2023 Canada Admissions SLP thread

[MeganisaCDA]

Just wanted to give an update for those of us waiting to hear back from McGill still.

I sent an e-mail asking about when I could anticipate hearing back and Antoinette said "Admission Committee members are updating application files on a rolling basis up-to April 15th"

Not the answer I was hoping for but now I'm just going to tell myself to stop waiting for a phone call.

Hang in there everyone! 

[speechplumpear]

40 minutes ago, MeganisaCDA said:

Just wanted to give an update for those of us waiting to hear back from McGill still.

I sent an e-mail asking about when I could anticipate hearing back and Antoinette said "Admission Committee members are updating application files on a rolling basis up-to April 15th"

Not the answer I was hoping for but now I'm just going to tell myself to stop waiting for a phone call.

Hang in there everyone! 

Thank you so much for this update! I'm not just sitting here hyperventilating, nope, not me :/

[speechbean]

Has anyone reached out to Alberta to ask when we might hear back? 

[SLP_Sarah]

1 minute ago, speechbean said:

Has anyone reached out to Alberta to ask when we might hear back? 

I haven't. I'm guessing they would just give us a similar message as McGill - will send out emails by April 15th. I could be wrong, though. 

[15itspossibleslp]

3 minutes ago, speechbean said:

Has anyone reached out to Alberta to ask when we might hear back? 

I am also wondering the same thing. It could be this week!

[MajorTom10]

6 minutes ago, speechbean said:

Has anyone reached out to Alberta to ask when we might hear back? 

No, cause Vicki scares me 🤣

 

[ukeSLP]

I just got the email from McGill saying that I was accepted! Ahhh I was not expecting this, Im so happy :)

[kits123]

1 hour ago, speechbean said:

Has anyone reached out to Alberta to ask when we might hear back? 

I asked Vicky and she said we should hear about the decision by the first week of April!

[MajorTom10]

7 minutes ago, kits123 said:

I asked Vicky and she said we should hear about the decision by the first week of April!

My anxiety liked it better when I didn't know that I could hear next week! 😵

 

I saw in older threads they send an email that says there's a message in your portal. I was worried about missing a call, so I wanted to share that with others! 

[Elodie2]

50 minutes ago, ukeSLP said:

I just got the email from McGill saying that I was accepted! Ahhh I was not expecting this, Im so happy

Congratulations! Could you share your GPA and Casper quartile please ?

[ukeSLP]

9 minutes ago, Elodie2 said:

Congratulations! Could you share your GPA and Casper quartile please ?

Sure! my cGPA is 3.86 and my caspr was 3rd quartile. I don't have any direct experience with SLP or research in that field because I did a health science degree, but I do have published research in my field. I've been an ESL teacher abroad for over a year now and have various different volunteer and work experiences (cultural association, children's hospital...etc) that are all over the place lol. But in my SOI, I tried to link everything together to SLP! Oh and also I am bilingual

[Elodie2]

1 hour ago, ukeSLP said:

Sure! my cGPA is 3.86 and my caspr was 3rd quartile. I don't have any direct experience with SLP or research in that field because I did a health science degree, but I do have published research in my field. I've been an ESL teacher abroad for over a year now and have various different volunteer and work experiences (cultural association, children's hospital...etc) that are all over the place lol. But in my SOI, I tried to link everything together to SLP! Oh and also I am bilingual

Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

[HopefullyASoonToBeSLP]

5 hours ago, kits123 said:

I asked Vicky and she said we should hear about the decision by the first week of April!

screaming, crying, AND throwing up

[SLP_applicantttt]

Hi!

I was wondering for those who got accepted into McGill, does your offer say “Dear Applicant” or “Dear Mr. Ms you last name”

Edited March 28, 2023 by C_Mcgill

[ukeSLP]

29 minutes ago, C_Mcgill said:

Hi!

I was wondering for those who got accepted into McGill, does your offer say “Dear Applicant” or “Dear Mr. Ms you last name”

Mine says "Dear applicant"

Also my application portal hasn't updated either, it still says "In review" lol

[torontonian-in-paris]

feeling so blessed to have received so many wonderful replies about casper... it's really giving me hope. thank you all so much. 

