vickster15

I decided to bring my parents! I've pretty much decided that MGH is where I'll be going so I think this is the best opportunity for my parents to see the school - plus, it'll hopefully help ease their worries about me moving to Boston since I'm from out of state as well!

So, I spoke with a grad professor at my school and mentioned that I was interested in medical SLP and what not. When we got talking, he said that at one point, he worked at a hospital and was responsible for hiring SLPs. He said that the most important aspect of an applicant's resume/experience was their clinical work (where they were placed, what they learned, what clients they were exposed to, etc.) He said that so many grad students freak out when they get Bs in classes but the real learning takes place in clinical experiences, so your performance there is going to be more important. Keep in mind what coursework you find more appealing, but if you are concerned about what holds more weight in the job search, this particular professor said that, in his experience, clinical work trumps coursework/grades. Hope that helps a bit

Aw boo, nothing here either! Oh well, thanks for letting me know! Good luck making your decision :)

Hi Everyone! I'm trying to decide between MGH and Emerson as well - I soooo appreciate all your input on the pros/cons of each, its super helpful! I know that Emerson would be an excellent fit for me because of the supportive atmosphere. But, I love MGH and feel like it would be sort of stupid for me not go there considering everything that MGH offers. I'm just having confidence issues - I feel like it'll be too difficult and competitive for my liking. I come from an undergrad program that went above and beyond in preparing me for graduate level work but that is LESS than supportive (i.e. telling people not to even apply to programs because they'll never get in - brutal) so I was hoping to have a different environment in graduate school. Hopefully attending MGH's Admitted Students Event will help me work through these concerns. I have a couple of questions: 1). Does anyone know when Emerson is planning on releasing their fellowship decisions? 2). For those attending MGH's Accepted Students Event: what are your thoughts on bringing parents? The invitation said that parents and others are welcome and my parents really want to come see the school, but I don't want to come across as unprofessional. I feel like a jerk telling my parents not to come but I just don't know, what do you think?

http://www.emerson.edu/academics/courses#graduate If that link doesn't work just go to the Comm Dis homepage and click on the "Curriculum" link and under the Overview there's a link to "Graduate Course Catalogs"

I actually checked out Emerson's Grad Course Catalog a few weeks ago and this is what it says: "A student must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA to graduate. In addition, no course in which a B- is earned may be credited toward any degree. A student who receives below B- in coursework totaling 8 credits is automatically withdrawn from the graduate program." So, there's that. One thing that really stuck out for me was that the grad student said she felt like she had a lot of support from the faculty and her supervisor. It was really reassuring to hear that because up until that point, the environment felt SO competitive that I thought everyone would sort of have to fend for themselves.

Ah - I wish I knew! I just think that it is a way for the program to really stand out. I spoke with a student during the Open House I went to and it does appear that the program is very intensive but I doubt you'll find a grad program that isn't! Plus there is the option of not having a concentration, so that is a few less credits (this is something I'm thinking about, although I really want a concentration in Medical SLP). Its so much to digest! Hopefully the admitted students event will help answer our questions

I'm in the same boat as all of you! While money is always a concern, I've accepted that I'm going to have to take out loans so I figured I'd just choose the program that's a better fit for me. I've loved MGH since the moment I visited the website, then went to an open house and was in awe. What I love most is that the faculty are still very involved in the field, so the information they are providing us is the newest, most reliable information. The prestige, clinical placements, and location are all huge bonuses too! What concerns me is that the program requires so many more credits than Emerson - I just wonder if it'll be too much to handle? But, I do agree that the more classes you take and the more clinical experience you have, the more negotiating you can do in regards to salary. When I interviewed at Emerson, my favorite part of the program was the atmosphere. I wasn't intimidated at all ( I totally am when I think of MGH) and felt like I would have unconditional support from fellow students and the professors. That being said, I think this is the only aspect of the program that I prefer to MGH. Are you going to either of the admitted student events?!