Jolie717

Not where I am! ? Edited to add: I'm in LA

I think the rules vary from state to state. Many SLPs frown on this, but in California if you have your bachelor's in CD, and are in the process of applying for your master's, you can work with a credential waiver. Here they pay anywhere from $26-35 per hour.

For your first question, I believe you have access to the GRE scores for five years (or at least this is when many programs make you retake it as they have a five year limit). That said, if you save your scores as a pdf I believe some programs will accept them even later. (But I'm guessing you are not needing them to be available that long anyway). Unfortunately you cannot pick and choose your "best scores," as it's all or none for all three sections. As far as your third question, I worry that you may not have anything specific that makes you stand out from the crowd, which is particularly important when you have worries about grades or GRE scores. Try to find something that will help you accomplish this that can be also be used as related experience in your SOP (and perhaps lead to a stellar letter of rec). (Speaking of which, do you have professors who you think are willing to write your letters? That is also very important). Some ideas include research, experience in a foreign country this summer as a volunteer, becoming a literacy coach (lots of public libraries coordinate this for adults, and you can find programs for kids as well), volunteering/working in a hospital helping with newborn hearing screenings, and the list goes on. I personally would try to pick at least two new "experiences" to boost your application. And if you can only pick one, pick one that is very uncommon amongst your peers. It will definitely help you to get noticed!

I would say the low applicant pool has more to do with the general shortage of PhD SLPs. As far as relying on ASHA EdFind - don't. Much of the info is outdated and inaccurate. Just call the CD programs / departments. They won't remember your name - don't be scared! As far as reaching out to prospective professors, I highly recommend you do so in the summer, and not the fall, when you will be busy with applications (and school).

I looked into some of the combo programs - my advice to you is to start your research very early. Do you know what area of emphasis you are interested in? Start examining the programs and their faculty to see which might be the best fit. Definitely reach out and speak to these professors. (I suggest you read and become familiar with their work first, of course). The programs I looked at were all at very competitive universities - I would imagine PhD programs are still very competitive but you should contact the departments to find out the exact statistics.

Yes it is true. However, there are plenty of programs that do not use CSDCAS!

I saw this too late to give an early opinion, but if cost is the same, I would choose UW. You have unique bilingual experience there already that would make you stand out from the crowd. I see no reason for a specialty bilingual track, given the previous exposure you have.

It really depends on each individual school. For UW for example, it appears the credit load is about the same as my undergrad school - but it is the quarter system vs. my undergrad semester system.

I was wondering - when you (and everyone, please chime in) have discussed opinions about the importance of schools' ranking with other SLPs, have any of them come from top-ranked programs? (Preferably half of them, for a good representation, with several in medicine). I do understand that we as SLPs are fortunate enough to be in a position where we will all likely be employed very quickly. However, for those of us (the 10% or less) who wish to go into MedSLP, the answer may not be quite so simple. Especially those of us who want to specialize in a specific area of medicine, thus decreasing the job opportunities even further. One of my profs, who attended a top ten grad school, told a classmate they would be crazy to turn down UW unless it was for financial reasons. I can't keep that from playing in my head, over and over, and it is driving me nuts! Anyone???

Huh, not sure how I missed your post the first time around. But yes, as you stated, PhD programs are a different beast. There is a much smaller applicant pool, and the selection and interview process gives a more intimate look at the applicant. This is necessary for both the student and the advisor, due to how closely they work together and the years (and $$$) committed to earning the degree. Many of us here after completing our "short professional program" are planning to pursue PhDs. I disagree, however, that race or gender *needs* to be mentioned on the application in most instances. And the SOP is where we reveal our background and history, not the boxes you check for your race and gender. I was a working parent and supported my family throughout my undergrad, and yet my race and gender were not mentioned once in my SOP. In fact, I would be willing to bet if my name were omitted, most readers would assume I was the opposite gender. Letters of recommendation can also reveal a lot about an individual without disclosing race or age, for example. Gender would be difficult to eliminate, for obvious reasons. An exception to the rule as far as including identifiers, for me, would arise if a specific race or gender (or age, etc) had been historically underrepresented by an educational program or programs. This is a very contentious topic however, probably best debated in another thread. You stated: "Of course, a committee can use this information "for evil" and discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, etc. However, I take the less fatalistic approach of believing that we can train ourselves to recognize conscious and unconscious bias and make fair decisions." I guess I must take the more fatalistic approach. Here is some light reading about bias in the admissions process, and GRE. I think it gets even worse when you examine bias in hiring and the workplace. But again, a topic for another thread, or another forum perhaps. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/06/new-book-reveals-how-elite-phd-admissions-committees-review-candidates http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-harberson-asian-american-admission-rates-20150609-story.html http://aspiringdocsdiaries.org/bias-in-the-medical-school-admissions-process/ http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/11/07/gre-bias

I had a professor visibly cringe when I mentioned the program once. Then followed up by saying some of their students don't do well in our grad program. That said, I wonder if Cal states are looked down upon similarly by all of the bigger universities with research, etc. since the only Cal PhD program is SDSU.

