bindlestiff

My program requires us to have a voice recorder for the clinic. They recommend the Sony USB Digital Voice Recorder (ICDPX333), but we can get a different one or use an app as long as it has the required features. I'm wondering if the recommendation might just be based on what the bookstore carries, so I'm looking around these school supplies threads before I commit. I hadn't thought about using a voice recorder in class. To record lectures I've used Word's notebook thing on my laptop and it works pretty well, plus it bookmarks the recording to the notes you're taking so it's easy to navigate. P.S. I got my laptop back today and it so far so good! They gutted it and replaced most of the insides so it's basically a new machine now - so relieved to have that taken care of.

That's great! It's good to hear from another grad student who'll be living there. When are you moving in, do you know? I wish there was a Facebook group or something for the residents to get introduced, but I haven't found anything like that from previous years.

Great thread, I need to look at all the planner suggestions! My favorite planner was actually one I got in Paris that was grid-lined. Changing topics- I've been wondering about technology in grad school. I'm one of the few people I know who still has a non-smart phone. Could there be any serious disadvantages to this during grad school? Another question - when I close my laptop and take it somewhere in my backpack, it shuts down completely over half of the time. I also can only use it on flat surfaces and have to be careful how I pick it up. It's been like this for months now, and I'm still using it without too much trouble. So maybe this is a dumb question, but do you guys think this will be a bigger problem in grad school? I definitely want to get it checked out again before I leave, but I don't have much hope. Also, I've heard of people getting tablets - anyone have opinions on that?

I was wondering the same thing a couple weeks ago and searched around. There was a thread on here where people were saying in many cases it depends on the school/college that department is in. This makes sense but it's obviously not true of every program. I'm still pretty curious about what makes a program "arts" vs "science." Couldn't find an answer on ASHA's website.

I second this question! Also, I've been wondering about technology in grad school. I'm one of the few people I know who still has a non-smart phone. Could there be any serious disadvantages to this during grad school? Another question - when I close my laptop and take it somewhere in my backpack, it shuts down completely over half of the time. I also can only use it on flat surfaces and have to be careful how I pick it up. It's been like this for months now, and I'm still using it without too much trouble. So maybe this is a dumb question, but do you guys think this will be a bigger problem in grad school? I definitely want to get it checked out again before I leave, but I don't have much hope. I've also heard of people getting tablets - anyone have opinions on that?

Yes, they do! It looks like students can have lunch there Monday-Friday ($5) and Wednesday dinners/Friday lunches are open to the public, plus they hold a lot of open events. La Maison also runs a blog about French films, concerts, etc. happening in Madison, and it looks like there are several French tables throughout the week. For me, coming from Kansas where hardly anyone speaks French, the Madison francophone community seems almost too good to be true! Switching topics - I've heard great things about Madison in the summer, but I won't be moving up there until late August/early September. I'm kind of bummed :/

Hey, I've some posts on here recently about Worcester that were... memorable. There was some conversation about their graduation rate: and here's some info from someone who attended an open house event:

Bonjour! I won't be studying French at Madison, but I'm going to live at la Maison Française. Are either of you familiar with it? Their website is uwfrenchhouse.org if you want to check it out. It's a language immersion residence/restaurant where Madison French speakers congregate, so I imagine I might meet you two there at some point! Madison seems to have a really strong French community, which a huge plus for me -- I want to keep/improve my French, which would usually be pretty tough during grad school. Oh, and the French House sells these great t-shirts. (Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know!)

I'm heading to Madison in August for an M.S. in speech-language pathology! My first time in Madison was two weeks ago for the program's open house, and I absolutely fell in love.

I've decided to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison! For me it was between UW-Madison and the University of Kansas, where I go now. I visited Madison two weeks ago (my first time in Wisconsin) and it was very clear that Madison is a perfect fit for me. The clinical opportunities, the faculty, the French language community – I could go on and on about why, but I don't know how interesting that'd be so I'll stop there (I'm happy to give more info if asked, though!). It's not cheap, especially compared to staying in-state at KU, but a big reason I went in-state for undergrad was so that I could go elsewhere for grad school. Moving 8 hours away is pretty terrifying, but I think it will be a wonderful adventure! I'm SO excited, honestly I can't stop thinking about it. For others posting their decisions, what was the deciding factor(s) for you? Mind saying whether you're moving and how far away?

