Greyhound111

@argslp, @ finjslp, @smrv - Thanks again for replying back to me so quickly !!! Based on what you're all saying, if SHU waits 10 days until you get the Postal Mailing confirming the acceptance phone call, it's still going to be awhile. If they have their reasons for waiting so long in the calendar, knowing that so many students are already accepted elsewhere, I'd love to know the method to their madness - either they'd be getting students accepted no where else yet, or they'd be getting students having to then decline previous acceptances to instead come to SHU ... pretty much it sounds like their 1st obligation is to their own undergraduates... which is understandable. The Good news: I did (finally) get accepted off the wait list at one of the schools I applied to. Happy times !!! The Other news: That school is furthest from my home, more costly, and needs a deposit this week; SHU is closer to home (meaning I could commute) and less costly. So I am going to send in my deposit to where I was accepted, without knowing when (or if) I'd hear back from SHU. Not sure what else I can do here. Believe it or not, having rejected me already may have been easier. Any advice for me if SHU ends up accepting me ... 2 or 3 weeks from now, after I've sent in my deposit to the other school that did accept me?

@argslp, finjslp - Congratulations and best of luck at MSU and ESU respectively (And congrats to you both on all those acceptances - well done !!!) @smrv - Are you going to attend Seton Hall? Congratulations on getting all your acceptances, it's wonderful to have so many schools to choose from !!! @avggg123, mk07157 - Same as the two of you, I am in limbo waiting to hear anything at all from SHU (I am assuming we're all on a wait list without ever being told by SHU we're on a wait list - or, more incredibly - could it be that they actually are reviewing apps in May for the 1st time, which were submitted as complete ... over three months ago?). All - For schools like SHU that notify so late in the calendar (they did this in 2013 as well) - what are expectations at this time, considering so many candidates may have already accepted offers elsewhere and left deposits?

@skinnerian11 - Apologies to revive an old thread here, but I happened to be looking for anything on ABA... and found your thread from 6 months ago. It's among the options I am considering at the moment, in part due to my circumstance and the fact that a college near my home offers the Major - along with the possibility of Fall 2014 admissions even at this late date. What ended up happening with your own situation?

@slp132 .. the $70K sounds more like an overall amount, not a per year amount. Is that correct? I did the math and it roughly comes out to what a ~ $1K per credit program would cost, when all is said and done...

I went into undergrad as a Biology major (originally I wanted to be an Orthodontist) and switched to SLP after Freshman year after Chem 101 proved far more problematic than I had originally thought... (then, I either couldn't make the switch after semester #1 or wasn't yet sure that was going to be the field for me) ... While I am still going to be able to graduate with a B.A. within the normal four years, the time I spent "catching up" went all the way through my senior year, when most of the students who started as SLP's were moving through electives and padding their overall GPA's, instead of finishing up SLP class requirements. Because of timing, I don't have my "highest" SLP GPA (which will come in May when I graduate) as when I first applied to Master's programs in late 2013. Due to the SLP class "catching-up" aspect, I feel my GRE preparation suffered (cause I was so focused on GPA) ... and my 1st attempt at the test resulted in "aggressively average" scores. Furthermore, I somewhat underestimated how competitive it is to get into a Master's program at all. I have credentials as good as other candidates out there (high GPA in my SLP major (3.8+) which will be higher still upon Graduation, volunteer / internship, the usual shadowing, part time work in the health care field outside semesters). Plan "B" is a must, as the previous posters all recommend. Especially for me, as I am not yet willing to leave the tri-state area (NY / NY / CT / PA) to get into a Master's program, my plan "A" schools list is smaller than others. Since each year moving forward in time from today is going to be more and more competitive than the previous year, there's no guarantee all of us will ever get into a Master's SLP program (but I will keep trying). The double major is a great idea (and I feel is a "must" if you are still an undergrad in freshman or sophomore year), cause there is very little anyone can do with just a B.A. in SLP and earn a living (to even be an SLPA you need 100 hours supervised field work PLUS the B.A. in NJ). I am strongly considering other Master's programs (ABA especially) to continue my education while I apply annually for an SLP Master's program as the calendar rolls ahead. I found all my SLP coursework fun in a challenging way... much better than the hard science materials involved in being a Biology or Chemistry major... Remember that when you get your B.A. in SLP, and apply to Master's, you're competing in an already hyper-competitive and selective field, with other candidates whom have been spending their year(s) after undergrad accumulating the experience that an undergrad student may not be able to accumulate (due to class load, attending school away from home, etc...) ... plus there are more and more people with Bachelor's degrees outside the SLP field getting into Master's SLP programs... combined with their field work experiences (if accumulated), those candidates would always be somewhat more attractive to admissions personnel cause they demonstrate more well-rounded-"ness" to combine with the academic achievements everyone has also.

