Portland State University - SLP Post bacc

[wobbs_]

Hi all,

 

I've been doing a lot of research on potential SLP post bacc programs to apply to and am very interested in PSU. I like the schools location, size, and the fact that admission is non-competitive as my undergrad gpa in communication studies comes in at only 3.1. Before applying, I'm hoping to gain some more insight on the program. If you're currently attending PSU, have completed the post bacc at PSU, or know of PSU's post bacc program please share our thoughts!

 

Specifically:

 

1. How are class sizes?

2. Thoughts on faculty? 

3. How are the SLP resources at PSU?

4. Would you recommend any other program over the PSU post bacc?

 

Thanks for your input! It's greatly appreciated.

 

 

[slpslidingaway]

Hi! I'm a current PSU post-bacc and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. 

 

1. Pretty big for the core classes, such as anatomy and physiology, phonetics and acoustics, etc. I believe elective courses are smaller. 

2. A lot of the faculty here are more directed towards the graduate side of things and most undergrad classes that I've taken seem to be taught by adjunct faculty. Right now I can only think of one non-adjunct professor who teaches purely undergrad classes, but he's very nice and helpful and works really hard to make sure his students succeed. Graduate faculty also teach some of the undergrad classes too. I've liked pretty much every professor I've had here, but the classes are pretty large so you have to work really hard at standing out. 

3. I'm not so sure about this one. They have an on-campus clinic, but I've done most of my SLP networking through my work or my mom's work (she's a special ed teacher) 

4. This is a hard one for me to answer because I don't have anything to compare it to. I recommend the program because it's easy to get into if you're working to overcome a lower GPA but a big part of it for me was that it's close to home, since I'm a native Oregonian. 

 

Good luck! 

[wobbs_]

Hi! I'm a current PSU post-bacc and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. 

 

1. Pretty big for the core classes, such as anatomy and physiology, phonetics and acoustics, etc. I believe elective courses are smaller. 

2. A lot of the faculty here are more directed towards the graduate side of things and most undergrad classes that I've taken seem to be taught by adjunct faculty. Right now I can only think of one non-adjunct professor who teaches purely undergrad classes, but he's very nice and helpful and works really hard to make sure his students succeed. Graduate faculty also teach some of the undergrad classes too. I've liked pretty much every professor I've had here, but the classes are pretty large so you have to work really hard at standing out. 

3. I'm not so sure about this one. They have an on-campus clinic, but I've done most of my SLP networking through my work or my mom's work (she's a special ed teacher) 

4. This is a hard one for me to answer because I don't have anything to compare it to. I recommend the program because it's easy to get into if you're working to overcome a lower GPA but a big part of it for me was that it's close to home, since I'm a native Oregonian. 

 

Good luck! 

 

Awesome. Thanks so much for your info!

 

How big can the classes get exactly? With the large class sizes and all the adjunct faculty do you believe it will be challenging to get good LORs?

[slpslidingaway]

It's tough for me to estimate; maybe like 50-70? I'm having a little trouble with LORs simply because I am naturally kind of reserved and I think I just blend in really well. I've gotten some really good advice about getting LORs both from this forum and from other students at PSU. Basically I think if you do well in a class and go in for office hours, participate in class, all that jazz, the professors will write you a letter of recommendation and will take the time to get to know you before writing it too. If you decide on PSU, PM me and I can tell you the profs I've found to be the best. 

[caterpillar]

Hi all,

 

I've been doing a lot of research on potential SLP post bacc programs to apply to and am very interested in PSU. I like the schools location, size, and the fact that admission is non-competitive as my undergrad gpa in communication studies comes in at only 3.1. Before applying, I'm hoping to gain some more insight on the program. If you're currently attending PSU, have completed the post bacc at PSU, or know of PSU's post bacc program please share our thoughts!

 

Specifically:

 

1. How are class sizes?

2. Thoughts on faculty? 

3. How are the SLP resources at PSU?

4. Would you recommend any other program over the PSU post bacc?

 

Thanks for your input! It's greatly appreciated.

