Canadian 2014 SLP

[CDAtoSLP]

CDAtoSLP, how did you  go about taking the courses.  Did you have to apply to the school?  A friend of mine who graduated from the SLP program advised me not to take the prerequisites at U of T as she found it difficult.  Did you find the profs and the courses difficult?

Hi Asemooooooooo

I applied to U of T as a non degree student.  I did complete my phonetics prereq there (the second time around)  Some of the courses I found tough (I ended up with an 84% in Phonetics, which is the same mark I got 10 years ago when I first did it and I have worked with IPA snce, but I don't work with non-english sounds very often and the course was very detailed.  I found U of T like any school as far as profs and difficulty, in that I did amazing in some classes and found them "easy", and I found I had to work really hard in others to pull of a half decent mark.  I did quite well in the Adult Language Disorders course (It's joint linguisitcs and speech-JLS 474- or something like that), and I didn't find I was completely over whelmed by the work.

 

Hope this helps

[jmjm]

Does anyone know if there is a U of T Facebook group going?

[uofabound]

Hi everyone! 

 

I was wondering if anyone that got accepted into U of A would mind private messaging me their stats. I got rejected this year and would like to know what I was up against so I can better my application for next year. Thank you so much!!

[CDAtoSLP]

Does anyone know if there is a U of T Facebook group going?

  Someone sent me this link:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/379131378891226/  

[emmer89]

Hey guys… Just wondering if anyone else has yet to hear back from U of A? I contacted the department this week and was told that everything would be sent by mail by April 15th, and that statuses online would also all be updated by this day (i.e. today)… but mine still says "decision pending"…anyone else on the same boat? I'm assuming this is a rejection...

[hopefulspeechie16]

Canadian applicants do you know if volunteer hours have to be documented in some sort?

[aykl]

Canadian applicants do you know if volunteer hours have to be documented in some sort?

 

Do you mean signed off by a supervisor/coordinator etc.? I didn't submit anything of the sort. ORPAS gives you an option of inputting an approximate number of hours you've spent at each volunteer/work site but I don't think they ask for verification.

[MtlGal]

For those going to McGill, I just made a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/556354367817467/

 

Looking forward to meeting you all! 

[princesspeech]

Canadian applicants do you know if volunteer hours have to be documented in some sort?

 

Do you mean signed off by a supervisor/coordinator etc.? I didn't submit anything of the sort. ORPAS gives you an option of inputting an approximate number of hours you've spent at each volunteer/work site but I don't think they ask for verification.

 

I think the reference form for ORPAS asks your reference about the hours or time spent supervising the applicant and the dates/hours that you spent at the volunteering place. I think if anything you'd have to document your hours and have the SLP sign off on it! If you volunteer at multiple places you just fill out the form on ORPAS.

[charleezweez]

CDAtoSLP, Erin?? Just guessing its you based on your story! I was in your aud lab at Georgian back in 2012 and wanted to say congratulations! So glad all your hard work paid off! ...and if you're not erin then congrats regardless!

[hopefulspeechie16]

I think the reference form for ORPAS asks your reference about the hours or time spent supervising the applicant and the dates/hours that you spent at the volunteering place. I think if anything you'd have to document your hours and have the SLP sign off on it! If you volunteer at multiple places you just fill out the form on ORPAS.

 

Also how recent do the dates have to be? I did some volunteering in 2011 but will be applying next year...

[kdot]

Hey guys… Just wondering if anyone else has yet to hear back from U of A? I contacted the department this week and was told that everything would be sent by mail by April 15th, and that statuses online would also all be updated by this day (i.e. today)… but mine still says "decision pending"…anyone else on the same boat? I'm assuming this is a rejection...

 

hey I also have yet to hear from alberta and I just checked my bear tracks and it still says decision pending. I'm sure it's a rejection, I know people who have been accepted and who have been waitlisted. I've arleady accepted another offer so I'm not too torn up about it but Good Luck to you! I hope you hear some good news

[princesspeech]

Hi guys!

I confirmed my acceptance to U of T a while back but I got accepted off the waitlist at McGill today. aaaaaah. I know I wrote down reasons why I chose U of T over Western but at the time of application, U of T and McGill were tied as my top choices. Can anyone who got accepted at McGill and U of T post or PM me about why they chose their final choice? I know the modular curriculum at U of T is a huge thing (and why I instantly chose it from UWO) + the networking opportunities in Toronto, but I'm just so drawn to Montreal and the prestige of McGill and the idea of bilingual placements. I'm torn. Please let me know if you have any insight! Also does anyone know any details about deferring the McGill admission?

 

Thanks, much appreciated!

[sweaterweather]

Hey guys… Just wondering if anyone else has yet to hear back from U of A? I contacted the department this week and was told that everything would be sent by mail by April 15th, and that statuses online would also all be updated by this day (i.e. today)… but mine still says "decision pending"…anyone else on the same boat? I'm assuming this is a rejection...

 

 

hey I also have yet to hear from alberta and I just checked my bear tracks and it still says decision pending. I'm sure it's a rejection, I know people who have been accepted and who have been waitlisted. I've arleady accepted another offer so I'm not too torn up about it but Good Luck to you! I hope you hear some good news

 

I received a rejection letter from U of A today, but my status on BearTracks still says "Decision Pending".

