phonology_rocks

In the fall of 2014 I will apply to SLP ma/ms programs.  I have an undergraduate background in linguistics/french and education, and I will have a masters in linguistics from syracuse University.  While I am at Syracuse I will be taking 24 SLP graduate credts and have completed observation hours.  However, I will be missing a handful of courses (slp courses) that I think are required pre req's in most places like neuro, speech science and anatomy.   I am also Canadian, and unless the sky starts falling (or some school gives me an amaizng scholarship) i will need loans.  It is easier to get loans if you are taking graduate credits.  Therefore I am looking for schools that will admit you with a partial background, and that will let you take missing pre req's as graduate credits.  SYracuse does both of those things, however I want to apply to 8 or 9 so I was just wondering if anyone knew of anymore?

In the fall of 2014 I will apply to SLP ma/ms programs.  I have an undergraduate background in linguistics/french and education, and I will have a masters in linguistics from syracuse University.  While I am at Syracuse I will be taking 24 SLP graduate credts and have completed observation hours.  However, I will be missing a handful of courses (slp courses) that I think are required pre req's in most places like neuro, speech science and anatomy.   I am also Canadian, and unless the sky starts falling (or some school gives me an amaizng scholarship) i will need loans.  It is easier to get loans if you are taking graduate credits.  Therefore I am looking for schools that will admit you with a partial background, and that will let you take missing pre req's as graduate credits.  SYracuse does both of those things, however I want to apply to 8 or 9 so I was just wondering if anyone knew of anymore?

I am only an MA student but the main points still apply....
 
1.  I agree with all the people who have said things about having a life outside of grad school.  I am still struggleing with that, I feel like it consums my life most of the time. 
 
2.  Also agree with the comments about a list! I LOVE crossing stuff off of mine. 
 
3.  Make sure you make time to not loose touch with old friends.  This may seem like a silly comment, but as many of us do, I left everything I knew to go grad school across the country from where I did my undergrad, and also far away from family.  Anyways my finance and good freinds are all across the country.  After blocking my facebook (I am easily distracted), and getting into courses and my RA position I quickly lost touch with almost everyone except my family and SO.  When we got engaged and I started wedding planning I started to get sad because I realized how long it had been since I really had a talk with any of my bridsemaids.  Now we schedual a time once a week to skype.  Anyways sorry to go off on a rant, but my point is, stay in touch with old friends. 
 
4.  It may take you a while before you feel like you fit in with your co-hort.  I found this really true, because (in part) many of them are from other cultures, and all of a sudden I was the odd one out.  After finally realizing that I could reach out to them, to make friends I feel like I belong and I am a lot happier. 
 
5.  Its okay to admit you don't get it.  I know that seems silly, but I don't think I am all that abnormal in that I could figure things out in undergrad with out extra help mostly.  However, grad school is hard.  After a bad mid term last semester, I started making regular visits to the professors office, and managed to wind up with an A in the course and after my mid term that is an impressive feat.  This semester I am a regularly working with my peers and asking about things when I am not sure. 

I wouldn't worry about it.... in my case, he came to me three times last semester and once over winter break and I went to him thanksgiving, (unfortunatly due to his program requirments and job situation we had to spend most of winter break apart).  This semester it will be split, two and two ...anyways he met all of my professors at a socail thing we could bring guests too, and many of them ask me about him once and a while.  When we got engaged (as a classmate informed all of them) I got several congradulations.  I think what helps is I always work when are togehter, hes really understanding about that.  As for teh profs I think if they see your effort, (and if you make little sacrifices like working while you two are visiting....I don't think you will have any problems. 

I am sorry you broke up, Its good to know you were able to spend some time together.  I am kinda high stress, but now we are engaged I think I'll be okay he knows how hard I have to work.  I dunno I have asked around and someone suggested trying to do most of my work at school, so that when I am at home I am acutally with him.  I think I will try that.  As for the no choice, aspect ohhhh belive me it wasn't a choice I was in a situation (american educated but canadian citizen) where it would have been hard to impossible for me to work out of undergrad because of the visa issues.  I don't regret what I did, but only because I know it was the best option, and in  the only one. The longer we are apart the more positive he seems about when we will be togehter, I have seen him very minimally sadly mainly because of money.  Anyways, I did really well this fall, and a long lonley spring is about to start.  I figure if he can accept the 'hell' of what will be almost a year and a half of very long distance, he'll accept it when we are togeter.  Once again, I am sorry about your situation though.....