[linggrad2023]

Anyone else feeling frustrated with the timelines for hearing back from schools? I've applied to work in a more senior position at a company I'm already employed with for a year in case I don't get in and have to let them know if I'm accepting their offer of employment by this Saturday. Due to the nature of the interview and selection process they can't move back the deadline at all, so I essentially will have to accept without knowing about slp. If by some *miracle* I do end up getting in, I'm gonna feel so bad bailing on this company since they would have to start the interview/selection process from scratch to find a replacement. I wish grad schools realized that backup plans exist on a timeline too and it's unfortunate that everything is dependent on when they decide to get back to us (specifically the schools that accept on a rolling basis). Just wanted to get this off my chest, anyone else in a similar boat?

[speechbean]

24 minutes ago, linggrad2023 said:

Anyone else feeling frustrated with the timelines for hearing back from schools? I've applied to work in a more senior position at a company I'm already employed with for a year in case I don't get in and have to let them know if I'm accepting their offer of employment by this Saturday. Due to the nature of the interview and selection process they can't move back the deadline at all, so I essentially will have to accept without knowing about slp. If by some *miracle* I do end up getting in, I'm gonna feel so bad bailing on this company since they would have to start the interview/selection process from scratch to find a replacement. I wish grad schools realized that backup plans exist on a timeline too and it's unfortunate that everything is dependent on when they decide to get back to us (specifically the schools that accept on a rolling basis). Just wanted to get this off my chest, anyone else in a similar boat?

YEP! I am in the same position, I have to accept an offer for a 12 month contract by the end of this week and would feel terrible having to tell them I am leaving, likely so soon after I would start the job too. Fingers and toes crossed we get some good news this week! 

[15itspossibleslp]

47 minutes ago, linggrad2023 said:

Anyone else feeling frustrated with the timelines for hearing back from schools? I've applied to work in a more senior position at a company I'm already employed with for a year in case I don't get in and have to let them know if I'm accepting their offer of employment by this Saturday. Due to the nature of the interview and selection process they can't move back the deadline at all, so I essentially will have to accept without knowing about slp. If by some *miracle* I do end up getting in, I'm gonna feel so bad bailing on this company since they would have to start the interview/selection process from scratch to find a replacement. I wish grad schools realized that backup plans exist on a timeline too and it's unfortunate that everything is dependent on when they decide to get back to us (specifically the schools that accept on a rolling basis). Just wanted to get this off my chest, anyone else in a similar boat?

I am on a similar situation, my life feels like it was on hold for a few years now because of SLP apps. I understand the confusion of where you should head your life. I also applied to a research position that is 1 year contract and I did not expect to actually get the job. I will be working with amazing doctors in the research area and I will feel so bad to bail on them too, but I had to find something this year in case SLP won't go through. So many quick decision making I have to consider too. Don't worry I feel many of us have similar experiences. Whatever happens I hope it is all for the best!   

[Emmaa_]

1 hour ago, linggrad2023 said:

Anyone else feeling frustrated with the timelines for hearing back from schools? I've applied to work in a more senior position at a company I'm already employed with for a year in case I don't get in and have to let them know if I'm accepting their offer of employment by this Saturday. Due to the nature of the interview and selection process they can't move back the deadline at all, so I essentially will have to accept without knowing about slp. If by some *miracle* I do end up getting in, I'm gonna feel so bad bailing on this company since they would have to start the interview/selection process from scratch to find a replacement. I wish grad schools realized that backup plans exist on a timeline too and it's unfortunate that everything is dependent on when they decide to get back to us (specifically the schools that accept on a rolling basis). Just wanted to get this off my chest, anyone else in a similar boat?

Absolutely. April is so late to be letting students know where they will be in 4-5 months

[SoaringSLP]

On 3/22/2023 at 2:37 PM, Natalie SLP said:

My idea is that I mainly lacked hands-on experience. I didn't get any feedback about why I was rejected though. I was also in the final year of my undergraduate degree and someone on this forum suggested it could've been because I had prerequisites in progress? I didn't really understand how that would affect my application though. 

I think my application is stronger this time around. My sGPA is higher at a 3.94 and I'm also currently working as an EA to help boost my application. I also improved my statement of intent as I had more experience to talk about compared to last year. 

It was really discouraging at first but I learned a lot working in this position and I feel more (cautiously) optimistic knowing I have some experience to back up my drive to become a SLP. It goes to show that admissions can be really unpredictable. Wishing everyone good luck! 

