Yancey

Are you taking prerequisites in a full post-bac program for that school, or just a few courses that that school specifically needed you to complete before you entered their program? If so, which course subjects?

I was just wondering if you spoke to the program director at the time this was occurring?

I can not speak to programs feelings regarding USU online, as I have no experience. However, I just wanted to put it out there that many graduate students from California with Cal State undergraduate degrees are accepted, and do well, at bigger research universities in SLP. SDSU actually grants their PhD's in conjunction with UC San Diego. The way that the Cal state system and UC systems were set up originally was to serve different purposes; the UCs were designed to be more research based/oriented while the Cal states were designed to deal with more practical, professional majors. Some degrees obviously overlap, especially as schools have expanded, but that is why the Cal states usually work in conjunction with the UCs to grant PhDs. None of the UCs have a CSD undergraduate program and only a few private schools in CA offer undergraduate/graduate degrees in CSD currently. so in CA your overwhelming option is to attend a Cal State if you know you want to pursue CSD as an undergrad.

http://soe.syr.edu/centers_institutes/institute_communication_inclusion/

I wouldn't feel comfortable with Syracuse University based on the fact that they teach and support intervention that is not founded on evidence-based practice. They have a whole lab that is dedicated to supporting the pseudoscience of facilitated communication (they now have renamed it supportive typing to try and rebrand it after it was called in to question), which is basically the 'facilitator' moving the limbs of a patient that does not have the language or literacy foundation/skills to construct those messages and acting like the patients can construct detailed messages independently. It really said for the patients and their families. I wouldn't want to attend an expensive school that teaches controversial practices if I had another option. However, that's just my opinion.

Just because something is creative does not mean it shouldn't/couldn't be well written. It is up to you and the school, but I've seen sprinkles of creativity done really well. My was a bit more formal with a lot of personal touches, but some of the girls from my program shared theirs with me. One was done with a saying and story that was used to still illustrate her passion, drive, and her fit/desire for the particular school. It was really well done. I would just make sure to get feedback from others, but ultimately it's about your personality and what you want to present. Remember, you're still looking for a school that's a good fit for you. If the school appreciates your creative approach that could be a good thing (same if the school doesn't). Good luck!

You could always send both. CSDCAS has a portion where you update your grades once you get them. For other schools, you can always email/mail an updated transcript copy to the department. That's what I did.

I would respectfully disagree with this. MGH, and many other private schools, do put an emphasis on GPA and have students applying to their program from well known schools around the country and internationally. However, private schools often also look for diversity. So pretty good grades, along with other interesting characteristics (travel abroad experience, diverse backgrounds and majors, interesting research interest,etc), are also weighed in. Private schools sometimes have more wiggle room to look at applicants as a whole, especially when the school receives 500-800 applications. While they want students who can succeed academically, they are not looking for a carbon copy class of 40-50 4.0 students with the same interests and backgrounds. Grades help, but some schools do not have that as the only driving factor. This does not mean that they are not competitive and that any grades will suffice. They want the students to be able to succeed under the academic rigor and stresses of grade school,but are interested in students with diverse backgrounds and interests. So if your stats are pretty good and you have something of interest to help show your uniqueness, many private schools are interested in students like that.

How much you get paid for your cfy varies greatly depending on things like location(different minimum standards of living), setting, and company/district.

Many of the schools with higher acceptance rate (NYU, Teacher's Collefe, MGH) have more to do with a) how expensive they are. Not all people end up accepting their admission due to loans (to much debt), funding offered elsewhere, an overall cheaper (program). B. Many of those schools may have a large pool of students with high GRE,GPA, strong SOP, LOR, etc so do again that pool may have applied to all of those types of schools, but can only attend one (therefore increasing the acceptance rate at the other schools who now pull from their wait list because the the accepted applicant decline admission c) private schools may have larger class and thus in theory accept a larger class. So even though they receive 500/800 applicants their class size maybe 60. Add in the initial declines and pulls from the waitlists and it looks like that school accepts 33% of students when really that 33% is not really their initial acceptance rate (which would be lower).

Fill out the fafsa. They use it for loans too. Scholarship particulars should be posted in the financial aid section of the school or program. Some schools give them out along with the acceptances just based on your application (merit/assistantships etc), some you submit another application to the college for (minority scholarship, specific field scholarship, leadership, etc). Sometimes you end up getting funding if the school "recycles" offers once people rejected admission. People apply to schools that may be out of their ordinary budget/ typical price range because they plan to pay for tuition using government and private loans (& maybe some help from family, their own savings, or a job ). Sometimes you end up receiving a scholarship from the school to help supplement the loans. A lot of the time, you don't know until after you've applied if you've received funding.

