2013 SLP Admissions Thread!

[deleria]

I completely agree with this. If for whatever reason I am not accepted to grad school, what am I supposed to do with a degree in SLP? I think having a more broad spectrum of degrees and classes makes sense.

 

I don't know. I mean... I agree that you shouldn't have to have an undergraduate degree in SLP in order to go to grad school as an SLP, but the degree isn't useless in and of itself. These days, what you majored in during undergraduate is often far removed from your actual career trajectory. Plenty of people from my undergraduate institution decided, after completing their degrees, they didn't want to become an SLP. They're doing all sorts of things - teaching English abroad, working as an EEG tech at a hospital, working as a paralegal, writing grant proposals... and these people are only a year out of school, so who knows where they will end up! Training in linguistics, cultural sensitivity, thinking critically about how to approach problems, writing professionally, and critically evaluating research are all valuable skills that plenty of employers in a variety of fields value.

 

My undergraduate advisor, who is on the adcom at my school and wrote one of my letters of rec, told me that he definitely looks at things like what kinds of classes you take, etc., but you also have to explicitly draw attention to and explain weaknesses like your GPA in your SOP and ask your LOR writers to address them.

Edited March 8, 2013 by deleria

[SLPjmar]

As an addendum, I would just like to make sure that my feelings are very clear. I don't think out-of-field applicants have less of an education/less of a right to apply or attend/less of a right to be an SLP. I think it's great! Our field is growing and expanding, and we need more people to work within it. However, I was told initially that majoring in SLP was necessary in order to be accepted to grad school. It seems to me that at many locations, out-of-field students are a large chunk of the accepted students. This seems a little unfair to me, and I hope you all understand that. After four years of SLP education (a degree that can't be used for anything else, either) and now I'm competing with post-bacc 4.0s. 

 

Even though GPAs do not determine a person's worth as a graduate student, many programs rank with GPA specifically. My undergrad program does a ranking scale for applicants with GPA alone. As much as we don't want to think so, it is a factor. How much of a factor is unclear, but still. The application process is very frustrating and self-deprecating by itself, but it is even worse when you think that you are competing with GPAs much higher than yours because there were different processes involved. 

 

I am with Tay on this, and I don't really understand the concept of a degree in SLP alone (as I am about to graduate with one ). 

[MagentaMacaron]

I'm really irritated by this whole out-of-field thing. I know at many schools, they accept 35-40 students, and that number INCLUDES the out-of-field students. I don't feel like that's totally fair. Many of us struggled through 4 years of difficult classes (chemistry, 2 A&P classes, etc) for a speech-language pathology degree, and then that works AGAINST us during admissions? If I had majored in something like education, I'm sure my GPA could have been exceptional.

 

I know this is probably an unreasonable anger to have, but I have it. 

 

How does having an undergraduate degree in CSD work AGAINST you? Perhaps it does not work FOR you per se, but don't AdComms consider all degrees fairly?

 

From an outside perspective, Canada offers zero CSD undergraduate degrees, and there are only SIX English graduate programs in SLP. I am glad programs in the U.S. consider out-of-fielders, because my options are very limited otherwise.

 

 

i totally agree. If I hadn't had to take Speech science, hearing science, chemistry, and neuro I would have a 4.0 too. And at a few of the schools I applied to, they seem to give priority to out of field applicants. I think it's all about the money. The out of field applicants will have to take a bunch of leveling courses required for the KASA requirements, so the schools will get more money out of them.

 

I am pretty sure that out-of-fielders have something to bring to the table that is far beyond their money.

[SLPjmar]

How does having an undergraduate degree in CSD work AGAINST you? Perhaps it does not work FOR you per se, but don't AdComms consider all degrees fairly?

 

From an outside perspective, Canada offers zero CSD undergraduate degrees, and there are only SIX English graduate programs in SLP. I am glad programs in the U.S. consider out-of-fielders, because my options are very limited otherwise.

 

 

 

I am pretty sure that out-of-fielders have something to bring to the table that is far beyond their money.

