CO (soon to be) SLP

I also went the HDFS route, though as a second BS after a low GPA degree in Chemistry some 6-7 years earlier (I really was convinced I wanted to go into social work, and fell in love with language after some great SLI and ESL intervention courses.) I might also recommend looking into taking some leveling courses online or in-person if possible) if you don't get in to help prove to the admissions committee that you have some aptitude and demonstrate a commitment to the field. Just my limited experience, good luck!

I had a similar experience, accepted to UC Boulder (reach) and wait listed at Northern Colorado and Wyoming (both of which I thought of as high probability). Also, I applied for a social work program at Colorado State as an absolute safety (I started out this track in school wanting to go into social work, then fell more in love with language along the way) and was flat out rejected there. However, I do want to note that I put a lot more time into my reach applications, and used better recommenders, so I wonder if this phenomenon is perhaps (even subconsciously) of our own making where we make a better impression at the reach school and let things slide a little on the "safer" schools? Just my thoughts

ENMU does have them (that's where I took them), the AR class was actually really good, but like all online classes you get out what you put in. The LD was kinda meh... I know it's just more money, but I really loved the Speech-Language assessment course, since you are reapplying it might help to have 1-2 more just to really show that you are committed to master the material. Good luck, I'll be rooting for you this coming fall spring!

oh sorry! Yes I did, I was told that they are still finalizing some coursework requirements and will post them to the eligible student roster as soon as that is done. They don't have an exact timeline just yet but it should be "soon" Financial aid decisions should be posted by now.

ENMU is pretty good about making room for people, be sure to talk to Dr. Swift about the possibility if you are interested. SLPjmar, who do you have for the course?

To be fair I was not entirely procrastinating... just taking more frequent breaks than necessary (but it's done now so... wahoo). If that is your range, then I think you should be fine. I would stay away from the hill as it can be a very obnoxious place to live (some of downtown too for that matter), and be wary of the lowest priced places. I have looked at a lot of the $550 and $600 studios and... all of them were pretty crummy, many don't have any kind of kitchen, some don't have internet, etc etc. Were I you, I might re-think not bringing a car. It is true Boulder is a walking town, and many days my car sits happily in it's little spot, but Colorado as a whole is not; Boulder is an island. We have pretty good public transportation, but outside of even social things (which is when the bus system is most useful IMHO) at the grad level, having an absolutely reliable transportation mechanism is pretty important. That's just my take, PM me and I can hook you up with one of my neighbors who does not have a car and you might pick her brain. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you scout a place, I'm more than happy to check something out or take a few pictures. College town landlords can be kinda crummy, Boulder has a very tenant friendly legal system... but still.

If you are not really set on being able to walk to campus you might look to start out in Westminster, Broomfield, Gunbarrel, or Longmont. They are not long commutes, quite a bit cheaper, and when your husband gets here it might make things clearer? You are at a benefit in that because you are leveling you have a year before things get intense. In Boulder, especially, the roommate thing makes a lot of sense just because of the high entry cost. For example I pay near as makes no difference $900/mo before power, internet, and parking for a small studio (~ 300 sq ft) That is a little high, but only by about $150-$200 or so a month as I live downtown. I have a friend that has a small two bedroom (mind you a bit further from campus) for about $1000/mo. On the other hand, a much nice much bigger 3 bedroom place can be had for 1200-1500, and one of the 4 bedroom places I'm looking at that is very nice is less than 1800/mo within easy walking distance of campus and full of grad students. okay time to stop procrastinating on this report take care and thanks for the Facebook page!!!

FYI... I just realized that my post could have been taken as asking for roommates (a lack of clarity is exactly what you expect from someone in a language/communication field... right?), that was not my intent. I was just communicating that it's weird for me, I haven't had roommates for many years, and not really looking forward to it; I've rather grown accustomed to having my own space. I promise I'll write up something better on areas, what to expect, and what to watch out for sometime tomorrow (crashing a deadline now)

