Genetic Counseling Fall 2018 Applicants

[trp111]

6 minutes ago, FutureGC7 said:

How about you ? Is it the last attempt for you too? And if so, why?

Anyone else who feels like this is their make or break application cycle ?

Make or break for me as well. Quite scary, but hopefully we'll all be ok  

[FutureGC7]

9 minutes ago, trp111 said:

Make or break for me as well. Quite scary, but hopefully we'll all be ok  

Yes we all will be. I really like how this forum brings us applicants together. ☺️ 

[hopetobeGC]

Anyone heard from South Carolina? They were my earliest deadline (Dec 1) and not a word!! 

[AspiringGC]

29 minutes ago, FutureGC7 said:

How about you ? Is it the last attempt for you too? And if so, why?

Anyone else who feels like this is their make or break application cycle ?

Maybe not a make it or break it cycle, but if I don't get in this cycle, I likely won't reapply right away. Might take a year or two off to just do me and work full time and try to utilize my undergraduate degree to its full ability. And after 2 or so years, if I still have the desire and means to pursue a GC degree, I think I'd apply again. 

[minja134]

Hello everyone, checking in here starting my second semester at ISU (first year student). Just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck and offer any insights. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll get around to them when I can.

For reference I interviewed with ISU, IU, and Thomas Jefferson University last year in addition to Northwestern two years ago.

 

[AspiringGC]

I just got an interview from Augustana. I'm shocked and what a great birthday present!!

[GeneDawg]

Hi! I see that someone got an interview from Augustana! May I ask when you applied? Thanks!

[AspiringGC]

2 minutes ago, GeneDawg said:

Hi! I see that someone got an interview from Augustana! May I ask when you applied? Thanks!

I submitted around Christmas Day? I believe the 27th to be exact

[GeneDawg]

9 minutes ago, AspiringGC said:

I submitted around Christmas Day? I believe the 27th to be exact

Thanks! I applied in the first week of January, so I hope there is still hope for me haha
Btw Congratulations @AspiringGC! You have totally earned it

Edited January 19, 2018 by GeneDawg

[GenMed]

10 minutes ago, GeneDawg said:

Hi! I see that someone got an interview from Augustana! May I ask when you applied? Thanks!

I also just got an interview from them! I applied 12/18 

[GeneDawg]

Thanks and congratulations @GenMed!

[Nefelibata]

2 hours ago, FutureGC7 said:

Thank you and good luck to you too. You see, I m from a middle class background from India. Applying twice itself has cost me a lot of money in Indian currency. And all the advocacy experience I have tried to gain in these 2 years is not exactly paid for. I cannot afford to apply a third time and not earn/try to find a job and earn for another year. Plus I think if I don't make it twice then I probably don't deserve it anyway. My financial limitations are the reason why I applied to mostly mid-west schools and Canada, mainly to reduce my living costs and hence the student loan required. 

I actually have a master's degree  pertaining to Genetic Counseling from India. But neither is the field established enough out here and nor do I feel that I m adequately trained for the job because in my degree GC was taught through 3 theory courses and one 5 month shadowing experience. I do not feel adequately prepared and want to study the field in depth and work in the awesome Genetic Counseling community in North America. 

And so if I don't get the admission this year, I will have to find a related work position here and settle for it. It's not the worst case scenario but I have been wanting to study in the states for 8 years now. I wanted to get in after my 10th grade here, but the fees was too high, then again after my 12th grade I wasn't sure about my specific field and so did my bachelor's here, eventually realized that only PhD is affordable for me but then I came across GC and it blew my mind away and I just couldn't seem to not give this career path a try even if it means a lot of student debt and years of paying it off. It's just worth it. 

To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't get more interviews/accepted last year since you have a degree related to genetic counseling. If it comes to it this year that you don't get accepted, have you looked at other places internationally? My significant other and I want to move abroad at some point so for kicks last year after I didn't get in I was looking around at GC programs in England and Australia. For Australia I also read that you can practice as a GC with an "equivalent international degree" which yours might qualify for? I'm not sure if you looked into any of that but food for thought. 

 

1 hour ago, GeneDawg said:

Thanks! I applied in the first week of January, so I hope there is still hope for me haha
Btw Congratulations @AspiringGC! You have totally earned it

I submitted my Augustana app either last week or the week before so I don't expect to hear anytime soon. Plus, their due date isn't until February and I doubt they would give out all their interviews before their due date even comes around, so I think we still have plenty of time! 