 

Oh I'm not unhappy that they consider out-of-fielders. Sometimes it takes people a little longer to figure out their dream, or as you mentioned, there wasn't a way to have a undergrad degree in CSD. 

 

As a separate question, what language are the other SLP graduate programs in? I'm assuming French? 

[SLP1990]

Nothing is more stressful than seeing results for schools you've applied to and hearing nothing all day...

[speech310]

I'm really irritated by this whole out-of-field thing. I know at many schools, they accept 35-40 students, and that number INCLUDES the out-of-field students. I don't feel like that's totally fair. Many of us struggled through 4 years of difficult classes (chemistry, 2 A&P classes, etc) for a speech-language pathology degree, and then that works AGAINST us during admissions? If I had majored in something like education, I'm sure my GPA could have been exceptional.

 

I know this is probably an unreasonable anger to have, but I have it. 

 

 

 I agree completely. At my school there's such a thing as a 'special student' who just have to take the core SLP classes in order to be eligible for grad school in the field. Most of them that I have talked to have 4.0's in their Comsdis course work. They almost always get accepted to multiple programs. I'm sure that if I had a prior degree and was just taking 2 or 3 core classes a semester, my GPA would have been higher as well. I understand that they worked hard as well as the rest of us who have put in 4+ years on undergraduate work and I'm not negating that. It's just hard to sit back on my 2 rejections and wait around for more decisions while those that have less meaningful educational experience than me get acceptances.

 

i wasn't going to interject in this conversation, but I feel like I need to. I totally understand where you guys are coming from and I realize how frustrating it must be to be an in-fielder and have spots go to out-of-fielders. That being said, I don't think it's fair to say that out-of-fielders have less meaningful educational experiences or that education classes are easy per se. i'm an education minor and my education classes are harder than many of the core science classes at my school (i've taken both). i've also developed many skills through my education and psych departments that I think are really important skils to have in grad school and in my career--developing a grant proposal, critically analyzing research articles, etc. . i dont know that i wouldve developed some of these skills if i was a speech major (though i cant say for sure bc we dont offer speech classes)

 

myself and most out of fielders that I've talked to didn't major in speech because their schools don't offer it or they didn't realize until halfway through their undergrad experience that they wanted to take the SLP route. that doesn't mean that their undergrad experiences were any less meaningful.

 

also, i know that there are many schools that only allow in-field applicants to apply, so maybe that would be a less frustrating route?

 

i really dont mean to sound rude, but i have to say i was really offended at some of what i was reading. i know we're all stressed, but each of us on here is qualified to become an SLP. lets not put anyone else down (even if you're really just frustrated with the process and not with the applicants themselves). it's not going to help anyone!

[MagentaMacaron]

I don't know. I mean... I agree that you shouldn't have to have an undergraduate degree in SLP in order to go to grad school as an SLP, but the degree isn't useless in and of itself. These days, what you majored in during undergraduate is often far removed from your actual career trajectory. Plenty of people from my undergraduate institution decided, after completing their degrees, they didn't want to become an SLP. They're doing all sorts of things - teaching English abroad, working as an EEG tech at a hospital, working as a paralegal, writing grant proposals... and these people are only a year out of school, so who knows where they will end up! Training in linguistics, cultural sensitivity, thinking critically about how to approach problems, writing professionally, and critically evaluating research are all valuable skills that plenty of employers in a variety of fields value.

 

My undergraduate advisor, who is on the adcom at my school and wrote one of my letters of rec, told me that he definitely looks at things like what kinds of classes you take, etc., but you also have to explicitly draw attention to and explain weaknesses like your GPA in your SOP and ask your LOR writers to address them.

 

Great point. Most undergraduate degrees seem to have little practical relevance. Generally, the content is useless, but the skills you acquire (i.e. work ethic, critical thinking) will benefit you in the long run.

