uncannywriter

@speechierosie sorry for not responding to your post sooner. The clinical experiences have differed for each student. Clinical experiences are always great because you get to work with the actual clients and learn so much if you are teamed with a good mentor. Being in clinic depends on each semester-in Summer there was no clinic. In Fall something, to be blunt, weird happened. They split the cohort into two groups. The first group went out and did clinic for Monday/Wednesday/Friday at the assigned school. During clinic class, you would discuss your experiences in clinic and about IEPs/lesson plans.etc. The second group stayed at Samford on Monday/Wednesday to watch a video on one professor performing a diagnostic test and then you would score the client. During clinic class, you would write a report on the client and about the scoring. You would submit the report and then two different professors will grade it. The groups would then switch after six weeks. Right now we are in Spring and it is different. They didn't do that weird splitting us into two groups. I'm not sure why they did that in Fall. I'm hoping they will not do that again because it really did a disservice when it came to collecting hours and learning. When I did clinic with my mentor, it was broken into two weeks of learning from the mentor and about the clients then four weeks of actually doing therapy. It was not enough time to collect the expected amount of hours and to learn how to do therapy.

@SpeechJC I'm not sure about the audiology program. That is going to be the first year it has started. If you are considering going there, my experience with two of the audiology professors have been excellent and better than the actual SLP professors. I would take that lightly though because the program is new. Many of my peers believe that one of the failings of the SLP program, besides being unorganized, is the professors large concentration on the new Audiology program. Actually, the former head of the program left to chair the new audiology program and appointed another person in charge of the program since this past fall of 2017. @lacuna Samford has 5 years to prove that they are a program that should be official. If there is not a drastic change they will not obtain their accreditation. I do not believe that ASHA knows anything yet. Samford is being interviewed on March 1 regarding their status. Three students have went to the Dean about the program and he insisted that the people who are in charge of the program care about the students. When I personally spoke to one professor about the program and my concerns, she informed me that they are actually changing the schedule for the new class to try to fix what happened. Who knows how that is going to work, but for the new class I hope for the best. If you are curious the "Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education program in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology" has information about what programs need to do to earn their accreditation. I have attached the link below. Samford only allows students to earn one C. If you earn a C then you have to 'survive' the remaining semesters on academic probation because if you earn one more than you will be dismissed. There are students that are on academic probation right now. I hope they will not leave the program because they are part of my cohort/family and are awesome people! Sorry for the lengthy reply. https://caa.asha.org/wp-content/uploads/Accreditation-Standards-for-Graduate-Programs.pdf

I'm a first year and I wish you the best of luck! It's so stressful getting into schools. I turned down three other schools to go to Samford (well established ones) so you could imagine my frustration :/

Three left on their own accord and three failed. Which is abnormal for a masters program if you research into others. The only reason I'm making this post is that I honestly want people to reconsider going to this school.

My friend did report it to the dean and he did nothing. Actually, he told my friend that they (the SLP program) care about us and that he would speak to them. Who knows if he did. I know my friend had zero luck speaking to her supervisor, then the head of the program, and then the head of the department about her issues.

As a student at Samford University Com-Dis, please reconsider your decision to attend this university. They are great at selling their program, but a program that has lost 6 students in one cohort is not a program you should consider. If I could do this again, I would have never attended this university. My favorite part of being interviewed last March is when they were like, "Oh, we want to keep you because if we don't keep you then we won't get certified." Please, reconsider and go to any program except this one. Coming from a person who is a friend of someone that got dismissed this program is a terrible experience.

Hello, For those considering Samford University, I advise you with caution. The program is in crisis and there are a lot of concerns with the development of the program. I understand the stress of getting into an SLP program, I have been there and the struggle is REAL! Therefore, I know a class with be guaranteed for next semester. I do want to warn you. The program has recently lost 6 students in two semesters. They started with 23 and now only have 17. When you arrive for your interview they will inform you that they want you and they care about you. They will also sell you a line about how they want to keep their jobs and that is based on your success, unfortunately being successful in this program is difficult. I also want to remind you that per ASHA website there must be an 80% pass rate for students,17/23 (73%). Here are the reasons why I caution those who are considering this program. "God, Family, School" they will tell you is the most important aspect of the program. They will not help you. If you have a question about a project, expect them to tell you that you are in grad school now and that is your decision. Or, they'll change the subject the day of and still expect it due. The rubric is not clear and that leads to confusion Unfortunately, they told me in the interview that they have an open door policy. They do not have an open door policy. Disorganized They have different professors grading your assignments and even when you write down what the professor said, word for word, it is wrong. No clear answers from the professors Grades are not submitted The tests are not based on notes. You will be literally given a test and have no idea what you are going to be tested on. It is a surprise. Treat you like children You may be 21+ but be expected to be treated like a child Bad clinical placement They expect you to find your own clinic placement without any assistance. They do have a new DCE and he has been slightly helpful. They also do not tell you that if you want to work at the VA you are not able to do so because they are not an established program SLP/SLP preceptors/SLP schools in Alabama know about Samford and their failures. I have a friend that is an SLP and spoke about how she knows several preceptors (mentors) that complain about the program and refuse to take Samford students. They are having difficulty with making contracts with schools. I have one classmate that has to drive an hour away from the home. Another classmate was placed two hours away from her home. She had to call a nearby school to get that situated. They were helpful when pushed to actually change her clinical placement, but she still had to go out of her way to change the situation. There is also difficulty in obtaining hours. Do not listen to your concerns. When you complain about a professor or discuss issues they will 'pretend' like they care. Also, for the teacher reviews at the end of the semester, they close it early so you can't review them. I had one classmate that spoke to her supervisor, head of the program, head of the department, and the dean of the program. Could you believe that nothing came from it? This school should be the last choice for you. Please ask me questions, I want to answer them and help you out. I do not want you to go to this program. I wish that you will go to any other school except this one. They care more about their new audiology program than the fact that they managed to lose 6 graduate students in two semesters.