What's the weekly schedule of a SLP grad student?

[Bcjami]

Hey Everyone! 

I hope all of you are still hanging in there, the month of March can be such a monster! I don't know of anyone that is in SLP grad school at the moment, so I'm hoping that you all may be able to give me some insight for what our schedules may look like this Fall. For regular day time students, what would a student's schedule look like "about." Classes, clinic, etc? Are there breaks in-between the classes throughout the day? 

[tchris]

I think it really depends on the program.  Overall, I get the impression that you will be busy all day whether it's classes, studying, or clinic.  One thing I've found is some programs offer classes during regular hours (9-5) and others offer them after business hours (5-8).  If that would make a difference to you, it's something worth asking about.  I would recommend contacting students in the programs you're considering and asking them directly.

[lexical_gap]

In my current program (1st year grad student - 2nd semester) I have 3-4 hours of clinic per week  and class about 6 hours a week.  That said, I spend most of my time on campus studying, prepping for clinic, reviewing clinic sessions, analyzing data, working in the research lab, or meeting with advisors and supervisors.

It's not unusual for me to spend 8-10 hours on campus more than twice per week.  Our TA has spent more than 12 hours on campus on multiple occasions.

For me, Mondays are my busy days.  I usually get to campus between 10 -10:30 am and don't leave until about 7:15 - 7:30 pm

Edited March 25, 2014 by lexical_gap

[autismadvocate]

In my current program (1st year grad student - 2nd semester) I have 3-4 hours of clinic per week  and class about 6 hours a week.  That said, I spend most of my time on campus studying, prepping for clinic, reviewing clinic sessions, analyzing data, working in the research lab, or meeting with advisors and supervisors.

It's not unusual for me to spend 8-10 hours on campus more than twice per week.  Our TA has spent more than 12 hours on campus on multiple occasions.

For me, Mondays are my busy days.  I usually get to campus between 10 -10:30 am and don't leave until about 7:15 - 7:30 pm

 

That is way better than I thought it was going to be, actually. Not that I'm saying what you're doing is easy, it's just that I thought it was going to be even harder.

[Bcjami]

Very interesting, I just want to get some insight of what's to come ha ha. On a more un-important note unrelated to SLP, I have two small dogs that will live with me. I guess I'm a crazy dog lover that treats my pets as children, but I can't wait to find out how I'm going to take care of them as well. Just one more stress on my shoulders, whew I feel it already!! 

[lexical_gap]

autismadvocate, it looks deceptively simple on paper. To give context, I'm only taking 13 credits. I have classmates taking a class or two extra that I'm not taking to get the DPI licensure required to work in a school.

[meangreen23]

I am a current graduate student: 1st year 3rd semester. I have clinic for 20 hours a week that is at an offsite. I have about an hour commute to get to clinic in the mornings. I go Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 830-4. Then we have night classes for three hours (5-8) every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I am a TA so I am required to work 10 hours a week, so I work on doing that on Tuesdays and Fridays. I do extra evals when I get a chance because you have a lot of test proficiencies that you are required to have by ASHA standards. I usually study at night and on the weekends. It sounds like a lot and I am always busy... But I still go out and have fun with my friends and see my family! Grad school is what you make it!

Edited March 26, 2014 by meangreen23

[Bcjami]

Thanks so much to everyone for giving me and I'm sure others on what to expect! I love reading about what is to come . . . so it won't be too much of a shock ha ha. 

[meangreen23]

Not a problem! My first two semesters were a lot easier in the sense of having a lot of time during the week to study and plan! My program is 6 semesters and I started in the summer. The summer semester was pretty easy! About 3 hours of clinic a week at my schools clinic and we had night class on Mondays and I think Wednesdays for 3 hours. Then in the Fall I was at an elementary school and a middle school for about 13 hours a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We had night class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I also was a TA for 10 hours a week during that semester. I didn't really feel overwhelmed until this semester! So they eased us into it!

Edited March 26, 2014 by meangreen23

[Bcjami]

What does a TA do? Or I guess I should say what does it require you to do?

[meangreen23]

It's basically a GA! I grade A LOT of undergraduate course work! I am also responsible for managing emails from students. I some times administer tests for my professor that I TA for and meet with students. I also help with the field of research my professor is in and I am helping her write a grant right now! We are required 10 hours a week, no more or no less. It's not too bad!

[Bcjami]

That doesn't sound too bad! I would love grading, since I am a teacher . . . I guess some teachers dislike grading, but I'm still fond of it ha ha!

