2016 Applicants

[honeydewthis]

Thank you so much @OverCaffeinated and @Cowsy! Your offers are much appreciated! At this point I've been looking at it so much I feel I may be completely blind to it's flaws- a fresh pair of eyes would be really helpful.

[slptobe92]

Just got my first wait-list notification. I never thought I would be so happy about getting wait listed!

[honeydewthis]

7 minutes ago, slptobe92 said:

Just got my first wait-list notification. I never thought I would be so happy about getting wait listed!

Yay! Sometimes I feel to stay sane during this process, it's important to celebrate those little victories.  

[slptobe92]

Also just got told by Salus that their class is almost full.

[OverCaffeinated]

im in a writing mood, if anyone wants me to take a look at their sop and give back some harsh comments (made out of love :P) feel free to PM me XD

[rzilby]

I still haven't heard back from any of my schools this week..  I think it's safe to say I won't be getting an interview with Queens College and I probably got wait-listed/rejected to UWEC. I saw a missed called from Portland and had a mini heart attack thinking it was from my program, but it was just a wrong number .  I just spoke to the manager of the Speech and Hearing Sciences department of PSU and she said they wouldn't be sending decisions out until late next month. I'm hoping that she meant next week, because I thought all decisions had to be made by April 15th? Or are there schools that have later decision dates? The e-mail said the notifications would be via mail in late March, so now I'm worried by the different dates.. 

[Cowsy]

Oh my gosh, I hope the lady from PSU misspoke. The email said mid-March, which I believe is historically when they've notified. I think worst case she meant late March, as March just arrived and maybe she thought we were still in February, ha. :-) But even if that's the case (late March)...boo. They said mid-March. They'll definitely notify before April 15th though, unless they're totally deviating from their standard protocol. 

Late next WEEK would sure be nice!

Edited March 2, 2016 by Cowsy

[Cowsy]

Oh wait. They said they decide by mid-March, but notify late March. Okay. ?

"Our faculty selection committee plans to finalize their review and decisions by mid-March. You should expect to receive an email communication by the end of March notifying you of acceptance, waitlist, or non-acceptance."

Edited March 2, 2016 by Cowsy

[Cowsy]

Also the term "non-acceptance" is hysterical to me ?

[rzilby]

Just now, Cowsy said:

Oh my gosh, I hope the lady from PSU misspoke. The email said mid-March, which I believe is historically when they've notified. I think worst case she meant late March, as March just arrived and maybe she thought we were still in February, ha. :-) But even if that's the case (late March)...boo. Thy said mid-March. They'll definitely notify before April 15th though, unless they're totally deviating from their standard protocol. 

Haha, okay, I really hope they notify sooner or later. I just want one acceptance, but from Portland or Syracuse would be preferable since those are my top two!

Btw, not to creep, but I see it lists that you live in Portland. Do you like it there? I'm from NJ, and I only visited San Francisco on the west coast, but I loved how friendly people from the west coast were. It just had such a different culture compared to the tri-state area or Boston. Oh, and how are the winters there? It's pretty far north, so I'm scared of them being like 6 feet of snow and blizzards every week lol.

[rzilby]

1 minute ago, Cowsy said:

Also the term "non-acceptance" is hysterical to me ?

Haha, maybe they thought "rejection" sounded too harsh? Ugh, I'm just dying to hear back from one school this week. I picked all the slowest ones 

[racoomelon]

Did anyone else get an email from UA letting them know that they're in the process of going through applications still? Originally they said they'd have results by March 7th, but the email made it seem like we won't hear back until later. 

[Cowsy]

5 minutes ago, rzilby said:

Haha, okay, I really hope they notify sooner or later. I just want one acceptance, but from Portland or Syracuse would be preferable since those are my top two!

Btw, not to creep, but I see it lists that you live in Portland. Do you like it there? I'm from NJ, and I only visited San Francisco on the west coast, but I loved how friendly people from the west coast were. It just had such a different culture compared to the tri-state area or Boston. Oh, and how are the winters there? It's pretty far north, so I'm scared of them being like 6 feet of snow and blizzards every week lol.

Yeah, I really like Portland. I grew up here and went to PSU for undergrad. It's a good city, combo of big city stuff but a more laid back feel. Good food, music and art, lots of green, pretty close to mountains and the coast. The PSU campus is basically right downtown and is really fun and pretty, it's just totally integrated into the city. It doesn't snow much in Portland, maybe 1-2x on average a year. It sure rains a lot though. That's what you'll have to be prepared for! Overall the climate is pretty mild, but if rain bothers you, it's not ideal. 

[sesame_mochi]

1 minute ago, racoomelon said:

Did anyone else get an email from UA letting them know that they're in the process of going through applications still? Originally they said they'd have results by March 7th, but the email made it seem like we won't hear back until later. 

