bibliophile222

I was a grader last semester for a 1-credit intro course. Most weeks all i did was monitor the email and answer questions from my section, but whenever there was a paper due (fortunately only five 2-pagers total) it took about 7 hours to grade 62 papers. It can definitely be tricky to find a balance between grading too harsh or too lax. Having a grading rubric really helped. Just a warning, though: grading might crush your soul a teeny bit! A lot of the papers were, without exaggerating, terribly written, but since it was a 1-credit course, they hadn't had their writing courses yet, and some of them came from different backgrounds than others, I had to try not to be too tough on them. I just kept writing feedback over and over to not write in one long paragraph and to freaking proofread! Aargh!

Unfortunately grad students can't get any grants (free money) through FAFSA, it's all loans that need to be paid back. You might get a scholarship or GA position through your school. Some schools offer a decent amount of funding, others don't. The good news is that since you don't have any undergrad debt, you might get off fairly easily financially (compared to most SLP grads, at least).

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by practicals. Is that the same as clinic? We get graded normally for class (A, B, etc). For clinic we have a final grade where different components get a 1-4 rating, with a 3 being "meets expectations". We also do a mid-semester evaluation where we come up with personal goals. I actually feel fine being observed, although I was nervous the first time I had parents and students observe. The way I look at it, I'm already being "observed" by my client, and my supervisors have been really nice and understanding, so I feel fine with them observing me. I think it really helps having a separate observation room--even though I know people are watching I can put it out of my mind. I think you'll adjust to it after the first couple sessions. I won't lie, the first few are rough, but you'll make it!

I actually laughed when I read the title of the post and thought "free time in grad school"?! It's a bit of an exaggeration since I do have a bit of down time, but you should expect to be working a lot, even if you're good at time management. I live next to a cool college town but rarely spend time downtown. As long as the smaller town has a few amenities and isn't an insanely long drive from a larger city I wouldn't have time to get too bored. Maybe use breaks to take road trips to more exciting places and be a homebody the rest of the year?

That's hilarious! I just checked out the program's website, and their degree descriptions are really clear and simple, specifying exactly which one to apply to based on years of experience... sigh.

I didn't get the summer placement I wanted. I thought the interview went alright, but I'm pretty sure the two other girls in my cohort have more relevant experience than me. Now I'm crossing my fingers that our placement coordinator gives me my second-choice placement as a consolation prize without having to compete for it!

I don't know how much either of them is really going to help you in your career. Speech science has physics components (sound waves and how they react in different sizes of resonant chambers) but the formulas weren't too hard and there wasn't that much math. I took it without having had physics first and I didn't feel disadvantaged. Neuro also has chemistry components (neurotransmitters, sodium, etc) but again, not too challenging in my opinion. None of my grad courses have contained any chem or physics, just some basic statistics concepts. I would personally just go with whichever one seems easier to you. I plan on taking chemistry this semester because the physics math sounds tougher (in my prospective courses at least, it may be different depending on the course description).

I haven't felt burned out on the program or career, which is good! At the end of last semester I felt mentally fried, but I think that was partly due to the adjustment to the program/workload and partly because Thanksgiving break is fairly late in the semester, so we went 3 months without a real break. At the end of the semester I spent most of my winter break in my PJs watching Netflix, which was WONDERFUL. The only problem is my brain turned to mush over break so it took me about a week to get motivated to work again. I'm on spring break now, so my semester's broken up a bit better and I feel saner. I think we've also all adjusted by now and everything seems a bit more manageable. The bad news is that even though it's spring break I'm still doing homework (finishing up the midterm for my aphasia class). The good news is that I'm also currently in my PJs watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the 70's one), so it's not like you won't get any down time!

I'm a New Englander born and raised, so I'm gonna say that Boston is way cooler than NYC! ? That bit of silly regional pride aside, it sounds like you're really leaning towards Columbia. A difference of 18 spots in the ranking is pretty minuscule-- #30 is still pretty damn impressive! If there's no huge difference in cost, go with the one you want most and don't worry about the rankings--they really don't matter anyways! Just promise me you won't become a Yankees fan. ?

There are certainly pros and cons to every program--it sounds to me like @speechie1122 wasn't denigrating top-ranked schools but reminding people that perhaps other programs are under-rated, and people who go there shouldn't be ashamed or feel like they're less qualified in any way. I do have something to point out, though, about the argument that research professors may be too busy and clinical professors provide more time. In my experience, I've found this to be sort of the opposite. My school is fairly highly-ranked (top 17%). The school is officially a Tier-2 for research, but there are several prominent researchers in our department. I've found that if the professors are doing research, they may actually hang around in the building and may be more available to talk to if needed. On the other hand, one of our professors is great but incredibly hard to schedule a meeting with because in addition to teaching multiple classes she is involved with specialty voice/craniofacial teams and is absurdly busy. Another professor was a wonderful teacher, but she only teaches one grad class because she sees clients, so we got one great experience with her and that's it. Also, it really is fantastic hearing someone heavily involved in research get to passionately describe their area of interest. One professor admitted to not being good at the clinical side and never got her Cs, instead going back for the Ph.D. She therefore could not give us much practical advice for dealing with clients, but I loved her class because she gave her unique insights into her area of expertise (and very entertainingly bashed practices she didn't agree with. No one in our class will ever think of brain training the same way again!) Sorry, I don't mean to make anyone's decisions harder, I just wanted to share that just because someone is involved in research doesn't make them a disengaged, absent, not-practical teacher! Learning and working with them can be a really wonderful experience. It's not a necessary step to being a good SLP, but it's certainly enlightening.

