2015 Canadian SLP Thread!

[sweaterweather]

I had to verify with admissions officers what they specifically wanted. For some schools, not only do they want the WES assessment BUT they also require you to send a separate transcript from your university. This is why it adds up and I personally find it very redundant.

 

A WES assessment costs around $210 which calculates your GPA as well and each school is $30 plus courier fee of $12.  Fortunately, the assessment is only one time fee and you'll have your record saved in their system.  If you are requesting for additional schools to receive the assessment, you'd still have to pay another $30 plus the courier fee.

Thank you, Articklish & Persis, for the very helpful information about the WES assessment information! I haven't looked into applying to US schools yet, but I think I may have to this time around.

[Persis]

I was looking on the ORPAS website today, and according to this: http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/orpas/b_orpas_e.pdf , Western doesn't look at graduate courses in their GPA calculation, but it doesn't say anything about that for Toronto. I'm not sure if it's the same, so I think your best bet would be to call/email the school!

 

I'm quite frustrated because according to Western's academic requirements on the ORPAS PDF, they don't count Bachelor of Education courses in their GPA calculation. :/ If that's the case, it looks like I won't be able to apply. I'll be calling the school, but does anyone know any additional information regarding that?

I believe that all the schools for SLP do not use any other post graduate course in the calculation of GPA.  They look at it as an asset and may help with the application, but all the schools only calculate GPA using undergraduate courses.  It helps to have a masters in something, but they don't use those courses in the GPA calculation.

[kats]

So I wrote the GRE. I got 159 Verbal, and 150 Quant. I haven't gotten back my essay mark, but I would guess it to be around 4.5.   What do we think people? Is this good enough for U of A and Dal? I would meet the criterion for U of A, but I can't find any stats for Dal. (my sGPA is 3.92 and my overall GPA is 3.65 ORPAS)

[sweaterweather]

So I wrote the GRE. I got 159 Verbal, and 150 Quant. I haven't gotten back my essay mark, but I would guess it to be around 4.5.   What do we think people? Is this good enough for U of A and Dal? I would meet the criterion for U of A, but I can't find any stats for Dal. (my sGPA is 3.92 and my overall GPA is 3.65 ORPAS)

I think your GPA is definitely very competitive for U of A and Dalhousie! Where did you find/what is the criterion for U of A?

Congrats on being done with the GRE!

 

Heads up to those of you who are taking more courses post-Bachelor's - I came upon this link for Dalhousie (http://www.dal.ca/faculty/gradstudies/faculty/coordinators/gpa-calculation.html), if you scroll down, it states that "courses completed after the initial degree (upgrading) - for courses to be included in the GPA calculation they must be 3 ^rd and 4^th year courses and a maximum of 5 courses (15 credit hours) can be used. The remaining 45 credit hours should be taken from the student's Bachelor's degree." I guess this means that you can't take more than 5 courses? Even if you do it won't count towards your GPA calculation... I wasn't aware of this, and it's quite a bummer. Did any of you know about this?

 

There's also a bunch of other restrictions listed under that link, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're unsure.

Edited August 27, 2014 by sweaterweather

[kats]

I think your GPA is definitely very competitive for U of A and Dalhousie! Where did you find/what is the criterion for U of A?

Congrats on being done with the GRE!

 

Heads up to those of you who are taking more courses post-Bachelor's - I came upon this link for Dalhousie (http://www.dal.ca/faculty/gradstudies/faculty/coordinators/gpa-calculation.html), if you scroll down, it states that "courses completed after the initial degree (upgrading) - for courses to be included in the GPA calculation they must be 3 ^rd and 4^th year courses and a maximum of 5 courses (15 credit hours) can be used. The remaining 45 credit hours should be taken from the student's Bachelor's degree." I guess this means that you can't take more than 5 courses? Even if you do it won't count towards your GPA calculation... I wasn't aware of this, and it's quite a bummer. Did any of you know about this?

 

There's also a bunch of other restrictions listed under that link, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're unsure.

 

So here is the stats for GRE that U of A looks for http://ualbertaslp.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/what-we-bring-to-the-table/

 

basically, you need to be above the 63rd percentile when you average all the types of scores.

