SLPzs91

In all honesty, I think ranking matters somewhat, but not enough to count when it comes to getting a job. The only difference between schools/programs really comes down to electives. You'll still have to take te same core courses no matter where you go. I think what matters more is where you do your clinical placements. Having a stronger name tied to that area of your résumé could possibly help. But as long as you get your CCC-SLP/CCC-A, it means you graduated from an ASHA certified institution, which employers look for more. That having been said, I really think picking where you're comfortable is the most important thing here. You want to be happy with the program and the area you're living in for the next two years. Past this, I'm a firm believer that everything else will fall into place. I hope this has helped, and best of luck :-)!

Nice idea, travelnguy! I will either be attending Boston University or MGH Institute of Health Professions. I'll know for use by the end of next week! I'll be declining Emerson and Northeastern, so I do hope that will help someone in this forum get off the waitlist. Congratulations to everyone who is making decisions at this point.

Best of luck to everyone today with notifications!

I'm also highly interested in adult neurogenics. I can tell you that Emerson, while a good program, is highly pediatric centered. There's not too much of an emphasis on adults there. As far as what makes MGH stand out to me, I really like that we actually get 5 clinical placements (including the two in-house ones,) with the possibility of a sixth. No other program has that. I also like that it's spread out over 6 semesters, so there's not an insane amount of class going on all at once. And then, obviously the medical emphasis. I hope this helps!

I don't know anything about those programs in general, but have you heard of ASHA's EdFinder? It's got information on all accredited programs, so you might be able to find something through that. Sorry if you've already heard about this, but I figured it could possibly help. Best of luck :-).

That's exactly it for me as well! I'm already in Boston (all the programs out here are amazing by the way,) and have narrowed I down to a top two. I'm highly comfortable in my program here, but want to expand myself a little bit. I just don't known if it's worth it to give up my comfort for a program I might not be comfortable at.

Hi SLP2013! I was actually talking to a graduate student at BU a couple of days ago, and she said the admitted students weekend should be right around the last weekend of March/first weekend in April. I'm not 100% sure about this, but it could help you plan your calendar accordingly . I'm excited to go to the open house!

Thank you all so much for your input on this! Talking with family and friends I get the "if you'll be taking the same classes, then go to the same school" speech. It's nice to get a reaction from people in the same place as me. I really appreciate it :-).

That's the approach I took in undergrad as well. I'm also from AZ, and switched to Massachusetts. It really did a lot for me in terms of growing up. Do you think that still holds value in terms of going down the street for another program over your undergrad institution? I'm just curious from a fellow SLP's point of view.

So I just wanted to see if anyone else was in my situation and maybe start a thread for us. I was accepted into the grad program where I've done my undergrad work, and I know it's an amazing program. However, I was accepted into an equally good program about a 45 minute commute from where I'm a now. I just wanted to see what people thought about staying with the known versus trying a different program for the next two years. It's all in the same city, so it's not completely new surroundings. I'm just kind of torn an talking with people who might know my situation could help. Thank you for anything you have to say!

I'm currently an undergrad at BU, and I can tell you it's an absolutely amazing program. The professors are very willing to help you and are so passionate about their respective interests, so you learn a lot. The facilities at BU are awesome as well, and they really do a lot to help you. However, it's twice as expensive as MGH and doesn't offer the specialty tracks. So there are pluses and minuses to each. If you want to know more about BU from an inside perspective, let me know. I'm more than happy to tell you more about it!

matrixgrl09, I'm so sorry for the confusion, I should have put this up with my signature. For Northeastern, I applied to the Au.D program at the recommendation of a professor. The audiology department follows a rolling admissions decision process, which is why I already heard back. I'm sorry for the mix up :-\. I'm sure you'll hear back soon with great news :-)!

I just got accepted into BU's program as well. Congrats to the rest of you! As an undergrad at BU currently, I can tell you it's an absolutely amazing program! I look forward to meeting you all at the open house :-).

Hi all! First off, congrats on your acceptance to MGH, I look forward to meeting you all at the open house. For those of you who got a scholarship offer in the admissions letter, Marjorie Nicholas will be calling you sometime soon to tell you the value of your offer. When she called me, she said that there is an open house for admitted students on March 23rd in Boston, and that official letters will be sent out with information on this to everyone who was accepted. So you should be getting that soon. Congrats again, and best of luck with the rest of the admissions season!

For you, specifically, I think focusing on your personal statement would be a very good start. I have a friend in a graduate SLP program who has done almost the exact same thing as you. She was an undergrad English major, went into AmeriCorps for two years and saw speech pathology there. She applied directly after this with almost no experience in speech-pathology. With SLPs, they know the field is expanding rapidly, and that people are coming from all different academic backgrounds. Having that personal connection to seeing the speech-language pathologists, like you did during your DSP time. Showing passion from even minimal exposure is something graduate admissions offices look for. They want people to want to do it, and from your post here, it really seems like you fit that. I would elaborate on that in your personal statement. Also, like the others previously stated, some shadowing experience is something that could help as well. Just email SLP offices or departments and see if you can follow someone around. Most are very enthusiastic to help in this way, and it could lead to something more, if you're lucky. I really hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck in your application process!

I was the person who posted about getting a scholarship into MGH. For everyone who got accepted--the letter should say if they're offering you something, but it won't tell you how much. They said they're going to let everyone know in the next day or two. Congratulations to all of you, that's such a great accomplishment for you all!

I'm new to the thread, but I just wanted to say that reading this had helped me get through the stress of waiting. The support in this forum really shows the caliber of people going into our field, and I wish nothing but the best for all of you. For those of you who got accepted to Emerson, I hope to meet you at the accepted students day soon!