MadisonMachelle

I got $5000 total, have amazing GPA and a bunch of volunteer hours, etc. $5000 total for a school that costs $82,000... BS

Hi! This is a bit difficult to follow and is not related to speech pathology graduate programs or the idea that maybe SLP grad programs might start in person because they are typically small cohorts. Thank you though. 

I'm very curious about this topic as well. When I accepted my spot at SDSU I asked  how covid would affect the fall and was told that they are expecting to have fall semester as normal, but that as things change they would be in touch with us. Of course this situation is very fluid so I imagine that all programs are hoping to be able to have fall semester in-person, but that the decision will be made at the level of the university rather than the department. They will probably have to wait and see what orders come down from the state, and then whether the university is able/allowed to reopen (for CSUs I imagine this will be a system-wide decision). 
I do still plan to move in August, though, since my lease is up in LA at the end of July anyway and I'm holding out hope for in-person classes

I posted this elsewhere but thought that it would be helpful here too:
Your best bet is to try and study REALLY hard for the GRE or take some online courses to bolster your current GPA. If you don't want to take any additional courses I would recommend looking into non west-coast schools, specifically private schools. They are notorious for accepting people with lower GPA's but the catch is that they are typically more expensive since they are private and hence offer more spots. 
Also I'd recommend looking at EdFind (https://find.asha.org/ed#sort=relevancy)
From what I found these are schools where a very low GPA (2.5) will be considered:
-Francis Marion University 
-Edinboro University
-Montclair State University
-Xavier University of Louisiana

Fullerton has 12 pre-reqs that need to be completed during the summer or prior to Fall. CSULB doesn't make you take extra pre-reqs as long as you have 30 CSD units and will incorporate missing classes into your graduate schedule.

This single handedly made me withdraw an interview from a school that was too expensive. This advice may be unpleasant to hear, but it's necessary and so so smart to think ahead.

I'm sure most colleges are thinking of it. I even got an email from a place I rejected asking if I'd consider still attending if I could defer my admission for a year! Everything is screwed up with the virus. 
I reallllllly want to be able to do in-person classes in the fall but I guess we'll have to see how it goes. 

I feel you 100% on that, especially because I have significant loans from undergrad. I actually chose to withdraw my app from Chapman because I didn't even want to get in and have to turn it down for financial reasons. It's really a shame how expensive they can justify marking tuition. 

I'm still waiting on CSULB too!On the interview they said we would hear back in 2 weeks which would have been yesterday. I saw on here that they're doing a few more interviews (maybe people that couldn't attend 3/7), so I'm guessing we'll hear back by next week. 

Okay so don't use this verbatim because that would be weird if we both sent *practically* the same email to the same coordinator BUT I already accepted another admission offer so here's what I wrote, roughly, to all the graduate coordinators that I didn't hear back from or got waitlisted from. 
 
Dear Dr. ________,
I want to reach out and thank you for the opportunity to interview with you and the rest of the__________ faculty (if you didn't interview just say thank you for your time). It was eye-opening to learn that (insert what stuck out to you about their program). One of the biggest reasons I applied to______ was for a ______________________. If admitted, (insert if you will enroll/ if you are interested in research or GA position/what you will do for the school).

I can really see myself insert what you are looking for in a grad school. I believe insert you're a good fit for program and why. Emphasize what you can do for the school!

Being accepted to a program of this caliber insert what getting accepted would mean to you. Thank you again for generously sharing your time with me and the other qualified individuals. I look forward to hearing from ____________________ and hopefully representing the school in the future. 

Sincerely,
________________________

I am in the same boat. I also was accepted to Northwestern and would go there in a heartbeat if tuition wasn't so ridiculous. I've reached out to several SLPs who've attended other cheaper but still top-ranked schools (IU, Wisconsin-Madison, etc.) to hear what they have to say. One of them actually works at a hospital and her job is to hire recently graduated SLP students for their CF. She said that she would never hire someone just because they went to Northwestern over someone who went to another reputable program that's ranked a little lower. She also said that she knows several people who attended Northwestern and are now regretting it because they have such a ridiculous amount of debt to pay off. I've also heard people say that Northwestern has a bit colder/more intense of a feel than some other programs, and that it is very rigorous and much more fast-paced because of the quarter system. It's always good to take everything with a grain of salt though - I personally think Northwestern's program seems absolutely amazing! Talking to all these people in the field made me feel so much better about possibly choosing another cheaper program over Northwestern. I will likely decline my offer unless I were to by some chance receive a scholarship, and I feel like that's the best choice for me.
That being being said, paying off debt is of course possible and lots of people do it. If you are sure that going to Northwestern and getting to experience Chicago would definitely make you that much happier than attending another school, then maybe it's worth it for you! You just have to weigh how much that all matters to you I guess. I just don't think it's a good idea for people to go into that much debt just because they think they will automatically get a better job from attending a program with such a good name. From everyone I've talked to, that's simply not true. Remember that at the end of the day it's really what you make of it and you will be so successful regardless of which program you choose!  
Regardless of where I go, I'm planning on babysitting on the weekends or finding some other part-time work on the side to off-set at least some of the costs. Also I second what was said above -- federal loans from the gov are a must!!

Make sure that you have federal loans from the government and not just private loans (Sallie Mae). Private loans cannot be forgiven and typically don't have the option for income based repayment. 
If you have private loans like me, I'd suggest refinancing with a low interest rate and then paying the highest monthly payment you can afford once you graduate grad school.