[sayjo]

That doesn't sound too bad! I would love grading, since I am a teacher . . . I guess some teachers dislike grading, but I'm still fond of it ha ha!

 

You are crazy!   I HATE grading.  (One of the biggest reasons I'm getting out of teaching is the ridiculous amount of time I spend grading papers.)  Do you teach young ones?  It might not be so bad to grade their work...haha...

Edited March 27, 2014 by sayjo

[Bcjami]

You are crazy!   I HATE grading.  (One of the biggest reasons I'm getting out of teaching is the ridiculous amount of time I spend grading papers.)  Do you teach young ones?  It might not be so bad to grade their work...haha...

LOL, well I thought PRE-K one year, so not a lot of grading there, but I'm teaching 4th grade this year and there is a lot more. Something about it I just enjoy, its not stressful and its kind of relaxing. What do you teach? Do you feel like you making the right choice to change careers? 

[sayjo]

LOL, well I thought PRE-K one year, so not a lot of grading there, but I'm teaching 4th grade this year and there is a lot more. Something about it I just enjoy, its not stressful and its kind of relaxing. What do you teach? Do you feel like you making the right choice to change careers? 

 

This will probably be a novel, just to warn you...

 

I taught 5th self-contained for one year, and 5th & 6th grade reading and 5th language arts for four years following that.  Grading student writing is the pits, IMO.  

 

I definitely feel like I am making the right decision to change careers because in teaching, I LOVED my relationships with my students (and reading aloud to them), but basically nothing else.  I chose to work in a high-needs school, so that might have influenced my decision somewhat.  But after years of grading, making my own materials, issues with parents, teacher cliques, pressure to put in tons of hours for after school activities (none of which I was compensated for), generally "boring" subject matter (I loved teaching reading, language arts not so much), and many, many weeks where I put in 60-70 hours a week, I just basically burnt out.

 

I recently got married and knew that there was NO WAY I could ever have kids if I remained a teacher.  I REFUSE to let myself become one of those lackadaisical teachers going through the motions.  I also feel strongly that I would not want to work in schools with upper-middle class white kids (i.e. the "nice" schools).  That left me with few options.

 

I served on my school's RTI committee for several years and became interested in working with students that have special needs.  Originally, I wanted to be a reading specialist, but the jobs for that are few and far between in my area.  Speech had a lot of overlap with my interests, so I observed several speech pathologists, made my decision, and dove head-first into this whole field.

 

Whew!  What about you?  What are your reasons for wanting to leave teaching?  I have the utmost respect for teachers, but (from my experience), it is a career path that no one but a masochist would choose.

[katieliz456]

I'm in my 3rd semester of an accelerated (4-semester) program. We tend to have classes mid-day (10:30-2:30 ish), plus a 3 hr night class one day per week.  We usually have clinic before/after midday classes. For example:

 

M/W: TA hours 8-10:30, 2 classes, then 3 clients in the university clinic

T/Th: TA hours 8-11, 1 class, then 2 clients. Plus night class on Tuesday.

Friday: Practicum/ethics class 8-9, then offsite hospital placement until 5 PM.

 

We all typically eat lunch during one of our midday classes... we use our "breaks" for making copies and writing SOAP notes haha.

 

Each week usually breaks down to 10 hours in class, 10 hours of TA work, 10-20 hours of clinic, plus 5 hours for reports, lesson plans, and materials prep.  You definitely get more efficient with paperwork as you progress through grad school  

[Bcjami]

This will probably be a novel, just to warn you...

 

I taught 5th self-contained for one year, and 5th & 6th grade reading and 5th language arts for four years following that.  Grading student writing is the pits, IMO.  

 

I definitely feel like I am making the right decision to change careers because in teaching, I LOVED my relationships with my students (and reading aloud to them), but basically nothing else.  I chose to work in a high-needs school, so that might have influenced my decision somewhat.  But after years of grading, making my own materials, issues with parents, teacher cliques, pressure to put in tons of hours for after school activities (none of which I was compensated for), generally "boring" subject matter (I loved teaching reading, language arts not so much), and many, many weeks where I put in 60-70 hours a week, I just basically burnt out.

 

I recently got married and knew that there was NO WAY I could ever have kids if I remained a teacher.  I REFUSE to let myself become one of those lackadaisical teachers going through the motions.  I also feel strongly that I would not want to work in schools with upper-middle class white kids (i.e. the "nice" schools).  That left me with few options.

