AlwaysaFalcon

So I don't work necessarily in a related field of speech but I do work on campus. I work 15 hours a week as part of the federal work study program. I'm not the only one who works, my classmates do as well and so far its pretty manageable! Once I start my practicum I won't be able to work because it will be full time but for now its good! I have a friend that is a GA in the speech department and another at the writing center. They work the same number of hours as me and have a $400 stipend a month along with their tuition covered which is awesome. So definitely look for postings that are up on the school's job site.

@ObsessLP basically said the same major points I had. Personally for me I don't have an interest in obtaining a Ph.D so for me I went with the cheaper option because I didn't want to put myself in anymore debt than I had to.

It's ultimately up to you, but I would suggest considering the cheaper of the options. If you want to go into research and a future phd then go with a more research based, higher ranked school. It's sounds like GWU might be out, but between Purdue and Penn State which is cheaper, alines with your goals in the future, and gives you a good vibe. As long as the school is asha certified and accredited you will receive your license and degree like everyone else. My fellow classmates talked with actual slps in the field and this is what they told them. They don't care where you got your degree from as long as you have it and are a competent clinican. Hopefully that doesn't come across as harsh, but I took this into consideration when choosing my ultimate decision because for me I wanted to be financially responsible about my future. Between my two schools there was a $25,000 difference not including housing costs and living so that was enough for me to consider the cheaper option along with other reasons like the feel of the program, professor diversity and set up. Hope that helps

Aww I"m glad! All I can say is if it doesn't happen the first time around don't give up! It took me three different rounds of applications to get into grad school.

I wanna say its in between 5 and 8% something like that. I'm not sure 100%

What I had to do was apply with FAFSA for loans and then my living cost I covered with a loan from Sallie Mae. I'm hoping after this semester when I put in my residency application I can apply as an instate resident and then my tuition will be cheaper and I won't need to apply for another loan for Sallie Mae for next year. I work 15hours a week on campus to cover my groceries, and utilities for my apartment. Most of my classmates work and right now with my school work its pretty manageable. Once I am in practicum I won't be able to but for now it works. For me I have the mind set that I'm doing what I can to make it work. It's definitely overwhelming to take out more loans, other than that you could try and apply as a graduate assistantship. My friend does that and she has 9 credit hours covered plus a $400 stipend a month.

I was accepted off of a waitlist in July for another school. Since it was such a late acceptance off of the waitlist I had already made a decision at another school, my current school and went there. The waiting game is definitely hard. Especially when you see other people posting their results on sites like this and you start to question your own ability. I know I did that. But honestly, as cheesy as it sounds you end up where you are meant to go and everything works itself out. I know that I was checking my mail and emails like a made person. So my biggest advice would be to distract yourself from constantly worrying about results. The decision is out of your hands at this point and worrying won't change anything. It also depends on the people that are accepted how quickly they get back to the school to accept a decision or not. This factor will effect how quickly people get off the waitlist unfortunately. Remember you only need one school!

Like @SLP2BNY said its absolutely right! I was one of those people that got accepted off the waitlist at the end of July!!! By then I made a decision to attend another school but still it can happen!

Personally I had it down between my current school and another school. To be honest it came down to money and the fact that my school I attended was an accredited school instead of a candidate. Since I was going to be taking out loans in my name to pay for school, I felt like I needed to be financially responsible when making a decision. My school I'm at now and the other was a difference of $25,000 not including living costs. I felt this was enough of a difference where I needed to go with the cheaper one. However, I don't think you can go wrong with a school you choose. I personally don't plan on obtaining a PHD so for me research doesn't matter as much to consider that in my decision. I think you should make a pro and con list and decide what matters more. I know that's cheesy but I think it really helps! Hope that was helpful

