With pretty much all schools boasting 100% employment rates, is there a such thing as a "bad" graduate program?

[Chandru1]

I would love to go to a top 10 school, or one in a state like CA or NY. But given how ridiculously competitive it is, I do not think I can. Instead of applying to many schools with <10% admit rates, should I apply to schools with 25-30% admit rates (don't want to name names, but I can if it would help)?

I am just really stressed out about getting into a graduate program, and would like to maximize my chances. I am just wondering if graduating from a no name school would hurt my preparation/career in any way. Or is it like branding, where I don't need to go to a Mercedes school because plenty of Hyundai schools exist?

[kumapanda]

Well, I don't think graduating from a "no-name school" should hurt you.  What are you looking for in a graduate program?  Are you thinking of working in the hospital, school setting, or you prefer to go into research?  You can easily look at the schools by ranking, but it won't neccessarily have what you want.  You might want to look into clinical work, but the top ranked school focuses more on medical or research. 

 

I would research all the slp programs listed from ASHA's website and look for schools that focus on what you're looking for.  Yes, it's a lot of work, but it can make narrowing down the search easier for you.  Make sure the programs you look at are ceritified if you want to become a certified speech pathologist!  ASHA also offers information on what year each program was ceritified and when the next evaluation would be.  ASHA's website lists some of the things the slp programs focus on, but the best way to research schools is to go to the school website itself.  School websites like to talk about programs ASHA's website didn't mention like special clinics or special programs.  Some schools will give you very detailed pages on what their clinic does or what research they focus on.  Most schools are willing to show you their employment rates and PRAXIS passing rates as well, which is nice if you want to get into a school that guarantees your employment.   

 

While graduating from a top tier program is nice, you may find a lower ranked school better fitted for you because of tuition or because it has a special program that the top tier schools don't offer.  As long as the school has a good history of being certified, having high employment rates, and a high PRAXIS passing rate, it's a good school in my book.  I think ASHA is more concern about whether or not you fulfilled all the requirements, experience, and knowledge of becoming a proper SLP rather than where you graduated from (that's my opinion though, correct me if I'm wrong).   

Edited July 21, 2014 by rainsonata

[sayjo]

I think the consensus on this board is that it doesn't matter where you go to school, UNLESS you really want to work with a certain professor OR if you eventually want to get your Ph.D.  As long as the school is accredited by ASHA (and isn't on probation), you should be fine.

 

Excuse me for a moment while I ramble about my personal "big name" school philosophy.  I went to a "no-name" school for undergrad, followed by a "big name" school for my M.S.Ed.  There was NO difference in the quality of my programs.  NONE.  In fact, I liked my "no-name" undergrad school better because the professors were more invested in teaching.  Many times, when you go to a "big name" school or a highly ranked school, the school is highly ranked based on the quality of its RESEARCH, not the quality of the actual classes you will be taking.  Obviously, this matters a lot in some fields, but if your career goal is to be an SLP in a school district or nursing home, it really shouldn't matter to you how highly the school is ranked.

 

When I applied last year, I applied to several programs ranked in the top 15 for SLP (UIUC, Purdue, Northwestern, Vanderbilt).  I got into most, but turned them down.  My decision was largely based on tuition, but other factors helped me decide as well.  I'm very happy with my choice to go to a lesser-known school.

 

You need to go somewhere that will be a good fit for YOU.  This means you need to consider tuition, coursework, CLINICAL PLACEMENTS, location, etc.  Don't go somewhere just based on the name alone.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I'm very passionate when it comes to "big name" or highly ranked universities.  Nine times out of ten, I don't believe the tuition you end up paying is worth it for the "name brand" degree.  

 

Hope I didn't offend anyone - feel free to disagree!

Edited July 21, 2014 by sayjo

[Missthang]

I absolutely agree with Sayjo! I hear over and over again (through professors, conferences, SLPs, employers, etc...) that the name on your degree really doesn't mean a thing unless you're going for a PhD or research and publication purposes. As long as you get your degree and everything in order to obtain your CCCs, then it shouldn't matter that you went to a smaller/lesser known school. I've also heard that ratings don't mean anything anymore unless your going the PhD route like I mentioned earlier. My advice is play it safe and apply to a few "dream schools" and a few schools that you believe could be "safety schools" (even though there is no such thing as safety in SLP programs unfortunately). It's pretty easy to find out a school's cohort averages from previous years. Make sure that your GPA and GRE scores match or exceed their averages and then get all of your other application documents completed and perfected

[BiancaNicole21]

I have to agree with all the statements above.

If your main concern is getting into a grad program, I would recommend applying to multiple schools! Just make sure the schools you plan to apply to are schools you'd actually attend. I have several friends who applied to 10+ schools and ended up waiting to apply for another semester because they did not get into a school they would want to attend. What a waste!

Also, I do not believe "safety" schools exist when it comes to grad school. Once again, I know several people who boasted all semester about having a perfect GPA, amazing GRE scores, etc. They applied to Florida State (rank: 21) and U of Florida (rank: 15) believing they were guaranteed acceptance. Not to frighten anyone who is applying, but guarantee does not exist when it comes to admissions. It is highly competitive and different schools look for different things. Some of these people were shocked when they were not admitted while others with lower GPAs and GRE scores did. You can search the results on this website and see people saying they were denied by University of Central Florida (rank: 73) but accepted into one of the above programs.

 

The only thing you can do is research what each program specializes in and what research they conduct. See what they specialize in and see if that matches what you'd like to be involved in. This will also add to a well written Letter of Intent.

