katieliz456

If they are still a sophomore credit-wise, it sounds like they would still have 2 years/60-ish credit hours left, correct? I think that is enough time to raise their GPA to an adequate level. To be honest, they'd need to have AT LEAST a 3.0-3.2ish cumulative gpa to even consider applying (otherwise, they'd be wasting money on fees, etc.). This is the advice I'd give your friend: -Make sure to get all As/4.0s in SLP or related classes (linguistics, psych, child development). I believe a "B" or "C" in, say, an Astronomy class or Film class doesn't look as "bad" as a "B" or "C" in an SLP-related class. -Start building relationships with potential recommenders NOW! Ask profs if you can volunteer in their labs, even if it is just doing data coding or transcriptions. It will show professionalism and the ability to commit. Make sure to go to office hours etc. -Find related employment (if planning to work part-time or during summer). Do respite/habilitation, work as a school aide or camp counselor, or even nanny for kids with special needs. -Does he/she know a foreign language? Bilingual applicants seem to be more in demand, particularly Spanish or other languages that are common in certain regions (here, there also happen to be a lot of Vietnamese-speaking families, and in Minnesota, I believe there is a large population of Somali immigrants). If so, make sure he/she stays fluent and, if not, it is never too late to start learning -study, study, study for the GRE! i happen to be good at standardized tests, but I know the vocab can be a downfall for lots of people. It's not too early for your friend to grab a study book at barnes&Noble and start skimming it. -Thoroughly research the schools before applying. If your friend is able/willing to move, encourage him/her to apply to several (10ish) schools throughout the US, and to avoid any of the hyper-competitive ones (Vanderbilt, Iowa, Purdue, UNC, etc). You can use the EdFind tool on ASHA.org

Pretzel M&Ms, leftover Valentine's Day candy, and baked quinoa. I think i've got it controlled to a manageable level now, but it's gonna get 10x worse with my first rejection :/

I got a call from a different area code today during lab meeting... as soon as I could, I left the room to go check the voicemail. It starts: "Hi, this message is for Katie Liz, I'm calling with graduate admissions from the department of Speech & Hearing Science...." (heart skips a beat) "....at XXXXX University to see if you are still interested in applying to our master's program" It wasn't even a school I applied to!! > One time, like two years ago, I checked a box on their site saying i MIGHT be interested in receiving additional info regarding the program. They call at least once a month even though I told them I'm no longer interested...

oh, and i definitely meant GRANT, not grand lol

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. i wish! nope, just noticed that the 2 posts today were both contacted via phone. I feel like that is pretty unusual, and it looks like last year everyone was contacted via the online app system

Don't give up yet! I am highly doubting that they call each and every accepted student... these are probably grand/fellowship recipients...

I plan to do the pediatric focus. I know there are always job openings in school districts, and I think that'd be a really good career when I have a family of my own (same schedule as kids, summers off, good benefits/insurance). However, I've also heard that in my geographic area, there is a huge shortage of SLPs who have experience with 0-12month old babies. If possible, I'd like to get experience with this population during grad school/CFY, and possibly work in a hospital or do contract work etc on top of a school district job

I don't think the bilingual track is necessarily considered competitive because there is such a high demand. However, I think you are expected to be at a near-native fluency level All grad students at ASU have to choose a specific track, but do not have to choose until around their 2nd semester. Tracks include Adult, Pediatrics, and Generalist, in addition to bilingual, and there is a lot of overlap so I think that's why you don't have to declare your preference immediately...

Just found out that someone applying to my same program heard back from UNC (reach school) today... I think i'll go insane if i have to wait too much longer before hearing any decisions (either way, from any school!)

If the mystery (awesome) UNC person sees this, please post and tell us the details!!

i will be glued to my phone now until all of my schools have sent out decisions i mean, i highly doubt i would get in to UNC (the results poster had a gpa of 3.99...) but if they have decided maybe other schools have, too...

I like your approach! If I am accepted to more than one place and have similar financial situations for each, this is what i'll end up doing. I think most of us were pretty intentional in choosing which schools to apply to and, aside from total "safety" schools, I imagine most of us would be pretty darn happy to get accepted to even one of our programs. And it is really important to "feel right" in a program when you'll be spending the majority of your waking hours with those people for the next several years

Wow, sounds like your stats are awesome!! And congrats on the interview-- how exciting I'm sure you will ace it!

