queenleblanc

I guess my ideas behind doing a thesis are complicated, but here they are: 1) One day, I might pursue a PhD. If I decide to go down that road, I must have a thesis at the MS level. Without one, getting in to PhD programs is likely to be more difficult. 2) I am interested in research, so working in a Professor's lab for my thesis and for his research will be highly beneficial if I want to go the route of a career in clinical research. 3) I need a focus and a challenge outside of my clinicals, courses, etc. Yes, I probably sound crazy. I am one of those types of people who researches and reads and doesn't reach a stopping point, so putting that 'extra' academic energy into a thesis will be just the right outlet. One skill to be admired among clinicians who research is that they never think they know it all -- they are constantly looking for more evidence-based practice and if that means creating their own because there isn't enough research on it, they do it. It's a highly desirable skill. All of that being said: the thesis option is NOT for everybody. I will probably be doing more work outside of classes and clinic than the rest of my cohort. I will most likely be working during breaks and typical vacation times on writing, researching, or whatever needs to be done. There will be many times that I will want to do MORE reading for my thesis research and at some point I will just have to call it quits and roll with what I have. There will also be times that I need to study more for my classes and exams that perhaps I just won't have as much time to do. Procrastination is definitely not allowable for my vision of how this whole process works. So... there is a lot to consider, but for me, I see so many more positives than negatives. Plenty of people in MS or MA CSD programs are perfectly happy without doing the thesis option and their workload is more than enough to be academically fulfilling. I'm just not one of those people. :-)

Some programs accept the Praxis in place of the comprehensive exam. Either way, to be a licensed CCC-SLP you will have to pass the praxis (so check to see if that is in place of the comps if you pass within a certain timeline). My program advises us to take the praxis in January or no later than March of the final Spring semester to make sure there is enough time for the scores to come back and exempt you from taking the comprehensive exam. As far as the thesis ... I am doing one. It is a lengthy process that takes about a year and a half. It is very formal and requires an advisor/mentor, committee, and a final defense before it is accepted by the university graduate school. So, I guess what I'm doing is a "both" kind of program... my praxis will eventually take the place of the comprehensive exam, and I'm choosing to do a thesis. Check to see about praxis / comprehensive to see if your prospective schools have a similar policy as mine. It might not be so pleasant to do comps, praxis, and thesis... and VERY stressful.

I get to see my first actual pt. in clinic today... SO nervous, but in a good way. They keep telling me "you can't kill them," but I definitely want to make sure what I choose a a therapist is beneficial for the pt. and helpful for my own learning, so ... here we go! Off to campus! :-)

It shouldn't matter what the degree is called as far as the A or S indicator. In fact, in master's programs for SLP / CSD, they can be MA or MS degrees and it doesn't really matter when you are going for the job down the road. Sometimes the BA vs the BS can indicate a less rigorous curriculum or fewer number of courses required to complete a major, due to it being a double major (BA in psychology with double major in linguistics as an example), and most universities looking at applications are going to be more interested in your *performance* in that degree, your grades and the perceptual difficulty of your course load. Sometimes you can get a BA but take many other pre-req courses, maybe even have two minors, etc. It isn't a negative to have a BA in my opinion and from my talks with professors about this topic. Try not to get too hinged on BA vs BS or even MA vs MS down the road. What matters is what courses / grades are on the transcript. :-) Best of luck to you!!

It's been a crazy few weeks for me! Started three weeks ago, and it has been like an unstoppable downhill roller coaster ride!. I have been assigned a pt. in the in-school clinic and I'm excited to meet them this week. I've also been talking with supervisors about my off-campus internships (which won't be until next school year, but I'm a long-term planner). It's all very exciting but very nerve-wracking, too! I am in the middle of studying for my first two exams, and wondering if I'm doing enough work in my studying efforts. I'm also meeting with professors about a research thesis topic (narrowing my ideas down). I did all my pre-reqs via DE online courses, so the transition to full-time on campus has been difficult, but very beneficial. Hope you all are doing well, would love to hear some updates from you guys as well! Best of luck to you all!

I am normally a paper/pen planner person, and I did buy an inexpensive month/weekly planner from family dollar, but I have recently transitioned to using an app on my iphone called "Remember the Milk." It is more like a task list, but I absolutely love it. It's a bit more workable for keeping track of to-dos and appointments than iCal. My hubby uses iCal for his work schedule, so between the two apps, I am able to keep everything organized. Plus, it coordinates with a website with your account, so you can update your task list (by various categories, etc) anytime, anywhere. I probably sound like a commercial but I love this app. I don't pay for the unlimited syncing - I just sync every 24 hours or so, and make do. I will still keep my paper/pen planner in my bookbag this fall, just in case I feel like it is more useful. Who knows... we'll see.