Maybe try retaking the GRE once more. If your scores don't improve you might have to be more strategic to the places you apply (maybe not to schools that receive 500-800 applications or schools with only 15 spots). In truth, you never know what the admission committee at a particular school is looking for. Not all care about GRE scores, but focus on other aspects of an application are unique and exhibit passion and commitment. However, there are plenty of applicants with high or perfect GPAs who also have strong GRE scores (who may also be well-rounded). Additionally, there may be a cut off so that your application is not even seen if it doesn't reach a certain score given that there are so many applicants. So you have to be realistic when comparing your stats within the pool you're competing against. Is it possible to get into a school based on other factors besides GRE? Of course! But it does it help to have GRE scores that are in/around the 50th percentile given the competitiveness of our major. If it turns out you really can't improve your scores, maybe consider going to the schools you want to apply to and meeting the faculty. Maybe through meeting them (and being a 'real person') and connecting with them you can convey your passion for this major and attending their school.

Almost all programs can give you a school placement. There's just so many more jobs available and a lot of programs have it as a requirement to equip you to work in schools in that state. The only exceptions would be programs that specifically state it's only a medical track (e.g.University of Washington Medical SLP program). This is not the same as if you also did a medical emphasis, but still were required to have a placement with children (which you could opt for a medical oriented pediatric experience, school, private clinic, etc.) If you want a school placement I doubt it would be difficult to get no matter where you went. On the whole, it's usually hospital placements that are more challenging, because there are fewer around that have the time/willingness to take students. As to which programs are more educationally focused, I would look at the schools curriculum (What electives do they offer?). Do they have more than just the basic child language/disorders course? What types of clients does the school's in-house clinic tend to get (not just that they can offer all these services but what actual people come to the clinic). Also look at the school's specialties (for example MGH has a large literacy focus, Pen State has a large AAC emphasis, etc). Lastly, look at what the professor's specialties and focuses are (since you'll be learning from them).

This is not that weird. It may be only 6, but they may be writing LORs for 20-30+ students. I agree, it's part of their job and it's not like we want to have to ask them (technically the professors themselves make up some/all of the committee who selects applicants and in essence reads the LOR). So it can get a little uncomfortable. Some professors will have really strict limits such as only writing 3 LOR maximum per student. Others will only write a few letters if you've had them 2+ times and earned at least ___# of A's in their classes. In order to remedy this I asked professors I had a strong rapports with about 6 months in advance if they would be willing to write me a LOR, and if so either what was their limit or would they be willing to write me X amount. That way they had plentiful notice. And if they can't that leaves time to either shorten your list of schools or find another LOR writer. Good luck!

I would look at your desired schools or use the ASHA school finder to find the names of schools in the area that you would like to attend. Many school will say if they provide scholarships and/or assistantships upon admission. Some schools will state that they may waive out-of-state tuition fees as an incentive for some students. Other in-state students may get funding from going to an in-state school that provide state-supported funding. Don't discount private schools as they may be able to offer a significant financial aid package that would make the cost comparable to a state school. Also check out the grad café's admissions page where students list the stats of the schools they get into. Many students when getting in will also note if they received funding. Lastly, check if the schools have additional scholarships within the school ( minority, returning parents, community service) that may require a short additional application. Sometimes you don't think you'll get funding for school but you'll be surprised (so don't discount any that state they may give aid).

One reason some of the schools that would seem to appear more competitive but still have a higher acceptance rate is because they tend to have larger class sizes (e.g. Class of 40-50 vs. smaller state schools with class sizes of 15-20) so they already accept more students. Additionally schools with more expensive tuition may pull more students from the alternate list because students chosen during the first round may select another school (received more funding elsewhere, top choice, desired area, research interest, etc). So it can be helpful to look at the ratio between number of applicants:how many are accepted for a class.

The competition may seem less in the Spring because less people are applying, but also less schools are admitting and thus there are still not a lot of spots. I graduated in Fall and waited until Fall to apply. My thoughts on your other question is that rankings aren't everything! It is more important that you ask yourself what you want in a school and think about what I consider sometimes less obvious aspects. I would ask myself things like: Do I want a school close to family/friends/support? Am I wanting/willing to move out of state? Pay high price for tuition? Prefer large/small class size? More research focused vs. more clinically practical course work (All schools should,and I presume most do, use research (EBP) to support their treatments. I mean more in terms of students reading lots of journals, working on a thesis, or research projects). Competition for placements (just because a school has a hospital or something as part of their clinic does not mean every student will get that placement). The atmosphere of the students/campus (is it collaborative? Competitive? Do the students feel supported and encouraged?). There are so many more important things to focus on than rankings. Just because someone doesn't go to a "top ranked" school doesn't mean they won't end up with their dream job at some point. And just because a school seems to be the "top" doesn't mean it's s good fit for every student (good stats or not-so-stellar). Sorry about the rant. Ultimately it's up to you and where you'd be happy. And if you don't think it's one of those schools then don't feel pressured to apply. But maybe a school might surprise you! I just feel like in our field, so many students get caught up in this idea of reputation, but this is going to be a clinical job of treating patients for many of us. A big research university doesn't necessarily mean a better education. It can be great, but so can a local smaller college. I would just recommend thinking about what you value in a grad school and clinical education and use that to decide what schools would be a good fit (top or not).

