Cowsy

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

UO's dysphagia professor, Samantha Shune, is amazing. She just won the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders Award at the Dysphagia Research Society's annual meeting. I haven't taken dysphagia yet, but I'm currently taking Motor Speech Disorders and she is a superstar. She's kind and relatable and also a genius, which is par for the course with the entire faculty. McKay Sohlberg, the program directer, is a preeminent researcher in brain injury and cognition. The program's emphasis on cognition and learning is one thing that sets it apart, in my opinion. One of McKay's priorities is preparing great medical speech-language pathologists. :-) 
UO's externship coordinator is also amazing. She will help you go wherever you want to go, as long as you also put in the effort. :-) There are lots of members of my cohort who plan to do our medical externships in Portland, and some from the cohort above us who are already there-- past students have gone to BIRC, Providence, OHSU, Doernbecher, CDRC, Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing, Kaiser, different SNFs, etc. 
The variety of clinical opportunities provided to UO students is amazing. We have a specialty clinic model, so each term small groups of students are assigned to one specialty clinic. AAC, Young Child, School-Age, CAALMS (adult language), BRICC (brain injury and cognition), Fluency. The lead clinician of each specialty clinic is an expert in that arena. This is my second term. So far my clinical experiences have included:  assessing AAC needs and implementing AAC systems in elementary schools and a SNF, working with a client with complex needs who used AAC in our on-campus clinic, working with a variety of children on language, articulation and social skills goals at an elementary school, and being part of LAPE (Language and Play Everyday) and LAPE+, EI parent-training programs for children with language delay and children at risk for autism. I am also guaranteed experiences in working with individuals who have suffered TBI and have cognitive impairments as a result, adults with aphasia, fluency clients, more work at SNFs, and more school-aged clients, all in our on-campus clinic at at off-campus sites. The combination of clinical experiences and academic rigor is difficult, but worth it. 
I've heard that in the Portland area, graduates from PSU and UO are basically on the same level in terms of employability. UO is higher ranked, for what it's worth. 
Edit: a few members of my cohort do research with Samantha. I assume that will be an option next year as well. She let us all know about the opportunities at the beginning of the year. The professors and supervisors here jump at the opportunity to mentor and guide. Also, sorry for overusing the word amazing. I'm tired. :-) 

UO's dysphagia professor, Samantha Shune, is amazing. She just won the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders Award at the Dysphagia Research Society's annual meeting. I haven't taken dysphagia yet, but I'm currently taking Motor Speech Disorders and she is a superstar. She's kind and relatable and also a genius, which is par for the course with the entire faculty. McKay Sohlberg, the program directer, is a preeminent researcher in brain injury and cognition. The program's emphasis on cognition and learning is one thing that sets it apart, in my opinion. One of McKay's priorities is preparing great medical speech-language pathologists. :-) 
UO's externship coordinator is also amazing. She will help you go wherever you want to go, as long as you also put in the effort. :-) There are lots of members of my cohort who plan to do our medical externships in Portland, and some from the cohort above us who are already there-- past students have gone to BIRC, Providence, OHSU, Doernbecher, CDRC, Northwest Center for Voice and Swallowing, Kaiser, different SNFs, etc. 
The variety of clinical opportunities provided to UO students is amazing. We have a specialty clinic model, so each term small groups of students are assigned to one specialty clinic. AAC, Young Child, School-Age, CAALMS (adult language), BRICC (brain injury and cognition), Fluency. The lead clinician of each specialty clinic is an expert in that arena. This is my second term. So far my clinical experiences have included:  assessing AAC needs and implementing AAC systems in elementary schools and a SNF, working with a client with complex needs who used AAC in our on-campus clinic, working with a variety of children on language, articulation and social skills goals at an elementary school, and being part of LAPE (Language and Play Everyday) and LAPE+, EI parent-training programs for children with language delay and children at risk for autism. I am also guaranteed experiences in working with individuals who have suffered TBI and have cognitive impairments as a result, adults with aphasia, fluency clients, more work at SNFs, and more school-aged clients, all in our on-campus clinic at at off-campus sites. The combination of clinical experiences and academic rigor is difficult, but worth it. 
I've heard that in the Portland area, graduates from PSU and UO are basically on the same level in terms of employability. UO is higher ranked, for what it's worth. 
Edit: a few members of my cohort do research with Samantha. I assume that will be an option next year as well. She let us all know about the opportunities at the beginning of the year. The professors and supervisors here jump at the opportunity to mentor and guide. Also, sorry for overusing the word amazing. I'm tired. :-) 