 

I served on my school's RTI committee for several years and became interested in working with students that have special needs.  Originally, I wanted to be a reading specialist, but the jobs for that are few and far between in my area.  Speech had a lot of overlap with my interests, so I observed several speech pathologists, made my decision, and dove head-first into this whole field.

 

Whew!  What about you?  What are your reasons for wanting to leave teaching?  I have the utmost respect for teachers, but (from my experience), it is a career path that no one but a masochist would choose.

I love your novel! I love SPED, especially self-contained. I'm sort of with you on the reason for leaving teaching. I love the teaching part of it, but not the politics, parents, etc. I want a more intimate setting, opportunities for a variety of settings (medical!), plus I still get to work with special needs. Have you chosen the school you will be attending yet? So stressful! 

[Bcjami]

I'm in my 3rd semester of an accelerated (4-semester) program. We tend to have classes mid-day (10:30-2:30 ish), plus a 3 hr night class one day per week.  We usually have clinic before/after midday classes. For example:

 

M/W: TA hours 8-10:30, 2 classes, then 3 clients in the university clinic

T/Th: TA hours 8-11, 1 class, then 2 clients. Plus night class on Tuesday.

Friday: Practicum/ethics class 8-9, then offsite hospital placement until 5 PM.

 

We all typically eat lunch during one of our midday classes... we use our "breaks" for making copies and writing SOAP notes haha.

 

Each week usually breaks down to 10 hours in class, 10 hours of TA work, 10-20 hours of clinic, plus 5 hours for reports, lesson plans, and materials prep.  You definitely get more efficient with paperwork as you progress through grad school

 

Thanks for the info! That really helps me get a good idea . . . I was offered a GA position for one year. Is it common for students to be give a position for just a year then perhaps get awarded one for the next year? This will help me select the right school . . . I think. 

[sayjo]

I love your novel! I love SPED, especially self-contained. I'm sort of with you on the reason for leaving teaching. I love the teaching part of it, but not the politics, parents, etc. I want a more intimate setting, opportunities for a variety of settings (medical!), plus I still get to work with special needs. Have you chosen the school you will be attending yet? So stressful! 

 

I haven't chosen yet!  I'm starting to narrow things down now though...

[aucinema]

I know you've already gotten a few responses, but I figure I'd throw in my two cents as well. I'm a first year student, second semester. Overall, the program is definitely stressful but the stress ebbs and flows just like anything else. For example, this week, I had three 12 hour days on campus, but next week my workload will be much lighter and I expect to only have one twelve hour day.

 

M: Class 9-11:30, Clinic 1:30-4

T: Off-campus placement from 8:30-12:30, Class from 2-3:15, Class from 5:15-8pm

W: Class 9-11:30

Thursday: Off-campus placement 8:30-12:30, class from 2-3:15

Friday: Class 10-11:30, clinic from 11:30-1:30

 

Honestly, many of your days are going to be long ones, despite a schedule that looks simple on paper. You're going to have a lot of work to do during your gaps, but it's manageable (most of the time, haha). Honestly, I get stressed, but I LOVE my program overall. You're immersed in speech-language pathology and it can definitely be exhausting, but it's also exciting!

 

Just be sure to schedule in time for friends and family and non-school related things. I can't stress enough how important it is to stay balanced!

[Bcjami]

I know you've already gotten a few responses, but I figure I'd throw in my two cents as well. I'm a first year student, second semester. Overall, the program is definitely stressful but the stress ebbs and flows just like anything else. For example, this week, I had three 12 hour days on campus, but next week my workload will be much lighter and I expect to only have one twelve hour day.

 

M: Class 9-11:30, Clinic 1:30-4

T: Off-campus placement from 8:30-12:30, Class from 2-3:15, Class from 5:15-8pm

W: Class 9-11:30

Thursday: Off-campus placement 8:30-12:30, class from 2-3:15

Friday: Class 10-11:30, clinic from 11:30-1:30

 

Honestly, many of your days are going to be long ones, despite a schedule that looks simple on paper. You're going to have a lot of work to do during your gaps, but it's manageable (most of the time, haha). Honestly, I get stressed, but I LOVE my program overall. You're immersed in speech-language pathology and it can definitely be exhausting, but it's also exciting!

 

Just be sure to schedule in time for friends and family and non-school related things. I can't stress enough how important it is to stay balanced!

Thanks for the info! I'm glad to hear that you love the program, even with the stress. I don't look forward to the stress, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Good luck to you!

[hopefulspeechie16]

For those of you in grad school, what school do you attend?