LuxAurorae

That is such a relief to hear! Do you know if your friend from Florida is working or planning to work with kids or adults? Thanks so much!

Now that we've all heard back from schools and made our decisions, I was wondering if there is anyone who is from NY and is choosing to go to grad school out of state. If you did, are you planning to go back to NY right away or are you okay with being out of state for an additional 2 years after your program? If you chose to go, what were your reasons? I've heard horror stories about getting the tssld in NY and was hoping it was unfounded!

The galaxy tab vs the galaxy note are different in that there is no stylus for the tab. The ipad apps (notability and iannotate) aren't available on the samsung devices but there are good android apps for note taking and annotation which you can download. For the ones I mentioned, I had the ipad specifically in mind because I actually had a really hard time making the ipad a productive device before I knew about those two apps. For androids, Ezpdf is a good one for document annotation. So is adobe reader (free). Polaris office is good for Microsoft office compatibility and can be marked up too, so it's a good note taking option if you have a keyboard for your tablet. There are free options for those apps, but they're really just worth paying for to get all the features. I also use google docs a lot to take notes and everything is searchable. I'm not sure how necessary the stylus is for note taking because I managed on the ipad even without one, so even though the tab doesn't have one, you can still easily use it for note taking. I don't think it would be worth it to buy a new device, unless the display isn't sharp enough to your liking. I really like the note 10.1 (with the stylus). But even without considering the stylus, I have fewer compatibility issues than I did with the ipad. It's such a huge change. Back when I was using the ipad, I always had to first save the power points onto google drive, or some other cloud service before I could access it on my ipad. The ipad always had issues accessing files directly from my school's website. To be honest, if my mom hadn't had the ipad lying around that she wasn't using, it wouldn't have been my first choice. Actually, I had an anatomy class with lots of pictures in the power points, and half the time I couldn't see the images on the ipad. But, the ipad does have way more SLP apps. If you have a device, I don't think it's worth it to get another one yet. Play around with it and see if it'll suffice. I think productivity really depends on the kinds of apps you can find. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions!

Notability has a recording option within the app if you're interested. I love Notability! I used to type up my notes and mark up powerpoints on it too. I say "used to" only because I recently switched to another tablet, but Notability alone actually made the switch very hard.

I don't really know either. I have the same issue.

I got it already! I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I probably could have waited for grad school (you might want to if you're getting it specifically for grad school, esp with how fast technology changes), but honestly, I wanted a new tablet since the beginning of this semester and with the amount of time I spent on my old iPad, I thought it would be worth it. The nice thing about the iPad Air is that there are tons of SLP apps on it, but in the end, I wanted a tablet for better note taking. I figured that if I really want to use those SLP apps, I still have my old iPad. And if I want something for those apps in the future, hopefully I'll be making money to be able to just get an iPad then. For now, I'm going to buy a device for what I need now. I'm going to try to stay super organized and keep digital copies of my notes whenever possible. I remember going through papers from old classes and seeing so much stuff I wanted to keep but not having any space for it. Really hoping this saves paper and space! I'm excited! You can't go wrong with the iPad Air though, especially if you use notability (to take class notes and record lectures) and iannotate (for research articles, pdfs, etc) [both paid apps]...but the galaxy note has the potential to be even better because there are tons of times where trying to position things exactly on the pdf was really annoying and time consuming. The note is awesome for handwritten stuff and comes with a default note taking program. I'm not sure how good the galaxy note is for note taking compared to the iPad Air yet, but it seems like it was created specifically for that purpose...and for artists and engineers. It seems more flexible to me...if I want to draw diagrams on top of pdfs, powerpoints, etc...or if I want to just draw, I'd have that freedom. I don't really know though...this is a bit of speculation on my part since I've never really gotten to use a galaxy note. (But I've spent way too much time reading up on iPad air vs GS note!) Do you own an iPad now?

Not sure about SLP programs, but I think it would be good to get a laptop/computer if you don't have one already. (Although maybe the Surface RT can count as a laptop since it runs on windows.) As for the tablet, I'm getting a galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition I had wanted an iPad air since the moment it came out because I wasn't happy with the display on my old iPad, but when I was finally ready to commit to buying it, I found out that there was an awesome tablet for hand drawn notes / figures / annotations. It seemed like the perfect note taking device. Not sure how it actually is in terms of performance, but I'm excited to find out! I'll let you know how it goes

You are all such an impressive bunch! I wish I could play multiple instruments and speak multiple languages! My mom plays the Guzheng. (It's interesting how all Chinese words are translated phonetically based off of Mandarin..which is probably annoying for exclusively Cantonese speakers. My mom speaks Cantonese but my grandma used to speak Mandarin to me. When I first read that question, I immediately started thinking in Cantonese but had to translate to Mandarin. It's "goo-tzun" in Cantonese.) I've always wanted to be fluent in at least 3 languages. I want to learn Korean and Spanish too but it's too hard without an actual class and lately, I've had no time I feel like I won't be able to actually do it until I'm done with grad school and out working. So many ambitions and so little time! I don't think I'm interested in SLP because of music, but I do think that I might like phonetics because I like music. And I do appreciate the foundation music has given me in distinguishing sounds of a new language.