I wouldn't worry about it.... in my case, he came to me three times last semester and once over winter break and I went to him thanksgiving, (unfortunatly due to his program requirments and job situation we had to spend most of winter break apart).  This semester it will be split, two and two ...anyways he met all of my professors at a socail thing we could bring guests too, and many of them ask me about him once and a while.  When we got engaged (as a classmate informed all of them) I got several congradulations.  I think what helps is I always work when are togehter, hes really understanding about that.  As for teh profs I think if they see your effort, (and if you make little sacrifices like working while you two are visiting....I don't think you will have any problems. 

This could have changed, but I am pretty sure Boulders program does not fund MA students....so that is something to consider.....I got in a year ago but without funding, and I was told I could try for an assistantship in my second lanuage, but that they 'typically don't fund MA students'. There program is great, and that was one person telling me they don't fund MA students, maybe that was a poliet way of telling me I didn't get any funding, or maybe its changed, I just figured i'd mention it......

I feel I personally have an obligation to respond to your post.

As someone with a learning disability I know how draining it can be.
 
When i tell people about my disability people think I cant even speak or comprehend anything they say.
 
However, A LEARNING DISABILITY DOES NOT MEAN INCAPABLE. However the ignorant perception people have about people with learning disabilities is only their own stupidity and ignorance. This ignorance is draining to deal with.
 
A learning disability isn't something you BEAT! It is something you live with your entire life and accept about yourself regardless of what people may think about you. If what you had was reversible then its not quite a learning disability. DO YOU HAVE LIFE LONG impairments to your learning process? Do you still have dyslexia when you read? I'm simply trying to understand what you are up against to best help you. I would even gladly give you my number in a personal message if you want to talk sometime.
 
I'm in a master's program now and almost finished with it. I fear this is the only social media where I do not need to be secretive about my personal fight, my personal tragedy, and what I have done to overcome it and fight the education system for my constitutional right to equal access to education each time that right is violated.
 
YOUR CONCERNS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
-I strongly dislike my classes and my major and all my classes
You stated you are currently enrolled in a masters program. Are these the classes you dont like? Information technology according to your profile? You may just need some fundamental career counseling completely unrelated to your adverse circumstances. 
MY ADVICE is speak with your program coordinator and see about taking a "personal temporary leave" from your program. This will give you the opportunity to do some needed soul searching and time for a much needed break after such a draining successful triumph that you have overcome.
-Overcoming that learning disability as awesome as it was to do that drained me so much that I feel like I have no energy for classes
My disability has previously at times been so draining that i went to school part time because IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CAN RECOGNIZE WHEN AND HOW TO NOT OVER EXTEND YOURSELF. It happens to a lot of people who try to work full time and go to school full time or any other combination that can be too draining to focus on coursework.
IF YOU ARE IN CLASSES NOW TAKE AN INCOMPLETE IF YOU NEED TO. It is easy to erase an "I" on your transcript as long as you make arrangements to complete the work with your instructor. its a temporary place holder on your transcript. It gets replaced with a grade after you complete the work usually with a grace period of 12 months from the date the "I" was entered.

-Because of that whole experience with the marines and learning disability caused me to somewhat break down emotionally and cause symptoms of PTSD
The PTSD never really goes away and NO CLINICAL DOCTOR HAS THE EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND IN THIS SORT OF THING. They wont understand and there is no textbook version of disability rooted PTSD. discrimination is an awful fight that never ever ends. Its life long.
 
-I do not know what to do I never thought about anything else but being in special forces then after failing overcoming the learning disability that I jut panicked and applied to a program so I could get a job without thinking.
There are so many other outdoors jobs that are equally fulfilling. It sounds like you need to visit your career center. You know what you enjoy and now you just have to channel it in the right direction for your strengths so you can do what you love.
Have you considered... forest ranger, park ranger, or other jobs with similar special forces tasks?
......APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS TO EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS WITH HANDS-ON LEARNING. Then maybe return to your program refreshed
(or find a program or job you're more suited for) and renewed with a more tactile kinisthetic job where you are more engaged with hands-on learning.