Thanks for the update on the TA positions, I have not heard anything yet either, but I had planned to call on Monday as I know they just submitted the info to the office of admissions allowing for students to submit the intent to enroll middle of last week. I am interested in applying for one as well. I'll write up something more on housing in a bit, but I suppose it all comes down to how you define "relatively" Boulder is a pretty small town (by design actually) and is very bike friendly and pretty easy to walk, so finding something in walking/biking distance is in no way unreasonable. It may be important to note that driving may become important in getting to off-campus clinic hours. Living alone is a bit harder, there is what I tend to call an "entry price" for any space which makes the difference between a studio and a more bedrooms far from a linear relationship. I've lived in a small (~ 300sq ft) studio for a couple of years, and will be looking to move out and (I still can't believe I'm going this route) get some roommates. Basically getting two roommates means that I can live in a much nicer/closer place for a 0.4 or 0.45 multiplier on my current costs. I certainly understand wanting to live alone, I just don't want to take on tens of thousands more in loans (or work myself to the bone while in an intense program) to do so; it's a personal preference. I'll write some more on areas and general ranges when I get a chance Congrats on the decision!

I took mine at Eastern New Mexico online; it was actually a very good class

Congrats on the decision, Vandy looks like an amazing program! Good luck, and hope to meet you in-person one day as well!

@Tuck, any decision on where you will be come Fall?

I think this reflects the differences in how various states approach educational certification/pay/etc. From my understanding in talking to teachers, many states (especially those back east) place a lot of emphasis on various certificates as a prerequisite for either entry to a sub-field or for increased pay for working is said sub-field; In general, Colorado is not one of those that does this. So it is understandable why many attending would want to know about various certificates. It's still amazes me how different educational culture is in various parts of the country!

It's important to remember that while the ASHA certification is national, each state will have specific requirements for school certification. All of the programs I looked at pretty clearly spelled out which courses fulfilled those requirements for the state they are in, but be sure to check with your advisor. Once you have your Cs, with some exceptions, it is pretty portable; certain areas like NY, PA, and CA are a bit trickier to transfer into so consider where you want to live.

Congratulations on your decision! It'll be an amazing experience no doubt. Do you have any other thoughts on the program or Boulder?

You're welcome, On the expense side, you can get in-state tuition for your second year and if you live in the west, you can get in-state tuition from the start through the graduate exchange program. Of course there is the higher cost of living in Boulder. Even though you probably can't re-schedule a visit, I'd bet you could ask to talk to faculty and current students; everyone was very accommodating. Good luck in making a decision, it looks like you have some wonderful choices!

I don't know how applicable this is, but I have several friends in OT, and right now many hospitals in the NM area give very good signing bonuses (in the neighborhood of 40k) for a 3-5yr commitment. I wonder if the same might be true in the SLP field and for the Boston area. You may not initially end up in the exact sub-specialty you want to be in right away in such a case. But it is something to consider.

This seemed like a useful list:

you are more than welcome, please let me know if there is anything I can answer. BTW, what have you heard from your contacts.... I always like to know more of what to expect!