I play piano and I love, love, LOVE to sing! I've been playing for a long time, have performed at a number of places (for classical) though now I don't play that often. I tried to learn the guitar for a little and then stopped. Sometimes I'll get together with one of my friends who is also musically inclined and we'll record songs. My mom also plays an instrument...she plays one of those traditional Chinese instruments and she used to win competitions and stuff. I'm sort of bilingual. Haha. My vocabulary is really lacking, and I'm definitely not as good as I was before, but I used to think in Chinese as a child. Throw me back in my home city/country for a month and I should be able to regain fluency to the level of an almost native in the language I think it would be soo much fun to incorporate music into therapy xD. Have you heard of MIT (Melodic Intonation Therapy)? It's used for aphasia patients and makes use of the still intact right hemisphere (prosody). I'd imagine that beyond just very basic tones and general rhythm, it might be hard to use music with someone with less of a music background because they wouldn't be able to distinguish across as many different tones. I wonder if such studies would be more effective on those with musical training or greater musical exposure.

Hey. I'm super excited about MGH. But I'm in a bit of a dreamschool vs cheap local program dilemma. The local program is well respected within the city, but obviously, I wouldn't have access to all the awesome medical placements I would from MGH, though I would still have a guaranteed hospital placement. There is also the extra cost of moving to another city and the fact that I would have to leave my bf for at least 2 years, probably 3 (including the CF because a medical cf in my state seems doubtful). I'm still leaning heavily towards MGH though. There doesn't seem to be many GA positions available though...

I'm having the same dilemma! The local program is well respected, but it is focused on children and I want to do medical SLP. There aren't that many options for medical clinical placements here, but I may be able to do an externship at a hospital placement because I volunteered there. Of course, it wouldn't be the same extent of medical experiences, but I'd have something and I would be at around 60-80k less debt...

Hey laurenrose, I'm planning to bring a parent. I thought about it too and wondered if it'd be weird. But I think in the end, I'd want my mom to see the program. There's a possibility I'd be spending two years there after all. I think it should be fine. I actually wouldn't even have thought of it if it hadn't been mentioned, but the fact that it was specifically shows that it should be okay. I'm expecting to see other parents there too (though I'm not sure if there will be many others there). Does anyone know anything about how supportive MGH is (in terms of faculty and other students)? I don't think it'll be competitive. I talked to some of the students there and they seemed to be friends. They were friendly enough. I don't think it'll be any more competitive than the next program. I'm actually afraid of that too, but seeing so many people's concern about that from those who have been accepted makes me feel like that won't be the case. After all, we're the ones (the accepted students) that determine whether it's going to be competitive or not. And if we're having these concerns now, it seems like none of us will want that kind of environment. Hopefully. There's no point in the competition anyway...I think grad school will be tough for all of us and we'd all want to have supportive classmates. We'd get placements either way, and grades aren't as important as our experiences...which we'll get. I know that MGH has a medical reputation to it, but I feel like that, in part, has to do with this forum that I started asking specifically about the medical aspects of the program. Keep in mind that MGH has other specialty tracks. I'm interested in medical speech which is why I'm drawn to this program, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't have other things that draw other types of students to them. Medical slp is just one aspect of the program. Took this from the website. They have these specialty tracks too Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders Medical Speech-Language Pathology Reading Disorders Voice Disorders I think MGH offers a lot. If you have a particular interest in any of these tracks, there's value in going to MGH also. Also, I've heard time and time again that it isn't as medical as people make it out to be. They're more balanced than that. Going for medical slp, you have to keep that in mind too. I've heard there's a lot of focus on literacy in the first year.

