queenleblanc

I have that same kind of optimistic, positive feeling ... this week and next week we are really going to start seeing some results come down on this page and on the results search. I just hope that somehow I have at least one school give me a result during that time, too. :-) By the way, if you haven't tried results searching beyond individual institutions (which takes forever), try using: (speech|comm*) in the search box. It pulls up communications sciences/disorders as well as speech, since universities differ on the title of the program/degree.

I should add, I did look at the ASHA website and am reading the ASHA Leader: http://www.asha.org/leader.aspx I suppose this topic would do very well with publications that are perhaps not listed on ASHA's website, which may have been my mental goal anyway... but whatever you think is worth reading, let's put it here! :-)

I have recently gotten into sea salt kettle potato chips with olive and tomato tapenade. My salty addiction.... Other than that, surviving on protein shakes and the occasional fast food. Gotta cut the fast food out... it is NOT helping!!

So, what academic publications are you reading? For those people who interview and are asked the question about current issues in SLP, what kinds of online journals (etc) do you consider to be an authority? To what magazines / journals should someone who is out-of-field subscribe? (another bored and waiting thread, hoping this one is also full of useful information for all of us!) Thanks in advance for sharing...!!!

If you have a community college system in your state, check to see if they offer the "transferring credit" version of biology - this is the class that most undergrad institutions call biology. I took that class (4 hr credit) for only $290. You should be able to do the same thing for statistics. My bio class was entirely online, although there was a local option of 1 night a week bio, too. If I get admitted, and they tell me I have to re-take statistics (I have AP credit for it), I am looking into the 1-night a week course to take over the summer. MUCH cheaper than even USU online. USU does offer Statistics according to the website, although I have not checked to see if it is offered online or during the summer. Might be worth checking into!! What is CLEP? (sorry, I'm ignorant and jumping in!)

I fell in love with Columbia, too. I loved the campus -- it reminded me a lot of UNC Chapel Hill, just a bit smaller. My husband's family lives in Clemson SC (only about 2-3 hours away) so making the move to Columbia now would be just perfect. We've been talking about this ever since I stumbled into this new SLP dream. We are avid sports fans, active on the music scene (both performing and attending), and want to be a lot closer to his family than we are now (over 6 hr drive now). If it doesn't work out for the master's program to go to USC, I definitely am pursuing the PhD option there when the time is right. We only wished that Clemson University had an SLP program, only because I could actually live at his aunt's house until he finds a job down there. His job, and moving wherever school is, it will all work out in God's timing... just have to get wherever we are supposed to go!!

Right -- I meant to say federally unsubsidized loans -- you're right. That means you can be on deferment while in school. You can also apply for private loans with Sallie Mae. I got an email from my discover card that they are now offering student loans -- I'm going to look into that option too. "student loans" usually means deferred repayment, or maintaining very small payments on auto-draft (like $25 a month)- so while the overall amount at the end is going to be kind of high, it will be worth it. Here is the ASHA page with FAQ's on the current student loan forgiveness program: http://www.asha.org/advocacy/FAQLoanForgiveness.htm Here is some info about the new student loan forgiveness program being proposed for SLP's and audiologists, which may help those of us who want to work outside of a school. The petition for this new bill -- to give loan forgiveness for SLP's and Aud's in "scarcity areas" is here: http://www.capwiz.com/asha2/issues/alert/?alertid=62413836

When I applied to ECU, they said "no SOP" but had us fill out a supplemental questionaire-- one of the questions was like yours (interests / goals). I basically took my SOP that I had prepared, tailored it to ECU, then pared it down to fit within the number of words allowed to answer in the box (I think it was 100 words max). Maybe your application wasn't a true SOP. You can call the program coordinator or admissions secretary to ask about that, and also to add a real SOP to your application, if you feel it is necessary. Some programs simply don't want to read those papers, even if it is limited to 1 or 2 pages. They'd rather have categorized answers that they can cross-compare with other applicants.

My personal opinion is that diversity can be good in your educational background, but is not necessarily the only rule to follow. I did my bachelor's and 1st master's degree at UNC Chapel Hill - B. Music Performance, and MAT. The master's program I'm applying for now -- speech-language pathology, is actually ranked very highly at UNC, so I did end up applying there again for this second master's, and will eventually apply there for the PhD program, regardless of whether I attend UNC for this master's degree. In my case, I'm switching fields, which may be different than people coming from in-field. I also chose to apply elsewhere because the new experience, new campus, and different school, will give my CV some variety for when I do apply for PhD programs... not to mention the competitive nature of the admissions process and "no guarantees" even if it is your alma mater. Perhaps this is something to consider in your case. So... I guess it just depends on the circumstances. If your grad institution specializes in your area of research and is the right fit for your PhD research, I don't see anything wrong with doing the PhD at the same institution. There are several MA-to-PhD programs that people pursue simply because they WANT to have all of their research run concurrently, giving them an enriched experience (musicology at UNC is one program I know about, as well as the SLP program at Boston). The diversity can be beneficial, so I would at least consider other universities to check for those same things - fit, area of research, etc.

