samiamslp

Hello everyone,
My first semester of grad school is coming to a close, and there is a feeling that has been slowly growing in the back of my mind. I wouldn't call it imposter syndrome, because I have no problem with the program I'm in, or feeling like I don't belong. This environment is exactly what I wanted, quick paced, cutthroat, and the difference in my knowledge between now and 4 months ago is staggering...which I love. 
However, in this atmosphere and environment, I'm coming to realize how slow I am relatively. I wouldn't say I'm dumb, but some of the people in this program are extremely smart. And I'm not discussing the difference between someone who's been here for 3 years and are an expert in their field and has more experience, I'm talking about people at my same level. I sit in class, meetings, discussion with these individuals, and feel like I'm left in the dust. They're quicker than me, in understanding, retaining, and using the knowledge they just learned. What takes me hours, takes them minutes. While I do try and keep up, put in the time and effort, they are always just ahead. 
It's similar to when you realize, Micheal Phelps just has broader shoulders, Usain Bolt just has longer legs. Like the swimmer/sprinter that always comes 3rd, but only because their competition was built with a physical advantage. It's not that they are bad swimmers/sprinters, or they don't put in the effort, simply that they don't have that innate advantage. 
I feel very similar in those regards. I don't find myself a bad scientist, or slow. Rather, these individuals are smarter than me. Simple as that. No matter what I do, I won't be able to catch up. This is of course how life works, some people are better at some things than others. And while I say I understand that this does not discredit me, or say anything about my knowledge (rather is only a compliment to the skills of the others), it still does upset me. It still does make me feel like crap, or wish I could compete at their level....it does make me feel useless at times. 
 
However, this post isn't me realizing this, I realized this fact weeks ago, and have come to terms that there are just people out there who are better at...well everything (science, math, physics, critical thinking in general), then I am or ever will be. What I have realized though, is that, that does not make me...useless? Having discussions with these individuals, I realize I can still come up with ideas they haven't, perspectives they have not. I find that they may be quicker and smarter, but I can still offer a different viewpoint. This post is to say, just because someone is smarter or better, does not make you useless in your field. Everyone has a unique perspective, and that unique perspective is what really matters. I have been able to solve problems these other smarter individuals haven't been able to solve, but only because I approached the problem in a different way. 
Finally, on a side note, I think it's important to not allow these insecurities to come in the way of the program and what you are doing. Yes, on a mental level, they make grad school a lot harder, maybe even unenjoyable at times for me. There have been times where I've thought to myself, what am I doing here? Compared to these guys, I'm nothing. Or times I just thought it would be so much easier if I didn't continue, if I just went back to my old life. Making good money, back with friends and family, relaxed....but I'm just having too much fun. I forget how while I may have been relaxed, I was also bored. I find it similar to dumping a guy you love and are in a great relationship with, just because you think you're not good enough for him (e.g. not attractive enough, not smart enough, etc.). Grad school can be a great experience, and a lot of fun, and having these insecurities get in the way of that, or worse make you break up something good, would definitely be a waste. 
 
Thought this might help anyone else feeling this way. 

I know the feeling! I was waitlisted to my undergrad institution, a "premier" school, and dealt with imposter syndrome for at least two years. I ended up graduated with honors in the top 5% of my university. My imposter syndrome turned into a "let-me-show-them" kind of drive, which was ultimately beneficial for me, but is something that I now realize was completely silly. I did what I did because I was capable of it from the start. You are too, right now. 

I applied to a mix of top ranked programs and "safety schools" and got into one of each. I decided not to attend the top ranked program for a number of reasons. Primarily the funding I received at the other institution, but also I knew I would be much happier at that institution. It was much closer to friends and family, had a wonderful environment to study in, and I felt like I could see myself being friends with the current students I met. I know there is a great deal of pressure to attend the highest ranked program you can get into (I definitely felt that during my application/decision period) and it's hard when you see so many people on here attending top ranked programs.
I think you've already addressed your own concern though. If you have the option to go to a school in a location you like, with a good advisor fit, and that will make you happy school ranking should not matter. The most important thing is that you're comfortable with your decision, no one wants to spend 5+ (very intense) years at a school they don't like.
Also, take a step back and look at what you've accomplished. You got into a grad program!!! More than one by the sound of it. This is an accomplishment very few people achieve and you should be proud! Not only do you now get to attend grad school but you also now have a choice in where you go.