Hey, I'm not too sure about the literacy focus at MGH either. I guess I really don't mind but I also prefer adult neurogenic, voice and fluency over literacy. I have a very strong interest in medical slp, but I don't want to rule out pediatrics yet. ...Back to square one. I really like the actual courses offered at NYMC - they seem to be heavy on the medical stuff and their classes are very practical in terms of management of patients, use of instrumentation, and applications but they don't offer any clinical sites at any general hospitals. MGH seems to have a greater balance (which is good in that I'll get to see some of the school stuff too) but actually I feel like I might be better prepared for medical at NYMC. But at the same time, I don't want to rule out the school setting if I do end up having an interest in it. What if I go to such a medically focused program only to find out that I'd prefer the school setting (Although, at this point, I think I'm about 80% sure about medical speech). I've heard that NYMC students might have trouble finding school work (i don't know how true this is since I heard this second hand). But since medical slp is so hard to get into, I feel like I need really great placements and good classes. MGH can offer those placements but maybe not as many of the classes... I think for me, what it's now coming down to is whether the classes are more important to me or the placements...and of those, which is more important in terms of getting hired. I think I'd have less of a hard time choosing if I had more balanced preferences.

I don't know but they'll probably provide more information during the accepted student's open house. BTW, something I thought I should mention in case people are reading this and not actually posting...While MGH does have great affiliations, many of those affiliations can also be found in other Boston schools. It's not that those affiliations are exclusive to MGH, in case you guys are getting the wrong idea. Also, MGH is not as medically focused as many might think but they offer a specialty track in medical slp. Just like they offer specialty tracks in voice, autism, among others.

Hey, thanks a bunch! I also found something about interstate reciprocity. There was apparently an existing post about it already. Sorry! Here's the link if any of you are interested.

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if anyone else is in a similar scenario. Are any of you planning to move away for grad school and then look for a job in New York? Do you know what the situation is with the TSSLD certification if you didn't do a program in NY? I know that most slp programs in NY incorporate the TSSLD certification into their program. What if you're going to a program somewhere else? Is the TSSLD hard to get afterwards, once you're done with your CCC-s? Can you try to get the TSSLD while you're at another state during grad school? I would like to have the option of working at schools, but I've heard that it can take quite awhile to get the TSSLD if you don't originally do it right off the bat with your grad school...

That's true, and you're estimation is really accurate actually. That'd be the kind of difference I'm talking about. But I'm not sure if I can even get a hospital job going to a local program. The job prospects for medical slp aren't as great as it is for school settings. I think it would depend on the placements I get while I'm in grad schools which may depend on the program that I'm in. Hospital placements are notoriously difficult to get. The other option is NYMC which would end up costing less than MGH because of living expenses.

Haha I'm excited to meet all of you! It'll be like a game trying to figure you guys out. Maybe we can all wear headbands or something. Or wear red/blue/ any specific color accessories. Something that won't be strange or super obvious to other people. @AMKersh hearing you talk about how you missed boston and missed the chance to strengthen/establish ties makes me just the tiniest bit hesitant about leaving New York. I bet that's what I'll be feeling like once I'm gone. Still, I think I'm pretty sure about mgh at this point. It doesn't feel real though! I can't imagine not being here in 5-6 months. @the flipfloppers- ladyinwaitng23 and shuca...how about a pros and cons list? Isn't it nice to have choices though? Lol right before I was invited to my first interview, I was reading through old forums about how people weren't being accepted even with perfect scores and tons of experience...I was convinced I was going to get rejected everywhere. I was already thinking about what my family would say...I had left PT school for SLP. I already had a year's worth of volunteering, observations and research planned for if I couldn't make it this year. And actually...I almost didn't even apply to any of the boston programs (particularly mgh) because I thought no one would take me! So glad I got my application in.

Hi all! So nice to hear from people in the same dilemma as me, and I get the feeling I'll be seeing some of you at mgh! I'm about 95% sure now too. After telling people the pros and cons for different school, it's clear to me that mgh is still my first choice. It's been my first choice since I applied. I'm sorry if I unfairly convinced you guys to go to mgh if you were planning to go somewhere else. Keep in mind that my responses are bias cuz I've wanted to go to mgh since I heard about it. It was just the cost of the program that started scaring me. And the fact that the people at emerson were just so awesome- it was almost like I was looking for more of a reason to go to emerson because of how much I liked the environment there. I agree with speechb14. I've heard similar things from the students there. It's manageable if you have good time management. I guess I'm also a little intimidated because I'm not sure how good my time management would be after moving to a new city! @shuca My preference for mgh over emerson is for the same reasons that AMKersh made...it's a great program but it doesn't fit as well for my interests. Especially if they have difficulty getting medical placements. @AMKersh do you prefer to stay in boston because you're already so close? Is it because you want to work in boston in the future, as opposed to New York? Mgh, like I said, has been my first choice. But it would require me to relocate and I want to work in ny someday. I'm hoping that MGH's reputation can bring me back to New York. I'm potentially giving up a ny connection I could be making at my clinical externships if I went to nymc. I'm so glad to be hearing from so many people who got accepted into mgh too! It'd be cool if we all ended up being classmates! Haha...I think after a few more posts from all of us, we'll end up convincing each other to go Will anyone be looking for roommates for apartments in boston? We can convert this topic into one about finding apartments near mgh. Haha

