Aspiring_SLP

I second what @mbf said.

Also it wouldn't hurt to email the schools your waitlisted at with an email of "Continued Interest".  Just letting them know you are still waiting to hear back and would love to attend their program.  That way, when they do start pulling people off the waitlist your name may pop up in their minds because they saw it in an email or letter you sent them.

I also appreciate you posting this.
I got into Northeastern today and while expensive, it might be a better school.

Thank you for posting this. I am choosing the higher ranked program and feel it is against "everyones" advice so it is great to hear that it will pay off as I thought. Would you mind sharing what program you are attending? 

Hi, voice of dissent speaking, lol. I tend to see the same opinion on this topic, over and over, and I thoroughly disagree. Not all programs are created equally, just because they are all accredited. There was a student in a nightmare of a grad program posting on this forum not too long ago. And there are currently people who have posted elsewhere about difficulty finding work as an SLP in the city they live in. I'm not saying that all "brand name" educations will guarantee a carefree post-graduation existence, but I've spoken to hiring professionals from many different fields (including ours), and they ALL said the name of the program attended most definitely influenced their hiring decisions. I don't want to have to settle for just any SLP job, I want to ensure I have the very best odds at getting hired into a position that I love.
I was accepted into the three programs I applied to, and ended up choosing the highest ranked among them and am very glad I did. It also happened to be the program that had the second highest price tag. Aside from choosing a higher-ranked program due to a specialty track you are interested in, there are other factors to consider. I get to attend talks given by the "rock stars" in our field frequently that are absolutely fascinating. My professors are very active in research, and several of them are also pretty famous in our field. We are supervised in the clinic much more closely than I have seen in other schools (my experience being drawn from the first year only so far). I love my undergrad program, but there are grad students who were actually unable to get clinic placements in a previous semester and will have a delayed graduation because of it. As I continue through my program (and continue to compare notes with my graduate friends in my undergrad program) I am certain I will find other things that validate my decision. 

I'm at UTD now and I think it's great. The facilities here are decent enough and there are plenty of great research opportunities. I think it is closer to 90 students each year, which can be overwhelming, but it's nice to be able to meet new people all the time. 
Like Kelly said, you get a lot of freedom in choosing your classes, and I am avoiding neuro classes like the plague. However, you do end up taking at least two each of ped and adult focused classes. I feel like I am getting a pretty general degree here. The clinical director specializes in fluency and voice, and those classes are wonderful. I'm sure she would be excited to find really good placements for someone who shares her passions. The program does have less one-on-one supervision, but I think that has helped me become more independent as a clinician. The first two semesters are core experiences, and there have been about 15 students in each of those, with one or two supervisors. My current supervisor is always accessible and spends quite a bit of time working with us with our clients. As you start to move off campus, supervision becomes more individual. And, like you said, Dallas offers a wealth of clinical placement opportunities. 
I know Vandy is a very highly ranked school, but UTD is as well, so I don't think you should really let name recognition be a factor in this decision. Personal biases aside, I think 56k is entirely too much to pay for a degree. I am already stressed enough about the ~30k that I'm spending, so I couldn't imagine spending any more. I did end up picking the most expensive of my options, though, because I felt the school was the best fit for me.
Let me know if you have any specific questions about the program!

I'm currently at UW as a MedSLP student and I actually listed three very different areas that I had an interest in (based on my background) in my SOP.  I remember worrying that I might appear as though I had no focus, however many people assured me that if anything, most do not have a clear picture of an area they want to specialize in at this stage of the game.  They also mentioned that it is not unusual in our grad program for a student to pick one area of research for the (optional) master's thesis, but go on to pursue research in a different area later on.  That said, I'm sure it goes both ways - if you already have a specific passion, don't be afraid to let it show!  Our class is pretty diverse in terms of educational background - many have undergrad degrees in other areas ranging from neurobiology to finance, etc.