Depending on the level of focus you want to pursue music and/or art, here is my advice: Find someone out there who does what you do. Maybe even find several people who do what you do. Figure out how you can best learn from them. Are they an adjunct or full prof within a grad program? Do they have a private business or self-employed by their art? Are they working with production or recording companies? Can you find anyone who does at least one element of what you do in one area, and match that up with someone who teaches a grad program in the other area you'd like to focus on? I think you could go several routes here: privately pursue development/knowledge in one area plus grad school for the other, or a purely privatized approach of private lessons or apprenticeship with one of the people who does what you do. I can imagine finding a program like what you want could be very difficult. If you find one that allows you to take courses or earn certification outside of your grad degree (within another dept at the university), that might be something to pursue as well, but only IF you need your training to show up on a university degree. You can always put down your studies and experiences privately on your resume because it's relevant to your resume in that field. In fact, sometimes those private experiences can be worth more than a degree. For example, someone who takes private instrumental music lessons with Keith Lockhart for 2 years has the potential to be much better off than someone who spends thousands on a degree doing coursework only tangentially relevant, and lessons with someone else. If that person desires to be a performer in a symphony orchestra, the 2 years of study with Lockhart means a job, whereas the degree is only a start. (just an outside example, you can apply this to your situation of course). Don't know how much that helps, but those are my initial impressions after reading your post. Best of luck with your search and the decision!

There are quite a few schools that offer tuition reduction or remission packages with their offers of admission -- this means your out of state tuition rate is reduced to in-state rates. If you are interested in a school for all of the right reasons, you may just be lucky enough to get an offer including the tuition reduction. Try it! :-)

My hubby and I have moved for school and I'm loving the new area. He got a new job (YAY!!!!) and he so far loves it. I'm finishing my last three pre-req courses in the next two weeks so I'm pretty stressed at the moment ... still unpacking and organizing the house, and dealing with little bits of life along the way - gotta get a recall repair done on the Prius tomorrow or Tuesday, and now I have to reschedule my podiatrist's appiontment, and need to schedule my acupuncture for the residual swelling in my foot... a bit overwhelming to say the least. I have applied for a GA position but I don't know if the hours will work with my CSDI coursework / clinicals... who knows. We'll see.

I wouldn't think it's a big risk, but only you can make that call. I'd see about visiting, maybe having a meeting with one of the grad dept heads or a professor on the accreditation committee to make sure you wouldn't be taking a gamble. Their advice may be biased, but they can tell you more about where in the accreditation process they are and you can compare their offerings with the other grad program you are considering or have been accepted to. When you apply for certification, which won't be until you finish your CFY year ( spring 2016 at this point, if you start in the fall and it's a 2-year grad program), they should be fully accredited well before that point. Accreditation can be scary especially for students outside of the process, but as long as they aren't on probation (I've heard that U of Hawaii is on probation right now, wowzer!) - it should be fine. I'd still schedule a visit / meeting with someone there, though, if you have the time and funds to travel.

I'm leaning towards ordering some with just my name / contact info and not necessarily mentioning level of schooling, etc, because I'd like to begin networking for future job opportunities, and at least having a basic business card to hand out seems like it would be helpful in cases of attending conferences, meeting new professors, or whatever other opportunities may arise. I'd love to hear others' opinions on this - whether to get "graduate student clinician" cards, etc... I don't know! Great topic, Tuck!

If the program is ASHA-accredited, it's worth checking out if you really want to go to Cortland. (geographic location, professors, research, etc. all factoring in, of course). If it is NOT ASHA-accredited, you may want to check out that process to see when they will be accredited; taking a gamble on a non-accredited program could be bad... if they don't end up with proper credentials when you graduate... simply because you have to have a degree from an ASHA-accredited program to be eligible to apply for the CCC license, from what I understand, although I could be wrong. Just things to think about and investigate. Best of luck with your decision!

