SomedaySLP

Ah, that makes more sense. I didn't even apply to my undergrad school (CU Boulder) for basically the same reason--I just wanted a change from the last 4 years. I definitely understand wanting to experience a different program and I think it can be really beneficial to get a new perspective, teaching style, etc. during grad school. Maryland puts out lots of great research and the placement opportunities there are awesome. Being right between Baltimore and DC means you have awesome externship options in within a reasonable commute. But they didn't seem to have much of an emphasis on the areas I'm most interested in and I was underwhelmed by the in-house clinic and facilities. I also didn't get the best vibe from the faculty members. Granted, it was during an open house day which I'm sure they get really sick of doing, but they really seemed like they couldn't get out of there fast enough which kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It just didn't click with me personally I guess. They also didn't offer as much funding as I got at other places and the cost of living in College Park isn't particularly cheap so the cost aspect was a factor, too. If you visited and liked it though, don't let my opinion sway you as these decisions are very personal and what I'm looking for in a program could be completely different than what you want...I don't think there are really better or worse programs, it comes down to what fits best with you and what you want to get out the two years, if that makes sense.

Most of the schools I applied to had over 400 applicants and I've heard some schools had over 600...so yeah, just a lot of us

I declined offers from Maryland and Pitt, but was definitely considering going to Pitt. My boss went there for SLP and absolutely loved it and she has had a very successful career on the medical side of SLP, as well as in research. I visited Maryland and was pretty underwhelmed, but that was just me. Honestly I think if you got into a program as highly regarded and great as Pitt AND you get in-state tuition so it's affordable, I would definitely go that route, but of course I don't know all of the factors going into your decision. I know absolutely nothing about Temple so I can't really offer any opinion on that one. Just my $0.02 . Good luck with your decision making! Sounds like you have great options so I'm sure you'll be very happy wherever you end up...it's a tough decision to make but you're in a fortunate position to have options!

Anyone else thinking about or already decided to go to UW for SLP next fall? I would love to connect with others who will be headed to UW too so we can get to know each other a bit and share any information we gather about the program and city

You definitely do not have to go to a highly medically focused program in order to work in the medical side of SLP. However, if you know you want to work in a medical setting, make sure you advocate for yourself from the beginning and try to get as many medical placements as your school will allow. While there is a huge need for SLPs in the schools (depending on your location), the hospital jobs are often harder to come by, especially for the CFY (I know the city I live in is pretty highly saturated for medical SLPs, positions are very competitive and filled quickly). If you are going after a job in a hospital but only have more educational settings on your resume, you'll likely get passed over for someone with more relevant experience. If you know you're going to relocate back to California after, it could be worth it to go to school there, as I know lots of the hospitals around here tend to hire CFs who have done placements with them in grad school as they already know their skills and it's less of a risk, lower learning-curve. Just a thought to consider. Knowing at this point that you want to work in the medical side puts you ahead of the curve, as you can make it known from the beginning that you would prefer those sorts of placements. Maybe chat with the clinical directors at the schools you've been accepted to and ask them honestly how much experience in medical settings you can expect to get, how often they get clients with disorders you're interested in in their in-house clinic, etc.

I accepted admission to UW this afternoon and am excited to move to Seattle in the fall! What neighborhoods do you all plan to find housing in? I've spent a total of about three days in Seattle ever, so I could use all the help I can get in learning the ins and outs of the city!

Officially accepted admission to UW today so relieved to have this process behind me and to start planning for the fall! If anyone else is going to UW, please contact me, I'd love to connect with some people before school starts!!

Did anyone who was accepted to Pittsburgh today receive any funding information?

I'm PMing you now

Congrats to everyone who got good news from CU Boulder today. I did my undergrad in the SLHS dept. there, just graduated this past December so if anyone has any questions about the program, feel free to PM me

I have no idea about Pacific but I got my official scholarship offer today from UW. I got the impression they don't have a ton to give to master's students this year though :/

