Missthang

I feel like we're leaning more to just staying as is. Gas is still cheaper than rent like you said.

I'm not sure about that (I'm in Texas). I have a few friends planning on doing SLPA for a year until next admission cycle and were told that it'll basically take them this whole summer to get their license and then to find a job. Our school has a faculty member who is in charge of the SLPA program, so that's where we've picked up on the info from (as a fall back for anyone who doesn't get into grad school). If your school has someone who was previously an SLPA or possibly works with someone who is, maybe you can contact them to see what all is needed. Another suggestion would be to call your state's dept that issues the licenses and get a specific timeline of what all is needed and how to go about that process. Or... if you find a company that hires SLPAs, they may be willing to help you through that process. At TSHA there were several home health agencies there who said they were willing to help you get the hours in to obtain your license (however, you're not paid for any of it until you're actually licensed and working). Hope this helps!

Definitely start NOW! Make it extremly easy on your LOR writers. They shouldn't have to do any work of asking you for things. I asked around this time last year in an email if I could setup an appointment to meet and discuss grad programs I was looking at applying to and also if they were willing to write me a letter. I did 3 COMD professors all with different areas of focus. They all knew I attended class and participated regularly, I had an A or A-, and they each had very different personalities (one is VERY blunt so I was a little unsure about hers but I believe she actually wrote me the best one because the readers see that she's honest about my abilities and wasn't just trying to say nice things to "fluff" my letter). When I went, I had a packet with the schools I was looking at, their requirements (if it was a form I already had it printed, if it was written then I had the directions of who to address it to, had envelope and stamp ready and any other specific instructions about seals/signatures, etc...). I also included an unofficial transcript and hilighted COMD courses and of course their class so they could remember the grade I got and when I took it if it wasn't that semester or the previous one. I also threw in my resume, a document of all of my volunteer work since high school and a summary of what I was planning on writing for my personal statement so they could learn about me outside of school, my interests, and why I was interested in continuing on to grad school. I had a few friends who actually laughed at me for starting sooo early, yet they were the ones who either asked right before Christmas and were turned away because the professors were already overloaded with everyone else's requests or there were also a couple whose LOR writers ran out of time and didn't get them sent off by the deadline. Don't be a procrastinator!! lol

I'm still trying to decide if I want to move (or more like if I can financially). My fiance and I discussed moving half way between my house and school, so he wouldn't have to drive too terribly far and I would be considerably closer. I've been accepted to my current university's grad program, which is about 40 miles from my house. Downtown traffic can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours (1.5 hrs going home today bc of 1 bad wreck... yuck).

I agree that it really depends on which program you're referring to. I'm friends with several of my program's 1st and 2nd year grads and they all say it depends on the semester and the class/professor you're taking. Some professors have tests that are basically all essay format and other's are not (thank God!). In our program, full time students will take 4 classes in Fall and 4 in Spring of first year along with clients. It seems to be pretty 50/50 on prepping for clients, doing paperwork, meetings, etc. and then studying, group projects, research, attending class etc. You could always contact the program manager of schools you're interested in and have them connect you with a grad student to really get a feel for what it's like to be a student there.

Oh that's true about probably getting the call because you sent a specific email. I knew something was fishy when I rejected the first time and within 24 hours was suddenly accepted lol

No lie... the day after I received my acceptance letter, I went to office depot and bought one of those awesome, collapsible rolling carts to throw binders, materials, files, whatever in! I've already been using it to carry stuff around for NSSLHA events. It's fabulous for keeping things in and secure so they don't get smashed around in your backpack!

Look into the need for SLPAs and requirements to be one in your state. I know Texas uses them in schools and home health. If there's a demand for them where you're at then I say go for it! It'll only give you more hands on experience in the end.

Oh and I didn't get a phone call like you... Just the "oopsy" email. I have a friend who this same thing happened to and it has been her only "acceptance" so far, but now it's no longer true. So disgusted.

This same thing happened to me. I received a wait list email and I replied to it saying to withdraw my application. They replied saying thank you for letting us know. Then the next day (should've seen the irony when I got this one on April Fools day) got an acceptance email. I replied again saying to withdraw my application. Well I just got a 3rd email which basically said I shouldn't have received either of those and was actually rejected this whole time... umm how hard is it to send correct emails to people?! I'm glad I wasn't actually banking on going to school there (accepted at current university, top choice! hallelujah!) but I just can't get over the fact of how this even happens. How does a program send 2 different decisions to a person who was originally rejected this whole time? I feel terrible for those who actually believe they were accepted or waitlisted and will now realize it was false hope... I'm very personal with my program's manager and she told us that they purposely took 2 extra days just so they could send EVERY applicant a letter by post to not have any issues like this and that there wouldn't be any one waiting for long periods only to hear they were rejected like most schools do (which is super annoying waiting around just for a rejection!).

So I received an email Monday night and was told I was on the waitlist. I replied and said to withdraw my application b/c I've already accepted a position. Received an email back saying thank you for letting them know. Well then Tuesday night I get another email that I've been accepted. I'll be emailing them and declining (again lol). I'll be honest when I got it, my heart sunk a little b/c I know how beautiful San Marcos is. It makes me a little jealous that I'm staying at my current university instead of experiencing something new. Hope this helps!

I follow SLP live journal and this question is brought up A LOT! Especially in regards to getting your license/certification for NY. From what I've seen on there, it sounds like a huge headache. From what I understand, it's fine to attend a school in a different state, graduate, then go back to your home state. Only hurdle would be you need to look at your specific state's requirement for license/certification. Each state is different on what they want, deadlines, etc... While you're still in NY, I would definitely meet up with a professor and ask them if they can give you any other advice on how they got their license. Surely an SLP you know went out of state and came back. I'm attending grad school at the school I already attend for undergrad and I've only found 1 that I know for sure stayed in state. Hope this helps!