mbf

I decided to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The program is small and really close knit. They really focus on a family environment. The program places a emphasis on research in that every student is required to do a research project. Less intense than a thesis(which they do have that option) but you still get a chance to dip your toes in :).They have a big emphasis on educating culturally adept clinicians which is extremely important in this day and age. I also like the military presence which means that internships can be in a variety of places(TBI, aphasia, pediatric, etc.).  Another factor that helps is the tuition will be in-state for me. The department had some trouble with accreditation about 10+ years ago, but every therapist I've talked to who has graduated in recent years who attended absolutely loved it. They're accredited until 2022 now so I'm not worried at all. I feel like they've done a lot to improve the school, like the fact that they just helped set up the first speech therapy program in China. I also like the fact that in my downtime I'm in paradise :). I'm just excited to make the most of the program!

Just got off the waitlist at Minot State! This was my first acceptance, so I'm really excited. They had told me they would begin pulling from the waitlist beginning April 15th, but it looks like slots opened up earlier than that. They gave me a deadline for April 15th to accept. 

Mmm, I just got th follow up email. But I got a phone call and my email acceptance letter this morning!! It's my first acceptance and my third time applying so I am over the moon. I hope you hear good news

I would also try to include some new information in your "still interested" email/letter.  Try to do a new shadowing opportunity or attend a local seminar (early intervention is always having workshops in my area) or even reading a journal article.  I would include that info in the email as in I would like to provide additional information about my interest in speech pathology; I have recently  . . . . 

I second what @mbf said.

Also it wouldn't hurt to email the schools your waitlisted at with an email of "Continued Interest".  Just letting them know you are still waiting to hear back and would love to attend their program.  That way, when they do start pulling people off the waitlist your name may pop up in their minds because they saw it in an email or letter you sent them.

I would highly avoid this program unless it's absolutely your last choice. There's literally no reason to go across the country for a program that has never graduated a class before if you can go *anywhere* else. When I talked to one of the faculty on the phone, it was almost as if they were reading off cue cards about what they were supposed to sell the program on, but just like any new program it's going to have a ton of issues. The inexperience, exorbitant cost (I mean duh, for profit), and region should be enough to scare anyone away from a brand new program like this. Let them take the scraps of applicants who didn't get into another program. For the sake of your future, you should aim to get into any school that has already demonstrated their competency rather than gambling on this school. I got accepted here and declined it the moment I got into another program. It's too much of a gamble to come to this school and honestly would be worth taking another year to bolster an application rather than going to RM (especially so if you're going to uproot your entire family to do so).

I am a male SLP who just finished my CFY. 
When I first got accepted into graduate school, there were some whispers of, "You only got in because ___".  Full disclosure, I am also an ethnic minority and was an adult returning student.
At first, it did bother me because I was being pinned to one specific attribute; whether it's me being male, a minority, or an out-of-field applicant.  Might I have had a *slight* advantage?  Maybe, maybe not.  Then again, any other aspect of my application could have given me a different advantage.  Maybe it was my GPA, my GRE, my essay, my LORs, my years of related work experience, etc.  I was not in those candidate admission discussions, so I could only guess why they decided to say "yes" to my application.  I could list 20 reasons why I was accepted and 20 reasons why I should've been rejected. Trying to figure out WHY I was accepted was futile.  Granted, that's easier said than done when you have an acceptance letter in your hand.
For me, I stumbled upon the profession after I got my bachelors in a different, but related field.  I couldn't go back in time to change my first degree to make myself look "more deserving".  I can't change my ethnicity nor am I going to change my gender.  However, all of those factors make up who I was a person, student, applicant, and clinician then and now.  The application process taught me how to package who I was, what I knew, and what I'd done into someone that the universities wanted to have on their respective campuses.  That process is true for everyone, regardless of credentials.
Once I started graduate classes, my cohort became my grad school family  We worked together, played together, laughed together, and cried together.  Every so often, I would get asked, "How does it feel being the only guy?"  It honestly didn't bother me unless it was implied that I should feel left out because of it.  When I received multiple group emails addressed to "Ladies" or when gender-specific events were planned, it sometimes felt like I was forgotten.  But I knew it wasn't intentional because the very next email would be about Taco Night.  If a group wanted to have a mani/pedi spa day, there was no rule that all 25 members of the cohort had to attend and enjoy it.  I just skipped that event and went to Taco Night instead.  Not a big deal.  One of my classmates actually told me, "We sometimes actually forget you're a guy.  You're just one of us, one of 'the girls'."  I took that to mean they felt I belonged there.
Sometimes, being a male had an advantage in clinic.  There were times where my classmates would come to me, "I have a little boy client this semester.  I don't know what kinds of toys 5 year old boys like or play with... help!" or "I have a teenage boy as a client. What are teenage boys into?"  Of course, I turned the tide right around when it was my turn, "I have a little girl client who likes princesses.  Can I borrow your princess activity"  
My university has a professor who researches transgendered voice and some students got to work with male-to-female transitioning clients.  While I was jealous that some of my classmates got to have that clinical experience while others didn't, myself included; I understood it was a matter of scheduling and deciding what's best for the client.  When there are only 3 transgendered clients and 25 clinicians wanting that experience, someone is going to be left out.  Additionally, part of the therapeutic process was to provide a natural female voice model to the client.  Physically, I am not able to provide a natural female voice model.  I was not the best clinician for that client.  Now, if we had a female-to-male transgendered client, it's quite possible that I could've been enlisted to take on that case.  But, we'll never know.  

