zurako

I didn't go to NYU but from what I've heard it has no issue with helping students find medical placements... Their own hospitals takes NYU students every semester. 

You should definitely apply this year! Schools will accept you with expectation that you finish the prereqs before the fall so you're fine.

Like the other poster said above, if the program is good you don't really have to study much in order to pass (when I was studying I realized I already knew most of the stuff from classes and just needed a refresher).
And it doesn't necessarily mean that they have bad externship opportunities but it is very competitive to get externships in the NYC area, especially medical placements. If other schools can better prepare their students, why would hospitals need to take students from LIU Brooklyn? If you are inclined to go I would ask about what specific places they have a relationship with.

USU! I think about ~300 per credit? 

Hi all I'm a current student and just want to clarify a few things
The bilingual "program" is literally one extra class that you have to take where we specifically talk about bilingual assessment/treatment/education. We have a multicultural focus in that considerations for serving culturally and linguistic diverse clients will be woven into every single class you take, and I think that's very important even if you're not bilingual because we could always meet diverse clients with different backgrounds especially in NYC.
There are a lot of grad programs in NYC so it is very competitive to secure externships. Everybody will get placed but you shouldn't expect the perfect placement with your favorite population that is next to your house (it can still happen if you're really lucky). No matter the grad school in NYC, commuting for an hour is pretty typical and common especially if you want a specific kind of site (e.g. there are only so many hospitals in Manhattan so you may go to Brooklyn or Queens). For the record, I live in Brooklyn and only asked for sites in Brooklyn and commute time for me has been 30 minutes to an hour. 
It does suck to leave externship and then go to night classes, but in my second year I only take 1-2 classes so it's still doable. 
All classes are technically in different buildings but they're all connected and taking up the entire block, so in actuality you never leave the "building." Having gone to high school in NYC, I don't think that the classrooms in TC are like a high school at all but that's a matter of opinion.
We divide into two cohorts to reduce class size so that students can get more attention! I've maybe taken a few classes with students from other cohorts and have definitely worked with them in the clinic.
Yeah the electives are annoying and expensive. The only possible upside to this is that for some people it helps them make the entire graduate program to be over 60 credits so the school system will pay a higher salary lol.
Hope this was helpful and I'll be happy to answer any more questions! 

The students are pretty collaborative and there really is no competition because everyone has already made it to grad school. Faculty are all great researchers/clinicians, but some are better at teaching than others... Some classes might be taught by adjuncts but they've been great actually.
I would say we are slightly more diverse than the typical programs due to our bilingual program and being in NYC but still not diverse enough. In a class of 50, there would be around 7 POC, 2 males, and 1 older (~30) students. We do have a lot of people from non-speech backgrounds but they're mostly related disciplines (psych, linguistic, education, etc). Hope this helps! 

@psychslp everyone has to take the prereqs before the grad level classes so there's really no significant difference academically. The only small disadvantage might be knowing about real life stuff like requirements for certification or what setting you want to be in but you'll be fine!
I do complain about minor stuff about TC sometimes hahaha but things work out eventually and overall I am glad I chose to go.
@kamtea
So the cohort after my year got to take a course on being a medical SLP so that's pretty cool. The adult classes are all very good, I learned a lot. We have good relationships with a lot of medical sites and people get at LEAST 1 medical placements out of the 3 we need to do (some people get 2). Some people will be doing their CFs right out of grad school in medical settings!

@psychslp everyone has to take the prereqs before the grad level classes so there's really no significant difference academically. The only small disadvantage might be knowing about real life stuff like requirements for certification or what setting you want to be in but you'll be fine!
I do complain about minor stuff about TC sometimes hahaha but things work out eventually and overall I am glad I chose to go.
@kamtea
So the cohort after my year got to take a course on being a medical SLP so that's pretty cool. The adult classes are all very good, I learned a lot. We have good relationships with a lot of medical sites and people get at LEAST 1 medical placements out of the 3 we need to do (some people get 2). Some people will be doing their CFs right out of grad school in medical settings!

The students are pretty collaborative and there really is no competition because everyone has already made it to grad school. Faculty are all great researchers/clinicians, but some are better at teaching than others... Some classes might be taught by adjuncts but they've been great actually.
I would say we are slightly more diverse than the typical programs due to our bilingual program and being in NYC but still not diverse enough. In a class of 50, there would be around 7 POC, 2 males, and 1 older (~30) students. We do have a lot of people from non-speech backgrounds but they're mostly related disciplines (psych, linguistic, education, etc). Hope this helps! 

