bibliophile222

My program does this too, and I'm guessing it's pretty common. While I definitely would prefer to have really short write-ups, I get why they do it. They want to make sure we're thorough so they can see our thought processes and so we really learn to explore all possible aspects of a client and their strengths/challenges. It's not realistic to the real world, it shows us how we might do things in a perfect world, providing the best care possible and being as thorough as we can. And on the plus side, it will be amazing once we get into the real world and only have to write a paragraph or two!

I feel like in pretty much any program, anatomy will be a tough class because of the sheer quantity of memorization required. Those abdominal and back muscles were the worst! I do think you can probably handle all three at once, though. I did four online courses a semester while working full-time. It kind of sucks, but it can be done!

Two of the three fluency faculty in my program are people who stutter, and I've heard of a bunch of others. I agree with others that you can use this as a strength to help connect with your clients.

I have no idea who in our cohort got in off the waitlist, so if you don't volunteer that information, they'll never know! Professors will either not know or not care--they're not going to treat you any differently, and they will all be rooting for you to succeed.

Part-time is feasible as long as it's not too many hours, and/or something flexible, like babysitting. One girl in my cohort delivers groceries--she makes her own schedule and can work less during busy weeks. It sounds like a pretty good gig. For a full-time, in-person program I recommend no more than 10-ish hours a week unless you have excellent time management skills. I think 20 hours or more would crush my soul! Remember: money's helpful but sleep is essential!

I'm also in the anti-roommate camp due to an absurd amount of drama over the years. No offense to those in their twenties, but seriously, people in their early twenties sometimes have a ridiculous amount of petty, childish reactions to very minor problems. If you do go the roommate route, I recommend making a list of necessary compatible features and agreeing on them ahead of time. For instance, if you're not super-neat, don't end up with a super-neat roommate or they'll be nagging you because you left like three toast crumbs on the cutting board (personal experience). If you're not into partying, don't get a roommate who hosts a loud party every freaking weekend even though you have to be at work at 7 am (personal experience: same roommate also threw a fellow drunk person off a balcony and had ridiculous, stupid arguments with our equally childish landlord). And even if you partake in some mild substances, for the love of God make sure you don't live with anyone who gets high on cough syrup and repeatedly smashes his vacuum cleaner, or someone who panhandles so he can buy heroin instead of looking for a job (more personal experiences). Getting my own apartment was one of the best things that ever happened to me and is worth every extra penny.

My grad program is the same: a B- is failing but a B is fine. Even though Bs are fine, they're way too close to a B- for my liking, so I still aim for an A! However, once you're in grad school, your professors do care about your success (both genuinely as people and because dropout rates negatively affect their program completion stats) and will work with you when you're struggling. The good news is that despite all the hard work of grad school, getting in is probably the toughest part!

I end up going to campus even when I don't have class or clinic to do work, have meetings, or work on group projects, so 5 days a week is more plausible than 3. I personally wouldn't want to drive an hour in a snow storm since it becomes more like 2 hours, but I think for 2 years it will kind of suck but be doable, and you would still probably save money in the long run. Just make sure your car is in good shape, since you'll probably end up putting on 30000+ miles a year.

Loans. Lots of loans. And some credit card debt. Sad but true. Kudos to everyone who's a better at budgeting than me and/or willing to work more than 5 hours a week, but I'm just not that person!

My program doesn't have a comprehensive exam and I really wish we did because I'm a good test-taker. I've heard other people say that comps aren't bad because you have to study for and take the Praxis anyways, so you're kind of killing two birds with one stone. However, if you're not into testing then it might be helpful to look at other options, like a thesis. For our program we have to write a portfolio, with an essay each semester discussing our courses and clinic experiences and how they meet ASHA and state requirements. It sucks, though, because it's really easy to procrastinate writing the essays. I'm in my second semester and still haven't written the intro and first-semester essays yet. Some people just wait until winter break of their second year and write the whole thing then. Hopefully that won't be me, but I'm not overly optimistic...