If it is an interest to you, Vanderbilt has a voice track in their program. I looked at it before deciding (with my husband) that we did not want to move that far. I have two (now SLP) friends who went to Vanderbilt and the voice track and they absolutely loved it - perfect fit for them. I applied at UNC CH and they are VERY competitive. I was in the middle of doing my pre-reqs (out of field) and to be competitive with the other applicants, even though I have a B.Music and a MAT both from UNC CH, I needed more hours or my pre-reqs complete and graded to apply there, which totally makes sense. It may not have been the best fit for me, either, even though I went to UNC for other degree programs. They do not have an in-house clinic, which some see as a draw-back, but with the plethora of very regional internship / clinic type sites, no one I talked to who is a current student saw that to be a problem - they like the diversity of their off-campus site offerings and championed that during the visitor's day I went to. I also found the appeal in their extensive list of internship / clinical placements. There are a couple of posters on here who are going to UC Boulder and are extremely excited about their decision - one is doing a 3-yr program (no pre-reqs) and I think some others are doing the 2-yr program. I wouldn't discount it just on what opinions you may have heard; if you are truly interested in the program and the particular areas of research they offer, it's worth calling, emailing, and perhaps even visiting (if possible) to determine if you want to apply. I think there will always be someone out there who didn't like their SLP program no matter where they went to school - maybe the school just wasn't the best fit for them. Thankfully, the profs reviewing applications can make the determination of fit based on your application. To make sure you are incredibly honest about yourself on the personal aspects of the essay(s), don't focus too much of your SOP on areas of your experience or education that really weren't as big to you as you make it in the essay. It is easy to do - on my first draft of my SOP, I read through it two weeks later and thought to myself, "What in the world am I telling these people I'm about?!!" The things I wrote were true about myself and my experiences, but I misrepresented how much they really mattered to me. When I fixed that and re-prioritized the experiences I wanted to relay in my essay, I had a much better essay to send in. Thankfully that first essay never saw the light of day much less a second reader!! So, I guess the lesson is to be very self-critical, give yourself time to write a really honest essay, and then get two or three pairs of eyes on your SOP to make sure that the personal aspects of the essay truly represent you. This ensures a great fit wherever you get an offer of admission. :-) Best of luck to you!

I don't know about Michigan in particular, but if you have time (and money) to take the GRE again, I would highly recommend it to raise your quant score if at all possible. Most schools I researched want around 150 or higher on each section, and each school has a recommended minimum as well as average scores from previous years (you'll have to convert on the new scoring system in many cases). Your personal experience definitely adds to your application, so don't be afraid to include that in your well-written sop or application questionnaires. the old Gpa shouldn't matter that much; make sure you highlight your newer scores and try for LOR writers that really know you academically NOW to balance out the old transfer GPA. As far as your overall chances, it isn't just a numbers game anymore. It's about the whole package. Make sure that "you on paper" is really YOU so that every school can really consider the entirety of you, and not some typo error or misrepresentation of you (either too much focus or not enough focus on certain aspects of your experience). I don't know if that helps at all, but that's my opinion having gone through this application process and having talked with MANY department heads about admission criteria. Best of luck!!

^^ Agreed with above poster. What you asked for is just like anyone would ask after a job interview, or any application process, including grad school. Totally normal to ask for a time frame for when you might hear some news regarding your application status. (Rude would be failing to read an email reply telling you that information and then asking for the same info after the reply had LONG been received.)

I don't think there is any kind of ratio of in-state and out-of-state for grad level like they had for undergrad. The state legislature forces them to have that ratio for undergrad so the college is accessible and available for NC residents due to the tuition advantage, but I don't remember reading anything about grad school entry facing any similar rules for ratios.

Depending on the temperature you anticipate working in, cotton/poly blend shirts usually hold up well in the wash. You can go button-up with a tank underneath, or you can get a nice polo style shirt. You'll want a bit of comfort in working with severe behavior population, but also want to look professional in working with the other teachers in your building. Jeans are probably a good choice, but you can also wear very sturdy khaki style pants (definitely recommend pants or capri's with this population). T-shirts are fine if you have something like a denim button-down over top (unbuttoned for flexibility), or another lite-wear long sleeve top over it. Layers are critical if you anticipate bodily fluids (etc) getting on your clothes; something you can change easily. You are definitely tops in my book for taking on such a difficult task - it is definitely a calling. Bless you!!

UNC Chapel Hill offers a Master of Arts in Teaching through their school of ed, which is an ILT track (initial license, not for currently licensed teachers). I did mine there, and it is a GREAT program.

I would think it is a rare case to find a school that doesn't want all of your transcripts. Even if only 1 credit was earned, everywhere I applied required all transcripts and had you check a box about academic dishonesty (etc) about being sure to send ALL transcripts. It is expensive to send them all, and I had to pay all those fees for EVERY place I applied (probably $100 per school in transcript fees), but in the end it is worth it.

I think the program I'm going into for the Fall does 1 week of orientation and then they start getting you in the clinic. I'm a little nervous, especially being out of field, but they say there is a lot of guidance that first semester. The second semester, since all of the 2nd year graduate students are off doing their full-time internships, the first-year students are the ones running the clinic, so I'm definitely going to "glean" all I can during that first semester so I'm ready for it! It's almost the middle of June now and I'm so pumped for August... just have to get through the last three pre-req courses this summer and I'm home free after July 31!!

I have a B.Music and a M.A.T. and did pre-req courses part-time over the past year which is basically a "minor" in CSD at most university programs. People in grad for SLP come from all kinds of majors, but linguistics or CSD seem to be the most common majors. Tuck has a good list in her post of the other common majors you'll find. There are a few music performance folks like myself in the field and it all depends on what you really love to do and want to explore in undergrad. Just make sure you take the required pre-requisites for most CSD programs. You can always take 1 extra class over the summer but it will be hard to get them ALL in if you haven't gotten a head start on them during college. Best of luck in choosing your major!