[katiespencer]

3 hours ago, FutureGC7 said:

Thank you and good luck to you too. You see, I m from a middle class background from India. Applying twice itself has cost me a lot of money in Indian currency. And all the advocacy experience I have tried to gain in these 2 years is not exactly paid for. I cannot afford to apply a third time and not earn/try to find a job and earn for another year. Plus I think if I don't make it twice then I probably don't deserve it anyway. My financial limitations are the reason why I applied to mostly mid-west schools and Canada, mainly to reduce my living costs and hence the student loan required. 

I actually have a master's degree  pertaining to Genetic Counseling from India. But neither is the field established enough out here and nor do I feel that I m adequately trained for the job because in my degree GC was taught through 3 theory courses and one 5 month shadowing experience. I do not feel adequately prepared and want to study the field in depth and work in the awesome Genetic Counseling community in North America. 

And so if I don't get the admission this year, I will have to find a related work position here and settle for it. It's not the worst case scenario but I have been wanting to study in the states for 8 years now. I wanted to get in after my 10th grade here, but the fees was too high, then again after my 12th grade I wasn't sure about my specific field and so did my bachelor's here, eventually realized that only PhD is affordable for me but then I came across GC and it blew my mind away and I just couldn't seem to not give this career path a try even if it means a lot of student debt and years of paying it off. It's just worth it. 

You are amazing and so inspiring. Best of luck to you!

[FutureGC7]

1 hour ago, katiespencer said:

You are amazing and so inspiring. Best of luck to you!

Thank you so much. But I don't see it that way. It's actually my mother who has given me the courage to pursue my dreams. My father passed away when I was 11, and my mother went from being a housewife to working as a bank clerk 12 hours/day, against the wishes of my patriarchal family. We had to end all ties with our family because of this. And it has been 13 years now, my mom still works her 12hour job, has raised me all by herself and is here ready to support me for my outrageous "GC in US" ambition. Along these years, I have faced criticism that why didn't I just study engineering or some established field in India and go work and earn for my mom, but my mother always pushed me for finding a field where I belong, because after her experience she realized that for a woman her job is not just a means of income but a big part of her independence and identity. I think her point is that find work that I am passionate about and stick with it because your work will stick it out with you through your life's toughest times. 

All the best to you too! 

I see that some 54 of us are following this forum topic, and I hope all of us make it. Would love to meet you folks in-person.  

Edited January 19, 2018 by FutureGC7

[FutureGC7]

1 hour ago, Nefelibata said:

To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't get more interviews/accepted last year since you have a degree related to genetic counseling. If it comes to it this year that you don't get accepted, have you looked at other places internationally? My significant other and I want to move abroad at some point so for kicks last year after I didn't get in I was looking around at GC programs in England and Australia. For Australia I also read that you can practice as a GC with an "equivalent international degree" which yours might qualify for? I'm not sure if you looked into any of that but food for thought. 

2

Actually, I didn't get in because my statement of purpose wasn't up to par based on the feedback from universities. They needed me to be more mature and have a more personal connection towards pursuing the studies. I hadn't mentioned any of my life experiences or about my financial background, I had only mentioned what my academic record already said, I hadn't really expressed how certain cases/patients or my personal life had directed me here. But this year due to one of my new work experience I was able to connect the dots and really introspect on it. I mentioned everything in my current personal statement. I hope that the universities where I am re-applying see it as personal growth in terms of understanding my life choices. Fingers crossed. 

And thank you for suggesting about Australia. I did look into it actually. It is a good option but I noticed that the field isn't as established as the states and I was not able to find anything that said about growth in job opportunities for GCs there. Maybe I didn't conduct my research sincerely because I was and am set on US & Canada. But it sure is an option. 

[FutureGC7]

3 hours ago, AspiringGC said:

Maybe not a make it or break it cycle, but if I don't get in this cycle, I likely won't reapply right away. Might take a year or two off to just do me and work full time and try to utilize my undergraduate degree to its full ability. And after 2 or so years, if I still have the desire and means to pursue a GC degree, I think I'd apply again. 

That sounds like a great backup plan. Btw congratulations on your interview offers. And Happy Birthday!  

[Nefelibata]

8 minutes ago, FutureGC7 said:

Actually, I didn't get in because my statement of purpose wasn't up to par based on the feedback from universities. They needed me to be more mature and have a more personal connection towards pursuing the studies. I hadn't mentioned any of my life experiences or about my financial background, I had only mentioned what my academic record already said, I hadn't really expressed how certain cases/patients or my personal life had directed me here. But this year due to one of my new work experience I was able to connect the dots and really introspect on it. I mentioned everything in my current personal statement. I hope that the universities where I am re-applying see it as personal growth in terms of understanding my life choices. Fingers crossed. 

