Kozo

OK, I went ahead and made us a group : ] You all should join so I don't feel awkward being the only member haha It's Boston University SLP Class of 2015 https://www.facebook.com/groups/535456946492838 I made it a closed group so people have to ask to join. I thought it'd be better in case people wanted to use it to look for roommates and wanted to post personal information for that. Let me know if you'd rather I make it an open group

Thanks SLP2013! That sounds awesome, I really wish I could've gone. I have also decided on BU, so I'll be seeing you in the Fall!

I wasn't able to attend the BU open house but I'm really curious to hear how it was! Would anyone be willing to share their impressions?

Accepted my offer from Boston University!

I received a $44,000 scholarship from BU. I also got an assistantship for $2500 for the first year and I was told that would be divided and paid weekly for 5 hours of work/week. According to the sheet that was in the acceptance packet, assistantships are $20 an hour for about 5 hours/week. I've officially decided to attend BU. Sent my deposit today. So excited :]

Thank you so much for your answer! That's good to hear, I'm glad those things don't seem to be true

I just found out I got $30,000 a year at Northwestern, which is exciting and a bit of a curveball. Does anyone know what they mean by they will "attempt" to provide funding at the same level? Under what circumstances would they not provide funding if you follow the conditions set for it? Also, a question for TalkItOut and anyone else who goes to Northwestern. I've heard that the atmosphere there (potentially just at the grad level?) tends to be less than warm, professors and others can be snobby/unfriendly, and they look down on those who aren't interested in research/don't want to pursue a phd. Is there any truth to those statements? I don't want to bad mouth NU at all, I know it's an excellent school and program, it's just that hearing those things alarmed me.

Just fyi, I know for sure Emerson will reassign merit funding. On the information sheet for my fellowship it said to let the apartment know ASAP if I want to decline so that they can give it to someone else. I am almost certain that I will decline, so someone's gonna get lucky :]

It's nice to find someone in the same boat, SLP2013. I wish I could decide based on the feel of the schools, but unfortunately I couldn't go to the Emerson open house and will not be able to go to BU's. I visited both two years ago during the summer but I still wish I could go. I got a good impression of both when I visited, I just don't want to end up making the wrong choice. I'm interested to see what people on here will have to say about the BU open house.

Thanks for starting this thread! I've also been doing a lot of thinking about this. I was admitted at BU, Emerson, and MGH. Right now I'm leaning strongly toward BU. Here's my reasoning: It was easy for me to take MGH of my list. I didn't get any sort of funding, making this program pretty expensive. I'm not as interested in the medical aspects of this field as I think many people choosing MGH are. While I know MGH offers a variety of opportunities, I still think it's best suited to people with more medically inclined interests. Also, I think the program lasts about 6 semesters and that's a bit too long for me. However, I really liked MGH when I visited it and while I don't think it's a good fit for me, I think it'd be a wonderful choice for many people. I have been going back and forth between BU and Emerson for a while. I received a scholarship from Emerson and a scholarship + an assistantship from BU, making them roughly the same cost. What I like about Emerson is friendly everyone I've talked to from the department is. Also, I think the location is great and the Robbins Center is really nice. However, it concerns me that Emerson doesn't have a lot going on in terms of health sciences beyond SLP. Another problematic thing is their class selection. They have fewer class options and it seems that they don't focus as much on giving students a somewhat personalized curriculum. Also, all classes are later in the day. But they do offer an Early Intervention Certificate. On the other hand, I really like BU's selection of classes. I also think it's good that Sargent College doesn't just have SLP but also strong programs in PT and OT, I think this could provide more resources and chances for collaboration. I also think interdisciplinary rounds sound really cool. It seems that the program gives you a lot of support during clinical practicums as well. And I think the BU name is more well known, which could be helpful if I come back to work in Illinois. I like that BU is the smallest program in Boston, I think that will make it easy to get to know everyone and get individual attention. I talked my dilemma through with my mom who is an SLP and we went over both programs. She said it seems to her that BU would provide a stronger and more comprehensive theoretical background. Does anyone have any other thoughts on BU vs. Emerson or any "insider" knowledge about either of those?

Also still don't have my packet. I'm kind of surprised it's taking this long. Can someone who has theirs say what's in it? Is it just basic information?

Thank you so much lele and rcacemek! From my interactions with Emerson, I also got the feeling that everyone is incredibly friendly. However, I wonder if it's a big downside that Emerson as a whole doesn't have a strong health sciences focus and how much that affects the quality of the education/amount of resources. I was just notified on the portal that I got a fellowship and now I'm really torn between BU and Emerson...

Good luck to both of you! I wasn't able to make it out to Boston for the open house tonight, could you (or anyone else) share your impressions of Emerson???

I emailed them about this. I just got a response back that they are deciding today and decisions should be up on the portal by tomorrow.

Definitely agreed with everyone staying you should stick with the formal title unless told to do otherwise. Although many of them would not be mortally offended if you didn't, there are some that take their titles very seriously. Better safe than sorry