I'm a current SLP student at UofT and I have classmates with lower sGPAs and less experience who were able to get in. I know many that did not have any direct SLP related experience but were accepted. Even if you haven't had any direct hands on experience in the field, I would not discount other experiences that involve leadership, working with kids, research, volunteering in the community etc, which many of them had. 

My sGPA was similar to yours and I had some experience working with adults with aphasia, but definitely not as vast as others that I know. It's quite a peculiar case that UofT did not accept you since they value GPA quite a bit but it could be the references and statement of intent that may have been a contributing factor. The statement of intent and having strong references can really elevate an application. I know western especially wants students to demonstrate how their past experiences, regardless of whether they are SLP-related, make them a good fit for the field, and what characteristics they believe will make them a good clinician.

From the dozens of statement of intents I've read, the ones from those who get in are really more on discussing those aspects rather than talking about their passion for the field and simply listing their experiences instead of elaborating on the WHY. I know UofT is seen as the school that cares only about academics but you need to be well rounded. It's also very important to ask professors who can give you a strong reference, as that can help you stick out as well. It seems as though you have improved both of those aspects so you'll likely hear back. Having your prerequisites in progress is not at all a factor that would have discounted you. 

I know this is a late reply as I'm not as active on this forum because of coursework but I hope this may be a bit helpful to you and others perplexed by this.

[SLPAPP22]

Just wondering if anyone knows what the lowest sGPA for Western acceptances seems to be based on past years/applications? I have a 3.78 sGPA and I'm really not feeling very strongly about getting accepted. 

[Natalie SLP]

27 minutes ago, SoaringSLP said:

I'm a current SLP student at UofT and I have classmates with lower sGPAs and less experience who were able to get in. I know many that did not have any direct SLP related experience but were accepted. Even if you haven't had any direct hands on experience in the field, I would not discount other experiences that involve leadership, working with kids, research, volunteering in the community etc, which many of them had. 

My sGPA was similar to yours and I had some experience working with adults with aphasia, but definitely not as vast as others that I know. It's quite a peculiar case that UofT did not accept you since they value GPA quite a bit but it could be the references and statement of intent that may have been a contributing factor. The statement of intent and having strong references can really elevate an application. I know western especially wants students to demonstrate how their past experiences, regardless of whether they are SLP-related, make them a good fit for the field, and what characteristics they believe will make them a good clinician.

From the dozens of statement of intents I've read, the ones from those who get in are really more on discussing those aspects rather than talking about their passion for the field and simply listing their experiences instead of elaborating on the WHY. I know UofT is seen as the school that cares only about academics but you need to be well rounded. It's also very important to ask professors who can give you a strong reference, as that can help you stick out as well. It seems as though you have improved both of those aspects so you'll likely hear back. Having your prerequisites in progress is not at all a factor that would have discounted you. 

I know this is a late reply as I'm not as active on this forum because of coursework but I hope this may be a bit helpful to you and others perplexed by this.

Thank you for your insight! I really appreciate it. I agree - I think I didn't focus enough on the characteristics that would make a great SLP. I felt like I did at the time, but looking back I feel like it could've been stronger and I could have been more specific. Or maybe I didn't have enough to back it up. Or maybe I'm just being hard on myself lol. I definitely think my statement of intent is much stronger this time around as I tweaked my focus, talking about why I would make a good SLP and having actual work experience as an EA to use for examples. I used the same references for this round and got accepted to McGill. I took multiple courses with these professors so I'm not sure that was the area I was lacking. It's really hard to say!

I try not to dwell on it and I guess I'll just have to see come April 3rd whether or not U of T accepts me. It's nice to know that I have McGill to fall back on though. U of T and McGill are my top choices. Goes to show that GPA isn't everything and you definitely need to present yourself as a well-rounded applicant, as you said. 

[NikolaSLP]

38 minutes ago, BSLP22 said:

Just wondering if anyone knows what the lowest sGPA for Western acceptances seems to be based on past years/applications? I have a 3.78 sGPA and I'm really not feeling very strongly about getting accepted. 

I remember last year people with 3.5 sGPAs were accepted to Western, granted they had really well rounded applications. I think Western takes a holistic approach to evaluating thier applicants, as they have rejected people with really high sGPAs, in favour of people with lower sGPAs with good SOPs, experince, and references. 

It's hard but try not to stress. What happens now is out of your control. Trust in your hard work and know that if it doesn't work out this go you can always try again!

[Slpmanna]

Did anyone get any news about acceptances today?