-I don't know what to do I have no long term goals I hate my classes and program but I don't know where I can get a long term job I am completely lost because all I thought about was the learning disability.
This is an additional reason to see your career center and if your university has a internship office explore those with the career office also. If you hate your program that much DEFINITELY TAKE INCOMPLETES. The academic fight is also draining BE WARNED!!!
 
If you have several F's or D's You can also look into "Academic renewal" Each student is ONLY ALLOWED ONE academic renewal per school they attend. It erases ALL consecutively received D's & F's so that it is as if you never took those classes and REPAIRS YOUR GPA.
 
 
IT IS BEYOND ME WHY NO SCHOOL OFFICIAL TELLS ANYONE THIS INFORMATION. EVEN OFFICES OF DISABILITY SERVICES INSUFFICIENTLY SERVICE STUDENTS WHEN THEY FAIL TO INFORM STUDENTS OF THIS INFORMATION.
 
Please let me know if you need to talk. Ive been through the academic bureaucratic ringer and I can guide you through it to repair as much of your record and help you down the best path for you.

Highest Regards for all you've accomplished,
InnovativeL

I am sorry for what you are dealing with.  I can't understand the pain and frusteration you are going through because I have never experienced it.  I don't think its possible to understand what you've gone through... I had a pyschology prof say something along the lines of  'every experience a person has shapes there values, beliefs thus the reaction to a given situation is not the same for any two people', and he was right...
 
I really can't relate to you directly but I can indirectly.  At the end of my undergrad I (a kid with ADHD) got kicked out of my student teaching program.  I had nothing but good prior evaluations and was treated very questionably (as latter proved legally of course after the application season)....but what got me removed was I was accused of something I didn't do, something bad, and unprofessional (although minor in comparision to rape), this hurt me on my grad school applications even though it couldn't be proven...I still couldn't get reference letters, lost trust in professors, was embaressed in front of my classmates,  it goes on and on. I got into a good school (way far away) and went even thought it wasn't originally high on my list ....because the expeirence  and what others thought (indirectly) already held me back a year .....
 
I have no doubt that the rumors hurt you, and that sucks.  I honestly think that as hard as it is, the best thing you can do is hold your head up high and move on as best you can . As someone told  me, l....you can't change the cards you were delt, or the hand you've played in the past, but you can control your future play.  You got into grad school because you deserved it, so do whatever it takes to prove you are a good person, and thoes who are worth it, will soon see who you really are.  However, I agree with the above poster you should talk to a councillor, its not a bad thing, and even in my case (no where near as significant as yours), a councillor helped a lot.

I can imagine how devastating that scenario would be.  That said, you do have responsibilities in this situation.  Some of them may seem unfair, but they're very important.
 
I want to note that I'm coming at this as a male rape survivor.  I was raped at 15 by a man who was a religious leader in our community and who I know has assaulted other kids.  I was called a liar when I tried to get help, and he has never faced any consequences for his crimes.  
 
1. The "too good to be a rapist" fallacy is just that.
 
Rapists often rape people they are supposed to protect, people who like or love them, and/or people who feel safe around them.  They often get close to people, or acquire authority, because they seem like good people.
 
Many survivors (me included) would never have predicted that their rapist would rape them.  This is a big reason that many of us are not believed.  The reality of it is that survivors have had it proven, in the worst possible way, that you can't tell who the good people are.  
 
2. Most rapists do not get caught: 97% of rapists never spend a day in jail.
 
Most rape survivors you meet did not get justice.  They know that a person who has not been convicted is not necessarily innocent.  They can't rely on that information to keep themselves safe.  They can't trust your word on the matter, because most rapists will insist that they're not rapists.
 
3. Nobody is obligated to feel safe around you.
 
It might be very painful and upsetting; it might affect your career.  But the reality of it is that rape survivors are trying to keep themselves safe, and the pain you experience is not more valid or more important than the pain they have experienced.
 
