onedayslp

For those applying to MGH, are you doing the Diversity Statement in the supplemental app? I am torn about whether to do it.. I am not sure if I am "diverse" (you wouldn't think so by looking at me...I'm a white female). I am originally from another country and have studied abroad as well.. so I could write about that. I am also from out-of-state, but I assume a large portion of MGH applicants are. I guess I just don't want it to come across as "trying to be diverse, but not really" I am also wondering if this is used for admissions or scholarships only. Anyone have insight?

I think it probably depends on the school. Some of the schools are very clear that they want at least 2 academic references. If that is the case and an applicant were to not send any, it would look like they are not following directions.. Some schools, on the other hand, don't give any guidelines as to who should write the letters, so for them it would probably be fine to ask whoever you want.

Hi Brmeg24- all grad students are eligible for $20,500 per year in unsubsidized Stafford loans. So you are guaranteed to receive at least that amount. You could call the financial aid office of the school you are attending to find out when you should hear back.

I sent you a PM

Does anyone have inside information about Vanderbilt's SLP program? I have read in some threads that it is medically based, but haven't found much other info.. I am on the fence about whether to apply there. Thanks!!

That is great to hear, arthritiskid! I recently noticed that Midwestern's program just started in Fall 2013, and therefore it's not yet accredited. Is this a concern for students who attend? Or is it fairly certain that the program will achieve full accreditation? Also, is there evidence of the "newness" of the program in other respects, in terms of faculty or facilities?

@rainsonata : I was under the impression that each recommender would write one letter and send the same one to all the schools ? Or is that incorrect?

Can't believe CSDCAS is finally open! Those deadlines are going to start creeping up really fast. When is everyone planning to request recommendation letters? I was thinking beginning of November... since I want to have a draft of my SOP done by then. Would this be too late since it's only about a month before some deadlines? @PorqueMoi: I snagged your signature format, hope you don't mind

@sayjo -- I am planning to take some prereqs online through Utah State. Glad to hear someone else went this route and succeeded! How many classes were you able to do each semester? I am trying to decide whether to take 2 or 3 while working FT...

Thank you for these tips! That is very helpful and is something I have not looked at yet. It seems that several programs have a "medical" or "research" focus while others are general/all-inclusive and cover adult and child work equally. However I am having trouble finding schools that are more pediatric/school-based (which is what I plan to focus on). The only one I know of so far is Emerson. Please let me know if you know of others!

@caligirl002 : I am out of field and new to the process but would be happy to offer general suggestions on organization, grammar, and the like. I have lots of experience editing student essays so let me know if I can help.

I've been noticing a trend that the schools located in bigger cities tend to have lower acceptance rates (based on ASHA EdFind info) ...and the schools I see with higher acceptance rates are usually in the middle of nowhere. Does anyone know of schools located in or around major urban areas (Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, or similar size) that have higher acceptance rates, like more than 30%?

I was wondering the same thing.. It makes it really hard to narrow down schools since they all seem to have 100% employment rate, Praxis pass rate, and graduation rates!

Does anyone know of schools that have online/virtual information sessions for prospective master's students? I have only seen on-campus info sessions on websites.

Hi there, I am in need of some advice for applying to SLP programs. I have a BA in Psychology and French with a 3.72 GPA from a nationally recognized university. I have been working in college student services since I graduated in a mentoring/counseling capacity. I have some experience working with kids in a pre-school and nannying, but no direct SLP experience. I am trilingual (unfortunately no Spanish...darn). I am REALLY hoping to apply this winter for Fall 15 entry so I can get started on this career path ASAP. But do I have a chance with no SLP experience and no prereqs? I plan to reach out to SLP's in my area to at least shadow in the next few months before applying.. and I have considered signing up for 1 or 2 online leveling courses for the fall. Would this help my chances? I have a FT job, so I need to decide what would be most advantageous of these options since I don't have much free time. I have good GRE scores-- 168 V, 162 Q, 5.0 AW. I am hoping this will help, but not sure how heavily different parts of the app will be weighed. Anyone know of schools that weigh GPA and GRE more heavily than experience? I may want to look towards those. Of course, I can only apply to schools which accept Out of Field applicants. So far have been looking at schools in Boston (Emerson, MGH, BU), Chicago (Northwestern, Rush, St Xavier), and others (U Maryland, UT Dallas, U Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt).. Thanks for the help!!

Does LBJ have one yet?

I just received my financial aid award from UT yesterday and to my great surprise, I received two grants totaling $3000 (University Tuition Grant and Texas Public Education Grant) for the first year. As someone who did not receive merit funding and thought that grad students could only qualify for loans through the FAFSA, I am super stoked. Did anyone else receive these or other grants through the FAFSA? I'm interested to know if this is the cap or if it's possible to receive more ...

FrenchO, I would love to see the Camp LBJ info you have. Thanks!

Has anyone received word about when the dates are for Camp LBJ and/or orientation? Also, does anyone know if Camp LBJ is free to attend?

Thank you for all the replies! I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief now and enjoy my new lovely laptop. It is super sexy but I wanted to be sure it would be practical, too! Sounds like I have no need to worry.

Hey all, I'm having difficulty deciding if a 2012 13-inch Macbook Air will be adequate during grad school... I purchased one this weekend because Best Buy was running an amazing sale on them and I got $200 off. Now I'm having second thoughts of whether I should have gone with the Pro. My main concern: will 128 GB be enough storage for me? I plan to use it a lot as it will be my main computer. I'll be writing papers, using Excel, and maybe using some data analysis software. My iTunes library is fairly small, ~3000 songs. Anyone else using a MBA as their primary computer for grad school?

I am also going to LBJ and need to fulfill the calc requirement. I considered taking an actual course at a local college, but thought better of it after seeing the costs (the book alone is $200). Instead I've decided to do an online calc course for free through Coursera/Khan Academy and then take the validation exam in August. Requires more self-motivation for sure, but I'm hoping the fact that it's free will be enough to keep me on track...

Just received the letter saying that I did not get funding. Does anyone know whether or not they redistribute funds that have been declined by scholarship recipients?

Has anyone else been accepted but still not heard about funding? I'm finding it increasingly difficult to not see it as a sure sign that I won't be getting any...

The email on Tuesday said the official letters would come out "in the next few days", but still haven't heard yay or nay on funding...so frustrating!