SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid

Hello all. I thought I would start a thread about something a little less stressful than most of the posts about grad schools, GPA, GREs, professors taking their sweet time on your LOR, crying over a B, etc. I find it fascinating how many people found their way to this profession. Even if there is no big "aha" moment or heart-wrenching story, it is fun to hear how people came to choose this out of the thousands of other possibilities for a career. I will start. I found my way here in a non-traditional way. I entered my undergrad not completely sure of what I wanted to do. I started college knowing these things though: 1. I loved learning about the nervous system 2. I loved psychology 3. I liked science (despite a high school teacher telling me point blank that I would never be able to succeed in a scientific discipline...I find humor in this now). And so, I decided that I wanted to pursue a BS in psychology. I figured I would decide which area of psychology I wanted to go into as I progressed. I excelled in my courses and really had a niche for the neuro part of psychology. Because of this interest, I declared a biology minor so I could take more human biology/anatomy courses to learn more about the nervous system. It was in my junior year/summer before senior year that "fate" really set in for me. I did volunteering at an inpatient rehab floor of a large hospital and loved interacting with patients and hearing why they were at the hospital. Shortly after, I had decided to complete an internship giving neuro assessments at a hospital. My internship allowed me to interact and assess people with disorders that spanned from brain damage to Huntington's to schizophrenia to aphasia. I took a particular interest in individuals with aphasia *cue inspirational music* From my time at my internship, I knew what I needed to be doing was working with people with neurogenic disorders. But how? My psychology professors steered me in the direction of neuroscience. I completed research and teaching assistantships related to neuroscience topics. Awesome, that would be the perfect career for me, right?! Wrong. I went through all the motions of applying to neuro grad schools my senior year only to find out too late that it wouldn't be a fit for me. I wanted to be a clinician of sorts. I needed interaction with clients, and not just to be on the research end of things or teaching at a university. And thus, I did not attend graduate school for neuroscience. Meanwhile, I was(still am) working at a group home with individuals with speech disorders among other disorders. I loved everything about my job, including doing speech lessons with them but never thought much of it. I thought long and hard and put all the pieces of the puzzle together which brought me to the wonderful field of speech pathology. I did my research on the profession and found out exactly what needed to be done for me to be successful. I took the post-bacc plunge fall 2014 and worked my butt off, respectively. I have never been happier with my education this far. I feel like I am learning about things that I am actually passionate and curious about. I am going into my second semester of Comm Disorders classes and applying to master's programs as I type this. I look forward to taking clinical this semester as well. Whew, long story. That was even a condensed version. Anyways...... What brought you to decide to pursue a career in Speech-Language Pathology/Communication Disorders?

Yep, I believe the EdFind shows the cumulative GPA range for students they admitted. It's also important to keep in mind that it is a range, so the range could contain outliers that make the data appear different (possibly one person that made the high end of the range be 4.0, or maybe one person who made the low end of the range be 3.2, etc. when in reality they admitted a majority of students between 3.5-3.7, for example). That being said, it's still a good tool to get a feel for who they admit when you look at it and the typical GRE range together!

From what I've been told by professors on the admission panel at a program I'm applying to: The most important part of the GRE for Speech Path is the verbal. That should be taken in consideration the most when deciding which scores to send. Also, the AW score is also looked at and carries considerable weight. The quant score is not unimportant by any means, but I was told that it is of least weight on the GRE for our field of study. Heck, one program I am applying to doesn't even look at the quant score on the GRE at all. That being said, I took the GRE twice and focused on sending the GRE that I scored the highest on Verbal and AW. Many programs are also looking for an AW score that is at least 4 and up. I wont say this is for every program, but it's kind of the consensus for a majority of programs. This is my experience with this, so take it as you wish. There are certainly exceptions for different programs but this seems to be the recurring pattern at least for all the programs I looked at and applied to.

Yep, this graduate program has had all of my materials in their possession since the end of November and has still failed to update it online. It isn't surprising that this is the same one that loses my transcripts every time too. I sure hope my application wont be thrown out because of their disorganization. I am going to keep on them every day now until the 15th. This process sure makes you appreciate the grad offices that are proactive and organized. If it weren't for them I would have lost all of my sanity by now.