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

No, I didn't have to work very hard on the math actually - I did go through the first three Manhattan math books or so.  But I actually learned/reviewed more math from all of the practice tests I took.  I maybe studied for 30-40 hours max for math, and the rest was practice test after practice test.
I looked at the link you mentioned above, and it appears very clearly to not represent the average GRE test taker.  The vast majority of the "before" scores are already well within or above the competitive range.  These individuals are unlikely to show improvement on par with those of us who simply need a refresher plus a lot of "timed test practice" and an understanding of the strategies needed to do well on the GRE.  
I appreciate that you seem to want to help SLP majors (which you are not, I am fairly certain) and give general advice about the GRE, but I feel you are doing so more to promote your own website/forum rather than out of any dedication to or knowledge about our major nor investment in our field.  

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

This is the SLP forum... My somewhat educated guess is that there would be a 75-90 (???) percent decrease in the number of SLP grad students if we all followed your advice. I think that what you're saying is appropriate for most grad students. But the reality for this field is that there's just not very much funding. On the flip side, we're all virtually guaranteed jobs once we're certified. Not sure if that's true for most graduate students. 

Hey there! Just wanted to add that it's really impressive you've made it this far and are choosing to look forward and improve your application for next year. That shows perseverance and belief in yourself, both of which are integral to this process and to your future career! You come across as well-spoken and I'm sure that you have the ability to do well on the GRE, given the right preparation. It really is all about knowing what kinds of questions will be asked, the structure you need to use on the AW portion, etc. I'm just hoping that you don't feel too discouraged by some of the previous comments-- it seems like you've got the right balance between positivity/belief in yourself and an understanding that you need to make some changes. It's great that you know you DO have the ability to make those changes, so I wanted to reinforce that. :-) 

Like most of you here I am SUPER EXCITED to start my masters program this fall for SLP!!! It's taken me a lot of work and dedication to get here and I want to make sure to maximize my time spent this upcoming two years. With that said I am also so so so nervous about this new chapter in my life. 
Hoping to hear from some current or past grad students on what they wish they knew before starting classes? Any tips? Advice? Words of wisdom? I would love to know <3
 

I attended a public university for undergrad and I will be attending a public university for grad school as well. I really believe in public education (sorry to say public so many times).
Even if the university´s coursework is not overly religious, I would be concerned with supporting the overall mission and values of the university. I have heard many first-hand accounts for example, from staff members at religious schools that are "encouraged" (read: coerced) to sign documents professing their agreement with stances (against abortion, marriage equality, or other controversial topics). Regardless of how I feel about any of those issues, I don´t think anyone should be asked to sign away their beliefs in exchange for a paycheck. If I were considering attending a religious school, those kind of considerations (while not directly affecting my graduate education) would heavily affect my conscience. 
I say all this recognizing that their are religious schools that don´t do that; in fact, I´m sitting at my desk inside of a catholic middle school right now. I don´t agree with all of the beliefs of the school or Catholic church, but I am allowed to respectfully disagree without having my job threatened. 

@Jolie717: I think your points are great and I agree with you too! I chose to write that old post arguing for the merits of one point of view, but I do agree with you that it's not so simple. I do think about the things you wrote as well, and I recognize that these ideas are contentious. I also agree that it's pretty tough to have a deep conversation about a topic like this in this medium! Since writing that post, there has been many discussion events at my campus about some of these topics---several hours worth of events! And even after all those discussions, I feel like there is more that can be said. 
I still think my overall views from the old post mostly stand, but I have changed my mind about some things based on these discussions. One example is bias in decisions and I think it's time to remove the GRE from the decision making process because it's a biased and faulty metric. It also doesn't provide any useful information! So, while I still think the solution to removing bias from the workplace is to train the bias out of people, I want to be clear that I do think there can also be changes in the way information is provided in the application process (e.g. maybe the first stage should be name/gender/race blind etc.)
(P.S. I am hoping the Physics GRE and General GRE will disappear from a lot of applications next year in my field. My field's national society has officially endorsed a position urging department heads in the US to remove them: https://aas.org/posts/news/2015/12/presidents-column-rethinking-role-gre)

Thanks for the responses @Jeff Barton. While I definitely agree that individuals ought to earn their way into programs, I do believe that universities also place great weight on whether applicants can contribute fresh perspectives and a diversity of experiences (that was my impression during my internship with the Enrollment Division at Notre Dame). I think that out-of-field applicants in particular can share an interdisciplinary approach to CSD study. I know that my undergrad background in French and Portuguese will definitely inform my research interest in Francophone/Lusophone populations in the same way that Philosophy sheds a bit of light on the role of language in knowledge formation. I imagine that the liberal arts (not just hard sciences) can also be helpful for future clinicians.
When you wrote that you had been on both sides of the table I thought you meant you had worked in Admissions  I appreciate the offer for application help, though, but I'm actually already headed to a grad program this fall. I agree that the application process itself was pretty complicated (looking at you CSDCAS haha). Are you considering pursuing a PhD after the MS?