Hell, I don't even know you, and there is a part of me that doesn't believe you when you say you're innocent.  That's not your fault, but it's not mine either.  It's my rapist's fault, and it's every rapists' fault, because they're disgusting victimizing liars, and that has lasting effects on the people they victimize.
 
4. Okay, so what are you supposed to do about this?
 
- First of all, the people telling you not to talk about it and not to touch the subject of rape are absolutely right.  If it's important to you to help rape survivors, consider making donations to RAINN or something like that.
 
- If you do need to talk about it for whatever reason, don't bash or blame your accuser.  Most rape survivors are called stupid, attention-seeking, slutty, or crazy when they talk about what has legitimately happened to them, especially by the rapists, who want to reduce accusers' credibility to avoid punishment.
 
- If someone tells you they have been raped, believe them.  The vast majority of accusations are true, and people who are not listened to suffer additional psychological trauma.  
 
- It's okay, even good, to acknowledge that someone has no way of knowing whether you're telling the truth.  This would make me feel a lot safer if I were in conversation with you.  If you acted like it was ridiculous that I was wary (because there is no proof of your innocence), I would wonder why you didn't care about survivors' experiences.
 
- Do not get yourself in situations where you make someone (especially women) feel unsafe.  Do not have sex with drunk people (don't do this anyway).  Do not walk an intoxicated person home alone -- get a female friend of hers to come with you.  Don't loom over someone or make it difficult for them to leave an area.  Maybe you don't do any of those things -- if not, great -- but don't make it easy for people to look at you and see red flags.
 
- Do not allow other people to use your experience to say that "lots of" or "half" or whatever number of accusations are false.  First of all, it's not true, and second, men have an obligation to help stop rape culture and rape apologism.  
 
Well, sorry I ended up writing a novel here.  I hope it's useful and that it made sense.

I am sorry for what you are dealing with.  I can't understand the pain and frusteration you are going through because I have never experienced it.  I don't think its possible to understand what you've gone through... I had a pyschology prof say something along the lines of  'every experience a person has shapes there values, beliefs thus the reaction to a given situation is not the same for any two people', and he was right...
 
I really can't relate to you directly but I can indirectly.  At the end of my undergrad I (a kid with ADHD) got kicked out of my student teaching program.  I had nothing but good prior evaluations and was treated very questionably (as latter proved legally of course after the application season)....but what got me removed was I was accused of something I didn't do, something bad, and unprofessional (although minor in comparision to rape), this hurt me on my grad school applications even though it couldn't be proven...I still couldn't get reference letters, lost trust in professors, was embaressed in front of my classmates,  it goes on and on. I got into a good school (way far away) and went even thought it wasn't originally high on my list ....because the expeirence  and what others thought (indirectly) already held me back a year .....
 
I have no doubt that the rumors hurt you, and that sucks.  I honestly think that as hard as it is, the best thing you can do is hold your head up high and move on as best you can . As someone told  me, l....you can't change the cards you were delt, or the hand you've played in the past, but you can control your future play.  You got into grad school because you deserved it, so do whatever it takes to prove you are a good person, and thoes who are worth it, will soon see who you really are.  However, I agree with the above poster you should talk to a councillor, its not a bad thing, and even in my case (no where near as significant as yours), a councillor helped a lot.

1-1.5. I got interviews from UC Santa Cruz, UPenn, Brown. The first two were phone calls, and were informal. The latter was an invitation for an on-campus interview day which I declined. I know Harvard and (I think) Stanford have interviews (phone for Harvard). I was also accepted without an interview by MIT, UMass, NYU, UCLA and Rutgers. In-person interviews can be more intimidating and you know you're a finalist if they bring you there but the general idea and questions you get asked are the same.

2. Tell us about yourself, tell us about your work, tell us what you hope to study at X, why X. Anything on your application is fair game and you might get asked to talk about some work you've done or interest that you talked about in your SOP. There are good advice threads for interviews in the interviews forum and the questions linguists get asked aren't different from other fields.

