wishingwishing

I think the original poster might have just meant to let them know if you know you're for sure not going to a particular institution. Most people have a mental list of their dream school all the way down to their safety school. Waiting for funding is one thing, but it does seem a little unnecessary to keep more than a handful of acceptances under your belt when other people are waiting to see if they get in before committing to another school (and paying a hefty $500 deposit). One of my friends has gotten into nearly every single school she applied to (7/9...multiple with funding) and she's just sitting on them.  I think it might be easier to say that you've earned that time when you have options, but many of us are desperately waiting to see if we'll even be going to grad school in the Fall. For some of us, those wait lists are our only hope so by all means, please pass if you know it's not where you want to be. 

Since professional courtesy has been brought up, I want to make a PSA:
 
Please withdraw/decline schools that you don't want to attend ASAP!
 
I know many of us are/were waiting on funding, etc., but please make decisions ASAP. You can only go to one school. If you have multiple offers, please be courteous and only hold a maximum of 2 (maybe 3?) at a time...  You don't have to do anything until April 15th, but why wait that late? You probably know which schools you prefer - go ahead and drop the rest. It might give someone a chance to go to those schools from wait list, etc. 

I wish someone was rude to be before I took out a lot of loans. I'm not going to coddle people entering graduate school, sorry. The reality in this country is that the price of education is exorbitant and crippling (when in other countries it's free, like in the UK, Germany, France), and even though many didn't say so, they also think going for the dream is terrible, negligible advice when funding is an option. I'm allowed to express my opinion however I like— It's a "free" country. 
 
Furthermore, conjecture and misinformation can be minimized. But instead, people coming to this forum looking for information have to weed through a bunch of inaccuracies before finding something reliable and substantial. That's what I find aggravating. If you don't know, don't post. Simple as that.

Idk why you're being high and mighty about researching, the point of this forum is to help people going through this nerve-wracking process. I doubt what someone wants to hear after finding out they didn't receive any acceptances this season is "you have to do research cause I did, maybe I'll help a little if you PM me"
 
Anyways, mo~, if you do end up thinking about spring admissions, here's a partial list (copied from this thread: ):
 
 
Eastern NM University- 9/1
LIU Brooklyn-11/1
Lehman College (CUNY) 10/1
Kent State 11/1
Marquette 11/15
Nazareth 10/1
St. John's University 10/1
Valdosta State University 7/1
University of Texas, Pan American- 2/4
University of Texas, Dallas - 9/15
University of South Dakota-  10/15
University of Rhode Island - 10/15
University of Northern Iowa - 9/15
University of Nebraska, Omaha- 9/1
University of Missouri -10/15
University of Louisiana Monroe - 9/25
University of Kansas -10/15
University of Central Florida - 10/1
SUNY Cortland 7/1
Southeastern Louisiana University - 3/1
Penn State -2/1

I hope this doesn't sound snarky, but I'm a big advocate of using the search, and this exact same thread was created only 4 days okay, by neucool...
 

I'm with school psych but I thought I'd chime in. IMO EBD is more in demand because it is a very difficult environment to work in and there's a lot of need for behavioral support in schools. I believe, like teaching in any subject, that your experience may be influenced by the school environment - are the staff supportive and communicative, and do you have the resources you need? You need to love the job for what it is and not just see it as a bridge to something else in order to not get burnt out, especially if you have a difficult case load. 
 
I know people who aim to work as speech pathologists who currently work as paraprofessionals. The pay isn't great, but you can gain a lot of experience working with different populations during the day and you don't need to deal with IEPs or the bureaucracy. 

I think like a lot of fields, it can be emotionally draining. As with anything, it depends on your attitude -- and not everyone can get their attitudes where they need to be. Why would a hospice worker choose that field? They want to make life easier for someone in their last days, they think the end of life can be beautiful, they feel called to do it. Some people have a great attitude about jobs that are super boring to other people (sprinkler repair sounds like torture to me, but my nephew loves it).
 
