VitaSineLitterisMorsEst

Ditto what Alicia said. My time commitments for each thing also weren't huge at all; I think the most I did was 20 hours at one place. But I tried to explain why these things were meaningful to me in my personal statement - like relating homeless tutoring online to a possible future in teletherapy, describing how I met a more diverse range of clients by being involved in horse therapy, that sort of thing. Plus it helps you learn where you might like to work, why you are doing this, etc. Also like Crimson Wife, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a speech clinic far away where I basically would have been filing and setting up for board meetings, but it didn't seem like doing that would show much to schools except that I was checking a box. I plan on going back to one of my positions this summer, even though I'm already in, because I loved it so much. That's the kind of place you should volunteer.

I had a 166 (verbal) 158 (quant) and 5.0 (writing). My cumulative gpa is 3.76 (3.90 major) so I think my GRE scores helped offset that with Vanderbilt. FYI they mentioned that letters of rec are quite important during my visit, something that I think isn't the case with every program. I highly recommend the Manhattan GRE books. They are the best!

I was also accepted to UCF although they weren't my first choice. I have heard mixed things about their program, but I could say the same about almost all the programs in Florida. Positives have included excellent work in AAC if you are interested in that - and of course Aphasia House. The negatives (just hear say, students with more experience with the program can feel free to contradict me) are the extremely large cohort, and some students coming out of the program feeling less prepared, but again I didn't know those students personally. I would encourage you to look at their student outcomes and compare to other programs, especially in the same state. I was in a somewhat similar situation to you - since I had the opportunity to attend UF for $30,000 if I lived at home. Then I was accepted to Vanderbilt, which is somewhat comparable in price to MGH. I chose Vanderbilt because I liked it for a lot of the same reasons as you; I went to the school and fell in love with it, I loved the unique opportunities, etc. It was the only school that I visited because of time constraints. I got a lot of conflicting advice - but mostly all the people close to me told me to pick Vanderbilt, despite the price. I think everyone has to make the decision about cost on their own and with people they trust, basing off their future living situation/background. I am willing to move back home for a few years to compensate for the cost of an awesome program; not everyone can or is willing to do that. I am interested in pursuing a Ph.D someday, and Vanderbilt is a well-known school; I have also been finding that it is extremely well-respected in the medical field, which is where I hope to work. Also, freshman year of college, I chose my school based off of cost alone, and I ended up regretting it and transferring out. All of these factors went into my decision, and I am happy with it - at least so far! I think the question is always more complex than, "Choose the cheapest," or "Choose the highest ranked," because everyone has different goals. That said, it sounds like you lean towards UCF. I agree with Plume; visiting would help to solidify your decision, and Miami isn't that far away!

I got my letter - alternate Bummed out, and still considering attending.

Yes, I think so. I live in Florida, and UF is a pretty good deal for me financially since I could live rent free if I commuted an hour. FSU is looking pretty cheap too at this point. But I don't think I'd turn Vanderbilt down if they offered me anything at all; I'd have a hard time turning them down even if they didn't. What about you?

Still waiting on mine...really nervous now. I hope you get good news in April!

I have heard UCF is overwhelmed by how many students they accept. A Ph.D student that talked to my class told us not to go there. Their placement rates after graduation are also a little lower than the rest of the state, though still good. Not to bash the program; just telling you what I have heard. Aphasia house is supposed to be a really awesome opportunity, and I have been told to go there if I am interested in AAC because they do excellent work in that area.

It is 6 semesters but they tell me that the 6th is an internship that can be done anywhere in the country.

So, maybe I am just being paranoid, but it looks to me based off past threads/results that people accepted to Vanderbilt with funding get some kind of a phone call before receiving their award letter. Which makes me think that I am one of the alternates for funding. Has anyone heard this?

Well, I asked a professor way back at the end of Spring for Fall, partly because I knew he would be gone. He seemed surprised to be asked to early. Based off that, I asked my second letter writer around October, and my third letter writer in late November - although that was partly because the other person I was going to ask left the school. I wouldn't wait longer than October. One thing I wish people had told me was that a lot professors really hate to be asked, so based off their reaction I thought I had either asked wrong, or didn't perform well enough, etc. But now I know that they just have about 100s of letters to write, and every student just adds to that pile. So don't feel bad if they seem less than enthusiastic...

Congratulations!! I think it partly depends on the teacher that you GA for. Some students have told me their work was as minimal as entering grades, others are more involved. Sometimes they have to attend the class, have office hours for undergrads, and run a 1 credit lab or something. Probably depends on the school too; I know at least one school I applied to that requires students to not have any other outside working going on. Regardless of whether you accept it or not, it's a huge honor to be asked. I got turned down for a GA position at UNL so I'm kind of bummed out about it. Another school offered me one, and my scholarship was also contingent on accepting; so I would find out about that.

So far I have been accepted to USF - UF - FSU - Vanderbilt - Nebraska. I am still waiting on Baylor, and I doubt I will attend either of the other two I am waiting on. So if any graduate student has any feedback about any of these schools, I would love to hear it! Right now Vanderbilt is my first choice, but obviously finances play a partial role in the decision, and I still don't have all the information yet. One of my other main concerns is to have a lot of freedom in my choice of clinical setting, and my primary interest right now is Medical SLP. Also, for UF I could feasibly live at home, which is an hour away. Is this doable?

I think it depends on the school. A lot of the private schools are ridiculously expensive, and they offer funding to their students right off the bat. The only public school that offered me anything so far is the University of Nebraska, and I applied there partly because they are notorious for handing out aid. But don't feel bad if you didn't get anything. A lot of schools just don't even allocate those kinds of resources for this degree, they save it all for their Ph.D students. My undergraduate institution gives exactly 4 full tuition scholarships to their GAs and that's it. I felt pretty sad about not getting anything from UF but they tell me that students mainly can apply for positions and scholarships around the school later on, after accepting admission.

I did. But I hear they admit students in waves.

I think you have very nice chances. To give your a reference point, your cumulative GPA is higher than mine (3.76) but I did have a higher last-60 GPA (3.88) A lot of schools (at least east coast) look at the last 60 units or so primarily, but many calculate it differently from each other. Mine came out to about 3.78 at one school. 3.8 is the number that most people will say to aim for to be "safe" but that is also subject to which schools you apply. Your extracurricular activities sound awesome. Volunteering was a weakness in my application (I did it, but I didn't consider the amount of time I spent on each "thing" very good, and I couldn't get many positions directly related to speech therapy) I mostly did a nice amount of research, include a research assistantship, and I also studied abroad for a week. Not a member of NSSLHA plus only the 25 required hours of observation. My GRE score was 166 Verbal 158 Quant 5 Writing. I've applied to eight schools and been admitted to three so far, still waiting on five. One is fairly competitive so I feel good about my other chances. I was very flexible about location, and I've applied to schools in Florida, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, and Tennessee - a mixture of top and very low ranked, with most in the middle. My advice to you would be to work on your relationships with professors to get really strong letters of recommendation. I knew all the profs I asked through research, thesis, or study abroad. I am terrible at going to office hours so I had to become acquainted with them through other things. I would also aim much higher for the GRE. I studied for it most of the summer before taking it, and I really consider it the part of my application that sets me apart. Which is sad, because other things I have done are more valuable, but that's the way it is.