SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid

Backpack wise, I am going to put in a plug for Swiss Gear backpacks. My backpack is the most durable, user friendly backpack I have had. I think I paid around $70 for it, but I have had it for four years and it's still like it was the day I got it. If I remember right, Swiss Gear puts a lifetime warranty on most, if not all of their products. When I bought it I had graduate school in mind. It also has a very nice padded pocket for a laptop and plenty of room. The straps are very comfortable and make hauling heavy books doable. I'd also be interested to hear what everyone else uses or likes!

I will give some background. Before finding my way to my field (speech-language pathology), I had completed my undergraduate degree in an out-of-field major that was related (psychology and biology). I found my way to SLP through a lot of related experiences. Anyways, I had faced a lot of set backs and struggles my last few years of college. After graduating with my BS, I was dead set on pursuing SLP even though I was financially strapped. I paid out of pocked to complete a post-baccalaureate year of prerequisite courses and also for the graduate applications. I knew how large of a risk I was taking considering how competitive it is to get into master's program in this field. I was very aware that this entire year of courses could essentially go to waste if I couldn't get into a program. However, I took the risk since this is what I'm meant to do. I quite literally worked my tail off last summer so I could afford to do schooling this year. I knew that I had done everything in my power to make it happen, so I was ready to know the outcome. I was caught completely off guard when I received my first acceptance. I was working on a large group project when I saw the email pop up. I had a mini heart attack and I mentally prepared for a rejection. I was very aware of some of the extremely qualified people I was up against from interviews. To my surprise, it was an acceptance. I was in public and working on a group project so I had to do my best not to cry! I am not the crying type at all, but it was such a relief and unreal feeling. I was in a state of shock the entire day! The greatest feeling ever is knowing that your hard work has paid off. It was also a surreal feeling knowing that not only am I the only person in my family to get a 4 year degree, but I will be the first to receive a graduate degree as well. Later, I received even better news when I found out I was accepted into my top choice program. I had completely wrote the program off since I had a 5% chance of admission, but somehow I pulled it off! Moral of the story: Hard work and perseverance pay off.

Isn't sad how laminators excite us? I have a laminator that I am excited to use more too! I recently put it to use and laminated some notecards and it was fabulous. I think I am going to keep an eye out for potential therapy supplies this summer at garage sales. I know some grad students who have found some awesome games and stuff at garage sales for next to nothing!

As previous posters said, this is something that is expected. Don't feel bad about it. You have to look out for your best interests or no one else will. I had to do the same thing as you. I was first accepted to Program #1 which gave me an "ultimatum" per se (accept now or else you will lose funding), and then I was accepted to my top choice (a fraction of the cost w/ funding and a GREAT program) after the deadline. I promptly contacted Program #1 and told them I would no longer be attending. They were very understanding and had no problems. Maybe they were just more or less shocked that students would consider their program as a backup? By saying they are thinking of ways to prevent this, your rejection seems to have made them consider how they can sway qualified students, such as yourself, from choosing other programs over theirs'. I would kind of take it as a compliment, in a weird and twisted way.

Yep, MasterClinician is great! I have been completing my observation hours both on Master Clinician and in person at the campus clinic. There are some really good SLPs and a variety of disorders on Master Clinician. I forgot how much it costs, but I am pretty sure it wasn't more than $20 for a year subscription. I will probably watch some sessions for fun over the summer in preparation for grad school!

I would suggest considering programs that I applied to, maybe with the exception of SCSU (they have a pretty high average GPA and GRE for admitted students. They do cutoffs with GPA and GREs so it could be a waste of money applying there). I applied to programs in the upper midwest that look at the whole applicant. This is beneficial if you really build your resume up to offset the GPA. The schools I applied to were University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, University of Nebraska Omaha, Minot State University, Minnesota State University-Moorhead. I also chose these schools because they have a decent acceptance rate. I was/am a post-bacc student as well, so it was very important to me that they would still consider me since I was an out of field applicant in the process of completing the required classes. Minot State is also a good option since all students get in state tuition. These schools also receive markedly less amounts of applicants than many other programs in other areas of the country. Like my advisor has said: If you really want to get into graduate school, don't cheat yourself by applying to unrealistic places! I know many people who applied to only big, more competitive programs and now they have no acceptances. Even the smaller programs in the midwest can be crazy competitive, but I think they often are a good option to keep in mind.

