lisa19

I would try estimating how many hours per week you spend doing everything (including sleep!) and see if there's anywhere that you can make adjustments. Prioritize what's most important to you. It sounds like you have a lot going on in the "build resume" categories and I also see you're applying for Fall 2017 which means you have plenty of time- is it possible there's anything you can save for a future semester or the summer? I think your resume will look amazing but not everything needs to be done all at once! Maybe volunteer/shadow one semester, do research another semester. If you have a busy academic schedule, is it possible for you to take a summer/winter class to alleviate your fall/spring? Even just taking one less class could eliminate a lot of stress and give you more time. I would also talk to upperclassmen to see which classes should and should not be taken together. Some classes will be easier than others, and it will be very difficult if you take all your hard classes the same semester.

Research is a great way to learn outside of the classroom, meet other students, and build a relationship with a professor. My own time commitment was maybe 1-2 hours a week but it was unpaid and not for credit so it was basically when I wanted. This can vary per research lab. I originally got involved to boost my resume for grad school, but I stuck around because I really did enjoy what I was doing and I saw the benefit of building relationships throughout my department. My advice to contacting professors is to say you're interested in their research and would like to visit a lab meeting to see what goes on. Contact them whenever you're interested in getting started. This way you can learn more and find what you like without making any commitments. I don't think you need any specific foundational skills to be successful, but again this will be dependent on the lab. But if you haven't taken stats yet, they probably won't expect you to do any statistical analysis.

Everything you listed would be great. See what fits best in your schedule and doesn't seem to be too challenging! Here's a couple other recommendations: Cognition could be useful - many people we'll work with with brain injuries may have cognitive difficulties on top of any communication difficulties. It's good to be aware of these challenges more in depth. I've also thought that it tied in nicely after taking neuroanatomy. This is more specific, but I took a class on family involvement. When working with children, the family piece is especially important and I've found gets brought up in my classes a lot. It's nice having that foundation and knowledge coming in. I also found the topic extremely interesting. Counseling - I didn't take this class and (sort of) regret it. Counseling is very important when working with all populations and some programs do not have an in-depth course on it. The client-SLP relationship can make or break the outcome of therapy so developing strong relationships with our clients is key. Having a background in counseling can definitely help you do that. But in the end, you should take whatever you want! Whether it's related to SLP or not. This will probably be the last chance you have to take a class you are truly interested in that may not be "relevant" or "relevant enough" to be able to take in grad school. If it happens to overlap somehow with the field, that's great. But if not, that's great too. Just make sure it's something you enjoy and won't make you work too hard!

I'm currently enrolled in the masters program where I did my undergrad, so I can speak to the other side of things. It's probably true that I'm not as exposed to other points of view, but I would say that's the only disadvantage. All of my pre-reqs transferred over with no problem. While my classmates were stressing about making friends, moving to a new city, finding where their classrooms were, etc., I was just focused on doing well in my classes. I've had the opportunity to continue the research lab I participated in during undergrad. I already have strong relationships with faculty. However, I didn't always want to stay at my undergrad and I applied to other schools as well. When it came down to deciding where to go, this was one in a few factors to consider. I also picked this school because of costs, location, electives, clinical placements, etc. Unless you really don't want to attend your alma mater, I think applying to your undergrad as an option would be smart. And then you can weigh your options more carefully when you have the offers in front of you.

I think it's totally normal, and an asset, to want to work with multiple populations. This will give you more options in the long run. Here's some information regarding CFs: http://www.asha.org/Certification/Clinical-Fellowship.htm I know someone who's doing a full-time CF but also doing additional part-time hours evenings/weekends at a different site. I guess it would depend how many hours the site wants you and if you can fit it all in your schedule. If you're just looking for experience in both, most graduate programs require you do one of your off-campus placements with children and another with adults.

Would you be able to say which school it's for? I think it really depends on the school. I had a video interview where I was asked one question: "If I could go back in time and have dinner with someone dead or alive who would it be and why?" and I had an in person interview where I was asked a few questions that I can't remember exactly, but they were just get to know you stuff (ex: what are your strengths, what makes you unique, talk about a challenge you faced and how you overcame it) and had nothing to do with speech. I also had no writing sample for either. I think they want to know if you're ready for SLP grad school, so it's likely they'll want to know your skills and how you would present in an academic and clinical environment. My best advice is to mentally prepare a few relevant stories that would be applicable to multiple questions. For example, "what are your strengths" and "how you overcame a challenge" can be answered with the same story.