Gender may color my practice, but it doesn't dictate it.  I am the kind of guy who will put on fairy wings and a tiara for a tea party to practice initial /t/.  Not all men will do that.  Then again, not all women will do that.  What matters is I found a way to engage a client in a meaningful way that was comfortable for all of us.
Ultimately, I took everything in stride, joked about being the only guy, and made 25 friends that helped me through grad school.  I often joked that my class picture looks like the class photo of a sorority.... with a random guy in the first row.  The more important thing is we developed our skills as clinicians.  We pushed each other, supported each other, and learned from each other.  Just be yourself and bring your own personality/skills to the work, maleness and all.
Now that I've finished my CF, being a male SLP is a non-issue. My colleagues see the work I do and the relationships I build with the people with whom I work. What matters is the work and the progress I make with my clients.  While male SLPs are not numerous in the field, we are appreciated and welcomed into the profession by our colleagues.  We are just as skilled, qualified, and competent as our female counterparts.  At the end of the day, good therapy is good therapy.  We may all have different ideas as to what that looks like or how it's executed, but that's what makes the field diverse and exciting.  When the parents thank me at meetings for the progress that their child has made, that's what matters to me.  My job is to work with colleagues and clients, regardless of anyone's gender, to get the best therapeutic results possible.  If the simple fact that I'm a guy just happens to help a client open up and make progress faster, even better.

GVSU was and still is not accredited yet.  They starting in 2014 and I was the 3rd cohort to go there.  Candidacy for accreditation just means as long as they follow guidelines for the first 5 years they then will have full accreditation after the 5 years.  During candidacy they are still accredited, but its like a preliminary accreditation.  Just like when your a CF you have preliminary credential(at least in CA) until you finish your CF.  

Just the fact that a school is a "Candidate for Accreditation" scares off a lot of would be attendees but you shouldn't worry.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/04/05/522575533/teachers-lawyers-and-others-worry-about-the-fate-of-student-debt-forgiveness
I just think that I have other viable options, so I'm not going to put all of my eggs in the loan forgiveness basket. It very well may work for people still, but I would hate to follow the rules for 10 years and get slapped with a big "sorry"
 
That NPR link is just a small sample, and the people who basically had their chance at loan forgiveness recinded were all attorneys that didn't *technically* work at a nonprofit, but the first "payout" from this particular loan forgiveness is coming this fall, so we'll see how it goes down soon. It was started by Bush, and I know Obama capped it to $50k and odd dollars, and there is now talks that Trump may do away with it entirely or just lower the cap again.

Was going to share the same article, I read it this morning.
I was banking on PSLF when I first was interested in changing careers to SLP in 2015, but that's no longer the case. I was accepted to two programs so far, waitlisted at one, rejected from two, and still waiting to hear from two. Of the two that I was accepted to, one is a much closer commute (thinking about gas, toll, mileage expenses for two years!), and $20k+ in tuition less than the other program. I accepted the offer to that program (NYMC) right away. It's still more expensive than the RMUoHP tuition that I just googled, but it is in the NYC area so everything here is more expensive to begin with. 
When I talked to a few of my SLP coworkers about prospects for loan repayment, one of them told me to start looking for per-diem or part time hours at a SNF or hospital as soon as I get my C's. She said that the income from one or two per-diem shifts per week at a hospital ten minutes from her house is more than enough to make her loan payment each month. She also picks up more hours there during paid breaks from the full time job to earn even more towards paying the loans off faster. This was a relief to hear! 

