angela4

@Jordyn_M463 
Here is the dress code from my school’s handbook. People don’t always follow it. My black pants definitely have denim in them. We do have a polo shirt with the university name on it that we can wear too. I purchased mine at the beginning of the year for I think about $25. Hope this helps! 
Dress for all clinicians should be appropriate for a professional setting. Male clinicians are required to wear a dress shirt with a collar (t-shirts and tank tops are not acceptable) and a pair of slacks. Male clinicians may wear jackets or sweaters, if they choose. Female clinicians may wear dresses, suits, skirts, dress slacks, jumpsuits, blouses, and sweaters. Tops that reveal cleavage (e.g. halter tops, sheer blouses, tank tops, tube tops) and overly short skirts are not acceptable. Under no circumstances are clinicians permitted to wear jeans, leggings, gym or sport shorts, beach attire, flip flops, or warm up suits. Footwear should be appropriate for a professional setting. Optional dress: you may wear the Department Polo Shirt as a shirt/top. 

I also strongly recommend thrift stores for anyone on a budget. If you can spend a little more, you can find quality clothes at outlet stores. I also bought a lot of clothes from "mom" type stores like L.l. bean and Land's End that have held up wonderfully to crawling on floors and frequent washing. I'll be able to wear those clothes (that I bought over a year ago) when I start my CF in the fall. When I first started clinic, I bought a lot of stuff from H&M and Target because it was cheap. Most of it only lasted a semester and I would have been better off buying one or two outfits of better quality. As for style, I've found slacks with a nice sweater or T-shirt and blazer to be the best combination of professional and comfortable. 

For anyone looking for places to shop, I highly recommend Goodwill. I've gotten tons of new looking professional tops there for $3.99 each. I've never bought pants or shoes from there, but I love going for tops. You have to spend some time sifting through and maybe visit a few locations, but it's totally worth it. 

For anyone looking for places to shop, I highly recommend Goodwill. I've gotten tons of new looking professional tops there for $3.99 each. I've never bought pants or shoes from there, but I love going for tops. You have to spend some time sifting through and maybe visit a few locations, but it's totally worth it. 

I live with severe anxieties. They're so bad that at times, I cannot get up from my desk or walk out of the classroom. It was so extreme that it prevented me from finishing my degree years ago. I managed to seek help and eventually returned back to school. 
Ive learned that professors are not out to get you, they want to see you succeed and they'll do anything to accommodate students who care about their education. Beginning of every semester, I set a time to meet with them and let them know about my mental health. I take my tests privately and away from my classmates which offered me opportunities to ask questions and get extra help if needed. I meet with them often, talk about assignments/projects and how I'm doing so far....it's all about communication. The more I opened up to them, the more they understood my anxiety and this "fear" I lived with everyday. The more I got to know my professors, the better my grades got. Do not be afraid to be vulnerable.
Good luck!
 

@Moongirl201 @jmk @Speechster @Kslptobe @Adelaide9216 @foreverschwifty I would love to have a small private group or forum for grad students with chronic illness who are starting this year. Would anyone be interested in being a part of one? Maybe a Facebook group with a discreet name, or a group on another platform? Or even just a facebook group chat on messenger?

To add to my previous post, I think there are always people who talk about how hard grad school is- when it might just be their way of coping with extra stress. Especially because it is socially expected and acceptable to talk about how busy you are while in grad school. There are tons of challenging times in life, whether it's stressful times at work, with family, etc. Some things are more acceptable to "complain" about, and grad school is one of them. It's sort of like a badge of honor for some people. But that's just what I think.

I am so sorry you had to go through that with your previous profs/program but thank you for sharing this. I have been wondering about what to do in this area and this is pretty convincing to go to disability services first. 

