u/flyingbuttress20

I'm a rising college senior at UC Berkeley studying cognitive science and music. I'm considering applying to auD programs this year, and was looking for some more information. The top issue I've noticed people mention is the tuition-salary discrepancy, but I will fortunately not have to take loans out for a program, so I'm not taking this into too much consideration. I'm definitely interested in hearing and the ear for several reasons, and I also kind of just want a normal 9-5 job with a good work-life balance and solid pay, so I thought this could be a good fit.

My questions:

I'll likely graduate from Cal with a middle-of-the-road ~3.7 gpa. I've taken basic (to advanced in certain cases) coursework in bio, chem, math, stats/data, neuroscience/cognition, psych, computational modeling, and music. Does that make me a prepared/competitive candidate for good programs? What programs should I apply to?

What should I do between now and app season to make me a more competitive candidate? I don't have any relevant work experience, and I only have research experience in linguistics.

However, I really don't want to work on commission as a hearing aid salesperson, which I've also seen some mention of: with an auD, do I have solid prospects for getting salaried clinical or education positions? These would be ideal for me.

Is there a pretty much universal demand for audiologists in major cities (and are the positions generally decently compensated)? I'd like to live and work in/around SF, but also have the possibility of finding jobs elsewhere in case I want to relocate elsewhere.

Thanks in advance!

I love the idea of RPGs but I find combat extremely boring. My partner and I bought the Hogwarts Legacy game on sale and I was instantly put off by the immediate onslaught of combat scenes, which we found very tedious. I would've really liked this game had it been focused more on attending the school and following a mystery without involving so much combat.

I'm into historical settings (for example, I'd like a game set in a Victorian castle or in a medieval town), not scifi/cyberpunk/space-themed or desolate landscapes (like Sky). I prefer mystery and horror but anything with a good, absorbing story will do! I also really like exploring spaces (again, I'd love to get lost in a castle) and enjoy fleshed-out worlds.