This is a BIG misconception amongst grad school applicants.  A school in candidacy for accreditation actually has accreditation for those 5 years that they are in candidacy like any other program.  
 
"Holding candidacy, which is an accredited status, signifies that the program in speech-language pathology complies with rigorous standards for accreditation.  An accredited status (candidacy or full) must be awarded prior to enrolling students."
 
 
There is also a misconception that if you go to a school with candidacy accreditation you can't get your CCC's, etc.  Here is the direct quote from the ASHA webpage on the matter:
 
"You may submit an application any time after you have completed the necessary coursework, practicum, and received the required graduate degree from a CAA-accredited academic program or a program admitted to CAA candidacy."
 
http://www.asha.org/certification/SLPCertification.htm
 
So new programs with candidacy accreditation(keyword is accreditation) are indeed accredited and do not affect getting your CCC's either.  Hope that clears things up!  

Mmm, I just got th follow up email. But I got a phone call and my email acceptance letter this morning!! It's my first acceptance and my third time applying so I am over the moon. I hope you hear good news

I got an acceptance too! It's also my first acceptance!

Mmm, I just got th follow up email. But I got a phone call and my email acceptance letter this morning!! It's my first acceptance and my third time applying so I am over the moon. I hope you hear good news

Mmm, I just got th follow up email. But I got a phone call and my email acceptance letter this morning!! It's my first acceptance and my third time applying so I am over the moon. I hope you hear good news

Now that you say that, I am realizing I wasn't even counting the classes I would be taking this summer....! I just keep reminding myself that in two years I will be an SLP!

Whitewater has started to send out decisions, there are a few waitlisted and one accepted (so far) on the results search! 

I did too. I really like Idaho's communication with the applicants. 

There's a rejected and an accepted from 3/20 on the results page. Fingers crossed for you!

I've been accepted, but I haven't decided where to go yet. I wondered the same thing as you but was confused because they refer to it as a "certificate program," which seemed to imply that it's not only funding-dependent. I'm probably just reading it too optimistically because I want to know before committing! Ha.  I'll post again when I hear back!

If they do, could make the faculties' process a little bit quicker which could mean news sooner for us haha
Fingers crossed!

@slpfall14 @Allegro8032 @ElKel87 @jpiccolo
Most people seem to not know about the 5 year loan forgiveness program for SLP's in schools. Here is the summary for qualifications:
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the teaching profession. Under this program, if you teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in certain elementary and secondary schools and educational service agencies that serve low-income families, and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to a combined total of $17,500 on your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and your Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans. If you have PLUS loans only, you are not eligible for this type of forgiveness.
Here is the site:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher
SLP's qualify under Special Ed teachers.  As long as your in one of the qualified low income districts, all you need to do is fill out the paperwork at the end of the 5 years and they will forgive up to $17,500.  
Just another option, I know the 10 year program forgives the entire debt remaining so this option is better for people with like $40k in debt or less probably.

I didn't have to take out loans or anything for undergrad so this is coming from a place of ignorance (I know that's lucky and stuff), but as someone who won't have a ton saved by the time grad school begins, is it possible to go to school and live and pay tuition completely off loans? There's a limit to the ones with low(er) interest right? And what kind of resources do you use to figure this all out? I'm assuming the school we end up going to but are there resources apart from that any of you have found helpful? I'm the oldest and haven't had to think about all this until now.

@jpiccolo For loan forgiveness, it actually doesn't need to be in the same school for 10 years or even in a school at all. It just needs to be in an area of public service for 10 years. So any nonprofit (like a nonprofit hospital) or government organization (like the VA) would qualify. You can move around between jobs as long as they all qualify as "public service" and it's 10 uninterrupted years. And you need to make regular monthly payments during those 10 years. So basically you set yourself up with the income based repayment plan, which usually allows you the lowest possible payment per month, and then after 10 years (and I assume a good amount of paperwork) the balance on your loans can potentially be forgiven. The law was signed in I think 2007 or 2008 so, because of the 10 years stipulation, the first person to qualify for the program won't be eligible until this year or next.
Sorry for the long winded post, I've been doing a lot of research into loans to keep myself busy while I wait for decisions 
Here's a link with more info in case anyone else is interested!
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

Old Dominion just accepted me today! The email says to keep on the lookout for additional emails about scholarships, so if you were waiting on them, check your emails everyone! Best of Luck!