Ok - as a wife and mom, I realize I am not a "typical" grad student. That said, for those of you out there that are similar to me who are relocating, how are you navigativing housing wait lists? Is it best to find an off-campus place, plop down a deposit, and then lose it if you finally get a housing offer late in the game? Do off-campus places penalize even further if you drop them, like if they can't re-lease soon enough? This is all new to me - so please forgive me! I talked to the housing dept at one of my schools yesterday, and they said they don't give out housing until August!!! And classes start in late Sept. But still, that is SO late, as far as planning an out-of-state move, etc..

I don't have concrete experience here, but I would imagine that an unranked waitlist gives the program more flexibility in who they choose and greater odds that the person might accept. I think the administrators want the whole admissions process finished quickly just as much as we do! So let's say somebody backs out only one month before classes start. Do you think they would have greater success in filling a spot by picking an applicant that currently lives in the area, or one who resides on the opposite coast? We can also imagine that some of their wait listed applicants have expressed continued interest well after the first round was picked. Let's assume some of them say *this* school is their first choice school. Do they go through the headache of admitting one student on a ranked waitlist after another, only to have them decline? I'm guessing not. Honestly all of the people on an SLP program waitlist are likely just as qualified and just as deserving of a spot as the next person on the wait list.

This is likely a silly question, but what is the difference between placements, internships, and externships???

Thanks for all the info! So your concern as far as cohort size is that it seems large? (In my current program it isn't unusual to have 50 in a class and sometimes 60). As far as cohort size, are you more concerned with classroom learning or getting placements? Also did you get any insight about off campus housing and areas to live in that are nice and within a decent commuting distance? I can't remember if you were planning to live on or off campus now... Thx again!

For length, I would keep it short and sweet - a page or less. Briefly recount what it is about their program that resonates with you and why. Include any new information that might further your application - don't tell them what they already know from having reviewed your initial application. Definitely make mention of any additional funding you may have received such as grants or scholarships that can be used at this institution. Any unique and exciting SLP-related experiences should be mentioned. Any insight gained from reading a particular professor's work at the university (especially if you are interested in research) should also be noted. I personally would wait until after the April 15th deadline as I'm guessing all of the programs are still trying to recover from the admissions process themselves! Best of luck to you - if I were on an admissions committee I would be impressed by an individual who reaffirms their interest, and would consider them a go-getter, not pushy or entitled at all!

Weeellllll, not quite 70 degrees all the time, otherwise I'd be happier!!! We didn't really have a winter here at all this year. I guess it depends on the specific CA school the OP is referring to. CSUN is often 100+ by late spring and definitely 100+ through the summer - it is a dry heat though compared to some other areas in LA. Out of the Cal States I would imagine SDSU and SFSU would have the nicest overal weather. More seasons in SF of course.

How is the weather in the area you live in now and how does it compare to the areas you are considering? My knee jerk reaction is to tell you to choose California, since you already seem certain you will be affected by the weather. I personally am overjoyed when it is cloudy and overcast here in LA - and I love the rain too, so I am a bit of an oddball here I suppose.

Interesting - now I'll have to bug my attorney sister to see what she thinks. I never thought twice about pantsuits in interview situations! But I have to add that I find such bias insulting, to say the least. Thankfully my last interview was via Skype...

Cal State Northridge also accepts the MAT test in place of GREs. I think Loma Linda in CA also does not require GREs.

Really? What field? That sounds refreshingly different, lol.

I seem to remember someone saying Boulder only gave out one WRPG - but you should definitely call each CD Dept and ask. It's best not to rely on the forums or ASHA Edfind as info may be outdated. As far as UW Seattle, they only offer the WRPG to the Core SLP students - not Med SLP. I believe all of the programs you listed are very competitive, for what it's worth. It's great that you are researching early - make sure to research funding opportunities as well! I wish I had done more of that! ?

One of the SLPs at my hospital mentioned that CSULB never even bothered to send him a rejection letter. I know I've heard that from another person, too.

I would love to hear about what you think of the UW open house! I won't be able to visit until summer, so it would be wonderful if I could get a fellow Californian's perspective on the area, as well as a fellow undergrad's perspective on their grad program. ?

I'm betting it's a mistake based on your other two schools. Fingers crossed!