Columbia University, Teachers College Open House Discussion

[BurritoConnoisseur]

Hey everyone! So I went to TC's open house yesterday and just wanted to hear from other people who attended. What did you guys think? Hated it? Loved it? Are you going to attend? 

[psychslp]

I really liked it!! I thought the professors seemed very genuine and transparent. What did you think?

[Speech.Hello]

I did not go to the open house. I would love anyone's opinion about TC. I was wondering do you feel that not being bilingual in such a bilingually focused program would put me at a disadvantage? 

[psychslp]

@Speech.Hello it's hard to know without being in the program, but based on visiting I doubt it and have never heard that. I didn't get that feeling at all. It's great to take advantage of the program if you are bilingual, but it's not really a bilingual focused program it's more multiculturally focused, which I think is different. I think you/anyone would benefit from that focus and don't think it would be a disadvantage at all to not get the bilingual certification if you're not bilingual. 

[Speech.Hello]

@psychslp How was the open house? What did you like about the program? Do you feel like it is primarily education focused? 

 

[psychslp]

@Speech.Hello it was very nice. I liked it a lot. I liked the professors and the multicultural focus, which is woven into every class. I had very nice convos with many professors and students, who all seemed to like the program. TC also focuses on research but not too much. You can get involved in research, but you also don't have to. All research has an emphasis on being clinically-focused, in that it directly affects your clinical work. What do you mean primarily education focused? Opposed to what? 

[Speech.Hello]

@psychslp Sorry that wasn't clear! I know that it is Teacher's College so I just was wondering if the program focuses more on the education speech pathology setting rather than the medical setting? 

[psychslp]

@Speech.Hello ohhh gotcha. I was thinking education vs. research vs. clinic or something. Other than the licensure they never actually mentioned an education focus. TC is an education, psych, and health school, so it is not just education. They have courses specific to the medical side. They mentioned that each student is guaranteed one medical placement, but that may not be a hospital but could be more of a rehab center. You can definitely go to TC and go into the medical field. That said, it's totally possible that other schools are more medically focused than TC. But TC is definitely not just education focused or even more education focused than other schools. 

[BeachieSpeechie]

Hi @Speech.Hello , I went to TC's open house and I really felt that there was a heavy emphasis on the bilingual program and the international trips that Dr. Crowley (Program Director) leads. As someone that is not pursuing the bilingual extension program, I feel like this is not the program for me. I am interested in the medical aspect of SLP and asked current graduate students about this and while TC "guarantees" a hospital placement, it could be anywhere from inpatient, rehab, private practice, and outpatient which did not put my mind to ease as the placement can very well not be in an actual hospital. Additionally, the placements can be up to an hour- hour 1/2 commute. Coupled with the mandatory night classes 2nd year just sounds awful commuting up to an hour & back to make it back to campus for night classes. They would not allow clinic visits, but on a separate tour we passed the clinic and it was not as profound as other colleges that I have visited. The campus is widespread and our classes would not be in the same building but rather in any of the buildings across the campus. Another interesting fact is that TC was once a high school, so the whole building & classes are built like a high school and hasn't been updated since. In contrast, the students I talked to loved the program and the research opportunities as well as the network that Columbia provides. The professors are internationally recognized in the SLP/ASHA community and seem to really care about the students. However, the lack of student cohesiveness and teamwork was a big negative. The whole incoming class is split into 2 cohorts, and after the first semester Cohort A will never have class together again with the rest of the class in Cohort B. There was also extra requirements to the program, such as taking outside electives which sound like a waste of $. Overall, TC emphasized the bilingual program and the school placements, but would not go into depth of the actual clinic or additional placements. I feel like the grandeur of Columbia's name overcasted the lacking placements and the mediocre on-campus clinic. I know I sound super negative in this, I was just so disappointed in TC and what they have to offer. If you have any more questions or would like to see pictures & or the flyers they passed out, please feel free to message me! 

[zurako]

Hi all I'm a current student and just want to clarify a few things

The bilingual "program" is literally one extra class that you have to take where we specifically talk about bilingual assessment/treatment/education. We have a multicultural focus in that considerations for serving culturally and linguistic diverse clients will be woven into every single class you take, and I think that's very important even if you're not bilingual because we could always meet diverse clients with different backgrounds especially in NYC.

There are a lot of grad programs in NYC so it is very competitive to secure externships. Everybody will get placed but you shouldn't expect the perfect placement with your favorite population that is next to your house (it can still happen if you're really lucky). No matter the grad school in NYC, commuting for an hour is pretty typical and common especially if you want a specific kind of site (e.g. there are only so many hospitals in Manhattan so you may go to Brooklyn or Queens). For the record, I live in Brooklyn and only asked for sites in Brooklyn and commute time for me has been 30 minutes to an hour. 

It does suck to leave externship and then go to night classes, but in my second year I only take 1-2 classes so it's still doable. 

All classes are technically in different buildings but they're all connected and taking up the entire block, so in actuality you never leave the "building." Having gone to high school in NYC, I don't think that the classrooms in TC are like a high school at all but that's a matter of opinion.

We divide into two cohorts to reduce class size so that students can get more attention! I've maybe taken a few classes with students from other cohorts and have definitely worked with them in the clinic.

Yeah the electives are annoying and expensive. The only possible upside to this is that for some people it helps them make the entire graduate program to be over 60 credits so the school system will pay a higher salary lol.

Hope this was helpful and I'll be happy to answer any more questions! 

