UVM SLP Program

[CanadianLinguist_]

Hello hello!

I am hoping to get some advice from anyone who has been to/is currently attending the MSc program at the University of Vermont for SLP. I just got my acceptance letter from them on Feb 5th (WAHOO!) and am wondering if anyone can provide insight about the campus, program, state of Vermont, etc.

I'm originally from the West Coast of Canada so this would be a pretty big move for me if I decide to accept the offer (still waiting to hear back from all of the other schools I have applied to, but this is definitely my top choice for American schools I think).

Thanks in advance

[bibliophile222]

Hi and congratulations! I'm in my second semester at UVM and enjoying it (aside from the absurd amount of work I have to do in the next couple weeks!). That would be a really big move, but there might not be as much culture shock as you'd expect. Vermont is close to Canada and has kind of a bond with it. For instance, poutine is in, like, every Burlington restaurant! It's a small, rural state but Burlington is big enough to have a bunch of good restaurants, an arts/music scene, festivals and other cool things. If you're into skiing there are several ski areas within an hour's drive. Vermont in general and Burlington in particular is very politically liberal, if that's important to you. Let's see, what else... the winters are COLD and long, so invest in a quality coat and boots. Summers are kinda short but really nice, comfortably warm without being scorching.

As far as the program goes, I've found it to be really supportive and conducive to learning. You start off with one client your first semester and 2-3 in your second semester, so you get to ease into it gradually. The professors are overall really good--a lot of them do research if you're interested in that, and our clinic director has around 20 years of experience in a variety of settings, so she provides a lot of practical tips to supplement all the theories we learn in the other classes. Our cohort is small, so we take all the same classes at the same time and have bonded really quickly because of that. I've had two clinic supervisors so far and they've both been very helpful, not overly critical like I've heard about from some programs.

If I had to list downsides, I would say cost--I got a partial scholarship but it's still pretty expensive, and cost of living is sort of high. Also, I know it's expected in grad school, but yeah, the workload is pretty intense. This weekend I did my projected treatment plan for one client, I have a dx on Friday, two presentations next week, the dx report to write the following week, plus other clinic paperwork, minor assignments, and lots of reading that probably won't get done. My brain hurts!

I hope this helps--feel free to ask more questions!

[CanadianLinguist_]

@bibliophile222

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, I really appreciate the information! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying UVM so far--despite the insane workload!

That's really great that you get to "ease into" taking on clients and that the profs are generally good. I actually did my post bacc online through UVM so there will hopefully be a few familiar names that I will recognize. 

When did you find our about scholarships?

Also, did you choose the thesis route or the non-thesis route? Why did you make the choice that you did? 

Edited February 12, 2019 by CanadianLinguist_
Additional Question

[bibliophile222]

Unfortunately I can't remember when I got my scholarship, since it seems like an eternity has passed since then! Definitely before mid-March, at least. I actually heard from our program coordinator that the scholarships have been offered already, but if someone turns down the offer then the scholarship would go to the next person on the list.

I chose the non-thesis route, as did everyone in my cohort with the exception of one. It's 3 extra credits and a lot more time and effort. She's thinking of going for a Ph.D., so a thesis is a good idea. BUT since our field is so desperate for Ph.D.s, if you ever did want to go that route you could probably get in without a thesis. I and a few others are planning on doing a research project--it still gives you research experience, but it's not as hard-core and it's the same amount of credits as the standard systematic review option.

[BioCook]

18 hours ago, bibliophile222 said:

Unfortunately I can't remember when I got my scholarship, since it seems like an eternity has passed since then! Definitely before mid-March, at least. I actually heard from our program coordinator that the scholarships have been offered already, but if someone turns down the offer then the scholarship would go to the next person on the list.

Oh, did you hear back about $ in another letter (separate from the acceptance)?

[bibliophile222]

Yep, it was separate. I remember I got my financial info earlier than another accepted person because they filled out the FAFSA after I did, so if you haven't done that yet you should do so immediately!

[CanadianLinguist_]

@bibliophile222 

Thank you so much for the helpful information!! If I decide on UVM here's hoping I can get a scholarship or two... 

[BioCook]

35 minutes ago, CanadianLinguist_ said:

@bibliophile222 

Thank you so much for the helpful information!! If I decide on UVM here's hoping I can get a scholarship or two... 

