2021 Canadian SLP Thread

[gradschoolpls]

51 minutes ago, SpeechieAlly said:

Hi gradschoolpls,

I just copied the description from my school's course calendar and then shortened that until it fit the 150 characters. Unfortunately you will have to take out some info but I would at least make sure that you keep the gist of the course details.

P.S. great screen name

Hi, 

Thanks for replying! Ok sounds good, I did the same; "...snippet of description..." I just wanted to see what others were doing or if there was something specific we needed to do if it was larger than the character amount. 

Thanks!!

[SpeechieAlly]

Hello everybody,

What are you all talking about for accomplishments in the UofT and Western statements of intent if you have no specific academic accomplishments? I've having trouble thinking of what non-academic things apply here.

[wug#2]

16 hours ago, SpeechieAlly said:

Hello everybody,

What are you all talking about for accomplishments in the UofT and Western statements of intent if you have no specific academic accomplishments? I've having trouble thinking of what non-academic things apply here.

- Leadership scholarships 

- extra curricular activities

-Certificates awarded from completing an SLP-related course or conference (this suggests that you are seeking out evidence-based knowledge that is up to date, which is something SLP's are expected to do in their practice). 

Hope this helps!

[Loki_Odinson]

1 hour ago, wug#2 said:

- Leadership scholarships 

- extra curricular activities

-Certificates awarded from completing an SLP-related course or conference (this suggests that you are seeking out evidence-based knowledge that is up to date, which is something SLP's are expected to do in their practice). 

Hope this helps!

Hey,

These are all so helpful to me as well! Thank you!

I was however, wondering if a certificate program I took (like first-aid) for child safety in 2017 would be something to mention that would look good on the application?

This is my first time applying and I am just second guessing every decision I make!

[gradschoolpls]

Hey, how do I find my OUAC or ORPAS number when registering to do the CASPER test?

[SLPhopeful127]

For those who are applying to the UofA, have you seen this message on the department page. Does it mean that they'll be taking into account how competitive an applicant's GPA is? 

A plan of action towards an Anti-Racist Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at University of Alberta

In keeping with our commitment to recognize barriers and increase Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI), we are adjusting our admissions process in two ways beginning in 2021. This is in addition to the requirement for all students admitted to the MSc-SLP program to complete a course focused on Indigenous History in Canada. 

First, GPA will be primarily restricted to an entrance requirement.  Students will need to meet the minimum GPA of 3.3 on most 4-point grading systems ( or B+ on most letter grading systems). 

Second, we strongly encourage applicants to highlight their personal experiences with respect to equity, diversity and inclusion. In doing so, applicants can reflect upon how these experiences have inspired their interest in speech-language pathology and/or will influence their role as a Speech-Language Pathologist. This can be accomplished in several ways, for example, 1) the resume, 2) the statement of career interests and/or 3) in the requested reference letters.

 

[gradhopeful20]

Hey all! I'm a first year UofA student (also applied to Ontario schools), please message me if you have any questions! I hope you're all doing okay, I know this was such an incredibly stressful process and I can't imagine how your experience is being affected by COVID. You got this  

[zabeeba]

Hi! Did anyone here take the GRE for Dalhousie SLP? Dalhousie keeps its evaluations of GRE percentiles real mysterious. I'm wondering if you have any tips on when to stop retaking it?

 

I took it once and got a high-enough percentile for verbal and essays, and 48th percentile for quant with a score of 153 (even though math is what I practiced my head off for). I usually got 51st-61st percentile during quant practice so I feel like I can do better. It may be just pride to want to retake it just to likely move up a few points, but I also don't that to hurt me especially that I'm applying with an average/just below average GPA. I also don't want to retake it for the next application cycle if I don't get in this time around cuz I don't wanna start practice all over again. What do you think? Some people have been saying the GRE isn't that big of a factor in admissions, but I'm not sure. Thank you so much!!

[JennSed]

On 9/25/2020 at 11:52 AM, speech2020 said:

Is anyone here applying for a second time? I just started the process again, and have realized that U of T and Western are both eliminating the volunteer hour/clinical reference requirement for this year because of Covid... This is pretty upsetting for a second time applicant who has spent the last 5 years getting as many hours as possible. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat here. 

If anything, I think it is more of an advantage to you because you'll stand out having those hours when other people weren't able to get them. Just because they don't require it, doesn't mean they don't take it into account if you do have it!

[JennSed]

On 10/24/2020 at 9:12 AM, fingerscrossedSLP said:

Awesome, thanks so much!

Also, just so you don't make the same mistake as me, when Western says the maximum characters for the statement of intent is 3000 characters, that includes spaces!! So it really is only like 2 paragraphs. I wrote two pages and then had to fumble to shorten it to 2 paragraphs when I tried to submit it. 