Sure! So a week before the semester starts we get our client assignments and meet with our clinical supervisor. I researched ahead of time to get some ideas for the first session, but my supervisors have been full of helpful ideas and have really helped me craft the plan for the first session. They encourage independence but are willing to sit in the room with you for the first session if you need it. Our clinic has the one-way mirror observation rooms, where they sit. They typically observe the whole session but might have to leave early or cancel on occasion. I've read online about some people's horror stories with nasty/incompetent clinical supervisors, but mine have all been awesome so far. They've all given mostly positive feedback in a compliment sandwich with constructive feedback, so it's easy to handle. The constructive criticism is almost all stuff I've noticed about myself anyways. One of my supervisors gives EXTENSIVE edits of projected treatment plans and dx reports and requires multiple drafts, which can get a little overwhelming, but the rest have given pretty minimal edits. I've been trying to spend less time on prep lately but still spend far more time than someone out in the field would, but this is pretty typical of grad students! If you have kiddo clients you can use board games, which helps, but people also make colorful target words, scavenger hunts, crafts, etc. All my clients have been teens and adults so far, so my prep mostly includes printing out lists of words or topic starters or rating scales (I have fluency clients this semester, so it's very qualitative in nature). Last semester I spent far too much time on activities--one time I spent probably 2 hours sorting and taping magnetic poetry words to different colored construction paper for an activity that took 10 minutes. Sigh. Don't be like me!!! Your experiences with clients and families will obviously vary. Sometimes parents can be problematic--they may disagree with your therapy goals, want to sit in the clinic room when it would be better for them not to, etc. However, I think in a university clinic you are much less likely to get real problem behaviors from either parent or child--the parents know we're still just students, which is why they're paying less than they would at a private clinic! So far I haven't had any real difficulty working with my clients. As I said, they're all teens or adults. Two out of the three have been talkative and self-motivated, which makes it easy to build rapport and work hard in the sessions. One client is very quiet and shy, and one of my personal goals has just been to connect with him and get him to open up a bit. There's definitely a counseling component, which is challenging but satisfying when you make a breakthrough. Also, this is a bit of a tangent, but if you have any student observers, make the most of it! At first the idea of other people watching your session is scary, but for one of my fluency clients I drag any observers into the session so my client can practice with unfamiliar listeners. It's nice to give them a brief about your client before beginning and let them know you can answer questions after if they'd like. It feels really good to pay it forward for other future grads.

I take notes the old-fashioned way, but I still bring my computer to school every day (including days I don't have class) so I can get work done. There's often down-time in between classes that aren't long enough to make it worthwhile to go home and back. I also am usually more focused and get more accomplished at school than at home (boyfriend + 2 cats = lots of distractions!). Maximize your work time during the week so you have less to do on the weekends!

I'm bumping this thread because I've seen some recent ones with current students offering advice about specific programs, but not a more general "life in grad school" vibe. At this time last year I kept looking up YouTube videos about life in grad school, but I really wanted to know more specifics like daily schedules and what assignments and clinical paperwork were like. You know, the nitty-gritty, day-to-day stuff that's not really covered anywhere else. So if anyone has any general questions I'd love to answer them! I know a lot of things will be program-specific, but if other current grad students have differing opinions they could still post them here so people could get an overall viewpoint.

It sounds to me like it's your gut decision battling your more practical side, but only you can ultimately make that decision. When it comes right down to it, I guess the question is which missed opportunity you would end up regretting more, and if the sacrifice in either direction is truly worth it. What will make you happier, more successful, and more fulfilled?

If you really want to settle down in a certain area you might be able to network better and forge connections with your placements, plus you wouldn't have to worry about licensing requirements in MA. That being said, if there's a huge cost difference in programs, I would just go with the cheapest one (as long as it's a decent program--good reviews from current students, good Praxis pass rate, etc). I'm facing a mountain of debt when I graduate, which I accept and can live with, but I also accept the fact that I might not be buying a house or expensive vacations anytime soon! Boston's also pretty expensive, so any money you save by going to a cheaper program will help you to more easily afford your expenses farther on down the road.