Yes, I received the e-mail update from UA as well.. While I'm glad to get any update, it prolongs the pain of waiting and endlessly scouring gradcafe!  

[racoomelon]

Just now, sesame_mochi said:

Yes, I received the e-mail update from UA as well.. While I'm glad to get any update, it prolongs the pain of waiting and endlessly scouring gradcafe!  

Haha I've been counting down until the deadline they gave us while secretly hoping they'd let us know this week.

I hope they let us know before Spring Break!

[rzilby]

19 minutes ago, Cowsy said:

Yeah, I really like Portland. I grew up here and went to PSU for undergrad. It's a good city, combo of big city stuff but a more laid back feel. Good food, music and art, lots of green, pretty close to mountains and the coast. The PSU campus is basically right downtown and is really fun and pretty, it's just totally integrated into the city. It doesn't snow much in Portland, maybe 1-2x on average a year. It sure rains a lot though. That's what you'll have to be prepared for! Overall the climate is pretty mild, but if rain bothers you, it's not ideal. 

Ah okay, snow 1-2x a year sounds like a dream!! We're supposed to get snow 2x this week lol.

How safe do you feel there? If I get accepted, I'd be moving with my dog, who's big, about 65 lbs, and it'd just be me and her living together. Is it safe walking at night? I was just looking at apartments for fun, and there were some that allowed larger dogs near the Lloyd Center (I think the was the name). Are there any good/bad areas to recommend? I was also considering commuting from Beaverton, but I don't know as much about it. I'm trying to plan ahead because I'll only have one or two weekends to visit far away schools before the decision has to be made. 

If you have any extra info to share about the city, it would be really appreciated  I'm getting way too excited about potentially moving west before actually being accepted, but I'm trying to be an optimist! Plus it gives me something to research online other than the results page

[rzilby]

That random phone number from Portland called our house again, and I just missed it by a second. No voicemail, but I keep getting a mini heart attack when I see Portland pop up on caller id. This is torture. 

[SLPgradstudent]

1 hour ago, rzilby said:

I just spoke to the manager of the Speech and Hearing Sciences department of PSU and she said they wouldn't be sending decisions out until late next month. I'm hoping that she meant next week, because I thought all decisions had to be made by April 15th? Or are there schools that have later decision dates? The e-mail said the notifications would be via mail in late March, so now I'm worried by the different dates.. 

I'll bet she forgot it was March already.    If the email said late March, that would be consistent with what she maybe meant to say.

[rzilby]

11 minutes ago, SLPgradstudent said:

I'll bet she forgot it was March already.    If the email said late March, that would be consistent with what she maybe meant to say.

Yes, I really hope so ! I don't think I can wait much longer! 

[Cowsy]

2 hours ago, rzilby said:

Ah okay, snow 1-2x a year sounds like a dream!! We're supposed to get snow 2x this week lol.

How safe do you feel there? If I get accepted, I'd be moving with my dog, who's big, about 65 lbs, and it'd just be me and her living together. Is it safe walking at night? I was just looking at apartments for fun, and there were some that allowed larger dogs near the Lloyd Center (I think the was the name). Are there any good/bad areas to recommend? I was also considering commuting from Beaverton, but I don't know as much about it. I'm trying to plan ahead because I'll only have one or two weekends to visit far away schools before the decision has to be made. 

If you have any extra info to share about the city, it would be really appreciated  I'm getting way too excited about potentially moving west before actually being accepted, but I'm trying to be an optimist! Plus it gives me something to research online other than the results page

Hey again! I think this is a great use of your time! Positive thinking. :-) Let's see, about Portland...

I do feel safe here! However, I might not be the best barometer of safeness level, haha. Any larger city is going to have some amount of crime, obviously, but I try to never let fear dictate my decisions. Obviously try to watch out for myself as well though. :-) I live in the Woodlawn neighborhood in NE Portland, which is affordable and feels safe and comfortable to me. Lloyd Center is also NE but a very different area. My concern with that area would be the price of rent. I do think it would be very possible for you to find an apt or other living situation that would accommodate your dog in another neighborhood! But I've never had my own dog, so I can't give more advice than that. 

Portland has a reasonable cost of living, but housing prices have skyrocketed recently. It's cheap to eat and live here in general, though. It's also very dog-friendly! There are dogs everywhere. Some restaurants allow dogs! That's why I think you'll be okay finding housing that works with your pup.

Public transportation is good, and it's a good place if you like to ride your bike instead of driving. It's also pretty easy to navigate. Most of the city is set up like a grid, but in some parts of SW Portland the roads get all twisty turny. 

