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litesneeze

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Everything posted by litesneeze

  1. I am attending their program right now. Their admissions process will be a little different from last year's. All I know is that the interviews will happen this year. If you haven't gone to their open house, I would recommend attending at least one. They really help with giving a good idea of what their program is about and what they like to see in the applications. I don't remember much but they like to see good recommendations and a good personal statement. The program is great, I love it! The classes are small and we're all like a small, tight-knit family. First year classes are mostly all day and second year have morning placements and evening classes. It's full time and you could work part-time somewhere that has a very flexible schedule but it really depends on your study habits/commute. All the classes are chosen for you so you never have to worry about not getting into a class. Plus, you are guaranteed to graduate in five semesters. The clinic is in the same building as the classes which are all in the Brookdale Campus. The clinic is kinda dinky and old (I mean, it's CUNY...) but its all student run and they really want you to learn how to deal with paperwork, billing and calls like you work in your own practice. Definitely no hand-holding but the faculty members are approachable and open to suggestions/concerns/complaints. The in-house clients are so sweet and are very motivated. The classes are interesting as well and you have the option to start clinic in your first semester (which is not graded). The only major problem I have with the program is the building temperature control (again, it's CUNY). If you find complaints about Hunter's program elsewhere on the internet, its probably undergrads complaining about the undergrad program. If you need any more information, please let me know! I know when I applied to Hunter, I didn't know anyone who went there and I didn't find answers about the program on this forum.
  2. Nope, just the GRE. They only mentioned the GRE score proportion because the students were mostly concerned with that over all the other components.
  3. Compared to other CUNY programs, Brooklyn has a higher acceptance for their students (even though they totally deny it). I also had an interview with a fellow classmate. She was kissing so much ass and was rehearsed her answers so well that I was sure she was wasn't gonna get in. She got into the program (I did too but I rejected the offer). I was talking to another former student who had the interview too and we were talking about our interviewing team. Apparently, one of the interviewers also wrote the recommendation for that student that shared that interview with me. I spoke to a professor friend of mine and told me that was an illegal move on the school's part. It made me sad because I was interested in attending the program when I was a post bac but just had a fishy feeling about them when I started applying to grad programs.
  4. It's not about your grades, they really play favorites and the decision making is rather unfair. I don't like to say that about programs but I went there as a post bac and I've noticed this tendency.
  5. I know someone who was accepted into Brooklyn college and had both GRE scores in the 140s. Also Brooklyn college does not weigh their GRE scores as heavily as other components. According to some of the faculty, it influences about 15% of their entire decision for each potential student.
  6. Some schools also place importance on a high AW score (4.5 or higher). to practice that writing portion, I suggest you go to the GRE website and find the writing prompts to practice both essay types of the AW. There's quite a bit of prompts provided but don't be overwhelmed by the amount. Any of the listed prompts will be given on the actual test but most of the topics repeat themselves. Pick a few topics and practice them untimed on Word since the test requires you to type that portion. See which writing techniques work for you and get a feelfor wht kind of examples the test would like to see. After you practice untimed, try to do the same thing timed. It will really help you get prepared for the essay portion. At the same time, you can practice applying some new vocabulary words you are learning in the meantime and get some examples that can be used for multiple topics. I used this practice technique and it helped me get a 5.0 AW score. I hope this method helps you too!
  7. I have some ideas about programs in the NYC and long island area. Some programs (Adelphi, Hofstra, Lehman) allow for part-time options so you may work. Adelphi also has a Saturday program so you can work during the week. The CUNYs have the cheapest options in general (about 5,000 a semester full time) even though you are in the city. Plus they offer scholarships and work study options. Only thing is, the competition for acceptance into a CUNY program is RIDICULOUS. Federal aid and assistantships are more available in private insitutions, but it barely covers your tuition. If you have questions regarding the CUNYs feel free to ask me.
  8. Alissavar, I see that in your excel sheet you have a question mark next to brooklyn under the "no gre" list. Im not sure about Liu Brooklyn, but CUNY Brooklyn College definitely requires the gre scores. Hope that helps!
  9. I actually had faced this issue. As long as you have submitted your application by the due date, have submitted the application fee and have recieved a confirmation you're good. It takes time to get through all the apps. One of my recommenders submitted her recs in for four schools a day later. I got into 3 of those 4 schools. It'll be okay.
