katiejSLP

Hi there! I'm looking for some advice from fellow online students who have needed letters of recommendation from professors for grad school applications. I am in my second semester (online) through USU and love it! BUT, being strictly online, I don't really interact with my professors and I have no connection to any of them, last semester or this semester. During my first undergrad experience, I was able to connect with my instructors in person, but that was over 2 years ago and I'm afraid that too much time has passed to go back and ask for LORs... Grad application deadlines are quickly approaching and I know now is the time to start asking professors if they would be willing to write my LORs. What advice do you have? I'm worried that my letters will not stand out because I do not have a strong personal connection to these professors! What ways can I make a connection prior to asking them to write me a LOR? I'd really appreciate any advice and ways to make this work as an online student! Thanks!!!

Hi @zaralee! Congratulations on your acceptances! I'm going to be applying to those exact same colleges/universities in the fall to begin in 2020! I was wondering if you would be willing to share your academic credentials (i.e., GPA, GRE, undergrad experience, etc.) that ultimately got you into those schools. If not, no worries! I just wanted to see where I stack up compared to other students admitted into those programs. Thanks!

Hi! Thank you for sharing! That is exactly what I've been searching for, literally for the last several weeks, but I have not seen a single posting for anything remotely close to this sort of position in my area (Chicago suburbs). If you don't mind me asking, how did you land that job? Did you call/email practices or maybe find a job posting online? I'm super curious because that is exactly what I'm looking for to get experience in the field without having tons of qualifications just yet. Also, congratulations! Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I am going to be applying for SLP programs for next fall (August 2019), but in the meantime I need a job because student loans are a very real thing! I was wondering if you guys could recommend any entry-level jobs that would be beneficial before applying to grad programs in SLP. Since I am an out-of-field applicant I could really use some extra experience (outside of shadowing and volunteering with SLPs) to demonstrate that I am committed to this career path. I have a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies so I've been trying to find jobs in the pediatric therapy field, but it seems difficult to find many jobs without a Master's degree. Any suggestions or success stories would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site (and new to SLP in general) so I could really use as much wisdom and recommendations from past graduate students as possible, specifically students who have completed a post-bacc program! I graduated from UIUC with my bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies in May 2017 and I've recently decided I want to get my masters in SLP. Since my undergrad is in a non-CSD major, I am considering enrolling in a post-bacc program this upcoming fall in order to: 1) get caught up on some of the pre-reqs I'm definitely missing for certain programs, 2) get started on some coursework anyways since I've missed deadlines for this fall's masters programs 3) hopefully improve my admission chances by having fewer pre-reqs to complete, might look appealing on an application compared to not having any (???) Here's my question: While I'm taking these "leveling courses", can I simultaneously apply to graduate SLP programs? OR, do I need to wait until all my pre-req courses are completed/passed and THEN think about applying for SLP programs? Does it matter? Ideally, I would like to finish all my pre-reqs in one year (FA2018 ---> SU2019) and then transition straight into my master's program in Fall 2019. My major concern is that the admissions committees will not even know I'm taking leveling courses AS I'M SIMULTANEOUSLY applying for their programs, since most deadlines are in late fall/early winter. For those of you who have completed a year of leveling courses before going on to your master's program, how long did you wait before applying and what would you recommend doing? Are leveling courses worth it and do you think admissions committees take that into consideration while making their decisions? Thanks everyone! :)