Louly

My cohort had around 45 students and it became quite ”cliquey”. Part of it was the large group, the different geographic personalities, and the age-difference. Although there were cliques and some bitter people, I am there for my career and these are my colleagues. You’ll definitely find your group, whether that's the whole class or two other people...but the end goal is your career as a SLP.

I was accepted at U of Memphis, U of Oregon, U of Utah, and Florida State. My last 80 credits, I maintained a 3.80 GPA. I also got involved with extracurricular activities (chancellor student ambassadors), research (presented at ASHA), and volunteered as an AAC assistance for an aphasia group. In my cover letter, I was straight forward about my struggles of being a first-gen student and how it affected my academic decisions. I hope that helps!

I moved 5 states away. Best decision thus far! It may depend on the person and their personality. I'm very independent, and I see my move as an opportunity. Even though I am an I introvert, I enjoy making new friends. While a classmate of mine has a hard time being away from her family; she flies home every weekend if possible. This is her first time being away by herself and living on her own. She's also experiencing a bit of a ”culture shock.” It truly depends on how you look at your education, career, and life. Graduate school will leave you feeling empty at times but it's only two years and it doesn't hurt to be away for a short period of time....to grow.

It’s been awhile but I remember them asking about why I pursue a career path in CSD? How and why were grades bad and how/what I did to raise them? It was a interview catered more towards me. Like how would it be like if I were to move away since I had cultural ties with my family and community. I do encourage you to study the general questions (e.g., why you chose this program? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Etc.) because somehow they gave me the hardest time. It’s like ‘I’ knew why I want to be an SLP but it was hard for me to explain it in words without sounding like every other student out there (e.g., because I want to help people).

It depends on the project your professor/mentor is conducting. For me, one semester I helped him edit a manuscript that he wanted to submit. The very next semester, I helped him research by collecting data. So varies from one lab to another and project to project. So for example, a voice lab...similar to yours had four students who were research assistants. One was responsible for data entry, one collected data, one edited the samples, and another analyzed the samples. Again, it varies on how much work each project requires and how much help/what your mentor wants done.

I would state it on your cover letter that your GPA doesn't represent your full potential and that for the admissions committee to consider you as a whole. This would at least get their attention to look over WHY you might've achieved at a lower end compared to your colleagues (e.g., working full-time, first generation student, single mother, etc.).

Grow a thick skin. --Your supervisors will critique you in every way possible, suck it up. It's a learning experience...even if they hurt your feelings, their opinions do not define who you are. Your laptop is your lifeline. Connect your school email to every technology you own especially your phone. Phonetics and speech-language development is worth knowing. Get used to not being "perfect" in graduate school. You won't get kicked out for getting a B ? Graduate school is not hard, it's just time consuming. Prepping for an articulation session takes longer than two hours (until you know your kiddo quite well and/or perfected a few habits). Your classmates/professors/staff members are your colleagues. You do not have to like them but be respectful. Do not burn bridges. Treat this experience like a job because it is. Do not gossip. Research is so important in graduate school. Learn how to read articles. Be flexible. Everything you planned for in your session will most likely by altered by that little 5-year-old in front of you. Another clinician is currently using an item you needed? Find a different toy/activity that can still elicit what you want. Your client is having a bad day? you might end up tossing your lessons away and doing whatever to get them back on track. You will find yourself doing the most silliest things ever just for that speech production. Even after a month of therapy, you'll still be nervous to see your clients and have NO clue what you are doing. LOL. That two minutes you have until your session starts is still a lot of time. You'll adjust to working under pressure. You're a natural, trust me. You know more than you think you do. GOOD LUCK!

University of Oregon, U of Memphis, U of Utah, and Florida State.

I come from a low-income family and I actually worked throughout my undergraduate studies until I could no longer work anymore. It took me 8 years to receive my bachelors degree. The last 1.5 years of my undergrad, my brother had to look for a job to support me and my family so that I can finish school. Is it possible that your spouse find a job for the two years that you'll be in graduate school? As a graduate student now, two years is not long at all. I have a feeling that even if you were to go the SLP-A route, you'll end up back at this decision again. In graduate school, maintaining a job is tough and it's even harder when you have a family. The other option is applying to an online program. A few of my friends did that and was able to maintain there "normal" life. Good luck on whatever route you choose ?

2.8 overall, 3.8 last 60 credits, low GRE but great references, personal statement and experience. ---Accepted into 4 programs. Stats don't always represent a person as a whole. Good Luck!

Programs prefer a rich cohort. You are just as competitive maybe even having an advantage. Good luck!

Throughout undergrad and grad, only one professor curved. But because Slp students are so smart (& extremely hardworking), it didn’t matter anyways. Lol

I second the previous posts. I typically take notes on OneNote and also record my lectures. I’m not a electronic learner so I print the notes off and study it. I also listen to the lectures.

Sure! Social scenes: It’s not as oppressed as how the rest of the states view Utah. I arrived thinking everyone will be extremely religious, with no cultural diversity, and everyone walked around covered up. Really ignorant thoughts. I mean, of course, it’s nothing like bigger cities ( LA, Chicago, etc.) but it’s definitely influenced by the neighboring states and growing. There are social scenes but you won’t have any time, so it should be your least concern. Professors: They care. Bonus points are given (something you probably didn’t see as an undergrad, LOL) because they want to see students succeed. Professors at big institutes like the U are invested in research so you’ll find yourself reading A LOT of research articles and/or they’ll cite their work and others. Research: There are multiple research labs (childhood language, bilingualism, cleft palate, voice...a wide variety). If you’re interested, you should email the professors to see if they’re looking for graduate assistants. Classes: The first semester focuses mostly on children language and development (if you’re going to early childhood or schools, you might enjoy this semester). You’ll also shadow a second year and their client (this client becomes yours in the spring). I highly recommend brushing up on phonetics and language development before starting. The professors will not spend time reviewing, especially for students who hasn’t taken CSD courses or been out of school for a while. Second semester is when you’ll receive clients and you’ll get a variety of courses (Autism, Stuttering, Voice, Research). Which, I preferred and enjoyed as a graduate student. Although it was intensed, I learned more during spring than the first fall. If you’re wondering, classes are not hard. It’s basically a review of your undergraduate courses. The hard part? Time management and the number of clients you have. The more clients in the clinic, the more work you’ll have (treatment reports, progress reports, soap notes, prepping for sessions, etc.) versus classmates who were assigned groups or off campus assignments. Classmates who had adult clients and/or were assigned to groups, had easier semesters than those assigned to kids or individual clients. I hope that helps. If you want further information, feel free to inbox me.

Congrats on the acceptance. I'm currently a student there.