MangoSmoothie

If you browse around on these forums or talk to any professor or PhD candidate or hopeful, you will often see the advice, don't pay for a PhD. This is true in any field. If you're not getting funding from somewhere to pay for that PhD, don't do it. You will be doing research for that degree, and if the university isn't willing to fund you through it, it's not worth it. So really, the cost of a PhD doesn't factor in to why people don't want to pursue one in this field, and professors don't need loan forgiveness, since they're being paid to do the degree. Even in this field, you can often do MS/PhD combos which are funded, which gets you the clinical degree and the PhD. But that or a PhD alone is a huge commitment (5 years is the average now, I think, for PhDs), and not everyone wants to be involved in research. If you can't stand research, a PhD isn't going to be right for you. If you're even vaguely interested, however, in doing a PhD, it's a good idea to do a thesis during your master's. Not all programs offer a thesis, but if you're on the edge, it can help you know if a PhD might be right for you some day, and will make you a more competitive candidate. Seriously, don't do an unfunded PhD, and it's not a regular occurrence, even in this field. I know you all weren't talking about doing one! But I don't want the idea to float out there that it's advisable to do an unfunded PhD.

@copaceticbroad Yes, professors in this field generally do need PhDs, according to the Standards for Accreditation. http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/Accreditation-Standards-Graduate-Programs.pdf This is for graduate programs, not undergraduate programs, but graduate programs need to have sufficient faculty with doctoral degrees in order to be accredited by ASHA. 2.1 All faculty members, including all individuals providing clinical education, are qualified and competent by virtue of their education, experience, and professional credentials to provide academic and clinical education assigned by the program. ...Academic content is to be taught by doctoral-level faculty except where there is a compelling rationale for instruction by an individual with other professional qualifications that satisfy institutional policy. 2.2 The number of full-time doctoral-level faculty in speech-language pathology, audiology,and speech, language, and hearing sciences and other full-and part-time faculty is sufficient to meet the teaching, research, and service needs of the program and the expectations of the institution. The institution provides stable support and resources for the program's faculty. ...This number must include research-qualified faculty (e.g., PhDs). The program must document that the number of doctoral-level and other faculty is sufficient to offer the breadth and depth of the curriculum, including its scientific and research components, so that students can complete the requirements within a reasonable time period and achieve the expected knowledge and skills. In order for a program to be accredited by ASHA, they need to have doctoral faculty, and clinical doctorates do not meet the qualifications either. A PhD in another field is sometimes sufficient it seems, however. Some classes can be taught by professors without doctoral degrees, and ASHA doesn't regulate undergraduate/prereq instruction. The small number of programs is affected by the need to have sufficient PhD faculty on staff to get an accredited program, and there's a decent shortage of PhDs in our field. So yes, according to ASHA, you do need a PhD to teach this material. PhD faculty are experts in their fields. They're (regrettably) not always the best actual teachers, but they have a depth of knowledge about their fields/areas of study that others don't, even practicing SLPs. One program I was accepted to last year was cited for non-compliance by ASHA for not having enough PhD faculty, and they were at risk of being put on probation for it because of the high number of graduate classes being taught by non-doctoral faculty. In my graduate program, all of my classes are taught by those with PhDs, except the ones that are directly about practicing, such as our on-campus practicums, and classes about providing services in the various environments. Short version: Yes, the number of SLP graduate programs is directly affected by the number of PhDs in the field, and ASHA takes their standards for accreditation very seriously.

