SLP/Communication Disorders Masters Applicants

[leesta]

Thanks, leesta.

Getting info out of CSUs is like pulling teeth! The problem with using location as a determining factor for me is that I am able and willing to move pretty much anywhere! Right now I'm looking closely at all the contenders and seeing if there are things I've missed that would be a dealbreaker. I've narrowed the list down to 11 now and a chunk of those are CSDCAS (which makes it slightly easier for LORs, though I'm still going to have to pay mucho fees).

-LB just got booted because you need ALL equivalent classes before Fall '12 and I cannot find a bilingual/multicultural disorders/assessment class anywhere online or in CA that I could take by itself to satisfy that (anyone else find a solution?) Also I've sent several emails in the last 6 months and never got a reply and calling them goes nowhere. Bad signs. Shame though because I've heard good things about their program.

-East Bay is also out because many of their non-comm disorders undergrad requirements (bio with lab, psych, anatomy, and stats) have to have been done in the last 7 years. Assuming that these GE classes are usually done in the first 2 years of school, that means if you have been graduated 4 or 5 years you have to retake these. I have enough classes to finish up my BA and a few more to prep for grad school over the summer - I am NOT adding classes I've already taken (and whose fields have not exactly changed/added new important info) to that list. Also, the fact that this discorages older or experienced students (even though I am on the young-ish side myself) does not not speak well to the breadth and diversity of the program.

I've heard terrible things about Long Beach's admin. They're usually one of the last ones you hear back from and the department is unreachable. I know CSU Fullerton has a multicultural class, but I just checked and the next semester's course is already filled up. :\

Your stats sound very similar to mine... it's good to know I'm not alone in this!

[kelllllly]

Hi everyone!

So I applied for URI's Spring admission..has anyone else applied there for spring 2012 and if so any results?

[SLPtobeLOL]

Hi everyone!

So I applied for URI's Spring admission..has anyone else applied there for spring 2012 and if so any results?

Great to see a fellow Spring 2012 applicant!

I see you've applied to 4 schools. If you wouldn't mind sharing, which schools are they?

I wanted to apply to URI also, but very expensive school! *bummer*

Let us know if you get in!

[lalabooks]

Anybody else terrified about this process or is it just me?! I'm slowly getting all of my stuff in, but it is soooo stressful! How is everyone dealing? Does anybody else have an undergrad in something unrelated? I was out of school for and teaching for a couple of years. I hope a strong resume and experiences will work in my favor. So nervous about not getting in anywhere!!

[Homestar]

Hi.

Can someone please just tell me if I even have a shot at getting into a good school for Speech Pathology Master's Degree

I have a 3.5 g.p.a. but I have 3 w's on my transcript. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but expect to break 1000. Can you give me any advice as to what I should do to make myself a stronger candidate.

Thanks!

[Astrid Coleslaw]

Anybody else terrified about this process or is it just me?! I'm slowly getting all of my stuff in, but it is soooo stressful! How is everyone dealing? Does anybody else have an undergrad in something unrelated? I was out of school for and teaching for a couple of years. I hope a strong resume and experiences will work in my favor. So nervous about not getting in anywhere!!

Not sleeping much and I've lost 10 lbs!! Super stressful and I haven't even got to the worst part (SOPs!) I have an undergrad in something unrelated, but I do have most pre-reqs done. A lot of the schools I'm looking at (not research schools) are really wanting people with people with related (not necessarily COMD but teaching, working with special pops, bilingualism, brain injuries, elderly) experience!

[TaureanWoman]

Anybody else terrified about this process or is it just me?! I'm slowly getting all of my stuff in, but it is soooo stressful! How is everyone dealing? Does anybody else have an undergrad in something unrelated? I was out of school for and teaching for a couple of years. I hope a strong resume and experiences will work in my favor. So nervous about not getting in anywhere!!

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the site, I found it a couple of days ago when doing a search on tips for taking the GRE. I am so happy to have found this thread. I am applying to SLP programs for Fall 2012 and the process is giving me pure anxiety. I have been out of school for almost 6 years, and I only recently decided that I was ready to go back to school. My undergraduate degree is in Community Health and Spanish Language and Culture. I knew I wanted to have a career that has the option to work in healthcare and/or education, and after researching different programs, I knew SLP is the one for me. I'm excited but I feel like I have a lot going against me including a low undergrad GPA.