That's smart! I was hoping to do something similar, but I don't really have any nice bags that are big enough to hold that stuff I have big cloth tote bags (that I use as backpacks for school) or nice, leather, SMALL purses. :/

Thanks! They are looser at the ankles, and the boots are pretty tight so they fit under them fine. I think the part that looks weird to me is just having my boot-clad feet sticking out... i feel like it looks like i am wearing some weird type of shoes haha.

I've been having this same problem as an AZ native going to interview in Boston this week, so I appreciate the advice! Extremely dumb question (please don't judge ): I am planning to wear black dress pants (tights underneath) with a nice shirt&cardigan, with a warm coat over for going outside. I was thinking about wearing black leather boots, but do you wear them "under" your pants, or "over" (like you would with jeans or leggings)?? My outfit doesn't really look "right" either way hahaha...

From what I've seen, schools usually have a link to previous years' handbooks on their "Prospective Student" page. You can download it is a .pdf document. Obviously some may be a bit outdated or irrelevant, but it is a starting point

For any out-of-state people who will still be around Saturday evening, check this out: clasopendoor@asu.edu It is an open house-type thing from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. You get to tour labs, see displays, etc. It's a fun way to kill a few hours before heading over to the Mill Ave. bars

Yeah, I think the blizzard screwed stuff up :/ Also, apparently there were a LOT of CSDCAS issues and delays this year... moreso than usual :/

I think it also depends on the setting of your clinicals. My undergrad has a strict dresscode for the in-house clinic, but I know some grad students that have placements in EI/home health and have more relaxed rules. It seems like medical/adult setting usually have stricter dresscodes than school settings, probably out of necessity; it is hard to chase after a 3-yr old while wearing heels and a pencil skirt! In the elementary schools out here, female SLPs tend to be very casual-- jeans, sandals, and a blouse, knit shirt, or polo. Also, I've noticed that grad students here tend to be SUPER casual on their non-clinic days... they seem to live in yoga pants, t-shirts, and hoodies! I suppose it is a nice break from their more formal clinic attire

When I read that part about the phone call, I thought it sounded like they called the front desk/receptionist for the dept. just to ask that person some general questions... not that they were actually calling up the prof expecting to speak with him...

That stinks However, I've had several professors (the well-published ones) complain that they are regularly bombarded with emails from hopeful PhD students, especially international students. They say they wouldn't mind if the students are genuinely interested and qualified, but that usually isn't the case. Apparently, students routinely send the same email to, like, 5 professors in the department ( just changing the Prof's name and a few words) . I guess I can understand why they might be tempted to just ignore ALL emails if they have had several bad experiences :/

My school has a +/- system, but departments decide whether they use it/what the grading scale is One of my majors chooses to do +/-, and the other does not. Last year, in a class from the first department, my final grade was 93.8, which was recorded as "A-". In a class from the 2nd department, my final grade was an 89.0, but it was recorded as "A". It'd be nice if they could at least standardize within the university... o.0

I plan on wearing black dress pants, a colorful (but conservative) blouse, and a black cardigan or blazer. I will wear either black flats or very low/comfy black heels. It will still be a bit chilly (for us, at least!) in the mornings and evening, and we will be inside for most of the day (all department facilities are on 2 floors of the same building). The restaurant is a couple blocks away (maybe 1/3 mile?), and the campus is pretty spread out, so make sure to wear shoes you are comfortable walking in Hopefully AZ is a nice break from the cold weather in Iowa! Oh, and I know that the clinic dresscode guidelines tend to be pretty strict, so I'd say to stick with either pants (no denim!) or a knee-length, not-too-tight skirt. Make sure shoulders are covered and the neckline doesn't fall too far below your collarbone. And if possible wear closed-toed shoes, like flats, rather than strappy sandals.

Since mine is just a 2-yr Master's program, i suppose it isn't as big of a life decision for me. However, I only applied to places where I knew I'd be content living for 2+ years. I honestly don't expect to get accepted to more than 1 or 2 programs, but if I have to decide, it really comes down to money. I have enough left from my undergrad college savings account to pay for 1-2 semesters of grad school, but I'd have to take loans after that I'd rather not start "adult life" 30k+ in debt!