Astrid Coleslaw

This is a great thread! I hope to work/live abroad in the future. I lived in Germany for a while and observed a German SLP who did German/English therapy. Thing are much different there, from the schooling (it's probably as good as the US but not as respected because it's not as academic) to the practice. For example, kids need Dr.'s referrals before they even see an SLP. What does your average Dr. know about language development and how to diagnose a disorder? I think it's changing but that's how it is right now.

It is not the end of the road! Good for you for not giving up. You may have to jump through some extra hoops and it might take longer but I think you can get there. I wasn't sure from your post if your undergrad is in Comm Disorders or not. If it isn't, don't worry at all, do you your pre-reqs wherever, ace every class (or close to it!) and apply to grad schools from there. (Look at my stats they are similar!) If you are a Comm Disorders major and those are your stats it will be harder but not impossible. See if you can get work as a SLPA for sure - you might have to move for that. Kill the GRE. Maybe take some related SLP classes online (USU, SJSU) to beef up your GPA and show you CAN be successful in preSLP courses so schools are sure you can succeed academically. Keep us posted!

Qualified applicants are rightfully the biggest criteria, but since there seems to be LOADS of qualified applicants and too few spots, I think cultural, linguistic and gender diversity is an important factor. Bilingualism, especially, as there is a functional need for that. I would definitely not hesitate to emphasize how your experience as X X or X contribute to your qualifications as an applicant as long as those connections are strong and well-explained. I think the main reason there are so many white, middle-to upper middle-class women in the field is that it doesn't pay all that much compared to how much schooling it takes. This tends to discourage out several demographics which would otherwise be attracted to the field.

Yep! I got in to several CA schools (see signature) and I have classmates that got into CSUN online, Fresno, and have a fellow USUer with me at San Diego. An advisor from CSUN also mentioned to me in a phone conversation that they felt USUers were ''unprepared'' for clinic but I feel like I had just as good (and better compared to some classmates) clinic preparation - and of course, they still accepted me despite that. But I don't know how CSUN's clinic works so that could be accurate. I think the biggest obstacle for most CA schools is that many tend to favor their own undergraduates so its hard to get in ANYWHERE if you have a different undergrad degree in CSD - distance program or not.

Pretty much what kcald said! You should be fine. It should hardly be an issue in a medical/adult population but even if you do want to work with artic/children, as long as you CAN model a correct r and use it in therapy, you should be fine.

My grad program LOVES Linguistics students! Most of our 3-year (including leveling courses) students have Ling backgrounds as well as being good students academically. Most of them have BAs but I don't see an MA being a negative at all.

I know a couple of crazypants schools I looked at wanted their GE courses to be less than 7 years old (which basically guarantees a super young student body which seems --- weird and undiverse) but I see the point of wanted relatively fresh leveling courses. I haven't heard of any specific timelines though. I might call and find out specifically from schools you are interested. I don't think waiting anywhere up to five years is unreasonable but you never know! Oh additionally - if you do wait some time, I'd make sure to get some good practical experience or volunteer work before you start applying to show them you are still up to date and involved the field! Maybe even something the whole time you are taking a break/working even if it is only a few hours a week. That might actually boost your application when that time comes!

That is insane! Why would a school ask that? I guess the best option would be to answer honestly - but make sure to emphasize that you say that THEIR school is your TOP school! I might be tempted to trim the "safety" schools off that list too, but that is just me.

positive attribute

Ugh, what agony!! Good question about a deposit. If they don't require one immediately - accept! accept! Do you know what chance you stand on the waitlist for SD? Deposits/answers were required Sunday, so perhaps some spots have opened up. I do know of some people who turned them down. I would call and see! I spoke with a grad advisor at SDSU a few days ago and two of the many questions I asked her were along the lines of a) could it possibly take longer because of budget cuts to the CSU system. and b ) would I need to take any extra courses outside of my COMD BA. She said that because of the cohort program at SDSU everyone's in the same classes so that won't be an issue and that I wouldn't need to take any extra special speech courses. The only courses one might need to take would be anything ASHA requires that you don't have (one math class, one social science class, etc). Most people who have graduated from a UC or CSU already have these. She even went as far to say that cuts don't affect grad programs as much as undergrad at SDSU. Best of luck!!