So, as an SLP working with students with major problems, you might find joy in the actual work, but also the connection, and in knowing that you've made a difference for them and their families, even if it's a small difference. Right now, you aren't making a difference, you're just watching. So maybe this will improve when you get more experience. This is so much variety in the field, so I think you just need to find an area that works better for you.

I too, studied the vocabulary and got the 87th percentile on the verbal section.  I really think that vocabulary is the key to scoring well.  I memorized all 800 words in this book.  I found that many of them were on the test.
 
 
Vocabulary is just straight up memorization.  If you want a better score on the verbal section, you're going to have to memorize.  There are no shortcuts. 
 
Also, the GRE doesn't test your "accumulated knowledge."  It tests how well you take the GRE.

Hey guys!  I've recently seen a lot of posts on both the SLP forum and the results search that look a lot like this:
 
"Has anyone started a Facebook group for ___ school?"
"Here's a link to ___ school's Facebook group!"
"Who else is going to __?  We should start a Facebook group!"
"I made a Facebook group for ___ university!"
 
I thought it would be nice to compile a master list of Facebook groups for easy reference.  I'm personally on the lookout for an SIUE Facebook group.
 
So, if you'd like, post your school and a link to your Facebook group below!
 
 

What bothers me is that there are majors out there that are not really adequate for getting a job in that field. For an SLP major, you are qualified to be an SLPA -- but they are not hired at all that many places (I'm talking about in my area), so why bother with getting a four year degree in that subject? When I was getting my degree in English, I planned to be a librarian, but they got rid of the undergrad Library Science program at that time because it was useless. If they were going to require people to go to grad school to do anything with it, they figured you might as well major in something else (which would still benefit you as a librarian).
 
I would like to see SLP undergrad programs either go away, more SLPAs hired, or for ASHA to acknowledge that you can perform the job with quality undergrad training.

I am so tired of wondering and obsessing. I've already made contingency plans, I've made peace with waiting another season, but I can't seem to stop myself from constantly checking the portal. With all of the acceptances and rejections, I'm sure that I am on the waitlist or "maybe" pile, so no news is sort of good news, but I am still TIRED OF IT. 

I am so tired of wondering and obsessing. I've already made contingency plans, I've made peace with waiting another season, but I can't seem to stop myself from constantly checking the portal. With all of the acceptances and rejections, I'm sure that I am on the waitlist or "maybe" pile, so no news is sort of good news, but I am still TIRED OF IT. 

I am so tired of wondering and obsessing. I've already made contingency plans, I've made peace with waiting another season, but I can't seem to stop myself from constantly checking the portal. With all of the acceptances and rejections, I'm sure that I am on the waitlist or "maybe" pile, so no news is sort of good news, but I am still TIRED OF IT. 

Yesterday I started a thread titled, "How do these schools choose applicants...answers for success."  My hope is that this will be helpful to those who apply next year and also be encouraging to those here who might find themselves reapplying next year.  As I stated yesterday, after attending a seminar put on by the top 100 colleges in the country about getting in and choosing a grad school, my eldest grad and I walked away with inside information which helped us make very informed decisions on what to do.  I'm passing this along to you in hopes that this will help you too.  
 