[bibliophile222]

54 minutes ago, zurako said:

No matter the grad school in NYC, commuting for an hour is pretty typical and common especially if you want a specific kind of site (e.g. there are only so many hospitals in Manhattan so you may go to Brooklyn or Queens). For the record, I live in Brooklyn and only asked for sites in Brooklyn and commute time for me has been 30 minutes to an hour. 

It does suck to leave externship and then go to night classes, but in my second year I only take 1-2 classes so it's still doable. 

I'm not from NYC or attending school there, but I think these points are great and pretty relevant to most programs. For instance, my program is in a rural state, so placements can certainly be a drive: my summer placement is 40 miles away from my house (but fortunately all interstate, so only 45 minutes). I think in most places this just comes with the territory. Even living in a city, public transportation can still take a while!

Also, some programs get all classes out of the way before beginning placements, but I think it's far more common to have classes plus placement, and it's just another thing to get used to. I personally dislike evening classes because I have the hardest time staying awake, but I've accepted that this is par for the course, and it's not like it lasts forever!

I also wanted to address @BeachieSpeechie's comment about the clinic facilities at TC. My program doesn't have the newest, fanciest clinic: it's an old building, there isn't a ton of space for everyone, the materials room is kind of small, and sometimes there are time conflicts for clinic rooms and we have to adapt. However, these are really pretty minor concerns that have not affected my clinical experience in the slightest. Fancy facilities have nothing to do with your growth as a clinician. If anything, smaller facilities are more representative of the real world, where materials may be scarce and you have to have a group session in an over-sized closet. I'm really enjoying my time here so far and would have really missed out if I'd been overly concerned about the size of the clinic facilities!

Edited March 27, 2019 by bibliophile222

[slp1921]

Hi @zurako, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on TC's program. I am strongly considering attending, but still have some questions I hope you can answer. 

 

I know that there are 4 research labs at TC, but I was wondering if it's competitive to be involved in one of them, or are there opportunities for anyone that wants it. Also, I was admitted to the regular initial licensure program but am now interested in the bilingual extension. Do you know people who were able to switch over after being admitted? 

Do you also find that most students are interested in becoming school-based SLPs or work with the pediatric population? And if I wanted to work with adults, would I have a hard time finding support from the program? 

And finally, what would you say is your favorite aspect of TC's program.

Thanks!

[zurako]

@slp1921 If you are interested in a lab you can definitely be involved! There's minimal paid positions but everyone who wanted to participate in a lab (without pay) got to do that.

Switching to the bilingual track is very easy you just need to fill out a form when you get here

I think the people who definitely want to work with children (not just in the school setting) vs adults is about half and half and some people like both! We have really great faculty for adult classes who are well known researchers. The clinic has adult clients as well as weekly aphasia group that you can participate in. And everyone gets at least one medical placement (like the other poster said, we can't guarantee a hospital placement, but the placement coordinator really tries to get everyone what they want).

I really feel like I got a good education here. Let's be real, some professors are meh and sometimes I don't pay attention. But most of the faculty were great at teaching and I learned a lot! The supervisors in the clinic have all been so supportive and encouraging, which was so helpful as a first time clinician who didn't know what I was doing.

[BurritoConnoisseur]

On 3/26/2019 at 9:41 AM, psychslp said:

I really liked it!! I thought the professors seemed very genuine and transparent. What did you think?

I loved it! Just like you, I thought the professors were super present when talking to them. I'm pretty set on Columbia, but I am just super worried about the cost. Did you receive any scholarships at all? Do you have a concrete plan on how to fund your studies (if you don't mind me asking)?

[Leighfslp]

On 3/27/2019 at 11:17 AM, zurako said:

Hi all I'm a current student and just want to clarify a few things

The bilingual "program" is literally one extra class that you have to take where we specifically talk about bilingual assessment/treatment/education. We have a multicultural focus in that considerations for serving culturally and linguistic diverse clients will be woven into every single class you take, and I think that's very important even if you're not bilingual because we could always meet diverse clients with different backgrounds especially in NYC.

There are a lot of grad programs in NYC so it is very competitive to secure externships. Everybody will get placed but you shouldn't expect the perfect placement with your favorite population that is next to your house (it can still happen if you're really lucky). No matter the grad school in NYC, commuting for an hour is pretty typical and common especially if you want a specific kind of site (e.g. there are only so many hospitals in Manhattan so you may go to Brooklyn or Queens). For the record, I live in Brooklyn and only asked for sites in Brooklyn and commute time for me has been 30 minutes to an hour. 

It does suck to leave externship and then go to night classes, but in my second year I only take 1-2 classes so it's still doable. 

All classes are technically in different buildings but they're all connected and taking up the entire block, so in actuality you never leave the "building." Having gone to high school in NYC, I don't think that the classrooms in TC are like a high school at all but that's a matter of opinion.

We divide into two cohorts to reduce class size so that students can get more attention! I've maybe taken a few classes with students from other cohorts and have definitely worked with them in the clinic.

Yeah the electives are annoying and expensive. The only possible upside to this is that for some people it helps them make the entire graduate program to be over 60 credits so the school system will pay a higher salary lol.

Hope this was helpful and I'll be happy to answer any more questions! 

Hello, I know I’m super late in this discussion but I am currently seeking out Teachers College as place to apply. I currently live in VA and am wondering how much of an adjustment it would be for me? Also, how would I go about applying for paid GA positions?

[zurako]

@Leighfslp I've never lived anywhere else so I can't be much help, but we had people from VA and they're doing just fine.

Once you get on campus then you can reach out to professors for (relatively few) paid GA positions in their labs. 

[Leighfslp]

Ok thank you so much, and is there a ball park GRE score that you think may be good for admission?