 

Like uofabound, I am also wondering if anyone that got accepted into U of A would mind private-messaging me their stats. I would like to know how fierce the competition was this year, and how I can improve my application for next year. Thank you so much in advance! 

 

[MtlGal]

Hi guys!

I confirmed my acceptance to U of T a while back but I got accepted off the waitlist at McGill today. aaaaaah. I know I wrote down reasons why I chose U of T over Western but at the time of application, U of T and McGill were tied as my top choices. Can anyone who got accepted at McGill and U of T post or PM me about why they chose their final choice? I know the modular curriculum at U of T is a huge thing (and why I instantly chose it from UWO) + the networking opportunities in Toronto, but I'm just so drawn to Montreal and the prestige of McGill and the idea of bilingual placements. I'm torn. Please let me know if you have any insight! Also does anyone know any details about deferring the McGill admission?

 

Thanks, much appreciated!

 

I've emailed someone who's currently in the program at Western and it seems like their curriculum is similar to McGill's, which is usually 2 full days of classes and one full day dedicated to practicum. So if the modular structure is what you're looking for, perhaps UofT is a better option. However, for McGill, you get June - August off after year 1, so that allows you to relax/work/do research, whereas you only get one month off in the summer for both UofT and Western. Hope that this helped a bit, and congrats on getting off the waitlist! 

Edited April 17, 2014 by MtlGal

[SLPheart]

I just created a facebook group for UBC: https://www.facebook.com/groups/265592570287902/

[SLPheart]

I am starting to feel like maybe I will be on this island of lost toys forever ...aka the wait list...

 

I know that I am lucky to even be on the wait list when so many AMAZING applicants didn't get on the wait list this year at all. But, It does feel like limbo. Almost good enough....but just not good enough. What do I do this year? do I take more classes? Apply to more schools? volunteer? travel?

 

What if in the next year everyone who applies is AMAZING and I go from Waitlist to rejection? I would probably just sell my condo and move to the forrest and become a tour guide for over priced amazon jungle tours.

 

 

Maybe I am getting too carried away.

 

What do to while you wait (list) ?

 

Vancity, I was accepted off the waitlist this year but this is my third time applying. I was rejected the first year and waitlisted last year and then again this year after finally being accepted. Don't lose hope! I took classes and took on a lot of research responsibility at my lab at SFU in the interim. I also volunteered with the ALL group at UBC for a couple years as well, and gathered new references. I think that even if you did one of those things next year (assuming that you didn't get off the waitlist this year), you would be in for sure.

[kk.]

I've emailed someone who's currently in the program at Western and it seems like their curriculum is similar to McGill's, which is usually 2 full days of classes and one full day dedicated to practicum. So if the modular structure is what you're looking for, perhaps UofT is a better option. However, for McGill, you get June - August off after year 1, so that allows you to relax/work/do research, whereas you only get one month off in the summer for both UofT and Western. Hope that this helped a bit, and congrats on getting off the waitlist! 

 

princesspeech, this was one of the things that made my decision really hard as well. I really want a summer... hahaha

[catch]

I am starting to feel like maybe I will be on this island of lost toys forever ...aka the wait list...

 

I know that I am lucky to even be on the wait list when so many AMAZING applicants didn't get on the wait list this year at all. But, It does feel like limbo. Almost good enough....but just not good enough. What do I do this year? do I take more classes? Apply to more schools? volunteer? travel?

 

What if in the next year everyone who applies is AMAZING and I go from Waitlist to rejection? I would probably just sell my condo and move to the forrest and become a tour guide for over priced amazon jungle tours.

 

 

Maybe I am getting too carried away.

 

What do to while you wait (list) ?

I support this forest/jungle idea.  You'd be one with nature!  And if you need any employees, I'll need a job too

[princesspeech]

I've emailed someone who's currently in the program at Western and it seems like their curriculum is similar to McGill's, which is usually 2 full days of classes and one full day dedicated to practicum. So if the modular structure is what you're looking for, perhaps UofT is a better option. However, for McGill, you get June - August off after year 1, so that allows you to relax/work/do research, whereas you only get one month off in the summer for both UofT and Western. Hope that this helped a bit, and congrats on getting off the waitlist! 

 Thank you!! I appreciate this. I am currently talking to a few users here (shoutout to those who inboxed me haha) and to a few SLPs at work who graduated from McGill as well to hear something I might not already know about the graduate programs.

kk- I know about the summer thing too but I think the longer practicum time will really help in becoming a stronger clinician. I hear McGill is very research and theory-based which is also so important and I do well with these kind of courses so it comes down to finances too and how practical it will be to move to MTL. Thanks for your input! I'll make a decision before next week I appreciate your advice and insight!

[catch]

Hey guys!  Rejected at U of Alberta (as expected), but what's rough is what information was included in my rejection letter:

 

Completeness of the application was also a factor in selection.  Applicants who had multiple prerequisites in progress were disadvantaged when compared to those with completed preparatory coursework.  When preparatory courses have been completed, the Admissions Committee can be more confident that the applicant has the basic knowledge necessary to succeed in our challenging training program.

