MGH vs. BU

[InternationalSpeechie]

Hello,

I have been accepted to both BU and MGH. I am granted a scholarship so tuition is not a problem. However, I am having a hard time choosing between them. BU is a well-known university while MGH IHP has built an outstanding program.  If anyone has been in my situation please let me know how did you choose and what would rule out one of them? 

Or just simply what would you choose?

Edited April 17, 2018 by InternationalSpeechie

[Nancy M]

Would you mind sharing you stats since you go such a good scholarship? 

[SpeechGal1234]

I also got into both of these schools and I chose MGH. They are similar. What are you interested in? I had very little interest in research, and BU has a big focus on research, which is why I chose MGH. I also mapped out electives to see which school offered more electives in things I am interested in. The in house clinics are also a little different. At MGH you will most likely only work with children, while you may work with adults at BU. Also, at MGH your first two semesters you get two clients: one will have a written disability (most likely dyslexia) & the other will have a speech and/or language problem. If you have no interest in literacy and/or children, this can be frustrating. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by SpeechGal1234

[InternationalSpeechie]

On April 17, 2018 at 11:27 PM, SpeechGal1234 said:

I also got into both of these schools and I chose MGH. They are similar. What are you interested in? I had very little interest in research, and BU has a big focus on research, which is why I chose MGH. I also mapped out electives to see which school offered more electives in things I am interested in. The in house clinics are also a little different. At MGH you will most likely only work with children, while you may work with adults at BU. Also, at MGH your first two semesters you get two clients: one will have a written disability (most likely dyslexia) & the other will have a speech and/or language problem. If you have no interest in literacy and/or children, this can be frustrating. 

I truly appreciate your response. You highlighted many important points (electives,  research/clinical experience). I am mainly interested in children more than adults and would prefer to have a great clinical practice over research. Literacy is no problem to me too.

[SpeechGal1234]

On 4/20/2018 at 3:28 AM, InternationalSpeechie said:

I truly appreciate your response. You highlighted many important points (electives,  research/clinical experience). I am mainly interested in children more than adults and would prefer to have a great clinical practice over research. Literacy is no problem to me too.

I am glad it helped! The class sizes are also very different. MGH has 60 students and BU has 30 (I think). There are pros and cons to these. Pros of 60 students: lots of opportunities to make friends, many professors to connect with, more practicum placement opportunities just because they place more student so they automatically have more relationships, professors teaching a class are TRULY experts in their field b/c there is more money to hire specialized professors. Cons: all your core classes are 60 students, classes are taught on a microphone b/c its such a large room, you have to seek out the professor to form a relationship b/c they aren't going to learn about you from one class (but at MGH they are open and want these relationships!!)

Also, since I was pretty confident in the population I wanted to work with, the concentrations at MGH were a huge draw for me. Others don't like it because they want to work with a broader population. Concentrations are optional and most won't concentrate, but this can also be a deciding factor!

If you have any other questions, let me know! 

Edited April 21, 2018 by SpeechGal1234