[aucinema]

As an addendum, I would just like to make sure that my feelings are very clear. I don't think out-of-field applicants have less of an education/less of a right to apply or attend/less of a right to be an SLP. I think it's great! Our field is growing and expanding, and we need more people to work within it. However, I was told initially that majoring in SLP was necessary in order to be accepted to grad school. It seems to me that at many locations, out-of-field students are a large chunk of the accepted students. This seems a little unfair to me, and I hope you all understand that. After four years of SLP education (a degree that can't be used for anything else, either) and now I'm competing with post-bacc 4.0s. 

 

Even though GPAs do not determine a person's worth as a graduate student, many programs rank with GPA specifically. My undergrad program does a ranking scale for applicants with GPA alone. As much as we don't want to think so, it is a factor. How much of a factor is unclear, but still. The application process is very frustrating and self-deprecating by itself, but it is even worse when you think that you are competing with GPAs much higher than yours because there were different processes involved. 

 

I am with Tay on this, and I don't really understand the concept of a degree in SLP alone (as I am about to graduate with one ). 

 

 

It's really unfortunate that somebody gave you such blatantly false information about a comm dis major being necessary. That said, a little bit of research on your part would have quickly brought to light the fact that this isn't even remotely true. 

 

Also, regarding GPA-based rankings, they are just rankings - they are not the end all and be all of the admissions process. Once they've ranked based on GPAs, they then have to sort through all of the many, many applications with extremely high and somewhat high GPAs, which is when other factors come into play. 

 

I'm not denying that GPA is extremely important, but I think that you may actually be inflating the difficulty of the CDIS major a little bit. It's challenging, but it isn't so hard that a 4.0 in major on top of a full course load is really that unattainable. I know many people who did it and while I didn't have a 4.0, I managed high in-major grades on top of a full course load, lab work, and a part time job. In fact, I think CDIS is actually relatively easy compared to most science majors and I think adcomms recognize this (I am basing this on anecdotal information from my undergrad professor who's been on adcomms for a couple of universities).  

 

The fact is, that if you have a low or mediocre GPA, you just aren't going to be competitive since there are so many people both outside AND inside of the major with stellar grades and excellent SOPs, letters, and work experience on top of those GPAs. 

 

However, I do want to add that I agree that the undergrad major is pretty pointless and probably hurts many students in the long run. If they are going to have an undergrad major, it would be nice if they did it like education masters where you apply in your 2nd or 3rd year of undergrad and obtain a masters in 5 years. I think that would be really do-able in our discipline and save us a lot of time and money.

Edited March 8, 2013 by aucinema

[SLPjmar]

i wasn't going to interject in this conversation, but I feel like I need to. I totally understand where you guys are coming from and I realize how frustrating it must be to be an in-fielder and have spots go to out-of-fielders. That being said, I don't think it's fair to say that out-of-fielders have less meaningful educational experiences or that education classes are easy per se. i'm an education minor and my education classes are harder than many of the core science classes at my school (i've taken both). i've also developed many skills through my education and psych departments that I think are really important skils to have in grad school and in my career--developing a grant proposal, critically analyzing research articles, etc. . i dont know that i wouldve developed some of these skills if i was a speech major (though i cant say for sure bc we dont offer speech classes)

 

myself and most out of fielders that I've talked to didn't major in speech because their schools don't offer it or they didn't realize until halfway through their undergrad experience that they wanted to take the SLP route. that doesn't mean that their undergrad experiences were any less meaningful.

 

also, i know that there are many schools that only allow in-field applicants to apply, so maybe that would be a less frustrating route?

 

i really dont mean to sound rude, but i have to say i was really offended at some of what i was reading. i know we're all stressed, but each of us on here is qualified to become an SLP. lets not put anyone else down (even if you're really just frustrated with the process and not with the applicants themselves). it's not going to help anyone!

 

It's not my intention to put anyone down at ALL. Like I've said above, I think that the opportunity for out-of-field students to apply and become SLPs is wonderful. I have no issue with that, and I think everyone who is entering this field is passionate, hardworking, dedicated, and worthy of being an SLP. If this board is just a small sampling of the wonderful people I hope to work with one day, then I can't wait.

