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As I understood it, post-bacc refers most often to an extra year of classes without the guarantee that you will continue on in the graduate program at the school. Levelers do not need to reapply in their program or anywhere else; their program just takes longer to complete. 3-year programs are also usually covered by financial aid/federal loans since you're technically a graduate student. Options are more limited for post-bac programs.

To reiterate what others have said, applying to leveling programs is definitely a good idea. I only applied to 3-year programs because I didn't want to go through the headache of reapplying and it worked out well for me as well as others here. You just have to make it clear in your statement of purpose why you're entering this field as opposed to, say, any other field. Some backgrounds are easier to relate than others. I studied linguistics/cognitive science for example, so there was a lot of overlap. What I will say is that not all leveling programs are the same. Some differ in the number of prereqs they require you to have (I think Chapel Hill really wants out of field students to have a majority of prereqs under their belt), some will only accept a small handful per cohort (whereas schools like UVA will have two separate tracks for 2 and 3-year students), and programs can differ in the length of study as well as when you'd take leveling classes. For example, I'm pretty sure Emerson wants students to take prereqs over the summer term, TC similarly adds a semester, and Buffalo adds an entire year. Also keep in mind that programs differ in what kinds of observation hours they'll accept. One benefit of doing a post-bac is that the observation hours you'll get will be through a class. Some schools will not accept hours otherwise and you'll have to do it your first year. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

SUNY Buffalo FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/457034137835250/

Hello! Hooray, it's nice to see someone else here who will be attending UB. We should start a Facebook group and maybe other committed students will join over time. Mind if I PM you my facebook link?

I also attended community college before transferring to a 4-year school. CSDCAS will count the grades you earned in community college when it calculates your GPA, unfortunately. However, they also break down the grades by year, so schools will be able to see how you've progressed. Also just a heads up: always check the GPA they calculate for you. I had a general anatomy class counted as anatomy&physiology of speech and hearing, and it bumped my CSD GPA down by a bit. Edit: This link to their FAQ / information page is very helpful for reference. https://portal.csdcas.org/csdcasHelpPages/instructions-and-faq/

According to the Accreditation report on UK, the reason they were placed on probation was because they did not include an accurate statement of accreditation. Specifically, the didn't include a degree designation nor an address/phone number to contact CAA. Judging by this, I don't think you have much to worry about. Unless their web admin really drops the ball and doesn't include these changes within the year things should be fine.

Hey guys, I figured it would be nice to start a thread for University at Buffalo. I recently accepted my offer to UB and will be attending in the Fall. Just wanted to see if there was anyone else here who has committed? Maybe we can get a FB group going.

Just accepted my offer at UB and it feels great to finally know where I will be next year. I also declined my offers at the schools in my signature, so best of luck to those on the waitlists!

You're totally welcome! I've gone over my statements again and again and had to stop myself because I would usually find a typo and freak out over it. And I haven't made a decision yet, but I'm really leaning toward Buffalo! I'm waiting for funding offers to come in from other schools before I make a decision.

I don't think it's that big of a deal. I've had one or two minor errors in SOPs that I've submitted and have been accepted into some of those programs. I've seen typos on departmental websites, emails, papers. It happens. They probably only care if there are many typos or you misspell the name of the school. I hope you hear good news soon!

Ahh yea the vet bills are definitely something to consider. I adopted my cat from the ASPCA and my boyfriend and I discovered later on that he has stomatitis. It cost around $800 to remove most of his teeth, and now he can only eat wet food (another expense). He'll probably have to have the rest of his teeth removed even with regular dental care. But I honestly don't regret it. He's such a silly little fluff ball. If you're getting a pet, definitely keep expenses in mind. I never considered fostering, but that sounds like a great option as well.

I have a cat that I plan on bringing with me to graduate school. I enjoy the company, and I really can't imagine giving up the little guy since he's been through most of undergrad with me (although every time my friend's parents watch him over break they remind me that they're more than happy to keep him. ). Cats are relatively low maintenance though I've considered getting a 2nd one so they can keep each other company when I'm away. I'll probably wait until after grad school, however.

