2020 Canadian SLP Thread

[GenerationSpeechie]

On 11/27/2019 at 12:02 PM, smellyrich said:

But for ORPAS, you need to enter individually the grades of the prereqs

I think you can put "IPR" for "in progress" as the grade for the prereqs. They will see on your transcript that you are taking those courses in the winter semester. I know someone who has gotten a 'conditional offer' because she was taking some prerequisites that were in progress during the time that the application was due!

[Amy Sid]

Hi everyone! 

I completely understand how stressful this application process can be - I was in the same place as you all last year, and I know you'll all get through it! I'm in my first year at Mac, so if you have any questions about applications or the program, please let me know and I'd be happy to help as best I can! 

[Evelyn Wong]

On 11/28/2019 at 10:39 PM, Amy Sid said:

Hi everyone! 

I completely understand how stressful this application process can be - I was in the same place as you all last year, and I know you'll all get through it! I'm in my first year at Mac, so if you have any questions about applications or the program, please let me know and I'd be happy to help as best I can! 

Hello! 

How do you like your program so far? I am also applying to Mc this year :) 

Also, I am wondering if you have any tips on writing the statement of intent? I am really stressed about application now. Thanks :) 

[tulipz]

Hi guys! Does anyone know the difference between duration and total hours when entering volunteer experiences in ORPAS? Like, would duration be "1 year" and hours "200"? Or am I misunderstanding?  

[Amy Sid]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:30 PM, Evelyn Wong said:

Hello! 

How do you like your program so far? I am also applying to Mc this year

Also, I am wondering if you have any tips on writing the statement of intent? I am really stressed about application now. Thanks

Hi Evelyn,

I really like the program so far! The learning style is pretty consistent with Mac's other Health Science programs (like Medicine, PA, PT, OT) in that it's also a problem-based program. There's a big emphasis on self-directed learning, but the professors are always there to support and help you if you have any questions or have trouble with a concept. I also like that all of our courses are integrated fairly well with one another, and that concepts will gradually build as you move through the program. From my experience so far, it's really clear that the professors are there to help and really want you to succeed!

Ah, the dreaded statement of intent! It's challenging because there's so much for you to say about yourself, but the character limit prevents you from getting your ideas through. I think the most important thing to remember when writing your statement of intent is that there's really no perfect way of writing it. I know this sounds really cliche, but it needs to ultimately show who you are, and highlight all the things that would make you an incredible SLP in the future! If you're finding that it's hard to get started, use the prompt questions to get your thoughts flowing. Answer them as honestly as you can, and don't worry about the grammar or making it sound perfect. Also make sure to jot down some things about yourself that you think are important, and that you'd want someone from admissions to know (ex. your personal qualities and attributes, your ability to work collaboratively with people or manage complex tasks, relevant volunteer/work experience, etc.). You can build on the ideas you've generated from this brainstorming session and use that to help you with the actual writing task. I know it's difficult and stressful because we aren't used to talking about ourselves and it can be somewhat uncomfortable, but you can do it! Some important things to remember: (1) it should answer the prompt questions!! (2) it needs to have a good flow, enjoyable to read, and not seem "forced" or overly cliche (like "I've wanted to be an SLP since I was born, or "I've wanted to be an SLP since my brother had one when he was a child"). (3) perhaps most important - proper grammar and spelling! Make sure you get someone to read over what you've written - could be a friend or family member who's really good at writing, a professor that you're close with, or the writing help centre at your university! 

Feel free to DM me as well if you have any additional questions, and good luck with applications!

 

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by Amy Sid

[c.bee94]

23 hours ago, tulipz said:

Hi guys! Does anyone know the difference between duration and total hours when entering volunteer experiences in ORPAS? Like, would duration be "1 year" and hours "200"? Or am I misunderstanding?  

@tulipz I had the exact same question! I basically entered it how you described and I think that's correct? But it is very unclear. Hoping someone on here has a definitive answer! 

[just_speechie]

I'm a second year UofA student if anyone has any questions about the program here. Best of luck to you all!