These are just MY impressions: · Please note that I’m a bit biased as I have already made a decision to attend Boulder… and live here already · Sorry it’s so long… I can be wordy · Last disclaimer, please contact someone there rather than take my word, everyone I talked to was open and I can’t imagine a scenario where they would not answer questions or find someone who could! Overall I was really impressed with the program and faculty! The open house included both SLP and AUD, I counted about 35-45 people in attendance. Despite the fact that it was somewhat of a sales pitch, everyone was very approachable and spoke openly about issues and experiences. What really makes me excited is how much they emphasize making the program fit your individual interests. They have a LOT of very varied clinic options (they spent 20-30 minutes just listing them off with many sounding like truly amazing experiences – they have a lot of off-site options once you are out of your first semester that leverage all of Denver and the surrounding area.) Both the faculty and students talked at length about how they tailor schedule, classes, and even elements within classes to meet your end goals or help you explore areas of interest while still meeting ASHA requirements. They seem to have large focus areas in adult neurogenics, TBI/concussion (lot of exciting things happening in concussion and sports-related brain injuries), and child learning so if you want to be in those areas you might be very happy. As expected, there is a big research emphasis throughout the program and they tried to sell the thesis option pretty hard. The students I spoke to were down-to-earth, friendly, seemed to love the program, and all had a passion for what they do. I could probably go on and on about what I like (remember I’ve already decided to go here), and please ask any questions but here are the counter points I saw: The faculty is stretched quite thin, they are trying to hire new people but everyone did mention that it can be, at times, difficult to make schedules work. Both my observations and talking to the students seem to indicate that there is a little disorganization as a result of people being stretched so thin in addition to the normal interplay of any academic department. The SLHS building where the clinic is housed is somewhat of an older facility, and could do with a facelift. I know it’s what happens inside that matters, but coming from a biotech background with all sorts of fancy new stuff, the initial appearance does not impress too much. Funding looked to be hard to come by. They have already awarded most or all of the assistantships, so everything else is up to the students to go after. There are around 10 or so competitive TA positions each semester, and opportunities to work in various labs. However, most of the students that I spoke to choose not to pursue these options because they really didn’t fit into their educational plan or interests. Tuition is not bad by many standards, but it’s not dirt cheep either. Although Boulder is a very fun and beautiful place to live, it’s not a cheap place to live. Be prepared for some higher cost-of-living shock depending on where you come from. Also, CU is well known amongst undergraduates as a party school, (and I say this with all love) the douchbag ratio (not in the SLHS program… but overall undergrad pop) is a little higher here than in most places (think a big frat scene) The school has to work harder than many to find CLD clients. Colorado as a whole is not incredibly diverse, and although I know there is a lot of SES variance to be found in the cities, in the on-campus clinic you probably won’t find too much. So if that is very important to you, it’s something to keep in mind. There is a pretty large Spanish-speaking population here, but you have to remember that Boulder is somewhat of an island. Lastly… I am very hesitant to bring this up and would really like to hear other opinions… but the only thing that really spooked me a little was that it SEEMED as though students are a little more on their own for taking advantage of some exciting program elements. Even though the university has relationships with all sorts of amazing opportunities for off-site clinic time, externships, and even CFY placements, I didn’t get the impression that the school had the bandwidth to really help students navigate these options well. Now, to state again, I really feel the faculty and even students (your first year you will have a 2nd year mentor) will go above and beyond for on-campus opportunities, tweaking, etc, it just really felt like some of the best opportunities required students (going through a very rigorous first year) to pursue almost alone. I don’t know if this is really the case, but that was just the first impression that made me a little nervous. I keep trying to think of any counter-points, but simply can’t! Like any program, there are good and less than great components, but after attending I really feel that the options available to students to pursue widely varying tracks is just amazing. I hope this helps! The flyover: It’s in a beautiful city, but one that is expensive to live in with somewhat limited funding options. The faculty was amazing, approachable, and exciting with a wide spectrum of interests. The current students were all very passionate, professional, driven but easy to be around, and loved the environment. People are spread thin, and the facilities could do with some updating, but what happens inside was very cool. There are a lot of nice programs that are available, but you have to work to find and access them. I, personally, could not be happier with my opportunity here, but please ask questions to those who can really answer them, I am far more qualified to tell you about what living in Boulder is like than to really comment on the program.

it may not be "quick" but I'll write something up... take it with a grain of salt and please talk to people, I found everyone to be busy but VERY approachable and honest.

Tuck, I'm back from the open house, let me know if you want a rundown, or if you were able to get questions answered. I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you in person! Midnight, it was great meeting you! I hope to see you here in the mountains come fall!

Be prepared for it to be a little cool, it's doing a fun little snow/sleet thing now (or at least it was as I was driving back from ASL class in Westminster) and another storm is set to hit the mountains Thursday night/Friday morning which might make things a bit chilly/cloudy. Other than that I'm very excited about the open house and hope to meet a lot of the students as well as the faculty! I noticed quite a few CU acceptances on the results board, so I'm not sure why this thread isn't hopping a little more? On a semi-related note, since it seems to be all the rage, does anyone know a Facebook page for admitted students?

It's funny, I have two bachelors in nearly identical areas (Human Development and Family Studies and Communication Disorders). I think everyone here has had some great advice I would only add in the following: Try to make sure that you can present as a complete well-rounded applicant. Numerical stats are important, and I think it's important make sure nothing stands out as negative but you also have to have a compelling case as to why any program should admit you over the hundreds of other applicants who also have good stats. It looks like your research experience is amazing! Make sure to connect with a few professors so they can write you LORs that say more than "he was in my class and got an A", or "he was in our research group and did stuff... I'm petty sure". Start thinking about how you will place all of this into a CV and SOP, and fill in any linking gaps you can. But, I think you are on an amazing track and if you keep it up and program will be lucky to have you. I wish I knew more about the whole process, but there are some threads on here about what admissions commitees look for that do better than I could. Good luck!

Om my! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I wish I could say that all that pain/worry/fear makes it all the sweeter.. but I don't think that would be true. I'm so happy for you!!!