Yancey

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. 

I am speaking from personal experience but I can have a similar story to you.
I graduated with my undergrad degree and had a 3.3 GPA.  I decided that I needed something to set me apart when applying so that schools would not discount me for my GPA.  I decided to take the first year off and got a job at a school for children with special needs.  I then ended up taking a second year off and work as an SLPA for individuals with IDD.  I also took this time to really prep for the GRE to obtain the highest scores I could, continued to volunteer/shadow SLPs, and thoroughly researched the schools I applied to.
I applied this round for fall 2016 to 10 schools.  So far I have been accepted to 2, waitlisted at 5.
I truly feel that there is no better thing to do than to gain experience in areas of this field.  It helped reaffirm my passion for speech, taught me valuable lessons, helped me make connections, allowed me to write a thought provoking SOP, and helped me to stand out.
I am a much more mature person than I was fresh out of undergrad and I feel more prepared going into my master's degree with some real world experience under my belt!
 
Hope this helps!
 

1. Why did you choose the program you're going to? What really sold it for you? 
I'm going to Syracuse! To be perfectly honest it's mainly for the scholarship they offered (no other schools offered me as much as they did) but I'm also super excited about the research opportunities there. I reached out to a professor there and she and I have been super friendly since my acceptance. Also they're friendly to out-of-field people, which is wonderful since I'm coming from neuro, with only 2 prereqs in progress this semester.
2. How many schools did you apply to
Too many... I panicked and applied to every school I could find that would take out-of-field students. Applied 12, accepted to 11 (!!!??? yeah..), and waitlisted at 1 (and I'm pretty sure that's because Temple marked my supplemental app as "incomplete" for weeks after the deadline because they expected a transcript for my in-progress prereqs at a new university - which was not available... grr whatever not complaining). In case anyone's curious: accepted at Syracuse, Iowa, Vanderbilt, MGH, Emerson, TC Columbia, NYU, Kean, Montclair, William Paterson, UVA. Stats: GPA (neuro) 3.8, GRE 162/168/5 (verbal/math/essay), SLP shadowing experience
3. If you haven't decided, what is going to be the factor that pushes you to decide? 
God this decision was tough, my main factors were: cost, location, externship placements type&number, research opportunities, length of program (ideally 2.5 or even 2 years for OOF)
I was torn between Vandy and Syracuse for the longest time. Vanderbilt's facilities are AH-MAZING and are exceptionally above-and-beyond any other visit I've been on (the program takes place literally inside the hospital and has state-of-the-art equipment&resources), but they didn't offer any scholarship and I'd be moving really far away from anyone I know. I was tempted by their ranking as well, but the most important thing is getting a degree&license. Syracuse checks off all the boxes and costs a lot less for me. Plus it's still a great program and will let me stay near friends/family in NJ. I'll be getting 2 full-time off-site placements vs. only 1 at Vanderbilt (though their "on-campus" semesters are really like  real-world settings). So in the end, I chose my head over my heart and made the practical choice that would leave me with minimal debt. I think I'm making the smart choice, and only time will tell if I made the right choice. I am very fortunate to have this problem and now that the decision is made, I am feeling so relieved.

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 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 felt the same way in undergrad and even now in grad school shaking that perfection mentality is difficult. Sometimes I feel like the grad programs still get lost in grades, competition and "weeding out" students for certain placements. It almost feels like the students are fighting against the system and have to come to terms with accepting a B (oh no it's the end of the work?!) or being completely drained, losing sight of what our field is about, and focus on the grade rather than learning. My best advice is to try and find a school that values the fundamental aspects you find important when applying for grad school. We as a field can get so caught up in perfection and sometimes that does not end in graduate school because the mentality becomes so engrained. Find a grad program that values the student and sees their program as a platform for collaboration and learning and hopefully graduate school won't feel like an extension of post bac/ undergrad. I've had a hard time coming out of the perfection mode in a field with so many type A people and professors who make it seem like grades are the be all end all - it can be so challenging! Good luck! You can do it!

I felt the same way in undergrad and even now in grad school shaking that perfection mentality is difficult. Sometimes I feel like the grad programs still get lost in grades, competition and "weeding out" students for certain placements. It almost feels like the students are fighting against the system and have to come to terms with accepting a B (oh no it's the end of the work?!) or being completely drained, losing sight of what our field is about, and focus on the grade rather than learning. My best advice is to try and find a school that values the fundamental aspects you find important when applying for grad school. We as a field can get so caught up in perfection and sometimes that does not end in graduate school because the mentality becomes so engrained. Find a grad program that values the student and sees their program as a platform for collaboration and learning and hopefully graduate school won't feel like an extension of post bac/ undergrad. I've had a hard time coming out of the perfection mode in a field with so many type A people and professors who make it seem like grades are the be all end all - it can be so challenging! Good luck! You can do it!

The higher acceptance rate is normally correlated with private schools that have high tuition. Students who receive no financial aid from a private university may have gotten financial aid offers from other institutions or into state schools with lower tuition and therefore may decline even their first choice due to finances. So in a way I think applying to a few well selected private schools can benefit applicants. Private schools often have more wiggle room when selecting a class size and what admission aspects they focus on to obtain a diverse class because their funding is dependent on the state. A lot of the known private schools in our field do get a lot of applicants so maybe selecting a few that are looking for students with diverse backgrounds would be most effective. The thing I learned is to take risk because you really never know exactly what schools are looking for!

