Can someone edit my letter of intent for SLP grad school?

[SeaSpeech]

___________

ULM Speech-Language Pathology Applicant, Spring 2014

Letter of Intent

 

My entire life I knew I was meant to help others. I had always known about speech-language pathology, but it was not until I was eighteen years old that my eyes were genuinely opened to this rewarding field. I was watching a news report on a sixteen-year-old high school cheerleader who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a car collision with a drunk driver. The news report featured her speech-language pathologist working one-on-one with her and discussing her progress with the reporters. This news report, the accident, the speech-language pathologist, the young girl, everything about this five-minute news segment opened my eyes, heart, and whole being to the career of speech-language pathology. I was captivated with the idea of helping others communicate, as well as helping others overcome adversities. Seeing how one profession could radically change lives made me want to become a part of this field. I have an infinite amount of intrinsic motivation and determination to receive the education I need that will enable me to treat individuals with communication disorders.

In 2009, after my first semester of college, I declared my major in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at ___________University and enrolled in CSD 101, where my desire to become a SLP was confirmed. As the semesters passed, my affinity for this profession grew as I completed each CSD course. Having gained knowledge of the speech mechanism, pathology of communication disorders, and assessment and treatment methods from my coursework, I am knowledgeable about many aspects of this profession. With the observation hours and two semesters of clinical practicum completed in my undergraduate career at Southeastern’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, I am familiar with therapy preparation and the physiology of a therapy session. Here is where I discovered I am comfortable and thrive in a clinical setting and learn well though hands-on experience. During my clinical semesters, I worked with a diverse set of clients including Down syndrome, articulation and language disorders, fluency, accent modification, and also various age groups. Having a variety of clients has taught me how to be flexible and has granted me experience in different areas of communicative disorders and working with different age groups. I have found that each age group and communicative disorder I have worked with thus far has allowed me to sharpen a different clinical skill on the path to becoming a well-rounded clinician. Children have helped develop my patience and creativity and adult clients have polished my enthusiasm for this field and have taught me the importance of treating every client with dignity, respect, and including them in every aspect of the therapy process. I have learned that I love working with both age groups, but it was my client with Down syndrome who left a mark on my heart and created this passion for working with special needs children within me.

Right before graduation, I was fortunate enough to be hired at a child psychology clinic. Dr. __________ Ph.D., BCBA-D, a Licensed Psychologist and Board Certified Behavioral Analyst hired me as a Line Therapist at her clinic, ________________. Here is where I learned a great deal about Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy and worked one-on-one with children with Autism, other developmental disabilities, and those with verbal and non-verbal skills using this therapeutic approach. Through this experience, I also learned about behavior modification techniques that will be very beneficial in solving problem behaviors in any therapy settings I may encounter in the future. 

My previous clinical and academic experiences have led me to decide my future career and professional goals. For my first goal, I would like to study speech-language pathology at the graduate level at the University of __________. I feel that the master’s program here will allow me to flourish and achieve my dream of becoming an SLP. Attending a graduate school that is not my undergraduate institution is ideal to me. I wish to acquire and learn information in this field from different perspectives. Attending _______ will allow me to do so. Professionally, I would like to work with special needs children. My clinical experiences have sparked my passion for working with this population. I wish to be a part of the team that will change the lives of these children by helping improve their communication skills. I do not think that there is anything more rewarding than that. Although, I have found a passion for working with children, my professional goals are not limited to just aiding them. I also would like to work with adult clients and people with traumatic brain injuries like the young girl who inspired me to engage in this profession.

I have thoroughly enjoyed and gained so much from every clinical experience I have had and they have given me confidence in my future ambitions as an SLP. I have motivation, enthusiasm, and skills that, with the knowledge from a Master’s degree at the University of _________, will enable me to positively impact lives of people akin to those I have encountered so far in my experiences. I hope that you will grant me the opportunity to learn and experience all that is possible in the speech-language pathology graduate program at the University of ________.

 

 

Thank you all for the edits and feedback.

[Sophia Petrillo]

You may want to also post this on the board devoted to SOPs. Good Luck