SLP/Communication Disorders Masters Applicants

[hopefulslp88]

I just received an email to interview at Saint Rose,does anyone know anything about the interview process there??

[midnight]

jmarti37: I'm applying to UVA, too, and I don't think your GPA is at all a concern. Your degrees and experience sound really impressive, too.

 

I think most schools consider the total package, though I have seen schools that heavily emphasize GPA (e.g., the other school I'm applying to states on their site that accepted applicants generally have GPAs of 3.3 or above--then again, perhaps those with 3.3+ GPAs tend to have stronger applications altogether).

[speech310]

does anybody happen to know if BU sent out interview invites yet? Or anyone have any idea when they will be sent out if they havent been yet?

[SLPjmar]

Are any of you guys graduating with your B.S. this semester? Did you wind up applying to your undergrad institution for grad?

[badgerina]

Hello all!

 

Reading all these posts makes me petrified I'm not going to get in anywhere!

 

I graduated with a BA in linguistics, then went abroad on a Fulbright ETA, stayed an extra year, then decided to switch to SLP.  I'm currently in my last semester of leveling classes and it seems like if you don't have a 4.0 and a 1600 GRE you can forget about it! Plus, as an out of field (kind of) applicant, I feel like the odds are stacked against me!

My undergrad GPA was 3.65 (major gpa higher), leveling courses so far a 3.8 (4 A's and a B so far). 

 

But when I see that so many universities have hundreds of applicants I get so nervous!  I'm really hoping for UW Madison as it would mean not moving, but it's a tough one to get into!  UW Whitewater would be a commute, but all others would require moving and hubbie having to get a new job

 

Only at least a month to go!

 

Anyone know if all schools do interviews or if only some do?

[SLPjmar]

Hello all!

 

Reading all these posts makes me petrified I'm not going to get in anywhere!

 

I graduated with a BA in linguistics, then went abroad on a Fulbright ETA, stayed an extra year, then decided to switch to SLP.  I'm currently in my last semester of leveling classes and it seems like if you don't have a 4.0 and a 1600 GRE you can forget about it! Plus, as an out of field (kind of) applicant, I feel like the odds are stacked against me!

My undergrad GPA was 3.65 (major gpa higher), leveling courses so far a 3.8 (4 A's and a B so far). 

 

But when I see that so many universities have hundreds of applicants I get so nervous!  I'm really hoping for UW Madison as it would mean not moving, but it's a tough one to get into!  UW Whitewater would be a commute, but all others would require moving and hubbie having to get a new job

 

Only at least a month to go!

 

Anyone know if all schools do interviews or if only some do?

 

None of the schools I applied to hold interviews. I was told they simply don't have the time or resources, since they receive hundreds of applications. That's why SOPs are so important; the admissions committee can get a sense of who you are without ever meeting you. Although I feel like I would be able to shine in an interview setting. 

 

Good luck!

[badgerina]

Ah ok. I hadn't heard of the universities I applied to doing them, and was just wondering if I completely missed something. 

 

I'm just hoping my SOP was ok, I tend to be terrible at writing them, but I felt a bit confident in my POS this time.  MY LORs could be a bit interesting (one of them is from my boss abroad and they do them slightly differently), but I guess I'll find out soon enough

 

I like to think I'm competitive, but I think I'm only in the middle somewhere

[SLPjmar]

Ah ok. I hadn't heard of the universities I applied to doing them, and was just wondering if I completely missed something. 

 

I'm just hoping my SOP was ok, I tend to be terrible at writing them, but I felt a bit confident in my POS this time.  MY LORs could be a bit interesting (one of them is from my boss abroad and they do them slightly differently), but I guess I'll find out soon enough

 

I like to think I'm competitive, but I think I'm only in the middle somewhere

 

It's so hard to figure out what's competitive and what isn't. Have you found out what the average GPA/GRE's are for the schools you applied to?

[badgerina]

According to ASHA's website, I'm right in the range they give for GPA and just above their GRE averages for my top pick (and therefore over all markers for the smaller schools I applied to), but UW itself says that the average GPA for an applicant is 3.9 and GRE about 1400.  I don't know where they get those numbers from, because they sound awfully high, even for a top program. 

 

Then again, UW emphasizes their post-bacc program, and I figure they have to accept someone from it (esp since I did my undergrad there too as well), otherwise there would be no point to the program. 

 

I'm just happy if I get in somewhere.  Anywhere.  Preferably with instate tuition.  Or lots of funding 

[midnight]

badgerina, I think you sound competitive, at least from the POV of your GPA and background.

 

Madison is competitive, but Whitewater seems to be less so. However, a lot of the competitive schools seem to be wild cards when it comes to acceptances. If you check the Gradcafe results board, there were some Madison acceptees with 3.5 GPAs and 1150 GRE scores last year and in 2011. It's just too hard to say who the schools pick and why, and all you can do is try!

