neucool

I don't know much about the public schools, but I applied to MGH, BU and Emerson and will attend Emerson in the fall- what kinds of things are you wondering? They're definitely not cheap... If you're open to not living in Boston itself, I'd definitely encourage looking at the public schools with both lower tuition AND cost of living.

Another possibility (what I'm doing, at least) is subletting for a month or two (summer is ideal for this) and finding an apartment once you move to the new city. This works for me since I'm a college grad and have very little stuff to take, so someone with a lot of stuff and a harder move might not want to technically "move" twice.

Wow do not worry! I didn't figure out I wanted to do SLP until my junior year of college. I'm also at a liberal arts school, no CSD major offered, although I'm in a relevant field. I think my varied academic experiences made me a great applicant for grad school! You've really gotta sell your liberal arts degree. Don't see it as a disadvantage- really, it's not! In fact, it's many people with undergrad majors in CSD who then do not get into grad school for a year or two that are at more of a disadvantage. There are multiple paths you can take. One is a postpac, which is somewhat expensive, BUT if you chose an undergrad that saved you $$ it won't be that big of a difference. Another is a 3 year program where you take the leveling year (these can be more expensive because you can't take the cheapest prereqs, such online at USU). Another is programs that are 2 year but have spots for out of fielders, and you complete the pre-reqs the summer before starting. This is what I'm doing- I'll only graduate a summer after the in-field people in my cohort, and that last summer is just a placement without classes (because out-of-fielders are matched with in-fielders in classes, just start clinic one semester later). Don't doubt your college choice so soon- you're spending four years there, go somewhere that is a great fit, even if you don't end up with a CSD degree. Seriously.

I would get back in contact with them and ask if they'd update the letter with some new information (what you've done for the past three years, how you see it connected to the work you did as their student, etc). Most professors would be more than happy to do so, updating an old letter is way less work than writing a whole new one. That said, like others have mentioned, schools differ. Some want at least one faculty recommendation. The faculty recommendation doesn't always have to be CSD though (I came from out of field and had two of my non-CSD professors write letters, as well as a past employer).

No I think probably just did it at a different time- I actually calculated based on this years credit cost (I hadn't seen the new ones) assuming that both schools I was comparing would raise their per unit costs and just knowing that it would be a few thousand more. So, my original total was 61k, giving me a cost of 33k- now it'll be a bout 3000 higher. But then, with work-study monies going towards tuition, it'll be about 30k in loans for tuition I suppose. And Kate- yep, cost of living in Boston is ridiculous, so that's something else to keep in mind when figuring out aid, lol. I'm sure I'll end up with more total loans than someone who got no aid in certain places. COL is an important factor.

I was offered $28,000 total by Emerson and ~$60,000 total by MGH, making their total prices ~30k and ~20k total respectively. Both offer opportunities for work-study type employment (either research or other work) for a few hours a week as well.

If you really want some experience, working at a camp this summer would probably be the easiest option (and a lot of fun, in my experience). A camp for kids with any sort of disability would give you strong experience, but even working with typical kids will boost your resume. But if it's going to come at the expense of your school work, just focus on that. Keeping your GPA up is more important.

"Dream jobs" are kind of a myth / pernicious construct imo. If SLP will leave you content at the end of the day and not dreading going to work in the morning, it's probably worth it. If the loan payments will severely impact your life, maybe look for a different route... but if you think you can live a comfortable life on 20-30k a year while you pay off loans for a few years, then it's worth it.

To be fair, I don't have any undergrad debt, so I'm in a slightly different position. But I don't see myself taking 20 years to pay 60k in loans, maybe because I'm young and used to living somewhat lean, but I definitely see myself paying them off in 5-7 years. If you do think it'll take 10+ years, you can look at public service loan forgiveness programs that have income-based repayment schedules and then forgive the rest of the debt after 10 years working for a non-profit (so, most schools for example).

But in all seriousness, loans. I've accepted an offer at a private college that offered me a good-sized fellowship, but I'm taking out loans to cover the rest of tuition and the cost of living (high). I think most SLP grad students take out loans, with at least a lot of confidence that we'll have a job right out of grad school. That makes it a little easier for me, at least, since the fear of not being able to pay back the loan is assuaged by the promise of steady future employment.

