Danielle,

Congrats on moving so quickly through school. I've been so impressed with everything I've heard about your school for lots of years now.

I need some info/help. My son Clay and Candice, one of your friends here, are getting hung up on the academic portion of their program. Doesn't your school allow you to complete classes by reading a book/books and taking a written test at the conclusion?

Now that you've qualified -- congrats again! -- do they have a CSR prep book that you review on your own??

Whatever info you can shoot my way would be so appreciated.

They both got acknowledged from a high-speed teacher at the school banquet yesterday for the highest speed certificate she had ever given out in all her many years of teaching -- 230 wpm.

Shame they have to sit there and wait because classes aren't offered.

I moved through school quickly, too. Took the CSR in two years. I went to a JC, and they allowed me to challenge the classes I was short at the end.

Thanks, Danielle, and best of luck on the CSR!

Danielle,

Thanks so much for all the info. Loved how thoroughly you covered it. I had talked to the director at your school when I was shopping for schools for Clay. (I remember her being very helpful at the time and was impressed.) Came close to sending Clay up there. It's just a long way from home.

I'm going to call your school and see if I can purchase some of their books. Sounds like great CSR prep materials.

Thanks again, Danielle! Keep in touch!

Thanks, Danielle, for all the info and for being so thorough. I'm going to call your school today to see if I can obtain a couple of your books for CSR prep.

I came very close to sending Clay up there to go to school when I was school hunting a while back. If it wasn't so far away, Argonaut was my first choice. It's great you can complete the course in two years and that extra one-on-one time is provided to fill in the gaps to still get you to the CSR to coincide with your wonderful progress on the machine. (Congrats a third time! :)

Keep in touch!

Tami

Hi Danielle! Sorry it took me so long to send you a comment back. So, sounds like you are getting really close to being done with school, huh? How EXCITING! Congratulations! I WISH I were that far along! I've been in school since last July, and just began my first speed class (80-100). Which Theory did you learn?

Well, that's not far away at all! Do you feel ready for it? I'm sure you'll do great! You've got time to practice, practice, practice! So, what are you doing at this point in school since you're "nearly there"? Do you still have academic classes that you are doing? And in your speed class are you just practicing a lot? Classes are going ok...I'm still struggling with passing an 80 test though! The highest grade I've gotten so far is an 87% which of course is not passing! UGH!

I forgot to answer your question about my school. The closest school that offers a degree in CR is about an hour and a half away, so too far! I looked into a LOT of different schools that offered online programs, and I decided on CRID because they were one of the bigger schools, they are approved by the NCRA, they have the lowest drop-out rate, and the highest percentage for job placement right out of school. Also, they hold the national certification tests at their location in Dallas, not just the state exam, and since I want to be national, that's pretty cool that they do them there. I had narrowed my decision down to CRID, and 2 other schools (which I won't name on here out of respect for the schools and students). I had been talking back and forth and e-mailing back and forth with all 3 schools and CRID is the only school that seemed so organized, and on top of things. Lastly, I'm from that area originally, and it's silly, but it just "felt" right since one of the best Court Reporting schools happens to be in the Lonestar state :) ha ha All that put together, that's how I picked which school I would attend! A lot of people that attend "on ground" schools freak out about the thought of people doing this type of schooling online. I actually attended an on ground school when I was 19, and lived in San Diego. I ended up quitting after 3 months of attending unfortunately. Now doing it online is SO much easier, tons less stress, and much more convenient. Now that I know how it is, I would choose to stay online even if a new CR school opened up blocks away from my house. You do have to have discipline of course to really stick to your schedule, and you don't have other students physically there with you so you can "see" how they are doing compared to how you're doing...but with the "discussion forums" that we have with each class, we talk about SO much and everyone is just one big huge support system, it's not difficult at all to be in your own home, rather than a classroom full of other students and the instructor. I bet that we talk a lot more through the discussion forums online than students do in person in the on ground schools! Ok, well enough rambling now! Hope you have a good weekend :)

so how are things going with you? How are qualifiers going?

They're going well. I just passed my second JC on Friday. go figure, I passed those first. I always pass my JC's first. But I'm on track to get out by then end of August or maybe September if I keep at this pace! Yay! Usually I sit at a speed for at least 8 months. Drives me crazy.
You just need one more qualifier and then you can take the CSR? I'm SO happy for you! I bet you're family is so proud :):):) I can't wait to get up there, seems so far away for me.

yes, that was my read back :) I should read back every time... at least then I'd know whether or not to bother testing!

A cruise, huh? Lucky you! So, what places did you go to? I take forever sometimes to get back to people too, so don't feel bad! School is going ok I guess...I'm not progressing in speed as quickly as I would like to, but who does, right? We are about to start a new quarter the beginning of July, so we have all next week off, which will be a nice break. Your BIG test is coming up soon...what are you doing to prepare?