[fingerscrossedSLP]

On 11/24/2020 at 12:58 AM, JennSed said:

Also, just so you don't make the same mistake as me, when Western says the maximum characters for the statement of intent is 3000 characters, that includes spaces!! So it really is only like 2 paragraphs. I wrote two pages and then had to fumble to shorten it to 2 paragraphs when I tried to submit it. 

Wow, I didn't even consider spaces lol. I guess having a shorter word count has its pros and cons. Thanks for the heads up!

[JennSed]

On 11/22/2020 at 5:38 PM, zabeeba said:

Hi! Did anyone here take the GRE for Dalhousie SLP? Dalhousie keeps its evaluations of GRE percentiles real mysterious. I'm wondering if you have any tips on when to stop retaking it?

 

I took it once and got a high-enough percentile for verbal and essays, and 48th percentile for quant with a score of 153 (even though math is what I practiced my head off for). I usually got 51st-61st percentile during quant practice so I feel like I can do better. It may be just pride to want to retake it just to likely move up a few points, but I also don't that to hurt me especially that I'm applying with an average/just below average GPA. I also don't want to retake it for the next application cycle if I don't get in this time around cuz I don't wanna start practice all over again. What do you think? Some people have been saying the GRE isn't that big of a factor in admissions, but I'm not sure. Thank you so much!!

•  

Hey! 

I took the GRE for U of A. I felt I did really poorly on the quant section so I retook it and improved, but that still only put me at the 34th percentile which I was really worried about. I got accepted to U of A and am currently in the program, and everyone I've asked in my program got around that as well. Some people even got in the teens-20's percentile rank and still got accepted. I can't speak to Dalhousie specifically, but it doesn't seem like the GRE is highly weighted. If anything, I think maybe they focus more on the written and verbal sections since the program is so linguistically based. In my opinion, 48th percentile is actually a really high score for quant (considering we aren't like engineers or math majors), so I wouldn't bother wasting your time and money to retake it! Honestly, I think for the most part they use the GRE requirement as a way to "weed" people out (I.e. some people see that requirement and don't bother even applying because of it), so it reduces applicants to people that will put in the extra work of the GRE or show they are dedicated to do whatever requirements to get into that school. 

Hope that helps!

[NDspeechie]

When we input volunteer experiences, can we put job experiences in that section as well?? If it's related to S-LP?

[zabeeba]

22 hours ago, JennSed said:

Hey! 

I took the GRE for U of A. I felt I did really poorly on the quant section so I retook it and improved, but that still only put me at the 34th percentile which I was really worried about. I got accepted to U of A and am currently in the program, and everyone I've asked in my program got around that as well. Some people even got in the teens-20's percentile rank and still got accepted. I can't speak to Dalhousie specifically, but it doesn't seem like the GRE is highly weighted. If anything, I think maybe they focus more on the written and verbal sections since the program is so linguistically based. In my opinion, 48th percentile is actually a really high score for quant (considering we aren't like engineers or math majors), so I wouldn't bother wasting your time and money to retake it! Honestly, I think for the most part they use the GRE requirement as a way to "weed" people out (I.e. some people see that requirement and don't bother even applying because of it), so it reduces applicants to people that will put in the extra work of the GRE or show they are dedicated to do whatever requirements to get into that school. 

Hope that helps!

That did help!! Thank you so much for your super thorough response, I really appreciate it. I don't know anyone applying to SLP since I kinda went off on my own from my batch to apply and really needed some advice. Thank you once again!!

[SLP_hopeful123]

On 11/25/2020 at 9:11 PM, NDspeechie said:

When we input volunteer experiences, can we put job experiences in that section as well?? If it's related to S-LP?

When I attended an info session for Western the other day someone asked. They said you can also include related work experience (so, paid experiences).

[fingerscrossedSLP]

On 11/17/2020 at 11:06 PM, gradschoolpls said:

Hey, how do I find my OUAC or ORPAS number when registering to do the CASPER test?

You actually won't be able to find out your ORPAS number until you submit the application. I think you just have to say that you're going to take the test when you apply, and then take it by the deadline (ex: Ottawa's is sometime in February I believe).

Edited November 30, 2020 by fingerscrossedSLP

[SpeechieAlly]

Just over a month until applications are due! How's everyone's coming along? I'm still struggling with the statement of intent.

[SLP_hopeful123]

22 hours ago, SpeechieAlly said:

Just over a month until applications are due! How's everyone's coming along? I'm still struggling with the statement of intent.

Me too... Not sure what to include or how informative / passionate I should be  

[speechncookies]

37 minutes ago, SLP_hopeful123 said:

Me too... Not sure what to include or how informative / passionate I should be  

How many experiences are you all talking about? Or have you heard any advice/tips about this? I'm also stuck here ?

[SLPhopeful127]

On 12/1/2020 at 3:37 PM, SLP_hopeful123 said:

Me too... Not sure what to include or how informative / passionate I should be  

 

On 12/1/2020 at 4:23 PM, speechncookies said:

How many experiences are you all talking about? Or have you heard any advice/tips about this? I'm also stuck here ?