 

My husband went through the post-bacc (the two year program - he completed all the courses for the second BA, but never bothered applying for it) and he says:

 

1. Class sizes are pretty standard for a large university. During peak hours, you can be a class with 80 students and at times there will be students that have to stand because all of the seats are taken. If you take classes during less common hours (night classes, classes in the early morning), the class sizes get a bit smaller. However, I found that though the class sizes were large, most of my instructors still went out of their way to help students out and communicate with them on an individual basis. I never had trouble communicating with an instructor, and all the experiences I had communicating with instructors were extremely positive. 

2. As I said, all of my experiences with the faculty were positive. I felt a lot more comfortable talking to my professors, asking them for letters of recommendation, etc., than I ever did with my professors at my first university, ASU Psychology. The program has, however, experienced some turnover in recent years as the program in Pacific recently opened. A few very popular instructors, who I had mostly positive experiences with, moved over to that program. Several other teachers moved on as well. There are several good teachers I had who are still teaching there, however. 

3. As far as access to SLPs, I actually worked at a school when I went there, and I didn't end up using the school to get my supervision hours. They give you a choice between doing an observation class, or a directed clinical assistantship. I did the assistantship, even though it sounded a lot more intimidating. I found that I actually got to do some of my best chatting with grad students and staff during that time. I actually got to be in session with a grad student and a client, assisting in assessment and treatment. I got to pick the brains of some very knowledgeable people, including the grad student I was assigned to. All in all, having done the clinical assistantship, it's one of the things that stands out the most for me and it was where I felt like I got the best example of what being an SLP actually looks like non-academically.

4. I would say it depends. I like the PSU post bacc. It is definitely the best academic experience I've had so far. But at the same time, the post-bacc program in SLP is a big money maker for them, and there are droves of people in Portland with interest in the subject that jump into this post-bacc program and they can obviously only take so many people. Knowing that some programs take heavily from their post-baccs/undergrad for grad school, I would say that if there's another school you really want to go to for grad school, you might want to look at doing the post-bacc there instead. For example, there's San Jose State, who I hear takes over half of their undergrads for their graduate program. At the same time, it's really competitive so it's kind of a toss-up. I did really like PSU and I felt like I really knew my stuff after I was finished and had a really good base of knowledge to springboard me into grad school. That being said, it was really difficult, and I had to slave away to get my 4.0 (I was not working for most of the program) and it was not easy straight A's. 

 

With the large class sizes and all the adjunct faculty do you believe it will be challenging to get good LORs?

 

One of my letters was from a professor that used to teach 2 undergrad courses, both of which I took, but does not teach undergrad anymore. One of them was from an adjunct audiology professor. And one of them was from a special education teacher I used to work with. The reason I picked the adjunct professor was because I had her for a night class that had a smaller class size. I feel like, since class discussion was more direct since it wasn't stadium seating, she got to know me better than she would've gotten to know me during certain day classes that have tons of people. It could also be taken into consideration that I'm a guy and that it's probably easier to stand out one of the few males in the program/field. 

[wobbs_]

PorqueMoi and caterpillar, thank you both for taking the time to share your experiences! I'll definitely take your thoughts into consideration when making my post bacc decision. As of right now, I am leaning toward PSU and am excited to get this SLP ball rolling.

 

PorqueMoi, if I do end up at PSU. I'll PM. Thanks for your help!

[HippoPirate]

I'm also finishing my postbac at PSU, and I have to add that although the class sizes are large, most of the professors really make an effort to get to know all their students. I also really liked all of my adjunct professors. I got my LORs from a professor I worked with on an ASHA grant and another that I took 2 classes with (one an elective with only about 20 students). For LORs I would try to take more than one class with the same professor and contribute so they get to know you a little.

 

Also, I've never been in a class where there weren't enough seats or where it felt uncomfortably full.

[caterpillar]

Also, I've never been in a class where there weren't enough seats or where it felt uncomfortably full.

 

He attended PSU from fall 2010 to winter 2013, so perhaps the enrollment has eased up since then. I do know that he had several experiences sitting on the floor when he was in some of the lower level classes, though.

