Canadian SLP applications thread!

[LM2013]

Hi everyone! I'm another fellow lurker ( and I'm sure there are still many more out there!   )

First off I want to say congrats to all of you who have been accepted, and I will keep my fingers crossed for those of you yet awaiting the final decisions!!

I'm applying to school next year for Fall 2014, but I have been following the past two year's worth of Canada SLP program threads and living vicariously until my time comes, heheh.

As I'm sure many of you can relate from being in this position, I'm dying to know what the current stats are looking like! It really helps to have an idea so that the next year is not as agonizingly ambiguous in terms of how "well" I am doing and what my chances are

If anybody is willing to post their stats at all I would be forever grateful to you for helping to ease my anxiety for the next year!   

 

 

Hi there! I'd be happy to share my stats. My GPA was a 3.82 and my subGPA is a 3.84. I'm finishing my BA in Child and Youth Studies and had around 50 supervised clinic hours when I applied (65 hours to-date) in 3 different settings with 3 different SLPs (preschool, school-aged, and adult). I also have 140+ hours of related volunteer work not supervised by SLPs but were relevant to the field (including a special needs preschool, developmental delay classroom, regular classroom, a special needs movement program, and various literacy programs). I mentioned that I am also completing my thesis on literacy programming for students at-risk for reading difficulties/learning disabilities. I also worked at an overnight summer camp for kids, youth & adults with special needs - my campers were all on the autism spectrum and many used AAC devices for communication which I got to help facilitate. In my letter of intent I also briefly brought up the position I've held over the past 3 years working part-time at my university's career centre.

 

Let me know if you have any questions...I only got accepted to Western so I'm not sure what the other schools may be looking for! 

[speechpathcanada]

Hey guys! I'm on the waitlist for U of T and UWO as well. I'm just wondering if anyone has been told by U of T where they are on the waitlist- they haven't replied to my email. UWO told me I'm middle-third, but I can't seem to get anything out of U of T!

[ollieal]

Hey guys! I'm on the waitlist for U of T and UWO as well. I'm just wondering if anyone has been told by U of T where they are on the waitlist- they haven't replied to my email. UWO told me I'm middle-third, but I can't seem to get anything out of U of T!

 

I asked U of T too and they said they don't give out where you are on the waitlist  unfortunately

[speechpathcanada]

I asked U of T too and they said they don't give out where you are on the waitlist  unfortunately

Darn! Thanks anyway

[SLPhopeful2013]

Hmm... the letter they sent me sounded a lot more optimistic than the Western letter... but this doesn't really say anything about chances I suppose. I'm thinking it was the same letter for everyone? I received an email... I asked how many were wait listed and she told me when she emailed me back this morning.   I don't think there is any way of knowing how many people will be accepted off the wait list. It depends on a lot of factors. Some universities offer more acceptances than spots they intend to have in the program as they anticipate people to decline offers. I'm not sure if this is the case for U of T. It also depends on how many people actually decline the offers, which I am sure varies from year to year. Lets keep our fingers crossed!! Western seems like a HUGE long shot. Do to the overlap in the application system with Western and U of T, I would think there will be a lot of shuffling and hopefully that will result in lots of people getting accepted off the wait lists!

Hi all, I went on a tour of Western's program today (accepted to both UofT and Western) and trying to make the big decision. Thought I could clarify a few things about wait list. It is true that Western accepts more applicants than they have spots for (36) as they assume people will reject the offer. That being said, they were shocked when 37 people accepted the offer last year (no one got in from wait list). On the bright side, Toronto seems a lot more optimistic. I have a friend who got in last year off the wait list in June (she was near the bottom). So all hope is not lost. I am attending the open house at Toronto on Monday. If anyone has any questions inbox me good luck to all still waiting!

[slp15]

Thanks all for the info on Toronto. I was accepted off of the wait list to UT back in 2010 but I was unable to attend in the end and I am back on the wait list again this year. I'm not sure where I was in 2010 but gives me hope that I will be accepted off the wait list again! 