I couldn't agree with you more, nata25, which is why we're learning from this as you and sayjo have explained and demonstrated. Don't we all want to do what's best for ourselves and those whom will benefit from our skills.

@sayjo - I am not taking it as a commentary on me personally, cause it's pretty much an backhanded indictment of thousands of SLP majors everywhere, not just on this forum. Sorry to hear about your regrets in getting the undergrad studies in teaching. Appreciate the insight, though and I do share your viewpoint actually in some ways. Good luck to you in your search as well !!! As for how things were back at the new millennium, not sure, my crew and I here were a lot younger then, worried about far more pleasant things.

Actually some of my classmates and other peers here were talking about the Grad school admissions process having become so hyper-competitive BECAUSE of all the out-of-field folks jumping into SLP the last few years. Someone (don't recall if it was in this forum elsewhere) noted to me that as recently as 2009 or 2010, Graduate admissions acceptance rates in some programs were almost double (percentage-wise) what they are in 2014. So, with a B.A. in SLP, the options are pretty limited if one does not get into Grad school after receiving their Bachelor's .. But in some other health care related fields, it's not as daunting; a B.S. / B.A. has more post-Grad employment options... For those of us not getting in anywhere, we were thinking of following a similar strategy and applying out-of-field ourselves into programs like behavioral analysis, forensic psych, heath care management, etc. and continuing our education that way; in essence, try to go where decent opportunities remain, the same as any job-seeker would. for example - since admittance into a Graduate SLP program isn't going to ever be a certainty or something that can be planned upon, for some of us out here...

@Missthang, @kuuipo ... Thanks ... Scanning the web for SLPA opportunities here in the NY/NJ area isn't revealing too many opportunities... or info ... and I can't seem to find the right details on what it takes to become an SLPA in NJ... since NJ (and NY) don't "regulate" support personnel... so even if I accumulate the 100 supervised hours the ASHA web site says I need to accompany my B.A. degree... I'm assuming I'd have to become SLPA certified in some other state that does "regulate" at that level ??

Well I guess I'll be the one to revive this thread. For starters - in NJ and NY - it appears that SLP "support personnel" (aka SLPA's) aren't regulated ... here's a link: http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/Support-Personnel-Excluding-School-Settings.pdf Not regulated means... what exactly? Based on the qualifications that ASHA lists here http://www.asha.org/policy/SP2013-00337/#sec1.6.1 it seems that the 100 hours supervised field work (combined with the B.A. degree in-hand) are the hard requirements (with demonstrating competent SLPA skills the softer requirement - unless there is some quantitative way that is assessed for the SLPA candidate). Is SLPA a worthy "plan B" for those of us potentially not getting into a Fall 2014 Masters program (plan "B" until I get into a Master's program, I meant, not as an alternative to working as a licensed SLP)? I can't imagine it would hurt one's resume. Comments more than welcome.

@Helen1234, last October, WPU broke ground for a brand new building that will house CSD programs and others. Here's the link with details: https://www.wpunj.edu/news/detail.dot?id=644abadc-c4ac-40f2-89cb-ea1ca36a7974 Some of my peers and I were talking about the various programs we're applying to, and I recalled hearing of this project, but no specifics, so I looked it up, & there it is ... I assume Graduate students would also use the new facility. It says 2016 completion, so I also assume incoming Graduate students would be able to leverage the new location in the concluding semesters of their Graduate studies, assuming a Fall 2014 start. I always love seeing universities invest in their programs like this... just makes me want to attend even more. All - Does anyone know how many spots WPU reserves for their own students in the CSD Master's program? The ASHA web site says their typical Graduate CSD class size (in a year) is 30. Seton Hall shared the info on how many spots they held "for their own" over the phone with me when I called ... (for what its worth).

@Sunshine5535 - Thanks so much for the positive words of encouragement !!! I wish I had found this board and forum a lot earlier in my (initial) application cycle cause it has been so informative, and has clearly pointed out where I may have been a bit naive about the process, timelines, expectations, and results of all this.

@Helen1234 ... Thanks so much, best of luck to you and I understand completely :-) I think the anxiety has finally run its course with me and my "rookie" expectations of timeline... Ha !!! Tomorrow, I think I am going to start working on "plan b" ... Sigh ... All happens for a reason ...

@argslp ... Thanks so much, appreciate it !! This helps the rest of us adjust expectations for a longer timeline with Kean at least.

@bailey618 - Interview or no interview, I'm assuming its safe to say those of us not receiving a postal mail indicating acceptance (or rejection) yet are in wait-list purgatory (at best). Looking at the results page here, someone posted they received an email indicating they were wait-listed... so does that mean postal mails indicate the acceptance or rejection, but wait listed applicants only get an email? Either way I am not holding my breath, considering how selective Stockton is.