There are past threads on this you can search for more opinions, but yes, you absolutely can, and there's little or no ethical dilemma. However, I wouldn't even hint to the program you accept that you might withdraw after April 15th, because if you don't withdraw, then you've changed their perception of you. Graduate programs are well prepared for these things to happen, especially in professional master's programs. Again, programs anticipate this happening. It's barely a problem if you do it soon after the 15th deadline, since they're likely already pulling people from the waitlist and that's just one more spot. You worked hard to get into a graduate program, and you should pick the absolute right pick for you, even if that happens after the April 15th deadline. You didn't do anything wrong by accepting an option that was presented to you at the time. I may be biased because I did do this. The program I sent my intent to enroll in to was my top choice of all the schools I was accepted to before April 15th. Then my second choice program accepted me in early May, and I decided to attend because it would save me $35,000 in tuition. Oddly, none of the programs that accepted me required a deposit to hold my spot, but as mentioned, a nonrefundable deposit is the way in which they try to discourage this behavior (so clearly they don't like). Obviously, you do not want to abuse the system, but I personally think it's fine if you do this, and programs do expect it to happen. They maintain their waitlists and they can find someone to take your spot more often than not. Try your best to not do it, but if it happens, it happens. The sooner the better, especially before June. I will say, if you end up having to doing this, I would give a very polite, personal call or a personal email to the graduate program coordinator when you decide to rescind your acceptance. I did this, and the coordinator was extremely understanding and kind. She was very supportive of my decision, although she tried to get me to stay, and even offered to search for funding for me. You need to have your best interest at heart, and they know that.

Don't fret! A majority of schools notify in March, and mid-late March seems to be the time in which most schools notify applicants. Many schools (hint, hint), like to notify the Friday before their spring break starts. Not a hard and fast rule, but it's a trend of some schools. Last year I had a friend who applied to schools that all had March 1st deadlines, so she was really in for a long wait! A friend of mine applying for Fall also hasn't had an acceptance yet, although she did have a waitlist and a rejection. In the meantime, try not to worry about it! Don't bother contacting the schools because they will do it when they do it. Delaying gratification is a thing, and it will feel so good once you finally get confirmation that you're going to grad school. Best of luck! It's a hard process, but you're not alone. This forum represents a very small, skewed sample of people applying to graduate programs in SLP as well, so remember that!

Having to work with someone in a group who lets personal feelings get in the way of academic requirements. The boy (yes, boy, since he calls the women in my program "the girls" despite our objection to the term) has developed an issue with me because I have the gall to disagree with any of his ideas. He thinks if I don't like an idea of his, it means I think he's stupid, and he takes it so personally that now he won't even make eye-contact with me in the hallways. He even told me to "stop being so huffy" because I didn't agree enthusiastically enough with an idea of his (I had said "Yeah, I think that will work."). Discussing our group work is impossible in person since I can't get his attention, but then he went off and sent in a small assignment for submission, without copying me in on the email or even letting me know he was going to complete and submit it. After I addressed this situation by email (pretty professionally and diplomatically, which was impressive because I was pretty pissed), he whined to my friends and peers that I sent him a "hate email" and bitched about me to them. And then he didn't even acknowledge the email to me. We're adults. Even if I've somehow wound up on your bad side, we can still treat each other professionally and work together, not against each other.

I don't know if you got the answer to your question, but I wouldn't stress. I finished my 25 hours in the summer before I started my graduate program, and they even offered to let me finish them up once I started campus. I know many people who didn't get theirs through their school's program, but they sought out SLPs in the community, and those hours were accepted. Your observation hours have to have been done under an SLP with their CCC. That's basically the only requirement. It's up to the graduate program you attend whether or not to accept your 25 observation hours, but most programs aren't too finicky about it. If you did them under someone with an ASHA number and their C's, I don't think it'd be a problem, but it's ultimately up to the school you attend for your master's.

I think it matters as much as it matters to you. If you're doing something just for the bonus points on an app, that's a superficial involvement, and that shows. If you're in NSSLHA, volunteer, or do research, and you are actually engaged and interested in what you're doing, that will be reflected in your essays, and has a greater effect on your application. I joined NSSLHA during my post-bacc year, and it did nothing for me. I tried to get involved, but I wasn't interested in their little department socializers and pizza parties. Instead I worked jobs that gave me great experiences and ultimately influenced my trajectory as a prospective SLP, and that's what I wrote about in my SOPs. I'd say most of my cohort was in NSSLHA as undergrads/post-baccs. Maybe 70% of us. Most of us weren't actively involved in our chapters, so it had very little effect on our apps. For what it's worth, professors on my school's adcom told me outright that "Extracurriculars are worth about 10% of an applicant's application package." This is just at my school, but I imagine most schools will be similar. I had a lower GPA when applying, but good GREs, and I'm glad I rounded out my application with meaningful extracurriculars to me. I think a meaningful extracurricular will always help your app more than extracurriculars done just to try to boost your app, but only slightly. If you're going to be involved in NSSLHA just to be able to put that on a resume or app, and don't derive worthwhile experiences from it, then all you've done is been able to add "NSSLHA Member, September 2017-May 2018" to the EC section of your app.