[SpeechPlease]

On 12/4/2019 at 1:25 PM, c.bee94 said:

@tulipz I had the exact same question! I basically entered it how you described and I think that's correct? But it is very unclear. Hoping someone on here has a definitive answer! 

I messaged ORPAS and they said "This section is completely up to applicant discretion - please enter the information in the way that you feel best represents your experience. There is no wrong way as long as you are clear and consistent in your descriptions. The reason it is up to applicant discretion is because the schools would like to allow you the space to represent yourself and experience how you wish ".

Very confusing in my opinion!

Edited December 10, 2019 by smellyrich

[c.bee94]

On 12/10/2019 at 2:25 PM, smellyrich said:

I messaged ORPAS and they said "This section is completely up to applicant discretion - please enter the information in the way that you feel best represents your experience. There is no wrong way as long as you are clear and consistent in your descriptions. The reason it is up to applicant discretion is because the schools would like to allow you the space to represent yourself and experience how you wish ".

Very confusing in my opinion!

Good to know! I'm glad they clarified that, thanks for checking with them!

[tulipz]

On 12/10/2019 at 4:55 PM, smellyrich said:

I messaged ORPAS and they said "This section is completely up to applicant discretion - please enter the information in the way that you feel best represents your experience. There is no wrong way as long as you are clear and consistent in your descriptions. The reason it is up to applicant discretion is because the schools would like to allow you the space to represent yourself and experience how you wish ".

Very confusing in my opinion!

Thanks for contacting them @smellyrich! I agree, that is definitely a little confusing, I would rather a more specific answer. I read elsewhere that someone included the hours/week in "total hours" as well, so something like:

Duration: 2 years

Hours: 300, 3 hours/week

ahhhh!!!

[tulipz]

On Alberta's preparatory course list, they say to provide proof of enrolment if you haven't taken a prereq yet. For those of you who haven't taken the Indigenous History course, how are you filling out this section on the sheet? 

[s[peachy]keen]

On 12/16/2019 at 10:12 AM, tulipz said:

On Alberta's preparatory course list, they say to provide proof of enrolment if you haven't taken a prereq yet. For those of you who haven't taken the Indigenous History course, how are you filling out this section on the sheet? 

When I applied last year I just wrote IP (in progress) for the Indigenous History course. You don't need proof of enrolment, it just needs to be completed before September if you are admitted. 

[s[peachy]keen]

Does anyone know what's considered competitive for McGill as an out of province applicant? Last year I applied to U of A, McGill, and Ontario schools - I was only waitlisted at U of A and I'm guessing it's because I live in Alberta, so it's (slightly) less competitive being in province. I'm reapplying to the U of A this year and I'm just thinking about whether or not it's even worth it to apply to McGill again. I think my cumulative GPA is 3.5 and my last 60 credits are closer to 3.7 or 8, but I'm pretty sure McGill looks at the total whereas other schools look at the last 60. I'm applying to Dal this time around too, because it's 3 year and I figure people will take a 2 year program if offered both. 

Good luck to everyone else with their applications... they are so much work and so stressful! 

[hbgradschool]

Hi guys! 

Does anyone who has applied to Dalhousie know whether the application summary page is ever updated? I sent in my transcripts a couple weeks ago and it doesn't say that they've been received. 

[DreamingofSpeech]

Hey everyone!

Not trying to be pessimistic but I'd like to be prepared for the next year or so. If I don't receive any offers this year I'm wondering if anyone has any advice/input on how to beef up things like experience/references being out of school? If I have to reapply next year I'll be out of school for 2 years, so I'm a little concerned about academic references. Also, I can't afford to not be working full time while I'm out of school so committing to a lot of unpaid volunteering to gain extra experience would also be a challenge. Just wondering how/if anyone here has managed to balance improving on their applications while keeping up with work and other commitments and well life haha. Any advice is welcome!

Thanks and good luck to everyone as this application season comes to a close!

[Slpeechie]

I have a question for the Western application. For the volunteer experiences we aren't supposed to include any paid experiences right?