My mom wants a picture of me in scrubs. When I was in high school, we were discussing careers and I told her I'd never go to med school and their outfits are ugly (did NOT want to be a physician and apparently was very self-absorbed!). She'll count it as her "I told you so" picture and treasure it forever... LOL!!

You can get federally subsidized loans, however ... and I heard on facebook that there is a proposal for a federal bill to make SLP's eligible for loan forgiveness if they work in a high-needs area (which is in rural areas for SLP) -- there might be some options for you. At least, that's what I'm banking on. :-)

And that definitely made me feel better. Teresa at USC has been great via email so far, and she hadn't changed my application term to summer I yet online anyway ... hopefully she can update my application for FALL entry now!!! :-) Wouldn't it be cool if we both ended up at USC?! :-)

the aural rehab course at USU is listed as having child AND adult according to their SLP program website... I would imagine that the online course listing search engine just hasn't been formally updated (which at some universities requires an act of congress). I just applied / etc for USU pre-reqs to complete mine... and okay this is going to sound dumb, but I jumped into the SLP pre-reqs as quickly as possible last Summer because I knew that once I found my new dream (etc) I wanted to start immediately -- I'm kind of mad that I spent $1900 per class at Longwood when it could have been $700 or so at USU ... but oh well. Hopefully USU will let me get my last couple of courses in. And for anyone else doing pre-reqs --- I have spent HOURS upon HOURS looking for ANYONE who offered "observation hours" for university credit --- the USU program is the only one I have found that actually offers that. This really changes the picture for me for my U of South Carolina application -- if I got in there, if I did NOT have the observation hours done, I would have to start on campus during Summer I, which means I have to quit my teaching job early ... ENTER KNIGHT ON WHITE HORSE ... just found the observation hours available at USU and I just emailed the coordinator at USC about updating my application to a provisional Fall entry as long as I provide transcripts of these completed classes. AHHHH praying for pixie dust to make my application push through there... it's one of my TOP choices ... otherwise I would not have applied out of state at ALL!!!

Me, too. :-( Holding out hope for the rest of my applications. :-)

Yep - I'm waiting to hear back from the place that I think I need the last 2 classes, and if they don't have them available this summer, I'm going to try USU for those classes... hopefully we can both knock out those pre-reqs!! :-)

I am also looking at the LL Bean "Carry-All" messenger bag. Hopefully enough room to fit a small lunch bag in there with my laptop, etc... only $99. Not too bad for the quality from LL Bean (I had a LL Bean bookbag I used all through high school and college and it is still holding up!)

If you are interested in individual leases, (you get your own locking bedroom and private bath, share kitchen/living), check out 5110 old chapel hill rd. It used to be called "The Verge" when I did undergrad and grad school and the utilities are all inclusive. I think the price at that time was around $515, which may have changed. Very nice community, and they run a direct shuttle bus to UNC's campus every 30 minutes. There are some undergrads, but they are usually pretty quiet. It's marketed for UNC students, so you might get one or two random ones from NCCU or Duke but not many. I think the complex is now called fifty-one ten. Worth checking if you are going for a campus visit.

I am looking at a bookbag made by Case Logic on amazon right now -- I anticipate needing to carry my laptop plus books, and this bag looks fairly professional. Here is what I am looking at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002J9HBSE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER they make different sizes, but since I have an HP (pretty big) laptop, I figure the 17" should work.

Okay, with that... I'll play the devils advocate, then... what if the two schools you are waiting to hear from offer MORE funding? Would that change your answer to the school with the fellowship? If no change, then I think you're safe to accept the offer!! Congratulations!!!!

If the fit is great at the school where you have been accepted, and there is a fellowship, I think you have your answer! It sounds as though the other places you are waiting to hear from may not be as good for you as far as the funding AND the fit ... and those are the biggest components to consider. However... if you want to wait to hear from other schools, I think your accepted / desired school would understand you needing to be fully informed of the options at least for another week or two.

Every school has their own policy on GRE submission. They might look at the most recent test results, or pick the higher Q/V/AW, but that is totally up to them. Since you are applying for a literature program, I'd consider re-taking the GRE and focus on the verbal portion, but keep up the other two portions as well, in case they go with your most recent test score. I would not say that your scores are beyond the point of applying -- my verbal was only slightly higher than yours and my quantitative was lower, so it could just depend on the schools where you apply. The GRE is no longer the "measuring stick" like it used to be. Many schools realize that the GRE score really only shows how well you take the GRE, which does not necessarily give the best representation for how you will do in grad school. Your SOP and LOR's will play a huge role in admissions, so focus on those. Good luck!