[wobbs_]

I recently sent in my application for Fall 2014 at PSU. Not sure if you guys will remember, but how soon did you hear from admissions after applying?

[caterpillar]

I recently sent in my application for Fall 2014 at PSU. Not sure if you guys will remember, but how soon did you hear from admissions after applying?

 

It was pretty quick. He applied in late August and was able to start in time for the fall quarter (late-ish September). They just wanted the transcript that had his first degree awarded.

Edited April 8, 2014 by caterpillar

[slpslidingaway]

Not gonna lie, I'm kind of having fun reading all the responses from other PSU people to try and guess which profs you are talking about. The things I do with my time...

[Uhtheenah]

It was pretty quick. He applied in late August and was able to start in time for the fall quarter (late-ish September). They just wanted the transcript that had his first degree awarded.

 

 

I feel stupid for asking this, but do you know if they accept students for Winter? I applied recently and it asked me if I wanted to apply for Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer. Also, do they pretty much accept anyone? From researching and reading all these forums, it seems like they are willing to accept anyone with an undergraduate degree. I'm from California, so I'm wondering if that will give me a bigger chance of being accepted. (since I'll be paying a lot more for tuition haha)

 

thanks so much!

[Chandru1]

I am heavily considering applying here. How does it compare to the various postbac programs in California?

[caterpillar]

I feel stupid for asking this, but do you know if they accept students for Winter? I applied recently and it asked me if I wanted to apply for Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer. Also, do they pretty much accept anyone? From researching and reading all these forums, it seems like they are willing to accept anyone with an undergraduate degree. I'm from California, so I'm wondering if that will give me a bigger chance of being accepted. (since I'll be paying a lot more for tuition haha)

 

thanks so much!

 

I believe they do, as they are non-competitive and classes are offered on a staggered schedule. (but most class are offered most terms)

 

If you'd like a money-saving tip and are willing to take ~2 years to complete the pre-reqs, move to Vancouver, WA at least 90 days prior to the term in which you intend to enroll. Follow the instructions for qualifying for the Border Bill (http://www.pdx.edu/registration/sites/www.pdx.edu.registration/files/Washington_Border_Policy.pdf). It takes longer to complete the pre-reqs but it keeps the tuition costs low as you are part-time at an in-state rate, and if you aren't able to find work/aren't independently supported otherwise, leaves you money left over from loans to live off of. The negative is that you'll be a WA resident (assuming you intend to apply to PSU for grad school, too) so attending PSU as a grad student will be expensive. Just a thought.

[Yancey]

I am heavily considering applying here. How does it compare to the various postbac programs in California?

I did my CD undergraduate in CA so I am not a postbac, but our classes (both postbac & undergrads) are not that large. We may have 30-35 at most in each course. None of the classes (unless they change it this year) are forum style classes. They are just in a regular classroom.

Additionally, if you want to go to graduate school in CA it might be a good idea to do postbac at the school you may be interested in. A lot (not all or always) of CA schools consider their own undergrads &/or postbacs initially in the graduate admissions process. They also emphasize gpa and if they know your personality & work ethic that may help if the gpa is strong but not "perfect." It may just depend on the schools you want to apply to for grad that give you the most widely desired courses need for admission as a postbac student.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Yancey

[Chandru1]

I did my CD undergraduate in CA so I am not a postbac, but our classes (both postbac & undergrads) are not that large. We may have 30-35 at most in each course. None of the classes (unless they change it this year) are forum style classes. They are just in a regular classroom.

Additionally, if you want to go to graduate school in CA it might be a good idea to do postbac at the school you may be interested in. A lot (not all or always) of CA schools consider their own undergrads &/or postbacs initially in the graduate admissions process. They also emphasize gpa and if they know your personality & work ethic that may help if the gpa is strong but not "perfect." It may just depend on the schools you want to apply to for grad that give you the most widely desired courses need for admission as a postbac student.

Thank you for your advice! Do you know which specific schools prefer their own undergrads?