 

Not to be petty, but I really feel like this was a low blow.  I wish they would include this information in part of their Admissions section on their website.  I feel like they've used it as an excuse to narrow the applicant pool this year.  Plus, as I'm finishing the last of my prerequisite courses within the next few days, wouldn't my knowledge of these concepts be fresher than someone who had finished them in past years?

 

Really disappointed with U of A.  I hope there are future applicants out there who read this and see it before they apply (if their prerequisites happen to be in progress)!

[SLP333]

Hey guys!  Rejected at U of Alberta (as expected), but what's rough is what information was included in my rejection letter:

 

Completeness of the application was also a factor in selection.  Applicants who had multiple prerequisites in progress were disadvantaged when compared to those with completed preparatory coursework.  When preparatory courses have been completed, the Admissions Committee can be more confident that the applicant has the basic knowledge necessary to succeed in our challenging training program.

 

Not to be petty, but I really feel like this was a low blow.  I wish they would include this information in part of their Admissions section on their website.  I feel like they've used it as an excuse to narrow the applicant pool this year.  Plus, as I'm finishing the last of my prerequisite courses within the next few days, wouldn't my knowledge of these concepts be fresher than someone who had finished them in past years?

 

Really disappointed with U of A.  I hope there are future applicants out there who read this and see it before they apply (if their prerequisites happen to be in progress)!

 

 

I agree! I also applied to UofA and thought I had a good chance at being accepted. I was speaking to Dr. Campbell about taking a prerequisite in the spring and she had told me that was fine. However, I received my letter of rejection yesterday and on beartracks my application status says "ineligible". I'm slightly confused as to why it says ineligible. I was not able to register for my course until April 8th and could not mail them my confirmation of registration until then. I told them this earlier in February and they did not say it was a problem so I think I'm going to contact them about it on Monday. Has this happened to anyone else? Also the reason I had to take the prerequisite so late was because UofA changed one of their prerequisites in the fall (which in my opinion is a bit late to be changing program requirements). Previously they had said that if you could not take a language acquisition course, another linguistics course could be used to fulfill the prerequisite instead but they removed this alternative.

[catch]

I agree! I also applied to UofA and thought I had a good chance at being accepted. I was speaking to Dr. Campbell about taking a prerequisite in the spring and she had told me that was fine. However, I received my letter of rejection yesterday and on beartracks my application status says "ineligible". I'm slightly confused as to why it says ineligible. I was not able to register for my course until April 8th and could not mail them my confirmation of registration until then. I told them this earlier in February and they did not say it was a problem so I think I'm going to contact them about it on Monday. Has this happened to anyone else? Also the reason I had to take the prerequisite so late was because UofA changed one of their prerequisites in the fall (which in my opinion is a bit late to be changing program requirements). Previously they had said that if you could not take a language acquisition course, another linguistics course could be used to fulfill the prerequisite instead but they removed this alternative.

That's rough that they told you the spring course would be fine.  It seems like there may have been some miscommunication.  Did your letter have the same paragraph as mine?  Their reasoning makes no sense to me, but I suppose it's to help them narrow down somehow?  But I guess even if the course was in progress and almost finished it wouldn't have been considered anyway.

[toriec]

Hey guys!  Rejected at U of Alberta (as expected), but what's rough is what information was included in my rejection letter:

 

Completeness of the application was also a factor in selection.  Applicants who had multiple prerequisites in progress were disadvantaged when compared to those with completed preparatory coursework.  When preparatory courses have been completed, the Admissions Committee can be more confident that the applicant has the basic knowledge necessary to succeed in our challenging training program.

 

Not to be petty, but I really feel like this was a low blow.  I wish they would include this information in part of their Admissions section on their website.  I feel like they've used it as an excuse to narrow the applicant pool this year.  Plus, as I'm finishing the last of my prerequisite courses within the next few days, wouldn't my knowledge of these concepts be fresher than someone who had finished them in past years?

 

Really disappointed with U of A.  I hope there are future applicants out there who read this and see it before they apply (if their prerequisites happen to be in progress)!

 

I'm going to be applying to U of A for 2015 and I also just realized that they changed that prerequisite. Now I'm panicking, because before this, I had all my prereqs done, but now I have to take a language acquisition course through distance education and I hadn't planned for that before. I really wish they hadn't done that, but it was probably just another way to rule more applicants out.

[aykl]

I'm going to be applying to U of A for 2015 and I also just realized that they changed that prerequisite. Now I'm panicking, because before this, I had all my prereqs done, but now I have to take a language acquisition course through distance education and I hadn't planned for that before. I really wish they hadn't done that, but it was probably just another way to rule more applicants out.

 

It's good that you know now before you apply! I was in this situation last year but with Toronto. Sometime between August and December they changed the physiology requirement, which rendered me ineligible to apply. I didn't think to check their site during first semester because I figured they wouldn't change the requirements that late... boy was I wrong. I found out over Christmas break as I was finishing up applications and had to pull mine last minute.. I was pretty rattled!