Top programs can still suck, just saying.

As long as you go somewhere that supports you academically, financially, healthy-wise, and professionally, I don't think the rank matters. I am also not going to a top-ranked school, but it was the top one on my list, so I am happy :).

This post is for any grad students who took a year or two off before returning to SLP grad life. I am officially going back to school this fall, and am currently trying to curve my anxiety about not remembering anything from my CSD major days. It has been about 3 or 4 years since I was in the thick of my major courses. Will I be completely unprepared come the start of grad school? Luckily I have saved most of my notes/readings from undergrad, and I'm planning on slowly going through them. But just want to see if anyone else out that has had a similar experience and/or is feeling the same way. Thanks friends!

I know the salary varies depending on the state/ and the population/setting, but I was wondering what to expect. I know there’s websites that have average salaries, but if anyone is in there CF or knows someone who is and knows the starting salary with their setting, it would be very helpful to share!

That sounds amazing! Google tends to be your best friend with this stuff?
A quick search gave me these programs (blurbs following).
North Carolina Central University: "In addition to receiving top scores for Praxis exam pass rates, employment rates among recent graduates and on-time completion rates, we love North Carolina Central University because it’s home to a fully accredited clinic: the NCCU Speech and Hearing Clinic. Communications disorder graduate students here enjoy a variety of opportunities for specialized experience through the Assistive Technology for Infants and Preschoolers Program, the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment and Consultation Clinic, and the Bilingual Clinic." 
Louisiana State University- Baton Rouge: "At LSU, SLP grad students get an unrivaled learning experience through flipped classrooms, simulated learning, interprofessional clinics, and will soon also get first hand exposure to telepractice. Students here learn to work with eye-tracking equipment, video stroboscopy, and state of the art augmentative and alternative communication devices. In fact, just last year the department invested $82,000 to update it’s ACC equipment. LSU grad students routinely present original research at state and national conferences and have a track record for taking home awards and scholarships. This program has it all."
San Francisco State University: "The purpose of Project Building Bridges is to prepare 60 fully credentialed Speech Language Pathologists to work effectively with culturally and linguistically diverse children with significant disabilities and augmentative communication needs, ages birth to 21. Project scholars will complete a Master’s degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in a two-year time frame, with a concentration in AAC and a focus on cultural and linguistic diversity. Scholar competencies to be acquired include: (a) culturally responsive AAC assessment; (b) culturally responsive AAC intervention; (c) collaborative teaming; and (d) development of AAC applications to support the language and literacy skills of culturally and linguistically diverse children and youth....The project will use evidence-based curricula and pedagogy carefully coordinated with substantial, mentored field experiences. The M.S. concentration in AAC will include: 1) two graduate seminars in AAC assessment and intervention; 2) an on campus clinic with a focus on diversity; 3) a one-week summer camp for children who use AAC; and 4) a school internship in a high need community agency or school serving children with AAC needs. 
Penn State University: "The AAC community at Penn State is one of the largest AAC-focused efforts in the world, with a wide range of  research activities, coursework,  and clinical experiences. Students at Penn State have the opportunity to: • participate in graduate level coursework on  AAC taught by nationally recognized faculty, •  assist in research projects designed to improve the lives of individuals with complex communication needs, and • provide clinical services to  individuals with complex communication needs  in clinical and community settings. Penn State students also have participated in our Global AAC Initiative, and worked with AAC teams in Mexico, South Africa, Eastern Europe, India, and China."
Nova Southeastern: not a blurb, but they have Carole Zangari (author of prAACticalAAC.org) as a faculty member (!!!!) and she is AMAZING with all things AAC. And she runs a lab there. i don't know much about the program, but if I met her, I'd be seriously star-struck?.
Temple University: Has its Institute on Disabilities, which hosts this amazing program during the summer for teens(?) using AAC. "Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Supports, or "ACES," is a program for young adults who use communication technology (speech generating devices or "SGD") transitioning from school to work, to help develop and refine their communication, including computer access and use for daily living/job skills." They stay on campus and I'm pretty sure the CSD students are the volunteers. In general, Temple has the Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT), which provides training, AAC evaluations, device demonstrations, and AT consultations led by the CSD department. If I remember correctly, there is a specialty clinic that you can do as a grad student specifically in AAC, plus faculty are involved in AAC research. 
Some programs have AAC certification listed as for practicing SLPs, so I don't know if you'd be able to be certified as a grad student, but it would be worth a shot to ask the program directly. See the University of Memphis as an example.
Certain programs, like the University of Iowa and George Washington University, require you to have rotations in a variety of subfields of SLP, and the AAC track is one of those rotations. Other programs just have faculty members who are doing exceptional research about AAC (the three that I looked at are at Northeastern University, Temple University, Emerson University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), so if there is a researcher who you know of from articles or whatever else who specializes in AAC, it would be great to see if they are doing research through a university, and if you would then be able to do research with that professor. If you're part of ASHA, you can check out who is writing and publishing in the AAC SIG. (I did that with literacy, the area I want to concentrate in, and now some of the people I've looked up to as top scholars in my area will be my professors in the fall... I'm seriously still swooning.?) A lot of the program websites are not the best and most up-to-date, so researching specific people in the field can be really helpful, and can lead you back to the school they work at and the programs they have at that grad school. 
Editing to add this reddit link I just found with additional programs to add to this list. Worth checking out. 
Best of luck on your search!
 

