delete-account

Yay! Let me know if you need to connect with any current students - I know a ton!

http://www.asha.org/Careers/Salary-Data.htm this may be helpful! I've never heard of someone getting paid less than $20/hour, with benefits, for their CFY. Talk to your program director or see if you can reach out to alumni from your school - they should be able to get some information for you!

I may have a different perspective than those above - I am currently in grad school and did not major in SLP in my undergrad! I went to Emory in Atlanta, GA - it's an amazing school with a ton of opportunities, so your daughter should definitely check it out! In regards to your questions: 1. There's really no reason to stay the same place for all 6 years. Even though I loved, loved my undergrad experience, I was ready to move onto a new scene after those 4 years. There's something about switching schools and environments that is important, I feel, for switching from an undergrad to a graduate student mentality. 2. I've heard a lot of great things about accelerated programs, and if your daughter is sure that she wants to be an SLP, then that's a great choice! She may change her mind once she gets into undergrad (most undergrads do! - I definitely did!), so if it turns out that she hates SLP, there's a chance that getting out of that accelerated program would be difficult. That's the only reason I would not recommend it. 3. Nope, undergrad doesn't matter too much, as long as you excel and are involved. Grad schools really look at you as whole person, not just the university name on your transcript. That being said - going to a larger school or a school that is well-known with a lot of connections will absolutely benefit your daughter. The opportunities afforded students at "better" schools can impact her overall education and experience. But, there are also smaller, less well-known universities that are deeply involved in their communities and may have many of the same opportunities. The biggest thing is that your daughter feels comfortable wherever she decides, and getting the best experience possible will take care of itself. 4. Big name schools are important if you want to pursue research heavily or continue onto a doctorate. Other than that... they don't matter too much. 5. Nope - nothing I would do different. I went to an undergrad school that I adore, and even though it didn't have the SLP major (I majored in Psych, Linguistics, and Spanish), I learned a ton and would say I have an advantage in some of my grad school classes now, because of my varied background. My lack of experience regarding SLP courses has not affected my graduate education in any way, except for limiting the amount of grad schools that I applied to (some will not take out-of-field students). I am now at UT Dallas, and it's a great program, and leveling has not been difficult at all. 6. The only advice I would give is not to be afraid to explore other things. Even if she has her mind dead-set on being an SLP, she should take at least one course in a completely different field just to broaden her horizons and explore something different. I went into undergrad thinking I was going to study neuroscience, then I took a linguistics course, and ended up majoring in it. You never know what may happen!

http://financialaid.arizona.edu/undergraduate/estimated-cost-attendancethis is the best info I found on U of A's costs. It says $30,000/year, so my 27k number was actually a little low! I'm not sure about their research interests, but I'm sure that's something you could ask. I feel like there is enough focus on school-based research that it shouldn't be an issue. I emailed a faculty member I was interested in working with, Leah Fabiano Smith, and she was really nice! The contact for admissions, Denise Minopoli, is EXTREMELY helpful. I also emailed briefly with Jeannette Hoit, and she was also very kind. I get the vibe that most of the faculty is like that.

Hi there! I will be attending UTD in the Fall and visited this past Spring. I LOVED IT. The faculty are extremely friendly -- their doors are open all the time, and one current student told me that she had never needed to make an appointment to meet with a faculty member or the department head, Dr. Stillman. UTD does have a big program, and that is a positive aspect in my opinion. Each student is encouraged to pursue their specific interests instead of following a rigid program outline. Their massive list of electives, and connections throughout the area, allow for this. Because each student is doing what they want to do, the environment is not very competitive. No student I spoke with had trouble getting into courses or getting a practicum placement that they wanted, since everyone's interests are so varied. I know nothing about Houston - sorry!