You cannot. The clinical doctorate in SLP is not an entry-level degree, unlike the AuD or DPT. There's only 5 or so clinical doctorate programs for SLP in the U.S., and all the ones I looked at required a masters degree with your C's as a prereq. You sound very unfocused. Ambitious, with a goal, but not focused on how to get there. You're not going to get all of these degrees without a serious time investment, and you really don't need to shoot for multiple advanced degrees, especially when all of them would be entry level anyway. You can't do it all! I also strongly suggest doing some observation of all these professions or paths, and decide what it is you really want to do. You can still start doing prereqs for a master's in SLP program in the fall, and then apply next year. Get your degree, some experience, and then apply for your clinical doctorate. A clinical doctorate is a great idea if you have an area you want to specialize in, which you do. But you need to get some actual experience before then. Good luck! It sounds like you have an area you're really interested in, and you still do have the means to get there. If you go the SLP route, it's a great path, and I think you'll find a lot of opportunities to do what you want.

You can, but you will still need to enter the correct information and correct any wrong estimates once you've done your taxes for 2015. You won't receive any aid until you've done so.

You're in a very fortunate position to not have undergraduate loans. As is normal for most professional master's programs, there's limited funding. We had one TA position that 25 of us were vying for. In my program, almost everyone is paying with loans obtained through FAFSA then the graduate plus loans, and then working. Grad Plus loans are fine, but they do have a slightly higher interest rate. I wouldn't put them on the same level as private loans at all. Quite a few people in my program still rely on their parents for spending money or rent or tuition (which hey, if you come from a family that can do that for you, that's great). Bar-tending and waitressing can bring in a lot of money as well. I try to pay for tuition and rent through loans, and then work enough to cover the rest of my expenses and bills. if you can work a lot this summer before your grad program begins, definitely do so and try to save so that you have money to live off of during your program, or at least the first year. Apply for scholarships as well, and be on top of it. Many of them may not be available until you actually begin your program. I unfortunately didn't apply for a lot of scholarships that just had a deadline, but there's some coming up I won't miss. The nice thing about a grad program is you really get to know your professors and clinical supervisors, so it's not too hard to find letters of rec.

I feel for you NAU folk! I hope they just sent out incomplete acceptances to accepted applicants too, and that people who weren't accepted didn't mistakenly receive them. That was my nightmare when applying last year, and when I got my first acceptance in February, I was so afraid of a recall email, which thankfully never came. Congratulations!

There's actually a lot of folk on this forum that fit this criteria, so don't give up! I had a 3.25 in my undergrad, although my post-bacc was a 4.0, and I had a few years between my undergraduate and post-bacc. I got in in my first application cycle and just finished my first semester of graduate school. I had great GRE scores for this field, great experiences (living abroad for a few years, work with individuals with special needs, etc), an excellent statement of purpose that I had looked over by multiple people and writers, and stellar letters of reference. You do have to work hard to make up for that low GPA, but it's possible. Take control of the parts of your application that you still can. I'll be frank. I think it's a lot harder to get an acceptance as a current senior in a com dis program with a low GPA. If your last 60 is much higher or your major GPA is much higher than your overall, that's better than having a low GPA across the board. But if you have a low GPA in any area, you need something to show that you're a person who can succeed in grad school, and that you're a person who changed from the person who got that low GPA. Often, this might take time. It might be a year or two related experience and retaking the GRE to get excellent scores. Telling a graduate program "I can do well in your program" is not enough; you need something to show them you can do well and succeed, and that is what a lot of successful applicants who have low GPAs have. It can be that high last 60 GPA, that high post-bacc GPA, an SOP that is colored by your year(s) of experience in the field, great letters of recommendation, or anything. But I think we all had something that shows growth. No applicant has the same story, even if they have the same numbers. If you don't get in this cycle, don't be discouraged. There are countless ways your can improve your application and show programs you're a person who is passionate about being an SLP and who will do well in graduate school. It may take some time, but it can and will happen. In my experience, most schools are not that secretive about their admissions process, too. If you ask the program director (usually in person), they might just tell you! A few schools I talked to use GPA and GRE to screen applicants and establish cutoff points, then consider from there. One program I talked to gave me their criteria down to percentages (20% is overall GPA, 20% is GRE, 20% is major GPA, 10% is extracurricular and so on). Good luck! I'm sorry if this wasn't the most optimistic or motivational. I don't know your story, but I want you to know it is possible to get in with a low GPA!