It's up to you. But I got into 2 of those schools (wait listed then declined to be on wait list at BU) with a few points lower on both. I got some financial aid from both, but did not apply for GA positions so I can't speak to that. Really your application is not about one thing. It's how you present the things you have as fitting with that school. Having good scores is necessary to some degree, but plenty of students in this field work to earn high GPA/GRE scores so what else sets you apart? A lot of schools are looking for diverse cohorts and want people with different experiences to build a strong cohort for their program.

I would also see how many students apply versus how many are accepted. For example some private schools may accept more students overall because of price or flexibility in enlarging class sizes.

I think getting as high a GPA in the major courses (SLP) would give you a better chance at getting into grad school than your grades in another subject. If you are done with all you SLP related courses then it could help as long as you do well and are able to connect your knowledge to being a strong SLP grad school candidate. I do not know all your details so I can not speak to any particulars.

I wouldn't bother retaking the GRE. If you are able to get some sort of field experience I would recommend it. Even if it's a few days a month shadowing a school SLP or volunteering once in a while at a hospital or SNF etc. I Think it's helpful because you can use volunteer experience to draw on why you'd make a good graduate candidate. Maybe even drawing on your past experience volunteering with kids or how your music background relates to SLP (voice Tx) could be helpful in your SOP. I am from California and the graduate programs are very competitive. The state schools tend to have small programs that have about 20 students (great for learning but makes it harder to get a spot) and a lot of the students often come from their undergraduate programs. So although there will be spots, it will be less than the 20 or so spots going to students from other schools including out of state and out of major. My last recommendation would be to either get to know professor at your current school, which may be difficult but it's online. Or try and visit and meet professors from your top choices. I think it helps the professors see you as a whole person and not just your stats or your paper. Additionally you can share your interests and see if you 'click with' any of the professors, which can help during admission time when there are so many really great potential students.

I've never timed it, but a lot! It gets tough because on top of going to class and studying there is also a lot of time (around 6- 8 hours 4 or 5 times a week) that is dedicated to clinical placements. The amount of hours per class can also very. A class that's really difficult or more difficult for me to stay interested in may require more studying hours than a class that I understand easily or view as more in tuned with my interest.

Actually I was referring to Respiratory Assistant aka Respiratory Therapist Assistant/Technician that work under the Respiratory Therapist. http://www.healthcaresalaryworld.com/respiratory-therapy-technician-job-description/ I don't know the OP's whole situation. Maybe s/he has a lot of things going on in addition to coursework. I was simply listing other ideas or careers to explore. Someone who struggles in certain courses can always get a tutor and/or just take less credits per semester to really be able to focus on studying. Working toward earning an AA degree that would lead to a career versus 6 years of difficult courses for a Bachelors and Masters degree seems like an idea that could be useful to anyone who does not want to prolong their schooling, but is still interested in a field of helping others.

Maybe you should consider one of the AA related health fields like radiologist assistant, physical therapy assistant, respiratory assistant, neurodiagnostic technology, dental hygiene, teacher/sped assistant etc. It will help you cut the cost of what you're spending on education, give you a chance to experience something in the medical or school field and make connections, and can help you gain perspective on what job/setting your skill set would be best suited for. SLP grad school definitely has more demands than undergrad (placements/clinic plus coursework). You may just need a semester off to think about your options and expiriement with what's out there. There may even be a major/job unrelated to medical or education that you haven't thought of and can explore. But I'd take sometime to reflect without debt and stress building so you don't dig yourself into what feels like a deeper hole. Things will work out! Good luck!

Northwestern is one of the most expensive schools in our field. Around 50-100,000 is typical for a private school excluding any type of funding. In-state schools are cheaper, but can differ depending on state. People can end up paying a lot for school since competition is intense, schools have so many spots, and students have preferences (prefer private or public school, certain professor to work with, classes, location, etc). If you do plan on applying to private schools I'd recommend ones that give funding and/or assistantships. The price of tuition can be compounded by the cost of living and sometimes the debt is just not worth it depending on what you value.