sarahcd

Thank you so much everyone! This makes me feel a lot more confident in my decision

Hello! I'm not sure if this is the type of thing that is relevant to this forum, but I would love some advice from anyone who is willing to help on my grad school decision. Advice from friends, family, etc, is always nice; but everyone here knows the field and it is much more helpful to get feedback from my co-SLPs (and future SLPs!) Im not going to mentioned the names because I don't know if thats kosher (but Ill give them if Im asked!) Basically, the first schools I am considering is: Pros 1) In a big city with AWESOME clinical opportunities 2) Really great research I would be involved in 3) Very reuptable i.e. it will look great on a resume 4) Gave me a scholarship that will mean I essentially only need to pay for one year of school rather than 2! And thats not counting an RA position or finanical aid yet Cons 1) Even after my scholarship, tuition will come out to around $45,000, plus I will need to take out extra loans just for rent and stuff since I wont have time to work enough to support myself 2) Cost of living will be high Im assuming! 3) Im already in a LOT of debt from undergrad Second school Pros 1) Received a TA position; essentially my tuition will come out to around $30,000 total, if not less! 2) Since our field is so great, even if I go to this less-known school Ill still get a job and get all my CF hours in, they will just be at much less notable and competitive locations 3) Cheaper cost of living Cons 1) less known, less competitive school 2) Placements will be fine, but not really stand out, aka I wont really stand out in an applicant pool for a job I'm worried about money in a REALLY big way, but Im also worried that I'd be passing up a huge opportunity to become really competitive in the field and set myself up for success in the future! Im sure more people have this same problem, let me know how you decided! And congratulations to all acceptances!!!!

Hi everyone, Ive always been interested in becoming an ESL teacher as a part time job and I was wondering if anyone found that teaching ESL helped them develop skills they use being an SLP/ if it would contribute anything to my grad school app. It seems like the job would really help in terms of client contact with multiculturally diverse populations and experience with phonetics/dialects but I'm not sure if it'd be worth it to go through the certification and everything now before I apply to grad school in the fall, or if it wouldnt really do much for me and I should hold off until after graduation when I have more time. Thanks!

Thanks for your time everyone, this was helpful!

Looking at the cost of attending the schools we work so hard to get into, its easy to feel....nauseated. Has anyone found any schools that are less expensive than others, or are known for financial aid? Or, does anyone have a creative way they're paying their tuition, besides loans? Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone, I'm here because I just 6 months ago firmly decided on pursuing SLP. I'm currently a senior at a university in CT, a neuroscience and psychology double major. My school only has a minor in SLP and no CSD major, so its not like it would have been possible for me to switch to studying SLP exclusively. I plan on applying to grad schools in the fall (ones that dont have SLP prerequisites). Before this change I had planned on getting my PhD in Neuroscience, so I've done 3 years of undergrad research and am being published in an actual scientific journal in the fall, but I decided last winter that I wanted to work in a clinical setting with mentally disabled people in restoring functional communication, rather than work behind a bench. I'm worried I've wasted too much time on these accomplishments and havent done enough to make me stand out to an SLP grad program. My goal would be to get my MA CCC and work for a few years, then get back into research, but this time in neuroscience underpinnings of CSD related to SLP. I've been working my hardest since I made this change, and by the time I would by applying, here are the SLP qualifications I would have: GPA: 3.87 Excellent GRE score 50 observation hours in outpatient, hosptial, child and geriatric experiences 8 months volunteering with Alzheimers/Dementia patients 5-6 months volunteering with children, in a special education setting A few SLP courses: Intro to Language disorders, Phonetics, and Intro to clin. methods, in addition to all of my psych and bio courses 5 month member of autism awareness club 5 month member of american sign language club Obviously I've been working very hard to develop skills needed in this field. And even though it is less relevant, I am a very talented researcher, and I'm in 3 honor societies. My question: what more can I be doing? It looks like alot on paper but would grad schools even consider me because I havent invested enough in this field like other people have? I'm wondering if I should take a year off to do a post bacc and try to find a job working with kids or something but I really dont want to. Looking for any input! Thank you so much everyone, I appreciate it more than I can say!