queenleblanc

It's very unfortunate that applicants feel the need to trash programs and schools at any point (accepted, waitlisted, rejected). I have made it my mission throughout this entire process to not say ANYTHING negative about any program. It's unnecessary, unprofessional, and none of it would be factual. 

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but I hope what I have to say is helpful regarding SOPs.
 
Several schools have specific questions you need to address in your SOP.  Make sure you read the whole prompt (if there is one) and answer every question asked, giving supporting anecdotes from your educational, work, and life experiences that answer those questions.
 
For example, I was asked to discuss my experience working with multi-age, multicultural, and socioeconomically diverse populations.  In my essay, I specifically mentioned all three subcategories of diversity and the work I have done in each.  I figured that if I didn't, I would automatically take myself out of contention due to not fully answering the question.
 
I also had a variety of people read and edit my essay: Professors in the department, Professors outside the department, faculty, high school English teachers, friends, family, professionals currently working as SLPs or Audiologists, etc.  They will help with not only content, but structure, grammar, spelling, and making sure it isn't full of SLP jargon.
 
Follow page and word limits using standard fonts and margins if any are specified.  One school to which I applied had a limit of 1 page, double spaced in a size 12 font with standard margins.  I had the good fortune of attending a workshop at this school and was told that while they may not scrutinize each measurement, if it looks too far off the standard, they don't read it.  (For example, using size 10 font with 1.75 spacing to fit more content on your 1 page limit.)  Not following the guidelines tells the admission committee you either can't follow directions, didn't bother reading the prompt, or think that rules don't apply to you.  Regardless, you don't leave a good impression.
 
Make your opening statements interesting.  The professor leading the previously mentioned workshop told us how she hates the cliche of "I knew I wanted to be a speech pathologist when my [insert relative here] suffered a stroke / Alzheimer's / dementia / TBI / cancer / other illness, injury, or birth defect when I was age [insert young age].  Watching my [relative] go through speech therapy and seeing how regaining speech improved my [relative]'s quality of life influenced my decision to become a speech-language pathologist."  Every time she sees one, she rolls her eyes and thinks, "Here we go again."   (Funnily, at that workshop, another professor walked into the room as the session leader was giving this very tip. The second professor literally cringed when she heard the cliche opening line, stating, "Oh my gosh, if I EVER see another one of those tragic sob stories of how I knew I wanted to be a speech pathologist at 2 years old when my grandfather had a stroke.... I just.... just don't write it!  Please!  I'm sorry about your family member, but we see enough of those!")
 
Even if your inspiration actually is a family member going through therapy to recover from injury, illness, or trauma; phrase it in a way that makes it more interesting and more personal.  What is it about that relative's struggle that stood out to you?  What was it about that therapist's approach to treatment and care for your loved ones that appealed to you?  Mention the illness / injury, but focus more on the therapy itself, not just the fact your family member received therapy.
 
If you can, showcase some of your knowledge in your essay; citing specific examples.  Obviously, don't mention client names or other identifying characteristics, but you can mention circumstances of their cases.  Example:  "In my volunteer work, I work with patients diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. One patient in particular was experiencing difficulty with motor planning with regard to speech and word recall due to demyelination in those areas of his brain."  If you are going mention a case, make sure you protect patient privacy.  Revealing patient information- including location, age, and gender, is a great way to automatically put your application in the reject pile.
 
The physical appearance of what you send makes a big difference.  The same workshop leader mentioned how students send her SOPs on thin paper, looseleaf, have ink splotches or faded ink, have torn edges, are crinkled, coffee stained, food-stained, etc.  Get a good quality paper, quality ink, and make sure it's physically clean, with your name on each page.  You can have the world's most brilliant essay, but if last night's spaghetti sauce landed on your paper, the professors will be too grossed out to even read it.
 
Finally, make sure your personal information is correct.  Having a typo in your own name or address is not only embarrassing, it tells the committee you are careless and don't proofread your work.