And thank you for suggesting about Australia. I did look into it actually. It is a good option but I noticed that the field isn't as established as the states and I was not able to find anything that said about growth in job opportunities for GCs there. Maybe I didn't conduct my research sincerely because I was and am set on US & Canada. But it sure is an option. 

At least changing your personal statement is somewhat of an easier fix than trying to change your GPA or something along those lines that is more difficult to change. From my feedback last year I did notice that they put a lot of weight on your personal statement. I realized I had what I would consider to be a poor personal statement, I pretty much just restated my resume and like you I didn't make personal connections or talk about my experiences and what I got out of them. This year I reached out for help from others to review and help me edit my personal statement so I'm hoping it makes a difference. I wish you luck! 

[FutureGC7]

14 minutes ago, Nefelibata said:

At least changing your personal statement is somewhat of an easier fix than trying to change your GPA or something along those lines that is more difficult to change. From my feedback last year I did notice that they put a lot of weight on your personal statement. I realized I had what I would consider to be a poor personal statement, I pretty much just restated my resume and like you I didn't make personal connections or talk about my experiences and what I got out of them. This year I reached out for help from others to review and help me edit my personal statement so I'm hoping it makes a difference. I wish you luck! 

I actually lacked advocacy (non GC) work experience. I worked on it too. And I too reached out to others for review like you. It really helps a lot. And I was really surprised that people from the states, who didn't even know me in-person, agreed to review my statement and let me schedule phone calls to learn more about the field. Practicing GCs and current students. I couldn't believe it. I am so thankful to them. They really gave me a better perspective on all of this.

All the best to you too!  

Edited January 19, 2018 by FutureGC7

[kelly14]

People that applied to Indiana State - did you notice the change on the program website regarding personal statement requirements? I submitted mine in late November and it originally only said “should not exceed 2 pages” so I submitted a 1.5 page single spaced document, but I looked more recently and now it also says “11pt font and double spaced.” As far as I know, that change was made relatively recently/after I submitted my application, and I’m wondering if anyone else noticed it/asked about it/is worried about it? I don’t want it to negatively affect my chances of getting an interview, but I don’t know exactly when the change was made/if they’ll hold it against me  

[laura moreno]

16 hours ago, Brifeir said:

I feel you, boston was also a mid december deadling and i haven’t heard anything!

I have become an email-checker maniac! lol 

[JN212]

4 hours ago, kelly14 said:

People that applied to Indiana State - did you notice the change on the program website regarding personal statement requirements? I submitted mine in late November and it originally only said “should not exceed 2 pages” so I submitted a 1.5 page single spaced document, but I looked more recently and now it also says “11pt font and double spaced.” As far as I know, that change was made relatively recently/after I submitted my application, and I’m wondering if anyone else noticed it/asked about it/is worried about it? I don’t want it to negatively affect my chances of getting an interview, but I don’t know exactly when the change was made/if they’ll hold it against me  

I also applied to Indiana State and submitted my P.S. pretty early as well around the end of October. I also unfortunately saw this format change. I am hoping this will not affect our chances especially since they can see when we submitted our statements. I noticed they changed the format around the middle of December so hopefully this is not a huge deal. When I applied last year it was single spaced 2 pages so I don't know why they decided to changed the format so suddenly and toward the end the process after a lot of people had submitted it. If this is the reason one would not get an interview then that's just cruel. It's better said than done but I wouldn't worry your application, resume, and Personal statement speak more about you than if its double spaced.  

Edited January 19, 2018 by JN212

[kelly14]

54 minutes ago, JN212 said:

I also applied to Indiana State and submitted my P.S. pretty early as well around the end of October. I also unfortunately saw this format change. I am hoping this will not affect our chances especially since they can see when we submitted our statements. I noticed they changed the format around the middle of December so hopefully this is not a huge deal. When I applied last year it was single spaced 2 pages so I don't know why they decided to changed the format so suddenly and toward the end the process after a lot of people had submitted it. If this is the reason one would not get an interview then that's just cruel. It's better said than done but I wouldn't worry your application, resume, and Personal statement speak more about you than if its double spaced.  

I’ve literally been going crazy over this, so it gives me some peace of mind that I’m not the only one. Here’s to both of us single-spacers getting an interview

[hfj23]

A student I know in the cincinnati program says they think this was the last week of application reviews so invites haven't gone out yet (to their understanding). This makes me feel a lot better!! 

[Nefelibata]

First rejection email received /: It's a bummer but I'd rather know than not know. 

[bryvy]

8 minutes ago, Nefelibata said:

First rejection email received /: It's a bummer but I'd rather know than not know. 

Oh no!! So sorry to hear that I'd rather know too! What school was it from?