JcSLP

Yes I went there for undergrad and I currently am there for grad school Likes: The program is very tight-knit. Professors care about you, the clinic director is great and very accommodating. My favorite thing is that you can go off-campus or be in the on-campus clinic any given semester (you don't choose, though.) Right know I'm at an off-campus placement, and over the summer I'll be on campus. Also they have an extensive list of affiliations for externships, so if you want to back to where you're from for an externship you likely can. Another thing (this could be seen as a pro or con depending on your personal preference,) is that classes are at night, usually around 5-7:30. If you want to work during the day when you don't have clinic you could, you just have to make sure you have a flexible job. Dislikes: The town itself is a little bland. In undergrad it was really fun (lots of parties, bars, etc.) But now, not so much. About 1/3 of the people in my program commute from Buffalo. Hope this helps! Message me if you have more questions

Hi! I'm in grad school right now, and In my program there's probably 5-6 people that commute an hour. I myself am moving at the end of the semester and will be doing a 40-ish minute commute. I think it's definitely doable, although in our program we go off-campus for placements and at-least one semester on campus, so a lot of people get placements closer to where they are living when they go off campus (still commuting back for class, though.) Most of the people that commute will still come to campus for a lot of the day to do work too.

@SpeechLaedy That is an insane amount of debt! Which gives you a really hard decision to make Do you actually need the full amount of the loans they're offering to you or will you get a refund? For example I take the full amount to get a refund to pay my rent/cost of living. If your bill is less than the amount of loans they awarded you you can elect to only accept part of it. I know that the CUNYs can be super competitive, but I'm going to a SUNY and my tuition for fall semester is like $6,500. Is moving out of the city an option? I hope everything works out for you!

There are a lot of really inspiring articles on ways to pay your debt on pinterest which I read frequently to keep me sane!! Haha. I'll owe about the same as you when it's all said and done. I agree with what Poor_salieri said, try to live below your means and devote as much of your income as you feel comfortable with to your loans instead of just paying the minimum payments. Just remember that generally we want a lot of things we don't need! Like, I really want an apple watch, but I just had to make a payment on my student loan... so yeah, no apple watch for me. Another method in contrast to the snowball method is the "avalanche" method, which is paying off your loan with the highest interest rate first. I personally want to try this because some of my interest rates are crazy! Also refinancing to get a lower interest rate can help in the long run. Make an account with StudentLoanHero. I did, and it's very helpful! Lastly, check out Public Service Loan Forgiveness if you have federal direct loans!

I'd suggest outlet/factory stores if there are any near you (a lot of them have websites as well though!) This summer I've been accumulating clothes little by little from places like Loft outlet, Banana Republic Factory, Old Navy, etc. For example, I've found pairs of nice dress pants on clearance for $10-$15! That way I don't have to drop a ton of money in one lump sum. You don't need to break the bank! TJ Maxx & Marshalls are also really good. I think for women, the universal dress code would be tops with high necklines and long enough to cover your back fully even when bending down, full or ankle length dress pants, a few cardigans to throw over sleeveless tops. I think some schools allow you to wear knee-length dress shorts in the summer. For men, button ups or polos and dress pants.

I plan on getting my TSSLD certification. I'm not 100% sure where I want to work/with what population, so for me I want to keep my options open. It also depends on what grad program you go to, like the poster above said. The program I'll be attending doesn't make you apply for a seperate track, however when I applied to Ithaca I had to apply to the specific "with teacher certification" program. I think as far as other requirements, I believe you have to take parts of the NYS teacher certification exams.

yeah!

I'll be attending Fredonia in the fall! But I haven't found a facebook group yet either

I finally have accepted an offer; at the cheapest school I applied to! I think as long as the program is accredited, organized and the professors/supervisors care about their students, you're going to be learning the same basic things as someone in any other program, and get the same amount of clinical hours, because of the ASHA requirements. Placements/specialties/opportunities for research may vary, but in the end I think if you want to succeed as an SLP you're gonna do that no matter what program you go to!

Just chiming in, but I didn't hear back about an assistantship- on the results page someone said they had sent out 11 offers and those people had 2 weeks to decide. When I was emailing the department, they said I was still being considered for one, but I decided I didn't want to keep waiting and holding my seat. So I declined my offer. I really love the location and I think the program is a good one, but like you I just couldn't afford it without a GA position.

If I chose in-state tuition, which I most likely will unless I get a GA offer (at Ithaca, but I'm not banking on it), SUNY Fredonia is 11k (with a grant) per academic year, UB is 14k, not including summer tuition. At Fredonia you can pay anywhere from 2,000-3,100 per semester for rent. UBuffalo is a bit different since it's in a city, so I haven't found any student rentals that let you pay per semester. It looks like I'd pay anywhere from 600-900/month for a one bedroom, but it can be like 300 a month if you live in a 3-4 bdrm house with roomates.

Thank you for the advice! I agree that attending a different school could broaden my connections and perspective and possibly lead to better opportunities later down the road. I'm leaning towards the new school, even though it is a little more expensive. I'm not sure if 2-3k a year makes much of a difference in the end.

Does anyone have advice for someone that is choosing between two schools that are very similar in cost? My top 2 choices are only around a 2-3k difference per year... I have no idea how to decide which one to go to, and I keep going back and forth. One is my undergrad institution, so I know most of the professors and know the school like the back of my hand. The other is in a new city that's a bit closer to home which I like, and the school itself is much bigger. Any opinions/experiences going to a new university or staying where you got your undergrad degree? Thanks guys!

Congrats! I was accepted to Ithaca too, although I don't think I will be accepting my offer. I haven't visited the school but from what I've seen online it looks like a good program! I attended a lecture on their program "ICreate" (for young adults with Autism) at the NYS Speech-Language Hearing Association's convention, and it was very interesting.

From everything I've heard/seen so far, yes you could accept. I'm not really sure of the exact way to do this but most departments say you need to notify them as soon as possible if you do not plan to attend, so they can open the spot up to someone else. I'd say just politely and professionally email or call the department and tell them that you will no longer be attending their program, and thank them. You'll likely lose your deposit as most are non-refundable.