waffles19

I went to the Kent State open house this weekend. Pros: stress clinical experiences/pride themselves on having excellent clinical instruction (seems like they will hold your hand through clinic as much as you need it), faculty seemed very nice, program aims to prepare students to work in any type of setting (they have a new professor who is focused on medical SLP and dysphasia), you can apply for GA positions outside of the department (if you didn't get one in the department), out of state cost is low (21,524 per year), the students there said that most people in their cohort work a part time job (so there's time for that), have this cool program that three of the current students are in that is an extra year of grad school that is paid for where you specialize in working with birth to year Cons: the first semester you get placed to do clinic either in the regular in-house clinic OR the accent modification center (clients are international students) and you basically have no choice, it's the winter so I'm sure that played into it but I thought the campus was pretty ugly and the town isn't anything special, the open house was disorganized, externships are by request (one student said people in her cohort didn't get placements where they wanted), student said the clinic is pretty pediatric dominated Other random info: - cost of living seemed to really vary (one student live in a house with 5 roommates for 300 dollars a month and another live by herself for 1,000 a month) - the student health/wellness center is amazing and they have a hot tub and rock climbing wall

If you're going to save money on something, save it on that. I did two of mine online at random community colleges. Unless you want some super deep intense instruction I don’t think it’s really worth the money. Everything else on your app is probably more important.

Yes! And there are certainly parts of the country that make this harder than others. "Not on-size fits all choice" is a good way to put it. Different people have different priorities!

I somewhat agree with you. It kinda bothers me that everyone just has this blind advice that the cheaper option is the be all end all of picking a school. I understand that at some point employers aren't going to care what school you went to and just care about past work experience but you have to get those first jobs to start with! And your school is obviously going to be something that they look at. It makes sense that maybe you wouldn't care about school name, school networking/resources if you're planning to be a school based SLP in a small town or something like that. But, if you're like me and wanting to get placements in more competitive medical based settings, it may be worth the extra money to go to a school that offers those classes and has all those connections. I didn't join this field to live a life of luxury and if I'm going to pay for school I may as well go to a place I actually want to go that will help me reach my career goals. To the original poster, I think that the program itself should take priority and if it costs less than that a huge benefit! Grad students I've talked to seem to not have enough free time for it to weigh so much into a decision. But, if you're going to be sad and feel suffocated the whole time in the rural area then maybe that's not the best idea?

Does anyone know if there's a facebook page for the incoming class ? Unless I get off Pitt's waitlist, I'm fairly sure I'll be attending! It's my dream school and I can't wait for the open house

I’m a second semester post bacc currently and I cannot fathom going through the application process a second time. Getting applications done while taking 5 classes, 2 labs, adjusting to a new school, and working was a nightmare (and applications were expensive!). However, during my first semester as a post bacc, I got a much better idea of what I wanted out of a program and what my priorities were. Side note: I had two post bacc professors write LORs and three of my UG professors write LORs and I think it worked to my advantage big time. The post bacc professors didn’t know me as well but I think if you visit even just one or two office hours and get As they have no problem writing a decent LOR. Penn State seems to stress the “general practitioner” idea, that they’ll prepare you for any situation, so that would be comforting to me. I got accepted there a few weeks ago and am going to visit, so I can update you with what it was like! I’m not sure what your situation is financially or where your residency is but I’m guessing Penn State (with living expenses and tuition) would be cheaper. BUT if you applied a second round, you could apply to cheaper schools. From my observations of my fellow post baccs, it seems a bit more difficult for post baccs to get funding, especially GA positions that are handed out so I don’t know how much lower out of state tuition you could if your looking at the top 50ish schools. Sorry this response is kind of over the place! Good luck with the decision!

Here are some questions I plan on asking at my upcoming open houses/accepted students day: 1. Where do students do clinical placements? Does the program have connections to hospital or rehab facility placements? What populations do you usually see at the in-house clinic? 2. Can you get paid to do research? How competitive is it to work in a lab? How many hours per week do people typical work in the lab? 3. Are there scholarships that can be earned during grad school? (ex. for having high grades) 4. What is a schedule for a typical student like? Do students socialize outside of school? 5. What does this program have that others do not? (Basically why is this program worth the money) 6. What do you wish you had known before starting grad school? How can I best spend my summer to prepare for the program?

I’m in a similar situation trying to decide between MGH (near my home and family) and another school that is in a place near no one I know. The price difference, including cost of living (I can commute from home from MGH), is about 30,000 also. I want to do Medical SLP and MGH is way better for that the other school. Right now, my thoughts are that grad is going to be a lot of work, and having a solid support system may make a big difference in my overall confidence and happiness. Also with location, if you went to Washington, you’d be networking in that area and may get sucked into staying there after graduation. I’ve thought about that a lot for my situation because I read on MGH’s CF and employment packet that 70% of jobs are NOT posted online and are rather through who you know. I know I want to work in the Boston area after graduation and MGH seems like a prime way to make the necessary connections. I guess it really comes to what your priorities are and how stressed you get over debt. The debt may be worth all the times you won’t have to buy a cross country plane ticket or feel homesick! Good luck with the decision!

