SLP Prerequisites advice

[JaymeR]

So I'm pretty new to this community, but I've decided to change career paths and apply to Speech Pathology Master's programs! My Bachelor's is in Dietetics, and while nutrition is great and important and all... I just don't think it's for me. 

I've done a lot of research on SLP, and now I'm just seeking some advice I guess. Since I'm an out of field applicant, I have all the CSD prereqs to take. I was wondering if anyone else studied for those classes before actually taking them? I'm thinking about finding some Quizlets just so I have an idea of what to expect come this fall when I start school again. I'm in the process of studying for the GRE right now, which takes priority, but I'd still like some opinions on how to prepare for CSD classes as a post-bacc student! 

[WesttoEast18]

11 minutes ago, JaymeR said:

So I'm pretty new to this community, but I've decided to change career paths and apply to Speech Pathology Master's programs! My Bachelor's is in Dietetics, and while nutrition is great and important and all... I just don't think it's for me. 

I've done a lot of research on SLP, and now I'm just seeking some advice I guess. Since I'm an out of field applicant, I have all the CSD prereqs to take. I was wondering if anyone else studied for those classes before actually taking them? I'm thinking about finding some Quizlets just so I have an idea of what to expect come this fall when I start school again. I'm in the process of studying for the GRE right now, which takes priority, but I'd still like some opinions on how to prepare for CSD classes as a post-bacc student! 

I'm a career changer as well and just recently accepted into grad school!

I don't think it's necessary to study before the pre-req classes, most post-bacc programs will start out with the fundamental courses and then you will advance to more in depth classes, so they will adequately prepare you. If anything I would focus outside studying on the GRE since that's personally one of the more challenging parts of an application (at least in my opinion).  Do you know where you're planning on taking the classes?  I did the online program with University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and really loved it.  I know there are a few out there but that one worked best for me (since it was online) and seemed to be more affordable than some of the other ones.   Good luck! 

[bibliophile222]

I'm also an out-of-field applicant, and the prereq courses that I took generally did a good job of introducing the topics and vocabulary for those who had no prior experience. However, my undergrad was in Linguistics, which has a LOT of overlap, so I was already on a firm footing with language development, cognition, grammatical structure, etc., so it would probably be a little tougher for someone with no prior experience. I think what's most important going in is to have at least a basic grasp of how language works in a typically-developing person. Maybe explore a bit on linguistic structures in the brain (Broca's area, Wernicke's area, etc), a bit on different types of speech sounds and how we create them, some basic anatomy of the vocal folds, and how young children develop language. I don't think this would take too much effort, just enough for an overall grasp of Language as a whole. I took a couple undergrad courses in communication disorders, which may or may not be a part of a post-baccalaureate program but are often required before beginning a grad program. My current post-bacc program does not go into great detail on various types of communication disorders, so learning more about them will be very helpful for grad school but probably not super important for prereqs. 

[JaymeR]

27 minutes ago, WesttoEast18 said:

I'm a career changer as well and just recently accepted into grad school!

I don't think it's necessary to study before the pre-req classes, most post-bacc programs will start out with the fundamental courses and then you will advance to more in depth classes, so they will adequately prepare you. If anything I would focus outside studying on the GRE since that's personally one of the more challenging parts of an application (at least in my opinion).  Do you know where you're planning on taking the classes?  I did the online program with University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and really loved it.  I know there are a few out there but that one worked best for me (since it was online) and seemed to be more affordable than some of the other ones.   Good luck! 

That's so relieving to know! I'm mostly worried about going in without any background in CSD, being behind, and playing a constant game of catch-up.  GRE studying is definitely my priority right now, since I haven't taken a math class in 6 years or so! Lol. I planned on taking classes at Kent State University (in Northeast Ohio). Now that you mention it, I might look into online post-bacc options though, because it would be so much easier with my work schedule! Thank you! 

