Last fall I applied to 5 schools: Loyola University in Chicago, Vanderbilt University, the University of Michigan, the University of San Diego, and the University of Texas at Austin.
I was actually planning to apply in the fall of 2010 but I soon realized that I needed to do a LOT of homework to even choose which schools to apply to, let alone complete the giant applications. I was looking for a school where I could get a PhD within the area of Higher Education without having to focus in Academic Affairs. I didn't mind if my time would be split between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs but I am 95% sure that I am a Student Affairs person through and through (75% of that 95% being Campus Recreation). I wanted to take my work experience and my master's studies and push them further, particularly in the areas of mental health awareness, first-generation students, LGBTQAI students, collaboration, and out-of-the-classroom learning on diverse campuses.
My first rejection was from Loyola. I was genuinely surprised. I really thought I'd get it. I was bummed and relieved at the same time. I knew that if I got in somewhere, I wouldn't be staying in Chicago. That was a strange feeling. But I also didn't want to stay in Chicago.
My second rejection was from Vanderbilt. I guess I wasn't really surprised. I thought I'd at least get an interview. I mean, I'm a smart girl. I did well on my GRE. Oh well. I guess Nashville wasn't for me... I was really hoping for an excuse to at least visit though.
Next I was rejected by the University of Michigan, my alma mater. I wasn't surprised but it was at this point that I realized that I had been rejected from 3 out of 5 schools... and just hadn't heard back from the other 2. I had a little awareness crisis, that maybe I was not as smart as I thought I was. But then, Michigan is a research school and I really didn't want to do research as a profession, so it wasn't a good fit. But then, did that mean that Texas wasn't a good fit either? Basically, I was freaking out a bit.
I was then asked to interview at the University of San Diego. Well, what a great excuse to visit San Diego and my lovely friends there. Then I read it again and saw that we would be doing group interviews. Weird. I panicked about what to wear. Dino & Karen helped me. (Light grey suit with a sea green flowy tank under. Thanks, Dino, for the feedback and Karen, for the last-minute shopping trip!)
The interview was actually pretty cool. There were about 30 of us and they put us in groups of 5 or 6 and had the faculty rotate from room to room interviewing the groups, giving each person a turn to answer. It was a great chance for us to show our strengths, personality, and ability to work with a group we didn't even know yet. Plus, we could not-so-secretly root for the other people in our group because feasibly we could all get in if we banded together and did well. Plus, the faculty seemed genuinely interested in us as students. That seemed unusual for a doctoral program.
It was only a week or so later that I heard I got in. I GOT IN! Yay!
Soon after, I accepted. I sent in my check. Tonight was the first night of class. It seems like my first semester will be pretty manageable as I took a leadership course for my master's program. (Oh, my program is Leadership Studies with a focus in Higher Education. And yes, the faculty are unusually interactive in a wonderful way.) The next few semesters though... whew, lots of work ahead!
Oh, so you stuck around to hear about what ever happened to Texas? Apparently they never received my resume or transcripts. The two easiest things to send in. Seriously, that application was probably 13 pages or so. But they leave it up to the applicant to use a log in to make sure Admissions has received everything. I did so about a week after the application due date. Good thing I already love USD!
Oh yeah, and my campus is BEAUTIFUL!
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