SLP/Communication Disorders Masters Applicants

[ukulele11]

Hi everyone,

Waiting for decisions is excruciating... so far I've only heard back from two schools and they both put me on the waitlist (UMN Twin Cities and GWU). GAH!

Is anyone else on the waitlist for a school sending any additional letters/emails/other info to the schools where you were waitlisted? I'm trying to decide if this is a good idea. I have already responded, letting the schools know that I am still very interested in the program and to keep me on the list, but I don't really have much else to say. I am currently working at an internship, but what I do is not related to SLP. I am seeking out opportunities to shadow speech pathologists in the area to hopefully get a start on some of my clinical observation hours.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[Hopeful SLP]

Hey, I was wondering if you heard anything else worth repeating about St. Xavier? It's cool that you have gotten to talk to a student about the program...did they seem positive about it?

the girl I met spoke highly of her experience. My dad's girlfriend also went there in the 90s for SLP and loved it. She worked at her dad's speech clinic at the time and paid tuition in full with her earnings. When I asked them what makes Saint Xavier stand out from other Chicago schools, they talked about their emphasis on school SLP. With that said, my dad's girlfriend works almost exclusively in dysphagia.

[snl1472]

Ok this may seem like a dumb question but was I supposed to fill out the fafsa a while back I thought it was once u were accepted... Did I just ruin everything?!?

I realized this about a week ago too and I'm kind of freaking out!

[scharpe1]

Does anyone know much about how UT-Austin, UNC- Chapel HIll, and MGH compare? I know that they're all supposed to be great programs but I don't know as much about how the day-to-day student/learning/clinical experience feels different at each. There doesn't seem to be much written on these forums about UT-Austin or UNC. If you know anything about Boston University or Vanderbilt, please share that too. I'm going to try to get in touch with students at these schools but in the meantime, pooling our knowledge would be really helpful. Thanks!

[MA-SLP FTW]

Hi WannabeSLP, I am writing an undergraduate honors thesis right now. Honestly, it is a lot of work and a big time commitment. However, it is a rewarding experience, to know that you are adding knowledge to our field! I think it depends on what you are interested in. If there is something in this field that you love enough to dedicate a lot of time a effort on then I would say go for it! The key is making sure it is something that you are genuinely interested in.

Also I was wondering if for grad school if you choose thesis option, do you still do a clinical externship? I would not want to miss out on the clinical aspect!!

Hope this helps a little

Thanks! I would definitely still do clinical work. No way I would give that up!

I'm going to try to find out a little bit more about what research is already taking place. I'm hoping to sort of piggyback on another research project so I could use existing data for my own thesis. One of my fellow research assistants did that and she said it made it much easier, but that's also undergrad. Just don't want to overcommit before I've even gotten started!

Hrmm....

[MesaSLP]

Is anyone toying with the idea of transferring into a PhD after/halfway into a Masters? Does anyone know how common that is? I have been eyeing a few advisors and thinking that combining a MS and PhD might be in my future.

[torokiseru]

Does anyone know much about how UT-Austin, UNC- Chapel HIll, and MGH compare? I know that they're all supposed to be great programs but I don't know as much about how the day-to-day student/learning/clinical experience feels different at each. There doesn't seem to be much written on these forums about UT-Austin or UNC. If you know anything about Boston University or Vanderbilt, please share that too. I'm going to try to get in touch with students at these schools but in the meantime, pooling our knowledge would be really helpful. Thanks!

I've heard from a few different sources that the UT program is focused on research and the students that graduate from the program aren't prepared to work in a clinical setting. Austin is a great place to live though

[lalabooks]

If anybody has been accepted to extremely expensive schools do you have any advice??!!

I'm freaking out wondering how in the world I will pay for TC @ Columbia! Didn't even think about finances when applying, but now that I got accepted...I need to think about it! I filled out my FAFSA but won't hear from Columbia until the end of the month as to what they will give me. I filled out the scholarship application, but I'm sure everyone has as well. Depending on what aid I get I guess I will have to take out private loans to cover the difference?? I have some money saved, but I will DEFINITELY need to use that for living expenses in NY. I do not care about the amount I will have to pay back after graduation, I just need to find ways to cover the amount up front.

My undergrad institution was so inexpensive, I never really had to think about this. Does anyone have any advice or information about this kind of situation? Anything I can look into to help me? I am soooo afraid that I would have to decline my acceptance because I flat out couldn't afford it up front :-(

[MesaSLP]

If anybody has been accepted to extremely expensive schools do you have any advice??!!