Not sure about PSU, but I applied to UO this year. I chose it as more of a back up because I liked the program and wouldn't mind living in Oregon. Their acceptance rate according to EdFind was pretty high - over 30% - but I realize now that that's way off. Their applicant pool this year was 300+ for 25 spots. So yeah, not a good bet if you're worried about your stats.

AHHH congrats Holly!! I've been rooting for you!

Facebook group is a go! "UW-Madison SLP Class of 2017" www.facebook.com/groups/UWMadisonSLP17 Feel free to join even if you haven't made a final decision yet

University of Wisconsin-Madison UW-Madison SLP Class of 2017 www.facebook.com/groups/UWMadisonSLP17

Hi, thanks for responding! I regret not making time to talk to the other students at the open house - I had so many questions for the grad students that I didn't really end up meeting any of my potential cohort. In the time since I made this thread I've decided to live in the French House after all! I'm just committing for the first semester so that I can reevaluate and figure something else out if I need to. It's a great way to keep/improve my French - I'd really like to get back to my level of proficiency from when I studied abroad. Do you know anyone who has lived there? Should we make a Facebook group? Apparently you need two people so that there's at least one member other than the creator/admin (makes sense). I'm really excited to start meeting everyone! I wonder if we'll end up with any guys, since there weren't any at the open house.

So we're thinking the real issue is your qualification based on experiences and education. I don't think Ivy League or whatever else constitutes a "big name" matters much when it comes to SLP jobs (or at least it shouldn't). But to me, it doesn't make sense to talk about highly ranked programs and "big-name" universities as if they're one in the same. SLP grad school rankings reflect the quality of a specific program much more than the prestige of the university does. After all, those rankings aren't arbitrary. Chances are you're going to get a more broad, thorough education in a highly ranked program with the professors, connections, resources etc. that got it that rank, than you would in a lower ranked program. I think it's realistic that an employer would look at where a job candidate went to grad school and, seeing a well-respected/high-ranked program, make some assumptions about the quality of the education they received. Of course, a smart employer would go on to look at the rest of the application/candidate, and wouldn't throw someone out for not going to a school they recognized. To answer your question ba23 – You can find out about placements by researching the program, which mostly means looking at their website. Most schools list (at least partially) the outplacements that are available to their grad students.

I have also been thinking about this a lot. I know you have to get X amount of hours across X areas to get certified. But it seems like just meeting those requirements wouldn't be enough to get you a job in a medical setting where you'll be providing critical services to a large variety of clients. For instance, would someone with little experience with swallowing disorders really be in the running for those jobs? I seriously doubt it. I'd like to hear other people's opinions, though!

Is this an ASHA accredited program that prepares you to get your certification as an SLP? If not, I'd say you definitely won't be qualified to work in a medical setting.

I've always wondered about what happens if you accept admission and then back out -- I figured it was something bad, but I never actually did any research on it. Now that I think about it these kind of situations must mean that people backing out does happen fairly often (as has already been said). So is it standard to pay a deposit when you accept? Sorry if that's a stupid question. In my defense, it's been four years since I last accepted admission to a university!

Feeling pretty lonely over here... come on guys! Nobody else is even thinking about going to UW-Madison?

I've also been wondering about long-distance. Since we met I've lived in the same town with my boyfriend of two years. I studied abroad a couple summers ago, and although I didn't have much trouble with it (probably because I had so much going on), my boyfriend was pretty unhappy with me being gone. Sorry if this is too much information! Does anyone have experience with long-distance relationships? What works and what doesn't?

Just got rejected from UO by email! But I had already ruled out going there - I'm almost positive I'll go to UW-Madison. I hope those of you whose first choice is UO got accepted!

I know a lot of you guys are from Wisconsin - does anyone have some insight into how current politics are going to affect the grad programs in the UW system? I've heard a lot about funding cuts, but I don't really know what that means for me as a prospective grad student.

I recently attended an open house at UW-Madison and the department (of communication sciences and disorders) briefly addressed the funding cuts issue. The department chair said that they understood that many of us would be concerned, but that they wanted to reassure us that the cuts wouldn't affect us as graduate students. He said they'd make sure that any funding cuts would come from elsewhere... the lack of specifics adds to my worries, but I guess he wouldn't announce that their salaries (or whatever) were being cut during an open house presentation. It was good to hear, but I'm still anxious about it. However, I am currently a student at the University of Kansas in Brownbackistan, where the governor is in full-out war with public education. So I think that for me, UW is the lesser of two evils. I'd still really like to hear some other opinions on the situation at UW, though.