Supplies for SLP Graduate School

[lgwslp]

Maybe this is a silly question, but what supplies will everyone be purchasing for graduate school? How do you plan to stay organized? Is it worth buying an Ipad and what apps will be helpful for graduate school, staying organized and focused!?

 

I'm starting to compile a list and wanted some insight as to what others will be using and how you plan to keep clinic paperwork, clock hours, research, etc. together!

 

[goingtobeslp13]

I think a lot of grad schools have an iPad or 2 that you can use, already loaded with all the apps you'll need. I asked my friend in grad school in Boston once whether she would want to buy an iPad herself and she basically said that the cost is very prohibitive - not only do you have the cost of the iPad itself, but each app costs a lot of money, and she uses different apps all the time. I think a lot of places you go will be willing to provide you with an iPad to use or share.

[ballerina18]

I never used a recording device in undergrad, but I think one would be especially helpful in an SLP program.

[lgwslp]

I think a lot of grad schools have an iPad or 2 that you can use, already loaded with all the apps you'll need. I asked my friend in grad school in Boston once whether she would want to buy an iPad herself and she basically said that the cost is very prohibitive - not only do you have the cost of the iPad itself, but each app costs a lot of money, and she uses different apps all the time. I think a lot of places you go will be willing to provide you with an iPad to use or share.

Hmm, that definitely makes sense. I should ask the programs if they have Ipads available. Thanks for the insight!!

 

I never used a recording device in undergrad, but I think one would be especially helpful in an SLP program.

Oh yes!! I imagine it would be. That's great. Thank you!!

[sayjo]

I'll echo the response for a digital recorder.  My SLP family members use them all the time.  They also use pen lights a lot.

 

As far as school supplies, I love organizing things in binders, so I'll probably go that route.  I also feel like I'll need a school bag again (I don't think my giant canvas teaching bags will cut it, lol).  I'm thinking about getting a messenger bag from LL Bean.

 

Don't forget to have plenty of "professional" clothes to wear for placements!

[lexical_gap]

Here's what I have used thus far in my first year of grad school:

1) Planner:  It will be your life.
2) Digital Recorder:  One of my clinic supervisors required us to have one, others made it optional.  Check with your supervisors.  Some schools also have them for student use.
3) Child-Friendly craft materials:  Popsicle sticks, construction paper, pom poms, craft foam, etc.  They are excellent for child clients.
4) Ipad / Computer:  I have a personal one, but my department has some full of apps for use.
5) Lots of folders, binders, notebooks, etc.

[rks2010]

One of my professors also suggested a "flip" video camera or something similar. They are useful for obtaining speech and language samples for people who may be non verbal so you can assess their non verbal communicative abilities.

[shuca]

I recently purchased an iPad mini for grad school, and even though the school hasn't started yet, I'm already glad I bought it. I'm currently taking a prerequisite, and I've been using my iPad to read an e-book version of the textbook (on the kindle app, not on iBook). I think they (Apple, Amazon Kindle app, and the publishers) did a great job with the e-textbook - it's easy to flip through a book and I like how I can easily take snapshots of important diagrams & figures etc.

 

For instance, I can zoom in on one figure and take a screen shot, import the screen shot to an image editing app so I can erase some important terms within the figure, print it off (one side with the figure that has terms erased, the other side with the terms still there) and voila, you have your own flash card with a clear image. Doing this with a hardcover textbook would have been much more difficult & time consuming. The downside is that you can't sell your textbook back, but the e-books are usually cheaper than their hardcover versions and a lot of publishers have renting option for e-books too, so I think the final cost isn't that much different. Also I know I am going to be commuting on a train to go to my school, so I like how iPad allows me to carry books that would otherwise be very heavy.

 

Speaking of the apps that I think will be useful for grad school, I have Evernote for note-taking, Noteshelf for PDF annotation and creating my own visual, and Recordium for recording sessions (Recordium is awesome because it lets you edit your audio recording too. You can trim, annotate, highlight, and tag different parts of your audio files).

 

I would highly recommend buying an iPad (mini) but I wouldn't use that as a replacement of your laptop.

Edited March 24, 2014 by shuca

[lgwslp]

One of my professors also suggested a "flip" video camera or something similar. They are useful for obtaining speech and language samples for people who may be non verbal so you can assess their non verbal communicative abilities.

 

I recently purchased an iPad mini for grad school, and even though the school hasn't started yet, I'm already glad I bought it. I'm currently taking a prerequisite, and I've been using my iPad to read an e-book version of the textbook (on the kindle app, not on iBook). I think they (Apple, Amazon Kindle app, and the publishers) did a great job with the e-textbook - it's easy to flip through a book and I like how I can easily take snapshots of important diagrams & figures etc.