  10. Cmm28, I was in a relatively similar situation as you: I graduated with a B.S. in Biology with the intention of continuing my endeavors in research. Unfortunately, every time I applied for a job, I was never too excited about what I was getting myself into. To make matters worse, I couldn't even get a job since most research jobs at that time were not willing to pay. After some reflecting, I realized that I didn't like lab work, something which I wanted to do since I was a child. I was even considering pursuing a PhD after a few years of work. I couldn't find a job with my degree and I started to feel like shit. For a year I thought back to all the things I did and all the professors I spoke to for advice. It was then I thought about speech-language pathology. Since I couldn't find a job, I decided to volunteer at a non-profit org that helps school children. It's better than nothing. It really helped me clear my mind and also involved myself with staff who were familiar with SLPs. From their support, I was able to find what I want to do for the rest of my life. I also privately tutored in my neighborhood, particularly middle school aged children. Based on my experience, if you really do not enjoy the classes (because of the material, not the professors), then being an SLP won't be that enjoyable. A part of the job of an SLP is to continually research and gain new knowledge about the latest therapy techniques. If you are feeling that this is not the direction for you, perhaps you could speak to one of your pre-req professors about it and see if being an SLP is part of your future. It really helps to speak to a member of academia about it; there are things which they can clarify for you that the internet or books can ever tell you. Plus, they usually want to help you because they want you to find a subject you truly enjoy. If your undergraduate was in psychology and you are still interested in that field, talk to someone in the psychology department (meaning faculty, not a student). I have a friend that went from biomedical engineering to psychology by speaking to someone in the psych department. Afterwards, she went on to business and now she is getting her phd in Marketing. She is now using her knowledge in psychology and business to develop her thesis. I spoke to a prof in the linguistics department and then decided to get a minor in linguistics. If I didn't do that, I probably wouldn't have decided to get into speech pathology. Take the leap and talk to someone! In addition, shadowing or volunteering can help you gain better insight about the field or even another field you are curious about. Volunteers are always welcomed! At times, volunteering can lead to job opportunities If you can't find a job, try private tutoring (not work at a company -- they take commission). You can charge your own rates, pick your own times and best of all, you don't have be on the books! You could work with children, teenagers or adults on any subject. I know ppl that just takes the standardized tests like MCAT, GRE and GMAT and if you get a high score, you could charge like $100 an hour. Tutoring is also quite similar to speech pathology and it may give you a feel for the job. It's a great temporary job. The most important thing is that you don't feel like your in the dumps. A lot of people go through with it after college and don't try to compare your position over others. Once you find what you like, it's all good. I hope that helps!
  11. A high GPA does not and cannot give the entire picture for a person's application profile. A 4.0 is great but the quality of the application package determines whether or not the grades match a person's qualifications, background or experience. A person with a 4.0 could be an undergraduate or a postbac or an older applicant returning to school. In addition, grade inflation is the norm. Therefore, other elements such as the GRE score or your personal statement can give a better idea to admissions committees about the student's abilities beyond the GPA. I had a 4.0 gpa but I was a postbac and the grade was only towards Speech classes. I studied, but I did not find my undergraduate classes that challenging nor did I have electives which could weigh it down.
  12. I thought the open houses gave me a good understanding about the program and the faculty members as well. Some open houses also gave a tour of the facilities which was also helpful. Most of the schools I had applied to were in the close vicinity of my home and so attending an open house was not an issue in terms of time availability. I went to five open houses and it gave me a better idea of the schools and what makes them unique. Most of the schools I applied to were highly competitive with large amounts of applicants (NY metropolitan area). From my experience, emails from public insitutions were not helpful. Due to the high volume of emails and prospective students, they really do not want to spend extra time with you until you are actually accepted. The program's website and the open house are the only key into really understanding how you can increase your chances into getting accepted and get all your questions answered. Though the open house was helpful, the faculty may come off as cold and even intimidating because they want to see great application packages. On the other hand, private institutions such as Columbia, NYU and Adelphi were more than happy to explain everything in detail in their open houses. Even maintaining email connections with these schools were helpful. It really convinced me that their programs, especially Adelphi, would work out for me. I got several acceptances from both schools which I did and did not attend their open house. It really depends on your region, time availability and the willingness of each program to help you st the individual level.
  13. Yes, calculating the acceptance rate based on the stats you find ASHA Edfind, and any program's website is a helpful way to gauge schools and their level of competition. Another good way to get a feel about the school is to go to a school's open house. It gives you a great opportunity to find out a school's stats that way, especially if you found something confusing on their website description. From my experience, many schools in the highly populated metropolitan areas with a large number of applicants are not very receptive with emails asking about the program's stats and mostly refer you to the website for more information. At times, they might even sound a bit discouraging because they do not want to waste time on some applications that do not match to their standards. Private schools were much more welcoming and helpful with emails than public universities. For me, open houses really helped a lot. Programs will hold their open houses typically in the fall.
