Breaks: You get 2 weeks off at the end of august, a week off for spring break, and a normal amount of time off during winter break (about a month or so?)
Summer Semester: It is definitely easier in terms of workload/time dedication. You take 2-3 classes the first summer and typically no classes in the second summer. Also- 2 of those classes are only held for half of the summer. Some people will have field placements in the summer, so that will add to your workload if you get one- but if you just have a TX or DX then it shouldn't be too bad. Second summer you will only have a field placement or something in the clinic (hearing screenings, voice TX, fluency TX etc).
I am doing a thesis instead of comps! And I definitely advocate for them.
Pros:
1. It's not comps... I personally suck under pressure and those tests are kinda hard.
2. The researchers at Temple are some of the best in the field.
3. You'll never have another opportunity to do research for fun. Once you are working in the real world, it will be hard to take the time to do research. (obviously you could- but it would be hard)
4. You are going to spend a ton of time and energy studying for comps so you might as well spend that time and energy on a thesis. With a thesis, you'll have a tangible object that you can hold in your hands and say, "this is what I did with my time and energy". You won't get that with comps. You are going to feel much more accomplished with a thesis. You might even be able to present your research at ASHA.
Cons:
1. It's a huge time dedication
2. I'm stressed
3. As of right now, there is no one here who can help you do voice or dysphagia research.
Other information about the thesis route:
You don't need to know exactly what you want to do- but you should have an idea of the are of research you want to pursue (aphasia, neuro-cognition, apraxia, bilingualism, children, etc). When you get to Temple you will need to tell your academic advisor that you are interested in a thesis and in what area. They will give you names of the researchers to talk to. Then you will collaborate with the researcher to pick a topic. If you don't have a clear idea of what you want to do, some researchers will literally hand you a project that they already had in mind. Other researchers will help guide you to pick a topic. For example, I am doing a treatment study that I designed with the researcher that I am working with. My friend was given a project by a researcher and is re-analyzing data that already exists. Obviously mine is going to be a little bit harder because I have to test actual participants. There are so many different routes to take with a thesis. You don't have to decide if you are doing one until the end of the first semester. (TBH about 4 people decided they wanted to do one in the beginning of spring semester so it's not a big deal if you aren't sure right away). A thesis will take away 1-2 elective credits which is a good thing bc you won't have to take extra classes, but it's also a bad thing because some of those extra classes are cool. Most people work on their thesis during the summer semesters.
I obviously don't know you personally, but I feel like Temple would be a great fit for you. It's a great school if you want to do a thesis, be super prepared for your job, work in a city(super great if you want to work in a hospital), work with a specialty population (childhood apraxia of speech, fluency, bilingual preschoolers, transgender voice, aphasia, etc), and get a great education. It's a lot of work but it's worth it.
any other questions feel free to ask!