I've been wanting to go to Cabo! I went to Cancun on my honeymoon, and LOVED it. I told my husband that once I'm a CR and making the big bucks, I'm going to book us a trip to Fiji! That's my DREAM vacation and one of the more expensive places to go, but oh well! I'm enjoying my small break from school this week. It's really nice to come home from work and just watch TV, or do a couple things around the house, rather than going straight to school work. I'm ready to FINISH though, so I am always ready to go back after that week break. So, are you interning this week?

HIIIIII!!!! I haven't been on here in forever! I LOVE YOU!

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!!!! I KNOW YOU'LL DO GREAT!

YAY!!! I knew you'd do just fine! I'm sure it'll be a pass =) I'm SO excited for you and I can't wait til I get there. One more 140 to go... Don't know how much longer it'll be til I'm done, but I hope it's before I hit 40! (not too far away, actually... sheesh) I'll just have to hope I pass the test by the time I'm 41! =)

c u then!

the wait is killing me!! six weeks is way too long! haha!!

Hi Danielle, check out The Brief Zone !
Great Drilling Practice For Any Steno Theory...
www.thebriefzone.com

Yeah, FINALLY i passed it! Congrats to you too. I hear you did great on your CSR! We all knew you would. Thanks for the tip on the depo firm, I seriously need it!! Even court hasn't been able to take me last week or this week. Talk to ya later!

heyy
so i heard you felt good about the test...
must be such a relief..im starting to get nervous err..antsy at least.

q's are good. somtimes easy sometimes not. you knoww..did you take the wits test yet?

haha, yeah right. probably take them after..im a procrastinator and i know it

i thought the results for the written tests were instanteaneous?
you'll find out about all of em soon enough.. err i dunno, i should bite my tongue. i'm probably going to go insane waitin for mine.
but i think you know how you did...the results are just the confirmation.. second guessing yourself is the only way to think you didn't pass when you did. that's how the RPR was

between me and candice, 4 legs were typed and 4 legs were passed.
she always copies me. i'm sure you're aware
but point being, i felt good about it but then you start pondering and then that starts to worrying and then doubting and then....yeah. they came back thumbs up tho.
i sohulda passed all 3 legs tho. im thuroughly annoyed.

idk. if you pass you can't work in California anyways so CSR is better. i would explain it more in depth to you but i don't want to be a friend stealer

um okay. so which part didn't you pass?

Hi Danielle,
I see you're a student at a CR school. And I know we don't have anything like this in Honolulu. Regardless, I'm making the move to becomming a scopist. But it's a move that is just in its infancy. I think you're going the court reporter route. But could you shoot me a message and let me know a bit about your experience so far...and anything you might know re: scopistry?
Thanks much,
Karyl

hey!
as far as the RPR, there's a couple things that are helpful...
when in doubt with a proper name, cap it. they dont mark off for things like that if you do and if you don't cap something and it's supposed to be, they will mark it.
for example, I capped "The Armed Forces"
umm also i made the mistake of signing the envelope.. i thought it was a required deal but turns out that's what you sign if you don't want your test graded/you didn't type...im glad i figured that out eventually.
lastly, unlike the CSR, it's only 95% so....dont give up if have a blunder or two. You can still pull it off.
apologies for the late fill-in.

Hi Danielle.
Good to hear from you. The tests went pretty well -- I think. I passed the Professional Practice, and I should get the English Exam results this weekend. I have to admit the English was tough. I'm not feeling confident about it, but I guess I just have to be patient and wait it out. : ) Have you been keeping your fingers moving? Give me a call if you want. Do you have my number?

Yay! We passed! We are great! One down. Two to go! We can do this!!

Danielle! It's so awesome to hear from you! Qualifiers aren't as horrible as I feared they would be ha ha. I got my error rate down to 77 last week, so hopefully I'll get one within the next few months. I think it's completely reasonable to aim for that. I'm also trying not to get my hopes up on anything either though *lol*.

I'm so sorry I missed your graduation! I was so bummed I couldn't make it to school that day. What did you think of the test? Have you just been interning since you took the test? I hope I didn't seem unsociable the last few times I've seen you at school, you were just always caught up in conversation with Jess and everyone, I didn't want to interrupt :-D.

Thanks again for writing. It was very thoughtful. It was nice to hear from you! Talk to ya' soon!

-Jenny

Yay for my girl DL!! I know I miss you too! But I am EXTREMELY HAPPY for you!!! I think I need you to help me upload my pix. I have spent so much time trying to figure it out and it won't work for me. :( So until then I guess I'm just a shadow of a man! :( Yay for CCRA convention in VEGAS!!! Meow, meow!! J$

Hey Danielle! School is going ok I guess...working on it right now actually, and thought I'd take a quick break from those wonderful Q&A dictations to come write you :) So, how is the "after qualifying" life going? Are you interning? How long were you in school, and how many hours per week did you devote? I hope your summer has been going well! Time is sure flying by, I can't believe it's almost football season! ha ha

Well, congrats to you...you are just doing wonderfully! I hope I can keep on the same track that you have! I still have another year though! UGH. Oh well, if time keeps going like it has been, it will be here before I know it! Keep me posted on how you are doing with all of those tests. I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors...keep studying and practicing hard, and good luck!!!