When I applied last year, I heard back from all my programs in March. April 15th is when most schools want you to make a deposit, so they're going to have to give you a little bit of time to decide beforehand. You can also search on the results page when people heard back last year from your specific programs.

It already sounds like you have the grades and experience. You said your LORs are from professors you had internships with. Have you also had them as professors? I know the admissions committee usually likes academic references since they can speak to how you will perform in the classroom. You should compare your stats to those on ASHA EdFind. If there are schools where you have numbers below their average, try to make sure they at least accept a good number of their applicants. I didn't have the highest stats and the two programs I got into accepted about 1/3 of applicants. Also make sure you work really hard on your SOP. I don't know what the admissions committee will look for exactly, but I figure that this is always one of the most important parts of an application because it's your only opportunity for you to show them who you truly are.

Compare your stats to those on ASHA EdFind. Some schools will have higher averages than others. Also pay attention to the percentage of applicants accepted. I had a cumulative GPA below the average of one of the schools I got into, and I think their 33% acceptance rate helped with that. Also, look for schools that focus on your last 60 hours. If you have 3 semesters left and do well in all your classes, that will look really good to grad schools even if it doesn't raise your cumulative GPA a lot higher. If you look through the previous posts on this forum, there are people on here I've seen with low stats who've posted schools they've applied to taking this information into account. In terms of your extracurriculars, I would say quality is better than quantity. You can be involved in 50 different things but not have any strong connections to any of them. Definitely try to get a leadership position at your school's NSSLHA but if you can't, just be an active member. I would say the best thing that my EC's brought for me wasn't a resume booster but was stuff to write about in my SOP. If you can't think of any way you would mention an EC in your SOP then it may not be worthwhile. Having strong experiences in 2-3 ECs will look just as good, if not better, than having 10+ ECs with weak/average experiences.

Have you already told your writers that they should be submitted 4 business days early? If not, you definitely want to tell them this information. Either way, I wouldn't say it's overkill to send a reminder a week ahead of time. I would say it's better to possibly annoy someone (or they may even be thankful for your reminder!) rather than risk not being considered for one of your programs because an LOR did not get in on time. One thing to keep in mind though is that with most applications online, your writers can submit your letter the minute before the deadline and it will be ok. This is a good thing because it gives them more time, but it keeps applicants extremely anxious. One of my writers didn't get my letter in until the day the application was due. However, I knew her very well and trusted that she would get it in on time so I wasn't too worried about it. I would think about each writer and your previous experiences with them. Do they always respond to emails in a timely fashion? If you've had them as a professor, do they grade exams/papers by the following class? You'll know best if you can rely on your writers to get it in on time. If not, a few extra reminders wouldn't hurt. Good luck!

Just to add to what was mentioned above: - Whether a program helps students get their off-campus practicums, and where these off-campus practicums are - Any electives or faculty research you're interested in - Study abroad opportunities - The friendliness/supportiveness of the program - Having an active chapter of NSSLHA - Bilingual/multicultural focus - Whether course work is taken with clinic, and if so, what the scheduling is like - Where students work post-graduation - Any opportunities with OT or PT students

Last year when I applied, I only needed 2 out of 3 recommendations in before the system would verify it.

I agree with the posts above. Maybe pick around 15 or so that you would be happy attending and then visit as many of them as you can. There are a few programs that looked great online but as soon as I visited I knew the program was not right for me.

I completed the CSDCAS application last year - I would say it is more tedious than anything else. You'll need to enter in all your classes (even though they are listed on your transcript) and you'll need to enter in all your volunteer/work experiences (even though they are listed on your resume). Nothing to be nervous about! I'm not sure about your GRE scores disappearing though, you definitely should reach out to them regarding that. My biggest piece of advice for the CSDCAS is to make sure you submit it EARLY. When I applied to MGH last year, the deadline was Jan 1 but it needed to be verified which can take weeks, especially during the holidays. I believe if you look under participating programs it will tell you whether your application needs to be verified or just submitted by the deadline. Good luck!!

I wouldn't say it would disqualify you - I've only come across one school that actually had a GRE score cutoff. Have you searched the schools you're interested in on EdFind and seen their average GRE scores? I would also recommend contacting the schools directly. Even if your math is low for a specific program, they may say your high verbal score will offset that. You can also look into programs that do not require the GRE.