  14. I had a similar conundrum; I had experiences, some not entirely related to SLP and quite unique. However, it is still relevant to the field and collectively garnered my interest in SLP. I tried mentioning some of these unique qualities in my personal statement, even briefly in a paragraph but it did sound like I was reiterating my resume for a job. I instead told the truth about how I came across my interest, but I did not make it like the ultimate factor which drove me to SLP. You could start with a hook which shows a bit of your personality in a particular scenario (a flashback) which you can tie into your interest in therapy animals. It will make the reader question, "hmm, what does this person do and how does it relate to speech?" Then, you can start talking about how you got into that position i.e. You are a bio major, you have had an early interest in zoology, etc. but try to stay with that experience whether it took place in the Audobon Society or the therapeutic ranch. Later on, as you explain that topic, you can squeeze in some details about your credentials. Use that experience and find a skill which you also continually use in another facility or you have learned in the past. Try to find parallels from one general experience and tie your other experiences. They could just be one or two sentences at most. For example, I too was a bio undergrad and I used my lab research experience as the foundation. Then, here and there I tied in other aspects, such as my linguistics minor courses or my participation in volunteer teaching activities at an NPO. Pretend you were talking in an interview or even a friend you have not seen in a while about how you became interested in animal therapy. It may help see how you organize your thoughts into a narrative verbally. Many schools like to see how well you write and showing a bit of creativity demonstrates your thinking abilities and flexibility in your writing skills.
  15. Make sure that you found reliable recommenders for your LORs and some SLP faculty for those programs who need that as a requirement. A good LOR from someone who knows your skills and potential in a positive light really will take you far. Some profs will not write more than a few recs for a student so make sure you find someone ASAP. Also, it would be good to start on your personal statement if you have not begun to do so. Taking breaks between writing and multiple revisions really helps. You might end up with a different piece from what you had in the beginning.
  16. The panic is okay! It shows that you are preparing yourself ahead of time, which I totally did not do! Every program has a calculation of how they objectively evaluate your "ability and potential" as a graduate. You may hear or read about comments which may say "all they care is about grades and GRE" or "experience is key" but it is not completely true. From my experience, a diverse set of knowledge, experience and interests helps. For instance, your double degree in psychology and linguistics certainly helps. In addition, your grades from your pre-requisites is a significant improvement and shows well to admissions committees. Do you engage in non-SLP extracurricular activities, community events, sports teams or even a job/internship? Do not forget about those as well for they are just as important as SLP related activities. Your improvement in your GRE scores are also great. Yes, some competitive schools like to see high AW scores because writing is an important component in both graduate school and your prospective career, but it is up to you if you would like to reconsider the GREs. For most programs, they just want to see if you go beyond 50th percentile; it's more of a pass/fail rather than a scale. Check the stats for your schools and see if you are on par or beyond the average requirements. I seriously think that the personal statement and LORs are the most important and I think those components help increase my chances getting into my preferred programs. One school I applied to actually emphasized these components. For the personal statement I: - stayed on one topic that was not SLP related and managed to tie in that experience with what SLP is about. I was a post bac like you and my prior experience at my alma mater gave me alternative perspectives and skills needed in the field. - mentioned a particular aspect of the school which interested me. - did not follow the guidelines strictly! I didnt stay in the word limit but did in the page limit. I changed margins, font size, spacing, etc. so much that I was able to fit 750 words in a space which was suitable for 500! I really dont think that negatively affected my application. - did not mention a touching personal SLP experience. Too cliche. - did not use too much "I" and "me" For LORs, I think a variety of individuals who really know you is good. However, some schools, regardless if you were not an SLP undergrad student, need a rec from an SLP faculty member. Find an extra one or two from your pre-req courses for those particular programs. It also lessens the load on your other recommenders. If you feel comfortable with your list of schools, then stick with them! It is really up to you. I applied to so many schools with the impression that I wont get in my first chance but I was wrong. I am not familiar with the places you are looking into, but have a mix of reach, target and safety schools. You still have time to add/ remove from your list. I hope that helps and best of luck! I think you you'll be fine
  17. Unfortunately, many schools depend on a relatively high GPA in order to consider prospective students especially since it has gotten so competitive to get in. They do look at the other qualifications but they place a considerable amount of attention on high grades as that gives schools an idea of whether or not this student will be able to keep up with their grades at the graduate level. Getting even a B+ in grad school is even questionable. It is good that you are going to retake the GREs again. Even showing a slight improvement to schools you have previously applied to will demonstrate your determination, which is great! I went to a competitive high school that looked at your middle school grades and I just made the cut because I had the minimum grades to even qualify. Unfortunately, the work was much more than I could have handled at times and I realized that the school was a not a perfect fit for me. Schools which look for high GPA requirements may not be the best to suit your needs and when finding a grad school, it is not all about rankings. Try to find out more about programs, visit the campuses, or even maintain correspondence with an SLP professor to get an idea about their research. Even if you are not planning to do a master's thesis, finding a research subject you are passionate about that you would like to explore in the future in your practice is very helpful. Plus, it will help you pick topics on your personal statement which will directly address your specific interest for a program. I was a postbac so my experience with SLP was rather different from yours: I was a bio and linguistics double major, worked in a behavioral lab with lab rats, ran an on campus club that promoted girls's education abroad, tutored students and volunteered weekends at a school under a NPO. I did not do anything directly SLP related, but on my resume and personal statement I managed to word my experience in the lab in such a way that it tied into the foundations of speech pathology. That is the great thing about speech therapy. Are there any activities you are involved with or were involved with that may seem irrelevant? Engagement in extracurricular activities, community events or even sports may help show schools that you are a multifaceted, creative and hardworking individual. I hope that helps!