 

So.. should I retake the test for Dal? What do you think

[sweaterweather]

So here is the stats for GRE that U of A looks for http://ualbertaslp.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/what-we-bring-to-the-table/

 

basically, you need to be above the 63rd percentile when you average all the types of scores.

 

So.. should I retake the test for Dal? What do you think

Thanks for the info, kats! There's no general consensus for the GRE on the results page. Someone got in with very strong GRE scores (~160s), and another was accepted with average (~50th percentile) scores. Obviously, you want to get as high of a score as you can - do you think you can improve your scores, now that you have taken it and know exactly how it's laid out?

 

As well, if you do re-take it, do your new scores replace the old ones? Or do admission committes blend your scores together and take the average of the two? Some US schools do that, I believe.

[speechful11]

Hey everyone!

Is Alberta the only school that requires a GRE test to be taken? I cannot find that any others require it but it seems confusing for McGill and not very specific. Wondering if anyone knew.

Thanks!

[speechful11]

Anyone knows where i can take a statistics course? I need to re-take it as i did not do well when i took it duringmy undergrad. I need to take a full-year course. Any help would be appreciated.

I found stats to be really easy at York university through the psychology stream but maybe the non-psych courses focus more on theory which I assume would be quite difficult.

[speechful11]

@ Persis: I actually just updated one of my statistics marks with Athabasca. It is PSYC304, called Research Methods in Psychology. It actually doesn't have any mathematical component in it, just theoretical about how to conduct experiments and that sort of thing. I definitely would recommend it as I got a 95% in it, with a regular amount of effort.

I remember being told that the courses need to be specifically in statistics and that they require a description of the course if they are not sure it covered advanced stats (linear regression, effects, etc) :-s I would double check because I don't think research methods is statistics. Most research methods courses barely use stats.

[speechful11]

This whole process is extremely stressful. Did everyone take all the different prerequisites required for each school? Like taking prerequisites from all the different schools doesn't guarantee acceptance. I am getting depressed over this whole process. I feel like i have to take all the prerequisites from all the different schools because focusing on one school isn't a guarantee. I really do not want to take all of these courses. Any insights? HELP!

Hey Persis, most schools require the same courses. I am applying to U of T, Western and McGill. For U of T and Western they are pretty much the same (from what I saw there were no differences except that western is more strict with full year stats and u of t accepts some other courses). But anatomy, phonetics, developmental psych, intro to linguistics, and stats 1 and 2 are the prerequisites for both. As for McGill they are more flexible while still having an overlap with those same ones. Is that different from what you found out?

[speechful11]

I was looking on the ORPAS website today, and according to this: http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/orpas/b_orpas_e.pdf , Western doesn't look at graduate courses in their GPA calculation, but it doesn't say anything about that for Toronto. I'm not sure if it's the same, so I think your best bet would be to call/email the school!

I'm quite frustrated because according to Western's academic requirements on the ORPAS PDF, they don't count Bachelor of Education courses in their GPA calculation. :/ If that's the case, it looks like I won't be able to apply. I'll be calling the school, but does anyone know any additional information regarding that?

I think most programs do not look at any education related courses. That's probably why u of t doesn't mention it but my school told me that they are all listed separately in your transcript when they send it out. Worth double checking.

[Persis]

I think most programs do not look at any education related courses. That's probably why u of t doesn't mention it but my school told me that they are all listed separately in your transcript when they send it out. Worth double checking.

nat123, each school seem to be  different regarding prerequisites.  For example, a statistics  course where Western wants a half credit, the rest of the schools wants a full-credit and UBC even wants a third year half-credit course.  And, i took a second year full-credit statistic course that i would like to repeat however if i take one prerequisite for one school, it will not be good enough for the other etc.  U of T has this B+ and up for prerequisites, and i don't have this for all my courses.  I am in situation where i am 1 percent below a B+ for some, and a B for others.  Which pretty prevents me, and i am tired of taking courses.  Basically, what i am saying is that in order to apply to all the schools, one needs to do all prerequisites, because the program is competitive, and therefore focusing on one school is also not a guarantee especially in my case where my GPA is not high enough.  Also, i did not take some of these prerequisites in undergrad and therefore i have to take these course. 