I'm freaking out wondering how in the world I will pay for TC @ Columbia! Didn't even think about finances when applying, but now that I got accepted...I need to think about it! I filled out my FAFSA but won't hear from Columbia until the end of the month as to what they will give me. I filled out the scholarship application, but I'm sure everyone has as well. Depending on what aid I get I guess I will have to take out private loans to cover the difference?? I have some money saved, but I will DEFINITELY need to use that for living expenses in NY. I do not care about the amount I will have to pay back after graduation, I just need to find ways to cover the amount up front.

My undergrad institution was so inexpensive, I never really had to think about this. Does anyone have any advice or information about this kind of situation? Anything I can look into to help me? I am soooo afraid that I would have to decline my acceptance because I flat out couldn't afford it up front :-(

I feel your pain! My husband will also be in school in the next year (though for a PhD) and we have spent the majority of the last 2 days at each others throats about financing my education. It is so expensive! Thankfully, we have no debt from undergrad, but we are suffering some serious sticker shock right now.

One thing that I have turned to is ASHA's list of private scholarships. http://www.asha.org/students/financial-aid.htm I bet all of these are very competitive, but it feels nice to be proactive. I, too, am looking at having to take out private loans. Not good.

Let me know if you find another good resource!

[hopefulslp]

Is anyone toying with the idea of transferring into a PhD after/halfway into a Masters? Does anyone know how common that is? I have been eyeing a few advisors and thinking that combining a MS and PhD might be in my future.

I sorta am too, but I think if I'm going to do it I'm going to just do one at a time. The problem with doing a combined program is that at some places, while your PhD funding will cover your masters as well, if you don't finish both in the right amount of time you'll end up having to pay out of your pocket after that funding runs out. Also, it's really, REALLY difficult sometimes to coordinate classes and requirements for both. HOWEVER, it is still possible. some places even offer their own special combined program which they set up as a department, and I think that would probably make it much better to get through. I'm sure if you found a good advisor it would be a much smoother process!

I'm glad i'm not the only one considering this, considering how much school that means we have left haha.

[alicejcw]

Is anyone toying with the idea of transferring into a PhD after/halfway into a Masters? Does anyone know how common that is? I have been eyeing a few advisors and thinking that combining a MS and PhD might be in my future.

I am potentially interested in going for a PhD eventually because I love the research side of things, but I'd like to complete my masters and practice for at least a couple years before starting a PhD. I think having real work experience would be very very helpful in informing my research interests and giving whatever I end up working on a broader context.

[MA-SLP FTW]

If anybody has been accepted to extremely expensive schools do you have any advice??!!

...

My undergrad institution was so inexpensive, I never really had to think about this. Does anyone have any advice or information about this kind of situation? Anything I can look into to help me? I am soooo afraid that I would have to decline my acceptance because I flat out couldn't afford it up front :-(

I found a link to a website that may be at least a starting point in deciding where money could come from: http://projectonstudentdebt.org/look_leap.vp.html

But be careful. My husband took out private loans to finance grad school (in another field) and we're repaying well over $1000/month. And that's just his debt. It has been nearly impossible to save up any kind of money for anything. He's lucky that his salary covers his loans. We have a friend who got a master's (not in ComD/SLP) from Northwestern who cannot make her loan payments without help from her husband ( ). She was really upset that she got a master's from a great school but the loans she had to take out aren't covered by the normal starting salary in her field. It is basically a scenario from my nightmares.

All I can offer is to try to think of how much money you'd need to take out and think about whether or not you'll be able to make those payments once you get out of school and take your first job.

I know my friend who can't make her loan payments has mentioned that she just wished she had known what she was getting into when she went back to school. For her, it might have been worth it to go to a less expensive program if it meant she wouldn't have to rely on anyone else to pay back the loans. (She hopes that as she gains experience she'll start making enough to cover the costs.)

However, I don't know if my husband would have given up his #1 choice for school even if it had meant that we'd have some financial breathing room now. It has made a difference, though, in where I applied for school.

I can't really speak for your situation. I can't imagine how anxious you must be! I hope you get good news back regarding Federal Aid soon. And congratulations on Columbia! Good luck!

[flotsam]

I've heard from a few different sources that the UT program is focused on research and the students that graduate from the program aren't prepared to work in a clinical setting. Austin is a great place to live though

My son visited there last year as part of his final decision-making process. He loved the area and the campus is very exciting. The program was HEAVY into the bilingual side of speech therapy and while he is bilingual (Spanish), he was more interested in other areas of Speech Path. Plus, the emphasis was on the educational setting and since he was more interested in a clinic approach, he decided that it wasn't a good fit for him.

As far as working and going to school, he has a TA-ship and that is about all he can handle outside of classes and clinic work. Maintaining a job outside of the program might help defray costs but it would add time onto getting out of the program, which would mean more expenses in the long run.