I'm not from NYC or attending school there, but I think these points are great and pretty relevant to most programs. For instance, my program is in a rural state, so placements can certainly be a drive: my summer placement is 40 miles away from my house (but fortunately all interstate, so only 45 minutes). I think in most places this just comes with the territory. Even living in a city, public transportation can still take a while! Also, some programs get all classes out of the way before beginning placements, but I think it's far more common to have classes plus placement, and it's just another thing to get used to. I personally dislike evening classes because I have the hardest time staying awake, but I've accepted that this is par for the course, and it's not like it lasts forever! I also wanted to address @BeachieSpeechie's comment about the clinic facilities at TC. My program doesn't have the newest, fanciest clinic: it's an old building, there isn't a ton of space for everyone, the materials room is kind of small, and sometimes there are time conflicts for clinic rooms and we have to adapt. However, these are really pretty minor concerns that have not affected my clinical experience in the slightest. Fancy facilities have nothing to do with your growth as a clinician. If anything, smaller facilities are more representative of the real world, where materials may be scarce and you have to have a group session in an over-sized closet. I'm really enjoying my time here so far and would have really missed out if I'd been overly concerned about the size of the clinic facilities!

My summer placement is now official, including the dates! I love knowing after almost six months of wondering.

I'm not an expert, but from what I've read Ph.D.s are in such short supply that schools probably won't be too picky about which school you attend. I think having a mentor who can guide you through the research process (and provide a great LOR) would be really helpful, and it sounds like you can have that with Edinboro. One more thing to think about, though: do you know what you might like to specialize in for the Ph.D.? If one school has an amazing professor in that specialty (or even a similar one) you could really get a leg up in immersing yourself in the research you're most interested in.

Hmm... it definitely sounds like a tough choice, considering the difference in credits weighed with the commute. It would definitely be nice to get done in 4 semesters instead of 5. Getting done a semester early means you could get a job earlier, which is definitely a plus. If, however, you struggle with procrastination, take longer than normal to complete assignments or study for tests, or are prone to anxiety, school A might be pretty tough. I think I could personally handle that (but maybe be slightly miserable) but everyone's different!

Has your SO completely ruled out being able to move with you? I get that people often have extenuating circumstances (kids they dont want to uproot, a career that can only take place in certain cities) but otherwise it might be worth having that discussion. I know I would be willing to move if it were my SO, because I know him and know he would have a hard time without me. I think people are more adaptable than we think we are, and while moving is tough it's not the end of the world!

Seconding @Psyhopeful's suggestion about living halfway between the city and the school. Each of you would have to commute, but it would only be a half hour drive each way, which is pretty manageable. I agree that you should only take offers with funding for Ph.D. programs.

I agree. If there's only a slight difference in tuition I would go with the closer program, both for the extra time you'll have for school and clinic work and also for the gas and wear and tear on your car you can save by taking the bus! That definitely adds up. Is there a large difference in credits between the two programs, or does school B take longer to complete? 16 credits sounds like a lot, but it actually is possible. I've had 14 credits each semester so far, but last semester everyone who hadn't taken audiology had an additional 3 credits, putting them at 17. It was rough but they all got through it, so if you'll get complete the program faster then I think school A would be a good choice. On the other hand, if you're planning on working during the program then school B would be a better choice. I wouldn't advise working more than a few hours a week if you're taking 16 credits!

It's for everyone who is applying for their CCCs after 2019. I started grad school in the fall and this unfortunately still applies to me--my program was going to let me use an astronomy course but now I have to do a summer course. Bleh.

You have to have at least okay credit-- they check for any defaulted payments or bankruptcies. I'm not sure if they take people who have no credit.

I think that sounds perfectly reasonable. I'm sure they're aware that people may have multiple options that they need to carefully consider before accepting. I don't think they'd take away your spot or think less of you for needing more time to think!

From what I understand of the rankings, they're done by faculty at other schools. It stands to reason that the more they know about a school the more likely they will be to rank it highly. Faculty also tend to know more about established, research-oriented institutions because they read research articles by the faculty in these schools. If you check the lowest-ranked schools for program completion rates, Praxis pass rates, and employment rates most of them have just as good numbers as the top schools. This indicates to me that the lower-ranked schools are still doing everything they need to do to make their students good clinicians, they're just not research powerhouses. Now, I do think that top programs tend to have good connections to placements because they're well-established. The Boston area, for instance, has several highly ranked schools and also many great placement opportunities affiliated with these schools. However, I dont think going to a lower-ranked school automatically means that there aren't good placements. Also, as far as you're concerned, I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever whether you go to a school that's #12 versus #20 or 30. It's more important that the program have the specialty track, electives, unique opportunities, etc that best fulfill your goals.