I take the GRE in a few days and I am stressing about that, the material is so hard. But I have been doing my best to study as much as I can with working a full time job (didn't have the funds to take the prep course). In any event, I am trying to stay positive and focus what I have control over: my GRE score, my SoP, recommendations, etc. I know this field is where I want to be, it offers everything I want in a career, doing something I feel I would be good at and that's service oriented.

Anyway, thanks everyone for sharing. Reading your posts have really been helpful! Good luck to everyone in their application process.

Edited December 7, 2011 by TaureanWoman

[leesta]

Deadlines are a-comin!

Submitted SFSU and Teachers College. Pretty much done with everything else except for a couple of essay tailoring and the recommendations... profs need to get on it!

How's everyone else doing?

[Hopeful SLP]

Still feel like I have so much to do--this process just sucks.

Also, is everyone using their fall semester grades? I sent my current transcript in and it has been received by CSDCAS.

Should I send another when I get fall grades in late December?

[leesta]

Still feel like I have so much to do--this process just sucks.

Also, is everyone using their fall semester grades? I sent my current transcript in and it has been received by CSDCAS.

Should I send another when I get fall grades in late December?

I've sent in my current transcript and planning to send the final one to the schools that ask for it/the school I decide to attend.

[engrdad]

Just found this forum and will inform my daughter about it tonight. My daughter plans to get her MS in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP). She is very nervouse because she knows how competitive the field is currently. Her stats are:

Attending state university (USC - Columbia, SC) with current GPA of 3.77

- straight A's for last 2 semesters and on track for same this fall.

Senior (one semester to go)

Undergrad Major/Minor: Psychology/Communication Disorders (university does not offer major in COMD or SLP)

GRE score: Verbal Reasoning 161 / Quantitative Reasoning 150 (equivalent to 1250 on old GRE scoring)

Related Extracurriculars:

- volunteered summer at Center for disabled children (shadowed a therapist)

- currently has a job as a line therapist for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

- currently assisting professor with research in child language disorder

- recently selected as Magellan Scholar - $2500 grant to do research with professor

- biased opinion but I believe her SOP is amazing

- three strong letters of recommendation from professors

Misc info:

- most of her pre-college (high school) education was at american schools in other countries (Saudi Arabia, China, Ireland)

- Began college with major in Mass Communication/Journalism before discovering SLP.

- Her current college offers an MS in SLP but is very selective. They only have 35 slots available per year and you must accept within 10 days of offer or you lose your spot.

Schools currently considering:

UNC - Chapel Hill

USC - Columbia, SC (current undergrad school)

UGA - University of Georgia

BU - Boston University

Would appreciate this boards opinion on her stats and chances at the schools under consideration. Also, recommendations to any other schools. Note: funding is an issue and will likely be a factor in her decision.

One more item of note... in her COMD minor, she has taken the pre-req type courses typically required prior to admission to SLP grad program.

[stacey06]

Just found this forum and will inform my daughter about it tonight. My daughter plans to get her MS in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP). She is very nervouse because she knows how competitive the field is currently. Her stats are:

Attending state university (USC - Columbia, SC) with current GPA of 3.77

- straight A's for last 2 semesters and on track for same this fall.

Senior (one semester to go)

Undergrad Major/Minor: Psychology/Communication Disorders (university does not offer major in COMD or SLP)

GRE score: Verbal Reasoning 161 / Quantitative Reasoning 150 (equivalent to 1250 on old GRE scoring)

Related Extracurriculars:

- volunteered summer at Center for disabled children (shadowed a therapist)

- currently has a job as a line therapist for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

- currently assisting professor with research in child language disorder

- recently selected as Magellan Scholar - $2500 grant to do research with professor

- biased opinion but I believe her SOP is amazing

- three strong letters of recommendation from professors

Misc info:

- most of her pre-college (high school) education was at american schools in other countries (Saudi Arabia, China, Ireland)

- Began college with major in Mass Communication/Journalism before discovering SLP.

- Her current college offers an MS in SLP but is very selective. They only have 35 slots available per year and you must accept within 10 days of offer or you lose your spot.

