Canadian 2014 SLP

[princesspeech]

I upvoted you simply for your AMAZING username and display picture, haha. 

 

LOL, thank you! I'm a big fan of puns and I must admit patting myself on the back for this one haha.

 

nins, I inboxed you

[jmjm]

Are people doing any sort of readings/things to prepare for starting school in the fall? I feel like I should be doing something but other than reading over class notes and reviewing a couple patchy topics I'm not sure what to do....

[Inny]

Are people doing any sort of readings/things to prepare for starting school in the fall? I feel like I should be doing something but other than reading over class notes and reviewing a couple patchy topics I'm not sure what to do....

 

 

I wouldn't recommend it. Save your energy! 

[slpdreamer]

Are people doing any sort of readings/things to prepare for starting school in the fall? I feel like I should be doing something but other than reading over class notes and reviewing a couple patchy topics I'm not sure what to do....

I was thinking about preparing as well. To me, it really depends on your background. If you have a degree in communication disorders or linguistics you probably won't need to worry about preparing, if you have a less related degree it may be wise to get comfortable with some of the material.  I think the best thing to look over or practice would be basic IPA depending on how familiar you are and maybe some anatomy. I think the rest would be better to study during the year. If you were to study anything beyond 1st semester courses it would probably be a waste of time because you'll forget it by the time you have to study it again. I also looked over the syllabi for the courses for first semester to see if there was any topics I struggled with in the past. I think if you do those things you will feel much more comfortable at the start of the year. But I agree with Inny, don't spend too much time! Enjoy the sunshine and this last little bit of freedom. Hope that helps.

[jmjm]

Haha. Thanks! That's sort of the conclusion I've come to - I think just coming off the back of finals it feels weird not to be studying!

[speechies]

Hello everyone!

Newbie here, long time lurker. 

Been wanting to get into SLP since I began my undergrad, 

 

Congrats all who got in!

And I wouldn't mind some stats if you want to share. My GPA is my main concern (they are very GPA based it seems) as it is in between 3.6/3.7

 

Also,

How about that Physiology/Anatomy pre req? Did anyone take the online U of T Physiology or Athabasca Physiology? I hear the prof who teaches Anatomy at my school is brutal, and I really can't afford anything less than a A at this point. I'd really appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experience with the online courses.

[paidean]

Hello everyone!

Newbie here, long time lurker. 

Been wanting to get into SLP since I began my undergrad, 

 

Congrats all who got in!

And I wouldn't mind some stats if you want to share. My GPA is my main concern (they are very GPA based it seems) as it is in between 3.6/3.7

 

Also,

How about that Physiology/Anatomy pre req? Did anyone take the online U of T Physiology or Athabasca Physiology? I hear the prof who teaches Anatomy at my school is brutal, and I really can't afford anything less than a A at this point. I'd really appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experience with the online courses.

 

Hi! I'm sorry I can't offer any information about Athabasca/UofT, but I did Physiology 1000X/Y as an online/distance course through Dalhousie. In case it's of any use to you or others, I'll post a little review of the course. The coursework involved 10 online "labs", 6 assignments, and 4 exams.

 

Labs (12%): For most labs we had at most two weeks and at least one week to complete the activities. They were done through the PhysioEx 9.0 platform (online) and involved formulaic activities: overview, pre-test, lab activity, post-test, then a lab quiz on the course website. The activities basically just involved following instructions for clicking things on screen, answering 1 or 2 true/false or multiple choice questions, writing down a few numbers/observations, and then answering 10-15 multiple choice/short answer questions on the course website. Although easy, they did take me a few hours to complete each time.

 

Assignments (12%): Consisted of 35-40 multiple choice questions that could be answered open book. We generally had the whole "block" (1-2 months) to finish them. You could only submit the assignments once, but they weren't timed so you could go in and out of the assignment and change your answers as many times as you liked until the deadline or until you submitted. Easy to get 100% just by reading the chapters.

 

Exams (18%/20%/20%/18%): Two hours and 90 multiple-choice questions. Questions were definitely a bit trickier than those on assignments, but the correct answer was usually apparent if you had done the readings and a bit of studying. Knowing the gist of a topic wasn't enough for most of these -- you really had to know or be able to deduce quite specific answers. The class mean on the exams was ~ 73-75%.