It never feels good to have that door shut on you and I understand why you're disappointed. Take time to feel the way you feel and don't feel guilty about it. You worked hard and I can tell from all of your experience you're passionate about the field. We have too few SLPs and yet there are not enough grad spots to go around, leaving eager candidates like you in situations like this. But what defines someone's character is how they respond to adversity. Ignore that nagging voice in your head that says you're not good enough and focus on what you can do. Also, you applied to some really competitive schools. I think if you go with a larger range of programs and use EdFind to compare your stats, you'll get some good news next cycle .
 

CUNY Lehman College. They have a really great program there!

That sounds amazing! Google tends to be your best friend with this stuff?
A quick search gave me these programs (blurbs following).
North Carolina Central University: "In addition to receiving top scores for Praxis exam pass rates, employment rates among recent graduates and on-time completion rates, we love North Carolina Central University because it’s home to a fully accredited clinic: the NCCU Speech and Hearing Clinic. Communications disorder graduate students here enjoy a variety of opportunities for specialized experience through the Assistive Technology for Infants and Preschoolers Program, the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment and Consultation Clinic, and the Bilingual Clinic." 
Louisiana State University- Baton Rouge: "At LSU, SLP grad students get an unrivaled learning experience through flipped classrooms, simulated learning, interprofessional clinics, and will soon also get first hand exposure to telepractice. Students here learn to work with eye-tracking equipment, video stroboscopy, and state of the art augmentative and alternative communication devices. In fact, just last year the department invested $82,000 to update it’s ACC equipment. LSU grad students routinely present original research at state and national conferences and have a track record for taking home awards and scholarships. This program has it all."
San Francisco State University: "The purpose of Project Building Bridges is to prepare 60 fully credentialed Speech Language Pathologists to work effectively with culturally and linguistically diverse children with significant disabilities and augmentative communication needs, ages birth to 21. Project scholars will complete a Master’s degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in a two-year time frame, with a concentration in AAC and a focus on cultural and linguistic diversity. Scholar competencies to be acquired include: (a) culturally responsive AAC assessment; (b) culturally responsive AAC intervention; (c) collaborative teaming; and (d) development of AAC applications to support the language and literacy skills of culturally and linguistically diverse children and youth....The project will use evidence-based curricula and pedagogy carefully coordinated with substantial, mentored field experiences. The M.S. concentration in AAC will include: 1) two graduate seminars in AAC assessment and intervention; 2) an on campus clinic with a focus on diversity; 3) a one-week summer camp for children who use AAC; and 4) a school internship in a high need community agency or school serving children with AAC needs. 
Penn State University: "The AAC community at Penn State is one of the largest AAC-focused efforts in the world, with a wide range of  research activities, coursework,  and clinical experiences. Students at Penn State have the opportunity to: • participate in graduate level coursework on  AAC taught by nationally recognized faculty, •  assist in research projects designed to improve the lives of individuals with complex communication needs, and • provide clinical services to  individuals with complex communication needs  in clinical and community settings. Penn State students also have participated in our Global AAC Initiative, and worked with AAC teams in Mexico, South Africa, Eastern Europe, India, and China."
Nova Southeastern: not a blurb, but they have Carole Zangari (author of prAACticalAAC.org) as a faculty member (!!!!) and she is AMAZING with all things AAC. And she runs a lab there. i don't know much about the program, but if I met her, I'd be seriously star-struck?.
