Graduate School Update

Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/213217363580571720/

I've become even more confused about graduate school than I was.

SMU
 I was notified by Southern Methodist that they would like to interview me in like a week in their Plano, Texas office in person and please consider that in your travel time... There was no option for a long distance interview. I'm like 5 states away. And that is no notice. This really irked me. I responded very politely that I would love to be interviewed, and how could we arrange a phone or Skype interview since I don't live anywhere close? They agreed to a phone interview, which would last an hour, but there was no real indication as to what the context of the interview would be, despite the fact I asked three separate times in three separate emails. I finally said, it was difficult to prepare for an hour interview with no idea of the context, but I'd try my best and the secretary said, well it would probably only be 30 minutes... Well, why say it would be an hour then?

I was so nervous I couldn't sleep all night, and just read more about their program and the woman interviewing me. I finally fell asleep around 7am, and my alarm got me up at 8:30am. Interview was to start at 9:30am. I sat by the phone for TWO HOURS. Nobody called. After 30 minutes I sent a message to the secretary and said I was really looking forward to speaking with the director and just in case my number was misplaced- here it is again. I got an auto-response that this lady was out until Monday so she was no help and I had been given no contact info for the director, not even an email address.

At the one hour mark I was supposed to start a webinar with University of Denver so this was a problem. Then a friend called for help with another issue. I called the SMU department office- no one answered an there was only one number on their website. I left a message saying I was supposed to have an interview and the director was a no-show, just making sure they had the right number and I was waiting by the phone. (In a nice way.) I emailed the secretary again and asked if we needed to re-schedule, and finally after two hours, tracked down the director's email through the campus directory and expressed my concern and whether she was "okay"- had something horrible happened- and that I had waited for almost 2 hours for her to call and I hoped everything was okay. That I would be ready to re-schedule at her convenience whenever she was ready.

She responded with a SINGLE LINE OF TEXT saying, "I completely missed this was a phone interview. This was my error. Would Monday or Tuesday work for you instead?"

I waited TWO HOURS for this lady. I sat up all night I was so anxious about this call. How do you miss the fact a student doesn't live in the same state? Hello? This same school also lost all of my transcripts and wanted me to re-send them (which would have cost $100+). They also complained that I didn't use the proper form to send them- which is not anywhere on their website, or on the application, nor is there any reference to this form in either location. The only way to know you need this form is to get ahold of someone in the office (I've still never spoken to anyone on the phone, despite leaving 6+ messages over the last 4 months) and ask, and/or have them lose your transcripts and have them complain about you not using this mysterious form. I'm curious as to how I am supposed to use the form since the transcripts are coming directly from the schools, and not from me.

So far, super impressed.

Sarcasm aside, I actually am impressed with the actual PROGRAM if not their organizational and communication skills. It's the only program with an emphasis on counseling, which is great. That appeals to me, and while I don't want to be a counselor, to tap into the same tools as a mediator would be very helpful, IMO.

UMASS, BOSTON
I got notice on Friday that I have been accepted to the University of Massachusetts, Boston. I am in shock. I never thought I would get in. It's a GREAT school. I am hugely flattered. And totally confused.

Great opportunity, great school, amazing thing right there. I think I had the realization when I got the notice that I really want to go to a public school. I value it more or something. I don't know why. But the cost of living in Boston is astronomical. However, the tuition is lower than even Oregon.

What spooked me in my acceptance letter however would be the 5 news items about the department all relating to international conflict. This is what the school specializes in. It's an east-coast school. They think globally. This isn't my interest.

DU
Attended a webinar with the director/dean of the department. Only one other person attended and she had not yet applied to the program. The director just rubs me the wrong way. I felt that way on the phone, and I felt like that when I saw her on camera. She feels- both abrasive and fake. She's like a fake smiler. It doesn't feel genuine, she doesn't feel relaxed or natural and my back goes up when I hear from her as a consequence. I am honored to be accepted in the program, I was one of only 21 students accepted. This is a prestigious thing. However, I am apprehensive. I love the area, I think it's beautiful and I've been dreaming of Colorado for a long time, but something about this department makes me nervous. I think DU is where I am going to accept but I can't shake this feeling of uneasiness. I am afraid they won't really care about me.

MARQUETTE
I can't reach anyone in the department. No one calls me back, I have no idea when the deadline is. It is probably long past and I have no idea.  However, I saw some of their commercials on Youtube, and I died- I loved them! They touched me in a way I can't describe. The university's motto of "Be the Difference" is really what I believe as a person and pretty much what I wrote about in my essay and I didn't even realize. I also loved that they were working hard to fight back against sexual assaults on campus, which is a huge issue. Milwaukee has some nasty rape statistics that frankly made me uncomfortable. This alleviated some of that anxiety because the school is fighting back. However, snow 8 months of the year and a beer guzzling culture also makes me uncomfortable. It's very far away, and I'm just not sure.

My bottom line, I realized as I laid in bed last night was, I really, truly need to visit these campuses in order to make an educated decision, and I just don't have the time before the deadlines. I don't know what to do. If I don't get into Oregon, I am totally lost. I don't want to regret my decision and I am afraid not visiting campuses is going to be a huge regret.