I asked in my wait list return email about how far down the list I am and the question was just ignored when I received my response!

[speechpathcanada]

Hi all, I went on a tour of Western's program today (accepted to both UofT and Western) and trying to make the big decision. Thought I could clarify a few things about wait list. It is true that Western accepts more applicants than they have spots for (36) as they assume people will reject the offer. That being said, they were shocked when 37 people accepted the offer last year (no one got in from wait list). On the bright side, Toronto seems a lot more optimistic. I have a friend who got in last year off the wait list in June (she was near the bottom). So all hope is not lost. I am attending the open house at Toronto on Monday. If anyone has any questions inbox me good luck to all still waiting!

Wow, super helpful SLPhopeful2013! Thank you so, so much. This definitely makes me feel a lot better. If you find anything else out on Monday, it would be amazing if you could share it! Thanks again. 

[SLPlife]

Hi there! I'd be happy to share my stats. My GPA was a 3.82 and my subGPA is a 3.84. I'm finishing my BA in Child and Youth Studies and had around 50 supervised clinic hours when I applied (65 hours to-date) in 3 different settings with 3 different SLPs (preschool, school-aged, and adult). I also have 140+ hours of related volunteer work not supervised by SLPs but were relevant to the field (including a special needs preschool, developmental delay classroom, regular classroom, a special needs movement program, and various literacy programs). I mentioned that I am also completing my thesis on literacy programming for students at-risk for reading difficulties/learning disabilities. I also worked at an overnight summer camp for kids, youth & adults with special needs - my campers were all on the autism spectrum and many used AAC devices for communication which I got to help facilitate. In my letter of intent I also briefly brought up the position I've held over the past 3 years working part-time at my university's career centre.

 

Let me know if you have any questions...I only got accepted to Western so I'm not sure what the other schools may be looking for! 

Thank you so much for sharing! That is definitely a wealth of experience!! They are lucky to have someone as passionate as you in their program

Ironically I have a lot of similar experience, I even do advising within my own University's career centre! My main concern is that I'm not completing a thesis or anything like that... though I have integrated speech therapy into the opportunities that I have had to write papers in my research psychology classes.. so I hope not having direct research experience won't hurt my chances too much. 

I think it's amazing that you have done so much. Your enthusiasm really comes across in your experience and I'm sure it means that you will have an extremely satisfying future in this field!!

[SLPhopeful2013]

SLPlife- I inboxed you my stats.. wasn't too sure about posting it publicly. If any other future SLPers are curious just inbox me

[LM2013]

SLPlife - thanks so much! I hope that was helpful. Maybe look for an opportunity to volunteer for a research project if you'd like to gain that kind of experience. 

 

Also, not sure if anyone has already answered this but has anyone received any information regarding OGS for Western? The lady on the phone told me that I probably didn't get it (she looked up my account or something....hoping she's wrong) but the prof who called me April 1st said they might be sending out OGS decisions past April 15th.

 

Anyone have any other info on this?

[SLPhopeful2013]

SLPlife - thanks so much! I hope that was helpful. Maybe look for an opportunity to volunteer for a research project if you'd like to gain that kind of experience. 

 

Also, not sure if anyone has already answered this but has anyone received any information regarding OGS for Western? The lady on the phone told me that I probably didn't get it (she looked up my account or something....hoping she's wrong) but the prof who called me April 1st said they might be sending out OGS decisions past April 15th.

 

Anyone have any other info on this?

 

Hey LM2013,

Due to funding cut backs- Western only had 1 OGS to give out. The prof was able to tell me I made it to the top 6 but wasn't successful. The successful applicant was notified on April 1st.. if they declined (which I am assuming they didn't) it would come available to someone else. Janet said most of the funding opportunities go to in course students- so hopefully you will have better luck next year

 

Hope that clarifies!