Something I didn't think too much about before applying to graduate programs for Fall 2015 was the campus clinics and externships offered. It was of course a factor, but I realized after I had a few acceptances under my belt how different these things can be from school to school, and it ended up having a lot of weight in me deciding what program I chose. So maybe this thread can also help some of you with acceptances with your decisions when the time comes and might give you something to think about. I want to know what other current graduate students' programs look like. My program has three semesters of on-campus clinic the first year in fall, spring and summer. The second year is two full-time externships, one educational, one medical, one in a semester. We also have the option of doing on-campus clinic the second year if there's a population we haven't worked with and would like to or need to work with, and there's optional mini-externships with specialized populations in addition to the two full-time externships, although these are uncommon. I've talked to people whose programs have no clinic the first semester, just classes, people who have multiple shorter externships the second year, people who will only get one externship in their program, and they have to choose between medical or school, and people who start externships in the summer before second year. Thus I am curious what other people's programs look like! Does your program have on-campus clinic the first semester? How many semesters of campus clinic do you have before you do an externship? Does your program offer a medical and educational externship, or just one? Do you get to choose? Does your program offer multiple shorter externships? Did the clinics and externship situation have any bearing on your decision to attend your program? How do you feel about your program's set-up?

I think you have your answers, but I'll echo looking at the university calendars and then the department course listings. You can usually find course dates on school's websites. It takes some searching, but the information is there. Departments also don't withhold this information, so feel free to email them and ask. My graduate program has the typical month-ish long winter break both years. First years get a spring break, but in the second year we don't because you'll still have your externships, and the scheduling there does not align with university scheduling. We only have a week off between spring and summer semesters, although we have all of August off. We also are expected to be on campus until the official last day of the semester, through the exam periods, and are told not to plan to leave for vacations for these times, in case our clinical paperwork isn't finished or needs revising. My university has three semesters of on-campus clinic (Fall, Spring, Summer), then two separate 25-30 hour/week externships the second year, although these externships fall within the semester timeframe. I'll also say this: While visiting home is nice, don't ignore or neglect your cohort. You may find you enjoy being around a lot and don't want or need to visit home every break (which is also expensive!). These breaks can be a good time to spend more time with the friends you make in your cohort or your new city, since you don't really have that much time to hang out when classes are in session. Of course, many people are travelling and doing things, and going home for the holidays is great and expected, but try to leave some room for your new friends, too. I was gone most of my winter break travelling and visiting old friends, but I wish I had left some more time to hang out with my friends from my cohort before classes started again.