[JaymeR]

34 minutes ago, bibliophile222 said:

I'm also an out-of-field applicant, and the prereq courses that I took generally did a good job of introducing the topics and vocabulary for those who had no prior experience. However, my undergrad was in Linguistics, which has a LOT of overlap, so I was already on a firm footing with language development, cognition, grammatical structure, etc., so it would probably be a little tougher for someone with no prior experience. I think what's most important going in is to have at least a basic grasp of how language works in a typically-developing person. Maybe explore a bit on linguistic structures in the brain (Broca's area, Wernicke's area, etc), a bit on different types of speech sounds and how we create them, some basic anatomy of the vocal folds, and how young children develop language. I don't think this would take too much effort, just enough for an overall grasp of Language as a whole. I took a couple undergrad courses in communication disorders, which may or may not be a part of a post-baccalaureate program but are often required before beginning a grad program. My current post-bacc program does not go into great detail on various types of communication disorders, so learning more about them will be very helpful for grad school but probably not super important for prereqs. 

How language works is exactly what I'm worried about, since I have absolutely no experience with it! I always did well in my Lit and writing courses, so I'm mostly worried about the language development and cognition aspects. That's all very solid advice though, thank you so much! I've done some shadowing at a skilled nursing facility, and SLP has some overlap with dietetics in regards to swallowing disorders/diet modifications, but I know that's only a fraction of the job. Just trying to be prepared! 

[WesttoEast18]

15 minutes ago, JaymeR said:

That's so relieving to know! I'm mostly worried about going in without any background in CSD, being behind, and playing a constant game of catch-up.  GRE studying is definitely my priority right now, since I haven't taken a math class in 6 years or so! Lol. I planned on taking classes at Kent State University (in Northeast Ohio). Now that you mention it, I might look into online post-bacc options though, because it would be so much easier with my work schedule! Thank you! 

I had no experience/background in CSD courses (or knowledge of language development) and I found that the classes are designed to teach you the information as you progress through the hierarchy of CSD classes.  I started out with anatomy and physiology of speech mechanism and also normal language development- those two were foundation courses that prepare you for the more detailed courses. 

The first year that I took classes I also worked full time but it got to be too much so I ended up leaving my job to focus on school and volunteering within the field.  It's definitely doable though depending on how many classes you plan on taking each semester. 

[SopranoSLP]

1 hour ago, WesttoEast18 said:

I had no experience/background in CSD courses (or knowledge of language development) and I found that the classes are designed to teach you the information as you progress through the hierarchy of CSD classes.  I started out with anatomy and physiology of speech mechanism and also normal language development- those two were foundation courses that prepare you for the more detailed courses. 

The first year that I took classes I also worked full time but it got to be too much so I ended up leaving my job to focus on school and volunteering within the field.  It's definitely doable though depending on how many classes you plan on taking each semester. 

I also transitioned from another field and just got into grad school, and I did basically this exact same thing. While I was still working (summer 2016), I took A&P of speech online (through University of Iowa) and studied for the GRE. That fall, I took the GRE and then I started taking the ASHA prereqs (Psych, Biology, Stats, etc.) online through a community college. I also applied for a post-bacc program, and then stopped working/started that in Summer 2017. Once I started the postbac, I began volunteering in a research lab on campus and volunteering at an organization off campus. (My work schedule was too unpredictable to start volunteering before then.) 

The transition seems daunting, but you can totally do it. One step at a time! Figure out what you can do while you're still working, get the ASHA prereqs done (if your previous degree didn't include them), maybe take a CSD course or two if you want to test the waters. Personally, after being out of school for 8 years, I found that undergrad CSD classes were really not THAT difficult. I think it helps when you're not 20 and burned out on school!  

Btw, I think grad programs like people who change careers! My big application concern was that I've only been in SLP Land for 9 months, whereas traditional undergrads have potentially 4 years of volunteering and research experience. As it turns out, I think the committee valued my life experience! I'm sure they will value yours too! Good luck!

[SHLKPD]

I too jumped ship after about a decade in my field! I feel that most post-bac programs are designed for non-CSD/SLP/having-to-do-with-words majors, so they tend to ease you into the topics and don't assume you have prior knowledge (unless there's a pre-req obviously). I wouldn't waste time studying for the classes before you start. Once you figure out where your knowledge gaps are, then you can focus on those and brushing up on what an adjective is (*raises hand)

Edited March 12, 2018 by SHLKPD