Have you taken the academics yet? How did you do? Well, no. I haven't had my first job yet. Hopfully soon. My CSR number was posted last week, and just today I went around to firms and dropped off my resume. Hopefully the next call will be a job?! : ) I'll keep you posted, but you also keep me posted on your status.

I bet you the results will be in the mailbox tomorrow. Mines came in a week. I took it on Friday and my result was in the mail on Thursday.

Congratulations, Danielle! Hope you have a long, happy career!!

Yaayy!! Congratulations. Good luck. That's how I got my number too. I had to keep checking the web site.

Well, keep in touch and let me know how the career goes. I'm going on my first job tomorrow. I'm sooo nervous. Do you know where you want to work?

Hey, what's going on? Have you had a job yet? Let me know how everything is going.

Hey Ms. Court Reporter :)

Holy crap, are you serious!? You are DONE, like DONE, DONE? ha ha Sorry, it just seems so unbelievable to me at this point, as I struggle writing even 90wpm! :( That is SOOOO awesome! I can only imagine how totally estatic you are! Sorry I took forever to write you back, I haven't gotten on CSR in a few weeks. So, did you get your number in the mail, how's the job hunt going? Are you trying to get in the courtroom, with a firm, or freelance, or what? I'm so excited for you! I can't wait to hear all about it! :) Good luck!

Hey!! Okay sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you! Life is crazy I worked last Wed, Thurs, and Fri too to I have been workin on those tranny's! ; ) I have another job lined up for today at 1:00. Have you started working yet? Keep me posted. Us newbies have to stick together and support each other!

Hi, Danielle!

Congrats on passing the CSR! My proofing rates are pretty simple: .35/page for regular, .50 for expedite and .75 for daily. I don't charge extra for technical, medical, whatever. Words are words, right? I also do scoping, and my rates are 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 respectively. I don't charge extra for medical or technical or listening to the audio. I always look up your questionables, confirm address spellings, name spellings, etc. Just give me a bona fide due date and let me know your preferences and all will be well.

I am a former Federal court reporter, so I am accustomed to tight deadlines and making sure stuff is right the first time. My personal philosophy is, Why hire me to do a job that you're going to have to do over again.

Thanks for contacting me!

Rebecca

Hi. I don't think we know each other, but I saw a comment you left for Kathleen, who I do know, and you had mentioned you were looking for a proofreader. I have a couple good references, if you're still looking for one. Call me at (714) 904-7182 or e-mail me at stephanie.leslie@regalcourtreporting.com, if I can help you. Proofreaders are invaluable... good call looking for one!

Hi, Danielle,

I've sent you my email address, along with my info. Call me when you get a chance so we can talk.

Rebecca

HEY! Yaaa I've had a few rough ones too!! I have been working about 4 days a week since I started. I love it though. My agency has some in house proofers and I use one of them. I dont want to pay to have my work scoped yet because I am adding so much to my tiny dictionary just doing it myself. Hows work going? are you working alot? Like it Love it?

Hey Danielle! How are you doing? How's work going for you? Are you doing depos or captioning?
Just curious. I really need some encouragement right now... I'm so stuck, Manny's not working, we're selling our house... ugh.
I have loans up the wazoo and I don't want to quit. I'm just s-t-u-c-k with no one to talk to =(

It's winter... Manny's in construction... that's the way it goes. He's got his fencing business on the side, but hasn't put an ad in the pennysaver yet since his mom has been sick (actually she just passed this morning at 4am) so he wants to get all that settled before he puts the ad in and gets work. His company has him on "hold" for work instead of laying him off. This way he gets the next job faster, but yet no unemployment check... catch 22. ugh. We already moved, still in Folsom. Newer and nicer house, and we're short-selling the other one. Just worries me if it gets so bad that he can't pay rent. That's where my guilt with school kicks in... see what I mean?

and regarding the captioning, I'm DESPERATELY trying to get out of 140's so that I can start the next captioning class. I have always been extremely interested in it. I'd love to talk to you about it, how it works, how you get paid, etc. When you have a chance.... when do you work? maybe I could watch ya! LOL!
Oh, and I'm stuck because my attention and focus is lacking because of all my other "issues" with Manny, house, kids, etc. I know it's no excuse, but I don't know how to push it aside and focus. Sounds stupid, huh?

Hi Danielle. I just joined CSRnation. How is work going for you? Are you doing mainly depos? I'm retaking the machine in Feb. See ya. C

Hey Danielle!! how are you? how was the csr and working?!?! Tammy told me you got sent out on a really hard depo and it scared you. Whapd?