Did anyone get funding information yet? My letter is completely empty; not even loans or work study is there. I'm very excited that I have the option to attend this program, but I'm worried about how I will pay for it.

I just got an acceptance as well! Congrats, everyone!

Looks like they are on spring break, so I think we'll hear news from them until next week. I hope it's good news for all of us! Also, I don't mean to nitpick, but I've been seeing it all over these forums. The college is called Teachers College. There is no apostrophe.

I got accepted into Montclair yesterday! Still waiting on TC. It seems like decisions will come any day now Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. ...

I thought that the graduate school rankings depend only on peer reviews from other departments? I don't see how a decrease in acceptance rates would lead to a higher ranking in that case. For example, Purdue accepts around ~20% of their applicants and has consistently been ranked highly. Looks like it may have to do more with research reputation and other things that academics care about. Granted, the wider university rankings on US News take into account retention, acceptance rates, alumni giving rates etc. I just wonder how much all of this really matters for those considering getting a PhD. What is the point at which not attending a program of a certain ranking can hurt an application? Top 10? 15? 50?

Looks like quite a bit has changed. MGH definitely jumped up more than a few spots - great for them. Emerson, too. I'm still leaning toward the same schools regardless of rankings, even though my top choice has gone down a few pegs.

Thanks for the insights, y'all. Glad to know others are having the same thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if my background (I check a lot of underrepresented boxes) has helped me get into grad school, but I certainly hope it wasn't the case. If we've come this far, it's based on our own merits. @ThatSpeechGuy I guess to a certain extent it would help us stand out to professors. I'm a pretty introverted person myself, so every bit helps! @Jolie717 Funny you mention that because the other guy during the tour was married with children. I don't know about other programs, but it looks like you'll be in good company

So after recently attending a campus tour, I was surprised to find out that there were no men in the graduate program. I knew going into the field that seeing male graduate students or SLPs would be a rarity, but I didn't expect there to be none. It's not that I necessarily mind being surrounded my women (I'm a gay male and many of my close friends are women), but I still can't help but feel nervous about not integrating as well with my cohort or sticking out like a sore thumb. I absolutely LOVE everything about the program; the facilities, the professors, the ample opportunities for research alongside clinical training are all great, but potentially being the token guy in my department kinda threw me for a loop. Am I just being silly?

Still waiting to hear from Teachers College, UT Dallas, and Montclair! TC in particular is going to drive me nuts until I hear back. I'm pleased with my results so far, but I want to have all of my options in front of me before I decide.

Just piggybacking off of what others have said, I think one's odds are greatly improved by writing a strong statement of purpose. Schools want to see that you've done your homework and are applying to their school in particular. This means going through faculty pages and citing research that you would be interested in / projects that excite you, including any language used in a department's mission statement, etc., and tying these aspects of the program to your goals within the field. 15+ programs seem like quite a lot. I know it's a numbers game, but I think that finding >8 programs that you could really see yourself attending, whose interests match yours, and whose stats you fall within (edfind is a great resource for this) is a better option. It's hard to personalize so many applications, and having a generalized 'meh' application won't really help. I'm absolutely not saying this is what you did, but after speaking to my professors this is a common mistake that people make. But with that said, all of your results haven't come in yet, so there is still hope! I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you! I hope you hear back soon with good news!

Emerson has posted some decisions on their portal! Just checked and saw an acceptance Unfortunately, I probably won't take my spot since I wasn't offered funding.

Hello! I was wondering if anyone knew about what life was like for LGBTQIA individuals in Indiana (particularly West Lafayette and the area surrounding Purdue)? I come from the northeast and have never spent much time outside of the coast. I'm worried about feeling unwelcome, and the potential lack of dating prospects / nightlife / social support for LGBTQIA people, especially since it seems like a relatively small city.