CCCaffeinated-SLP

Hello, current first year SLP grad student here I think you will be fine going in after two years out. It is expected that most everyone in your program will be from different universities, and have different backgrounds. Also, I've learned this year that an undergraduate degree in CSD is honestly just the basics of the field. In my experience, the undergraduate degree is the foundation for what you will learn in grad school. In grad school you will learn a LOT of new things (but there will be some review from undergrad)! Therefore, your professors and practicum supervisors will NOT be expecting you to know everything about the field, or be an expert clinician in any way shape or form. Pretty much everyone in your cohort will feel like they have no idea what they are doing, especially in the beginning. However, with that being said, it may be helpful to review your materials from undergrad. I would especially focus on speech & language development, phonetics, clinical methods, and any disorder courses you may have taken (e.g., language disorders, articulation/phonology disorders). I would also recommend watching videos on Master Clinician or Youtube or to go observe SLPs to develop some clinical skills. I still use Master Clinician sometimes to help with lesson planning or when learning to interact with different clients! Feel free to message me anytime if you have any questions

That is understandable! BGSU was the only school that I applied to which had a word limit (I applied to 10). However, I felt that having this restriction made my essay more concise for all of the schools I applied to, since I more or less used the same essay for all of the schools. I was only able to discuss the most important details. If you would like, I can critique your essay for you when you get to that point, or possibly help expand on ideas you may have

When I was putting together my personal statement, I found this website to be helpful: https://slpecho.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/letterofintent_slpgradschool/ Unfortunately, I lost my personal statement when I got a new laptop before grad school, but if I remember correctly, the outline of my essay was something like this: 1. Introduction- strong statement about why SLP is inspiring 2. Information about your background, such as research experience, volunteer experience, etc 3. Information about personal qualities that make you a good candidate for the program, and which populations you want to work with 4. Ending- tie the pieces of your story together and discuss the strengths of the program you are applying to specifically (e.g., course offerings, clinical sites, etc) Even as someone with strong writing skills, I STILL had someone at the writing center critique my essay. Get as much feedback as you can! Best of luck with your applications

I got a 147 on the quantitative section and here I am, as a first year grad student I got accepted multiple places. My verbal was 153- I've heard that a combined "300" score is ideal, and it's okay if there's a few points between the two scores. But then I've talked to people in my cohort who had quant scores in the low 140s, and obviously they made it in, too. Best of luck with your applications!

Thank you so much! I was so assured applying and now I'm in and it's sort of a feeling of "wow...now what?" and just a general feeling of not being smart enough to be a grad student. Best of luck with the rest of your program!

Does your school have an off campus student services page or graduate housing page on their website? That's how I found my place

Its definitely possible! Especially if you have a strong GPA. Take it from me- I'm about to graduate with a psych undergrad degree and I got into not 1, but 4 different grad schools total Instead of doing post bac work (aka csd pre reqs) I did a minor in csd. I ended up taking a total of 30 credits in csd, but this is likely above what is needed for most programs. The majority of slp grad schools only admit for fall, so you could start taking pre reqs over the summer and continue them throughout the next year or so, and apply to sip grad school this fall (for fall 2018 semester). Most post bacs are online, and I've heard that Utah State and Eastern New Mexico University offer very reasonably priced options! Like I said, its definitely doable. Most programs do accept out of field majors, if they have the pre reqs, or they are in the process of completing them. Some programs even offer 3 year options which include a year of pre reqs before the program officially starts. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or come over to the SLP forum

I know Ohio State has the Summer Distance Learning Institute (https://sphs.osu.edu/events/summer-2016-distance-learning-institute), which I did last summer. Also, I know Longwood University and University of Wisconsin Eau Claire have online CSD courses, but I'm not sure what their rates are or which ones are offered during the summer. I've heard Eastern New Mexico and Utah State are affordable, but I know these have already been mentioned and I wanted to throw a few more out there in case they don't have a specific class you're looking for

Hello, I also live 2 hours from the university I will be attending. I started my search by just browsing rent.com and apartments.com, and I was able to find a few places that way. However, I second what the poster above me said- check your school's website! In my case, there were tons of better options, more catered towards students (including many apartments that were exclusively grad students, or upperclassmen and grad students), at cheaper rates. Just search "off campus housing" or "grad student housing" on your school website. Then, track down the link to the actual website of the apartment from a google search. A lot of sites have "contact us" links, and I've used a few of them to get in contact with management at the properties I'm looking at. I'm also going to be a first year student, so I'm not sure when the "right" time is, but I'm looking now so that I have more options. Since it's only 2 hours away, I don't see why it wouldn't be feasible to plan a day or two to go out and visit at some point! If your cohort has a group, you can look for roommates that way, if you want to have a roommate (as the poster above me also said). I personally am choosing to live alone my first year in a studio most likely, but this is obviously where you have to take into account your own personal preferences. However, I'm sure having a roommate would be helpful since they can help with the search!