It is a little embarrassing that a few of the graduate programs I'm applying to know me by name when I call. Generally speaking, the ones that do are the ones that are an organizational disaster. I have already had two transcripts get lost in transit (most likely at the grad offices) and a letter of recommendation that never arrived. Here's my long question: Has anyone else been having any issues with graduate schools who have your materials in their possession but do not update what they have on the online application? I have one school that literally has not updated a single thing they have received from me (GRE, transcripts, hard copy LOR) and my due date is January 15 for that one so I am starting to freak out. I call them weekly asking about the status of my materials and they have told me not to worry about my application materials not being posted online as "received". I find this concerning because to my understanding, if the stuff isn't complete on the application online by the application due date it wont be forwarded to the Speech Path department for review. UGH. I am going to the grad office tomorrow to drop off a third transcript since they seem to lose every transcript that is sent to them (not making a good impression). To the person above who posted about University of North Dakota and Minot State, I am also applying there and would be interested in hearing from anyone who has further info about those programs. If anyone knows anything about University of Nebraska Omaha, University of South Dakota, St. Cloud State, or Moorhead State I would be interested in hearing about those as well. Thanks!

I don't have exact citations, but from my research of graduate programs I have found that literally all, if not very close to all, programs look at the last 60 credit hours more than the cumulative GPA. I am applying to programs that are generally located in the midwest and every one of them have expressed that the last two years of study (60 credits) are most important since you should have the hang of college by then, show mastery of subject, be doing well in material directly related to your future, etc. General credits often carry less weight in admission decisions if there's a slip up in a course or two, compared to more "important" courses like Comm Disorders ones or even out of field courses that are related (ie psych, SPED, bio, etc). One person on an admission committee told me that the cumulative ranks third compared to 1. Communication Disorders GPA and 2. last 60. My other programs have also expressed this same tendency. Just my experience. Sorry for rambling.

I am most fond of my undergraduate institution. I can't compare too much, but I am currently a post-bacc student at another institution and it made me realize how wonderful my time at my undergraduate institution was. Although it was a state school "in the middle of nowhere in the upper midwest", I was able to form close relationships with professors who really went above and beyond for me. I was given research, teaching assistantships, and internships that I don't think would have been possible had I been at another institution. I had never been a person to like being involved before college, but I completely changed that in my undergrad. I give all the credit to my professors at this college for helping me find my true calling as well. With that said, I now attend a state school in a more semi-metro area and I don't care for it. The professors and students seem less personable. I am in a competitive major/program but the hostile "I am smarter than you" type mentality that is very prevalent at this school gets old. People at my other institution were competitive but this is something else. I am applying to my master's program at this program because I can save $$$ but it doesn't compare to my undergrad.

Since we're all complaining, let me express my annoyance with being required to send transcripts from universities where you've taken ONE MEASLY CLASS! I have three universities where I have taken one class from each. My wallet is in rough shape after sending a total of 5 transcripts to each place I'm applying. Man, taking courses in high school from different institutions has made my graduate application process a pain!

Ah yes, the waiting part for professors to finish submitting their references is about as bad as waiting for results. My last letter writer finally finished her letters for me today. I have to admit, I was very worried it wasn't going to get done or some catastrophe would prevent her from finishing them before the approaching due dates. Between schools not receiving my GRE, professors having issues with recommendation forms, transcript problems, and every other imaginable grad app issue, I am ready to start the waiting process! Haha

I am an out-of-fielder applying this year. My experiences aren't a direct 1:1 speech pathology correspondence but some are closely related. Some of the highlights on my CV are my neuro internship, paid APA paper editing job, three teaching assistantships, two research assistantships, volunteering at inpatient rehab, officer of an honor society, shadowed a school SLP, etc. I would also like to shadow a hospital SLP but I don't think it will be humanly possible with my intense spring semester. I am applying to mostly "less competitive" programs. I know that some of these didn't even ask for a CV, which is troubling. Most of them did, though. I asked my advisor who is on admissions for one of the programs if their program looks at extracurriculars and she had said that it's one of the last things they look at when making admission decisions after all the numbers are crunched (GRE, GPA) and applicants are rated on a scale. That's one program, but it seems like many use it as a final thing they glance at in passing, from what I've heard.