Hey Kate -- Your plan sounds good. I am doing a prereq at USU right now. There is a form that you fill out to "apply" but it isn't anything strenuous. You do not have to do a full post-bac at USU -- you can just take what you want to take as a non-degree seeking student (I believe this is right, because it's what I'm doing right now). You can always call and ask to be sure. Have you taken the GRE yet? If not, that needs to figure into your plan somewhere. Summer 2016 would be a good time, so you can re-take it in the Fall if you don't do so well and still have your scores by the time you need to apply. If I were you, I would try to get the Physics/Chem course done as soon as possible. I know it's tempting to leave it for the end, because it does not directly apply to material learned in SLP grad school, but it is such a basic, across-the-board requirement that it's risky to leave it until the last minute. Grad schools are likely to accept you even if you don't have all of the specific SLP prereqs that they want, but missing an ASHA requirement is not as easily overlooked. When in doubt, email the department heads of the schools you're applying to and just ask them what they think. Showing that you're interested now, a year+ in advance, will get their attention. Good luck!

While research is good, it isn't completely necessary to get into grad schools, especially if research is not your focus. Make sure the schools you apply to fit your interests -- if research isn't a priority for you, then it shouldn't be a huge priority of the schools you apply to. I emailed every grad school I applied to in advance to ask what their priorities are, and almost everyone was super friendly and open in their responses to me. I was even told not to complete a thesis, since research was not essential to that particular program. That being said, if you are still interested in getting some research experience, emailing your past professors seems like a great start. You could volunteer in a lab - I know many graduate students would gladly accept the free labor. Oftentimes, departments will have information on current research posted on their websites. If not, you could email the department head or faculty members directly and ask if they would like a research assistant. Another option would be to forego research and volunteer at rehabilitation centers, schools, etc. with current SLPs. Good luck!

U of A is around $27k for out of state applicants and financial aid is ONLY loans for grad students, unless you get a fellowship or assistantship of some sort. I got in to U of A and couldn't go because of the money. They are also very research oriented and "highly encourage" completing a thesis. Faculty are nice and helpful, and will definitely answer if you email them before you apply (I did!).

Don't forget about debt forgiveness programs, especially if your loans are Federal Direct Sub/Unsub Loans. After a consistent 120 payments (10 years) you can qualify to have the rest of your debt forgiven if you work in public service, which most SLPs do anyway. If you get an extended payment plan, you should have a decent chunk forgiven! There are other programs, like working on Native American reservations, that also do loan repayment. So many opportunities!

I love hearing about these late acceptances. Congrats!!

The only nice thing about the GRE math is that it isn't very hard. It's the equivalent of 10th grade math, so, basically Geometry and Algebra. I am not strong in math either, and making a study sheet of rules from my study books (like, rules of exponents, fractions, tricks to solving problems quickly, etc.) was very, very helpful and raised my quantitative score 5 points - 20 percentiles! From what schools say on their admissions profiles, the verbal score seems to be more important. I would say that for schools with a strong emphasis on research, though, the quant score might carry more weight. Before I took the GRE, I emailed directors or faculty at schools I was interested in and asked them what their programs deemed most important, and then focused on those things, so you could do that Best of luck!

I'm pretty sure there is a thread for ASU students! Maybe it would be helpful? Or at least put you in contact with others in your position? I also have a friend who did her undergrad in CD there, so maybe she would know someone in the grad program. I can ask, if you'd like!

UT Dallas / University of Texas at Dallas UT Dallas Speech Pathologists - Communication Disorders MS c/o 2017 Private group - just request to join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/754335638013096/?ref=bookmarks

Maybe it would be a good idea to change the name to UT Dallas Communication Disorders MS Class of 2017 (or something)? That way it's easier to find for people searching for it on Facebook (like I was before logging on to here, lol).

Just declined my offer of admission... Finances, man. Good luck to everyone else

For fellow out of field applicants - are you planning on beginning in the summer or just waiting until fall? I was told that a large number of out of field students start in the summer, but that would be difficult for me to do. I also don't want to miss out on like, bonding with everyone and getting those prereqs out of the way, though. And I know that if I start in the fall, I won't be able to start a practicum until Spring, whereas if I begin in summer I can jump right into a practicum in the fall. Summer schedule just begins early - May 24th or 26th, I think - so I would have about two weeks after graduation to move, find housing, get situated, and start classes. Intimidating! Thoughts?