[SLPguy]

Hey everyone,

 

Just wanted to share some words of encouragement with those who were wait-listed or rejected; and for those who got into both U of T and UWO, I wanted to let you know some important things to consider in your decision making process.

 

To those who didn't get in this year:

 

          I know it sucks. You've worked towards this goal for years and it hurts to hear that your work wasn’t good enough. Last year I was rejected by U of T, and wait-listed by UWO (but like everyone else on the wait-list, I didn't get in).

          The main thing I want to say is to not give up. When I first found out I was rejected, I had a huge freak out, and was ready to give up. My mother had just died the month before, and I felt like the universe had suddenly turned against me. Eventually, I did a little investigating, and found out why my application was unsuccessful. It turned out that my clinical referee either secretly hated me, or had no clue how to write a good reference, because they only talked about themselves and their work for the whole letter. After finding out the specific reason for my rejection, I started to feel a bit better about it, and decided to give it another shot. I got into both U of T and UWO this year, and all I did was get a new clinical referee.

           So, if SLP is what you truly want to do with your life, don't give up. Give it another shot. I was stupid, and didn’t click the box saying I’d applied before, because I thought they might look at my bad reference from last year. Apparently, clicking that box is a good thing, and for those reviewing your application, it speaks to your level of commitment to the profession. I know someone who applied 6 times before she got in. Their grades were sub-par, but their persistence really made a difference, and they were recently accepted to both UWO and U of T. So don’t give up. If this is what you feel called to do, or if it’s the only job you think you’d be happy doing, then keep trying.

 

 

To those who are deciding between UWO and U of T, here is a list of things to consider:

 

• At U of T, your clinical placement is assigned by lottery, and some placements are located outside of Toronto. I know someone who “lost” the lottery, and had to pay for two apartments when she did her placement in Orangeville (about 1.5 hrs from downtown Toronto).
• At UWO, there is a coordinator who works really hard to get everyone the placements they want. Also, they have in-house clinics for peds, neuro, voice, ALD, and stuttering, so you can do half your placements in house, and literally walk down the hall from your lectures to your placement.
• At UWO, placements coincide with courses, so it can get a little hairy during crunch times.
• UWO just switched from a 3 year to a 2 year program, and there is still a lot of bugs to work out. This spring semester was insanely disorganized, and my girlfriend and many of her classmates were on the brink of a breakdown (6 of them stopped menstruating due to stress… if that gives you any idea of how bad it was). They’ve held a feedback forum with the student, and said they will take steps to improve this for next year, so here’s hoping they do…
• Every single UWO Professor has been an actual clinician for a good portion of their career, and imparts their experience during their courses. U of T has only two professors who were previously clinicians. As a result, I’ve heard that U of T is too theoretical, and those I know who’ve graduated from there say they did not feel prepared to enter the workforce when they graduated (I used to work in the U of T department as an RA btw… in case you’re wondering how I know so many SLP students.)
• I know that UWO is starting a clinical PhD program soon, not sure if U of T is going to jump on the band wagon with that or not…
• Having lived in both London and Toronto, I can say that London is much cheaper, and less stressful than Toronto, but also less convenient for those without a vehicle. We rent a 2 bedroom 1300 sq foot apartment here in London for $930 a month. The bus ride to school is 15 minutes. We previously lived in an apartment that was 20 minutes from 500 University Ave (Rehab Sci Building). It was 670 sq feet one bedroom, and cost $1250 (which was a decent deal for the area).
• For both U of T and UWO, you can expect to spend at least $12,000 per year on tuition, books, and other expenses like clinic materials. So for those on a budget, the point above might be the decision maker.
• UWO has two unique clinical placements you can do. One is in a native reserve in Northern Ontario; the other is in a cleft-palate clinic in South America.

 

Anyways, I’m sure I’m forgetting some points, but this post is going to take up a whole page of this thread as it is, so I’ll stop here. If you have any questions that I can answer (myself, or on behalf of my girlfriend who's in the UWO program), please feel free to ask.