~loans~

I know people who are planning on applying to grad school in 1-2 years who have reached out to professors and basically asked if it is OK for them to get back in contact and ask for letters in the future, and they've all been open to that. So at least they know and it won't come totally out of the blue. I go to a small liberal arts school though, so our faculty-student relationships are probably pretty different

I narrowed my choices to Emerson and MGH, and today made the final decision to go with Emerson! It ended up being about fit and feel. I never felt anything less than welcomed at Emerson, I am excited about their pediatric opportunities, their small class sizes (cohort of 40 split into two groups) is appealing to me, I'll have research opportunities but a solid clinical education, and it's right in the middle of Boston. It's about four hours from where I am now (in undergrad in NY) but I'm originally from the west coast to I'm still far from 'home', whatever that means. MGH had some very impressive things, but I found the students somewhat awkward and burnt-out seeming, the faculty seemed "removed" from students rather than treating them as future colleagues, and I found the Navy Yard more inaccessible than Emerson's location (which seems small, but when there's feet upon feet of snow on the ground, it adds up and becomes a serious quality of life factor imo). MGH cost would've been about 10k less than Emerson (factoring in the funding both offered), so that goes to show how impressed I was with Emerson! I'm SO excited/relived, and excited to hear about other people making their decisions!

Actually, they won't let you register as a non-degree seeking student UNTIL April 1st for summer.

I think there's a difference between "School rankings/big-names matter" and experiences mattering. I can see someone going to a lesser known school and going up against someone who went to a top-ranked school, and beating them out because they had a ton of knowledge in the area from a swallowing placement they did. Now, schools that are more respected are usually more respected for a reason: they have quality placements and connections as well as an excellent program. I think the point is that employers won't hire you just based on the school you went to.

I have a backpack that looks fairly "professional" so that I can have something somewhat fashionable but still practical (I need it for my laptop, books, notebooks). I also just get serious back/shoulder pain from anything else.

Magoosh has a free app of vocab lists that was helpful for me. Other than that, I used the Kaplan book and practice tests.

That would make me nervous too, but honestly, they are probably just saving themselves the work of putting together a bunch of aid packages for students that don't end up matriculating. Probably not that uncommon, like you said. If they say you're eligible (and you have it in writing) it'll be hard for them to come up for some reason to not offer you the loans later. I say go for it

Could you contact the admissions office and ask if anybody is ever in a situation where they are not offered enough federal loans? Or even get in contact with some current students? It would be very surprising if they didn't give you the amount of LOANS you needed. Fellowship/scholarship is one thing, but all schools should be equipped to set you up with loans, I would imagine...

I agree with a lot that's been said (I also have my set of spreadsheets for every school with all the info, as well as loan/budgeting stuff, so totally with you) but I also think some of it may be a function of insecurity. Especially if they're a young-ish crowd, they may just be nervous (just like you) about the process but don't express their anxiety in the same way, brush it off in order not to have to deal with thinking about it now, etc. I know a lot of people like that.

I'm so torn. I love having housemates like I do now, but just because I know them and know their living habits, we're honest with each other about what's working and what's not, we respect each other's space, etc. But I don't know if having someone around is worth rolling the dice on someone I might not get along with, might stress me out with their dishes in the sink or having lots of people over, things like that. So, I might try living by myself, and if I find myself very isolated I can always live somewhere else after a year. Plus, by then maybe I'll know someone that I feel like I could live with.

I moved from the Bay Area to the East Coast for undergrad, and it looks like I'll be spending another two years here at least. Sometimes my parents send me pictures of the sun and the trees and I seriously question what I was ever thinking...

Warm weather? I wish I had that problem... I kind of feel like I won't be DONE until I make a decision. Although, even then, I'm sure I'll find other things to distract me, like moving, starting summer classes, etc...

Emerson actually awards scholarships purely on the numbers, actually... That I know for sure cause I asked them, the top 25% of accepted students based on GPA + GRE. I think my scholarships were due to my solid GPA and GRE scores for that reason, since I think MGH does the same sort of thing.

Yes, my thesis is getting quite the cold shoulder...