Search for Frank Netter images. I've found them to be the best and most detailed anatomy illustrations.   

Saw an acceptance posted for USF... Jmarti, anything for you yet? Been thinking good thoughts and praying for you!

Make sure that if you give your two weeks or thirty days notice, that you have enough funds to live on if they say "you can go immediately". Seem companies are like that. Fnd out if your company would be like that (my husband's is, so we haven't even told them that I got into school, much less that we will be moving). He is going to give two weeks notice with the understanding that his crazy boss might tell him he can go tomorrow. So... Keep that in mind to find out on the sly if you can.

That's awesome. I think it shows that the admissions process is more holistic than we tend to view it here (not that your scores were "bad"!).

Hi, karish11!  I'll likely be completing a handful prerequisites this upcoming year, so I've been looking into post-bacc/leveling options myself.  If you're open to taking classes on-line, I've found Utah State's post-bacc to be the top recommended program on these forums.  People also seem to dig Longwood, Vermont, and Idaho as on-line options.  Portland State and University of Washington have been the most talked-about on-campus options.
 
I've seen you around the forums, so I'm sure you already know this, but for the sake of lurkers and other future applicants: each of these programs has a different set of courses, and each Masters Program has a different set of prerequisite requirements.  It's important to check that you're taking the right courses for the programs you're applying to!  I'm only applying to one school with prerequisites (which has five required classes), so instead of uprooting to a new city, getting a secondary bachelor's in SLP, and depleting my entire life savings, I (think I) am going to take the handful of classes I need on-line, probably at Utah State.  Some of these programs (particularly the on-line options) will allow you to take just the classes you want/need as a non-degree student; in others (particularly the on-campus options), you'll join a cohort, sign up for the long haul, and wind up with some kind of certificate or degree.  Here's a compilation of post-bacc/leveling programs I've found so far, complete with links.  Putting this list together helped me to finally organize this mass of information--hope it helps you, too!
 
On-line Post-Bacc Programs: 
Utah State (12 courses/35 credits, recommended 3 full-time semesters)
University of Alaska Anchorage (7 course offerings, though not every class is offered every semester)
East Carolina (but we missed that boat: must e-mail on March 1st for a spot)
Eastern New Mexico (has synchronous/asynchronous class scheduling)
Florida State (6 courses/24 credits, can do Post-Bacc anywhere but must reside in FL for Masters Program)
Idaho State (12 courses/37 credits, has on-campus and mixed option)
La Salle (10 courses/37 credits, has on-campus and mixed options)
Longwood (9 courses/27 credits)
SUNY at New Paltz (9 courses/28 credits, has on-campus option but limited seating)
Tennessee State (6 courses/20 credits)
Texas Woman's University (application was due March 1st AND finals must be taken on campus--yuck)
The University of Montana (10 courses, fall/spring semesters, has synchronous/asynchronous class scheduling)
University of Nebraska, Kearney (10 courses/32 credits)
University of Vermont (8 courses)
University of Wyoming (10 courses/31 credits)
Kean Univesity Pre-Professional Program (8 courses/25 credits, has on-campus option)
 
On-Campus Post-Bacc Programs (all completed in one year as full-time student):
CSU Fullerton (12 courses/36 units, 3 semesters, credential in Speech/Language/Hearing)
CSU Long Beach (51 units, 3 semesters)
CSU Los Angeles (14 courses/57 units, 4 quarters, preparatory certificate)
Chapman (10 courses/30 credits, 5 terms, preparatory certificate)
Portland State (12-16 courses/45-60 credits, 3 semesters, earn B.S. in SLP)
Minot State (13 courses/40 credits, 3 semesters) 
Kean Univesity Pre-Professional Program (8 courses/25 credits, on-line or in-person, 3 semesters)
Metropolis State University (8 courses, 2 semesters, leveling certificate)
University of Washington (12 courses/65 credits, 5 quarters, earn B.S. in SLP)
East Washington University (12 courses/34 credits, 2 semesters)
Idaho State (15-16 courses/38-41 credits, three semesters [final semester is on-line])
La Salle (10 courses/37 credits, typically takes 18-24 months to complete)
UT Austin (9-10 undergrad courses as non-degree student)