It sounds like you may benefit from looking for somewhere else to do observations. I observed an SLP in a school setting twice weekly and I never felt like I was a burden or a distraction during therapy. The SLP actually really got me involved and let me play games, pointed out things to notice, and told me about what she was doing and why. She also encouraged me to look through all of her therapy materials and books. She even showed me IEPs and goals. It sounds like the SLP you are observing isn't the best at teaching or dealing with students. I also currently observe in my school's clinic which is nice. We have a camera system so whoever is observing can sit in the observation room and watch therapy sessions on a monitor with headphones. This way there is no possibility of disrupting the session by having observers. I had to sign a confidentiality form to do this but it is nice in that I can go and watch sessions whenever I want. Also, I learn a lot from this since professors/clinic supervisors are often in the room and some are willing to teach/tell me about what is happening during therapy. I would look into a university clinic, if possible. If you're logging observation hours for the 25 required hours, MasterClinician.org is an easy way to watch therapy sessions online at your own convenience. You'd probably have to check with your program if they accept it for the hours, but I think everywhere does since sessions are all done with certified clinicians.

That sounds like me! I had one acceptance to start out with and my other ones came from waitlists! I think it is so painful to decline admission because we put so much time and effort into each application. Congrats to you too! How exciting that must be! You made a good decision by going with the program that is cheaper and equally as good as the more costly one. I was not expecting to be taken off the waitlist at SCSU; especially since I knew there were some fiercely qualified people I was up against. I think interview day is what scared me silly when I heard everyone's stories and qualifications. I also heard all kinds of rumors almost daily since I go here which didn't help matters. Welp, they can't take back the acceptance now so I won't complain! I also think it is normal to feel some anxiety about making the big graduate school decision. It wouldn't be normal if we didn't have some worries or "what if" thoughts. The decisions we make now directly impact our future!

I am completely happy with my decision. I did a lot of research when applying to my schools so I knew from day one where I wanted to end up. The place I am going could not be better for me in terms of opportunities and funding. I was very concerned about cost and now I can sleep a little easier. However, I am weird in that I get anxious rejecting my other acceptances! I get the obnoxious thought of "what if I my top school made a mistake in accepting me and then they retract my admission?! And then I end up turning down my other acceptances and then I have nowhere to go?!" That is my very illogical thought process. Of course I know this isn't real but my imagination likes to run wild after all this graduate school stress! I also can't help but wonder if I would have a more exciting graduate school experience if I went somewhere different, but I need to keep in mind that I am there for the schooling and I can go wherever I want after I'm done. Perks of being in a field of high demand!

I will start by saying don't do what I did! I did not allow myself enough study time for the GRE and it reflected in my scores. I maybe put in around ~30 hours of studying which was not sufficient, at least for me. I knew going in that I was not a fast test taker so the time crunch would be my worst enemy. My first time taking the GRE, I scored 150 V 150 Q AW 4.0. I was also overconfident that my verbal score would be good since I have excelled in English and writing (I was a teaching assistant and had a paid job editing papers too). Before taking the GRE for the second time, I was in a serious car accident. Due to this, I once again didn't put in the time I should have to be prepared. I ended up scoring 151 V 149 Q AW 4.0. I left my scores at that and hoped the other areas on my application would outweigh my very average/low average GRE. I was lucky enough that my relevant experiences and my GPA pulled a lot of weight for me. Also, the writing section was, well...Interesting. One of my writing prompts was about deciding whether a potato chip company should switch the material of their chip bags to save money. I had to get over my bewilderment that I was writing about potato chips on the exam that is such a big factor in deciding my future.