The first 2 semesters of grad school I was on campus every day except Friday, with classes 2-3 days a week and then clinic 4x week. After that our school has all classes on one day from like 8 am to 8 pm (breaks in between). Then electives of your choosing are usually at night. This gives you time to get to and from placements when-if you have one. A lot of people commute, but I know they had to select classes that worked more for their schedule versus just what they wanted to take to avoid coming multiple days. I commute about an hour and 10 minutes and it's been fine.

I do not want to sway you into not retaking the GRE, but I just wanted you to be aware that I think Vanderbilt looks at the whole applicant and how they fit will fit into that cohort, and do not just focus on one aspect. I was accepted to Vandetbilt's SLP program during the 2015 cycle and my Quant score was the same as your as was my writing. My verbal was just a few points higher. I know you want to do everything in your power to be accepted, but I thought I'd just share my experience. Good luck!

Hi. I from the West Coast and attended graduate school on the East coast. I met my boyfriend of 9 months 21/2 months before moving. It really works for us because we are both committed and really see a future (not lukewarm). We facebook video chat and read, watch tv( Netflix/HBO Go), talk, and play games (ex scrabble/words with friends). We even just have the facebook (or skype) on while I study and he does his thing just to have time together during quick breaks or comment. We also have date nights with wine and movies etc. It does take time, a lot of commitment, and trust but it can work. You do need to make time for each other, try and communicate effectively, scheduled visits to meet together, and make time for each other (priority).

I only received work study money. They have a few scholarships but are not know for giving a lot of funding to masters students. Maybe if you applied to external scholarships on their website. They are private so tuition is around 75,000-80,000 just for the 56 units (not including any other fees/housing etc).

I was in a similar situation. I got accepted to my "Dream" location/school and only received a small amount of work study. I got into another school in my state, which I received free tuition for at least the year, and two more schools that offered me a 75% scholarship and 50% scholarship. Even with those scholarship 5-6 semesters would cost $25,000-30,000 total. To me that seemed live getting into a state school with no aid. The amount of debt (living expenses it what really gets me), depends on your comfort level. Not all programs are equal, but that has less to do with rankings and more to do with classes/electives offered (not all the same and some require more units/different electives), professors (are the teaching EBP like no NSOME for speech/language etc), networks (future jobs etc), support, size, clinic, etc. In the end the a little debt my be worth it but it may not be. Look at things that are more important other then just a name. Some name brand schools may truely be a better fit while some, despite the name, wouldn't be the right fit regardless.

Normally schools will state under financial aid section if they give merit scholarships, assistantships, in-state tuition for out of state applicants, etc. Also look at past forums/result pages. Sometimes people have listed their offers. Many times the aid is offered with/around the same time of admission, and if you're an alternate the school will usually have someone you can consult to see the likelihood to make the best decision. Also emailing/talking with past/current students to see what they were offered. Good luck!

Rankings do not matter. I just went through the application process and I am attending graduate school. Now that I am in a graduate program I realize some of the things I should have looked at that I did not put as much emphasis on. My program has both positive and aspects I wish were different based on things I now know would have facilitated my learning better. I wish I had looked at if the school makes you start clinic your first semester or if clinic begins later, class size, and electives, number and type of placements offered. I also think it is important to look at the emphasis the school has (what focus is important to the professors/college itself), the quality and type of research (are the teaching practices that are outdated or not using EBP -like using NSOME with language disorders), is their an emphasis on integrating the research with practical approaches so you know how to make the research "real," are test essay, multiple choice or some other format, is their an on-campus clinic or is it all external placements? These are some questions that I think can be more effective to contemplate when selecting a school versus some arbitrary ranking system whose criterion is not based on all aspects important to students. There are high ranking and lower ranking programs that are solid and there are higher and lower ranking schools that are lackluster. The backbone of a school is really the clinical philosophy of the professors. They will be teaching you and some may become mentors, make sure they know current research and practices in the field.  The best advice is to find one you know will make you a strong clinician and that you won't regret choosing because you picked it based on rankings alone and not fit. Good luck!

I think Long Beach's Prompt is available on their website under graduate admission. Last cycle it was to write a paragraph (no more than a page) outlining your experience. Not sure if a school changes them (they can though).

I agree with the above poster's answer. I just wanted to add that a few schools do have an intro to ASL class as a prerequisite (not a majority, but a few). So you may want to check the schools that you are interested in to see if they have any particular requirements.

Making a decision can be tough. I was going to suggest that if you have not already, you could contact Dr. Ricketts and ask him the likelihood (how many students with funding would have to decline before you are offered funding) and if you were offered funding what amount you could expect (25% vs 50% etc). Maybe having more concrete facts about funding at Vandy would help a little more with the decision making process. Good luck.

Hey BeckSLPplease, I am sorry about that. This process is so nerve-racking and some schools take so long. If I was in that situation I would most likely secure a spot in my next top choice (hopefully no or only a small deposit would be required), and then notify them immediately if I was offered a seat in the LB cohort. You could also ask for an extension to your next top choice and explain the situation. Maybe you can contact someone in the CD department at Long Beach and ask them more details about the process ( ex. Will it take that long for everyone to find out about their admission decision? Are you able to get an update on your admission status?). At one of the universities I applied to the original deadline was. Jan and then they extended it (after I already rushed to submit everything) to Feb 1st. I thought I'd have to wait longer for a decision too. But that was not the case. They notified people in waves. So maybe calling LB for clarification would help. Good luck! I hope you hear some good news sooner.

The CSDCAS system can be confusing. Maybe you can call/email Pitt's admission office to double check (I know you are short on time since 12/15 is tomorrow)? I would error on the side of safety and do what the university states though. Especially if this school is one you really want to possibly attend. I would not want a school to have a reason not look at my app after all the hard work that is put into it. Good luck.