There are clinical doctorate degree programs, OverCaffeniated, but there's very few. EdFind only lists four. At this point, there's really no need to get one, and I don't believe we're even in the incipient stages of a shift. Everything I know is more or less anecdotal, but I've discussed this with a few professors regarding the AuD and PT shift to requiring a clinical doctorate (OT doesn't require a doctorate yet and also only has a handful of schools that offer one), and no one seemed to think there was an impending threat of making a clinical doctorate an entry-level requirement for clinical practice. It could happen, but it doesn't seem like it's something that will happen any time soon. There would be much more talk about it if that were the case, and it would a pretty drawn-out process so it won't happen overnight. Honestly, of all the audiologists I've talked to (and it's not that many), including ones who had master's then had to get an AuD, ones that just got an AuD, and PhD/AuD combos, no one seemed to think making it a doctorate degree was necessary. And currently, no one seems to think making a clinical doctorate the entry level degree is necessary either for SLP. This is all anecdotal, I know, but because there's so little out there suggesting the shift is imminent, I think we can safely say it won't happen for a while, if it's going to. Regardless, if it were to happen, you would probably have a time-frame where you were grandfathered in in the transitional period and transitional degree programs would pop up. There's still practicing audiologists who only have a master's and who still have their CCC-A. I couldn't find anything in a brief search, but I would imagine it's sometime soon that they'll require all those with only a master's to finish the AuD to continue seeking certification, and requiring the AuD went in to effect in 2012 (and 2007 is when it was formally decided to require the AuD?). http://www.asha.org/Academic/Guidelines-for-the-Clinical-Doctorate-in-SLP/ This is what ASHA has on the matter of clinical doctorates in SLP. If you look at the clinical doctorate degree programs out there, they aren't entry-level currently anyway, so you have to have a master's and your C's more or less to pursue one. Like ASHA says, currently, the clinical doctorates are aimed at qualifying you for advanced professional positions. While I don't support making entry-level doctorates the minimum requirement, the option of clinical doctorates for advanced professional development is certainly interesting, especially in certain specializations or even certain medical settings like Jolie mentioned. Also, one of the superficial reasons I'm against making a clinical doctorate the entry-level degree is the cost. A master's program is already prohibitive, and adding more years to that would only exacerbate it. Unlike PhDs, which are funded, clinical doctorates usually aren't. Imagine having to pay that without it really increasing your salary (like the AuDs and DPTs currently are).

If you haven't already, I'd recommend looking through their FAQ. They have a lot of good information on this stuff, although it's not really easy to navigate. https://portal.csdcas.org/csdcasHelpPages/instructions-and-faq/additional-information/extracurricular-and-volunteer-activities-honors-and-awards/index.html Please note, however, that it is strongly recommended that you focus on work performed during or following your college experience. It is also not recommended that you include experiences which are greater than 10 years old. Just like with resumes or applying for any job, you want to include the most recent and relevant stuff. High school stuff isn't going be considered relevant by almost anyone at the graduate level. That's not to say you can't discuss an experience you had in high school that was really important to your decision to pursue this field for example, but it really has no place in any other part of your application. You should have more than enough from your time in college to write about.

piglet33, while your advice is really great, this is in the speech-path sub-forum, and most of us don't have PIs, since we're doing a professional master's program. Most of us won't have the same level of email correspondence with anyone in the department before applying, and it could even be frowned upon. I can't imagine why someone in this field would be emailing a faculty member at a prospective school so much so that the faculty member remembers their name in any positive light, or enough for them to stand out during the admissions process. It's still advice that could be incorporated in to personal statements, however. In fact, I think a lot of people fall short on personal statements in this field. This is just my opinion, but I think it's important to remember the process for a professional master's has some important differences than PhD or academic master's. Interviews are not even that common in this field, you'll have a cohort of 25 people (give or take), and your advisor is more there to make sure you get your courses done and have all your prereqs for state certification, not really anything else. In general, at this point in your application process, the best way to go "above and beyond" is to... well, not to try. You should have genuine interests and experiences that stemmed from those interests related to this field by now. If you start doing something now just to get in to grad school, it kind of shows. Even if you have a passion not related to this field, like swimming, you can still use that in your personal statement in some way. Like I said, I think people fall short on personal statements, but I can only speak from my experience. I've read a lot of personal statements for slp programs over the last 4 years. I read a lot of bad ones, in real life and online. Anecdotally, all of the people who got multiple acceptances (and acceptances initially) were able to talk about programs specifically and why they wanted to go to those schools, and what their backgrounds could bring to those programs. If they have a lab you're interested in? Feel free to contact the professor! Get some details. And mention that in your personal statement. Do they have a special track that you're interested in, like an AR focus, or multicultural emphasis? Mention it! You have a reason for applying to that school. Let them know. They know they have good rankings and good professors or whatever; they don't need you to tell them that. They need to know why you're invested in that program. Every program is different, so there's more than enough you can talk about. I've mentioned this elsewhere on the forum, but I do think visiting schools before you apply is a great idea. I didn't do it. I wish I had, but the cost was prohibitive. I learned SO much about the program I ended up at by visiting after I was accepted, and I think I could have really made my personal statement for that program better by visiting being applying. I learned information that wasn't even on their website by going, which ultimately made my decision for me. That may seem like common sense, but I'm shocked at how many applicants don't do this or dismiss the importance of it. One little sentence is not enough. I really believe talking in your statement about "why this program" is underestimated. At this point in the application process, your SOP is one of the few things you still have control of. Use it to your advantage. Don't just pop one out on December 21st and call it a day. Really take your time. Read other people's SOPs. Have people read yours. Make sure they're honest and critical. I can't tell you how much my friends (all of whom I respect as great writers and academics) helped me out by giving solid advice.