Schools currently considering:

UNC - Chapel Hill

USC - Columbia, SC (current undergrad school)

UGA - University of Georgia

BU - Boston University

Would appreciate this boards opinion on her stats and chances at the schools under consideration. Also, recommendations to any other schools. Note: funding is an issue and will likely be a factor in her decision.

One more item of note... in her COMD minor, she has taken the pre-req type courses typically required prior to admission to SLP grad program.

Sounds like her stats are very good! I don't think she needs to be nervous. Reading your daughter's stats makes me feel like mine are nowhere close.. so I'm taking another year to become more competitive

Check to make sure the courses in her minor will satisfy those program's pre-reqs. Several post-baccs I've looked into don't transfer to other schools (i.e. non-academic credit). Hope the ones in her minor will be transferrable

[stacey06]

Since I'm still up, I figured I might repost.. I posted this in another thread, but it seems like this one gets more views

I recently found out about SLP. Shadowed an SLP in a snf and one in private practice. Loved it! I'm planning to apply for Fall 2013, so I can get my GPA above 3.2. Does anyone have advice for what I can do to become a more competitive applicant?

Here are my stats:

BS in biology - 2.894 (about 200 quarter units ~ 133 sem. units?)

community college - 4.0 (42 sem. units. The schools near me don't offer much in terms of SLP related classes but I'm trying to take ASL and child development classes)

GRE: v94%, q88%, (1430) but w4.0

(Looking at programs that don't take baccalaureate gpa only. It's pretty miserable. I have no clue if I can explain it in my SOP with a positive spin.. there is a reason but I don't want to sound like I'm whining.. but I'll work on that )

volunteer -

Kaiser Hospice

starting volunteering with an SLP

work-

2+ years private tutor and teacher at after school program

Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.

Edited December 13, 2011 by stacey06

[leesta]

stacey06 - Since you're applying for 2013, why not take some classes? If you've recently found out about SLP, it might be nice to take an intro course or a phonetics course to see what it's like and get your feet wet. Plus, it's a great chance to boost up your GPA and let the adcom know that you're serious about the field. If there aren't any schools around you, there's always online courses you could take.

Besides that, continue to volunteer/shadow and tutor! Good luck

[JenniferD]

Yep just finished sending all those in! And it's a pain having the deadlines spread so far out, from December til mid-Feb... geez.

Looks like we're applying to some of the same schools What area of speech are you interested in?

Hi Leesta:

Sorry for applying you late, just finished 3 finals today for the semester. I have experiences with both adults and children, but I prefer adult population with an emphasis on medical rehabilitation. Being a non-native English speaker made me a little scared to work in the schools, but I'm also applying a couple bilingual programs since I'm also really interested in that field.

Hmm.. I need to turn my TC app in, everything is ready to go(including letters) but I'm still feeling something was missing in my personal statement.

Still feel like I have so much to do--this process just sucks.

Also, is everyone using their fall semester grades? I sent my current transcript in and it has been received by CSDCAS.

Should I send another when I get fall grades in late December?

I'm applying only 2 schools with 1/15 deadlines with CSDCAS, but thank to the Gradcafe community - a previous post mentioned that last year, it took them FOREVER to calculate the GPA before everything got sent to the schools, so I'm already sending my current grades in, even though my GPA could be "significantly" higher after the fall grades.

btw, double check with your schools because mine is on a semester system. Although the grades are available by late December, they may not necessarily become available on transcript until mid January(-> my school).

Good luck to the all the Spring/Fall 2012ers!!

[Astrid Coleslaw]

Just found this forum and will inform my daughter about it tonight. My daughter plans to get her MS in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP). She is very nervouse because she knows how competitive the field is currently. Her stats are:

Hey Dad!

Your daughter's stats and her experience sound very good. She has a good chance of getting into at least some of the schools she wants! However since cost is an issue, I would make sure to apply to both her expensive dream schools and more practical state or well-priced private ones. Funding is sometimes available for stellar candidates but I would make sure to have lots of options in case she isn't offered any. Unless she wants to go into research specifically and not practice as an SLP, applying to "high ranked schools" really means nothing other than probably being impractically expensive compared to what a SLP is going to make in their lifetimes. All certified schools' programs are going to be equal when it comes to securing employment, so she can decide based on cost/location/emphasis and her personal impressions of the program. Best of luck!