Everyone comes to this process with positives and negatives...there is no perfect candidate. Your job in the process is to turn your negatives in positives. So if your undergrad school is not the perfect high ranking school which gives you bragging rights and in turn gives you a leg up into the high ranking grad schools who want your stats to help their stats...then you need to think of how you can "cure" that.  For instance, you may be able to say that you chose to attend a school close to home because of finances, family support, helping out your family or because of work.  Finding a reason, (not an excuse) and explaining that you gained something from that experience beyond just the academics which has better prepared you to attend grad school is an  asset. If you chose to go away from home to a school which is not high ranking you may be able to "own that decision" and explain how you grew from that choice.  If your choice was determined by your high school grades, then you again have the opportunity to turn a negative into a positive by showing your determination to prod on and break through barriers.  If you are a candidate straight out of undergrad, then you need to display your maturity.  Remember grad schools view someone who has been in school all their life as a less stable candidate to get through the rigors of grad work.  They are concerned about burn-out. Most grad schools want their candidates to succeed, not fail.  So your job is to find something in your life which has prepared you for success, aside of the deficit of youth.  For instance, one of my grads faced an extreme health issue for several years while still attending college and getting good grades. No professor ever knew that grad's condition until surgery became necessary and even then that grad carried on and completed every assignment. That grad went straight from undergrad into a very competitive grad program by using that experience as a springboard to depict perseverance.  If you don't get accepted this year, think of things you can do to make yourself a more desirable candidate for next year.  Have you noticed that many of the professors in SLP have out of degree majors in undergrad? Many of those undergrad degrees are in English, other languages or linguistics.  Instead of doubling down in the rehab area for a year, think about, if possible, teaching school overseas for a year. You then bring to the program three things we were told grad school admittance committees like...multi-cultural experience, experience outside the mold and foreign travel. Ask your undergrad school for help with placement into one of these foreign teaching programs.  
 
Many grad applicants choose schools to apply to or commit to based on the location, either to their home or to their desired place to live.  But my suggestion for both is to evaluate how you fit into their program. Are you better served by being a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond?  if you are the little fish...you need to be someone who is driven to keep up.  If you are a big fish you need to be someone who is driven to stay ahead. Think about how this will effect you under the demanding pace of grad school.  If you are reading this and you are applying for the 2015-2016 schedule, then evaluate the strength of your GRE and grades to match the schools.  You do not want to under-apply...meaning being way over their parameters...these schools will think you are using them as your backup plan and they want people who they believe will actually want to come.  Conversely you do not want to over-apply.  However, having said that I think that people under-evaluate themselves and self-edit themselves out of a program which might be very viable. For instance if you have high grades and have one blip in the GRE which doesn't quite match, you still might be a very likely candidate depending on your other experience and how well you write that personal statement.  So choosing schools which fit with your stats and desires...either on the medical side or the school side should be the priority despite the location.  (I do recognize that some people have moving constraints, so try to apply this information as best as you can within those constraints.)  When choosing a school, most people look at location then at the finances. If you are going into the medical side, where you graduate from matters. It can be the key for good placement and salary after graduation, so the financial costs need to be evaluated against the potential financial gain.  If you plan on working in a school setting choosing a less expensive school does matter because usually the salary return isn't as high and paying back loans may be difficult. If you are currently trying to choose between schools...then check the financial viability of your school choices.  Are any of your choices in danger of going under or being decertified? Have they been in the last 5 years? Does your school of choice admit a lot of students and fail some?  This is a red flag of a forced fail school...a school which creates a curve and fails people out of their program.  Whereas you may be able to do well at a school like that, would it be a pleasant or a stressful experience?  Schools which take out of major candidates with leveling years, semesters or extra units often design their programs to admit half of each category.  Since the applicant base is not equally represented, those applying from within major are at a disadvantage. If you are an in major, do not load up on these in your application pool.   
 
Finally, if you are currently headed into the interviewing process and you have some deficits, then think about how you can turn those negatives into a positive to bring to the table. Think of possible questions you may be asked, devise 3 concise, but informative answers, with word picture examples. Remember you want to be rememberable. You may be able to use only one answer but if you need to cure a deficit you may be able to bring it out in a way that is natural to the question or in the "is there anything you would like to add" category.  Don't be afraid to own it, otherwise it can become your elephant in the room...but don't allow yourself to create a cheesy answer...you don't want to look like the sleazy politicians that do this insincerely on a daily basis.  
 
 
 

Over the years I've noticed that teachers generally seem to be missing the efficiency gene. I wish that schools would recognize this and ensure they had better administrative support and systems in place. I am playing the waiting game too, and the program contact was spectacularly unhelpful - not rude, but just kind of going with the flow. Basically, they are working on the applications and will finish deciding by the time registration is over (that is FOUR MONTHS after the deadline to apply).