I have been in the teaching field for a long time. Some of our speech pathologists have been hired from the local university to lighten the caseloads of existing speech pathologists. They get paid well to do this and it counts as clinic hours. They do everything from holding IEPs to setting up programs for the students that qualify to evaluation/modification of existing clients. That might be an option for some of you looking to kill 2 birds with one stone.

[NorcalSLP]

Was just wait listed at the University of Northern Colorado and am debating if I want to stay on the wait list. I don't know much about the program and applied because a professor/mentor thought I would be a good fit. I love the state of Colorado but have heard less than pleasant things about Greeley. Does anyone have any insight into this program?

[agregory]

Thanks for the info on UT, Torokiseru and flotsam. That was sort of the impression I was getting, if for no other reason than I couldnt find a lot of information online about medical training. It really helps to hear about some personal experiences.

Also, UW just sent me an email re: funding. They said they give out 7 or 8 'recruitment scholarships' that range from $1000 - $10,000. They said that they will contact selected students before the April 15th matriculation deadline.

Anyway I would suggest anyone who was accepted and interested in all the details to respond to them acceptance email sent out yesterday, as there was a long MS Word document they sent back with all of the various funding options.

[remmy]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

[buttercupracer]

Anyone considering TC Columbia notice their accepted students weekend is the 21st, a week after April 15th, a date many schools want you to decide by? I am thinking of calling them to see if I can set up a tour etc. sometime beforehand

[trina]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

I think it depends on what you want to do after that. If you're not looking at getting a PhD or doing great research with prominent faculty, the smaller program would probably be good enough. I don't think SLPs make that much money.. so programs like Northwestern are just seem insanely expensive for an SLP Masters degree. 40k is reasonable, though. (and if it's UIUC, maybe you'd find some sort of assistantship to cover most of tuition?) as a general rule of thumb, I've been told that your tuition shouldn't cost more than what you expect to earn annually upon graduating.

Edited March 9, 2012 by trina

[NorcalSLP]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

Probably the later. Unless you want to get your PhD (and even then really) where you go to school does not matter much in terms of being able to find a job. SLPs are so in demand that you will be able to find a job even if you are at a lower ranked smaller school. What I would be more worried about it is the students experience at the smaller, lower ranked school. Are the professors accessible, do they feel prepared to enter the work force etc. A free ride is hard to pass up and you want to make sure that the $40,000 difference between the two schools is really worth it.

[lizmeyers2]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

I guess it depends on how tight money is. If you have to take out loans and pay for everything yourself than I would do the free ride. It's not like after you graduate you are going to be making a ton of money and will be able to pay off the loans quickly. Are you married or engaged? Is your significant other tied to a certain city or area of the country? These are things that would also factor in to the decision making process. Good Luck! It looks like you have some great options no matter what!

[Theasaurus]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

I don't think it's that important to go to a top notch school for a successful career in speech pathology. If I wanted to become an attorney or go into the corporate world, I'd sell my soul to pay for Harvard law or business. I think name and rank matters for some careers where there's a never ending ladder to climb before you reach the top. That's the beauty of this field (for me at least). So, to answer your question: definitely the second one. It would be nice to not have to pay off any loans once I graduated!

[gracie114]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

I would lean towards the first option, because I'm considering pursuing a doctorate after I get my master's and would want the resources and research opportunities that come from a larger program. If the smaller program still has those features though, I would definitely consider it...graduating debt free would be amazing.

While we're discussing funding, does anyone have any insights into how funding waitlists work? I'm on IU-Bloomington's and plan on asking at their open house, but am curious if accepting earlier improves your chances of receiving funding or if they're ranked.

[eef9]

A little bit disappointed, I really thought this would be the week I would hear from somewhere! I did hear from UNC last week but it was unfortunately a rejection. Trying not to get down and out but it's difficult when people are hearing back from schools you applied to! Even though this website tends to make me a little bit anxious it's at least nice to know that there are plenty of other people feeling the same way. Congrats to everyone who got accepted to a program this week, and lots of support to anyone who didn't receive the best news and/or is still holding out on hearing form other schools!

[leesta]

Waitlisted at SDSU.... Better than a rejection I guess :/

[flotsam]

For those of you talking/interested in how to fund grad school - if you were accepted into a school where it would be $40,000 total to a great, well ranked school or a free ride to a lesser known, smaller program in the middle of nowhere... which would you choose?

If there is any way you could go visit the 2 schools, speak with the profs and current students, check out the career/hiring stats for alumnae, check out the college scene and the town, you might find the decision easier to make. Most speech pathologists have so many choices for placement when they get their degrees! It would be great if you could see what the internship and externship options are at each school (hospital/clinic/school) so that you can determine what types of experience you'll come away from each program with. Good luck with these hard decisions. :-)

Edited March 9, 2012 by flotsam