[SLPtobeLOL]

Anyone attending grad. school for speech starting Spring 2012?

[AudioEnvy]

I'm applying only 2 schools with 1/15 deadlines with CSDCAS, but thank to the Gradcafe community - a previous post mentioned that last year, it took them FOREVER to calculate the GPA before everything got sent to the schools, so I'm already sending my current grades in, even though my GPA could be "significantly" higher after the fall grades.

This might be a stupid question, but do you guys know if a school's deadline for CSDCAS applications means that they actually have to recieve it by that date, or just that you have to submit it to CSDCAS by that date?

I have 1/15 deadline on there, and I was going to wait to submit it until I get my updated grades (my school will send out the updated transcripts on 12/22)...do you think that it would be a bad idea to wait another week? I'm nervous now!

[leesta]

This might be a stupid question, but do you guys know if a school's deadline for CSDCAS applications means that they actually have to recieve it by that date, or just that you have to submit it to CSDCAS by that date?

I have 1/15 deadline on there, and I was going to wait to submit it until I get my updated grades (my school will send out the updated transcripts on 12/22)...do you think that it would be a bad idea to wait another week? I'm nervous now!

You just need to submit it to CSDCAS by the deadline. They'll take care of the rest.

It sounds like there's sufficient time for them to receive your grades if you're sure they'll come out 12/22... but I decided not to do it juuuuust in case. You should do it if you think the grades are worth it!

[badgerslp]

CSDCAS Applicants - apply asap! If you look in their FAQ section it says to submit to them 2-4 weeks before the due date, because it takes them that long to process the application (yes, completely ridiculous and makes no sense). I e-mailed one of the schools on the list, and they said they would allow me to e-mail an updated transcript to add to my files.

So submit now! Good luck!

[stacey06]

stacey06 - Since you're applying for 2013, why not take some classes? If you've recently found out about SLP, it might be nice to take an intro course or a phonetics course to see what it's like and get your feet wet. Plus, it's a great chance to boost up your GPA and let the adcom know that you're serious about the field. If there aren't any schools around you, there's always online courses you could take.

Besides that, continue to volunteer/shadow and tutor! Good luck

Thanks for the tip. I'm gonna see if there are any online courses I can enroll in for a decent price. I didn't even think they could teach phonetics over the Internet!

For all you pre-SLPs .. How are you deciding whether you're more interested in schools/snf/hospital?

I love working with children but at the same time I love the more physiological aspect with adults.

[gracie114]

Good luck to everyone finishing applications over break! I finished last week and am so relieved to be done. I kept a spreadsheet totaling my expenses and the grand total came to $878.55! That includes taking the GRE, registering for it again the night before I took it and freaked out (ha), sending my score reports, application fees for six schools, and sending everything with tracking.

I've decided I'm not going to look at my statements again. What's done is done!

[SomedaySLP]

Just sent the last of my applications yesterday! So happy to be done with that long, stressful, expensive process. But I'm already feeling like the hard part isn't over yet...even though I know there is not a chance I'll hear from schools for at least a month and a half or so, I'm still obsessively checking my application statuses for updates. Can't wait for April to put all of this behind me and have an idea of where I'll be living for the next two years of my life.

Good luck to everyone still finishing applications and to those playing the waiting game with me!

[caffeinerd]

Good luck everyone!

FWIW, the earliest date on which I heard back from a school was March 4. And it was good news Some schools take a LOT longer, especially those with Feb. deadlines. It's annoying, but what can you do. Did you all apply to many schools?

[Newyorker90]

Ahhh I'm so nervous. I'm dying to hear backkkk. I just wanted to ask people if they think I have a good chance to get into schools.....

I have a 3.71 now but I applied saying I have a 3.65 because it was not the end of the semester at the time. For the new GRE I got V-146 Q-152 so compared to the old version its like 1040 and Writing 3.5 . I took it once before and got a 910 and writing a 3.0 :X. I have experience working as a teachers assistant at an preschool for children with autism and I volunteered for muscular dystrophy association and am involved in the big brothers big sisters program.

I'm applying to Mercy College. NY medical college NYU St Johns. Montclair Seton Hall. Kean and William Paterson