In my experience applying, programs I applied to wanted at least 2 letter of recommendations to come from CSD faculty. Some programs don't have letter of rec specifications on their websites which is why it is important to contact them to find out. I was in a very awkward situation in the fall when I had to ask for letter of recommendations from CSD profs who had known me all but maybe 2 months at the time. Also, if yours wrote you great letters a few years ago like you say, I would think they would still remember you from then and have no problem doing it again. You can always do what I did and give them a binder of your resume, CV, grades, example of your writing, etc. so they can see what kind of a student you are/were. I did that for my two letter writers that didn't know me well and I think it helped them "get to know me" a great deal. The worst thing that could happen is they could say no.

St. Cloud State! I didn't have any expectations for getting in off the waitlist. I knew how crazy qualified the applicants were from doing group interviews so I didn't think they would pick me over some of the other really great people. I also didn't answer the phone call I got with my admission because I thought it was a junk call. Twas the best unexpected "junk call" I have received!

Thanks guys!!! I appreciate it. St. Cloud State University! I am a student at SCSU now as well. I kind of let it drop off my radar because I didn't want to get my hopes up only for a prolonged rejection! They had some crazy competition for spots this year; worse than other years from what I've heard. That is exactly why I wasn't expecting much!

I just wanted to thank all of you like-minded, neurotic, grad school obsessed students for your help and support throughout the graduate admissions process. I can tell from reading your posts that you are all extremely dedicated, well-rounded people that will make great SLPs. I was just accepted into my top choice program off the waitlist and I could not be happier! For those of you on waitlists, don't give up hope! I didn't expect to be taken off the waitlist at all. Likewise, do not let graduate committee decisions define your worth. This field is insanely competitive and it is such an unpredictable process. Think positive, happy thoughts! There's my little blurp for the day!

Okay guys, so this scenario literally just happened to me! I have committed to one program because they told me I needed to by the end of March if I wanted funding. I was on the waitlist at three other programs, but I couldn't wait around for those programs to possibly accept me as I would've lost the funding at the program I was for sure accepted to. So... I JUST RECEIVED THE CALL FROM MY FIRST CHOICE PROGRAM that I was accepted off the waitlist. It is really a no brainer that I need to accept my offer at my first choice program because it will cost me half the price of the other one, plus I will have a graduate assistantship and other possible funding, and I also really like the professors and clinic. Anyways....What do you guys think is the best way to contact the other school to tell them I will no longer be attending? Is it rude if I do it over email? Sorry for the crazy typing, I am all flustered and scatter brained. I was NOT expecting to be accepted at this program! I am proof that you should not give up on waitlists!

University of North Dakota (UND) UND Grad Speechies Class of 2017 Request to join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/357099251156283/ I didn't start it but I figured I would share in case other future UND students are lurking, although I think everyone was emailed the link by another student.

I have heard conflicting views on what is accepted for the math. For example, the institution where I am currently doing my post-bacc at will not accept my research stats as the stats requirement (even though I did intensive stats for an entire year in it, but that's a whole different tangent). Interestingly, the grad program I've been accepted at will accept it and sign off on my math requirement. I have heard it depends on the program and if they're willing to sign off on it. I would be safe and take the math course with the prefix STAT. I know on ASHA's website they say that the revised requirements specify it must come from a math department as well. There is still gray area with this as far as I can tell. If anyone else has a definitive answer, I would love to know too!

Okay guys, one week until the April 15 deadline! As a waitlist floater, I feel like the date will never get here! I am just hoping for some closure from other programs ASAP! The whole unknown factor of the waitlists make it more anxiety provoking than it was before there were any decisions. It's such a toss up. Almost to the April 15th deadline!

