MGH Institute of Health Professions

[jdi022]

Been lurking on the board for a few months and finally decided to join!

 

Just got my admission letter to MGH for this fall! Congratulations to all who got accepted!

 

Can't wait to meet all of you!

[MagentaMacaron]

Congrats to you! Have you visited MGH or do you have plans to visit? I was surprised there was no mention of an open house in the letter. 

[eerichh]

Congrats you guys!

I got accepted this monring to MGH as well. I'm really happy about it. I don't know scholarship details yet, but was told in my letter I will be receiving a Merit scholarship (so I fee very lucky). On the other hand, I have a fully funded offer already from another school. I live overseas and was wondering how 'great' this program is compared to other top programs? I applied because of the school's affiliations, location, and because of the adult neurological options.

 

I'm just curious - would you take an offer that is fully funded + stipend, but in a less prestigious environment, or would you go with MGH?

 

Cheers,

E.

[Erock40]

Congrats you guys!

I got accepted this monring to MGH as well. I'm really happy about it. I don't know scholarship details yet, but was told in my letter I will be receiving a Merit scholarship (so I fee very lucky). On the other hand, I have a fully funded offer already from another school. I live overseas and was wondering how 'great' this program is compared to other top programs? I applied because of the school's affiliations, location, and because of the adult neurological options.

 

I'm just curious - would you take an offer that is fully funded + stipend, but in a less prestigious environment, or would you go with MGH?

 

Cheers,

E.

 

I am sort of in the same boat. I received a fantastic offer from a school only a few rankings lower, and what I would consider a mediocre offer from MGH, especially when considering the full cost of tuition for two years (>$70,000). I just can't justify not going with the better offer, even though Boston is awesome and the program seems really great. It's definitely a hard decision to make, especially when comparing experiences/ opportunities available vs. the total amount of money you would have to pay while paying back loans. Good luck in making your decision!

[SLPzs91]

Hi all! First off, congrats on your acceptance to MGH, I look forward to meeting you all at the open house. For those of you who got a scholarship offer in the admissions letter, Marjorie Nicholas will be calling you sometime soon to tell you the value of your offer.

 

When she called me, she said that there is an open house for admitted students on March 23rd in Boston, and that official letters will be sent out with information on this to everyone who was accepted. So you should be getting that soon. Congrats again, and best of luck with the rest of the admissions season!

[smoose5]

Congrats to everyone who got into MGH! I had a missed call with no message from a number at MGH...did anyone else speak with them on the phone? There was no mention of a scholarship offer in my letter so I'm curious as to what it was about!

[MagentaMacaron]

Congrats to everyone who got into MGH! I had a missed call with no message from a number at MGH...did anyone else speak with them on the phone? There was no mention of a scholarship offer in my letter so I'm curious as to what it was about!

 

The exact same thing happened to me. I recieved a voice message to call back (no answer unfortunately). There was no mention of a scholarship offer in my letter either. My friend recieved an email confirming her acceptance (that I did not recieve), so maybe it is a faculty member calling to confirm? I am not sure!!

[speech310]

The exact same thing happened to me. I recieved a voice message to call back (no answer unfortunately). There was no mention of a scholarship offer in my letter either. My friend recieved an email confirming her acceptance (that I did not recieve), so maybe it is a faculty member calling to confirm? I am not sure!!

Just received this call! It was the clinical director calling to congratulate/answer any questions. I asked about scholarship and she basically implied that if you didn't have something about it in the initial letter, then it's a no go unfortunately :/ she said we will get financial aid info soon though

[lele]

I just got a call too, from Leslie Mawxell. I was too nervous to ask about aid, but I'm glad you did! It stinks that we didn't get scholarships, but I'm happy to be accepted

[MagentaMacaron]

This may be a little early, but is anyone considering taking the prerequisites offered during the summer? My jaw dropped when I saw how much the courses cost!

[SLP2013]

Hi all,

    Congrats on getting accepted!

 

This may be a little early, but is anyone considering taking the prerequisites offered during the summer? My jaw dropped when I saw how much the courses cost!

 

I already took most of my pre-reqs while working so I won't be taking them then. There are some really affordable online options (like Utah State) that I would definitely look into. At their open house back in the fall, they did mention they have accepted those in the past... They're WAY more affordable

[eerichh]

That would be amazing if MGH would accept the prereqs from another school. I really really appreciate the tip about Utah State.