I think it's normal to feel a little bit of regret accepting any grad school offer! I was really between 2 schools, and just turned down an offer to one of them last week. I sort of regretted it, as it is a little closer (although my school choice is only 2 hours away, vs about 45 minutes, and both are in-state) and I have a long-term relationship with someone from where I am currently located. But I got a funding offer for the school I am attending, and it just feels like a better choice for me- despite the fact that I'm feeling a little anxious. I think there is a good reason behind why you made the choice that you did! Trust your gut feeling. If it fits with your life best, then it's probably the better option. Unless you have turned down your other school offers already, you have a *little* more time to think about it. As the poster above me said, you're highly likely to get a job after graduation, no matter where you go! SLP is very in-demand. And most importantly, you made it through this very stressful application progress on top, and you're going to be working towards your dream career! So be proud, and be excited! You're doing great. *virtual pat on the back*

A few (read: many) times during my stressful application process, I considered switching. It eventually worked out, but I found this site very helpful: http://speech.buffalostate.edu/sites/speech.buffalostate.edu/files/uploads/Documents/CareerAlternativestoSLP.pdf I wish you the best of luck with whatever you choose!

I'm an Ohio applicant, but I didn't apply to any of those schools. However, I considered applying to Kent State; I talked to one of the CSD professors at my current undergrad and she said that Kent is more research focused. Since you asked about the campus itself, I also went to Kent for one semester during undergrad (Fall 2014). This was before I knew about speech path, however, so I can't say much about the CSD program obviously, but I liked the campus. It's quite large and located in sort of a rural area, if you haven't visited. Parking was sort of a nightmare (it is pretty much everywhere though, in my experience) but there were many dining options scattered throughout campus. These may be more concerns for undergrad students rather than grad students, however. Also, Kent is close to Cleveland and Akron. I've been in Northeast Ohio all of my life, if you want to know more about the area specifically. Ohio State is one of the top ranked programs in the country; it's number #17 on this infamous list (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/pathology-rankings). I took one summer CSD class at Ohio State online (speech & hearing science), but I've never been to campus. I didn't apply here since I know they're very competitive, and I didn't see myself as a competitive enough applicant. I don't have any knowledge of Cincinnati.

Much like others here, I didn't take care of a parent growing up, but my mom is in the medical field (nurse practitioner). When I was first starting college 4 years ago, she kept saying how one day I'm going to get a graduate degree as well. Back then, I was like absolutely not, but look at me now! I'm also an INFP; I've tested INFJ as well on a few occasions. I think a lot of my INFP personality preference is nature. I've had pretty much the same core personality all of my life, although living life and growing up has likely shaped my personality as well (nurture). As in, I've always more or less been a quiet person (which is actually sort of ironic that a lot of us here are introverts, since SLP is supposedly a very extroverted field), and I've liked language and creative tasks. Really I haven't seen too much of a change in these traits, and if anything I feel like my creativity and love of language have become more apparent as I've gotten older and sort of "come into my own." So overall I'd say more nature than nurture, but I think both have played a role for me personally. I think SLP is suited for people with NF preferences, since it involves so much caring for others and an analytical nature. I know people with NF preferences are definitely suited for the arts, teaching, and counseling, and SLP involves a bit of all of these skills. Interesting discussion though! I'm actually taking personality psych at the moment so I can see some of these concepts at work here

Thanks for your responses everyone! I have accepted my offer- I'm officially going to be a SLP grad student at a university I'm really excited to attend! I'm hoping that you all receive some good news soon as well!

For one of them, yes. I didn't get to visit the other one, and they're not having a spring open house, so I'm basing my opinions off of information on the school website, and online reviews. Location is also a factor for me, and this school is in a good location.