Temple University: Has its Institute on Disabilities, which hosts this amazing program during the summer for teens(?) using AAC. "Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Supports, or "ACES," is a program for young adults who use communication technology (speech generating devices or "SGD") transitioning from school to work, to help develop and refine their communication, including computer access and use for daily living/job skills." They stay on campus and I'm pretty sure the CSD students are the volunteers. In general, Temple has the Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT), which provides training, AAC evaluations, device demonstrations, and AT consultations led by the CSD department. If I remember correctly, there is a specialty clinic that you can do as a grad student specifically in AAC, plus faculty are involved in AAC research. 
Some programs have AAC certification listed as for practicing SLPs, so I don't know if you'd be able to be certified as a grad student, but it would be worth a shot to ask the program directly. See the University of Memphis as an example.
Certain programs, like the University of Iowa and George Washington University, require you to have rotations in a variety of subfields of SLP, and the AAC track is one of those rotations. Other programs just have faculty members who are doing exceptional research about AAC (the three that I looked at are at Northeastern University, Temple University, Emerson University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), so if there is a researcher who you know of from articles or whatever else who specializes in AAC, it would be great to see if they are doing research through a university, and if you would then be able to do research with that professor. If you're part of ASHA, you can check out who is writing and publishing in the AAC SIG. (I did that with literacy, the area I want to concentrate in, and now some of the people I've looked up to as top scholars in my area will be my professors in the fall... I'm seriously still swooning.?) A lot of the program websites are not the best and most up-to-date, so researching specific people in the field can be really helpful, and can lead you back to the school they work at and the programs they have at that grad school. 
Editing to add this reddit link I just found with additional programs to add to this list. Worth checking out. 
Best of luck on your search!
 

My understand is it means you are in the first batch of people on the wait-list that the program would send acceptances to as soon as someone declines their offer of attendance. 

My understand is it means you are in the first batch of people on the wait-list that the program would send acceptances to as soon as someone declines their offer of attendance. 

Congrats! That's amazing!! And not a weird question at all. Fair warning, this is no particular order! So, for me personally: Our scope of practice and all of the things that we can pursue as SLPs is HUGE, but what I've always been most intrigued by is the literacy aspect of speech therapy. MGH offers classes and clinical experiences in written language disorders, which I've really never seen at all in other programs, and because they offer various tracks and the electives to go with them, I can really focus on the part of speech that I love the most, while also getting a well-rounded academic and clinical education in every other aspect of the speech world. I love that they are in Boston, and it's not totally in central Boston which I personally actually prefer, because it's not as wild people-wise and is set on this beautiful location on the water, and yet you can easily drive or take the T to placements throughout the Greater Boston area. I really like that we don't start clinic until about a month in, so they ease us into it that way with seminars and whatnot, and then after the first two semesters, everyone does three different placements (medical, school, and one more which tends to be in some specialty-- the grad student I spoke to was doing it with an AAC specialist, which sounds AMAZING), so you really get to experience so many different of the subfields in our career and get comfortable with it all. And I really like the professors are not old and retired lol, they're still working and doing research and are completely up to date on best practices, yet everyone I met seemed so ridiculously down to earth and welcoming, to the point where students call their profs by their first names? I wanted to go to a program that was warm and welcoming, yet would give me a great education and make me come out feeling confident in my abilities as an SLP, and I feel like their combination of electives and clinical opportunities will really help me with that last part. Cons: the price of the program and Boston in general is obviously really high, and the courseload seems more than other programs. But I feel like for me, the pros outweigh the cons, because I honestly wouldn't have the opportunities that I would have in my future specialty as an SLP anywhere else. 