 

For instance, I can zoom in on one figure and take a screen shot, import the screen shot to an image editing app so I can erase some important terms within the figure, print it off (one side with the figure that has terms erased, the other side with the terms still there) and voila, you have your own flash card with a clear image. Doing this with a hardcover textbook would have been much more difficult & time consuming. The downside is that you can't sell your textbook back, but the e-books are usually cheaper than their hardcover versions and a lot of publishers have renting option for e-books too, so I think the final cost isn't that much different. Also I know I am going to be commuting on a train to go to my school, so I like how iPad allows me to carry books that would otherwise be very heavy.

 

Speaking of the apps that I think will be useful for grad school, I have Evernote for note-taking, Noteshelf for PDF annotation and creating my own visual, and Recordium for recording sessions (Recordium is awesome because it lets you edit your audio recording too. You can trim, annotate, highlight, and tag different parts of your audio files).

 

I would highly recommend buying an iPad (mini) but I wouldn't use that as a replacement of your laptop.

 

Thank you so much!! I definitely think i'll want an Ipad, and this makes me want a mini. I think the recording and note taking apps would be so helpful, and thanks for sharing how you made flash cards. That's perfect. 

[sayjo]

Here's what I have used thus far in my first year of grad school:

1) Planner:  It will be your life.

 

OMG yes!! I love my planner.  Have you all heard of Erin Condren planners?  It's where my current planner is from and I LOVE it!! You can customize the cover & it's super heavy duty.  Here's the website.

[daisynic]

OMG yes!! I love my planner.  Have you all heard of Erin Condren planners?  It's where my current planner is from and I LOVE it!! You can customize the cover & it's super heavy duty.  Here's the website.

 

OMG thank you for sharing! I'm always in the market for a good planner. Last year I got my planner from maydesigns.com, and I loved the look to it (it's canvas and has lots of cute patterns) but I need something much bigger. 

[HippoPirate]

My program gives us iPads. I'm looking forward to that. I only wish I had it for my last term of prereqs!

[sayjo]

OMG thank you for sharing! I'm always in the market for a good planner. Last year I got my planner from maydesigns.com, and I loved the look to it (it's canvas and has lots of cute patterns) but I need something much bigger. 

 

It's seriously the best planner I've EVER had.  They make awesome teacher lesson planners too, and I LOVED mine (not that I'll be needing it anymore as an SLP, lol).  Be warned that once you order, they can take a long time to get your planner to you because of the personalization, so be sure to order early!  They're coming out with new designs in June (that's when I'll be ordering mine for the 2014-2015 school year ).  Oh, and also they sometimes have a $10.00 off coupon for new customers!!

[Green Dino]

This is a great topic! Thanks for starting it, lgwslp I really appreciate the ideas people have shared so far.

 

I just wanted to add that for people without a car, a nice and sturdy rolling backpack can be a lifesaver! I went through 4 years of grad school without a car, and my rolling backpack (a Calpak) helped me out with trips not only to class but also to the library, laundromat, and grocery store. It was great as luggage for traveling, too! For grad students teaching classes, it can be invaluable for hauling stuff for your own classes PLUS all the stuff you need for teaching. Your arms, shoulders, and back will thank you!

 

And if you're looking for just one more way to look less fashionable , get a pair of Crocs! In all seriousness, though, a lot of the newer models are pretty cute I just got a pair of these in black and may even buy some other colors (love the rainbow-colored ones!) if they go on sale. They are soooo comfortable!!! For me, they not only prevent my feet from hurting but actually ACTIVELY make them feel good! Any other Crocs fans out there?

 

So yeah, while these are not SLP-specific "supplies," I definitely recommend investing in durability, practicality, and comfort for grad school.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Green Dino

[ballerina18]

OMG thank you for sharing! I'm always in the market for a good planner. Last year I got my planner from maydesigns.com, and I loved the look to it (it's canvas and has lots of cute patterns) but I need something much bigger. 

 

Does anyone else use those erasable wall-style, dry erase, 12 month calendar planners? I absolutely could not have gone through undergrad without one. I bought one every year and it was a life saver. I would plan out due dates for the entire semester and see assignments/exams coming up every time I looked at it.

 

If I am accepted into a SLP grad program you better believe I will have one of these hanging up on my wall:  =)

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/erasable-wall-calendars/N=5+2819/

[Green Dino]

Does anyone else use those erasable wall-style, dry erase, 12 month calendar planners? I absolutely could not have gone through undergrad without one. I bought one every year and it was a life saver. I would plan out due dates for the entire semester and see assignments/exams coming up every time I looked at it.