Congrats on the acceptance! I also just accepted and requested to join the FB group!:)

I think reaching out to the school's graduate coordinator would be a great call because it also lets the school's admin know that you're taking it seriously by looking into applications early! Best luck!

Hi! I feel you 100% I spent a long time looking into the same questions and this is what I got:
For #1 The amount of clinical placements will make you look better for jobs, but not THAT much more appealing considering everyone does between 2-4 anyways. The main benefit of doing more clinical placements is that if they are in a hospital/school/private practice you can get job offers through them. 
For #2 I've heard from SLP's that I've mentored with that the reason it doesn't matter about the ranking is that its an in-demand field so as long as you are qualified with your CCC's and went to an ASHA accredited school, you'll get a job. I've noticed that getting a good CFY or externship depends on if the school has good connections with nearby providers. Again, if you get a good CFY/externship/clinical placement you have a better shot at getting a good job. With that being said, you can still get a job without having extraordinary experience during grad school. You'll just develop your repertoire after grad school. 
#3, specializations or emphases will make you more marketable for jobs and can be used for leverage when you are negotiating your salary. For example, a specialization in autism, AAC, bilingualism, and multiculturalism, etc. is in demand and can be grounds for a pay raise or a reason for you to be hired over another candidate for a job. 
 
Stay safe and good luck!

Hi! I wrote this for another sub but this is what I sent out to grad schools. Obviously change the wording a little but this is what I said:
Dear Dr. ________,
I want to reach out and thank you for the opportunity to interview with you and the rest of the__________ faculty (if you didn't interview just say thank you for your time). It was eye-opening to learn that (insert what stuck out to you about their program). One of the biggest reasons I applied to______ was for a ______________________. If admitted, (insert if you will enroll/ if you are interested in research or GA position/what you will do for the school).

I can really see myself insert what you are looking for in a grad school. I believe insert you're a good fit for program and why. Emphasize what you can do for the school!

Being accepted to a program of this caliber insert what getting accepted would mean to you. Thank you again for generously sharing your time with me and the other qualified individuals. I look forward to hearing from ____________________ and hopefully representing the school in the future. 

Sincerely,
________________________

Hi! Sorry if this is super off topic, but I've seen you on gradcafe for a while now as I applied this past fall and have visited this page nearly daily since August. Just wanted to say congratulations on getting accepted! You've been super helpful on different topics you've responded to. Best of luck at CSU Long Beach!

Also congrats on CSULB!!! That is awesome! I have a friend that is a first year right now attending, let me know if you want me to put you in contact with her! 

I just got my acceptance as well! Congrats everyone!! Just have to decide between CSULB and SDSU now ?

I was just accepted there! Got the email from Dr. Hung a couple minutes ago.

I interviewed at CSULB on 3/7, and they said we should hear back in about a week. It’s now been 2 weeks, and I just saw on the results page that someone got an interview this week. Does anyone have any info on when we might hear back on decisions? I’m getting a little confused/concerned.

Hi! I feel you 100% I spent a long time looking into the same questions and this is what I got:
For #1 The amount of clinical placements will make you look better for jobs, but not THAT much more appealing considering everyone does between 2-4 anyways. The main benefit of doing more clinical placements is that if they are in a hospital/school/private practice you can get job offers through them. 
For #2 I've heard from SLP's that I've mentored with that the reason it doesn't matter about the ranking is that its an in-demand field so as long as you are qualified with your CCC's and went to an ASHA accredited school, you'll get a job. I've noticed that getting a good CFY or externship depends on if the school has good connections with nearby providers. Again, if you get a good CFY/externship/clinical placement you have a better shot at getting a good job. With that being said, you can still get a job without having extraordinary experience during grad school. You'll just develop your repertoire after grad school. 
#3, specializations or emphases will make you more marketable for jobs and can be used for leverage when you are negotiating your salary. For example, a specialization in autism, AAC, bilingualism, and multiculturalism, etc. is in demand and can be grounds for a pay raise or a reason for you to be hired over another candidate for a job. 
 
Stay safe and good luck!

Hi! I feel you 100% I spent a long time looking into the same questions and this is what I got:
For #1 The amount of clinical placements will make you look better for jobs, but not THAT much more appealing considering everyone does between 2-4 anyways. The main benefit of doing more clinical placements is that if they are in a hospital/school/private practice you can get job offers through them. 
For #2 I've heard from SLP's that I've mentored with that the reason it doesn't matter about the ranking is that its an in-demand field so as long as you are qualified with your CCC's and went to an ASHA accredited school, you'll get a job. I've noticed that getting a good CFY or externship depends on if the school has good connections with nearby providers. Again, if you get a good CFY/externship/clinical placement you have a better shot at getting a good job. With that being said, you can still get a job without having extraordinary experience during grad school. You'll just develop your repertoire after grad school. 
#3, specializations or emphases will make you more marketable for jobs and can be used for leverage when you are negotiating your salary. For example, a specialization in autism, AAC, bilingualism, and multiculturalism, etc. is in demand and can be grounds for a pay raise or a reason for you to be hired over another candidate for a job. 
 
Stay safe and good luck!

To my knowledge, all faculty/staff are still working. At my university, while the Spring Break has been extended, faculty and staff are still working and on campus. Unless they specifically send an email out saying to expect delays, I think it won't be affected.

I’m still waiting to hear back from CSULB, Chapman, and ASU. I thought the waiting would get easier after I’d heard back from the other schools I applied to, but I feel like I’m checking my emails every 5 minutes haha