3. Several universities have open house events for admitted students and if you get 2-3 of those the total reimbursement you'll get from the universities (usually in the range of $300-500 for international students) can cover the cost of an international flight. If you can't make that, you can talk to potental advisors on the phone. Same holds for interviews, Skype/phone is always an option. I think that there is less funding for reimbursement for interviews than open house events but it depends on where you applied.

you could try getting an airline credit card and you could get a free flight or two from the mileage accrual benefits. 
 
About the conference travel, your school may (or may not) have a discount/travel network deal-thing already. My school does and we get better deals (I think it's linked to travelocity) if we use our school code. 

I use Kayak.com often. They have great deals. 

Hm, I agree with starmaker. I think a lot of times the difference between being on a waitlist and being accepted has more to do with funding than quality of the applicant.

Your overall point is a valid one - the pleas from the wait-listed people annoy me sometimes too - but the way you put it is really jerkish. Grad admissions decisions aren't some straight ranking of merit where all of the people who get accepted are "better" than the people who were waitlisted. They're influenced by things like whether your particular advisors of interest know that they're going to have enough funding to bring on a new grad student (or for that matter, how much influence your particular advisors of interest have on the admissions committee). Or the random chance of who on the admissions committee happened to be the one to do the initial read of your app. I'm not trying to claim that merit plays little or no role in admissions decisions - obviously it plays a very large role - just that it's less straightforward than you seem to think.

I got accepted to multiple good programs in my field, and was not waitlisted anywhere, so this isn't my own self-interest or defensiveness talking here.

You are obviously aware that the distance has the potential to wreak havoc on your relationship, and have already indicated in your post that you have no intention of breaking things off with him, so I'm not going to give you the usual "don't do it" bit.

First, you need to know and believe that it's totally possible to survive a long distance relationship; I did it myself for several years and am now engaged. It's obviously difficult and emotionally taxing, but if you go into a LDR with doubts, or constantly question whether or not you'll be together in the end, that negativity will slowly seep into the foundation of your relationship and it will fester. Don't even bother thinking about what may or may not be 5-6 years from now; you're not Miss Cleo and you'll only drive yourself crazy trying to predict the future. Keep focused on your relationship in the present--enjoy it for what it is now, and nurture it now to enjoy it later. It really is that simple.

You also need to communicate. A lot. No matter how much work I had on my plate, 11:00p.m-1:00a.m each night was reserved for my guy. The scheduled conversations not only gave me something to look forward to each day, but it also helped me keep focused on my studies because I knew that I needed to finish my daily tasks by a certain time. We obviously didn't restrict ourselves only to this time frame--things do come up every now and then--but we tried to stick with it as much as possible. Sometimes, we would plan to do the same activity, such as watch the same movie, or read the same book, so that we could keep our conversations fresh and interesting. This also helped to detract attention away from the fact that we couldn't be together.

Speaking of communication, be self-aware, flexible, and forgiving. Miscommunications are bound to happen when your only means of connecting is through e-mail, phone, skype, etc, and it is all the more easy to allow that miscommunication to turn into a lover's quarrel. Be aware of your words, and always keep in mind that the LDR is difficult on BOTH of you, not just you, so do what you can to also understand your partner's needs. Remember: we all want to be right, but the only way to have two winners is to compromise.

Visit often, and just enough. The first days of a visit are awesome. The last day sucks. The last day can suck a little bit less if you know when your next visit will be. Plan your visits so that you can see your partner regularly, but don't go broke or sacrifice your grades as a result. My partner was on the west coast while I attended school on the east coast, so tickets were several hundred dollars each visit. I tried to visit once a month, which worked out pretty well for us. There was one semester that I wasn't able to go home at all until the end of the term, though. That was a really, really, tough semester to get through.

Be committed. This is a no brainer, but you both need to be on the same page and committed to the relationship. Discuss, set, and mutually agree upon the rules and expectations for your relationship before you leave.

Lastly, be mentally prepared for the possibility that this may not work out. Every relationship has the potential to fail, but the added stress of LDRs inreases the likelihood. If you're going to go forward with an LDR, you need to understand and accept that your partner (or you) can walk away from the relationship at any time, for any reason. There is no way that you can prepare for this, and there is no way for you to know whether or not this will happen to you. But the sooner you accept the risk, the sooner you can get on with enjoying the relationship for what it currently is (this goes hand-in-hand with my first suggestion).