I started that thread on the livejournal community. I hadn't unscreened the positive comments yet, because I was away from my computer. There are more now, and know that I've received more than one positive private message from current students in the program and am being connected to others to get more feedback, so if you want me to keep updating you on their opinions, let me know and I can try to do that. One thing that I put on there that I feel is worth repeating here is something one of the clinical instructors explained to me during my department visit late last year. I asked her what kinds of students typically do well in the Med-SLP program and she explained that there have been some students that have NOT done well and insinuated that there may have even been some who didn't complete the program. She said it requires a high level of independence and someone who is a self-starter and self-advocate, as after the first year you have very little connection to the on-campus supervisors and are working with off-site supervisors who might not know your experience level, so you have to be comfortable finding out information on your own through your own research and/or asking lots of questions along the way. She said the Core-SLP program maintains more connection to the on-campus supervisors throughout the two years so people who prefer more guidance and direction in their clinical supervision tend to like that program more. That's not to say supervisors are unavailable to the Med students after the first year, but they are no longer your primary point of contact, I guess. This was my understanding after the visit, anyone with experience in the program, please feel free to jump in if you agree/disagree with any of that. With all of these opinions coming out about programs, I think it's important that no one base their opinions off of one person's experiences. If you're worried about a certain aspect of a program, ask around and get a variety of opinions. If you can speak with current students, I've found that most helpful. A large part of people's opinions and reactions to different programs will stem from their own personalities, values, and learning styles so what one person hates, you might love, or the other way around. Finding the best fit for you and your own skills/needs/values is most important. Just my 2cents anyway...

I read those comments on the thread (there used to be more, but looks like a couple were deleted) and they made me worried so I contacted a couple of other people who had gone through the program in recent years (one current student, one former) and they all confirmed the same things: the program clinically is great but they all had problems with classmates, supervisors, and the community in general because they felt they were very closed-minded and "cliquey", among other things. Take that for what it's worth, as all cohorts will be a bit different and it's possible that some people wouldn't have any issue with the social aspect. Congrats to everyone who got in, some potential social issues aside, it seems like an amazing program and the facilities are hard to beat!

Yay potential future classmate! I'm sure the in-state tuition for the CSU's will look lovely next to UW's, but if it doesn't sway you away you'll have to PM me! I'm not very familiar with Seattle, I've only visited once for about three days so any information we can all pull together on best neighborhoods, etc. would be amazing

Ouch, got my rejection letter in the mail from Vandy today. Can't win them all I guess I'm pretty confident I'll be going to UW in the Fall, anyone else leaning that way at this point? I'd love to connect with some future classmates before September

I don't think you can go wrong, like I said I've heard great things about both programs! Have you narrowed your choice down to just those two?

I chose to apply to BU over MGH because of the difference in program size. I've heard good things about both programs, but BU is a much smaller program so you get a lot more one on one interaction and attention, while MGH has much larger class sizes. Personally, if I were going to spend that much money on a program, I would want to know I'm going to get lots of interaction with professors and more small group interactions.

They definitely do that. When I went for my visit they basically said they put all of the applicants into a spreadsheet based on numbers and then cut the bottom whatever-percent right off the bat, based on GPA/GRE and then go from there, just because of the large number of applicants they get.

I'm wondering if rejections have gone out but they're still making decisions on accepted vs. wait-listed and/or who gets funding packages... That email made it sound like we'll find out through email on Friday, did it not? She made it seem like she's hoping they'll decide by Friday and then we'll know by Friday which is not possible if they're sending results in the mail...I'm over-thinking this.

Can anyone explain the Vanderbilt notices on the results page? We just got that email this morning (which just about gave me a heart attack...poorly chosen subject line!!!) so I don't quite understand how people already got rejections in the mail this afternoon...?

It's really expensive, I'm battling with whether or not it's worth it myself and I think a large part of my decision will be determined by funding amounts. Honestly, I can't imagine taking on 100k of debt as an SLP. That's over the max any of us will probably ever make in a year at any point in our careers as an SLP. It's a personal choice though so you have to determine if it's worth it to you and if you're willing to sacrifice other things you might want down the road that you may not be able to afford due to loan bills.

I feel your pain, but it's a good problem to have do you know which way you're leaning yet? I'm thinking UW is where I'm headed at this point...

Congrats!! They must be working late tonight, haha.

They're sending emails, and they've already started, I got mine one hour ago.

Thank you! I'm sending you a message about the GA at Towson They haven't sent out funding yet, should go out by the end of the week or early next week (I only know because I got a personal email from a faculty member telling me I had some coming, I still don't know the amount or anything). I know they don't have a lot to give, based on conversations I had with the chair of admissions earlier in the application process :/ it's a bummer but it's such a good program, I think the debt might be worth it