I did quite a bit of research in undergraduate, as I was a psychology major. Most of the research I did was behavioral pharm type stuff, but it was still very beneficial and relevant. I would definitely contact professors that you're interested in working with now. At least at my school, professors lined up research assistants for the fall semester during the spring semester. This was mainly done because RAs got credit for participating in research, so they would sign up for it when they registered for classes. Also, you may have to check with your school on whether they have any prerequisites for doing research. My school required that either a stats or research methods course be taken before students could do research. You will want to have that anyway, as it really helps you understand experimental design, data analysis, and all that good stuff that goes into research. If you want to be able to present the research at any conferences or research days, you will need to know data analysis so you can make a research poster. My school also required that students be junior or senior level standing as well. I did 3 credits worth of research each semester during my junior and senior years. This amounts to about ~9 hours of work doing research a week. However, I do not feel like I put in anywhere near that amount of work. Depending on the week, sometimes I would just run three participants for the study (1 hour each) and meet with my advisor and that would be about it. Professors will also encourage students to analyze the data to make a research poster (again, where stats/research methodology is needed) so they can present the research at conventions or research presentations days. I did this and it was a great resume builder. What was expected of me: I worked on two different research projects with two different professors, so I had different expectations from each. For my first one, I was mainly responsible for running participants for our study, which would take about an hour each. My goal was to do three a week. I also was responsible for assembling placebo pills, stocking the fridge with caffeine and non caffeine supplements, and entering data into the computer. I also helped edit our research proposal before it was submitted to the IRB for approval. Like I mentioned above, I also analyzed the data using statistical software so I was able to present it at undergraduate research day. In my other research experience, I was mainly working behind the scenes doing data analysis, literature reviews, checking data for accuracy, and helping write the manuscript that would be later submitted for publication. For this one, I took 3 credits worth of it and was expected to do 9 hours a week; however, I don't think I ever actually spent 9 hours a week on it. I met with my research advisor once a week for 1.5 hours, and she would look at what I did from the previous week and then assign what she wanted me to get done for the next week. I would definitely suggest doing research, it is really important to have the experience, especially if you plan on doing a master's thesis! I mainly did research because I knew I would need the experience in graduate school. I also did it because I wanted to build good professional relationships with my professors. Also, by getting to know my professors well I was able to get multiple teaching assistantships since they knew I was a hard worker. That was my experience anyway!

Okay, now I'm starting to wonder what is going on here. Has anyone heard anything as of late? I don't know why they would tell us that we would have a decision by the end of March when it looks like it is nearing the normal April 15 deadline. I wouldn't be so annoying about it but it's a little frustrating since they explicitly said the end of March in the email. I just want a final decision so I can move on! Lol

Someone already mentioned it above, but one secret to finding affordable programs is to look in the midwest. It baffles me how expensive programs are elsewhere. I am from the region so I am fine with being here, although I can understand others not wanting to relocate or being able to. Tuition at most of the places I applied to is half of what it would be if I left the midwest, plus many offer tuition waivers/GA positions to some students. I have a heaping amount of undergraduate debt so I am very conscious of price.

I'm on the waitlist at Minot and I would be interested in hearing more about the area as well. If I get off the waitlist I would consider accepting at Minot (very affordable and strong clinical focus!!!). I have heard from friends who have been there that it is a nice city, although it is in the middle of nowhere. There's no other cities in close proximity to Minot at all I guess. It apparently has a decent amount of shopping and dining places as well. The winters in Minot are bitter cold as well, but I don't think that would be a big adjustment for me at least. This isn't much, but it's about all I know lol.

Good question. It's not a helpful answer, but I would say it depends on the professor and your relationship with them. I have some professors who are more than willing to go the extra mile for me, whether that be writing one letter for me or 50 letters (okay, maybe a little exaggeration there). Then there are the ones who I'm not as close with where I wouldn't feel comfortable asking too much out of them. That's just me though. Two of my professors who I am very close with have done around 20 letters of recommendations each for me which includes graduate school and also jobs. They had no problem doing it for me, likely because I had done a lot of work for/with them in terms of research and teaching assistantships. I guess it kind of depends on the temperament of the professor too. I know of some professors who are reluctant to put effort into letters of recommendation... Good luck!

Thank you! I'm still in limbo with St. Cloud, as usual. I see you've made your final decision, congrats! That must be such a relief to have it set in stone where you are going! I am to the point of just wanting to know a final decision so I can be put out of my misery! Lol.

Is anyone on here who was accepted at St. Cloud declining their offer and going elsewhere? I am just looking for more information on whether or not I should even be thinking about this program anymore. I've heard some rumors about the status of spots currently open, but you never know how reliable rumors are. I feel like the ugly second choice prom date waiting to hear if I will get asked to prom or not. Lol. I am happy to be waitlisted though.