utteranomaly

A lot of good advice has already been mentioned. Having been through grad school (almost done!) as a parent, my parent-to-parent advice is: Schedule time away from your child and make the most of it! That could mean finding good help to look after her. There is time-consuming work to be done in grad school, and it's really hard to do it when you have a kid screaming for you... or at you... Communicate constantly and clearly with your spouse! When you're married, have kids, and go to graduate school at the same time, it's a team effort. Your spouse needs to know when you have certain due dates for projects, meeting dates, etc. so they can plan accordingly. Do the same with your teachers and professors! A lot of your teachers will understand and can be flexible when unplanned things happen like.. let's say everyone in the family getting Hand-Foot-Mouth disease... Do things early! That way you can be prepared when the unexpected happens. Overestimate how long it will take to complete projects, homework, and studying. I'm not going to lie--it certainly was a challenge to go through grad school married and with a kid, but remember you're not alone in this season. You have something your single classmates don't have. Savor those moments when you're not having a good day, and your child gives you a smile and hug. Cherish your spouse for the comforts they provide you... Best of luck to you!

When you say undergrad GPA, do you mean cumulative or do you mean in-major GPA? If your in-major GPA is above 3.0, then I would say you still have a chance. You would need to research and talk to graduate programs you are applying to in order to make sure there is no GPA minimum requirement. For example, the University of Redlands only accepts applicants with a cumulative undergrad GPA of 3.0 or above. You'll also need to address your grades in your SOP, but be tactical about your explanation. For example, you may have gotten an undesirable grade from a teacher you didn't get along with. You would emphasize what you learned from the experience and how you would address the issue in the future. To increase your chances, be willing to relocate and look at graduate program options all across the nation. Additionally, make the most of your "gap year." Do jobs, volunteer work, shadowing, and activities that will broaden your experience and strengthen your resume. Things you do over your gap year can be great talking points in an interview. Best of luck to you!

Hi Asko, check your inbox-- I replied to your PM about this question ?

You can check here for prospective SLP grad programs that are under review for accreditation: http://caa.asha.org/programs/call-for-public-comments/graduate-programs-under-review/ Look under headings "Application for Candidacy" and "Application for Initial Accreditation" It looks like it's a bit too early to know what new programs are starting in Fall 2017. Typically, these are not announced until site visits are scheduled. Since there are no site visits scheduled in the Fall, you may have to wait until winter or spring to see if any new schools are applying. As a word of caution, accreditation candidacy is not always granted to all programs that apply, meaning you may apply to a school that is trying to get candidacy and get accepted, but there's a possibility your program won't start on time due to candidacy status.

I think it's different for each school. I'm on an unranked waitlist, and the way it was explained to me is that they start the whole selection process over again for the people who accepted to be on the waitlist. The department fills the cohort to their discretion; thus, there is no waitlist ranking.

An SLP I shadowed with was a UW alum, and she worked both at a school and medical setting. Depending on the school district, schedules can be flexible. Also, I believe she did the CoreSLP. So I think your goal is pretty realistic. I did my postbac at UW, and I don't know if it matters to you, but the department facilities are a bit dated. Much of the department is in an old building, but they've been experimenting with using other facilities on campus for collaborative classrooms. Other than that, I really liked most of the staff at UW. There are a couple of exceptional teachers that were inspiring to me. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more of my thoughts about UW.

First of all, congrats! Those are two excellent programs, so this is a good problem to have! I am from Seattle, and I went to UW, so I'm definitely biased toward UW. If I take my bias hat off, my advice is to take all your pros and cons into account for either school, and prioritize which factors are more important to you. Is being close to family most important? Or is it the medical focus that UW provides more important? Or perhaps the relationships you already developed with staff and prospective grad students is a factor? I recommend UW especially if you are interested in medical... I've heard great things about the MedSLP program, and the staff are great people. I may have put my bias hat on again. If all else fails, go with your gut, and don't look back! Congrats again!

When I read your post, I just had to reply because I was in the same boat as you 3 years ago. I was burnt out working in a corporate office job that I was good at, but I wanted to do something more fulfilling. Like you I stumbled upon SLP in my research and I was hooked. I encourage you to go for it if it is a newfound passion! Of course it would be great if we can just get by on passion alone, but the reality is that a career change in itself is challenging work that requires meticulous planning. So I'll try you give you some practical advice since I am 3 years into my fateful decision to make the change. First, it would be great if you can connect with SLPs in the field and shadow them and ask a lot of questions. SLP is a wide reaching profession, and it would be beneficial for you to gain insight about what SLPs do in different settings. If you haven't done so already, make a timeline of what it would take for you to be an SLP. You may be tempted to try to rush things on your timeline, but it's best to be careful in this stage of planning because it is a big decision that will take lots of commitment. Be realistic and take into account your current life situation, financials, and family. If you are single, you can certainly afford to focus full steam ahead and perhaps fast-track your timeline. Otherwise, you'll have to include your family in the decision-making process. For schooling, definitely apply to a postbac program and make the most of it. Connect with teachers, volunteer in research that interests you, build good relationships with your postbac cohort. This is where you build meaningful experiences that will eventually aid you in your grad school applications and set your foundation for grad school. You'll need strong recommendations from teachers, and some research experience would definitely be a plus to add on your resume. Your postbac cohort will be valuable supporters that can aid you through inevitable challenges, so you don't have to face all of them alone. All this being said, it would be very beneficial for you to find a reputable postbac program. This may mean that you be strategic about moving to a city with a good reputation program nearby. Also there are ASHA general education requirements-- I would look to see if you are able to apply any classes you've taken in your previous stint of college. You may need to take a Biology class if you never took it or your last class was more than 10 years ago. If you have any of these to take, I would do so as soon as possible. This also helps your application to a postbac program. i did my postbac studies this past year, and I opted to take a year before applying to grad school to build some related experience because it was pretty minimal. My career-shift was too drastic. You may need to take this into account when planning your timeline. Anyhow, I don't want to bombard you with too much information. Feel free to ask me anything about my process so far. I wish you luck in the decisions you'll be making in the near future!