Still not hearing from Northridge, I've decided to accept San Diego State's offer! I feel really lucky both to have been accepted AND to have heard early. The waiting is pure agony. So grateful to this board and to everyone I've talked with. This process was sooo stressful, and judging by the unpredictable responses I got from schools, it really is a crapshoot. I probably shouldn't have applied to Sac State (too many prereqs I didn't know about) and NMSU and PDX (too high tuition). Wish I had have given SFSU a shot, but I couldn't get my LORs and all in order before mid-Dec. All in all I'm so glad it's over! Best of luck for those still waiting/deciding! Anyone else going to SDSU? PM me if you want to make some contact before school starts! What am I going to do all summer now??

I am. It's Thursday evening and still not a peep from SJSU and CSUN. Got a deposit due on Sunday for SDSU. Really???

cake walk

Well I don't really know...the impression I get is that SDSU is a better program but you know how hard it is to get information out of CSUs! Also I know SDSU is ''ranked'' and good for research but I'm not terribly interested in doing research (at this point). I'm def. leaning towards SDSU but mostly just want to be able to know I made an informed decision - I'm almost kind of hoping they reject me so I won't be in any limbo!! I'm going down this week to check out the campus and talk to an advisor more about the program. If I happened to get into CSUN I could work that into the trip too. Do you (or anyone) happen to know much about SDSU, CSUN or SJSU? I'd be ever so grateful for any information I can add to my patchy collection! The more opinions the better!

Blergh to CSUN! It's not just unfair to us students but also seems weird to do to themselves - don't they want "the best" (I put that in quotes cause loads of awesome people are still rejected) people to go there?? I guess they have enough applicants they can afford to have them go elsewhere because they didn't get a reply in time. I have to put a $400 deposit down for SDSU by the 15th as well. I don't know much about LA other than they rejected me this morning! But I've heard general good things. It would be wise to ask them how difficult it is for students to get the classes they need to graduate on time. It seems like some CSU's really have an issue with that, even on the grad level. Though I think being in a cohort (everyone taking their classes together) reduces that risk - I don't know if LA does it that way or not. Do they require a deposit? Is CSUN worth losing that money?

I feel you there. It reflects badly on the program. And do they simply not care if students choose other schools because they need a secure spot?

Yeah I'm still waiting on CSULA (and all the other CA schools minus SD). If I don't get anything in the mail today I'm calling.

Thanks niccig! I haven't heard from LA yet at all....wonder if that's bad news : /

Man, these CSUs REALLY make you wait. I've got four schools left to hear back from and they are all CA state schools. I feel super lucky I've at least heard from one (which was an acceptance thank god) but if I hadn't I'd be in complete agony!! It will be all over soon, guys!

I got that too! I guess that means we didn't make the first round but might get an offer from their 2nd tier/waitlist. Though now that I've gotten into a CA school, I'll probably go there. Looks like you've decided on NAU! Congrats! I've heard good things about their program.

SLP33 has excellent advice. See what you can do! That Fulbright can only help your application the next time around. I spent some time abroad teaching and it really has informed my SLP perspective. Congrats on getting that! Where are you going to be teaching?

Haha - no trolls! There are a lot of people *trying* to get into the field, at least. Like nursing, or so I've heard, there is a demand in the workforce but not enough schools (yet) to crank out enough of us. And it's viciously competitive so I guess a lot of us depend on the internet for advice and networking!

Gasp - Jennifer you heard from SJSU already!? I haven't heard a peep. Congrats on your acceptance, even if you aren't going! UT is supposed to be great. SJ is probably the only one I *might* consider over SD, but I don't know much about it. Do you happen to know much about the programs as compared to each other?

Don't know about the numbers but I can imagine that out of state tuition might be a deciding factor, particularly if people were accepted to in-state programs or other programs with funding. Did you check the results board to see if people got off the waitlist in previous years?

Utah State!