 

I actually found the content quite interesting, which surprised me! In spite of a bad experience taking intro biology many, many years ago, I really got into the material of this course and loved it. There was a bit of overlap of material that I had previously learned, but only in the nervous system chapters (I had already taken a few neuroanatomy/biopsych courses). Admittedly, I often let studying for the course slide until the last minute because I was more focussed on brick-and-mortar classes, but with minimal studying I was able to achieve an A in the course. I would highly recommend following the study schedule provided by the prof, no matter what course you end up taking -- it will make life that much easier, and you will end up doing so much better in the end. With a bit more consistent studying an A+ would certainly be easily attained in the course. 

 

 

Good luck!  

[speechies]

Hi! I'm sorry I can't offer any information about Athabasca/UofT, but I did Physiology 1000X/Y as an online/distance course through Dalhousie. In case it's of any use to you or others, I'll post a little review of the course. The coursework involved 10 online "labs", 6 assignments, and 4 exams.

 

Labs (12%): For most labs we had at most two weeks and at least one week to complete the activities. They were done through the PhysioEx 9.0 platform (online) and involved formulaic activities: overview, pre-test, lab activity, post-test, then a lab quiz on the course website. The activities basically just involved following instructions for clicking things on screen, answering 1 or 2 true/false or multiple choice questions, writing down a few numbers/observations, and then answering 10-15 multiple choice/short answer questions on the course website. Although easy, they did take me a few hours to complete each time.

 

Assignments (12%): Consisted of 35-40 multiple choice questions that could be answered open book. We generally had the whole "block" (1-2 months) to finish them. You could only submit the assignments once, but they weren't timed so you could go in and out of the assignment and change your answers as many times as you liked until the deadline or until you submitted. Easy to get 100% just by reading the chapters.

 

Exams (18%/20%/20%/18%): Two hours and 90 multiple-choice questions. Questions were definitely a bit trickier than those on assignments, but the correct answer was usually apparent if you had done the readings and a bit of studying. Knowing the gist of a topic wasn't enough for most of these -- you really had to know or be able to deduce quite specific answers. The class mean on the exams was ~ 73-75%.

 

I actually found the content quite interesting, which surprised me! In spite of a bad experience taking intro biology many, many years ago, I really got into the material of this course and loved it. There was a bit of overlap of material that I had previously learned, but only in the nervous system chapters (I had already taken a few neuroanatomy/biopsych courses). Admittedly, I often let studying for the course slide until the last minute because I was more focussed on brick-and-mortar classes, but with minimal studying I was able to achieve an A in the course. I would highly recommend following the study schedule provided by the prof, no matter what course you end up taking -- it will make life that much easier, and you will end up doing so much better in the end. With a bit more consistent studying an A+ would certainly be easily attained in the course. 

 

 

Good luck!

Thank you so much for answering!

I will definitely take this into consideration!

 

I am scared to take Physiology, as I have no science background. So I'm sure it'll be a struggle, with any phys course I decide to take . 

[Inny]

Hello everyone!

Newbie here, long time lurker. 

Been wanting to get into SLP since I began my undergrad, 

 

Congrats all who got in!

And I wouldn't mind some stats if you want to share. My GPA is my main concern (they are very GPA based it seems) as it is in between 3.6/3.7

 

Also,

How about that Physiology/Anatomy pre req? Did anyone take the online U of T Physiology or Athabasca Physiology? I hear the prof who teaches Anatomy at my school is brutal, and I really can't afford anything less than a A at this point. I'd really appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experience with the online courses.

 

The one at U of T is terrible. I took the in-class version of the same course, and many of my classmates took the online version. It's brutal. 

 

I've heard better reviews of the Athabasca one. 

[Queensgrad]

The one at U of T is terrible. I took the in-class version of the same course, and many of my classmates took the online version. It's brutal. 

 

I've heard better reviews of the Athabasca one. 

 

I took the U of T version online and didn't think it was that bad. Your final grade is 45% quizzes (bi-weekly), 50% exam, and 5% participation. As long as you watch the lectures you'll do well in the course. I personally really liked not having assignments or labs.

[meehanod]

Is there a Dal SLP FB group yet?