Keep in mind, it is more competitive in the medical field, but this is mainly in populated/popular areas to live. If you are willing to live in a place no one else really wants to live, you'll have less competition.

I don't know too much about the job market for SLPs, but in my Audiology class this past fall they mentioned that the need for SLPs/Audiologists who can treat adults is growing due to all of the aging Baby Boomers. What @lily48slp says above about it being more competitive makes sense to me since it seems that SLPs in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and private practice tend to have higher salaries than those who work in schools.
Wanted to offer my two cents on your resume for grad school as well since I'm also way out-of-field and completed undergrad in 2009. I went to the ASHA Convention this past fall and was able to snag a spot with one of the resume reviewers. She told me not to bury my work experience, even though it's in an unrelated field, and recommended updating the bullet points to show what skills I use in my current role that would translate to SLP. For example, I work in project management now, so I adjusted the wording of one of the bullets to say something about how I work with clients to set goals and target milestones to hit (just like an SLP would with a client). She also suggested looking up SLPs on LinkedIn to see how they phrase their job responsibilities in order to get some ideas. I guess that all seems obvious, but once I started doing that it was easy to remove some bullets that would have been important if I was applying for another project management job but aren't really impressive or relevant for speech pathology.
Also, I think any relevant research or volunteer experience is helpful and shows your commitment to the career change. I'd prefer to work with adults as well, but the only volunteer opportunity that worked with my current full time work schedule was one at a non-profit for kids who stutter. It gave me something to talk about in my statement of purpose and in one of my interviews and was a great experience.

Here's a Reddit post that got several responses about the job market for SLPs (2-year-old post, but should still be fairly accurate): https://www.reddit.com/r/slp/comments/2k891i/honesty_about_the_slp_job_market/?st=j0y2x1fu&sh=e2f02d8c

The general consensus seems to be that medical (& more generally adult) settings are somewhat more competitive than schools, but that it varies a lot by region of the country. 
So it sounds reasonable to count on working in that setting if you have a little flexibility or live in the right area, but since you'll be working with all populations through grad school, I would say it would be a good idea to aim for diversity of experiences.

So I was in the same boat till a week ago because I got rejections from EVERYWHERE and got waitlisted at UC Davis.Crushed, battered and bruised, I thought nothing was going to work out.
Then it did and I'm in a better emotional space right now but I know how it felt and I'm sorry. Back in the "dark days" I did the following just so that I didn't sort of feel like the world was ending:
I made list after list of things that I wanted to do if I wasn't in school- from learning new languages to joining music classes. I looked up Masters programs in my home country and looked up jobs/internships in publishing and journalism. I decided to do independent research and began to jot down ideas. I read the forums here and saw that there were people who were applying for the 3rd or even 4th time and realised that if they can persevere, so can I.
 
All of it helped me to keep my sanity and I hope that some of it helps you. DO NOT THINK OF YOURSELF AS MEDIOCRE OR LACKING IN ANY WAY. That's a difficult pitfall to get out of. Just keep looking for possibilities. I hope things work out for you.

Haha! Your comment made me laugh out loud. I was in your position last year - 2 waitlists and a rejection. It was making me so anxious all day every day. I decided to make a detailed "back-up" plan with the time I had on my hands to wait. I opened a word document and noted what classes I would take/re-take, how I could gain more in-field experience, applied for more observation hours, and contacted local schools with SLP programs to see if I could get any kind of research experience. I ended up not getting into any last year, but it felt SO MUCH better knowing I had a solid back-up plan in place. (I completed my list during my year off and this year I was accepted to *almost* every school I applied to)!
Best of luck to you! I hope this helped a little. 

