Salbando

Yes, I would also be curious to know how the interview went, how long it was and what they asked you. How many members of the faculty were there?

Thanks for the helpful advice and kinds words. I have been down about it but your words offer words of encouragement and hope. Your right in that if they had definitely made all their decisions they would have said so like you said. I will try to hang in there like you say. Thanks for the pep talk! I really do appreciate it!

I agree. I think it will help to reduce the anxiety the more info you can get on your status. I would be curious to know if those schools that do interviews and you do not get an interview is it still possible to be on their wait list?

Great! Good for you and good luck. I did not get an interview but rather an email from CSUSM staying: "The Admissions Board has completed its review of applications and has made its selection for the first round of interviews. If you have not received email notification indicating that you were selected for an interview, we will update you on the status of your application by March 4th." I was wondering and wanted to get peoples's thoughts on if you feel that basically I am rejected at this point or not? What do you think they mean when they say "...the first round of interviews..." Does that mean there is still hope for me or not? Does that mean that there will be another around of interviews or am I simply reading to much into this? Thanks.

I just checked out an older post from 2013 for somebody who went through the interview process at CSUSM and they said and I quote; "For people interviewing later/next year: Interview was mostly content based, so brush up on your Audiology, Phonetic Transcription, and Linguistics knowledge! Also, know what to look for in a speech sample. There was a group portion, writing portion and the individual interview."

From one of the information sessions that I attended they said to focus on three courses that they had listed in the CSD Evaluation Worksheet (the one that you filled out as part of the application process listed your prereq courses). These are EDSL320, EDSL351, and EDSL391. This will be the written part of the test. Pay particular attention to speech anatomy and physiology, phonetic transcription and IPA and maybe be ready to identify a speech sample. As for the group part of the interview it will involve I think some kind of group project. They probably want to see and observe how you interact and get along with others. For general advice I would say focus on other areas of the SLP knowledge base. But I would think as a clinician, what do they use everyday in their profession would be a good question to ask yourself and then answer. Since they do not require the GRE, the exam will test your basic knowledge of the SLP profession. Good luck to you and congrats on getting the interview--you made to that level which is great. The information session said that for this year's cohort their are 254 applicants, 100 of that will be granted an interview and 34 will be granted admission.

From what I heard there are 254 applicants this year of which 100 will be granted interviews and then 34 will be chosen to be in the cohort.

very helpful. thank you. but sounds like basic interview questions that one might get on most job interviews but some are definitely related to the SLP profession. Not sure if there is anybody out there that got content based questions or not? If so, would be helpful to know.

Great questions and thanks for sharing. Did you get any specific SLP questions? If so, what were they if you can remember some of them? I am applying to the SLP program at CSUSM (San Marcos) and I heard that they have a written content based interview but not sure what it would cover? If anybody has gone through an interview for the CSUSM program please share--if would be greatly appreciated!

sounds like a person who is unfair. As far as I can remember these online SLP programs are fully credentialed by ASHA so if ASHA stands by them and approves them then what is the problem?

Great question! I would like to know as well

It really depends. If you know the person really well then an email might suffice. If, however, you have unique circumstances that need explanation or if you simply do not know your reviewer very well then it might be best to meet with said person and discuss with them your situation and suggest to them what you might like them to write about you. Professors, for example, often get so many letters for LOR and all around the same time. What I have done in the past, and some might consider this a bit unorthodox, is that I actually write the LOR myself and then ask them to go over it and alter or change anything they want. Most of the time the professor will just make a few minor changes. Also, this is a win-win situation for both you and the professor--for you in that you get to state very specifically everything that you want to say and for the professor because they do not have to remember specifics about you and may not remember everything about you anyways. Some professors may balk at this but I have, in the past, had success with this. As for who should write the letter it is always the person who you feel will write you the best letter. Professors with a PhD carry weight for the reason that you have taken classes with them and also they can attest to you abilities to do well or not in an intensive SLP program as they all are. If you have done work or research or worked in an apprenticeship style arrangement helping a PhD student with their research then a PhD/Professor would be the way to go. Also, a good SLP who has been around a while and is more mature could also make an excellent recommendation in particular to what you have done. Hope this helps :-)

That would explain a lot. Thanks for sharing. Great that you have that background and experience.

I would be curious to know what else in your application file made you attractive to admissions committees?

Hello, Yes I am. Family situation and other factors do not allow me to apply outside of where I live. I know that is a very risky venture to say the least but if one cannot actually relocate then that is the only viable option.

Which private schools in CA would have rolling admissions please? Also, what is the normal time or shall I say the best time to apply for CA publics schools to have a fighting chance? Is it better to apply early? If so, when? I am thinking about in particular SDSU, San Marcos and the online program at Northridge.

Thanks for your vote of confidence! Yes, I believe that you are quite correct in that I will need to wait another year at this point to apply for the next admission Fall quarter/semester. Unforunate in my case but it is what it is and nothing I can do about it given that I need to apply to schools in and around the SD area. Thanks for the heads up on that---I appreciate it.

Thank you for you candid opinions. I will be sure to explain very carefully in my statement of intent the very specific reasons why I am coming back to get my C's after completing the PhD. Thanks for your vote of confidence in thinking I can gain admission to a program. I really need to stay in the San Diego area so I am really limited in my choices (of which I stated above). Given the unique circumstances of my case I have sent emails to the Chairs/directors of the programs asking to come in and talk to them in person to explain my desire and reasons for applying. Hope that it will all work out.

Hello Everybody, Thanks for this great site and this section on CA admissions. I am sure that my situtation is quite unique. I am a 48 year old male married with four children. I am a PhD candidate in a speech and language program and hope to defend this upcoming summer or next fall. Anyway, I decided to only do the research track for the PhD and not the clinical part (which would have allowed me to get my CCC-SLP). The reasons for this are many and varied. This program I am in, is not in CA and I cannot return to it to get my C's. Anyway, I feel that I made a mistake by not working toward my C's while doing the doctorate degree (I had the option to do so) as I feel that the background and practical real world experience is missing with me and also it is very difficult to get an assitant professor position without have your C's. I live in the San Diego and am a CA resident. I would like to apply to SDSU and San Marcos as well as the Northridge program all online program. I would be curious as to how admission committees and other students would view and judge me? Thanks!