I had to face the same question -- the school I have now decided to attend will likely have a GA and research thesis grant but I won't know for sure until the summer.  I got an offer of tuition remission + GA + $1k scholarship per semester at a second choice school.  The factors swaying my decision -- I have had to move for jobs, but I currently own a home near the school I have selected to attend;  in addition that same program has a PhD program that is a top program and is one I will be applying to in the future - attending for my MS could be a really great way to show my case for getting into the doctoral program.  Additionally, the school with funding is really far away from where my husband could find a job, so my commute to school would be about an hour.  For us, him having a job is essential for paying the rest of our bills (and his own student loans).  So, there can be a case where taking the funded program is not always the only choice to make.  Consider all of the factors at play in your situation and figure out what works best for you.  I'm taking my gamble on not having to pay mortgage + rent by going to the funded school, which pretty much would have negated all funding anyway. 

Okay cute story related to this thread:  I got my list of things to prep for this Fall from ECU, and I have to acquire a penlight, stethoscope, and stopwatch.  I called my mom to chat and mentioned it in our conversation, and she was like, "Oh, a stethoscope AND a stopwatch?  I have one that I've been saving for you when you finally realized you needed to go into a health profession!"   (aw, thanks mom!!) 
 
So funny looking back on this from the other side... being that my music ed career will be put on the back burner once school gets out in June. Of course I'm going to keep performing, so that part of my "old" career will still be there!  I have no clue how old or in what condition her stethoscope is, so I may end up buying a new one anyway if it just isn't up to par, but seriously, I love my mom for this.  :-) 
 
 
 
edited because I type a lot faster than my computer, and sometimes typos appear when they weren't intended. :-) 

I just wanted to say, like others have been, how helpful this forum has been before and during my grad admissions process! I haven't posted but I've checked this thread numerous times especially over the past month or two during the "waiting game" and just wanted to finally log-in and say congrats to everyone and positive thoughts to those still waiting!
Not many people really understand how competitive the SLP master's program is and how rough the application process can be, so I found this thread very helpful and a nice break from friends and family who just don't understand...
I thought it was reassuring that many members on here shared feelings especially when it comes to people out of field and their reactions to the whole process. It's not like I was asking everyone in my life to stop what they were doing and celebrate, but when I got my first acceptance most people were just like "of course you got in, why wouldn't you?" and ahhh you people just get it on here!!!

Hi everyone! New to the forum but just got accepted to Syracuse University and am so excited! It's my first acceptance. Hoping and praying for more good news. I got waitlisted at the University of Maryland and James Madison so it feels good to know I'm in somewhere. Waiting to hear from Temple, Northeastern, Seton Hall, Boulder, and Montclair. Sending out good vibes to everyone else, this is such a nerve wracking process!

WOW... what... huh... Shocked, surprised, humbled, grateful... and so many more things. I just got accepted into UC Boulder... a huge reach. My brain is a puddle of mush right now. 

Start collecting bed bath and beyond coupons-they take them if they are expired, too! Love their stuff for decorating! :-)

Relax! You've already been accepted to a wonderful program .

Start collecting bed bath and beyond coupons-they take them if they are expired, too! Love their stuff for decorating! :-)

Check with your program coordinator to  make sure the class counts -- there may be a "course equivalency" form to fill out which compares the course syllabus from one place to another.  USU has the syllabus posted below the course listing so you can do just that.  I would think that they'd be the same, but you should check before taking ANY class that fulfills a pre-req, just to make sure the material is what THEY want you to study.  Sometimes a different course name has the right material, which is why they usually ask for the course description.  
 