Edited April 6, 2013 by SLPguy

[coeruleus]

thanks SLPguy for this post! i think there are others on the forum who re-applied this year and got in - it's really good to know that it is possible, if you're committed:)

[Inny]

What a fantastic post! 

 

Just wanted to add something: 

 

• UWO has two unique clinical placements you can do. One is in a native reserve in Northern Ontario; the other is in a cleft-palate clinic in South America.

 

U of T has placement opportunities like this as well. Some international ones, and some up north. 

[LM2013]

Wow, thanks SLPguy. That gives a lot of us some great additional info!

 

Edited April 6, 2013 by LM2013

[SLPguy]

What a fantastic post! 

 

Just wanted to add something: 

 

 

U of T has placement opportunities like this as well. Some international ones, and some up north. 

 

Good to know! I've just been informed that U of T is also planning to start a Clinical PhD program.

Edited April 6, 2013 by SLPguy

[SLPguy]

Thanks guys. I'm obviously a bit biased in favour of UWO, but in my opinion, it is the better program, overall.

 

Another point to consider:

 

The UWO SLP Dept. shares a cadaver lab with the med school... My girlfriend and all her friends have raved about this lab, saying it was their best learning experience in the program so far. U of T does not have a lab like this.

 

 

Also, anyone who didn't get in, and would like to know what my application looked like, feel free to PM me and I'll share my stats, and what my letter of intent looked like. My grades are not top-notch, so it'll give you an idea of what might make up for that...

Edited April 6, 2013 by SLPguy

[Inny]

It's funny, cause Western was my last choice school (not because of the school/program itself, but because I'm a person of colour who grew up in that area and don't feel like going back there/sticking out like that again). I got wait listed at Western, and will likely go to UBC, but your posts are kind of making me wish I had the option of Western

Edited April 6, 2013 by Inny

[SLPguy]

It's funny, cause Western was my last choice school (not because of the school/program itself, but because I'm a person of colour who grew up in that area and don't feel like going back there/sticking out like that again). I got wait listed at Western, and will likely go to UBC, but your posts are kind of making me wish I had the option of Western

 

Ha! I know, it's such a white-washed town... Coming from Toronto, I also felt out of place when I first moved here last summer, but I'm white! ...People here are just different. Different culture or something. Haven't quite put my finger on it. Ever been to the small town's around London, like Aylmer? They're full of Amish people who speak old-german or something, and stare at people they don't recognize... Had a little bit of culture shock when I went there. UBC is much more diverse. I have no idea what the program is like, I'm sure it'll have its own advantages. Best of luck to you!

Edited April 6, 2013 by SLPguy

[junowhat]

I officially accepted to McGill this morning!!!!

So excited for this next step in my life.  Would love to connect with anyone else heading that way!

[Inny]

Congrats! That's very exciting!

[contessa]

Hey everyone,

 

Just wanted to share some words of encouragement with those who were wait-listed or rejected; and for those who got into both U of T and UWO, I wanted to let you know some important things to consider in your decision making process.

 

To those who didn't get in this year:

 

          I know it sucks. You've worked towards this goal for years and it hurts to hear that your work wasn’t good enough. Last year I was rejected by U of T, and wait-listed by UWO (but like everyone else on the wait-list, I didn't get in).

          The main thing I want to say is to not give up. When I first found out I was rejected, I had a huge freak out, and was ready to give up. My mother had just died the month before, and I felt like the universe had suddenly turned against me. Eventually, I did a little investigating, and found out why my application was unsuccessful. It turned out that my clinical referee either secretly hated me, or had no clue how to write a good reference, because they only talked about themselves and their work for the whole letter. After finding out the specific reason for my rejection, I started to feel a bit better about it, and decided to give it another shot. I got into both U of T and UWO this year, and all I did was get a new clinical referee.

