Interviewed for a Delayed Program. Input on my next step?

[LadyCard05]

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Hi all. 🙂

I am one of the unlucky individuals who interviewed for WKU's brand new program. A week after the interviews they sent out a mass letter via e-mail that CAPTE delayed the review of their candidacy for accreditation status, so they won't start the program until summer 2013. I can't say that I'm surprised, we all knew they weren't accredited and might encounter some bumps in the road. However, I did have an interview (which I think went VERY well, that was a huge bummer. All that for naught...). Now they're saying they'll keep our application for next year if we so desire.

To get to the point, I am asking for advice as to what my next step should be. I know I need to follow up and plan to do so sometime this week. Should I ask if I would have been accepted if the program wasn't delayed? If the answer is yes, I don't feel like it's fair to throw my application back into the fray and make me start over at square one next year. I think I'm just still a little frazzled and I have no idea how to proceed. Any input is appreciated.

Just FYI, I did apply to four other schools and was rejected at all of them. This could be a blessing in disguise for me to polish my application, it just sucks that I got so close. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Teresina2005]

I know exactly how you are feeling. I am in the same situation. The anticipation and excitement has given way to confusion and disappointment. It's difficult to wrestle with the notion 'I wasn't rejected, but I wasn't accepted... The program was delayed.'

This is the best advice I can provide (it's all I have to go on as well):

• Do whatever you were going to do if you were rejected by every program you applied to this year. Whether that means more time in the clinic, (re)taking classes or tests, etc. Reapply next year to any program(s) that you want (including WKU, heck, the application is already completed and paid for). Or choose to pursue something else.
• Try to make a list of every reason the postponement of the program is a good thing and seek to add to that list as time goes on. Some of the things on my personal list include: another year to earn money to reduce the amount of future student debt; since the program would now begin in the summer it allows for a 'soft start' (meaning we begin with 5 credit hours rather than 17 thus easing our way into the demands of the curriculum); and more time to look for scholarships. Things on the list for the program: more time to find awesome professors (that perhaps wouldn't have been there without the delay), the new building should be almost complete when the charter class begins, and perhaps this provides an extra year to allocate funds for DPT student financial aid.
  

I don't know whether our applications will be pooled with the new applications or if we will receive some sort of priority since we have already interviewed. (Maybe after April 15th, once this year's applicants have made their decision about their applications, we will hear something). But I do understand, after reading through the Application for Candidacy Rules of Practice and Procedure, that students can not be enrolled until the "Candidate for Accreditation" status has been achieved. That being the case, I don't believe we will receive any type of early admittance to the program.

I don't know if any of that helps. But you aren't alone in that boat. Someone told me yesterday, "You know God is going to do something really cool in this next year, right? Something that you were preserved to be part of..." All I can do is pray that this would be true for each of us.

Best of Luck!
Peace and God bless