1. Why did you choose the program you're going to? What really sold it for you? 
I chose San Francisco State University because they offer a specialization in Augmentative and Alternative Communication. No other schools I applied to or looked into had even half as many faculty members whose experience is in AAC. I also liked how the program had 2 externship opportunities - 1 school/children 1 medical/adult. Not all program offer this - the school where I went for my post-bacc only guarantees school/children and you have to be lucky to get an adult/medical internship.
2. How many schools did you apply to
I applied to 7 schools. 3 Acceptances, 3 Wait-lists, 1 rejection
3. If you haven't decided, what is going to be the factor that pushes you to decide? 
The factor that weighed heaviest for me was money. After talking to my parents last night, I finally decided on SFSU! Although the cost of living will be 2x-3x as much as LA, I know that the program is a better fit for me than the other 2 schools I was accepted. My second choice was ASU. Although SFSU and ASU was calculated to cost almost the same, I'd have to take more loans out for tuition for ASU than I'm planning to to attend SFSU.

Honey, you're not "behind" if you're still in your early 20's. I'll be in my 40's before I start grad school. My mother-in-law didn't go back to school until she was in her 50's.

It worth a shot at least. Seriously. After getting the dreaded rejection letter, I e-mailed and asked for feedback on how I could improve. The response was an apology/correction; the rejection letter was sent out by mistake. They subsequently made an offer of admission with funding. Had I not inquired, who knows when/if they would've realized it. Also not sure how often this really happens....but you never know. 

Well I'm hoping to be able to, knock on wood!  It's just the looming debt that makes me unsure...  My undergrad BS is the regular (not online) program here at Cal State Northridge.  

You are not. It's the one thing I highly dislike about this field. It's really embarrassing.

I thought I was the only one who noticed that.
 

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any programs that are as positive about ASL as Gallaudet. I'm not even sure if there is one! Their website has a lot of great information though. They have a list and description of all the classes that are required. I applied because of my love for Aural (Re)hab, and my dedication to the preservation of ASL and Deaf culture. (Minor side rant: I hate how all of our programs teach "cultural sensitivity" but completely disregard and disrespect Deaf culture. It's bizarre and frustrating.) Their program is in the SLCC building and it is the most beautiful speech clinic I've seen at a institution. The facilities have the newest technology and everyone I met when I visited was amazingly kind. I can't say enough good things. I may be biased, but this is the best program out there for people wanting to work with the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing populations. 
I was accepted into the program for this fall as well. I have my GPA and MAT scores listed below. I didn't disclose my GRE scores to Gallaudet because my MAT  score was far higher and they accepted it. Gallaudet doesn't have a limit to how long your personal statement can be. Mine was around 6 pages. This was a huge plus for me because I didn't feel like I could express myself nearly as well in 500 words or two pages. I also really liked that they didn't use CSDCAS, their online application was simple to use and I never had an issue with them losing apart of my application. If you have any other questions just let me know! Best of luck!!!

I have and I haven't - it's tough bcz both unknown funding and complications as far as moving my family are interfering with the decision making.  I'll be one of the ones that waits until the last minute I suppose...

Hey there! I don't attend PSU and wasn't accepted this year, but I thiiiiiiiink I've read on their website that they actually do two cohorts of ~25 each, so they're able to admit more students but maintain the close-knit cohort thing. Also, if you dig around enough on their website they've got a list of community partners for externships and I recall there being a good mix of school/med, including a couple of the awesome children's hospitals in Portland. Not sure how that list translates to reality for students though. If you have any questions about Portland more generally I might be able to help with those as well. :-) 

Would you be able to fund some of your tuition and living costs up front, or are you planning to do it all on loans? Personally, $100k tuition + high cost of living on all loans sounds like a financially poor idea versus a free ride and lower cost of living, haha. 
If I were in your shoes, my heart would also be leaning toward Columbia, but I would save my acceptance letter as a token a pride, and go with the choice that won't leave me three figures in debt, haha. 
Could you sit down with a financial advisor (or search around on the Internet depending on your accounting skills), and make a spreadsheet of how long it would take to pay back debt on various starting salaries, as well as discuss your financial goals post grad such as when you would like to purchase a house, and how debt could affect you?