GandalfTheGrey

Not sure what your stats are, but Emerson and UNC Chapel Hill are two I considered that definitely have that reputation.

There's some great speech therapy-specific stuff from cafepress.com. Search terms like "linguistics," "speech," "articulation," "language," or "bilingual." My boyfriend has gotten me some really awesome mugs, tshirts, and office supplies from there that are now making my co-workers jealous!

fronting? In general though, as Sayjo pointed out, dentalized s and z are not usually describe using phonological pattern terminology. However, some schools of thought really like to apply phono terms to everything, in which case "fronting" would be an appropriate term.

I'd advise you to shadow some RNs and some SLPs and decide based on that which field is a better fit for you.

Some hospitals advertise the procedure for applying for an SLP externship on their websites. It's not at all uncommon, at least in large hospitals (and other specialized facilities, such as residential schools for children with severe disabilities, autism programs, communication disorder-centered summer camps). Maybe start doing some research before your meeting with the advisor? When searching hospital websites, look under "training opportunities" or the like. You can also call the directors of SLPs at hospitals, etc., to inquire - I promise you won't be the first person to call, and they won't be surprised to hear the question. Worst case, they say they don't take students, you thank them for your time, and call the next place on your list. Good luck!

I think it's worth noting that over 90% of SLPs are white, and many programs actively recruit minorities... and this only matters if the program is dishonest and really does look at the page where you check off your race. Ideally, the race information is kept separate. Meaning that when you submit your online application, the race page goes to a central office for statistical purposes, and the rest of your application goes to the admission committee... so no one knows if, and how, you filled it out.

Only count the classes you have completed (not the courses you are currently taking) and have grades in. The formula I've always used is: GPA= [4*(number of A's) + 3.7*(#of A-'s) + 3.3*(#of B+'s) + 3*(#of B's) + 2.7*(# of B-'s) + 2.3*(#of C+'s) + 2*(#of C's) + 1.7*(#of C-'s) + 1.3*(#of D+'s) + (# of D's)] / (total # of courses, including those failed) Overall: include all undergrad courses, as well as any post-bacc courses you have completed. SLP: Any courses you have taken that relate to SLP, whether in undergrad or post-bacc Recent 60: The last 60 credits you have completed. So if you've already completed 9 credits in your post-bac, you'll count those as well as your last 51 undergrad credits. Let me know if this doesn't make sense or if I misinterpreted your question.

I don't see any reason to pay more than you have to for a post-bacc. I don't think anyone cares where you do it. If you want to "make up" for not choosing the more selective post-bac, carve out some time each week to read ASHA journals or volunteer somewhere. Your application fees and master's degree will be expensive enough.

Try checking the results board: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=speech You should be able to scroll back through previous years.

Yeah, it's a pricey school. Is your daughter a member of NSSLHA (nsslha.org)? If so, she might consider paying an additional $10/year to join SIG 5, the Special Interest Group for speech science and craniofacial disorders. It would give her access to a discussion board as well as newsletters and research articles pertaining to her interests. I've been a member for two years and it's been a great way to stay on top of cleft research and treatment ideas and lurk on discussion boards run by the big names in the field.

There is no website for the course. The placement is at Shriners Hospital for Children on the cleft/craniofacial team.

Northwestern has a fantastic (and rigorous) craniofacial course and one student per quarter can get a cleft palate placement. Doing well in the class is a requirement for getting the placement.

When a graduate student provides services under the supervision of an ASHA certified practitioner, the ASHA-certified SLP is ethically responsible for those services and is legally considered the service provider even if the grad student is the only one in the room with the client. So observing an appropriately-supervised grad student absolutely counts towards your observation hours if the supervisor signs off. That said, I would strongly recommend observing experienced clinicians for your own benefit before you enter graduate school. When I observed graduate students, I found it easy to identify each clinician's areas of strength and weaknesses (often the weaknesses were most prominent if this was a first-semester clinician), while observing experienced clinicians gave me lots of ideas about behavior management, how to teach a complex skill, and effective ways to transition clients.

Just make sure that if you do turn down a school after accepting, you do it professionally. Usually a phone call to your primary contact person is very appreciated, and will maintain good relationships for the future.

Different schools have different requirements for pre-reqs, so you could look into schools that have minimal pre-reqs. For example, I know that MGH, Emerson, and Northwestern offer all of their prerequisites as summer courses, so you can get accepted without prereqs and then take them all the summer before you start. Otherwise USU is a great option as posters above have mentioned. Some schools require a post-bacc or comdis degree, while others require anywhere between 4 and 10 specific courses regardless of your major. (edited for spelling errors)