 

If I am accepted into a SLP grad program you better believe I will have one of these hanging up on my wall:  =)

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/erasable-wall-calendars/N=5+2819/

YES!!! I have one that's 4 months on one side and 3 months on the other. Great you brought that up ballerina18!

 

Some other things I will be bringing that I didn't mention before are a filing cabinet with hanging folders (great for archiving old notes in addition to important paperwork--probably the only piece of furniture I will be bringing) and a cork bulletin board (I love making flash cards and binding them with binder clips, then hanging them on thumbtacks on my board). Also, I recently discovered the awesomeness of removable see-through dots like these. You can use them to mark textbooks, print-outs, etc. They're cool because since they're transparent, they won't cover up any text/images that you stick them on. They adhere pretty well and peel off really easily too! Great for people who don't want to permanently mark up their textbooks. Sorry if some of these ideas seem really obvious! I was never really good at being organized until recent years (through office work), so I'm kind of excited about going back to school and being more serious about staying organized

[lgwslp]

YES!!! I have one that's 4 months on one side and 3 months on the other. Great you brought that up ballerina18!

 

Some other things I will be bringing that I didn't mention before are a filing cabinet with hanging folders (great for archiving old notes in addition to important paperwork--probably the only piece of furniture I will be bringing) and a cork bulletin board (I love making flash cards and binding them with binder clips, then hanging them on thumbtacks on my board). Also, I recently discovered the awesomeness of removable see-through dots like these. You can use them to mark textbooks, print-outs, etc. They're cool because since they're transparent, they won't cover up any text/images that you stick them on. They adhere pretty well and peel off really easily too! Great for people who don't want to permanently mark up their textbooks. Sorry if some of these ideas seem really obvious! I was never really good at being organized until recent years (through office work), so I'm kind of excited about going back to school and being more serious about staying organized

 

Does anyone else use those erasable wall-style, dry erase, 12 month calendar planners? I absolutely could not have gone through undergrad without one. I bought one every year and it was a life saver. I would plan out due dates for the entire semester and see assignments/exams coming up every time I looked at it.

 

If I am accepted into a SLP grad program you better believe I will have one of these hanging up on my wall:  =)

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/erasable-wall-calendars/N=5+2819/

 

OMG yes!! I love my planner.  Have you all heard of Erin Condren planners?  It's where my current planner is from and I LOVE it!! You can customize the cover & it's super heavy duty.  Here's the website.

 

Wow!! So many good things to buy. Thanks everyone for the ideas and I am definitely going to buy one of those planners!! I will probably be adding all these things to my Amazon Grad School Wish List We'll see how much I can get before school! 

 

I wonder if my program does Ipads. I'll have to find out! Either way, i think it would be beneficial to have an Ipad after graduate school, even if I didn't during. There are so many apps and helpful things you can use for it, as well as note taking, recording, etc. 

 

I love buying school supplies

[sayjo]

If anyone wants one of those planners soon, I think I figured out a way to get you the $10.00 coupon. If you private message me your email, I can send you a referral invite from Erin Condren that includes the $10.00 off coupon.  Let me know.

 

 

 

And if you're looking for just one more way to look less fashionable , get a pair of Crocs! In all seriousness, though, a lot of the newer models are pretty cute I just got a pair of these in black and may even buy some other colors (love the rainbow-colored ones!) if they go on sale. They are soooo comfortable!!! For me, they not only prevent my feet from hurting but actually ACTIVELY make them feel good! Any other Crocs fans out there?

 

I'm a former teacher and used to LIVE in Crocs during the "hot months" of school (August, September, May, June).  They are soooo comfortable.  My favorite was the Kadee style in brown.  The Clarks brand of shoes are also really comfortable in any profession where you're going to be on your feet a lot.  IMO, some of the styles look like old lady shoes, but some of them aren't that bad!! You just have to look around (your feet will thank you.)

 

On a different note, my favorite office supply right now is this pack of Post-It tabs.  They are really heavy duty and are great for tabbing up books, planners, or anything else!  I also like to make my own tab dividers for my binders and use card stock for the paper part and Post-It tabs for the tabs.  They stick well, but come off easily if you ever need to take them off!

 

Love this thread.  I can never get enough of school and/or organizing supplies!  Being a teacher made my obsession 10x worse, haha.