Harlem is probably your best bet, but it is getting more expensive too nowadays ?

1. We are very strong in terms of research! In a lot of classes we get exposed to the latest research in the field, some of which are conducted by our own professors. Not everyone participates in research but everyone who wanted a research position in a lab got one as far as I know. We do have paid research positions! Obviously it is a little bit harder to get depending on the professor's funding but it is possible.
2. Most people live in the dorms, some live off campus around the area, and a small number try to save money by commuting from home. Most people babysit, some do work study in the school or retail. It is definitely possible to be working part time for 10-20 hours (at least in the first year) as long as you manage your time.
3. A few people get in every year. It is really competitive though and everyone in our year who had gotten it are bilingual. 
4. The fact that multicultural focus is infused throughout the program! Also, only one extra class was necessary to get the bilingual extension so it will save time and money. 

USU offers it online! 

Me and some girls in our program commute 1+ hr, and it can suck because we have to get up 2 hours earlier than everyone else and can't go to every activity (study session or hanging out). But it will be worth it in the end because we save so much money by living at home! I spend my time on the train reading for school or studying so at least I'm being productive. And we stick around on campus to do work if we are already there. 

Me and some girls in our program commute 1+ hr, and it can suck because we have to get up 2 hours earlier than everyone else and can't go to every activity (study session or hanging out). But it will be worth it in the end because we save so much money by living at home! I spend my time on the train reading for school or studying so at least I'm being productive. And we stick around on campus to do work if we are already there. 

Hi there! I don't think that a 3.54 GPA is going to disqualify you from getting in to graduate school. However, you will need to try harder in other areas of your application than a student with a 4.0. Your GRE scores are good and with a great SOP and LORs, I think you will have a chance. Make sure you pay attention to the kinds of stats that schools are looking for. Obviously don't apply to a school that weighs heavily on GPAs. People who are out of field get into grad school all the time...you just have to make solid argument for why you want this and why this is the career for you. You could easily turn teaching EFL to Asian students to your benefit by emphasizing working with different cultures, etc. My point is that a lower GPA can definitely be balanced out, but you need to be strategic and work hard. Best of luck to you!

I had 2 speech professors that I barely talked to in my online classes wrote my recommendation, because most schools I applied to wanted recommendations from professors in the discipline. Sent them information about myself and snippets of my personal statement so they could personalize my recommendation. I got into most of the schools so you'll be fine.
If you're worried they won't be personal enough, you can always send a third recommendation from someone who will write a stellar recommendation. I had my supervisor write me one and sent it to the schools anyways.

I found out about the field early in my senior year and didn't feel prepared to apply to the 3 year programs directly, so I took a gap year to do pre-reqs. Ended up with plenty of acceptances so it is definitely doable! 
The above poster already offered really good advice, and I just want to emphasize that whatever you do in your gap year should add value to you as an applicant. So you could do something related to speech that you can talk about in your SOP.

I found out about the field early in my senior year and didn't feel prepared to apply to the 3 year programs directly, so I took a gap year to do pre-reqs. Ended up with plenty of acceptances so it is definitely doable! 
The above poster already offered really good advice, and I just want to emphasize that whatever you do in your gap year should add value to you as an applicant. So you could do something related to speech that you can talk about in your SOP.

I am not sure if we need to do any reading this summer, but if you are motivated, I am reading The Brain That Changes Itself and highly recommend it! It is about neuroplasticity, a fundamental concept behind rehabilitation and development. I did not mean to read something related to my career, but am finding it very relevant.

Maybe you could try to retake some classes at post-bacc programs as a non-degree student.
Your GRE is good but if you could get it above 160 for both that would really offset your GPA!

Burn out is huge in SPED. That would be my biggest concern for you. Most people I know who have gone into SPED are no longer in the field because long hours, paperwork, difficult/demanding/uncaring parents, districts BS, feeling unappreciated, etc. So really look into that before you decide. 
I have worked as an SLPA for 5 years, which I think is going to be super helpful when I start grad school in the fall. I also think the experience helped me get into programs. It's great because you can really see what the field is like, and know if it is truly for you before investing in a masters. Volunteering is also great. SLPAs have very limited exposure to working with adults, but I was able to get that experience by volunteering and it turns out I love working with adults. 
I would recommend focusing on getting more experience, and boosting your GRE scores. Prep hard - independently with something like Magoosh or do a course if you have difficulty staying motivated (I did!). Classes are really expensive to re-take since community college is not an option. If you can get your GRE up, some experience, get good letters of rec, do your research, tailor each app to the school, and try to visit the programs, I think you can get past your GPA. I have an overall GPA of 3.22 and I got into 3 schools this year. I applied 2 other times getting all rejections. It can be done, it will be some work though!