Very cool.

Ee.

[MagentaMacaron]

Hi all,

    Congrats on getting accepted!

 

 

I already took most of my pre-reqs while working so I won't be taking them then. There are some really affordable online options (like Utah State) that I would definitely look into. At their open house back in the fall, they did mention they have accepted those in the past... They're WAY more affordable

 

Thank you!

[deleria]

I am sort of in the same boat. I received a fantastic offer from a school only a few rankings lower, and what I would consider a mediocre offer from MGH, especially when considering the full cost of tuition for two years (>$70,000). I just can't justify not going with the better offer, even though Boston is awesome and the program seems really great. It's definitely a hard decision to make, especially when comparing experiences/ opportunities available vs. the total amount of money you would have to pay while paying back loans. Good luck in making your decision!

 

Yeah, this decision is killing me! I got nothing from MGH, but a decent chunk of money from another school, also ranked a little lower, where I could live at home and the overall cost of my degree would be around 15K. I can't decide if I should even go to the open house - might be a little too much torture!

[eerichh]

Hey,

 

I've been accepted now to 5 programs, all ranked in the top 25. MGH is still the most appealing one to me. Having the link/access to Harvard and MIT classes, plus access to the professors, the hospital itself, the intensity of the education, the medical inclination to the education, I feel like the investment will be worth it.

 

Does anybody know anyone who graduated from MGH? I'm just wondering what it means to have to pay back all the student loans if I know I've given myself the best education I can afford. Are there any cons about MGH's education?

 

Good luck on decision making. I'm about 99% MGH now...

Ee. 

[lele]

Another possible con is that it takes an extra summer to complete their program, but I don't really mind taking the extra classes...when I went to an info session for MGH, they said that SLP's in schools have been able to negotiate a masters + 15 credits, so the extra classes could end up getting you a better starting salary.

[lele]

I'm wondering how you all feel about the cost of MGH compared to the other Boston schools. I've been trying to calculate total cost of attendance at MGH, Emerson, and BU. I haven't calculated for BU, but I've started to do it for Emerson and MGH. For Emerson, I got 56,646 over two years (1,049 $/credit x 54 required credits), and for MGH, I got 71,070 over two years (1030 $/credit x 69 required credits). This doesn't include fees, cost of books, or living expenses, but dang! That's a pretty big difference. And I'm kind of afraid to do it for BU because I know it will be even higher! I'm definitely leaning towards MGH right now, but now that I'm thinking about how much I'm going to have to take out in loans, Emerson is looking pretty good! How are you all feeling about cost right now?

[deleria]

I'm wondering how you all feel about the cost of MGH compared to the other Boston schools. I've been trying to calculate total cost of attendance at MGH, Emerson, and BU. I haven't calculated for BU, but I've started to do it for Emerson and MGH. For Emerson, I got 56,646 over two years (1,049 $/credit x 54 required credits), and for MGH, I got 71,070 over two years (1030 $/credit x 69 required credits). This doesn't include fees, cost of books, or living expenses, but dang! That's a pretty big difference. And I'm kind of afraid to do it for BU because I know it will be even higher! I'm definitely leaning towards MGH right now, but now that I'm thinking about how much I'm going to have to take out in loans, Emerson is looking pretty good! How are you all feeling about cost right now?

 

I went ahead and turned down MGH due to the cost. Being over 100k in debt after living expenses, plus my undergrad debt, is waaaay more in loans than I'd feel comfortable with.

[lele]

I went ahead and turned down MGH due to the cost. Being over 100k in debt after living expenses, plus my undergrad debt, is waaaay more in loans than I'd feel comfortable with.

Are you going to another school in Boston? I was always gung ho about MGH, but now that I know there is a cheaper option in Boston for me, I am very unsure.

[deleria]

Are you going to another school in Boston? I was always gung ho about MGH, but now that I know there is a cheaper option in Boston for me, I am very unsure.

 

Nope, MGH was my only Boston school. I'm not sure where I'm going yet, but the other options I'm actually considering range from about $15,000 to $56,000 in tuition - so the upper range of what I'm considering is close to BU's tuition. However, my most expensive school is in an area with much cheaper rent, which makes a big difference to me.