I didn't receive any funding and can't go without it, so I'll likely be heading to Dallas. Good luck to all of you, though!

I talked about bilingual specialization! It's something I want to pursue, no doubt, and I had mentioned it to Dr. Stillman. He set up an informal meeting for me with Dr. Rojas, the main bilingual researcher and bilingual course faculty member. Dr. Rojas was very nice and extremely knowledgeable, and loved to talk about his research. I listened to it in detail for about 20 minutes, haha. It seemed relatively easy to get involved in his lab and projects. He also said that the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) has parts with predominantly bilingual (English/Spanish) children, so a practicum in that setting would be very useful to those interested in bilingualism. My impression of the program was that it's really what you make of it - you can be as specialized or as general as you want. I don't think it would be difficult to incorporate bilingual emphasis into the degree plan, as long as you (and I!) are willing to just run with it.

Hi guys - so I visited the UTD Communication Disorders program in March and totally haven't had time to write my impressions of the program (which I think some of you wanted to know!) so here goes: The Callier Center is its own building in the Southwestern Medical District of Dallas, about a half hour from the Richardson campus. The building is really unimposing and unimpressive, with plenty of parking in the lots and parking decks, but decently nice inside. Dr. Stillman is a wonderful human being - he was so welcoming! This goes for every faculty member I interacted with. Everyone was relaxed, kind, and helpful... faculty and administrative doors were open and people were very accessible, which surprised me considering what a large program UTD is. One of the students remarked to me that she had never needed to make an appointment to interact with Dr. Stillman or the clinical advisor. Most of the students I spoke with work part time either out in the community or in the department or with work-study, and said that it was easy to balance practicums, class work, and a job. Paid positions included research, if anyone is interested in that, as well as more administrative positions. There are several research programs going on and the lab facilities seemed very nice, and there is a new center for studying Autism that is being built (might be almost done/near opening!). The degree program itself is very flexible, with only 6 (I believe) core classes and a huge number of electives. If you know what you want to specialize in, this is the place to do it! If you want to explore, this is also a great place. Related to that - there are practicum placements all over Dallas, with public and private schools, medical centers, the Callier Center, as well as opportunities on the Richardson campus. Students said that they usually got the practicum placement that they wanted because the students all have such broad interests, no one is studying on the exact same track as someone else. This creates an environment that isn't very competitive, but rather, supportive. The two required practicum experiences are child and adult based, but from there you can follow your interests. Overall, if you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed my visit to the program and am seriously considering attending. Let me know if you have any other questions or comments or whatever. I asked about 8000 questions while I was there and everyone was so patient with me, as well as knowledgeable. Yay!

I've also been on Care.com this semester and plan on using it throughout the summer. It's quite amazing and I have worked with a variety of children, from typically to atypically developing. It has also given me the opportunity to make my own schedule, more or less, allowing time for shadowing in speech clinics. And kmfl9 is right... it pays pretty well!

I've only heard from one so far about getting in-state tuition (which is very helpful). So, I have options, it just would have been so helpful to have my metaphorical ducks neatly in a row before deciding. But, it'll all work out in the end

Best news I've heard all day! Fingers crossed for all of us!

Definitely not joking. I talked to an advisor at my University about it today and they said that sometimes budget is done on a summer schedule, so situations like this happen. It's very frustrating.

So I was accepted to a school yesterday and when I emailed back asking about when scholarship/assistantship/any financial information would be available, I got this response: "In the past we do not get information about what is available until Summer when budgets come in. I know this is tricky because the letter of intent is due before April 15th. With that, I would make your decision based on worse case scenario in that that you may have federal financial aid and loans but no scholarship offers." Has anyone else received something similar? How am I supposed to make a final decision based on no information? Help?