Wish I could be of more help! 

All caps are obnoxious, so I will resist the temptation, but please pretend that the following message is in all caps:

I second, third, and fourth what the above posters have said about getting advance clearance for your pre-reqs. The school I'm at now (not going to name names, but there's another thread wondering what's wrong with my school) seriously screwed a lot of people in this regard. I was told a week before the decision deadline that none of my prereqs would count, and after lots of arguing I got in writing that they all would. Then I arrived on campus, and was told they changed their minds about one of my classes, but since I had it in writing they are just making me sit in on the lectures. Many of my classmates were forced to take an extra year on campus to do all their prereqs again.

Please, please, please make sure in advance that your school will accept all your prerequisite coursework before you pay any money.

*steps off soapbox*

Decide on the 15 after you've already gone home, gotten reimbursed, etc.

This is totally asinine.  I have to take a few more pre-reqs this summer, and one of them (thank goodness) I will be able to take online with ECU (aural rehab) so I will have in-state rates (about $350 for the class in total, yay!) -- but to cut down on transcript fees in the future, I was hoping to find one university offering the other two classes I need.  Fortunately, I CAN find two schools that offer the classes - USU for Artic and Alaska for Neural Processes of Language... but I really wish I could take both of those classes at one place, and USU doesn't offer the right neural processes class, and Alaska doesn't offer the artic class during the summer session!! UGH!  So... in honor of the frustrations many of us have been experiencing with regards to applications, or even pre-req courses, here is a great youtube video worth a minute to help release the pressure.
 
My "facebook" meme says: Dealing with frustrations on taking SLP pre-req classes that can't be taken all at one place... "AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT!" 
 

 
:-)
 
enjoy! 

Your time is coming jmarti!!  Get on those wait-lists and start after the POI's to sway someone your way!! I definitely see you making it into one of the schools you will love.  It's going to happen.  I am in complete admiration of your courage to keep pushing on, thinking about making your application stronger, etc., in spite of the disappointments right now.  To be totally serious, from what I see on last year's and the year before's forums, there are SO many people that got accepted in mid-April after the first cycle made their commitments.  I will def. be praying for you!!! 

I got into Northwestern! Woo! There was a letter from the Graduate School on ApplyYourself. I wonder if we'll also be getting an email from the department?

The Mirror of Erised Gradcafe.com = "...Men have wasted away in front of it. Even gone mad"

Oh, I have no doubt you made the right choice for your goals and situation. It's just nice to be wooed.

Most places around the triangle that a typical grad would WANT to live do not do pre-leasing. The places that do pre-leasing are usually more geared for undergraduates moving off campus. In chapel hill, renting close to campus, you will want to start looking now until June, and then pretty much start calling to inquire how far out you can sign a lease. It all depends on when their current tenants are moving out. Most rental units in Durham want immediate leasing, as well as Raleigh. If you are looking for the fall, most tenants don't have to give more than 30 to 60 days notice to vacate at the end of their lease, so you may not find a lot of openings until may or June. It never hurts to call and ask if you have found an apartment or rental home that you are highly interested in. If you go through a property mangement co, often times they will list the available by date on their web listing.

Good luck you guys!

Most places around the triangle that a typical grad would WANT to live do not do pre-leasing. The places that do pre-leasing are usually more geared for undergraduates moving off campus. In chapel hill, renting close to campus, you will want to start looking now until June, and then pretty much start calling to inquire how far out you can sign a lease. It all depends on when their current tenants are moving out. Most rental units in Durham want immediate leasing, as well as Raleigh. If you are looking for the fall, most tenants don't have to give more than 30 to 60 days notice to vacate at the end of their lease, so you may not find a lot of openings until may or June. It never hurts to call and ask if you have found an apartment or rental home that you are highly interested in. If you go through a property mangement co, often times they will list the available by date on their web listing.

Good luck you guys!