speechly

Pacific's pending candidacy isn't ideal, but I looked through the CAA information on ASHA's website, and from what I can tell, an education from a program with candidacy status (vs. accredited) is for all intents and purposes the same as you'd get from any other. If anything, the program will be watched MORE closely to ensure that we're getting all of the information and experiences we need. That, combined with what I've seen from the school so far, and the added endorsement from the two PSU professors heading there, makes me feel pretty confident that Pacific will be a quality program. Plus, we as the first class will have the added benefit of being the only cohort in the program. At no other time will the professors' attention be split between fewer students, since there's not a second year cohort. That's obviously not the reason to choose Pacific's program, but it's kind of neat! In any case, good luck with your decision, mcmanelberry!

Hey, jhollyberry! Looking forward to meeting you this fall! As my decision starts to sink in a little more, I find myself getting more and more excited about Pacific. The only potential downside I can see is the newness of the program, but I have a lot of confidence in the department from the contact I've had so far. Did you attend an interview in February?

I just finished notifying schools of my decision to decline admission...whew! I've heard people mention that it's difficult to do, but I hadn't really thought about it until I had to sit down and do it. It was rough! I do hope I've been able to make a couple waitlisted people happy, though! And now I get to look forward and officially feel excited about grad school this fall! Will anyone else be attending Pacific University's program?

Hey, SLP-Allie! I've been accepted to UW, for the Med SLP program. I still haven't decided whether I'll be attending, though, and I fear the decision-making process is slowly stealing my sanity! I see that you have decided on UW out of a number of really stellar options. I'd love to hear about how you landed on UW...was the decision difficult for you, or were you always set on being a Husky? Are there any aspects of UW's program that made it a no-brainer? I'm obviously attracted to the medical specialization their program offers, and a small part of me would feel like an idiot to turn down an offer to attend one of the best programs in the country, but another part worries about how well I'd fit into the program. I've never been an aggressive or competitive person, and I wonder whether this program might attract people who are driven to be the best at the expense of making friends...do you get this feeling at all, or am I way out in left field? Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Has anyone heard about funding for either University of Washington or Pacific University? I've heard zippo from UW, and I was told when I was admitted that I'm a finalist for an assistantship at Pacific, but that was over two weeks ago and I haven't heard anything else. Does funding info typically come a lot later than admits, or should I just accept that I probably won't receive funding? Thanks as always to all the helpful people on this thread!

I saw someone above mention pooling knowledge about schools, and it sounded like a fantastic idea! So, in that vein, I'm wondering if anyone has any wisdom to share about the University of Washington (particularly the MedSLP program), or Seattle more generally. I applied to UW as a long-shot, but somehow managed to get accepted! Part of me feels like I should jump at the chance to go to UW before they realize they made a mistake offering me admission, but I'm also encountering a lot of doubts that I hadn't really thought about before I knew it was actually an option to attend their program. The main doubt is cost, or more specifically, whether the specialized nature of the program justifies the additional cost, and/or whether it might end up being a drawback in some ways (perhaps it's TOO limiting to cut out the school-based parts of the graduate program?). I'm also entertaining some negative thoughts about the difficulties of living in Seattle, especially when compared to smaller communities, like, say Forest Grove, OR (I've also been accepted at Pacific), or even Portland, where I am now. I've heard a fair amount about the high cost of living, crappy traffic, etc. in Seattle, and I wonder if those difficulties on top of a rigorous graduate program would feel like an unnecessary burden when I could get as good an education at a school where I wouldn't have to sit in traffic, fight for parking, and pay $900 for a studio apartment. But of course, as soon as I start to think this way, I swing back to thinking about what a fantastic opportunity it would be to attend such a great program, and how I should embrace the chance to explore a new city while I'm still young and as mobile as I'll likely ever be. So, if anyone has any thoughts or insights, I'd LOVE to hear. I've scoured UW's site for all the information I can find about the program itself, but I feel like I can't only trust what are essentially the school's promotional materials. I plan to drive up for a visit before April 15, but until then, I know it would be helpful for me (and probably anyone else considering this program) to hear any impressions people have picked up about UW or Seattle. Is anyone else on here considering the MedSLP program?

I'm absolutely flabbergasted to say it, but I was accepted into UW's MedSLP program! I was 100% convinced I wouldn't be accepted, so this is quite the shock. I still haven't received an email though, almost four hours after I saw my results (on the main application page...supplemental page doesn't say anything). I really hadn't entertained the possibility of having to make a CHOICE before now, as I was so focused on just getting IN. This is a whole new ballgame! Continued good luck to all those waiting/facing decisions of their own!

I wish I had a better answer, but I haven't heard much about PSU's typical choices for admits in terms of post-bacc/out-of-state/etc. It does seem that many of the graduate students did undergrad/post-bacc work at PSU, but I've only met a handful of them, and now that the program admits 50 students, I would imagine there's room for more out-of-state folks. Good luck to everyone waiting to hear from PSU!

To anyone who is holding his/her breath waiting to hear back from Portland State, I just want to warn you that it's probably going to be awhile. I'm a post-bacc at PSU, and they just had a town hall meeting this week. I didn't attend, but I got the minutes as an email, and they indicated that admissions decisions will go out late March/early APRIL. Hogwash, if you ask me, but they're the ones pulling the strings, so I guess all we can do is wait...

I saw this too, and it definitely set the butterflies going. I was under the impression they would be contacting by email (which is why I've been checking my email every 5 minutes for the last week!). A question for anyone who interviewed at Pacific...do you know if they will only be contacting the 35 accepted applicants to start, or will they contact everyone who interviewed to let them know if they were rejected/waitlisted? I remember at my interview, they made it sound like everyone who had made it to the interview stage was technically "on the waitlist," so I'm wondering if they just contact those who were accepted at first, then start with the uglier news later.