 

I apologize to you and anyone else who may have been offended through my venting. 

[Nebraska19]

i wasn't going to interject in this conversation, but I feel like I need to. I totally understand where you guys are coming from and I realize how frustrating it must be to be an in-fielder and have spots go to out-of-fielders. That being said, I don't think it's fair to say that out-of-fielders have less meaningful educational experiences or that education classes are easy per se. i'm an education minor and my education classes are harder than many of the core science classes at my school (i've taken both). i've also developed many skills through my education and psych departments that I think are really important skils to have in grad school and in my career--developing a grant proposal, critically analyzing research articles, etc. . i dont know that i wouldve developed some of these skills if i was a speech major (though i cant say for sure bc we dont offer speech classes)

 

myself and most out of fielders that I've talked to didn't major in speech because their schools don't offer it or they didn't realize until halfway through their undergrad experience that they wanted to take the SLP route. that doesn't mean that their undergrad experiences were any less meaningful.

 

also, i know that there are many schools that only allow in-field applicants to apply, so maybe that would be a less frustrating route?

 

i really dont mean to sound rude, but i have to say i was really offended at some of what i was reading. i know we're all stressed, but each of us on here is qualified to become an SLP. lets not put anyone else down (even if you're really just frustrated with the process and not with the applicants themselves). it's not going to help anyone!

 

Great post, I agree with everything you said. I think we all need to just take a few deep breaths and try to relax and think positive thoughts. We are all smart, hardworking and dedicated people and we will all be successful in life no matter what happens in the next few weeks

[queenleblanc]

Well, it appears that UNCG is notifying. I haven't heard yet. One post on the results page said profs emailed them unofficially. Sounds exactly like what they did at UNC-CH. I can only hope I am wait listed so that I can get a spot once the cream of the crop decides to go somewhere else!!

[RN2SLP]

To be clear, it's not the out-of-field APPLICANTS that are upsetting me. It's the entire process, and it seems to be a little backwards to me.

I am out of field but I can understand your frustration. I would think that it would be harder to individually stand out as an in field applicant. So many people have all the right grades, test scores, experience that it makes it hard to understand who gets in and who doesn't. My GPA below is actually from my second (accelerated) bachelors in nursing. My undergrad degree is from an academically rigorous school where I majored in Neuroscience and was super proud of the 3.50 I graduated with. I do wonder what schools think when they see that though. Would I even have a chance without my gpa from nursing school ( which I found way less academically challenging although physically + emotionally harder)?

[MagentaMacaron]

Oh I'm not unhappy that they consider out-of-fielders. Sometimes it takes people a little longer to figure out their dream, or as you mentioned, there wasn't a way to have a undergrad degree in CSD. 

 

As a separate question, what language are the other SLP graduate programs in? I'm assuming French? 

 

No worries, I know you're not attacking people in any way. Actually, I know how frustrating this whole process is. I applied to schools last year and was rejected by all. Cliche, but rejection was truly a learning experience. I learned that life goes on. During the process my friends and family were the worst " you'll get in, you're a shoe in!", so I felt immense pressure. When I didn't get int, no one cared at all. I spent the year obtaining some great research/clinical SLP experience, so it worked out.

 

And yes, the other programs are in French. I wish I was bilingual!

[SLPjmar]

However, I do want to add that I agree that the undergrad major is pretty pointless and probably hurts many students in the long run. If they are going to have an undergrad major, it would be nice if they did it like education masters where you apply in your 2nd or 3rd year of undergrad and obtain a masters in 5 years. I think that would be really do-able in our discipline and save us a lot of time and money.

 

I know that there are some OT programs that function this way as well. I really do think it's a good idea. I wonder if there's some reason it's difficult to implement for SLP.

[la912]

How does having an undergraduate degree in CSD work AGAINST you? Perhaps it does not work FOR you per se, but don't AdComms consider all degrees fairly?

