a ton, but even then by the last session my eyes were crossing. I understand not wanting to spend more money on the test, on top of the fees for the classes. Are you in the range of GRE scores that you need to be for the places you're applying to? I'm assuming you've got experience and a BA in the field, since you have professors advising you. I'd just think about whether you can spend your time writing a great SOP or completing an impressive senior project rather than stressing over the GRE if your scores are where they need to be.

I was wondering how you all are noting your observation hours on your applications. I've been doing mostly one-off observations at various places, so I'm not sure how to list them all. On applications that let me upload a resume, I'm probably going to add a total observation hours section and then list the sites. But what about on CSDCAS? It seems overkill to add a bunch of "experiences" to the application.

Hey! Part of my answer is probably going to be really frustrating: I've always had a really large vocabulary. And I did, uh, hazard a few guesses on the test. But guesses aren't necessarily counted against you, so I can't say that wasn't part of my strategy. Otherwise, I think acquiring a lot of vocab is obviously important, but also take some time to study how to answer the reading comprehension questions, which are a lot trickier than I expected they would be. Be prepared to be really picky about the choices for these ones, and try to reread them at least twice. I went back after I finished the whole section just to reread the reading passages and rethink my responses. Also, try a variety of studying methods. I hate flashcards, so I read some old books (Dickens, Bronte, or Austen) and looked up the words that I found in them that I didn't know. Also, if you can use your vocabulary to knock out some of the multiple choice options by process of elimination, don't hesitate to do that. I didn't use Magoosh or anything like that for the vocab. I just tried to be discerning when I did the reading comp questions and didn't agonize over vocab that I didn't know.

Hey all! I'm applying this year. My BF, who's already been through graduate school, warned me to keep the Gradcafe-ing to a minimum, but I need somewhere else to dump my anxieties other than him, my family, and all my friends who are already in grad school and super busy. I'm applying to a bunch of schools. I'm pretty anxious already, but I've just taken the GRE, and I've only got a few more things to check off my list before it's just time to wait. Good luck, everyone!