Yay that's awesome!! I"m a current 1st year at Governors so feel free to ask questions! I really like the program so far! I like how I can first focus on my classes and then work on practicum later. I had two years off between undergrad and graduate school so for me it was a nice transition back to school! I like my professors! We have a nice diverse staff which is cool to me and the professors have lots of life experience and know what they're talking about. I like too how they tell it like it is and tell you real life scenarios of what will go on in the field. I can understand your concern, I mean I won't lie University Park is a small town definitely but at the same time I like that because I don't have the distractions around me so I can focus on my work. Plus there are other towns nearby like Tinley Park, Matteson, Crete and others that aren't far so you can have stuff to do. I have only been to Chicago three times but its easy to get to for something to do as well! I mostly do a lot of my homework on the weekends because I work during the week so many of my weekends aren't free, but I still manage to find something fun to do when I am free. I work on campus and for me so that's an option to consider too. I know that we also have a job fair that runs of jobs available on campus and in the surrounding area so that could be something you can look into. I can't speak for Saint Xavier because I didn't apply to that program so sorry I can't answer that question! But I hope I helped answer about Governors I really like it here and feel this school was the right decision for me. I feel like I can have a life and also work and take care of my studies. If you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.

I personally didn't because I didn't want to annoy the school and bother them, however I know that certain programs would update me and tell me that I was still included in the waitlist process so that was helpful! I know a lot of schools will specifically state that they will not tell you your position on the waitlist so be careful.

I applied to La Salle two years ago and West Chester a year ago. Neither program I got into but I've heard that La Salle is competitive to get into but also heard its a great program. I'm sorry I don't know much about the programs! But your stats look great to me! Your gpa was higher than mine that's for sure! Looks like you were accepted congrats! I'm sorry if that wasn't super helpful!

Like many others have done, I'm a current first year grad student! Feel free to ask any questions from applying to grad school itself! We're all in this together and I remember how rough the application process was!

I'm a current grad student as well and love this idea @speechietobecle! I'm available for any questions too!

I'm a first year grad student who also works too if you have any questions!

I don't think so! There are some schools that don't even interview. I got an email from a school last year that stated I was on the waitlist. I ended up getting into the school at the end of July! Every school is different for when they sound out acceptances, interviews, waitlists and rejections. I've seen as early as December till as late as July. It really just depends. I'm sorry if that's not helpful! Just keep checking your email and mail. I've gotten notice from both.

Like @TheWaitingGame11 said that is exactly how the interview goes! I interviewed there twice and my experience was the same! Good Luck!

I had similar GRE scores to @canadaSLP only difference being a 4.0 writing after I had taken the gre 3 times. You have to be extremely picky about the schools you apply too. It took me three application cycles before I got into grad school, but then I was accepted into 3 programs I couldn't have dreamed of that result! Apply to schools all over the country and schools with less applicants applying to them so you have a better chance of standing out. Use that experience as a Reading Interventionalish to help you! That's awesome experience you can use as a letter of intent. For my experience I volunteered at an integrated preschool and observed sessions with the SLP. I wanted more experience working with preschoolers and it was great to bond and learn from the SLP and see the different interactions between professionals.

When I was denied from schools most of the time they would send an email or a letter in the mail stating that I was denied. However I had about 5 schools that just didn't let me know. At that point I was already accepted into multiple programs and had secured my spot but still common courtesy would have been nice.

Wow seems like things have really down hill since I interviewed there last year. This makes me feel thankful that I wasn't accepted.

I agree. Try and fill out the FAFSA asap. The earlier you fill it out the possibility for more funding!

I agree with @alewood14 for my interviews I wore business casual. So I wore a pair of nice pants and a blouse.

I choose a school that is cheaper much for the reasons stated above. I wanted to save myself some money and be responsible about my future with debt as I have enough already from my undergraduate degree. It's up to you though what you want to do. I know that between at the time the two schools I was deciding between it was a $25,000 difference not including living expenses. So for me that mattered and the school I ended up attending was accredited vs a candidate school.

No problem! Good luck!

I agree with @sabrono. I took out a loan through Sallie Mae to cover my living expenses. It was a very easy application process and they got back to me right away. I was issued a refund check from my school. Still fill out the FAFSA though because that will help with tuition costs.