1.  My clinic had plenty of materials already and charged a small fee with tuition to cover use. I think I bought a couple folders to send home as home program once but that's it. 
2. First year most classes for me were in the morning except Fridays and once a week a 2-3 hour class in the evening. Clients were then scheduled anywhere in between normal business hours either 1-2 times a week for 50 min. 
3. Clinic can be stressful mainly with planning, and figuring out test results and goals with reports. My externships I got a lot of support from supervisors and they eased me into everything. Take advantage of your cohort and supervisors for support and ideas - you don't have to reinvent the wheel. 
4. Time management is really the crux of grad school. We all agreed that grad school isnt hard per se, just time consuming. Best advice is to give yourself a break on part of the weekend (have a cohort movie night on Saturday) and again, don't try to reinvent the wheel. You don't need to spend hours cutting and laminating new materials. Kids aren't always that impressed with fancy things so don't spend excess time if materials are already available. Occasionally I made my own but it's too much to make a habit of. 
5. They expect you to participate and generally be on top of material. I knew my grad profs much better since we were fewer than undergrad. 
6. I started summer term so we had clients our second month. But most who start school in fall don't get clients til spring term I've heard. 
7. We were given the files and if it was a returning client the supervisor usually knew them already which helped. We could review past tests and reports. If it was a new client, we often had little to go on but usually age and maybe referral reason to help plan testing. It also depends on supervisors and how you click with them and their style of supervising. 
Do your best to ask questions and take initiative. Don't feel bad if you have a crappy session or even get emotional during a supervisor meeting. It's all new and can be tough but not impossible. And eventually you'll be surprised that you're about to start a CF and finally get paid for everything! 
Hope this helped! Good luck!

Saying this gently, but with your GPA, I would encourage you to look long and hard at why it's so low before attempting another field with notoriously difficult classes like nursing. The science pre-reqs for nursing are harder than CSD classes. I was pre-med for the 1st half of my 1st UG degree and before I settled on SLP, I actually looked into direct-entry MSN programs. I would have had to retake all those difficult science classes since they were more than 7 years old. I didn't want to be a nurse badly enough to do that.
Now if your low GPA is due to maturity issues causing bad grades early on while your last 60 GPA is a lot higher, then maybe you'd have a shot.

Thank you so much to everyone for all your thoughtful words of encouragement!! I truly truuuly appreciate it! I am so incredibly happy to say that today I received an acceptance from LIU POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ????????????????????????? I literally cried tears of joy as soon as I saw the words "Congratulations" in the email subject. I am seriously so incredibly overjoyed. You were so right @plume. All I need is ONE! After 5 CONSECUTIVE PAINFUL REJECTIONS.... the 6th is a YES!!!! Thank GOD!!! ???

Congrats! I was accepted to both as well and will be going to TC most likely. For me, the multicultural focus is a big draw because I intend to get the bilingual certification.
I have talked to students at the NYU program and they said they liked it, but I didn't ask for much details. There are some posts on this forum that goes into more details with regards to the program at NYU so you can try to look into that.
For people who never had any CSD classes, the program at TC takes 2.5 years and I think NYU takes 3 years. Not counting the undergrad level classes, TC requires more grad credits in order to graduate (around 60?) than NYU (48 I believe) so NYU might end up being cheaper even though it would take longer. Both schools offer abroad experiences but in different countries so you may have a preference. It does seem that NYU has more variety when it comes to research labs but personally I am not concerned because I have no interest in going into research.
I don't like the way that NYU is doing prerequisites. First of all, they are just launching the whole online program so there is no guarantee things will work smoothly. I can pay way less money to do prerequisites elsewhere online that has already established a good system. I have already taken some prerequisites elsewhere, and looking at the requirements of the NYU program I would have to retake some classes because the requirements are 2-3 classes built into one.
I don't think that you could really go wrong with either program, but just need to figure out which program fits your goals more. Good luck with your decision and maybe we can be future classmates!