Keep us updated! I'm crossing my fingers, too. Best of luck

[Suelli5]

Hi! I just got into UVM too and live in the PNW.

I have some questions too. 

How easy is it to find pet-friendly housing near campus? I have a cat & a dog.

How good are the athletic facilities (student gym/pool/fitness classes,etc?) Do they have late hours?  

How easy is it to visit Montreal? Am I right in that it is the closest big city? 

Thanks! 

[bibliophile222]

5 hours ago, Suelli5 said:

Hi! I just got into UVM too and live in the PNW.

I have some questions too. 

How easy is it to find pet-friendly housing near campus? I have a cat & a dog.

How good are the athletic facilities (student gym/pool/fitness classes,etc?) Do they have late hours?  

How easy is it to visit Montreal? Am I right in that it is the closest big city? 

Thanks! 

You can definitely find pet-friendly housing in the area--I have two cats and found a place. However, many places do not take pets, including what seems like most of the cheaper apartments. I saw postings for tons of apartments a couple hundred dollars a month cheaper than the one I got and almost all of them were no pets. What's your plan for apartment hunting? If you can, I'd take a couple weeks to look for as many places as you can. If you're willing to commute a bit rents will go down and it will be easier to find a place, as Burlington housing can be pretty competitive. I went to an open house with at least 15 other people. I found a place in South Burlington, which is still pretty close to school and not outrageously expensive.

As far as the facilities go, the pool is nice but the open rec hours are kind of sporadic. The gym is open until midnight and has decent equipment but is a little small, and the weird thing is that the locker rooms are downstairs and I'm not sure how the locks work for that (deposits, etc). There are cubbies outside the gym but I didn't feel comfortable leaving my computer in my bag. On the plus side, they have a program for grad students where if you pay for a fitness class pass and go to a certain number of classes a semester (maybe 30?) they refund the price of the class, so it's a great incentive to make it to your workouts.

And yes, Montreal is the closest big city, maybe about an hour and a half to 2 hours from my house depending on traffic. Just take I-89 to the border and it becomes Canadian Route something-or-other, pretty easy to get there. It's definitely easier getting into Canada than getting back into the US, since our border people are much more anal. If you haven't been Montreal is pretty awesome, and don't worry, everyone speaks English. Boston is about 3.5 hours away and Quebec City (which is absolutely beautiful and feels like you're in France, I highly recommend) about the same distance as Boston.

Sorry for the novella--hope this helps!

[Suelli5]

Thank you so much, bibliophile, for that info & for your earlier description of the program. It sounds really good & Burlington sounds like a town I’d be happy in.  I’m just hesitant about the expense: out-of-state tuition/area COL/relocation costs. I am still waiting to hear from a few more schools, but I will need to weigh the caliber of the program vs. costs. I don’t care about ranking as much as current & former students’ reports of good teaching, supportive faculty/staff & good clinical opportunities. 

Good luck with your schooling & future career. 

 

[bibliophile222]

2 hours ago, Suelli5 said:

Thank you so much, bibliophile, for that info & for your earlier description of the program. It sounds really good & Burlington sounds like a town I’d be happy in.  I’m just hesitant about the expense: out-of-state tuition/area COL/relocation costs. I am still waiting to hear from a few more schools, but I will need to weigh the caliber of the program vs. costs. I don’t care about ranking as much as current & former students’ reports of good teaching, supportive faculty/staff & good clinical opportunities. 

Good luck with your schooling & future career. 

 

Yeah, you're definitely wise to focus on costs as the primary factor. Keep your options open! If you do end up going with UVM though, you can rest assured that the faculty are awesome and everyone in my cohort likes the program.

Good luck with the rest of your decisions and funding!

[Bspeech]

On 3/2/2019 at 9:29 PM, bibliophile222 said:

Yeah, you're definitely wise to focus on costs as the primary factor. Keep your options open! If you do end up going with UVM though, you can rest assured that the faculty are awesome and everyone in my cohort likes the program.

Good luck with the rest of your decisions and funding!

Hello! 

 

I am so anxious I have applied to UVM for the program. I am so worried to get either a "yes" or "no". Do you mind sharing a little bit about your background and your scores when applying? 

 

GRE's weren't mandatory, I have a 3.6 GPA undergad and took my pre-slp courses through UVM as well. My fingers AND toes are CROSSED!