Hmm, interesting. I totally see how in certain circles it really can matter, like these competitive private practices you mention. For people looking to get these kinds of jobs that is definitely valuable information to know. I still think, though that for the majority of future SLPs school rank won't matter. Unfortunately, most of the country is NOT highly educated--in addition, there is a general lack of health literacy. People without as much money and education (i.e., most people who need our services) may be far less likely to investigate healthcare professionals in this way. Different cultural norms may also come into play: for instance, some cultures regard any healthcare or education professional as a respected expert, so these populations may be far less likely to doubt our expertise. Also, even in the medical realm there are times when I feel this would be far less likely to happen: if a patient is in acute care following a stroke, and their SLP is THE SLP, what can the family do, move them to a new hospital just because the SLP isn't from an Ivy? I imagine it's happened, but I don't think it's happened nearly enough for prospective students to be worried about their job opportunities. Another economic point: if a student spends a fortune on a top-ranked school, the overwhelming amount of student loan debt they end up with may cancel out any additional earnings they got due to their schooling. If student A makes 5,000 a year less than student B, but student A has 20,000 in loans and student B has 120,000, it would take at least 20 years for the costs to even out. Student B makes more, but they may also postpone buying a house, having a family, or saving for retirement. If someone gets a great financial aid deal to an Ivy then that's another question entirely, but funding is sadly far too difficult to come by at most SLP grad programs. I also think that the article you cited doesn't provide the whole picture. Although it would be an extreme exaggeration to say that only wealthy students attend Ivies, it is also safe to say that much of the student populations come from well-educated families who also tend to have more money, since education is correlated with socioeconomic status. These families may be legacies with connections to the school and other legacies, or they may own companies with connections to a number of prestigious jobs. Families with generations of wealth and education tend to have more power and networking ability, thus securing higher-paying jobs. The school obviously assists them in that, but assigning only one variable (the school) as the reason someone makes more money is missing the effect of other variables. (I'm going to blame my research methods class on my obsession with variables...) I'm sorry if this got really long and rant-y. I promise I'm not trying to be argumentative! I think you raise some really good points about what may matter in very specific settings, I just don't believe that it can be generalized to all or even most SLP settings. I also don't want to dis highly-ranked schools in any way, since they do tend to provide a great education, but I don't want anyone to spend a fortune when they don't need to because they're worried about their job prospects. Unless they really want to, of course! ?

Have you heard this from others, or do you have personal experience? I've never heard/read/thought of this before. I can see that clients may be impressed by an Ivy, but other than that how are they to know which SLP programs are highly ranked? I'm guessing most of them aren't checking the US News rankings (which are suspect to begin with)! Also, they wouldn't even see your diploma unless you're in a private practice (or maybe outpatient?) so I don't think that's a big enough factor to ultimately decide someone's school choice. In some of your previous posts you've also stressed the importance of program reputation, which I'm curious about because all the advice I've read/gotten to date from seasoned SLPs contradicts that viewpoint--they ALL have said to just go with the cheapest program as long as it's accredited, good Praxis pass rate, etc, and that employers don't care where you went to school. Do you have any personal experiences with this you'd be willing to share to confirm your position?

I was under the impression that neuroanatomy is either/or versus undergrad or grad, meaning that you either take it as an undergrad prereq or take it in grad school. From what I've heard the trend is to move away from offering it in grad school and switching to a prereq. My program doesn't have a grad neuroanatomy course because it's a required prereq.

Yeah, I can see how connections would be helpful if someone's main goal is to settle in a city with more competition. Cities with multiple programs can be oversaturated with SLPs, which may make it harder to compete with grads from that area. Of course, getting placements in a saturated area can also be more challenging--many in my cohort are doing their summer placements in their home states, but they've been having a tough time competing against students from all the other programs.