angela4

@lily48slp It sounds like you are putting a lot of effort into making your decision, and I'm sure you will make the right choice. I'm wondering, at what point do rankings really start to matter? Of the two schools I am considering, the less expensive and more convenient school is MUCH lower ranked - 150 lower than the other school.

Thank you! That will be so helpful. I wish there were more current students on here so that we could get people who have been there, but I guess once you get started in a program you have support from fellow students and don't need sites like this as much anymore.

Hi katelynmarie, I just wanted to follow your post because I have also been wondering about the pros and cons of all off-campus clinical work. Thank you!

It does seem much less intrusive to use a camera.

Thanks for the info! I hate being observed, but I've been through it before and it's a necessary evil :(. I'm glad to know that supervisors are there for their students to provide support.

That's a great idea. Thank you! The programs are at two different schools. One offers more flexibility but most attend full-time. One is a 3-year cohort model so everyone is in the same group. Thanks!!

Does anyone have any pros/cons on attending a part-time (3 year) vs. a full-time (2 year) program? I know the most obvious advantage for part-time is being able to continue working, but at the same time I don't make all that much doing what I do now, and choosing the 3-year program would delay moving on to a more lucrative profession. I am slightly leaning toward the 3-year because I like other things about the program, but I'm not sure if adding that extra year is just a waste of time.

@junglebae, @jessie_lee Thank you! Sorry, I just have one more question! What kind of guidance do you have from supervisors? Are you kind of on your own and then you meet with them to check in every week? Or do they really help you come up with a plan for each client?

Does anyone have an idea of how many hours per week is 2 credit hours of clinic work?

Great idea! Thank you.

lily48slp, I am facing an A vs. B decision too. Thank you for the post. plume, how would you suggest going about contacting current/former grad students at the program? I feel like if I ask the school directly, they will connect me with someone who is a "favorite" or who they know will only say positive things.

I went to grad school for another field a few years ago (and starting SLP grad school in August). We were expected to be at our clinical sites during the day. Then (from what I can remember), each class met for 3 hours once a week, usually at night. So I would maybe be in class from say 4 - 10pm twice a week.

That seems like an odd approach to me. With this approach they may be missing out on some "stronger" applicants who were accepted to several schools and can't/don't want to wait on them to make a decision. (I put stronger in quotes because I think even with a "holistic" approach sometimes the admissions process is just a game of luck).

Thanks everyone. It's nice to hear others' thoughts about how different schools handle this process. I know we don't know why they do it the way they do, but I'm glad we got to have a discussion about it (and glad I got to vent a little bit). I wish everyone the best of luck with acceptances, and with finding out in a timely manner!

Totally. There is a lot of (seemingly) unnecessary uncertainty that everyone has to go through.

I took chemistry last summer at my community college. I didn't need it for my last degree so I hadn't taken it since high school! I didn't really learn anything in the course but I was able to get an A. I've taken some other courses through USU online, and I know that they offer a bio course. I think USU also offers chemistry, and possibly physics.

I have to retake bio this summer. I didn't realize that I got a C+ in it first year of college! am either going to do it at the local community college or at an online school.

Thanks languagegirl!

I think your idea of having the time frames more standardized is interesting. I know this is different, but it makes me think of match day for medical students going on to their residency. They know exactly when they will find out where they are going. Congratulations on getting an acceptance to your top school!

Thanks so much everyone. I do see all sides of it now. It must be a lot of work to go through ALL of those applications. I would certainly be overwhelmed! I do agree with kay because I don't feel that 1-2 weeks is adequate time to really go through your options, get any questions answered about funding etc., and make an informed decision. If we were notified at least one month in advance of April 15, we could make a decision earlier and give people on the waitlist the opportunity to have an offer before the deadline. I am lucky that I've already received one acceptance (and I really feel a lot of this is luck!), so I honestly wouldn't use the word anxiety to describe the way I feel about this process (mostly because my brain is too filled up being anxious about other things!). It's more of a pragmatic thing, a concern about the organization and quality of the school. Thanks again everyone

Thank you! I guess the world doesn't revolve around me after all :). Best of luck with your schools!

Hi! I also have a 7 year old MacBook. It was pretty much done for, but my husband restored it to factory settings (after I backed up the things I needed), and I have gotten an entire extra year out of it. It's like having a new computer. The more software I put on it (Audacity etc), the slower it runs, but when I leave a ton of memory open it works just fine. Just a thought.

I don't think a GA is always a TA. I think TAing is just one potential position as a GA. You may also be doing office work in your department or something similar.

At the risk of sounding whiny, does anyone else think it's inconsiderate when schools don't send out decisions until end of March/early April? I would really like to start comparing options and making decisions, but one of my schools is waiting until the end of the month to notify anyone of acceptances...and longer for waitlist notices. It makes me wonder if the school does not prioritize the students' needs and won't throughout the program.

Thank you so much for your help.