Hey there! I'm a second time applicant.

I'm assuming that your statement of intent has a word/page limit therefore it's important to be really selective about the experiences you're elaborating on. Your statement is your chance to tell them why they should pick you. Why you stand out and what you can bring to the cohort that you're peers might not be able to. You really have to sell yourself. And so take pride in your accomplishments, the lessons you learned, and exude that confidence. Passion gets you far because it'll answer the so-what. Your grades and resume are just facts about you - they don't tell the admissions committee why your applying. I really had to do some soul searching and went through countless drafts. Its hard to think about yourself so ask the people around you what makes you special. I probably asked a dozen people why they thought I should apply. 

Research the universities you're applying to. Identify an area of interest that aligns with a professor. It's a good idea that you contact them and try and get a meeting. Or you can just mention that you like their work and would like the opportunity to join their lab and work under their mentorship. 

You really want to identify two things: What value do you bring to them and how they can help your professional goals. The bottom line is that you have to tell them why you're a good match. 

Your statement might be different depending on the guidelines of the university. I know the schools I considered were pretty open ended. Also if you have any gaps in your application - maybe you had a bad semester it's a good idea to address it. You can mention why it happened and how you've recuperated or what you learned from it. It's better to address it (you don't need to go into too much detail) then have the committee come to their own conclusions. 

Hopefully that helps. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. 

[SLP_hopeful123]

2 hours ago, SLPhopeful127 said:

 

Hey there! I'm a second time applicant.

I'm assuming that your statement of intent has a word/page limit therefore it's important to be really selective about the experiences you're elaborating on. Your statement is your chance to tell them why they should pick you. Why you stand out and what you can bring to the cohort that you're peers might not be able to. You really have to sell yourself. And so take pride in your accomplishments, the lessons you learned, and exude that confidence. Passion gets you far because it'll answer the so-what. Your grades and resume are just facts about you - they don't tell the admissions committee why your applying. I really had to do some soul searching and went through countless drafts. Its hard to think about yourself so ask the people around you what makes you special. I probably asked a dozen people why they thought I should apply. 

Research the universities you're applying to. Identify an area of interest that aligns with a professor. It's a good idea that you contact them and try and get a meeting. Or you can just mention that you like their work and would like the opportunity to join their lab and work under their mentorship. 

You really want to identify two things: What value do you bring to them and how they can help your professional goals. The bottom line is that you have to tell them why you're a good match. 

Your statement might be different depending on the guidelines of the university. I know the schools I considered were pretty open ended. Also if you have any gaps in your application - maybe you had a bad semester it's a good idea to address it. You can mention why it happened and how you've recuperated or what you learned from it. It's better to address it (you don't need to go into too much detail) then have the committee come to their own conclusions. 

Hopefully that helps. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. 

Thank you so much, that really helps!

[SLP_hopeful123]

On 11/13/2020 at 8:04 PM, SpeechieAlly said:

Is any one open to potentially exchanging Statements of Intent for mutual editing? I want someone familiar with the field and programs to look at my statement before I submit. I would certainly return the favour if anyone is willing  

Hi, shoot me a message!

[Wugs]

Hi everyone - I'm worried I've made a mistake. I submitted my University of Alberta application with only my transcripts, as I read in the instructions that we only needed to upload transcripts to submit. I also asked during the OASIS conference how I can upload my GRE score, and she said I can do that after submission. I was under the impression we can upload all the other documents, like CVs and Career Statements after submission? If anyone has already submitted, do you know  if and how you can upload these documents after submission?

[/əˈmændæ/]

On 12/5/2020 at 11:21 AM, Wugs said:

Hi everyone - I'm worried I've made a mistake. I submitted my University of Alberta application with only my transcripts, as I read in the instructions that we only needed to upload transcripts to submit. I also asked during the OASIS conference how I can upload my GRE score, and she said I can do that after submission. I was under the impression we can upload all the other documents, like CVs and Career Statements after submission? If anyone has already submitted, do you know  if and how you can upload these documents after submission?

Hello! Don't worry, you can still upload documents after submitting your application! If you go to your GSMS portal, it will show your submitted application, click on it and you will be able to upload/delete documents from there until the deadline. 

[Guest]

Hi everyone! 

First time applicant here.

I am quite worried about my applications this year. Could someone give me guidance?

I did quite poorly my first year of undergrad but retook a lot of these courses. Unfortunately, McGill considers both grades when calculating my GPA, which brings me down by a lot. I end up with a 3.3 instead of a 3.5 for my undergrad, which really worries me. Would McGill still consider my application?

For my sub-GPA for ORPAS, my exchange (international grades) is excluded from the 20 most recent half-courses, which means that courses from my first year are used. This drops my sub-GPA considerably, which would have been a 3.6 and is now a 3.3. 

I am wondering if this is something I could bring to the attention of the application commitee or if I shouldn't even bother applying. Please let me know if anyone has had a similar experience!