Some pretty/fun/interesting neighborhoods/districts include Alberta, NW 23rd, Sellwood/Moreland, Mississippi, Laurelhurst (beautiful old houses), Old Town, Downtown, Hawthorne/Belmont...there's lots to explore. If I think of more to share, I'll you know, and feel free to ask more questions.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Cowsy

[rzilby]

1 hour ago, Cowsy said:

Hey again! I think this is a great use of your time! Positive thinking. :-) Let's see, about Portland...

I do feel safe here! However, I might not be the best barometer of safeness level, haha. Any larger city is going to have some amount of crime, obviously, but I try to never let fear dictate my decisions. Obviously try to watch out for myself as well though. :-) I live in the Woodlawn neighborhood in NE Portland, which is affordable and feels safe and comfortable to me. Lloyd Center is also NE but a very different area. My concern with that area would be the price of rent. I do think it would be very possible for you to find an apt or other living situation that would accommodate your dog in another neighborhood! But I've never had my own dog, so I can't give more advice than that. 

Portland has a reasonable cost of living, but housing prices have skyrocketed recently. It's cheap to eat and live here in general, though. It's also very dog-friendly! There are dogs everywhere. Some restaurants allow dogs! That's why I think you'll be okay finding housing that works with your pup.

Public transportation is good, and it's a good place if you like to ride your bike instead of driving. It's also pretty easy to navigate. Most of the city is set up like a grid, but in some parts of SW Portland the roads get all twisty turny. 

Some pretty/fun/interesting neighborhoods/districts include Alberta, NW 23rd, Sellwood/Moreland, Mississippi, Laurelhurst (beautiful old houses), Old Town, Downtown, Hawthorne/Belmont...there's lots to explore. If I think of more to share, I'll you know, and feel free to ask more questions.

I'll definitely look into those areas later in the week! Thank you so much! So far one of my biggest concerns is that most places allow dogs of 50lbs or less, and its been hard to find listings for higher weights that are close to school and affordable. I'd also be looking to move there without roommates, so it's going to be tricky.

I actually read about the restaurants that allow dogs, which makes me really happy because as much as I like wandering alone, I hate eating by myself, and I won't know anyone there for a while probably. So I guess my puppy is going to be living the good life haha!

When I went to San Francisco, it seemed like everyone was biking. I know people do that here on college campuses and in NYC, but I was a commuter so I never brought my bike to school. I also live in a rural area (think farms everywhere with a couple of neighborhoods here and there), so there's no bike paths or anywhere to bike to. It'll be a big adjustment, but I'm actually really looking forward to learning to bike in the city! It takes 20-30 minutes to get to a supermarket by car, 40 minutes to get to work, and 1.5 hours each way when I was going to Rutgers. I reeeeally hope I get into this college because I can't even imagine being able to walk to a corner store to buy things I need. I'm trying not to get too excited until I get the response, but I'm so in love with the idea of going there. 

Also, everyone I spoke to from the college seemed nice and helpful. How did you feel about your undergrad classes and professors? I haven't heard anything bad about the program, but it would be great to get an insider perspective. Again, thanks so much for the info! You're welcome to message me so we don't send the forum too off topic lol, though maybe this information could help others who read it.

Edited March 3, 2016 by rzilby

[Jolie717]

I would think 65 lbs is close enough to 50 lbs that you could get away with it - I've yet to see a dog scale in a leasing office!  We also have a large dog, and I've looked closely at housing both in Portland and Eugene to figure out the pet-friendliness factor.  We have a Great Dane, so we definitely can't fudge much, ha ha.  I've found that larger apartment complexes with management companies tend to be less discriminating.  That said, they are also more expensive too...

[DeWi]

That feeling when you wake up to someone being accepted into one of your schools and your portal hasn't changed. Today is going to be an anxious mess!

[rzilby]

11 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

I would think 65 lbs is close enough to 50 lbs that you could get away with it - I've yet to see a dog scale in a leasing office!  We also have a large dog, and I've looked closely at housing both in Portland and Eugene to figure out the pet-friendliness factor.  We have a Great Dane, so we definitely can't fudge much, ha ha.  I've found that larger apartment complexes with management companies tend to be less discriminating.  That said, they are also more expensive too...

I'm not sure how strict they are, and if someone were to complain for some reason, I don't want that to be the reason I end up homeless or anything lol. My parents lease apartments and I know they're strict about this, so I just assumed most other landlords would be as well. But I've found a couple of places that do allow for larger pets  And I love Great Danes. Such sweet dogs!

[rzilby]

1 hour ago, cosmicmorgan said:

That feeling when you wake up to someone being accepted into one of your schools and your portal hasn't changed. Today is going to be an anxious mess!

I feel your pain. 4 of my schools have given people decisions and I'm just sitting here like... Uh, you didn't forget me, right??? Hang in there, this is the last month of waiting!!