Jump to content

Menu

Grad school called--doing a happy dance...


Recommended Posts

I have just been called by the school of my choice (the one I'm currently attending) to interview for the Master's in Counseling program. Yay! (imagine happy dance here). It's a group interview, if I heard correctly, and if it's not, I know it's supposed to last 3 hours on a Saturday afternoon! I'm assuming there will be a campus tour and some sort of luncheon or something, but three hours? How can I possibly keep my cool for 3 hours?

 

Also, scholarships, assistantships, and loans are going to be a deal-breaker for me...I want to ask about them without sounding like that's all I want to know about the place. I really can't remember what I did 20 years ago for my undergrad interview.

 

Has anyone ever been through this before? I could sure use some good vibes right about now. I have another week to stew about this, and frankly, I'd rather not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did a group interview for a job once and it was very interesting, to say the least. Even though its weird to be there side by side with competitors, just be yourself. Promote yourself with confidence, ask good questions, compare yourself favorably at appropriate times. Try to enjoy yourself!

 

Good luck and God bless you,

 

Lucinda

 

I have just been called by the school of my choice (the one I'm currently attending) to interview for the Master's in Counseling program. Yay! (imagine happy dance here). It's a group interview, if I heard correctly, and if it's not, I know it's supposed to last 3 hours on a Saturday afternoon! I'm assuming there will be a campus tour and some sort of luncheon or something, but three hours? How can I possibly keep my cool for 3 hours?

 

Also, scholarships, assistantships, and loans are going to be a deal-breaker for me...I want to ask about them without sounding like that's all I want to know about the place. I really can't remember what I did 20 years ago for my undergrad interview.

 

Has anyone ever been through this before? I could sure use some good vibes right about now. I have another week to stew about this, and frankly, I'd rather not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, scholarships, assistantships, and loans are going to be a deal-breaker for me...I want to ask about them without sounding like that's all I want to know about the place.

 

They already know that money is going to be an issue. It's not going to be a surprise for them. Don't be embarrassed about it. I told one of my schools outright that I wouldn't be attending if they couldn't find money for my dh. I told another one, "I'm too old to do the student loans thing any more. I'm not going to be going anywhere I have to take out loans to make it work financially."

 

The best way to sound like you care about more than just the financial assistance is to get to know a little bit about the school and the faculty. Try to find out what the faculty are interested in, what's distinctive and unique about the school, and ask a few questions about that. ("Dr. Blowhard, I read your paper on the psychodynamics of bilingualism in dream interpretation. Is that a growing field, or have you been the first to give it such serious attention?")

 

Good luck!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations!

 

I don't think you will get a campus tour. I think you will the majority of the time meeting each faculty member individually (in rotation with the other applicants). If I was going to a grad school interview I would research each of the faculty member's interests or major contributions to have something intelligent to ask during the meeting.

 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, all. I'll try not to freak out too much about it.

 

I'll try to focus on the things that will benefit their program...I'm not 22 and insist that I "just love helping people!", I've come back after a 15 year break to finish my undergrad stuff, my GREs and GPA were way above the requirement, and professors always seem interested by homeschooling.

 

I'm off now to eat some chocolate and let your good vibes wash over me for a while...

 

Maria from IN, whose boyfriend is now fixing my stove for the ridiculously low price of a pork chop dinner...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...