From what I have been told/seen, the ranking of importance usually goes: 1. Comm Sciences and Disorders GPA 2. Last 60 Credits GPA 3. Cumulative GPA The head of the Comm Disorders Department at the place I'm doing my post-bacc at also told me that a high Comm Disorder GPA can offset lower grades in non Comm Disorders courses. They are more interested in seeing mastery in courses that apply to the profession than in semi-related/unrelated courses. Moral of the story: Bust you butt and put the time in to get an exceptional Communication Disorders GPA.

I also have SALT 2012 and Praat installed on my Mac and they both work fine. When you initially put the SALT disc into the computer (Mac or PC) it prompts you to select which operating system you're using for the download. I switched over into the world of Macs about a year ago and I can't see myself going back to PC. I really like the simplicity of Mac's interface and the applications. I had no experience using them and I picked up on it pretty quick. It's always useful to go to a store that sells the computer you're interested in so you can get a feel for the computer before buying. That's just my two cents.

Thanks for the input! I asked the programs I'm applying to if they would look at a fourth letter and they said they likely wouldn't due to the volume of applications etc. I am hoping my CV and other materials I gave my professor helped her do the letters as well. I felt like I kind of had to take the advice of the professor who told me to get 2 CSD reccs since she is on the admissions and said their program generally looks for that. I am kind of regretting not having my other Psych professor do my letter instead of her, but it's out of my hands now so I can only hope for the best!

Hello, I know there are a lot of threads about letter of recommendations, but I am curious to know where everyone else sought out their letters. I will start by giving some context on why I ask: I am an out-of-field SLP applicant currently in my post-bacc year. I have a B.S. in psychology and a biology minor with related experiences such as research assistantships, teaching assistantships, neuropsychological assessment internship, inpatient rehab volunteer, officer of an honor society and psychology club, work with special needs populations, and more things I wont bore you with. Here is my dilemma that is starting to haunt me as application due dates near: I am applying to six programs which are friendly toward post-bacc students. While speaking with my advisor/professor, she told me I need to have at least two of my letter of recommendations from CSD faculty in order to be looked at by programs. Also, she is on the admission panel at the school I'm doing my post-bacc at so I figure she knows what she's talking about. Considering this is my first semester at this institution completing CSD coursework, this seems like a bad idea to have two professors who barely know who I am write the ever important Letter of Recommendations. My advisor/professor really likes me and offered to write one of them, so that left me with one more CSD professor to scope out. I eventually asked my Phonetics professor (who I have never really spoken to, but I got 98% in the class) if she would be comfortable writing it for me and she agreed. I have no idea how she can answer the rating forms about me considering she doesn't really know me, and this is a scary thought. I did provide my letter writers with a binder with my CV, transcript, GRE, a writing sample, personal statement etc. so they could get a better picture of who I am as well. My third letter writer was a psychology professor who wrote me an outstanding letter addressing my research, teaching, coursework, attitude, and all of that good stuff since he knew me very well. I also have another psychology professor who really wanted to write me a letter and could address me well on every level, but I declined her offer since I needed two CSD. So....Is it really a necessity that both letter writers be CSD faculty? I feel like it does an injustice to myself by having two CSD professors who barely know me rate me on every level when there are other out of field professors who can really talk me up, per se. At this point it is too late for me to change letter writers so I'm in it for the long haul. Is anyone else in this dilemma, or has anyone else been accepted to programs without 2 CSD reccs? Sorry this is so long! I hope you still have a pulse at this point. Any input is welcomed

Dr. Sollars. She said she checked on the funding they had available and it wasn't enough for another student..? I believe she told me in an email that they will have all that figured out at the latest by April 15 when their incoming class is completely finalized.

Hi, sorry if some of these have been recently asked/answered, but has anyone heard anything from University of Texas-Dallas, Texas A&M, or Rutgers Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience? These are the last schools I haven't heard a peep from or seen anything about on here. Just wondering if anyone has heard anything. Oh, and I haven't heard any kind of rejection yet, which I'm expecting from Colorado State. PS---If you've been accepted to University of Nebraska Omaha's Neuroscience program and you don't plan on going, please back out! I was all set up for an official interview there and had been in talks with the professor who was interested in me. She happened to check on the funding available only to find out they didn't have enough for me at the moment unless someone backs out. :l So here I sit on the wait list unless someone backs out.