Edited September 2, 2014 by Persis

[Persis]

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Edited September 2, 2014 by Persis

[kdelainey]

Question for everyone out there! I am a Canadian student attending an American university for speech pathology. I would love to apply to Western as it sounds like a wonderful school and I would like to be back in Canada, but people keep telling me it's not worth it to apply because I will not get accepted with an American degree. Is there any truth to this? Any advice would be appreciated!

[ImHis]

people keep telling me it's not worth it to apply because I will not get accepted with an American degree. Is there any truth to this? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

From whom did you hear that claim you wouldn't be eligible to apply?

 

The only school that is not accepting international students for SLP anymore is UBC because they prefer local British Columbians or Canadians who are willing to stay in the region.

 

All of the others and including Western, they will consider anyone as long as you have completed the leveling courses they specify on their website:  anatomy, statistics and some others. McGill has one or two American students per year. I also met a  Canadian girl who studied at Hofstra  NY and she got into UfT. Do try for other schools too.

 

You can starting completing the required courses as part of your electives if you have space. Try to aim for at or equal to 4.0 for their leveling courses coz it's harder.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Articklish

[speechful11]

nat123, each school seem to be different regarding prerequisites. For example, a statistics course where Western wants a half credit, the rest of the schools wants a full-credit and UBC even wants a third year half-credit course. And, i took a second year full-credit statistic course that i would like to repeat however if i take one prerequisite for one school, it will not be good enough for the other etc. U of T has this B+ and up for prerequisites, and i don't have this for all my courses. I am in situation where i am 1 percent below a B+ for some, and a B for others. Which pretty prevents me, and i am tired of taking courses. Basically, what i am saying is that in order to apply to all the schools, one needs to do all prerequisites, because the program is competitive, and therefore focusing on one school is also not a guarantee especially in my case where my GPA is not high enough. Also, i did not take some of these prerequisites in undergrad and therefore i have to take these course.

I see. I guess the more schools you apply to the more complicated it gets. I didn't look into BC at all. It's true that applying to more places boosts our chances but overall if you don't have high marks it is unlikely you'll get in anywhere despite how many you apply to because most applicants will have marks in the A's. If you don't want to re-do courses I think the best way to improve your chances is with some really good experience and applying as a more mature student. I was told by one of the faculty at U of T that while grades are the main focus, they also "love" mature applicants due to valuable life experience. So don't lose hope but I agree that not having high grades will complicate things a bit. If you ever boost them, you can apply for less schools and not worry about doing pre-requisites for all. And yes, I have specifically asked and they need all pre-requisites to be at least B+ at Western, McGill and U of T to consider you. Edited September 3, 2014 by nat123

[Persis]

So here is the stats for GRE that U of A looks for http://ualbertaslp.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/what-we-bring-to-the-table/

 

basically, you need to be above the 63rd percentile when you average all the types of scores.

 

So.. should I retake the test for Dal? What do you think

I emailed Mark at Dal regarding the GRE scores:  See his response below:

 

 

Thank you for your email.  I would like you to know, as stated in our Admissions Requirements, “Please note that there is no minimum subtest or total score requirement for the GRE General Test.” The School’s Admissions Committee members assigns different weights to different parts of the application, so the weight assigned to your GRE Scores can vary.

Mark

[Persis]

I see. I guess the more schools you apply to the more complicated it gets. I didn't look into BC at all. It's true that applying to more places boosts our chances but overall if you don't have high marks it is unlikely you'll get in anywhere despite how many you apply to because most applicants will have marks in the A's. If you don't want to re-do courses I think the best way to improve your chances is with some really good experience and applying as a more mature student. I was told by one of the faculty at U of T that while grades are the main focus, they also "love" mature applicants due to valuable life experience. So don't lose hope but I agree that not having high grades will complicate things a bit. If you ever boost them, you can apply for less schools and not worry about doing pre-requisites for all. And yes, I have specifically asked and they need all pre-requisites to be at least B+ at Western, McGill and U of T to consider you.