 

Remember: Nothing is guaranteed! It would be in anyone's best interest to thoroughly research schools, apply to only schools you'd actually attend, perfect your application, submit and possibly think of a back up plan!

You seem very intuitive and forward thinking so I am sure any grad program would be lucky to have you! Best of luck to everyone applying in upcoming semesters

[Chandru1]

Thank you all! I'll be sure to apply to grad schools that I'm actually interested in (not just top ranked or easy to get into), and hopefully that'll give good results...

[onedayslp]

I was wondering the same thing..

It makes it really hard to narrow down schools since they all seem to have 100% employment rate, Praxis pass rate, and graduation rates!

[sayjo]

I was wondering the same thing..

It makes it really hard to narrow down schools since they all seem to have 100% employment rate, Praxis pass rate, and graduation rates!

 

Try looking at the coursework and clinical placement options in order to narrow schools down.  For example, if you were to go to Rush University, the courses you would take would be much more geared toward medical SLP (there is an entire class on head and neck cancer, for example).  A different university might put more emphasis on child-based coursework.  Some universities even let you pick and choose coursework based on your interests as long as you are still meeting the ASHA requirements.

 

Also look at clinical placements.  Will you be expected to do most of your clinicals in the university clinic?  Are there opportunities to get externships in hospitals?  Do you have clinicals first semester?

 

By focusing on coursework and clinical placements, you're able to find schools that will fit your particular interests and needs.  Don't hesitate to contact program directors with any questions!  In my experience, they've been more than happy to tell me about their graduate programs.

[onedayslp]

Try looking at the coursework and clinical placement options in order to narrow schools down.  For example, if you were to go to Rush University, the courses you would take would be much more geared toward medical SLP (there is an entire class on head and neck cancer, for example).  A different university might put more emphasis on child-based coursework.  Some universities even let you pick and choose coursework based on your interests as long as you are still meeting the ASHA requirements.

 

Also look at clinical placements.  Will you be expected to do most of your clinicals in the university clinic?  Are there opportunities to get externships in hospitals?  Do you have clinicals first semester?

 

By focusing on coursework and clinical placements, you're able to find schools that will fit your particular interests and needs.  Don't hesitate to contact program directors with any questions!  In my experience, they've been more than happy to tell me about their graduate programs.

 

Thank you for these tips! That is very helpful and is something I have not looked at yet. It seems that several programs have a "medical" or "research" focus while others are general/all-inclusive and cover adult and child work equally. However I am having trouble finding schools that are more pediatric/school-based (which is what I plan to focus on). The only one I know of so far is Emerson. Please let me know if you know of others!

[sayjo]

I believe UIUC lets you opt out of some adult coursework if you're choosing only to focus on the pediatric population.

[lexical_gap]

I'm reminded of a joke. 

Q: "What do you call the person who graduate last in his/her class from the worst medical school in the country?" 
A: "Doctor."
 

The same can be said for SLPs.  No matter what school you ultimately attend, as long as you satisfactorily complete all the requirements, you will be an SLP.

It really is all about finding the best fit for you.  Do you like big cities or smaller towns?  Do you want an emphasis in medical or educational settings?  Or, do you want a balance of both?  Do you want to focus on a specific disorder / population or do you want to dabble in everything?  Do you want the opportunity to do research or would you like a more clinical practice focus?  Of course, you also have to consider the financial cost.  School A may have a great program that fits you but is twice the cost of School B.  Will it be worth that financial investment to go to School A or is the training at School B comparable enough that you would rather save the initial cost of paying for school?

This field is constantly changing and offers plenty of flexibility.  You may start your professional practice in one setting with one population and end up on the opposite side of the spectrum for the bulk of your career.

 

I also want to echo the idea that there is no "safety school".  I applied to a school to which I thought I was guaranteed admission as a "backup plan".  I ended up being waitlisted.  Unless you sit on that committee, you never truly know what factors go into deciding whether or not someone is offered admission.

[SpeechyK]

Agree with all of the above here.  And this may not be a super popular opinion, but I'm going to lay it out there.  Since employment rates are so high, and as long as the schools are accredited, location should be a BIG factor in your choice. 

 

I'm in my second year of a Master's program, and it can be devastatingly isolating if you don't take time to renew yourself.  You are spending long, hard hours studying, prepping for clients, researching, reading, and maybe working.  You're in school with a bunch of competitive people who may be wonderful human beings, but everybody is still finding their place and you might not want school to be your only source of friends. 

 

When the semester is over, or when you get a chance to breathe on the weekend, you're going to want friends and family, or the opportunity to meet friends and do things you like.  Enjoy being outside?  Pick somewhere with a temperate climate.  Want to be able to drive home on the weekends to see friends/Mom and Dad?  Pick a closer school with a lower ranking over one halfway across the country.  Feel like you can't breathe if you're not near the ocean or mountains?   You'll be suffocated in a flat, landlocked city and it will be hard to concentrate on school when there's no place to rejuvinate yourself. 

 

The best kept secret in this game is that if you don't find a school/life balance for grad school, you're gonna have a bad time.  As long as the program gives you the opportunities you want (i.e., hospital internships, bilingual programs, neurological disorders, whatever interests you), give it a good long think about how your life outside of school will be.  That should really help narrow down the choices. 

 

Edit: Location is also important if you're choosing between two state schools. You can graduate with a $40,000 degree, or with a $20,000 one, and you'll be making the same amount when you graduate.  If you're using student loans, you'll be paying back double on the same income if you choose an out of state program and don't get financial assistance with it.

Edited September 21, 2014 by SpeechyK