This is my second time going to grad school (first time was in a different field). The first time around I chose to self-disclose my chronic illness to my advisor/professor because I thought it would be good for them to know "just in case." I thought it was smart to be as open as possible. Unfortunately there is a stigma associated with my condition and telling my advisor about my illness was the worst decision I made in grad school. They told me I may not be able to continue because my condition was a liability. I had to get documentation from my doctor, and I finished the program successfully but it was harder because I self-disclosed and the professors made me jump through extra hoops.
This time around, I am going to go through the disability office and make sure I have protections in place before I share my disability with a professor again. If you go through the disability services office, they will give you a letter stating your accommodations, but the letter does not share your diagnoses. It is up to you how much information you want to give the professors in addition to the letters.
Maybe I just had bad luck, but I thought I should share my experience. I'm not saying it's smart to "hide" your disability, but I think it's good to make sure you are registered with disability services (or whatever it may be called) BEFORE sharing anything. 
I know I will need accommodations during grad school this time because my medical problems are a little worse now than they were a few years ago. But I'm going to go the official route this time. I encourage you to do the same to have the protections in place before you share with your professors.
 

This is my second time going to grad school (first time was in a different field). The first time around I chose to self-disclose my chronic illness to my advisor/professor because I thought it would be good for them to know "just in case." I thought it was smart to be as open as possible. Unfortunately there is a stigma associated with my condition and telling my advisor about my illness was the worst decision I made in grad school. They told me I may not be able to continue because my condition was a liability. I had to get documentation from my doctor, and I finished the program successfully but it was harder because I self-disclosed and the professors made me jump through extra hoops.
This time around, I am going to go through the disability office and make sure I have protections in place before I share my disability with a professor again. If you go through the disability services office, they will give you a letter stating your accommodations, but the letter does not share your diagnoses. It is up to you how much information you want to give the professors in addition to the letters.
Maybe I just had bad luck, but I thought I should share my experience. I'm not saying it's smart to "hide" your disability, but I think it's good to make sure you are registered with disability services (or whatever it may be called) BEFORE sharing anything. 
I know I will need accommodations during grad school this time because my medical problems are a little worse now than they were a few years ago. But I'm going to go the official route this time. I encourage you to do the same to have the protections in place before you share with your professors.
 

This is my second time going to grad school (first time was in a different field). The first time around I chose to self-disclose my chronic illness to my advisor/professor because I thought it would be good for them to know "just in case." I thought it was smart to be as open as possible. Unfortunately there is a stigma associated with my condition and telling my advisor about my illness was the worst decision I made in grad school. They told me I may not be able to continue because my condition was a liability. I had to get documentation from my doctor, and I finished the program successfully but it was harder because I self-disclosed and the professors made me jump through extra hoops.
This time around, I am going to go through the disability office and make sure I have protections in place before I share my disability with a professor again. If you go through the disability services office, they will give you a letter stating your accommodations, but the letter does not share your diagnoses. It is up to you how much information you want to give the professors in addition to the letters.
Maybe I just had bad luck, but I thought I should share my experience. I'm not saying it's smart to "hide" your disability, but I think it's good to make sure you are registered with disability services (or whatever it may be called) BEFORE sharing anything. 
I know I will need accommodations during grad school this time because my medical problems are a little worse now than they were a few years ago. But I'm going to go the official route this time. I encourage you to do the same to have the protections in place before you share with your professors.
 

I started 1st year last year with a chronic illness myself--neurological, can get epic. It sucked major amazeballs. I was so stressed out from the move and the big city and trying to make sure I didn't fail. On retrospect, I learned several things I wish I knew earlier, including that I should have asked questions here on Grad Forum.
What I learned this last 8 months:
1) Your department chair can make or break your experience--find out which camp your chair belongs to. Mine was and is a lifesaver and had many great tips on navigating the system. When I finally confessed to him I was on the verge of collapsing from an ongoing chronic health problem, he looked at me and said "Well, what took you so long to ask for help? I'm paid the big bucks to help you through this! That's why I get the fancy office and wear the fancy tie!"
2) Ask for help, but be careful who you ask for help from. You will need people to support you, but not everyone will be your ally. Find out who your lifesavers are, treasure them, and always remember to say thank you. Learning to say sorry doesn't hurt either. Never apologize for your disability and/or health condition, but it's never too late to learn to say, say "I'm sorry I'm running late." Better to not run late, but being sick sometimes affects the space-time continuum. :-)
3) Know your limits, and know when to say, well, f*** you, I come first.
4) Do not overdo classes, no matter how tempting it is.
5) Talk to the disability office. They have some amazing services; maybe they have some suggestions on how to get diagnosed, or services they can recommend. Like I have a program that reads to me so when my neurological condition acts up, and I am quite ill, and can't read well. Like whaaat? The program reads to me. Yes, it gets pretty hilarious when it tries to read scientific words, but it still reads to me. 
6) Learn to laugh at yourself.
7) If you take medication (I do), don't forget. Always have some at home, on you, and in your office. I needed the emergency room because I, of course, forgot mine on exam day, and landed in the hospital. Got a nice lecture from my neurologist and paramedics. (if my drug levels drop, I'm in trouble)
8) Do something outside your program. Doesn't matter what it is. Run, swim, bake, see family, see friends, garden, party, volunteer, go to church/mosque/temple, watch movies, have sex, rock climb, travel, knit, play music, campaign for something, have a pet, paint, collect something, judge others, shop, repair cars, paintball, do yoga, whatever.
 