  18. For a field which embodies altruism, optimism and perseverance, these supervisors definitely do not seem to be living up to these standards. Plus, they have no idea about licensure in their region which makes me further question their qualifications. Do you have an assigned faculty advisor of some sort? An offsite externship supervisor? Or perhaps a second year graduate student you may consult? Talking to someone else besides the director may give you a fresher perpective. Some programs also offer a remediation course so that if you fail a course, you are allowed to retake it so that you get a better feel for the subject. The most important thing is that you are still in the program, no one pushed you out and that was only a recommendation. He or she has no right to give that suggestion from basing if off your grades unless they have seen your class performance throughout the year (which Is rather uncommon). The important thing is that you have a chance to make a difference in your upcoming semesters with all the experience you have so far and prove to them that they are wrong. They do not know what is best for you, you do. You worked this hard to get in, and so you can work hard to stay in!
  19. Even thought I was a post-bac, the requirements are rather similar to those of an SLP undergraduate major. However, the admissions requirements depend on the program. In additon, programs look for the nature of the courses which you have taken rather than the credit load. Brooklyn College recommends that you complete 7 of their speech courses, all of which are listed in their graduate program brochure and website. I completed all 7 and was able to apply to all my desired schools without a problem. I knew some ppl who were accepted to Brooklyn with only one or two classes missing. Other schools may need more or less classes but those requirements may be fulfilled once you are enrolled in the specific program. If you are an SLP undergraduate student, I think you should fine. Keep in mind for other requirements aside from speech courses for TSSLD cert, ASHA requirements and so forth.
  20. I have never of a graduate program which guarantees a seat for students who complete their own pre-reqs nor do I believe that such a rule exists. I do believe, however, that knowing the department faculty and getting a good recommendation from them has some influence in some programs. On the other hand, if one of your recommenders is on the admissions board, that individual will not look at your profile to eliminate bias.
  21. Hi When I applied this year for Fall 2015 in NY schools, some programs made it clear that AP credits or any classes you were barred from taking during your undergraduate career does not qualify under ASHA standards. I took AP Goverment and Politics and was not required to fufill the US History/Poli Sci as an undergrad, but need to take a college course in that category (as well as a foreign language) before the second year of graduate matriculation. Of course, not taking that course did not prevent me from getting accepted. However, different schools have different requirements in terms of the minimum amount of credits needed prior to applying. It is good to not assume so that you may plan accordingly. Physics or Chemistry courses are great to take in the summer because you can focus on that one particular subject, especially if science is not your strong suit. As a Bio major, I took Physics A during the year and got a B but got an A when i took Physics B in the summer, which is usually more difficult.
  22. Since I had an inconsistent schedule due to work and school, I used Magoosh and the ETS book to study on my own time. Magoosh's instructional videos, explanations and breakdowns of questions and concepts really helped me. Plus, tutoring high school students in math helped!
  23. Haha i confused LOR with SOP oops. For LORs I have no idea how long they were. I had enough trust in my recommenders to write a good rec so I never looked at the letters. Did you get a recommendation from a person who writes recs all the time? I picked people who are not commonly asked to write recs. I have this theory that individuals who tend to not write recs all the time usually write a better letter because they put more effort and time into it. A popular professor is not someone I would go to. Also, it is good to know if they write well in general.
  24. Mine was two pages and around 700 words. I modified the paragraph spacing and font for it to all fit. The profs at the open house specifically mentioned that they prefer not to see letters which tie a significant family issue (i.e. a relative suffered a stroke) into your interest into speech or a letter which states " I did this and I did that". Pick something that is unique to you.
  25. Nope no interview. B.S. in Neuroscience; Minor in Linguistics Bach GPA: 3.49 Post bacc GPA: 4.00 GRE Verbal: 153 GRE Quant: 156 GRE Ana: 5.0 Have volunteer experience with a NPO, research experience in a nonspeech lab, and tutor privately. Nothing spectacular. I honestly think my recs and the LOR made me stand out. Hunter emphasizes on those two elements during their open house. Hope that helps!
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