To update, or not to update: CSDCAS

[Jolie717]

The one and only school I have applied to through CSDCAS does not require that we send a new transcript with Fall grades.  That being said, I wonder if it would be to my benefit?  My new Fall grades have no impact on my cumulative GPA (they raise it but not noticeably), but they actually lower my CD GPA very slightly (from a 4.0 to a 3.94 due to one A- in a CD course).  

So I can keep as is - 22 CD units with a 4.0, or update to 31 CD units with a 3.94 GPA.

Thoughts???

 

[Jolie717]

Ha - replying to my own post.  Just as an update for any future readers - I did not end up updating my transcript as I was admitted to the program early, however I would recommend that anyone in the same position simply call the department to see if they put any weight/consideration on the new grades.

[SLPgradstudent]

On 1/28/2016 at 10:48 PM, Jolie717 said:

Ha - replying to my own post.  Just as an update for any future readers - I did not end up updating my transcript as I was admitted to the program early, however I would recommend that anyone in the same position simply call the department to see if they put any weight/consideration on the new grades.

Congratulations @Jolie717 on your early admission!!!  It must be such a relief to have that first admission, whether or not it's your top choice.  At least you know you'll be able to go somewhere this fall!  Good luck with your other schools!

Also, you're one of the few people I've seen who applied to 3 or fewer programs.  May I ask how you decided to apply to only three schools?  I only applied to two schools this year, either of which I would be thrilled to attend.  I was originally going to apply to six schools (all within commuting distance), but when I got very, very sick last summer, I decided it would be better to focus my little remaining energy on the most important applications, rather than to still try to apply to all six schools.  The latter option seemed to have two possible outcomes: try to apply to six and fail to meet some or all of my deadlines or meet all the deadlines but not do as good of a job on the apps that I cared most about.

Of course, now with my two apps in, and decisions forthcoming, I'm scared of not getting into either school.  I can always apply again next year, but it's still a little hard to sit with my "two schools is better than none" decision!  How did you make that decision to apply to only three schools, and are you glad that you did?

[Jolie717]

Yes - I remember seeing earlier that you were only applying for a few (I thought you had three too originally) and I thought, hey, I'm not the only crazy one, lol!

I had several reasons, I suppose.  Commuting in LA is not pretty - and neither is relocating.  I eliminated Long Beach due to the nasty commute, as well as the fact that you have to pick either a school or med rotation - if you want both it takes longer and costs more.  I also eliminated Cal State LA because the commute is horrible there as well, due to the close proximity to downtown.  I also don't particularly like that area.

I have two sons and a hubby, so in fairness to them I decided I would only pick schools where if we relocated, we would all have an improved quality of life.  We have family in Oregon and had always discussed relocating and buying a home there, so U of O was a no-brainer.  We have some family in Washington and I have a brother who should be moving to Seattle this year (military pilot) so I also chose UW.  My background is medical, so the MedSLP track appealed to me.  Both Oregon and Washington are cheaper to live in than West Los Angeles, so that works out too.  I wanted to stay on the West Coast because that is where most of my family is as well (SF Bay Area).  And it's just gorgeous here, frankly.  

I picked my current school as well of course - where I absolutely love the faculty, diversity of clinics, and of course - no headache in relocating.  My stats are within the range for all three, so I felt confident I would get into at least one of the programs.  If I didn't, I was comfortable working for a year, polishing up my SOP and gaining experience.  Plus I'm confident I could score a lot higher on the GRE with the added prep time.  

[SLPgradstudent]

20 minutes ago, Jolie717 said:

Yes - I remember seeing earlier that you were only applying for a few (I thought you had three too originally) and I thought, hey, I'm not the only crazy one, lol!

I had several reasons, I suppose.  Commuting in LA is not pretty - and neither is relocating.  I eliminated Long Beach due to the nasty commute, as well as the fact that you have to pick either a school or med rotation - if you want both it takes longer and costs more.  I also eliminated Cal State LA because the commute is horrible there as well, due to the close proximity to downtown.  I also don't particularly like that area.

I have two sons and a hubby, so in fairness to them I decided I would only pick schools where if we relocated, we would all have an improved quality of life.  We have family in Oregon and had always discussed relocating and buying a home there, so U of O was a no-brainer.  We have some family in Washington and I have a brother who should be moving to Seattle this year (military pilot) so I also chose UW.  My background is medical, so the MedSLP track appealed to me.  Both Oregon and Washington are cheaper to live in than West Los Angeles, so that works out too.  I wanted to stay on the West Coast because that is where most of my family is as well (SF Bay Area).  And it's just gorgeous here, frankly.  

I picked my current school as well of course - where I absolutely love the faculty, diversity of clinics, and of course - no headache in relocating.  My stats are within the range for all three, so I felt confident I would get into at least one of the programs.  If I didn't, I was comfortable working for a year, polishing up my SOP and gaining experience.  Plus I'm confident I could score a lot higher on the GRE with the added prep time.  

Thanks for sharing Jolie!  You're not wrong, I started with 3 schools too.  I ended up not applying for my 3rd school because I didn't feel like the program was a great fit for me.  It's a fantastic program, but not what I want.  Also, I wanted to focus my energy on finishing my final courses.  So many people here have applied to 6 or 12 or 20 schools, that I feel like the oddball having only applied to two.  But my fiancé just got his job in April, and we would like to stay in the area, which limits my choice already.  The schools that I am applying to are top ranked and awesome programs all around.  My stats are their ranges, but my overall GPA isn't awesome.  I have a 4.0 for the last 90+ credits though, so I feel like that makes up for it a little.  I hope the schools agree!  I am going to be very nervous until I hear back.