[kdot]

I was talking to a girl who just finished her first year at dal and she said they won't be making a Facebook group until they get the class list. Someone could probably make one in the mean time though so we can get to know our classmates!

[speechies]

congrats to all that got in !

For those who are planning on trying again, or are on their second time applying, I was wondering if you had to ask your academic/clinical references for their letters again or if they will remain on orpas.

.

[trejsi]

You need to ask your references again. They do not remain on ORPAS.

[speechies]

You need to ask your references again. They do not remain on ORPAS.

Wow, that really sucks. 

[speechies]

So, by the looks of it... if you get anything less than a 3.8 you will most likely get waitlisted? 

[slpdreamer]

So, by the looks of it... if you get anything less than a 3.8 you will most likely get waitlisted? 

Not necessarily. I had less than 3.8 and did not get waitlisted, but my strength was my experience (more than 200 hours of clinical observation and over 1000 hours of relevant volunteer experience) and references. It depends where you are applying. Feel free to message me if you'd like more tips on your application. It is a definitely competitive but not impossible. If you are worried about your GPA you could also consider applying in the US as some schools are slightly less competitive. You could also consider taking more courses to try to raise your GPA. If this is truly what you want to do, do not give up. Where there is a will there is a way.   

[MtlGal]

So, by the looks of it... if you get anything less than a 3.8 you will most likely get waitlisted? 

 

Ditto what slpdreamer said; I didn't have a 3.8 either. I think generally if you're worried about your GPA, take more classes to boost it up if possible and/or work on getting relevant volunteer/clinical/research experience, which will also lead to great references. Having a well-rounded application will most likely increase your chances of getting in. And definitely don't give up! If you apply several times, with each application getting stronger and stronger, it shows that you're determined about getting in and that you've acquired more knowledge and experience about the field. 

[emmer89]

Hey guys! Has anyone started any sort of forum or group for UofT speech students? If not, let's get on that! 

[Sœur d'une Étoile]

Hello everyone!

Newbie here, long time lurker. 

Been wanting to get into SLP since I began my undergrad, 

 

Congrats all who got in!

And I wouldn't mind some stats if you want to share. My GPA is my main concern (they are very GPA based it seems) as it is in between 3.6/3.7

 

Also,

How about that Physiology/Anatomy pre req? Did anyone take the online U of T Physiology or Athabasca Physiology? I hear the prof who teaches Anatomy at my school is brutal, and I really can't afford anything less than a A at this point. I'd really appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experience with the online courses.

 

Hi there,

 

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about the Physiology & Anatomy courses. I took Anat at Dal through distance and it was amazing. Got an A overall and I probably could have got an A+ if I had put a little more time into it. I do not have a strong science background so I was worried, but I really enjoyed this course. There were lectures for ever chapter, an option for an online or paper text book and the online book had  links on each page with videos to explain concepts. The assignments and lab questions were easy to understand as long as you read your material. Plus they were online and had links to the book to find the answers. It was a little ridiculous actually. The exams were also online and whn I e-miled the Prof to ask for advice on how to do well - he told me to find a study group and to do everything together! I got together with 2 other students and we did all of the exams and quizzes together, open book.

 

Physiology on the other hand was awful! I took it at Athabasca. I can only say I have never been so stressed out in my life as I was while doing this course. I am not exaggerating and I wish I could have taken the one at Dal in person instead. If you have lots of time, you can take up to a year to do the Athabasca Phsy course, which can work if you are they type that can teach yourself a course by reading the book and doing your own research. But I am just not that type of learner. There were no lectures, but simply a giant book with tiny print, few pictures and a study guide full of errors and spelling mistakes. There were tutors assigned to each student, who marked the assignments, but they were no help as they were not allowed to answer specific questions regarding exams and their comments on assignments were very vague. I basically typed up notes and re-wrote the book to teach myself. I was lucky enough to have a friend who took the same course and we studied together I honestly don't think we would have passed it if we had been on our own through!  I watched a lot of you-tube videos which helped somewhat. The labs were okay but very time consuming and only worth a very small amount (9% for 5 online labs and a home lab kit which they send you with 5 labs that each take about an afternoon to do). There were 2 midterms at 15% each and  a final at 30%. 2 Quizzes at 4% each and 3 assignments at 5% each. The hardest part about this course was the vast amount of material. The final and second exams covered 8 chapters and there was just no way to remember everything. Needless to say this was my lowest mark of my entire university career and so please check to see what other schools offer Phys before trying this one!