 

From an outside perspective, Canada offers zero CSD undergraduate degrees, and there are only SIX English graduate programs in SLP. I am glad programs in the U.S. consider out-of-fielders, because my options are very limited otherwise.

 

 

 

I am pretty sure that out-of-fielders have something to bring to the table that is far beyond their money.

I don't disagree with you. I think it's great they are well versed in other fields. I think it's the schools that just use that to their advantage though. For example at my school if you have another bachelor's you take about 5 SLP classes that are required and all the rest are optional. Then they will tell you before everyone else (they are finding out on Monday if they got in, everyone else finds out in April), then they tell you you must take all the classes they had told you were optional because they are KASA requirements. That's why I think money has a lot to do with how many out of field applicants get in, at least in my region.

[SLPjmar]

Well, it appears that UNCG is notifying. I haven't heard yet. One post on the results page said profs emailed them unofficially. Sounds exactly like what they did at UNC-CH. I can only hope I am wait listed so that I can get a spot once the cream of the crop decides to go somewhere else!!

 

I was thinking of you when I saw that. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, you deserve it!

[katieliz456]

I know that there are some OT programs that function this way as well. I really do think it's a good idea. I wonder if there's some reason it's difficult to implement for SLP.

I think that would be a good idea (either a 4+1 or a 3+2 type program).  I know out in the Southwest, though, a lot of the girls opt for the SLPA certificate, so it is important that there is an undergrad major for them.  Even though an SLP bachelor's degree might seem kind of unemployable without going to grad school, I really don't think it's any "worse" or less employable than majoring in any related field like Linguistics, psych, child development, etc.

[SLPjmar]

I think that would be a good idea (either a 4+1 or a 3+2 type program).  I know out in the Southwest, though, a lot of the girls opt for the SLPA certificate, so it is important that there is an undergrad major for them.  Even though an SLP bachelor's degree might seem kind of unemployable without going to grad school, I really don't think it's any "worse" or less employable than majoring in any related field like Linguistics, psych, child development, etc.

 

Ooh, what is an SLPA certificate? 

[hhc]

To all of this mumbo-jumbo about "I couldn't have a high GPA because I had to take hard classes in -field".... Please realize that most of us who already have a BA or BS worked very hard for 4 years and then a few more. I had to take all the chemistries and physics my first time around. Then I did a year of leveling courses for Com-Dis and did 2 A&Ps and neuro and independent studies, etc. So we really aren't off the hook for overcoming difficult classes to have a high GPA. The application process seems backwards because, in the scheme of things, SLP is a "new" field for many institutions.. Most of us love the fact that it is dynamic and ever-changing, and this is the fluff that comes with it. It is difficult for all of us. ANYONE from any background deserves the respect and attention from the committees that everyone else gets.

[katieliz456]

Ooh, what is an SLPA certificate? 

Sorry for not clarifying-- SLPA stands for SLP Assistant. They mostly work in elementary schools. There are a handful of states, I believe mainly in the Southwest, that use them.  For SLP undergrads, you do 2 semesters of clinical practica during your senior year, and take a couple extra classes about ethics and report writing. Non-degree students can take the certificate classes, too, kind of like levelers  

[CO (soon to be) SLP]

It's not my intention to put anyone down at ALL. Like I've said above, I think that the opportunity for out-of-field students to apply and become SLPs is wonderful. I have no issue with that, and I think everyone who is entering this field is passionate, hardworking, dedicated, and worthy of being an SLP. If this board is just a small sampling of the wonderful people I hope to work with one day, then I can't wait.

 

I apologize to you and anyone else who may have been offended through my venting. 

 

Hi, 

 

I have to admit that I can see how your remarks could have been seen as biased, but as an out-of-feilder who only recently fell in love with the field I certainly took no offense! Although there might be some disappointment, as someone who wants to see the field grow with dedicated people (who can also promote language to other disciplines) I would rather see my slot go to someone with a good fit and a long-developed experience than to my mere hopes of making a difference. 