I'm the only one in my cohort who doesn't have Facebook. Once in a while I feel a little left out because people will be discussing a cute picture someone posted or something, but everyone knows I don't have Facebook, so they'll tell me if there are any upcoming social events. It works--it's kinda fun playing the crotchety Luddite.

Unless you're great with time management (I'm not!) you probably won't have that much time to explore. I live one town over from the cool college town my program is in. I technically go there all the time for school, but I've been downtown maybe 7-8 times in almost 7 months. I suppose I could get out more than I do, but once I'm done with class the homework begins (and continues into the weekends) and going out just seems exhausting and unproductive. Also, it's only for two years, so you'll be done before you know it even if the location is ho-hum.

Yes, you guys have totally got this! It's funny, I participated in an Admitted Students day yesterday giving my first-year perspective. At the end the admitted students said that they were actually less scared about the process after they heard all of our perspectives. Do you have any emails of current students? If not, ask for some! We are by and large very willing to help and share, and we are proof that although you may be overworked, stuffed with knowledge, flooded with debt, and feel like you have NO idea what you're doing... YOU'VE. GOT. THIS. ?

I don't see how it would make you less prepared to be an SLP as long as you are getting all the necessary clinic hours in a variety of settings. How many external placements do you get? If there is only one I would be a bit wary since school clinics are not exactly the real world. My program has three externships, which I like because we all can do one medical, one school, and one of whatever else we want. But otherwise I don't think it would be terrible. Our summer semester is an externship and only one online course, so it's not like your courses would be too insane. I think if you're dedicated to putting all your time and energy into it you should be fine, but that being said, the more placements you have the better.

As far as I know, FAFSA for grad students is just loans and work study, no grants/scholarships. I got a merit scholarship through my school but that was separate. The one exception I can think of is special funding for members of the military or people with other special circumstances (can't remember any others off the top of my head). It's possible those groups of people may have received grants through FAFSA and ended up fully funded.

Yeah, you're definitely wise to focus on costs as the primary factor. Keep your options open! If you do end up going with UVM though, you can rest assured that the faculty are awesome and everyone in my cohort likes the program. Good luck with the rest of your decisions and funding!

Some people on this forum have said that applying to new programs was helpful. Since they are only candidates for accreditation and they are new, they may be less competitive. ASHA has a link where you can see every program's accreditation status--look for candidate schools and apply there (at least a couple of them will be online). Also, I agree with others here that taking a few more classes won't do much for your GPA. Have you focused on other areas of your application? Are you positive that your LORs are well-written and singing your praises? Are your SOPs tailored for each program with explicit focus on why the program is a good fit and how you can benefit them? Have you highlighted your SLPA experience in your SOP? Maybe add to your volunteering experiences? Stats are not the only thing that matters for admission. Play to your strengths as much as you possibly can. I had great stats and still got rejected to a few programs because I did not do enough of the above.

You can definitely find pet-friendly housing in the area--I have two cats and found a place. However, many places do not take pets, including what seems like most of the cheaper apartments. I saw postings for tons of apartments a couple hundred dollars a month cheaper than the one I got and almost all of them were no pets. What's your plan for apartment hunting? If you can, I'd take a couple weeks to look for as many places as you can. If you're willing to commute a bit rents will go down and it will be easier to find a place, as Burlington housing can be pretty competitive. I went to an open house with at least 15 other people. I found a place in South Burlington, which is still pretty close to school and not outrageously expensive. As far as the facilities go, the pool is nice but the open rec hours are kind of sporadic. The gym is open until midnight and has decent equipment but is a little small, and the weird thing is that the locker rooms are downstairs and I'm not sure how the locks work for that (deposits, etc). There are cubbies outside the gym but I didn't feel comfortable leaving my computer in my bag. On the plus side, they have a program for grad students where if you pay for a fitness class pass and go to a certain number of classes a semester (maybe 30?) they refund the price of the class, so it's a great incentive to make it to your workouts. And yes, Montreal is the closest big city, maybe about an hour and a half to 2 hours from my house depending on traffic. Just take I-89 to the border and it becomes Canadian Route something-or-other, pretty easy to get there. It's definitely easier getting into Canada than getting back into the US, since our border people are much more anal. If you haven't been Montreal is pretty awesome, and don't worry, everyone speaks English. Boston is about 3.5 hours away and Quebec City (which is absolutely beautiful and feels like you're in France, I highly recommend) about the same distance as Boston. Sorry for the novella--hope this helps!

Today I found out I'm in the running for my top choice summer placement. It's really close, the largest hospital in the state, and would really help me get my foot in the door for future outpatient and inpatient positions. The sucky part is that I'll be competing against other girls in my cohort. The good news is that there are only three of us interviewing for two positions, so at least my odds are decent!

I found my apartment through the online classifieds of a local paper, so that may be an option that fewer people would think of nowadays in the age of apps, which may lower the competition. Also, I know there can be lots of scams, but I got a previous apartment through craigslist.