 

Badddd. Bad bad bad. As someone coming off a 67 hour work week now completely unable to do anything, I recommend pushing to create an ethic of moderation and balance in your dept. I do actually track my working time, and typically clock in around 42-50 hours a week...that is about all I can manage and have it be somewhat (barely) sustainable. Fwiw, a lot of people normalize or brag about working 60 hour weeks without actually tracking their time...I can't find the article at this moment, but I once read an article that talked about how a study of academics showed that basically everyone says they are working 60-70 hours but most are working 40-55. I started sending out a weekly outdoor activities email to grad students in my dept...even though most of them aren't outdoorsy people or choose to do their own activities not the ones I invite them on, the feedback I've received has been that it has helped people feel more okay with taking time off to rejuvenate. So I think as Individuals we can help shift those norms or narratives a tiny bit. 
 

I'm in my second year, have dealt with chronic illness (mainly a cluster of symptoms around chronic fatigue and pain) at varying degrees of severity since 2012. Being in graduate school with chronic illness can be very hard, especially because many of the hegemonic narratives about how one should do grad school involve notions of working all the time, neglecting one's physical health b/c working all the time, etc. First, don't buy into any of those narratives. They're not true. This is real life and we should all be engaging in some kind of balance, chronically ill or not. Second, I definitely felt the questions of is it going to even be possible/am I even capable of getting through grad school, particularly in my first year. I now feel a little more solid on that, but I would say find out who your allies are--perhaps other students in your department, perhaps some faculty. It can be nice to know who it is safe to discuss how health issues are shaping your ability to do work--many professors are okay with that, but not all, so it can be good to carefully get a sense for each individual professor's attitudes.
Obviously specifics of what to do depend on your symptoms or what exacerbates your illness, but a few things I do to make sure I keep my health relatively manageable include sleeping enough, eating well, and taking time to just rest even when it seems like the pressures of grad school say those things are "too much to ask." Also, don't compare yourself to others--first of all, people are always facing more challenges than they ever seem to be when you look at them from the outside, and second of all, each person does things in their own way and at their own pace. Comparing your chronically ill self to others is just a recipe for feeling shitty about yourself (I say this even as I still slip into this mode of comparison sometimes).
Being chronically ill among predominantly young people who appear to be mostly healthy can be isolating. I haven't solved that one yet. If you're lucky the people in your department turn out to be good friends (since you'll be spending much of your time with then), but that may not be the case, especially depending on their attitudes toward whatever rhythms you seek as a result of chronic illness. I'm still trying to sort this one out...I feel very lonely a lot of the time and feel like there is no space for acknowledging my status as being a chronically ill grad student...hence my searching on grad cafe to see if there was anyone else out there. I'd love to talk further with folks going through this stuff--even if just to create a sense of solidarity and a sense that chronic illness in grad students isn't unheard of.
 