I applied to U of T and didn't get in, and i am a mature student, however i think grades are still important.  Is there a special application to apply as a mature student that i don't know off?  I just applied and figured they will know that due to my age.  I do have a lot of experience.

[speechful11]

I applied to U of T and didn't get in, and i am a mature student, however i think grades are still important. Is there a special application to apply as a mature student that i don't know off? I just applied and figured they will know that due to my age. I do have a lot of experience.

I don't think there's a different application. I just know that when I attended an orientation one of the professors said so. It doesn't put you above others because apparently 50% of the value of your application is placed on your grades but it may give someone an advantage if they already had a competitive application? Every year is different but they said they do like diversity so it depends also on who else applies that year. Everyone says different things so it is always hard to know what they want.

[Persis]

From whom did you hear that claim you wouldn't be eligible to apply?

 

The only school that is not accepting international students for SLP anymore is UBC because they prefer local British Columbians or Canadians who are willing to stay in the region.

 

All of the others and including Western, they will consider anyone as long as you have completed the leveling courses they specify on their website:  anatomy, statistics and some others. McGill has one or two American students per year. I also met a  Canadian girl who studied at Hofstra  NY and she got into UfT. Do try for other schools too.

 

You can starting completing the required courses as part of your electives if you have space. Try to aim for at or equal to 4.0 for their leveling courses coz it's harder.

U of T just changed theirs too, and they state that international students are not accepted.

[kdelainey]

From whom did you hear that claim you wouldn't be eligible to apply?

 

The only school that is not accepting international students for SLP anymore is UBC because they prefer local British Columbians or Canadians who are willing to stay in the region.

 

All of the others and including Western, they will consider anyone as long as you have completed the leveling courses they specify on their website:  anatomy, statistics and some others. McGill has one or two American students per year. I also met a  Canadian girl who studied at Hofstra  NY and she got into UfT. Do try for other schools too.

 

You can starting completing the required courses as part of your electives if you have space. Try to aim for at or equal to 4.0 for their leveling courses coz it's harder.

Just talk among undergrad students, mostly saying it wasn't worth the time and money to apply because Canadian SLP programs rarely accept people with American degrees? I just wasn't sure how much truth there was in that and I'd really like to attend Western so I thought I'd ask! I talked to the admissions people at Western and the program I am currently in meets all the requirements for grad school there. Would I be considered international student as a Canadian in an American program?

[ImHis]

U of T just changed theirs too, and they state that international students are not accepted.

 

Wow! Did they give a reason why?

 

Just talk among undergrad students, mostly saying it wasn't worth the time and money to apply because Canadian SLP programs rarely accept people with American degrees? I just wasn't sure how much truth there was in that and I'd really like to attend Western so I thought I'd ask! I talked to the admissions people at Western and the program I am currently in meets all the requirements for grad school there. Would I be considered international student as a Canadian in an American program?

 

From my understanding, anyone who is a non-citizen or non-PR qualifies as international student. It's best to confirm your case with the director or admissions secretary.

 

By the way, if you are Aboriginal, UfT has a spot reserved. I just found this out.

[Persis]

Wow! Did they give a reason why?

 

 

From my understanding, anyone who is a non-citizen or non-PR qualifies as international student. It's best to confirm your case with the director or admissions secretary.

 

By the way, if you are Aboriginal, UfT has a spot reserved. I just found this out.

No, no reason.  I just noticed it.  And yes, they also just added the Aboriginal one this year as well.

[Persis]

Does anyone know if McGill and Dalhousie hold information sessions for the SLP program, and if so where i can find this information on their websites?

[toriec]

I took the GRE on August 28th and I am already freaking out about how I did. I have never, ever been strong in math, and although I studied for 4 months, I scored in the 20th percentile . I truly did the best I could do, and I'm almost surprised I even did that well. However, for verbal, I scored in the 93th percentile. I haven't gotten my written scores back yet, though I felt really good about them (essay writing is my thing). 

 

I want to apply to U of A, Dal, U of T, Western, and McGill. U of A is my first choice. If I don't get in anywhere this year, I will probably take the GRE again and just keep volunteering.