That is actually what I was researching last night -- I need aural rehab and speech science for UNCG, Western Carolina, and ECU ... but unfortunately I can't get aural rehab through my Longwood U pre-req program. So I found another school online where I can get the aural rehab class by itself (I'm going to hate my transcript fees; prereqs are already at 2 places, soon to be 3). The back story of course is that I stumbled into this field about the end of March 2012 - and immediately investigated where I could apply, what the pre-reqs were, etc. By that time, it was too late to get into the ECU pre-req program (only 20 spots and they had 140 on the wait list even for that program!). So I had to hunt out of state. I missed the deadline for Ohio State, wasn't interested in doing a second bacc with USU, and fell into Longwood. The U of Alaska program (which has the exact classes ECU requires for pre-reqs) would have been great but they don't offer the classes during the semesters I was going to need them. If I get into UNCG though... I ALSO have to take neurology, morphology/syntax and phonology/artic (plus speech science and aural rehab), which I can take with Longwood (except aural rehab of course). I REALLY don't want to have to take 5 classes over the summer, but it is much easier to knock out the prereqs before entering the grad program rather than taking classes on top of the grad courseload. Last summer I took 3 classes and it felt like a lot, although thinking back on it, I also was recovering from foot surgery, so I wasn't constantly working on coursework either. So... I feel like I can get the last of the classes done, but its just a matter of knowing what I need to take and if I get accepted anywhere. I already talked with my Longwood advisor who was admittedly surprised I didn't apply to Longwood, but since they require the same courses as UNCG, I figured I would avoid the out-of-state tuition. My advisor and I talked re: applying to Longwood for next application cycle and taking the classes 1 to 2 at a time in summer/fall/spring and she seemed fairly confident that I would have a good shot at getting in since I did the pre-reqs with them. So... plan X is reapply next year to many of the same places but add Longwood, Armstrong Atlantic, UGA, East Tennessee (all within the geographical area we are looking at). I don't think you will have to re-take psychology or whatever else -- my psychology, chem, sociology courses were all during undergrad 2002-2006, and I don't think that those technically "expire." The more recent, the better, because you will be drawing on that knowledge, but as long as you have had it, I don't think ASHA has set a term of expiration ... yet. I am just hoping that UNC CH is the only school being so conflicting about the statistics course -- my AP credit was difficult to earn and I got it ... I do NOT want to have to retake that class this summer. There is a local community college that offers it online, if I have to do that, I will do that during the grad program as long as the ASHA requirements are fulfilled by graduation time (and pay out-of-pocket tuition so it doesn't impact any federal financial aid I might get).

Yep, feeling the same way, y'all. If it is going to be a rejection from UNC Chapel Hill, it would be nice of them to just go ahead and let us know. But... then part of me says "PUHHH-LEEEEZE" keep me on the wait-list until a spot opens up! LOL! My type-A personality is irritating me tonight. I realized that I had written down the list of pre-req courses I needed to take for each university... but never entered that list into my computer... and lost the paper... Since we are coming up on the time to register for the summer courses, I needed to keep a mental list of what classes I have to take depending on where I get accepted / choose to attend. So anyway, I just finished looking up the pre-req info AGAIN on all of my chosen applications to take note of which last 2 courses I might need to take during the summer session. Oh, and is anyone else annoyed that AP credit for statistics doesn't count at UNC? When I asked for more detail about this, they claimed it was an ASHA change. Well, I checked the ASHA document and contacted someone at ASHA as well as the university where I am currently taking pre-reqs (Longwood U). The only change was that instead of saying "math, can include statistics" they made the requirement specifically a statistics course. And ASHA has no problem with a course awarded through AP credit. So... in this matter, UNC's conflicting information confuses me. I was AWARDED AP credit for statistics for undergrad at UNC... and it was good enough then ... somehow no longer good enough anymore! Done venting... my point, I guess, is that I have to take 2 classes over the summer if I am lucky enough to get into UNC - my last SLP prereq (speech science) and now a statistics course. It's all a bit confusing when universities choose to interpret the ASHA (KASA) document differently. The other universities I will have to take 2 courses, with one exception (Greensboro - I need 4 more classes for them). I can do it... especially with my type-A personality that annoys me so much... HAHA!!

The only thing keeping me hoping is that I DO have a previous grad degree with a LOT of "HP" grades - hard to get from UNC professors - and 6 years teaching in public schools. I know I will definitely be grateful to be accepted anywhere, even if a ranking is technically lower. All of the programs I applied - as I'm sure the rest of you guys - are going to be great programs because ASHA certification is very strict and holds all programs to very high standards. :-)