 

While I don't know your GRE scores and haven't read your SOP, I think you likely have a good shot at any of the schools on your list. I also think it's worth remembering that you've done all you can do to make a good impression, and everything will work out somehow.

Edited February 1, 2013 by midnight streetlight

[chellinchen]

Badgerina, I'm doubling up on midnight streetlight & jmarti37.  You seem competitive - I also had a Fulbright & was told that could help to give me an edge, especially since I am out-of-field as well.  The schools you applied to are good mix of highly competitive & less competitive, but it is a crap shoot - I think you have every reason to hope.

 

Neither school I applied to conducts interviews, although I did schedule a visit with my top choice & request a meeting with the professor I hoped would be my adviser.

 

I thought the conversation I had with the department head went well, but the potential adviser left me on uncertain ground.  She's seems fairly kind & incredibly well-versed in her field (obviously).  But she also came down really hard on my specific interest (working with non-native English speaking adults who have neurogenic brain disorders).  She told me I was getting ahead of myself, I couldn't know so specifically yet what I was interested in & passed along several sources that would introduce me to the field (most of which I've already reviewed).

 

It took me by surprise, especially as she seemed to think it meant I wasn't open to learning across the life cycle.  I very much am open to exploring the field as a whole - but I'm 30.  I've been in the work force for several years.  I can say with almost 100% certainty that I don't want build a career on working with children.

 

I thought that part of applying to graduate school was to be open to learning & experiences while still having a fairly definite idea of what you wanted to do.  Did anyone else run into similar issues?

[midnight]

chellinchen, that's really disappointing.

 

I agree with you--grad school is a time of discovery but also of focus. I think it's almost...condescending? presumptuous? insulting? to assume that you can't possibly have a defined interest while exploring everything the field has to offer.

 

I'm kind of worried because I specified my interest in aphasia in one of my SOPs. The school's prompt essentially asked me to write about my academic interests, and that's my main one *as of right now*. That doesn't mean my path won't change once I'm in school or that I'm going to shutter myself off from learning, and I truly hope they don't take it that way. I worried about that while writing my SOP, but I (perhaps wrongly) assumed that the school would understand that I'm flexible and open to new experiences.

 

Anyway, I totally understand where you're coming from.

[chellinchen]

Exactly.  Perhaps my previous graduate school experience skewed me - I was in a History PhD program & if you had applied without a fairly specific interest (mine was Turkish immigration to German from 1973-90, ergo my current interest in working with migrant / non-native English speaking populations), you didn't have a chance of being considered.

 

Perhaps it is the difference in field, or because this is a masters & that was a PhD program, but now I'm getting more the impression that it is better if your SOP focuses on your background & why you are passionate about SLP, rather than what you hope to do once you are in the field.

[SLPjmar]

I find that to be so strange. Just because we have defined interests right now doesn't mean we aren't interested in learning even more. That just seems absurd to  me. I indicated my strong interest in working with cochlear implants/AVT and I kind of think that makes me a unique applicant. Especially since I double-majored with Deaf studies, and held an important internship related to hearing loss. I also tied this into the reason I first became passionate about SLP: meeting and working with an implanted child. 

 

Sometimes I feel like we just drive ourselves crazy with what we should do/shouldn't do/should be/shouldn't be. If a school is going to turn me down for expressing enthusiasm and interest in a specific subset of speech and language, I'm not sure I'd want to go there anyway. 

Edited February 1, 2013 by jmarti37

[gingersnap18]

I emailed BU asking about interviews and they said they would be letting people know if they got interviews by February 11th.

[speech310]

I emailed BU asking about interviews and they said they would be letting people know if they got interviews by February 11th.

thank you!

 

ahh getting super nervous now...

[smoose5]

BU is my top choice! SO nervous now...this wait is awful!

[buttercupracer]

BU didn't do interviews last year! Wonder why they changed. Good luck with this process everyone, I went through it last year and I remember how nerve wracking it was. I'm a first year graduate student this year and anyone is welcome to PM me questions if you have any

[SLPjmar]

Why did you guys choose to apply to these certain schools? Was it cost/geographical location/reputation? Or something else?

[katieliz456]

Wow, BU seems to be a popular choice! Hopefully we will be getting some good news re: interviews in the next few weeks I got to visit the campus in August and it seems amazing!

[TalkItOut_9]

I heard Emerson might be sending out their first batch of acceptances within the next two weeks! Ah!

[SLPjmar]

I heard Emerson might be sending out their first batch of acceptances within the next two weeks! Ah!

 

Good luck!!

[SLP1990]

For those of you accepted at GWU today, when did you apply?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2013 by DO1990

[silverlining96]

@ talkitout---did you apply to Emerson via CSDCAS?  If so, have you received any sort of confirmation or anything to enter their portal?  I read on their website that we should be receiving some sort of link to create a portal id, but I haven't heard anything yet...

 

[SLPjmar]

For those of you accepted at GWU today, when did you apply?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know GW operates on a rolling admissions basis. If they applied pretty early, it makes sense to be getting decisions now. When did you apply?