[eerichh]

The reason I've decided on MGH is because of their medical training. It's one of the best (maybe the best) in terms of having access and directive towards a more medically trained SLP education. I'm all about adult neurological disorders, and therefore having access to world class clinics makes it worthwhile for me.

 

Basically, if you want a general SLP education, that does not focus or specialize on a particular subject/concentration, then I would suggest going for the cheapest option. On the other hand, if you are absolutely passionate about an area, then go for the school that you think would grant you the most opportunities in that field. 

 

(This is obviously only my opinion but that's what the forum's for )

 

Really wish you good luck in your decision!

[kkeelty]

I too am panicked about the cost of MGH's program (including pre-reqs) and am worried about making the wrong choice.  I am deciding between Emerson and MGH and am definitely most interested in working with adults and focusing on neurogenic disorders etc.

 

I already have a Masters degree in a similar clinical field and will be paying off that loan...forever!  I feel as though the stakes are kind of high here for me and wonder if anyone else out there is also changing careers.  Have you crunched the numbers?  The increase in salary that I will realize will likely ensure a return on this investment for me within a reasonable amount of time, but I am still anxious.

 

Anyone else coming from another field?  Other than the obvious advantages that MGH offers with respect to the medical aspects of SLP, what makes MGH stand out for you all?

[SLPzs91]

I too am panicked about the cost of MGH's program (including pre-reqs) and am worried about making the wrong choice.  I am deciding between Emerson and MGH and am definitely most interested in working with adults and focusing on neurogenic disorders etc.   I already have a Masters degree in a similar clinical field and will be paying off that loan...forever!  I feel as though the stakes are kind of high here for me and wonder if anyone else out there is also changing careers.  Have you crunched the numbers?  The increase in salary that I will realize will likely ensure a return on this investment for me within a reasonable amount of time, but I am still anxious.   Anyone else coming from another field?  Other than the obvious advantages that MGH offers with respect to the medical aspects of SLP, what makes MGH stand out for you all?

I'm also highly interested in adult neurogenics. I can tell you that Emerson, while a good program, is highly pediatric centered. There's not too much of an emphasis on adults there. As far as what makes MGH stand out to me, I really like that we actually get 5 clinical placements (including the two in-house ones,) with the possibility of a sixth. No other program has that. I also like that it's spread out over 6 semesters, so there's not an insane amount of class going on all at once. And then, obviously the medical emphasis. I hope this helps!

[kkeelty]

I'm also highly interested in adult neurogenics. I can tell you that Emerson, while a good program, is highly pediatric centered. There's not too much of an emphasis on adults there. As far as what makes MGH stand out to me, I really like that we actually get 5 clinical placements (including the two in-house ones,) with the possibility of a sixth. No other program has that. I also like that it's spread out over 6 semesters, so there's not an insane amount of class going on all at once. And then, obviously the medical emphasis. I hope this helps!

 

That does help.  I was not aware that there are so many clinical placements at MGH.  In the field is definitely where I did the bulk of my learning the last time around.  I am very much looking forward to these upcoming info sessions so I can get all the nitty gritty details.  I appreciate the info!

[GandalfTheGrey]

I too am panicked about the cost of MGH's program (including pre-reqs) and am worried about making the wrong choice.  I am deciding between Emerson and MGH and am definitely most interested in working with adults and focusing on neurogenic disorders etc.

 

I already have a Masters degree in a similar clinical field and will be paying off that loan...forever!  I feel as though the stakes are kind of high here for me and wonder if anyone else out there is also changing careers.  Have you crunched the numbers?  The increase in salary that I will realize will likely ensure a return on this investment for me within a reasonable amount of time, but I am still anxious.

 

Anyone else coming from another field?  Other than the obvious advantages that MGH offers with respect to the medical aspects of SLP, what makes MGH stand out for you all?

I was in a similar situation last year, and ended up choosing a different school that offered me a surprise scholarship a week before the decision deadline, but I wouldn't discount Emerson just yet. The faculty there care deeply about making sure students get the experiences they want/need, so if you express an interest in adult neuro, it might not get you out of hours and hours working with preschoolers, but they will do their best to get you an adult neuro placement so that you graduate with an experience on par with an MGH grad. You might not be in a medically-oriented environment at Emerson, but it could still mean significantly less debt and the same job prospects. This is obviously just my opinion, but definitely approach the info sessions with an open mind! Congrats on your acceptances, and good luck with your decisions!