TalkItOut_9

I think I'm going insane... Is anyone else constantly (like...hourly) checking the results page to see what schools started admitting applicants? Pathetic, I know. But I can't help it!

I called the graduate department to get my ID for access to the portal. You have one even if you applied via CSDCAS.

I heard Emerson might be sending out their first batch of acceptances within the next two weeks! Ah!

I applied to 10 schools and 4 of them used the CSDCAS portal. It is frustrating at first but if you read and understand all of the directions and are organized, it's not too bad. I submitted my application on December 21st and it was verified on January 22nd--that's about a month. When I contacted CSDCAS, they said that they'll be mailing it out on Friday so that my schools will hopefully have it in their hands by the end of the month. It's a long and tedious process that requires a lot of patience, but I completely understand why some schools prefer it over their own online application. My friends who submitted their application via CSDCAS earlier (October/November) had a much better time because submission and verification took only two weeks. But since everyone is submitting right now, it's getting chaotic and slow.

Did you finish your application for Temple? I'm contemplating whether or not I should send them my CV. It's a hassle not being able to email or upload our supporting documents!

I'm currently applying as well--and to two of those schools! I've done a little research using the results page from last year and I saw that Emerson started notifying by mid-February and Northeastern by mid-March.

-Make sure to build a relationship with your SLP teachers in the next few months so you can rack up several letters of recommendation. It would also be key to get a letter of recommendation from a professor who is familiar with your research experience. -Write a killer personal statement. I'm currently applying and having an extremely hard time with this. Make sure you brainstorm what you would write about well before the deadline! -Keep working on your GPA. A GPA of 3.6/3.7 tends to be average for this field, so try to bring it up as much as possible. -GRE. Study for the GRE. I studied for about three months and my score skyrocketed. Take a Kaplan course if you need something more structured--but definitely spend a summer preparing for the exam to reach your maximum score. Good luck!

I can't believe it's already December and application deadlines are coming up! Is anyone else applying to UT Austin for SLP?

Applying is definitely putting a dent in my wallet, but I'm really betting on this application cycle. I cannot imagine having to go through this process again. I'm having trouble starting my personal statement(s) for some of my schools. Does anyone have any advice on this? Each of my schools have different prompts, but they're eerily similar to each other. If you applied in the past, did you write a different statement for each school or did you write one or two different statements?

I'm actually on the opposite boat. I'm great at math, pretty low on verbal. (By the way, have you tried a course? I just took the GRE and took a Kaplan course and my scores for both verbal and math went up about 6-7 points--which is nearly 20%tile points!) I emailed a bunch of schools ahead of time to see how they take this discrepancy into consideration and they told me not to worry. If there are strong aspects of my application that clearly outshine my one weakness, it is okay. They look at your application as a whole. So if your academic and extracurriculars are strong, I wouldn't fret too much! There are also several smaller schools out there that don't require the GRE for admission if you want to apply to them for back up or safety. An example would be Governer's State University in Illinois/Indiana. Check those out if you're super nervous!

A good resource to visit is ASHA's EdFind search tool. Many of the schools not the number of applicants they accept and the number of accepted applicants they award funding. It's actually a very helpful tool in gaining insight about a program as a whole. Check it out!

Thanks for all of the advice and support! I've gotten my LORs lined up from the professors who know me best and started writing up my SOPs. What I'm most concerned about is my GRE scores. I've always been a terrible test taker. How much do you think schools weigh GRE scores? Does anyone have experience with scores on the lower end--like at or below 50th percentile?) Anyway, I'm really excited to apply out and hope I can get in somewhere this application cycle. I've decided to apply to 10 schools and cap it there. Does that sound like a good number? While I am slightly freaking out about being rejected from every school I apply to, it doesn't seem realistic, especially since I have a background in CSD. Applying to more than 10 programs just seems like a waste of money and a hassle. Thoughts?

A car in Chicago can be useful, but unnecessary. While cabs are expensive, public transportation and traveling on foot is good enough to get by. Having a car just means more money--gas, parking (which gets pricey), stupid parking citations if you forget to move your car, etc. I'd say you don't need the car because of CTA/Pace/Metra system. If you're concerned, sign up for Zipcar so you can have a car when you really need it!

Who's ready for the next application cycle? Woot! It's my first time applying (and hopefully my last) and I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster--excited, nervous, anxious, etc. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next ten months! Where are prospective applicants looking to apply? I'm looking at Northwestern, Illinois State, University of Illinois, University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rush, Emerson, Boston University, and Northeastern. I'm a city girl, so I'm looking to stay near a big city...but I'm also worried that I'm applying to some very tough programs and I don't have enough "safety" schools in case things don't go my way. I'm taking the GRE in late August and starting applications in September. Any advice during this tedious application process? Any helpful comments are much appreciated!