I went to a more expensive private university in a bigger city. I received a large scholarship, but had to pay for living expenses since I moved far from home. I lived like a peasant and with paying for partial tuition, rent (a room in a house), supplies, and basic living necessities I still managed to have around $50,000 in debt (6 semester grad program).  I can't even imagine some of the students who had to pay around 100,000+ for tuition/school expenses alone. Do I think it's worth it? For me no, but it may depend on the type of person you are. I moved far away only to move back to my home area, so while I made connections at grad school, they didn't benefit as much as ones nearer to where I ended up would have. I also didn't think the quality was better- the education really depends on learning styles and whether you click with the professors and the style of learning the school promotes- not really big name college vs smaller not big name college. Also at bigger universities or in cities with many schools you may be competing with other classmates and other schools for clinical spots. So although many people want to go to those schools thinking that they will get good medical expenses, we may or may not end up getting your ideal placement. 
I also am more conservative with money and don't like to have debt (aside from school I don't have any). While I know there are loan repayment opportunities, I don't want to be paying my loans for 5 to 10 years + only to not have that work out or to still have a large monthly payment (which is why I didn't pick the most expensive school I got in to). And the interest can make it difficult to see a dent put into your loans.
If you do decide to spend a lot on grad school the best way to pay it off would maybe include some of the following:
-part time job, fellowship, or assistantship to make small payments while in school (or reduce the needed loan amount)
-continue to live modestly for a few years after graduating to make extra payments toward loans 
-live with family or friends for a few months after to make a large dent in the loans 

Wanted to start a thread about funding yourself through graduate school, how did student do it and how much debt are you in? 
Did you work part time, was that manageable, did you get a GA? 
How are you going to pay it back? 
If you went to an expensive school do you think it made a difference? Would you do it again? 
 

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?

I am a current first year student in the MS-SLP program at Vanderbilt. I know that the committee has met, and I've heard through the grapevine that they will send out decisions via e-mail on/around Monday, March 13. 
Do you have any specific questions about the program? 

I was surprised that students didn't get to give input on clinical placements during the first semester. I was under the impression that I'd have some control over all of my placements, including the one(s) in fall of year #1, but that's not the case. You're just assigned a placement for fall. Students who come in with a background in CSD might have a more diagnostic-heavy placement. Everyone during fall and spring of year #1 has a pediatric placement. You can specify your interests for spring (e.g. stuttering, AAC, Autism, ELL, etc.). A handful of folks will get to do Aphasia Group (adults) in the fall or the spring. Basically, you do have say-so during every semester, except for the first one. Haha. 
For the most part, I have gotten the clinical placements that I've wanted so far. I was one of the lucky few who got to do Aphasia Group in the fall, in addition to a small pediatric placement (mostly 3 to 5-year-olds with a mix of artic/lang needs). For this spring, I requested a diagnostic-heavy placement with school-age (older) children and/or stuttering. I got the stuttering placement with one diagnostic slot per week. FYI--If you want to work with kids/adults who stutter, really push for it! It's a super popular placement 1) because everyone finds it to be interesting and 2) the clinician who specializes in stuttering is so fun to work with. At the end of this semester, I will get to request placements for this summer. Since I will have gotten a bunch of adult-y coursework under my belt, I will get to request Pi Beta Phi Rehab, acute care, TN Rehab Center, the Voice Center, etc. The further along you go in the program, the more options you have.
Vandy's 1-on-1 model is my favorite thing about the program! Instead of being given a handful of patients and having to do everything yourself, from the lesson planning to the therapy to the note writing, instead you work alongside a clinician and slowly assume more responsibility. Most students observe their for the first couple of weeks and then begin to implement activities, give assessments, document the session on MediLinks, etc. It makes SO much more sense! I had the other model during undergrad, and I can't say I learned very much from doing clinic that way. My supervisor was always running around like a chicken with her head cut off, trying to observe 3-4 students a time. No bueno.
I would say that about half of my class is either working in a lab and/or pursuing a thesis. During orientation week, you will get the chance to hear from nearly all of the labs, find out what they study, and learn if any paid positions are available. Professors research everything from child language to clinical implications of aphasia to fMRI in aphasia to developmental stuttering to speech acoustics and kinematics. The possibilities are endless! Most paid positions are 5-10 hours per week max. 
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I'd be happy to help!