So we don't include our relevant work experiences or research assistant experiences? I find this very odd. I have a 40 hour per week practicum right now where I literally run speech-language therapy sessions, but I can't include this because I'm technically not "volunteering" my time? 

Also in previous threads I saw that people included observation hours for volunteer experiences. I really don't understand how observing is considered volunteering if that's the only thing they did.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Slpeechie

[JennSed]

Hey everyone!! I'm so glad to see a thread for this year's application process! 

I'm applying to U of A (first choice), McMaster, and Western. I'm trying to rank McMaster vs. Western (Hamilton vs. London) which I would prefer to go to out of those two! I haven't been to either cities before. Can anyone give pros/cons of the schools and the cities?

Thanks!

[corinthians1614]

On 12/19/2019 at 7:44 PM, hbgradschool said:

Hi guys! 

Does anyone who has applied to Dalhousie know whether the application summary page is ever updated? I sent in my transcripts a couple weeks ago and it doesn't say that they've been received. 

Hi! I go to Dal as an undergrad student and am applying for the SLP program. I asked them about my checklist items and they said that it's fine if it doesn't say received, so long as the main things, like the application fee have been submitted and the application itself. If anything is outstanding after they go through the applications, they would let the applicants know. That's what they told me when I went in and asked, because I dropped off my application in person but it still says that it has not yet been received. I would say to give them a call as well, because they are very informative and helpful when you inquire about admission inquiries! Good luck! 

[speech2020eva]

Hey everyone! Very last minute question but does anyone know if the character max for the statement of intent includes spaces? I assumed they weren't included but haven't been able to get a definite answer... thanks:) 

 

 

[DreamingofSpeech]

8 minutes ago, speech2020ana said:

Hey everyone! Very last minute question but does anyone know if the character max for the statement of intent includes spaces? I assumed they weren't included but haven't been able to get a definite answer... thanks:) 

 

 

Spaces are counted as characters in the submission box!

[speech2020eva]

57 minutes ago, DreamingofSpeech said:

Spaces are counted as characters in the submission box!

Thank you for letting me know!!

[speech2020eva]

Does anyone know if you can submit your application before your academic reference submits? Will they receive the reference letter anyway?

One of my profs said he would submit tomorrow (the deadline) but I am concerned that the system might crash (even though I know in the past they have extended the deadline to if there are system problems) and would prefer to submit tonight just to be on the safe side. 

I'd really appreciate it if anyone has info on this!

[tulipz]

@speech2020ana hey! I submitted my application before 2 of my references submitted their letters (looks like we both have slow-poke writers lol), and they were still able to upload afterwards! The only thing was, once you submitted the application you don't have access to the portal for ~ a day.

[speech2020eva]

38 minutes ago, tulipz said:

@speech2020ana hey! I submitted my application before 2 of my references submitted their letters (looks like we both have slow-poke writers lol), and they were still able to upload afterwards! The only thing was, once you submitted the application you don't have access to the portal for ~ a day.

Thank you! That's good to know since I submitted last night:) Good luck on your applications!

[JennSed]

I really screwed up.   I was applying to McMaster and Western. First, I knew the deadline was at 11:59 but I stupidly forgot about the time difference and Ontario is 3 hours ahead of BC. So I started scrambling with a loss of 3 hours I thought I had to polish my application. I finally finished writing my Letter of Intent for ORPAS (Western) about 10 mins before the deadline (I know, huge procrastination and I'm beating myself up for it now). When I originally wrote it, I thought it had to be maximum 3000 words and I was feeling pretty satisfied and proud of my 1400 word letter. When I went to paste it in ORPAS I realized I was 6400 characters over the limit and realized it said maximum 3000 CHARACTERS not words. So I started quickly scrambling to delete things but it was no use. It was impossible to go from 2 pages to 2 paragraphs with the few minutes I had left. So I decided to remove Western off my application completely and just apply to McMaster since they don't require a LOI. I went to go submit and it was too late. It was 11:59 exactly and applications had closed. 

Anyone with experience or similar situation know if I call ORPAS in the morning, if they ever make any exceptions? Is there any hope or possibility they will let me submit late?