 

Edited: Just thought of one more thing!! A lot of SLPs that I know also really like the clipboards that have storage compartments in them (like this one) because it's easy to keep things that you will need during your session in the storage part (i.e. articulation cards, data collection forms, assessments, etc.).

Edited March 25, 2014 by sayjo

[lgwslp]

If anyone wants one of those planners soon, I think I figured out a way to get you the $10.00 coupon. If you private message me your email, I can send you a referral invite from Erin Condren that includes the $10.00 off coupon.  Let me know.

 

 

 

I'm a former teacher and used to LIVE in Crocs during the "hot months" of school (August, September, May, June).  They are soooo comfortable.  My favorite was the Kadee style in brown.  The Clarks brand of shoes are also really comfortable in any profession where you're going to be on your feet a lot.  IMO, some of the styles look like old lady shoes, but some of them aren't that bad!! You just have to look around (your feet will thank you.)

 

On a different note, my favorite office supply right now is this pack of Post-It tabs.  They are really heavy duty and are great for tabbing up books, planners, or anything else!  I also like to make my own tab dividers for my binders and use card stock for the paper part and Post-It tabs for the tabs.  They stick well, but come off easily if you ever need to take them off!

 

Love this thread.  I can never get enough of school and/or organizing supplies!  Being a teacher made my obsession 10x worse, haha.

 

Edited: Just thought of one more thing!! A lot of SLPs that I know also really like the clipboards that have storage compartments in them (like this one) because it's easy to keep things that you will need during your session in the storage part (i.e. articulation cards, data collection forms, assessments, etc.).

 

Awesome!!!! Thanks so much - i'll message you my e-mail! $10 of is awesome!

[pickMe]

I've been eyeing purchasing a Surface RT for a while now, but I think I saw something about needing to install certain software programs for grad school.  If that's the case, I'll need to get the more expensive Surface Pro, or go for a real laptop.  Anyone know more about the software used in SLP programs?

[daisynic]

I'm wondering if I should get a filing cabinet with lots of file folders, or just a bunch of binders for organization.. hmm! 

[Green Dino]

I'm wondering if I should get a filing cabinet with lots of file folders, or just a bunch of binders for organization.. hmm! 

 

Hey daisynic, I'm a big fan of filing cabinets! I never really used one before, but last year, when the company I was working for got sold to another company and I subsequently lost my job, I was allowed to keep all of the furniture in my office. At work, my filing cabinet was something I really only used for its top drawers, to keep my stapler, writing utensils, and other small office supplies. I didn't use the bottom portion with hanging folders until I brought it home, and it's been so useful! Here is what I like about filing cabinets:

 

• You can browse for documents just by pulling out a single drawer, and you can easily look at multiple documents at the same time, even if they're organized in different sections. In contrast, binders (usually shelved with binding facing out), need to be pulled out and individually opened like books in order for you to look at their contents. 
• If you're opening up binders to find documents, you're probably using space on your desktop/floor to lay them out and flip through them. So in this way, filing cabinets can save space.
• Papers can be retrieved more easily from filing cabinets than from binders because they are not bound by locked rings.
• You don't need to hole punch all your papers in order to store them in a filing cabinet.
• You can secure confidential documents by locking up a cabinet.
• You can easily wheel around large quantities of documents since many personal cabinets have wheels underneath them.
• Pulling out a heavy filing drawer on wheels involves a lot less strain than pulling a heavy binder from a shelf.
• The top of your filing cabinet provides an extra flat surface you can use.
• A filing cabinet may give a neater appearance than a collection of binders of different sizes.

I usually use my filing cabinet for archiving materials that don't usually need to leave the house. Binders, on the other hand, are better for keeping materials that need to be frequently transported. Hope that helps!

[daisynic]

Green Dino, that definitely does help! Thank you!

[katieliz456]

I'd recommend a penlight, digital recorder, sturdy backpack/tote, LOTS of velcro, various craft supplies for peds clients, blue pens for writing notes & signing reports, and a personal laminator (best investment ever!). I also recommend stocking up on 3-ring binders during back-to-school sales. I use mine to keep old class notes and handouts, as well as copies of therapy workbooks.

[skeener687]

Does anyone else use those erasable wall-style, dry erase, 12 month calendar planners? I absolutely could not have gone through undergrad without one. I bought one every year and it was a life saver. I would plan out due dates for the entire semester and see assignments/exams coming up every time I looked at it.

 

If I am accepted into a SLP grad program you better believe I will have one of these hanging up on my wall:  =)

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/erasable-wall-calendars/N=5+2819/

 

Did you know you can buy the whiteboard material at the Home Depot? You can save money and personalize your own whiteboard!