I knew I wanted to go into this field or I would not have applied/accepted admission to graduate school. Pretty simple, right? But once I got there and had a full week of orientations, reading clinic handbooks, and having to write treatment plans for my clients, I started to feel unsure. At the time, I read a lot of other forum posts, mainly SLP reddit, to see if I was the only one who felt this way. I was not, which helped a little bit, but not too much. The feeling I had was referred to as the  "Imposter Syndrome."
I know many programs are operated differently, but in my program, you are given multiple clients as soon as the clinic opens (the beginning of the semester). So here I was, a brand new graduate student, providing therapy to clients within the first two weeks of school. Trying to write the perfect plans without bombarding my clinical supervisor was tough. The whole process leading up to meeting a client for the first time was tough. I am not going to sugarcoat it, it was hard. But the second I finished my first session with my first client, all the unsure feelings I had disappeared. I never experienced something more rewarding. Fast forward a month and a half later and every week I look forward to seeing my 4 clients. Although it means more paper work, I am looking forward to picking up more clients through this semester and in the spring. The paper work is still stressful and tedious, but I'm getting used to it and it is getting easier.
Before you get into the swing of things, you will most likely think it is impossible to balance clients, classes, classwork, clinic work, and your mental health. Completely understandable, but the point I am trying to get across is that it is possible. You will succeed, and often times, you may even exceed your own expectations. Don't give up within the first couple weeks. Grad school is most likely going to be the hardest part of the process of becoming a successful SLP. 
I hope I was able to help or relate to at least one person. 
Have a great day
 
 

I had no idea! Thank you so much!

@Billy_Pilgrim They totally do! I think you did the right thing going the more affordable route, and the fact that I keep saying that to others makes me realize that maybe I did the right thing too! I hope/believe you will have a good experience at your chosen school.

I can't really answer your questions because I have not attended these schools but I wanted to contribute since you haven't heard anything back yet! I have a friend at MGH and visited their facilities, and it looks amazing. I know nothing about UCF. I hope you were able to visit UCF because I feel like that would help you immensely! Just from the information you've stated here, unless there is something really wrong with the program, it sounds like UCF if going to be a GREAT school for you. MGH is excellent, but Orlando would have access to great clinical experiences as well. And the in-state tuition.... wow! But we all have different backgrounds and motivations, so my input can only be so helpful. I hope you have been able to get some more information on UCF!

My grad program had an on-site clinic and it's really unrealistic and it does not mirror the real SLP world.  Honestly, it's hand-holding in a sense that you get one or two clients the first semester and you have to do all the long, drawn out reports, planning, self-reflections, etc.  It reality there are no long reports and planning.  While I understand that the program is trying to lay a foundation for the student to build and learn their clinical skills, the best learning/ training experiences I've had were off-site in the skilled nursing facility and the rehab hospital settings.  I wouldn't be too concerned if the school doesn't have a university clinic.  It's more of a pro than a con in my opinion.  

@angela4 @katelynmarie
Off campus clinical sites are the best way to get REAL world clinical experience!!!  I loved it at GVSU!  We learned in the classroom and were able to practice those things in the same week at our externships in the community which included school districts, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Early Start/Head start Preschool programs, Hospitals (both in patient and outpatient).  There were also boot camps during summer time some of us got to do also.  

I cringe every time I hear about programs who do on site clinical because of all of the paperwork and lesson planning, etc they make them do.  This is not Realistic in the real SLP world.  There are no "Lesson plans" in the real SLP world and I think its such a waste of time and energy.  On site clinics also seem to only give you one patient or client per semester which is sad also.  With off-site you are seeing 10-50 patients/students/clients throughout the semester which is much more realistic! 

Hope this insight is helpful!

Hi George - This is a great question!  I had some health issues growing up and also helped my special needs cousin. I'm not sure how these influenced my career choices, but I would imagine they had some impact! I've answered 'no' in the poll. Thanks for the question

I'm going to the Q&A session at Pitt today (no on campus clinic) and can report back later!

Agreed. I attended their open house recently to confirm that this was actually the case, and no applicants will hear a decision before the last week of April. I couldn't believe it! You'd think a new program still in pre-accreditation status would want to notify applicants quickly so that they would have their first pick of great applicants in this competitive field.

Too add to SpeechLaedy's recommendations on books on client experiences, these are some books we read in one of my prereq courses:
"Where is the Mango Princess" (written by the wife of someone with a closed-head injury)
"Look me in the eye" (written by a man with Asperger's)
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (a memoir written by someone completely paralyzed by a stroke who could use only his eyes to communicate)

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