I think it can function more as a way to weed out applicants. If you look at ranges of admitted applicants, 141Q is not something you see often. And you'd probably have to have a stellar GPA (3.7+) to offset that low of a quant score. The quant score is not something that will get you admitted, but I think it's something that could get you tossed out. That's how I look at it. Every school is different, but some schools assign points to GPA and GRE scores, and if you don't make whatever arbitrary threshold they have, they won't look at your application. I won't lie, I would feel uncomfortable applying to schools with your quant score. "Sufficient" is a scary term for me. Your professors obviously know you best, but my advisor told people to retake the GRE when they got 145Q because that was too low. 150 was the minimum recommended by our advisors, but many had 148-149. You can take the word of your professors, but I would also contact schools to let them know your situation. Ask them "These are my stats. Will my application even get looked at?" They'll have better answers for you than us, and most are forthright about their requirements. But if you can't dedicate the time or money to improving those quant scores by any means necessary, then I agree, don't take it again. You at least have the verbal and writing, but I do think the quant is something that could potentially be a barrier.

I'm in the same boat! I haven't started my program yet, but I'll be beginning this fall, and I've been petless since moving out of my parent's house 7 years ago. I love cats, and my childhood cats are still living with my parents, but it would be cruel to split them up and move them to a much smaller place, so this will be my first time as a pet-owner myself. I also don't want kittens but an adult cat, since they're a bit more mellow and can be more independent. My concern is not with time, but with money. Monthly costs and annual vet bills are not too prohibitive, but I don't want to get my own cat now because if it falls seriously ill, I would be put through a lot of financial strain to afford vet costs. When I was 19, one of my cats suddenly became very ill, enough to warrant an emergency vet visit at 11pm on a Saturday night, and my parents didn't have the money to pay for treatment or even diagnostic procedures, so I ended up getting a CareCredit card for vet bills. This worked well, but the cost was high (almost a grand) for my guy and was creeping higher. Ultimately he had a very serious disease and didn't even make it to surgery. The vet at that point was not too optimistic it would have helped anyway. We were able to pay off the card within a year to avoid interest payments, but I'm not sure that's something I could do during grad school. Of course, I would do anything possible for a cat of mine that falls ill. Maybe a grand doesn't seem like a lot in bills for a cat, but it was for us, and I told myself that if I can't plan for a reasonable amount of unexpected vet costs (which to me would be at least a grand), I wouldn't get a cat of my own. I have many friends as well who have just not gotten care for their pets because of the expense, and I don't want to do that to an animal. So, I have decided not to adopt because of this. It's not something I expect everyone to adhere too, but it's something I would think about. However, like rising_star said, consider fostering! I actually applied to a local shelter and was accepted to foster! They're very excited to have me, because I want to foster older cats, and there's never too many foster "parents." I should be fostering senior cats that are having trouble finding homes because of their age (12-14+years old). Fostering is a great opportunity, because you're not responsible for vet costs, and you might not be responsible for food/litter. The center I'm going through will pay for food and litter costs, but ones I had considered in my current city only covered vet bills and asked fosters to pay for food/litter. Even if you think your apartment is small too, it's still much bigger than the cages they're housed in. All you need to do is provide a safe environment and socialize with the cat daily. I've seen at least an hour a day recommended, which I don't think is a problem. You may also need to transport the cat to adoption events. If you're nervous because of either the time/money of cat ownership, it could be a good start. If you end up falling in love with the cat you're fostering, you usually have first preference to adopt it as well. I'm in the same field as you, and between class and clinic, I'm planning on being out of the house for at least 10-12 hours a day. This is a lot of time for a cat to be alone, but older cats can be fine with it. If you adopt, the centers usually list bios, and you can see if there's a cat's bio that matches your lifestyle. And think of it this way too: cats sleep, a lot. But if you're really concerned about the cat being lonely, consider adopting an adult, bonded pair. They're typically harder to adopt out, because most adopters are not looking for two cats. I actually almost just adopted a bonded pair I came across recently, but knew my situation wasn't right for them right now (moving three times in a month, finances), so I didn't go for it. I think living alone with two cats is fine, if the cats get along; they'll keep each other company when you're gone. It's not crazy at all. So short answer: yes, you can do it! It's not crazy, but I would look into fostering, and make sure you consider the financial costs (expected and unexpected) if you adopt a cat. I've lived alone for six years, and I'm excited to have a cat to keep me company in my apartment.