 

For some of reason I am reminded of Dumbledore - "help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who... deserve it" In other words, there will be a place for all who genuinely want to be here. It may not be prestigious, or come on the first try, but I do trust in the process. It could also be that I've been re-reading Harry Potter to stave off the nerves... 

 

Take care!

 

-Chris  

[Erock40]

i wasn't going to interject in this conversation, but I feel like I need to. I totally understand where you guys are coming from and I realize how frustrating it must be to be an in-fielder and have spots go to out-of-fielders. That being said, I don't think it's fair to say that out-of-fielders have less meaningful educational experiences or that education classes are easy per se. i'm an education minor and my education classes are harder than many of the core science classes at my school (i've taken both). i've also developed many skills through my education and psych departments that I think are really important skils to have in grad school and in my career--developing a grant proposal, critically analyzing research articles, etc. . i dont know that i wouldve developed some of these skills if i was a speech major (though i cant say for sure bc we dont offer speech classes)

 

myself and most out of fielders that I've talked to didn't major in speech because their schools don't offer it or they didn't realize until halfway through their undergrad experience that they wanted to take the SLP route. that doesn't mean that their undergrad experiences were any less meaningful.

 

also, i know that there are many schools that only allow in-field applicants to apply, so maybe that would be a less frustrating route?

 

i really dont mean to sound rude, but i have to say i was really offended at some of what i was reading. i know we're all stressed, but each of us on here is qualified to become an SLP. lets not put anyone else down (even if you're really just frustrated with the process and not with the applicants themselves). it's not going to help anyone!

 

I have to completely agree. When it comes down to it, I think it's dangerous territory to draw a line between in-field and out of field applicants. What an overgeneralized dichotomy that ignores so many other characteristics that round out an applicant. Many people minor in different fields, take on certain extracurriculars etc. There's more competition, no doubt, but that's just how the world works. I think the hard truth is that this is a competitive process, and also an imperfect process. In the end, schools are choosing who they think are the best candidates. Unfortunately some people will not get chosen for a variety of reasons, and maybe an extra year of preparation will be the key to admissions in the future. My opinion is that it does no one any good to blame others for their situation. This energy would be much better spent on positive endeavors that will allow you to grow. Life is often not fair. It's all about figuring out how to be successful despite this. 

[Nebraska19]

Well, it appears that UNCG is notifying. I haven't heard yet. One post on the results page said profs emailed them unofficially. Sounds exactly like what they did at UNC-CH. I can only hope I am wait listed so that I can get a spot once the cream of the crop decides to go somewhere else!!

Darn, I was hoping you were one of those accepted. I will be keeping you (and everyone else on these boards) in my thoughts the next few days.

[SLPjmar]

Hi, 

 

I have to admit that I can see how your remarks could have been seen as biased, but as an out-of-feilder who only recently fell in love with the field I certainly took no offense! Although there might be some disappointment, as someone who wants to see the field grow with dedicated people (who can also promote language to other disciplines) I would rather see my slot go to someone with a good fit and a long-developed experience than to my mere hopes of making a difference. 

 

For some of reason I am reminded of Dumbledore - "help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who... deserve it" In other words, there will be a place for all who genuinely want to be here. It may not be prestigious, or come on the first try, but I do trust in the process. It could also be that I've been re-reading Harry Potter to stave off the nerves... 

 

Take care!

 

-Chris  

 

After reading some feedback, I can see how they could be misconstrued. Again, I do apologize.

 

[aucinema]

I'm not sure why they don't do it, but as I think about it more, the one downside is that making the undergrad a 4+1 or 3+2 might make speech path programs even MORE competitive. I think a 4+1 would make it far more appealing to many students and put it on many more people's radars. I think about how very competitive programs like education and nursing were at my school (both programs that 4+1) and realize that they admitted far more students every year than I think most speech-path programs could ever hope to admit. Can you imagine finding faculty and placements for that many students in a field that's small compared education and nursing? I'm just guessing here, but it's something to think about.

 

Also, I don't want to be cynical and say money, but I kind of want to be cynical and say money.  

Edited March 8, 2013 by aucinema