ObsessLP

It's probably different now, but it amounted to around $700+ per 3-credit course as an out-of-state student. I believe it's somewhere in the $900-$1000 range now.

I did not apply to Radford because it is too far away. I live in Gum Spring, which is about 40 minutes from UVA and 1h30m from JMU. Longwood was also doable. I only applied to those three schools and got accepted to all three. I ultimately decided on UVA because I was so impressed by them at the open house and also by how communicative they were after sending out offers. Let me know if you have any questions!

I'll send you a PM.

I have taken a large number of CLEP exams. Which one will you be taking? I may still have my review material.

Every SLP I have spoken to, both medical and school SLPs, have said to go with the option that will put you in the least amount of debt. There really aren't any "medical programs," because ASHA's standards are uniform for all programs. There are programs with a few more medically-based courses, but not having those does not mean that you cannot ultimately work in a medical setting. The advice I have gotten from medical SLPs (many of whom were not graduates of a self-proclaimed "medical SLP program") is to do your internship and externship placements in medical settings, do a great job, and have a good relationship with your supervisors. Your experience in your placements and your CF will help you get into the setting you ultimately want to be in. Good luck!

Already declined my offers at Longwood University and JMU. Good luck!

Dr. Weems is absolutely NOT a horrible professor despite what you might have read on ratemyprofessor. She is one of the best professors I have ever had. She really cares about her students' success and makes the course as student-friendly as possible. Unfortunately, there are lots of dummies who take the course and attempt to Google their way through it instead of actually watching the lectures. If you watch her lectures and ask her questions, you will get an A easily. Don't believe everything you read on RMP.

Eastern New Mexico University runs a Neuroscience for CSD course. It is taught by Dr. Linda Weems. She is an excellent professor!

Space out

ENMU is another good option!

You're not crazy! Haha! Your best resource would be the InstantCert forum - there is very specific feedback about the exam and InstantCert also has practice questions to help you out. It's a paid membership, but there is a discount code here. Here's a study guide that you can refer to: http://www.free-clep-prep.com/Chemistry-CLEP.html Send me a message if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help!

Just turned down my offer at JMU. I hope that helps someone get off the waitlist!

Agreed! Sometimes it is hard to see the errors in your own work, especially when you are so familiar with it. At two of the schools I went to, the directors said you will lose a lot of points if your essay has grammatical errors. One director said she had received an essay addressed to a different school and immediately disposed of the application.

One of the hardest parts about grad school applications is writing your statement of purpose (SOP). When I was working on mine last year, I had no idea where to start. So, instead of Googling it and ending up with a generic SOP, I attended three different open houses and asked a lot of questions to find out what schools really look for. In the end, the answer was pretty simple: Schools want to know that you can be successful academically, even when faced with obstacles. With that in mind, I made a list of the challenges I faced throughout graduate studies and picked the ones I thought would best show the qualities that SLP programs seek: persistence, dedication, confidence, and a passion for helping others. I wrote about how I worked full time and studied at night, and how I still managed to make the dean's list. I wrote about how I did not initially qualify for any graduate programs, but found out what I needed to do and persisted in meeting those requirements. "GRAD SCHOOL IS HARD!" This is what everyone tells us. Admissions committees just want to know that you are a candidate who will not give up when things get tough, and that you are a person who will go above and beyond to become a well-rounded clinician. So before you write your SOP, make an outline: What made you want to become an SLP? What challenges did you face while working on the academic requirements, and how did you overcome those challenges? What qualities do you have that helped you face those challenges? (Focus on qualities important for SLPs) What are the things the school is most proud of? (Have a unique paragraph for each school, describing what specific things made you want to go there) Why is that school the best option to help you reach your goal of becoming an SLP? When you have the answers to these questions, it will be a lot easier to start working on writing your essay. Please add any additional tips below! I know I would have loved a thread like this last year when I started working on applications!

Get to know your instructors! I took online courses and extremely few people took the time to email instructors to ask questions or give feedback. I was surprised at how receptive my online instructors were, and I ended up keeping in touch with a handful of them. Those same instructors ended up offering me letters of recommendation when the time came to apply to grad schools. If you really enjoyed a course, if a course inspired you to pursue a specific specialization, or even if you just thought it was a well-organized class, tell your instructor what you think and thank them for their work. Affirmation feels great to anyone!