I don't think everyone going into MGH is into medical. I think they just get a lot of people interested or even possibly interested in medical SLP because they offer a specialty track for it and very few programs do. So, if you're not sure but you might be interested, you'd have the option of doing the medical stuff. Or you may end up preferring the school setting. Actually, between MGH and NYMC, I think MGH is more balanced and NYMC is more medical. I'm very interested in medical but I think I'd be open to school settings too...I just haven't had enough experience yet to decide 100% (even though I'm leaning very strongly towards medical at this point). It's also why I'm interested in NYMC but would be afraid of committing there because it feels like I'd have to do medical once I graduate. I haven't had much exposure to other settings so I do want to give them a chance before I commit. From what I've heard, MGH is 50/50, but they have more focus on literacy (unless you go for one of their specialty tracks). I think MGH is a good program all around. When I went to visit last time, I got to talk to some of the students and I think of the 4-5 people I met, only 1-2 were doing medical. (I was talking to them at their aphasia center though). One guy (yes guy! lol) moved all the way from Cali and his focus was on peds. But if I was less sure about medical, Id chOnse Emerson over MGH but only if Emerson was a cheaper option which it is. Because even if Emerson is known to be more peds focused, I know I'd get peds experience at MGH too and it has a stronger reputation. But at mgh youd be taking a lot of courdes that might be excessive. On the flip side, even though Emerson is/was known to be more peds focused, they get you the placements you need. Honestly, it's a tough choice though because Emerson's environment is so supportive and MGH has a really large class size. I think it'd also come down to the type of environment you'd prefer.

@lisa19 Hey, sorry if I came off offensive in any way...I mean I do think NYU is a good school, but too pricey to be worth its reputation. And I definitely know those programs you've listed since I've been living in NY. And even with exposure to that reputation, I'm more impressed by MGH's reputation at least for the SLP program. Healthcare professionals know MGH even when they are not in the SLP field, which may be helpful later. For example, it could even be something as simple as being more respected as an SLP in the hospital. Also, at least for me, I have a preference for MGH because I'm more inclined towards medical slp. Are you also interested in medical slp? Emerson has more of a pediatric reputation but in more recent years, I've heard they've expanded on adult settings and should be good for both. I really liked the environment at Emerson. I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the people at the program than I did at Emerson. I can tell they're very supportive and I've heard that they get you the types of placements that you want. But again, I want to do medical speech, and I really don't know if getting medical placements through them would be enough to make up for a non-medically focused program. I think I was interested in anything but medical speech, Emerson would easily be my first choice. The people are just so sweet and so supportive. MGH's class size was also a concern for me. I think sitting in on a class is a good idea. @lisa19 It's good that you have a sense of how the classes are at NYU. I've heard they're supportive of their students there too. That's a tough decision...because by staying in NYU you can strengthen old relationships and build new ones in NY. And like the case I made for ladyinwaiting23, if this is where you want to work, then it's a real advantage to be making these connections during grad school.

Is the overall costs of both programs around the same? Personally, I would go to MGH but I'm partial. I'm not as impressed with NYU. I've just always felt like they were overrated. I mean I'm sure that the program is good, but I don't think it's good enough to be deserving of the reputation it has and they definitely overcharge. One of the main things that drew me to MGH is that they have currently practicing clinicians at the hospital. They aren't hired purely off of their research or just for teaching. I want exposure to the newest information and I want to be a strong clinician first before a researcher. MGH's course load is definitely a bit intimidating to me. I feel like I'll be giving my life away to school. Compared to other programs, it has more credits than the usual program, but I have seen a school with more credits. NYMC's degree is 75 credits - required. Everyone follows the same track, so the program is purely medically focused, unlike MGH which is more half half. I think it's the pre-grad school jitters. I wonder if everyone who plans to attend MGH feels the same way.

Aww, sorry to hear that. But since it took so long for them to figure it out, you know it wasn't cuz they had issues with you as a person. @ladyinwaiting23 I was waitlisted pretty soon after my BU interview and when I had walked into the interview they told me I had a really strong application. I think they had issues with me as a person too! Lol I definitely learned from that interview though.