 

This is the only course I have taken at Athabasca and so they may do a very good job in our subjects. However, I think they have a lot of work to do in the Bio department and I they really don't consider the various types of learners.

Edited May 22, 2014 by 2014 Appy

[speechies]

Hi there,

 

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about the Physiology & Anatomy courses. I took Anat at Dal through distance and it was amazing. Got an A overall and I probably could have got an A+ if I had put a little more time into it. I do not have a strong science background so I was worried, but I really enjoyed this course. There were lectures for ever chapter, an option for an online or paper text book and the online book had  links on each page with videos to explain concepts. The assignments and lab questions were easy to understand as long as you read your material. Plus they were online and had links to the book to find the answers. It was a little ridiculous actually. The exams were also online and whn I e-miled the Prof to ask for advice on how to do well - he told me to find a study group and to do everything together! I got together with 2 other students and we did all of the exams and quizzes together, open book.

 

Physiology on the other hand was awful! I took it at Athabasca. I can only say I have never been so stressed out in my life as I was while doing this course. I am not exaggerating and I wish I could have taken the one at Dal in person instead. If you have lots of time, you can take up to a year to do the Athabasca Phsy course, which can work if you are they type that can teach yourself a course by reading the book and doing your own research. But I am just not that type of learner. There were no lectures, but simply a giant book with tiny print, few pictures and a study guide full of errors and spelling mistakes. There were tutors assigned to each student, who marked the assignments, but they were no help as they were not allowed to answer specific questions regarding exams and their comments on assignments were very vague. I basically typed up notes and re-wrote the book to teach myself. I was lucky enough to have a friend who took the same course and we studied together I honestly don't think we would have passed it if we had been on our own through!  I watched a lot of you-tube videos which helped somewhat. The labs were okay but very time consuming and only worth a very small amount (9% for 5 online labs and a home lab kit which they send you with 5 labs that each take about an afternoon to do). There were 2 midterms at 15% each and  a final at 30%. 2 Quizzes at 4% each and 3 assignments at 5% each. The hardest part about this course was the vast amount of material. The final and second exams covered 8 chapters and there was just no way to remember everything. Needless to say this was my lowest mark of my entire university career and so please check to see what other schools offer Phys before trying this one!

 

This is the only course I have taken at Athabasca and so they may do a very good job in our subjects. However, I think they have a lot of work to do in the Bio department and I they really don't consider the various types of learners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this! Unfortunately I have to take a full year Anatomy and I don't think Dalhousie offers that online right?

I've hear lots of good things about the Dalhousie course 

[speechies]

Are you talking about cGPA, or sGPA? My GPA after this, my last semester is sGPA at 3.89 but my cGPA is only at 3.67. 

I'm pretty sure they only consider your sGPA for the last two years if I'm not mistaken. And your grades in the pre-requisite courses.

[speechies]

Hi guys,

Just wondering about the sGPA ORPAS calculation. 

So they wont take a couple of courses out of a semester to fulfill the required 20 most recent courses? 

Do they take the gpa of that whole semester or the whole year?

 

A little confused about this.

[Persis]

Hi guys,

Just wondering about the sGPA ORPAS calculation. 

So they wont take a couple of courses out of a semester to fulfill the required 20 most recent courses? 

Do they take the gpa of that whole semester or the whole year?

 

A little confused about this.

The start from the top of your transcript (all transcript from the most recent) and count backwards until they reach 20 credits.  

[SLPdreams]

Hi guys,

Just wondering about the sGPA ORPAS calculation. 

So they wont take a couple of courses out of a semester to fulfill the required 20 most recent courses? 

Do they take the gpa of that whole semester or the whole year?

 

A little confused about this.

 

The start from the top of your transcript (all transcript from the most recent) and count backwards until they reach 20 credits.  

 

To quickly add on to this, they will take the average of a semester if they need just a few courses to complete the 20 courses.  So for example, if they reach 18 with your 2 most recent years, they will use your average from the semester immediately preceding the 2 years twice.  Let me know if that makes sense lol!