Hope this helps. If not, you're certainly free to ignore it

I'm glad you like it! I'll let her know. She said she treats cooking as her zen--gets home, turns on a Harry Potter audiobook, and just cooks. Then she splits it up into however many servings, puts them in tupperware containers, and alternates them with other cooked meals for lunches and dinners. Extremely cost efficient, and she makes it fun. I'm slowly getting the hang of it myself. (:

Thanks that webpage is great!! I like to eat, lol I am also a runner which is my excuse for eating a lot! I spend about 300 a month right now on food, but I certainly don't have the cooking skills I would like to have and this webpage has given me some great ideas!

I feel your pain though...my freshman year in undergrad I had a dorm room with an outside room with an inside room roommate and his girlfriend came to visit during the semester. I stayed out until like 4 am to give them time to do their thang before coming back. I was awakened at 8 am by their rumblings. "Dude, the morning is the best time"

I'd let her know that she needs to be more considerate with her monkey sex, avoid the topic of her pissing you off, and generally spend less time in your dwelling. Library, coffee shop, or bar...

Sorry I didn't mean to cause any controversy I asked about the linguistics workload, and was using the fact that shes in a professional program as a comparative point. Although as it has been pointed out to me, its not a fair comparison, her only studying three nights a week is the reason I asked the question. If it wasn't for that, I'd be much less likely to have asked the question in the first place.....

The boyfriend thing isn't related either, but the fact she goes home without her textbook is....again sorry as fuzzylogician pointed out, i just met to ask about my workload. It was never the difficulty of it, I don't think its hard, its just a lot....but I am following the advice i've been given.....which will make a difference....

To add my two cents (PhD program, entering 2nd year):
Your motivation comes from internal rather than external sources (e.g., a desire to solve a problem rather than a desire to get a good grade)
Many of the problems you study don't have solutions yet
You call your professors by their first names
You have to keep track of external deadlines for things like fellowships, conferences, journal submissions, etc.
You have to make your own food every day
You keep doing academic work over the summers

There are many more things, substantive and silly, but that's what I can think of right now.

Seems like your roommate has some dependency issues. Two hours away? Give me a break. My partner and I lived in the same city but were two hours away on public transit. The joys of living on opposite sides of a huge city But I certainly didn't cry all the time. You obviously seem much stronger than that, and I'm sorry you have to go through her melodrama. Don't be jealous... her situation sounds horrible. I can't imagine what the guy is like either.

There are relevant threads in the grads forums you should look up. Basically my two main thoughts are these:

(1) The job will take from you everything that you give it. If you devote your entire day to studying, that's what your life will look like. You need to ACTIVELY schedule your other important activities - including (if necessary) sleep, work-out time, household activities time, hobbies, friends, relaxation. It can be hard to keep to a work-day like schedule - at the very least there will be some times when you have to work longer hours before deadlines - but barring that I think it's important to have at least one day off, if not more. You're not necessarily more productive if you spend more time at the office.

(2) You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, possibly do all the required readings and assignments in graduate school. You need to start to prioritize. Some readings need to go undone; some assignments need to be done just-well-enough but not perfectly. Concentrate on doing a good job when it matters and on the projects that are relevant to your future career. If you're a phonologist with no aspirations to become a theoretical semanticist, then it won't hurt if you write a shorter paper or spend less time on the assignments in that course. Do a good job in presentations and published papers, and do the work that will lead you there well. Other things need to be prioritized lower and treated accordingly.

As for the comparison with professional programs, I can't help much except to point out that it's probably not a fair comparison and that even if it was, it wouldn't be useful. I think you'd benefit more from just doing a better job taking care of yourself and being mindful of how you invest your time.

Before we got married 3 years ago, my wife and I spent over 10 years living 1.5 hours apart by car. When we were younger without cars the first couple years of that was over 3 hours by public transit. So it's absolutely possible. The question is whether you both really want it or not. If you do and he does, there's no problem.