@erica yay! It's exciting to meet other people who are going to MGH. I wasn't sure about going to the info session but now I feel like I should just to meet you guys also it'd be a really good chance to confirm that that's where I should go. @ladyinwaiting23 I think you should consider where you want to work in the future. If you want to come back to boston, going to a school in boston might help you make connections there and set you up for a job in the future. Of course, that's not the only factor. Seeing as your other options are also great schools with great reputations, I'm sure you'd be able to go back if you wanted to based on the schools reputations and the placements you'd be getting at these programs. It's kind of like my dilemma with nymc and mgh. Except the program that has a great reputation also costs tons of money. (Nymc isn't cheap either...I don't think any medically focused program is, but livings costs definitely do make a difference.) Vanderbilt and San Diego state are both amazing programs! I almost applied there too but decided against it because I don't think I can realistically maintain a relationship if I had to take a plane to come back...that's really tough. You've got a lot of good choices. I think for you what it comes down to is...is the extra cost in boston worth it for the connections you'd be making in boston? Vanderbilt: +medical +Vanderbilt children's hospital + less expensive living costs - away from home city (I'm putting it as a negative assuming you want to go back to boston...if you're fine being anywhere in the country, i think it's even more of a reason to go to Vanderbilt or sds) Keep in mind that could be a major con. I've heard of people gettin there CFYs through their externships. San Diego state: + cheapest option + research -slim chances of getting into children's hospital - away from home -not medical Bu and MGH + close to home (support system...or distraction haha) +connections made in boston +Boston children's hospital -expensive I've taken out room the list what they all have: great reputations and affiliations If I ws you, I think it'd be down to bu, mgh vs Vanderbilt. Between Bu and MGH, I've always been partial to MGH though. If you stay in boston, is there anyone you currently know who you could move in with or share an apartment with? That would definitely make things easier. Haha...after doing that pros and cons list I thought maybe I should make one of my own: Nymc: +cadaver lab + course on using hospital instrumentation +cheaper cost of living + ny hospital -quality of affiliations? (I'm not sure. I know they have tons of placements all over ny, but I never got to look at an actual list because it wasn't available) MGH: ++reputation across all healthcare + NICU sim lab (I want to do infant feeding and swallowing) + more research opportunities (I'm not sure if I'd pursue a thesis though) +quality affiliations - cost of living What do you guys think? Lisa, maybe you should make a pros and cons list too if th cost is about the same for both programs, I'd personally choose mgh. I think the only real thing that's making me so hesitant is the cost.

Thanks for the replies! That was my first post ever and I was surprised by the quick responses! I think both of you are right. I would probably better off if I go to a medically focused program. That was reassuring to hear too, because I think I really do want to go but the cost of it is absolutely daunting. Lisa, will you be moving to Boston? What's your first choice? Maybe I'll see you at MGH That would be totally awesome!! I'm scared and excited too. Oh yeah...will you be going to the infosession for accepted students? I'm on the fence about it, mostly because I'm lazy and Sayjo, I almost applied to Rush actually. I backed out though. I can't be too far from new york cuz of the boyfriend...I'm told to just for the cheap program all the time, but most people aren't going for medical slp, or if they've managed to get into a hospital setting by now after going to a local school, it might be that the medical speech programs just weren't really done back then. I want to go to MGH...I've been looking up the cost of rent and it's really discouraging. Now I'm wondering if I should go to NYMC instead (I'd have to wait until mid April for a response though. I think I have a good chance there. The interview went really well.) And if I decide to wait around for NYMC then I'm cutting it really close since MGH requires a deposit by April 16th. NYMC is a medical school and it has lots of hospital placements in New York. It would be a lot cheaper to go there because for the second year, I can live at home and commute since 3 out of 5 days is at externships. I'm not sure about the quality of the placements though (like what types of hospitals), and they don't have a list of the affiliations available online. I'll probably email them to see what kind of placements they have. Ultimately, I do want to come back to New York to work at a hospital. I also want it to be a nice hospital. I think the MGH name will carry me through. I'm not sure if it would be viewed more highly than NYMC or if it'd be better to make my connections at NYMC. One of the things I realllyy liked about the NYMC program is that they had a class purely on using different medical equipment that a medical slp would use (ie. FEES) but MGH definitely tops them with their NICU sim lab! I guess the main issue now is...make my connections in New York, or hope that MGH has enough of a reputation to get me a job here. I'm about 80-90% sure about MGH...but I might change my mind if i can get to where I need to go with less debt