2020 Canadian SLP Thread

[k.mau96]

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone had info comparing McGill and U of A. I'm trying to decide between the two, and obviously comparing Edmonton and Montreal location is currently playing a big role. I'd super appreciate any input, even if it's just your personal opinion on program structure and whatnot!  

[k.mau96]

41 minutes ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

If you don't get in, I would suggest contacting the schools you applied to and asking for feedback on your application. They may be able to give you a bit more info about why your application was rejected, and it could give you an idea about what you should focus on next year. I'm crossing my fingers for you though!  

[SLPeh]

58 minutes ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

I retook prerequisite courses that I had lower grades in, and I worked as an SLPA where I got great experience. Having actual experience in this field will definitely help your application. I know many employers require you to have the SLPA certificate, but some just require an undergraduate degree, so it's worth looking into. Best of luck!!

[/əˈmændæ/]

1 hour ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

I would also love any advice from people who applied more than once. How did you improve your application and if there were certain areas you focused on (GPA, volunteer, research or additional experience etc.). I am on the waitlist at UofA and am waiting to hear back from Dal. I don't want to be too hopeful and at least have a game plan for next year, if I don't get it this year.

[slpthings]

1 hour ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

This is my first year applying but I have thought a LOT about this ahh.

I would look at language acquisition or similar labs, at the university you went to. You also potentially get paid a little more if you have a degree. If there is a professor you got along with or liked their work, I would ask them if they need help or know anyone who needs help with research etc.Considering you applied to Western you must have had to shadow an SLP so maybe even ask them for work. I know it sucks working minimum wage if you have a degree but especially with the economic changes we are going to go through due to COVID-19, I would be thankful to have a job. If it is relevant experience at minimum wage, I would still take the experience if you believe it will strengthen your application. You also might have less hours, which could be a good thing, if you can handle that financially, because you could fill those empty spaces with volunteering. 

Also, if it is feasible and you are okay with it, if you did not apply to a lot of schools look for ways to apply to more, by taking classes or retaking classes. I know we all have our dream school but sometimes we have to put more eggs in our baskets. I've heard of some people becoming behavioural therapist assistants or educational assistants and things like that as well, so if that is something you are interested in it might be worth it to check out. 

[c.bee94]

Hey all, I somehow had crazy luck and ended up getting accepted everywhere I applied. Just wanted to say that I will be declining Western and most likely McMaster as well, so for anyone on those waitlists, a spot should open up

As soon as I'm a bit more sure of my decision I'll post on the declining offers thread with more info for anyone who is waiting for spots to open up. Sending you all good vibes! ❤️ 

[SLPsoph]

3 hours ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

I’m not sure if this is what you are looking for but I competed the CDA program instead of taking a year off, and I highly recommend it if you are in the financial situation to do so. You learn so much about speech and language (very similar to what SLPs learn), and you get a large amount of hands on experience. In my program, we have a clinic on-site so I ran weekly sessions with clients, as well as 490 hours in placements during the winter semester. There are 2 programs in Ontario (I’m at Georgian College but there’s one at Durham), and I (as well as many of my classmates) applied after the application deadline and were accepted. Just send an email to ask if they are still accepting applications. When I was deciding last year what I should do with the year, the SLPs I volunteered with said this program wouldn’t hurt your application for SLP, if anything it would benefit it. It won’t count towards your GPA for orpas, but the knowledge is so useful in the field. Just something to think about! 

[CCSLP94]

1 hour ago, SLPsoph said:

I’m not sure if this is what you are looking for but I competed the CDA program instead of taking a year off, and I highly recommend it if you are in the financial situation to do so. You learn so much about speech and language (very similar to what SLPs learn), and you get a large amount of hands on experience. In my program, we have a clinic on-site so I ran weekly sessions with clients, as well as 490 hours in placements during the winter semester. There are 2 programs in Ontario (I’m at Georgian College but there’s one at Durham), and I (as well as many of my classmates) applied after the application deadline and were accepted. Just send an email to ask if they are still accepting applications. When I was deciding last year what I should do with the year, the SLPs I volunteered with said this program wouldn’t hurt your application for SLP, if anything it would benefit it. It won’t count towards your GPA for orpas, but the knowledge is so useful in the field. Just something to think about! 

There's actually a CDA program at St. Lawrence College as well. I'm currently waitlisted for Western but I've been accepted to St. Lawrence and I'll be going there if I don't get an offer from Western.

[slp.dreamer]

8 hours ago, Meggiemoo said:

Could anyone who has had to apply again give some advice on what do you with next year? I'm currently waitlisted at Western, but I feel like I have no game plan if I get rejected. I want to get relevant experience, but I also feel awful working minimum wage if I already have a degree ?. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the most of the year, please let me know! 

As many others mentioned, I would look into the CDA programs! I graduated from one last year and have been working as a CDA since September. This is my fourth year applying to SLP programs and after being waitlisted or rejected from every program in the past I was finally accepted to UofA. I think having the CDA experience and stronger connections with SLPs who wrote supportive letters of recommendation played a huge part in finally getting accepted into a program. 

I also wouldn't feel bad about working a minimum wage job with a degree! You can also spend your time volunteering in different settings while working a job that isn't quite relevant (ex. audiology clinics, aphasia centres, schools, private practices/home clinics, hospitals/treatment centres, etc.). 

I personally don't have any research experience but I know that is something that can make your application stand out. In the past, I tried to connect with my old professors to volunteer in labs or during research projects (unfortunately the opportunity fell through for me but it's worth a shot!)

Wishing you the best!!

[xoSLP]

Hey all! Could anyone who is declining Western give me insight in to your decision? I am thankful I got into both of the schools I applied to and my top choice has always been Western (it's where I did my undergrad) but now I am weighing my options more. What draws you to other schools over Western?