At least the guy admits he's a dick.

lmao I am so glad that I'm not the only one who is thinking like this! I accepted my offer like 2 weeks ago and I got an email back saying like "okay cool thx for letting us know" but I'm still so nervous something will happen and they'll just be like "so, about that offer..." 
We are being too paranoid lol. We just need to calm down. They can't really do that because 1. they had plenty of time to choose those who they wanted to accept and 2. they know we probably rejected other offers. it would crazy if they actually did that 

I didn't get any scholarships lol so I had to make a decision based on what school would give the best bang for the buck. A lot of people told me that I should choose the cheapest option... but, I also wanted to consider the cost of living in the area, clinical opportunities, and curricula. I'm going to a school in a city that I already live in, so I don't have to worry about the financial costs and stress of moving to a new place. Also, IHP offers a very medically-focused curricula that I was very interested in. Of course, the focuses of a program don't really matter because at the end of the day, the schools have to meet all ASHA standards, but I really wanted to make sure that I enjoyed my time in school, too.

Wow, that's wild! Did you have their acceptance of deferment from them in writing?

Both subreddits are helpful-- r/slpgradschool for this whole process, and r/slp will be especially helpful now for advice for clinic and placements!

Waitlisted at 5 schools?! You’re obviously impressing people and there is a lot of time for you to get off one of those waitlists still! Good for you for keeping a positive, enthusiastic attitude. That hard work will pay off!

If you haven't heard of/looked into Imposter Syndrome yet, I suggest you do so. I think most (if not all) people entering a grad program feel this way to some degree (thinking you're not good enough, why did you pick this field, everyone else in your program is so much smarter than you, etc). I think even once you graduate you might feel this for the first few years. 
Fight through it and remind yourself that you got chosen for a reason!

I believe it's the same thing, but different programs use different terminology for it!

Congrats! That's amazing!! And not a weird question at all. Fair warning, this is no particular order! So, for me personally: Our scope of practice and all of the things that we can pursue as SLPs is HUGE, but what I've always been most intrigued by is the literacy aspect of speech therapy. MGH offers classes and clinical experiences in written language disorders, which I've really never seen at all in other programs, and because they offer various tracks and the electives to go with them, I can really focus on the part of speech that I love the most, while also getting a well-rounded academic and clinical education in every other aspect of the speech world. I love that they are in Boston, and it's not totally in central Boston which I personally actually prefer, because it's not as wild people-wise and is set on this beautiful location on the water, and yet you can easily drive or take the T to placements throughout the Greater Boston area. I really like that we don't start clinic until about a month in, so they ease us into it that way with seminars and whatnot, and then after the first two semesters, everyone does three different placements (medical, school, and one more which tends to be in some specialty-- the grad student I spoke to was doing it with an AAC specialist, which sounds AMAZING), so you really get to experience so many different of the subfields in our career and get comfortable with it all. And I really like the professors are not old and retired lol, they're still working and doing research and are completely up to date on best practices, yet everyone I met seemed so ridiculously down to earth and welcoming, to the point where students call their profs by their first names? I wanted to go to a program that was warm and welcoming, yet would give me a great education and make me come out feeling confident in my abilities as an SLP, and I feel like their combination of electives and clinical opportunities will really help me with that last part. Cons: the price of the program and Boston in general is obviously really high, and the courseload seems more than other programs. But I feel like for me, the pros outweigh the cons, because I honestly wouldn't have the opportunities that I would have in my future specialty as an SLP anywhere else. 

I declined UofM last week! They have an amazing program and I would have loved to have gone, but it was too far away for me to move. I hope you get off their waitlist! I was so incredibly impressed with the program, the faculty, and the city when I visited!

For those who don't know, the Iowa Writer's Workshop is the premier creative writing program in the US. As such, applying there turns people into rabid animals.