           So, if SLP is what you truly want to do with your life, don't give up. Give it another shot. I was stupid, and didn’t click the box saying I’d applied before, because I thought they might look at my bad reference from last year. Apparently, clicking that box is a good thing, and for those reviewing your application, it speaks to your level of commitment to the profession. I know someone who applied 6 times before she got in. Their grades were sub-par, but their persistence really made a difference, and they were recently accepted to both UWO and U of T. So don’t give up. If this is what you feel called to do, or if it’s the only job you think you’d be happy doing, then keep trying.

 

Omg. I'm so happy I read this because this is the exact same reason I wasn't accepted this year. My clinical referee pretty much sabotaged my application and if I had known she would have wrote me a weak reference, I would've never asked her and who knows what my application status would have been!! I'm so concerned that they will look at my application when I re-apply and I'm hoping her reference won't play a role in my acceptance AGAIN. I was devastated when I found out I didn't get it because I knew I had a competitive GPA and great experience but when I found out it was my clinical referee I also felt a bit better (knowing that it wasn't because of my grades or anything). I'm definitely re-applying and I refuse to give up!! I'm going to have a new clinical referee though and I hope that I'm successful the next time around. 

[Centcan]

Hey SLPguy, congratulations on getting into Western and joining your girlfriend. I, too, have XY chromosomes (lol), and we have a buddy at Western (he's told me about you, although I don't know your name). That must be exciting. I'm still considering McGill, Western, and Toronto (and I've visited Montreal and London in the last two weeks to check out the schools; I'm serious about this!), so I've been racking my brain, but I wanted to point out a few things about your UWO vs. U of T comparison.

 

• At U of T, your clinical placement is assigned by lottery, and some placements are located outside of Toronto. I know someone who “lost” the lottery, and had to pay for two apartments when she did her placement in Orangeville (about 1.5 hrs from downtown Toronto).
• At UWO, there is a coordinator who works really hard to get everyone the placements they want. Also, they have in-house clinics for peds, neuro, voice, ALD, and stuttering, so you can do half your placements in house, and literally walk down the hall from your lectures to your placement.

At U of T, I'm told that students rank their choice of within-catchment placements from 1 to 10 (so it's a weighted lottery in a sense) but they could get something that's not in the ten they chose! If you want something outside of the catchment area, the program will try to match you as soon as possible, skipping the lottery. U of T's catchment area is Burlington-Orangeville-Barrie-Beaverton-Oshawa.

 

UWO's awesome feature is the in-house clinic where a student can do a good chunk of their internship hours in a setting that will help the clinical student, but there is value in U of T and McGill giving external placements in that career networking can be done and students can check out places where they might actually work; the downside to external placements is that experiences among students can vary wildly, although at Western, the students will have to leave the in-house clinic anyway.

 

Although SLPs work everywhere in the country, one has to be aware of the geographical limits of placements and the territory that each school claims. As a student at Western, you can't do placements in Toronto (because of U of T), Ottawa (because of uOttawa), Vancouver (because of UBC), Montreal (because of McGill and UdeM), etc.; as a student at U of T, you can't do placements in London (because of Western), etc. I don't know U of T's catchment area is equivalent to its exclusivity zone, but I was talking to Western and I was told that the 416 area code and any of U of T's affiliated hospitals are no-gos for Western students.

 

• Every single UWO Professor has been an actual clinician for a good portion of their career, and imparts their experience during their courses. U of T has only two professors who were previously clinicians. As a result, I’ve heard that U of T is too theoretical, and those I know who’ve graduated from there say they did not feel prepared to enter the workforce when they graduated (I used to work in the U of T department as an RA btw… in case you’re wondering how I know so many SLP students.)

 

I've been told by people (including a prof at U of T) that yes, the scale from research/theoretical focus to clinical focus goes like this: McGill, Toronto, Western. However, U of T has more than two professors that were previously clinicians: five of their profs with PhD's are registered with CASLPO, of those four have clinical degrees in SLP in North America (the other one has a clinical degree in "orthopedagogics" in Europe), and of those three practised as SLP clinicians in North America for a period of time. That being said, both schools also rely on part-time lecturers who are still practising clinicians and they teach certain classes.