I actually have the same exact question as the poster above ^. I’m not convinced that all degrees are as equal as everyone makes them out to be. I want to be a good medical SLP at a good hospital. Do you think a successful MGH student would be more likely to get a competitive medical CF than a successful student from let’s say a small school-focused state school? (I’m trying to decide between Northeastern, MGH, Penn State, and Kent State)

I got waitlisted too. Crossing my fingers I get taken off it!

Just got one!

I took a huge Sallie Mae loan out for my post bacc year and got a very low interest rate because my parents co-signed (with the promise I’d be the one paying them all back obviously). I totally suggest asking a parent to do so if it’s at all possible.

Nope! Waiting impatiently!

I forgot I made this post earlier lol. I am doing a post-bacc year at Pitt currently so I have been able to meet the faculty and get an idea of what the master's program is like. So far, most of the faculty have been great, especially Dr. Shaiman, who is the most excellent teacher. A couple of the faculty members are just "meh" but for the most part they are dedicated, helpful, and experts in their area of study. The one thing that really seems to standout with the master's program is that the clinic opportunities are limitless. They have multiple connections to any setting you can think of. I am particularly interested in working at the VA and the program is closely tied to it (and practically on campus). Plus, one of the best hospitals in the country is across the street from the academic building and I'm certain at least some students get clinical experience there. The master's students seem close with one another and very nice. Personally, I'm interested in medical SLP and doing research so Pitt seems like the perfect place for that, however, the curriculum doesn't really "wow" me. You know? Again, I'm just a post-bacc.

You should look at the pattern from the results on here last year and the year previous!

I couldn't answer the first time they called me and they didn't leave me a voicemail. I called the number back an hour later and they told me about my acceptance.

I just got accepted to Penn State with a 3.47 Cul. GPA, 3.94 CSD post-bacc GPA, Q156 V159 AW 4.0. I have tons of research and leadership experience and worked jobs like camp counselor, tutor, and lifeguard. Like people replied in your last post, most programs look at way more than your GPA.

I think it comes down to believing in yourself and being confident. I think that practicing and preparing makes most people feel more confident. It really helped me to not only practice answering common SLP grad school interview questions, but to also to talk A LOT right before the interview. I had my mom ask me typical interview questions (e.g. "why do you want to go here?" "tell me about yourself" "what are your strengths and weakness?") for a solid half an hour or longer right before my interview and it really warmed up my mind and my muscles to get ready to talk. I tried my hardest to change my mindset from "nervous to mess up" to "excited to talk about myself." I also brought in a nice looking notebook that I wrote down questions for the interviewers to answer and I'm so glad I did. Had I not written them down, I don't think I would have remembered all of them or be able to explain my question as well I did. Good luck and you'll be great!!!

I totally agree with what Rezzy and Sarah said above! Although it's a given that applicants need GPAs on the higher side (usually above a 3.3), certainly not everyone's grades are the reason they caught the admission committee's eye. Plus, I've seen numerous people post on here in the past who got accepted with GPAs as low as 3.1. It's really about you as a whole. If I were you, I'd focus on killing the GRE and do something meaningful to boost your resume every semester and summer with something that is related to your career goals. For example, if you really want to do research during your career, I'd join a lab now and try to work your way up to lab manger and present at conferences etc. Make yourself standout in some way (or even better- multiple ways)! You'll be fine!

Someone made a post about it a few weeks ago I think if you look a few pages back

I'm so happy for you!!! I'm from out of field and deciding to do a post-bacc year was a huge financial risk. I went through academic hell last semester and worked a part time job. When I got my first acceptance recently, I felt so unbelievably relieved and happy that I cried! It's my proudest accomplishment. Yay to everyone who has gotten accepted so far! Good luck in grad school!

I recently had an interview that didn't go great, like a 6/10. It was like I blanked on all the stuff I've done to support what I saying about why I would be a good SLP. I also felt like something felt off with the vibes between the interviewers and me. I've just been telling myself that maybe it went poorly for a reason, like it was a sign that the program wasn't a great fit for me anyway. Totally agree with everyone else that if you tried your best it's all you can ask for and that it probably wasn't as bad as you thought it was!

2 faculty members

They didn’t say anything about when we would find out about acceptances (but I didn’t ask). They had multiple tours and one info session. Some people went before their interview and other people went after. The people helping out (like grad students) were good about telling you when stuff was happening so you could attend.

Mine was only between 10-15 minutes