Your reasons definitely make sense.  I feel like it's easy for a kid straight out of college to apply across the country, to any every school, whereas for someone who's married or has kids (or both), or is otherwise tied down to one location, the options are more limited.  I hope you and your family are very happy wherever you end up.  West coast is beautiful, I would love to live out there someday.  For now, I'm stuck on the East coast, not that I mind Maryland or the DC area.  I've lived here my whole life, and for the most part I love it.  I don't love the traffic, but I'm sure you can understand that, living near LA.

[Jolie717]

56 minutes ago, SLPgradstudent said:

Thanks for sharing Jolie!  You're not wrong, I started with 3 schools too.  I ended up not applying for my 3rd school because I didn't feel like the program was a great fit for me.  It's a fantastic program, but not what I want.  Also, I wanted to focus my energy on finishing my final courses.  So many people here have applied to 6 or 12 or 20 schools, that I feel like the oddball having only applied to two.  But my fiancé just got his job in April, and we would like to stay in the area, which limits my choice already.  The schools that I am applying to are top ranked and awesome programs all around.  My stats are their ranges, but my overall GPA isn't awesome.  I have a 4.0 for the last 90+ credits though, so I feel like that makes up for it a little.  I hope the schools agree!  I am going to be very nervous until I hear back.

Your reasons definitely make sense.  I feel like it's easy for a kid straight out of college to apply across the country, to any every school, whereas for someone who's married or has kids (or both), or is otherwise tied down to one location, the options are more limited.  I hope you and your family are very happy wherever you end up.  West coast is beautiful, I would love to live out there someday.  For now, I'm stuck on the East coast, not that I mind Maryland or the DC area.  I've lived here my whole life, and for the most part I love it.  I don't love the traffic, but I'm sure you can understand that, living near LA.

I live in LA, not near it lol - I know traffic like no other.   We are on the westside though, near UCLA, so my commute into "the Valley" where CSUN is, happens to be a reverse commute.  More people are driving from the Valley into LA - so it works out perfectly for me.  And I agree - everything gets more complicated with significant others and kiddos.  If I were younger and single, my list would have included Vanderbilt, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Colorado Boulder and San Diego State.  I still would never have applied to ten schools.  Or twenty, which is what an advisor at my school recommended.  I think that is insane!  I'd love to see DC some day - I've never been but my hubby loves it.  Best of luck to you - it looks like you have a fantastic background!  

[SLPgradstudent]

9 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

I live in LA, not near it lol - I know traffic like no other.   We are on the westside though, near UCLA, so my commute into "the Valley" where CSUN is, happens to be a reverse commute.  More people are driving from the Valley into LA - so it works out perfectly for me.  And I agree - everything gets more complicated with significant others and kiddos.  If I were younger and single, my list would have included Vanderbilt, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Colorado Boulder and San Diego State.  I still would never have applied to ten schools.  Or twenty, which is what an advisor at my school recommended.  I think that is insane!  I'd love to see DC some day - I've never been but my hubby loves it.  Best of luck to you - it looks like you have a fantastic background!  

Oh my goodness!  I can't imagine living in LA.  The traffic going anywhere must be horrendous, even with a reverse commute.  I did a reverse commute for a year when we lived in Baltimore, and traffic was still nightmarish some days.  I don't know that I ever would have applied to ten schools either.  I know where I want to go, and I know what my second choice school is.  I've visited both, plus a few others, and feel confident in my choice.  I know that I will be very happy (if I get in), whichever school I end up attending.  Although one is significantly more affordable than the other!  Back when my fiancé was applying for jobs, after he finished his PhD, we talked about where the best areas would be for us to end up, in terms of giving me good options for grad school.  We considered everywhere from D.C. to Boston, to North Carolina to California and more.  He happened to land a great job in D.C., so our move from Baltimore was fairly short. It's nice because we're still within an hour of both of our parents.  And we chose a place where he wouldn't have to drive into the city, he can take public transit all the way in, with a short walk on either side.  Either grad school will also be accessible by public transit (or the school's shuttle) for me.  Once I get through grad school, we can think about where we want to be more long-term.  For now, we're in a great neighborhood that we love.  DC is definitely worth a visit if you get the chance.  Even though I've lived in Maryland my whole life, I still enjoy going into DC.

Applying to twenty schools does seem insane.  I understand that California schools are crazy competitive, but if your stats are good, doesn't it make more sense to submit 3 or 5 really strong applications than to submit 20 generic ones?  I don't know.  Even applying to six seemed like a lot to me.

Thanks for your kind words!  I really appreciate how supportive and knowledgeable people on GradCafe are!

[SLPgradstudent]

Also, I meant to ask you if you have a top choice school.  Do you know already where you'll go if you get in to all three programs?

[Jolie717]

16 hours ago, SLPgradstudent said:

Also, I meant to ask you if you have a top choice school.  Do you know already where you'll go if you get in to all three programs?

Nope - I think all of the schools I applied to are my top choice, but each for different reasons.  It's easier for me to say this, given how few schools I have applied to, ha ha.  Financial aid and funding will certainly influence my decision - plus availability of student housing, and the list goes on!