I actually wanted to apply to Queen Margaret! Unfortunately, the cost of attendance there was prohibitive for me, and their early deadline precluded my applying. I wanted to work there as well, but the visa situation is insane in the UK right now, to the point my friend's friend couldn't get a marital visa for her non-British and non-EU husband, and they had to uproot to another country in the EU with more lax immigration laws just to be together. Foreigners pursuing work there in positions not in demand (and speech is not in demand), also face a very difficult, nearly impossible visa quest. I looked into it a lot, but decided now wasn't the time for me to pursue living there. Anyway, just about the program. My understanding was that bachelor's programs in the UK in speech therapy include a lot more actual clinical practice than US programs do, which tend to include little to none, and I'm not counting observation. I also understand (maybe erroneously), that with a bachelor's in speech in the UK, you are certified to actually practice speech therapy, which is wildly different from the US where the bachelor's is seen as merely a prerequisite to the master's, and the bachelor's alone is often considered "useless" as you're limited in what you can do in the field with it. (This isn't totally unusual given UK bachelor's tend to require less unrelated coursework.) You're not certified by RCSLT with just a bachelor's, the equivalent to ASHA, but you're certified by Health and Care Professions Council, and I believe you can practice speech therapy (to some extent at least?). This was important, because UK master's programs, including Queen Margaret if I recall correctly, expected a lot more directly related experience when applying to master's programs. This could be the biggest difficulty you experience when applying, especially as someone from out of field and who just finished the second bachelor's. I also thought they required interviews? Which can also be a big financial strain if you have to fly out there. This I'm really not certain on, but I remember learning that. Don't take my word for all of this, please! I might be wrong, but this is some of the information I operated under! Hopefully it can help get you started though. Also, I'd make sure you understand the degree classification system (and I hope you would by now!), which is different than our GPA-based system. The system is: First-class honours (1st), Second-class honours, upper division (2:1), Second-class honours, lower division (2:2), Third-class honours (3rd) and pass. A lot of programs required a 2:1 or better, and I believe this was a rigid requirement, which it looks like you'd have met easily if it's based just on your second bachelor's. QM is a 2:1, which might be a minimum of 3.33. http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.aspI'm not sure on this, and I think each university can calculate it differently. I also was sadly just below this threshold at the time of application, which is another reason I didn't apply. I would contact the department at QM and the international office to ask about degree conversion. Like I said, I ended up not applying due to many factors. I don't regret not applying, but if you can manage it, good luck! You'll have a lot to consider if you're accepted though! Living the UK, particularly Scotland, is also a dream of mine. I really wish grad school there had worked out for me, but I'm happy where I am now. Plus, I'm inches away in my savings from travelling there this winter anyway, which is always nice.