I'm from Minnesota too! Let's just say this winter weather is ugly, simply put. If only we could cut out the winter and have spring, summer, and fall here it would be nice.

I have taken it upon myself to engage in new hobbies; like compulsively checking the acceptance/rejection page, taking naps, and catastrophizing that I will be flipping burgers to pay for a seemingly useless BS in Psychology degree the rest of my life if I don't start getting acceptances to any of my neuroscience programs.

I feel your pain(s)! I applied to 12 programs, and so far I've only gotten four rejections. The first one stung the most, but after it I feel like I've gotten more desensitized to the others. Also, it is kind of dirty when they send the rejection letters TWICE, like you didn't see it the first time. I got a duplicate rejection letter of one I received last week. Blah.

Ah, thanks for the updates! I haven't heard a peep from UC Boulder or Colorado State, so I'm assuming I'm not in good standing there or else wait listed. I did apply to the biomedical sciences at WVU, so I will keep waiting in agony! I'm starting to think I should've applied to more than 12 programs, just as a safety net, we will see though! Waiting is the worst part.

Thanks for all the tips! I had three professors that I work closely with review my personal statement, CV, and other application materials. Unfortunately, I do not have any publications under my belt yet (ouch). However, I am going to be submitting a behavioral pharmacological rat manuscript this spring for publication. In my personal statement, I mainly tried to highlight my research and neuropsych internship, which I was hoping would give me a leg up. The programs that I politely asked for ways to improve my app have just given me very generic things like "we had a very competitive pool" type answers. I think that my GRE scores have been my biggest dent in my application. I didn't do terrible, but not very good. 4 down, 8 to hear from yet! I guess I shouldn't be writing off getting into grad school just yet. Good luck and congrats to the rest of you going through this crazy thing called grad school apps! Try to keep your sanity.

It was a little awkward when one of my schools sent me a nice email last week saying how they were very interested in me and thought I was a good fit, only to get a rejection letter yesterday. In the rejection letter, they said they would be happy to forward my application to the Neuroscience department since I would be a good fit there (which is what I applied to in the first place).

I just happened to stumble upon this thread. I am currently waiting to hear back from UTD's doctoral program in Cognition and Neuroscience. I decided to apply to their program because their researchers look like they do some pretty neat stuff! I also am waiting to hear back from Texas A&M's neuro program.

Okay, good to know. I really liked UNL. Hopefully I can get a coveted wait list spot.

Hi everyone, First off let me apologize, because I have a feeling this is going to be long. I was just wondering if anyone is in the same boat as me. I applied to 12 Neuroscience Ph.D programs, and I have received only rejections (4) thus far, and no interviews. On a side note I am finishing up my B.S. in psychology with a biology minor. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect to get all kinds of acceptances, but I did have some hopes that I would get at least some interviews (or one interview?). I understand that I still have eight to hear from, but it's pretty discouraging when your top choices don't give you a second glance. Hey, even being wait listed would make me happy. I am not meaning to sound whiny or self-entitled, but it is a little frustrating when you've done everything possible to have a strong application and it gets rejected. I have a fairly high GPA, two years of research experience, two years of teaching assisting, great letters of recommendation, a neuropsychology internship, inpatient rehabilitation volunteering, EMT training, an officer for an honor society, a paid job editing APA papers, and other things that I thought would make me a strong applicant. Also, I am not applying to all top tier schools, I applied to only a few that are top tier. Anyone else feel like this? Anyhow, has anyone heard anything from West Virginia, Nebraska-Omaha, Nebraska-Lincoln, Rutgers, UT Dallas, Colorado Boulder, Colorado State, or Texas A&M? I noticed not too many people talk about these programs on here but I figured it's worth a shot. So far I've been rejected from Minnesota (sad, but not a big surprise), Emory (expected that one), Montana State (they sent me an email saying how they were "very interested" in me and asked for a few more days to finalize the decision, then rejected me yesterday), and Iowa (oh well, it was supposed to be my backup plan school). Thanks!