Southwestspeechie

V- from Maryland, but they pronounce it with a W in Arizona

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a nice summer! I am a first year grad student and my school does not give us our clinical schedules until the first day of class. Another department is interested in giving me a TA position but they need to know my clinical schedule. I know my department has a solid idea of what are clinical schedules are but for some reason they wait to release them. I want to send an e-mail to my CI and politely ask for a better idea of what my schedule will be so that I can get this TA position. My CI in the past (I was a leveling student) has made it seem like I have to work everything around clinic. Could anyone offer any advice on what I should say/how I should handle the situation? Thanks!

I work part time as a Spanish tutor and it's doable. I only do about 12 hours a week. My job is nice because it's on campus and I get to make my schedule so it's pretty convenient.

I was also waitlisted and then accepted to my dream program and I have totally felt the same way. But, even people who weren't waitlisted also feel like this. Grad school is competitive and it's easy to feel like you don't belong when you compare yourselves to others. Don't listen to these negative thoughts, you are wanted in your program and will do great! Trust your own skills and keep pushing yourself to be better, but do this for you, not anyone else.

Hi! There are about 60 leveling programs according to edfind. Here's the link: https://www.asha.org/edfind/results.aspx?up=true

Look for free food wherever you go and try to limit how much you go out! The school I go to has a Campus Pantry for students where you can pick up some food twice a week, and it helps a lot.

Completely agree. OP, why not look into University of Arizona or Arizona State? UofA's out of state tuition is 34k a year, but they say that everyone will get some sort of financial help before they graduate. If you do apply to UofA, definitely talk about your experience in Japan ?

I am so happy that you have had a great experience in your program OP! I am not sure if these programs are actually overrated though. I go to a top 10 program and can say that it is absolutely amazing. We have top researches as our professors, but they don't only focus on incorporating research. They really emphasize client and parent expectations when crafting our treatment plans. I also don't find my program harsh; all of the faculty are incredibly supportive, as are my fellow classmates. While I do agree that actual practice facilitates learning, tests are necessary, especially since we all have to take COMPS to become SLPs. I think a lot of the information you are providing about these programs is based more on assumptions and doesn't match the actual experience of students who attend those programs. Each program is too unique to really make these broad generalizations anyway I hope this didn't come off as rude, I mean to only share my experience.

This happened to me! I was accepted to my dream school on April 13th, but my letter of commitment to another school was already in route by mail. I would have waited until the April 15th deadline to commit but unfortunately they wanted my decision by snail mail ?, so I had to send it a few days earlier to arrive on time. I lost the $300 deposit but it didn't matter at all since I am now at the best program for me. These things happen and programs will understand. Good luck to you, I know the waitlist process is really hard!

It is definitely true that programs look at more than your GPA. That being said, I would strongly suggest trying to boost your GPA during your last years of undergrad. You definitely have time, and having a stronger GPA will only benefit you, as some schools are pickier than others with GPA. You want to make yourself the best candidate possible in all areas so that you have many options. Good luck and keep up the good work!

PM'd you!

Have you thought about 3-year masters programs too? That's what I am doing and I absolutely love it. You enter as a graduate student but take some undergraduate level prerequisites your first year, then go into the normal two year program. I understand if that's not something you'd be interested in, but just thought I'd mention it as some people aren't aware they exist If you have any more questions, let me know!

Terrible that your professor told you that. He or she is not on the admissions committee to those other schools and simply does not know. You have a great GPA and great experiences in the field, so that will definitely help offset your Q and V scores. I don't think your Q and V scores will exactly help you, but I doubt they would ruin your application. You may not get offered a GA or TA position because of your more average scores, but most don't get offered that anyway Do any of these programs have a GRE cut off? That's the only way I could see them really hurting you as some programs use those cut offs to easily file through applications by not looking at applications with scores under the cutoff. Best of luck to you! Try to enjoy what's left of your senior year!

Look at the professors in your department and find one whose lab matches your interests (Aphasia, language acquisition, etc.). I was a research assistant in a Child Developmental lab in the psychology department and it was very rewarding. It gave me valuable experience giving standardized tests to children and helped me get to know a professor really well, which was great for an LOR.

There are actually many 3-year programs. Edfind has a whole frequently requested list search that includes about 60 different programs. Here is a link to it: https://www.asha.org/edfind/results.aspx?up=true OP if you have any questions about 3-year programs please let me know! I only applied to 3 year programs.

Could you ask professors from outside SLP?

From my experience New Mexico State University and Northern Arizona University both accept those with lower GRE scores!

I am straight, so absolutely take this with a grain of salt since I cannot truly attest to my classmate's experiences who are LGBT. BUT, I think my program (University of Arizona) is very accepting. There are many people in my cohort and overall program who identify openly as LGBT and they all seem to feel secure here. All of the professors are very supportive in general and they all present liberal views. It is definitely not the right environment for someone who holds highly conservative views as I have not met anyone who would agree with them ?. That is awful that you had that experience in undergraduate! I wish you the best of luck finding a supportive environment!

Hi! What really helped me was looking at the locations more closely. If some schools are close enough that you can visit, definitely do that! Search the cities on grad cafe to see what others are saying about them. I found that in the end, I couldn't picture myself living in some of the cities the programs were in and I took them off of my list.

I think it depends on the school, as some programs require that a portion of the letter comes from professors. If this is the case with some of your schools, I recommend asking professors and going to them in person and talking to them more about yourself. This can make those letters stronger. Part of grad school is clinic, so your letters from SLP's will be great for this. However, the other part is in the classroom, so I think programs want to see how you are as student in the classroom as well. Short answer, I think you can have letters from both, but not just SLPs.

I don't think that a school's name holds much weight for admissions committees. In my program we have students from all types of schools but we all have similar GPAs. One of my classmates is from a very high ranked and big name undergrad with a higher GPA and she still got rejected from some programs. Another thing is, where you were as a student in high school is different from where you are now as a college student, so they have to look at your performance from college, not what got you there. I recommend highlighting your abilities and not the school's name, as they can see that from other parts of your application. You are so much more than your GPA, show them those other parts! Sorry if this was tough, that's just how I see it. Best of luck to you

UTD gets so many applicants that I feel they definitely use those scores to just weed out people. It sucks! Definitely keep your head up!

My quant was a 146 (second time I took the test) and I got into my top choice. I know how much the GRE sucks! Definitely wait to see your writing score, if it's a 4 or better, than I would pass on retaking the test. Honestly though there aren't any magic numbers as to who gets in and who doesn't, but I would just check with your schools to see if they have listed a definite cut off for GRE scores. Best of luck!!

I wouldn't retake it. The more important scores (Verbal & Writing) are really good so I don't think the lower quant will have too much of an effect.

I moved all the way across the country to my grad school (East coast to the southwest). For one, out of state tuition sucks! It is hard being away from my family, but phone calls and FaceTime help a lot. Definitely get to know your cohort and take the initiative to hang out outside of class, this will make the transition into grad school MUCH easier. But it's a fun adventure