I think going would only help you to the extent that you utilize the information you learn in the ever-crucial part of your SOP about why you want to attend that school. It could also help you if you make a connection with a professor while there, keep in contact with him/her during the application process, they're on the admissions committee, and they remember you and correspondence with you while looking at your application and had a favorable opinion of you. I don't know how likely the latter is to happen, though. I also did not attend a single open house before acceptance. Between time and money, it wasn't feasible. I only think it would have helped my application in my ability to write about why I wanted to attend certain schools. I don't regret not going before applying, and I was accepted to five schools my first round of applications. I also was an applicant with a lower GPA (below 3.3), so I worked particularity hard on my SOP, especially those bits about why this or that school. I'll admit, I'd have been better able to do this had I visited, but I managed with just information available online. That all said, I went to a few open houses after I was accepted, and I'm so glad I did. I wasn't too keen on attending a particular program I was accepted to and ultimately enrolled at, but my visit to one of their open houses wildly changed my views of the school and program, and I learned so many things about the program (and faculty) that I didn't learn from just their website and googling. This is how I think visiting before can help you. I don't think it's necessary before applying, but it can help. Especially, in my opinion, when writing your personal statement. But like myself and many others, you can manage just fine without visiting before applying, and it might not be possible to visit beforehand. I'll be bold and say that not going should not impact your application at all. It won't be a mark against you, and perhaps visiting during the process can help your application in indirect ways. This is just my opinion though based on my experience, and I'm curious what others say! Anecdotally, I read many personal statements for SLP grad school over the past five years, and I'll say that the applicants that got accepted without being waitlisted, or got accepted at all tended to talk generously in each personal statement about why they wanted to attend each program.

I had thought about doing CLEP for bio but ended up not needing to, although one of my requirements was fulfilled by an AP test result from high school. In trying to fulfill these prereqs I learned one VERY important thing that is not overt: ASHA requires the prereqs but ultimately the school decides what is acceptable. So what fulfills the prereqs will vary from school to school. When you are applying for certification ASHA basically takes your program's word that you fulfilled the prereqs. Obviously schools adhere to the standards and use their best judgment when possible, but not all schools will accept the same thing. I've run in to this problem and so did a friend, regarding the bio requirement. If I had to make an educated guess based on my experience and what I've read, I would say it has a good chance of being accpeted (the old standards even listed CLEP as acceptable), but I would double check with prospective schools. They will be able to tell you their own policy. Edit: I just realized you might not be talking about exclusively ASHA prereqs? Sorry! If that's the case, I bet it would be accpeted if it's just a university requirement. That is one of ASHA's as well, but they also accpet psychology. Explore your options as to what will fulfill the pre-req to make it as interesting as possible to you! I used AP psych from high school (a test I took way back in 2007) and it was accpeted as a prereq just fine.

No, it won't. Did you read why it's on probation? It's basically on probation because they ignored warnings ASHA gave to fix information on its website and to be more transparent. It's all clerical stuff mostly, like the Com Dis department calling the department accredited when it's the program that is, but ASHA had asked them to fix this years prior. I'd be more worried about going to a school that's on probation because of the quality of education it's providing to students or lack of faculty and placements, which are real problems other schools have faced. But most schools on probation eventually come off because the schools address the issues. No school wants to lose accreditation and no employer will see probation status now or then honestly. Trust me, even faculty at Madison in the department didn't know the program was put on probation even. With Madison I believe they only have until January to address the issues. You might want to read more information direct from ASHA if you're still worried. You'll be fine. And you can read accreditation reports ASHA publishes if you're so inclined. They gave me some good information about schools that weren't on probation but recently had a review.

(This has NOTHING to do with anyone in this thread! It's just a coincidence that it was just mentioned.) People who complain about the GRE and their scores but didn't or don't study. I was talking to some people applying to grad school (professional master's programs), and they asked me how the GRE went. It went fine for me, but I had studied quite a bit and did prep from 4 months in advance. So. Of course I didn't suck at it. I didn't rock it quite like I wanted to, but I was happy enough to not retake it. But they sat there whining about how hard it is, how they haven't done any work for it and are so worried to take it in two weeks, and how they're worried they won't even manage 50-60th percentile because they couldn't even do well in practice tests. Well... No shit? This isn't overachievers talking who are worried about only getting a 168Q, it's people who have done almost no work and are surprised at the consequence. Seriously. For my field, which two of these girls were applying to, the average GREs are pretty low (around low 150s, and not even a 4.0W though schools desire a 4.0W). Obviously not everyone can get 99th percentile, but if you aren't studying and won't, don't complain about your score. Suck it up and study or accept your crap score. Don't wonder why it's hard if you haven't done even the minimum amount of prep. (I'm not poking fun at those with low scores either; just venting at the people wondering how it could be so hard when they've done almost no studying.)