[Justspeechie24]

I have been waitlisted at Western and I am still waiting to hear back from Dalhousie. If I do not get off the waitlist at Western, I will be going to Georgian College for the CDA program and reapplying for 2021. Congratulations to everyone on their acceptances!? 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Justspeechie24

[Justspeechie24]

21 hours ago, SLP-14 said:

Hey! @slp.dreamer I'm currently a first year student in the Dal program. Last year we got emails on April 1st. However, because of all that has happened this year, I would expect it will take a bit longer. But you should find out soon! Let me know if you have any questions about the program. 

I have found that during the application process Dalhousie has been the most difficult communication wise (did not know if they got my application till March, do not answer phones on Fridays or Mondays, never responded to emails before application deadline, did not post application supplement till a couple months after they said it would be on the website), does this improve once you are a student at Dalhousie or does it just get worse? 

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

Hi guys, congrats to everyone who got accepted.

I'm feeling pretty disheartened as I got rejected from all the universities and I'm getting old.

I would really appreciate if anyone who got accepted after reapplying could share their sub-GPA here or via PM.

My sub-GPA is not so good, I would like to know if it's even worth trying again. Thanks!

[Slpeechie]

28 minutes ago, slp2020ab said:

Hi guys, congrats to everyone who got accepted.

I'm feeling pretty disheartened as I got rejected from all the universities and I'm getting old.

I would really appreciate if anyone who got accepted after reapplying could share their sub-GPA here or via PM.

My sub-GPA is not so good, I would like to know if it's even worth trying again. Thanks!

I applied with a 3.91 sub-GPA. You can always take extra classes to boost your GPA. During my undergrad I took a few online classes through Athabasca University and they were all super easy to get an A+ in!

Edited April 3, 2020 by Slpeechie

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

1 hour ago, Slpeechie said:

I applied with a 3.91 sub-GPA. You can always take extra classes to boost your GPA. During my undergrad I took a few online classes through Athabasca University and they were all super easy to get an A+ in!

That's an amazing GPA! Was it the first time you applied or you had to do it multiple times?

So even if you take courses after graduating they would count that? I thought that your sub-GPA is the one you graduate with and there's nothing you can do to improve it...Did I get that wrong?

[SLPhopeful127]

Just a heads up for anyone who will be re-applying next year to Alberta if things don't work out, I've spoken with Vicki and depending on you institution, you may want to obtain letters from your professors  for any coursework being completed this semester. I know that the UofA has switched their grading to Credit/No Credit and therefore students will be able to obtain a letter from their professors about their class performance. She recommended that I hold onto those letters just in case. She also mentioned that "there has been no discussion currently regarding next year. The department is working through covid-19 and budget cuts at this time". 

I want to stress that this isn't something official but is worth considering and looking out for. I know with how things are these days and being asked to self-isolate I'm not sure how things will turn out, so it's best we all do our due diligence and keep records. 

 

[SLP-2020]

Congrats again to everyone who got in  I’m going to assume no one has heard from Dalhousie yet? 

[LIVXO]

8 minutes ago, SLP-2020 said:

Congrats again to everyone who got in  I’m going to assume no one has heard from Dalhousie yet? 

Nope, nothing yet!

[DreamingofSpeech]

18 hours ago, CCSLP94 said:

There's actually a CDA program at St. Lawrence College as well. I'm currently waitlisted for Western but I've been accepted to St. Lawrence and I'll be going there if I don't get an offer from Western.

Hey I'm actually in the exact same situation, currently on the waitlist for Western and this is my second time applying. I'd love to hear your thoughts about making this decision? I'm still torn about whether or not going into the CDA program is the right decision if I do not get in off the waitlist. Hope to hear from you!

[Mmg3618]

I had such a feeling we would hear from Dal at 4:30pm EDT today, but that didn’t happen... let’s hope for Monday!! 

[SLPpleaseSLP]

40 minutes ago, Mmg3618 said:

I had such a feeling we would hear from Dal at 4:30pm EDT today, but that didn’t happen... let’s hope for Monday!! 

I also had a feeling we would hear today! But, I guess not.. 

[DreamingofSpeech]

10 hours ago, Justspeechie24 said:

I have been waitlisted at Western and I am still waiting to hear back from Dalhousie. If I do not get off the waitlist at Western, I will be going to Georgian College for the CDA program and reapplying for 2021. Congratulations to everyone on their acceptances!? 

Hey! Just curious.. I am also considering going into a CDA program if I do not get off the waitlist but I'm wondering why you would choose to attend a CDA program and still apply for entrance next year? No judgement here! Just most people I've seen will purées CDA and work in that field for a few years to gain professional experience and then apply again to SLP later on. Just wondering what your thought process is

[Slpqwe]

Hi Everyone,

The McGill undergraduate association held an online panel of first year S-LP students from a bunch of schools in Canada. If someone needs help with a decision, they gave a lot of useful information in this interview. I believe the students said they would put their contact info in the comments if anyone wants to contact them directly. Just thought I would share!

https://www.facebook.com/1904339623185735/posts/2735162903436732/

[AintThatSpeechy]

Hi everyone!

I was curious if anyone could let me know about their experience as an SLP student at McMaster? I'm finding it difficult to find anything from a student's perspective related to their SLP program. Thank you!!

 

 

[Origami_Princess]

4 hours ago, DreamingofSpeech said:

Hey! Just curious.. I am also considering going into a CDA program if I do not get off the waitlist but I'm wondering why you would choose to attend a CDA program and still apply for entrance next year? No judgement here! Just most people I've seen will purées CDA and work in that field for a few years to gain professional experience and then apply again to SLP later on. Just wondering what your thought process is

Just curious, I am thinking of the same thing as well. Did you already apply to a CDA program?