 

I'm going to spend the next two days to think about what to say to McGill! I'm so unsure!

[SLPguy]

Omg. I'm so happy I read this because this is the exact same reason I wasn't accepted this year. My clinical referee pretty much sabotaged my application and if I had known she would have wrote me a weak reference, I would've never asked her and who knows what my application status would have been!! I'm so concerned that they will look at my application when I re-apply and I'm hoping her reference won't play a role in my acceptance AGAIN. I was devastated when I found out I didn't get it because I knew I had a competitive GPA and great experience but when I found out it was my clinical referee I also felt a bit better (knowing that it wasn't because of my grades or anything). I'm definitely re-applying and I refuse to give up!! I'm going to have a new clinical referee though and I hope that I'm successful the next time around. 

 

It's scary how much power one person can have over decision that means so much to you, isn't it? Get a new reference. It made all the difference for me.

[SLPguy]

Hey SLPguy, congratulations on getting into Western and joining your girlfriend. I, too, have XY chromosomes (lol), and we have a buddy at Western (he's told me about you, although I don't know your name). That must be exciting. I'm still considering McGill, Western, and Toronto (and I've visited Montreal and London in the last two weeks to check out the schools; I'm serious about this!), so I've been racking my brain, but I wanted to point out a few things about your UWO vs. U of T comparison.

 

At U of T, I'm told that students rank their choice of within-catchment placements from 1 to 10 (so it's a weighted lottery in a sense) but they could get something that's not in the ten they chose! If you want something outside of the catchment area, the program will try to match you as soon as possible, skipping the lottery. U of T's catchment area is Burlington-Orangeville-Barrie-Beaverton-Oshawa.

 

UWO's awesome feature is the in-house clinic where a student can do a good chunk of their internship hours in a setting that will help the clinical student, but there is value in U of T and McGill giving external placements in that career networking can be done and students can check out places where they might actually work; the downside to external placements is that experiences among students can vary wildly, although at Western, the students will have to leave the in-house clinic anyway.

 

Although SLPs work everywhere in the country, one has to be aware of the geographical limits of placements and the territory that each school claims. As a student at Western, you can't do placements in Toronto (because of U of T), Ottawa (because of uOttawa), Vancouver (because of UBC), Montreal (because of McGill and UdeM), etc.; as a student at U of T, you can't do placements in London (because of Western), etc. I don't know U of T's catchment area is equivalent to its exclusivity zone, but I was talking to Western and I was told that the 416 area code and any of U of T's affiliated hospitals are no-gos for Western students.

 

 

I've been told by people (including a prof at U of T) that yes, the scale from research/theoretical focus to clinical focus goes like this: McGill, Toronto, Western. However, U of T has more than two professors that were previously clinicians: five of their profs with PhD's are registered with CASLPO, of those four have clinical degrees in SLP in North America (the other one has a clinical degree in "orthopedagogics" in Europe), and of those three practised as SLP clinicians in North America for a period of time. That being said, both schools also rely on part-time lecturers who are still practising clinicians and they teach certain classes.

 

I'm going to spend the next two days to think about what to say to McGill! I'm so unsure!

 

Thanks for clearing that up Centcan. I probably should have emphasized that some of my points were things that I heard, and were not necessarily the complete picture. Also, you touched on a good point, which is that Toronto is home to some of the best research hospitals in North America (ex. Sunnybrook), and may offer some unique clinical learning experiences. Also, the thing about U of T's "weighed lottery" system is that many students end up picking the same placements as their #1 choice. So, although the system is designed to give as many people their preferred placements as possible, most of the students end up with placements that are half-way down their list or further.

I'd say you should go to McGill, not because I know anything about the program, but because Montreal is one of the best cities in the world! I love it there... Or you could always join Jordan and I at "Hellborn." (Haven't actually met Jordan yet, btw, and my name is Tim).

 

Congrats on getting in, fellow XY.