TotallyOriginalUsername Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 This was my second year applying so here is some general advice : Small changes in your application can make a big difference! I increased my subGPA from a 3.65 to a 3.75 and had completed all prereqs before submitting my application this year. You will be disadvantaged at U of A (and possibly other schools) if you have multiple prereqs in progress at the time of applying. I also got more hours shadowing an SLP and accumulated more volunteer hours. I participated in a volunteer trip to Central America this December to work at a project for children with special needs. I also got a new reference letter and I think it was significantly better than any of my letters from last year's application. Another thing I did was spend A LOT more time on my letter of intent/personal statement for each school. It might help to have one of your references look over it Schools also value research experience so I would suggest working/volunteering in a psychology or neuroscience lab if you do not have a lot of experience in this setting. I was really discouraged when I didn't get in anywhere last year but if anything it just gave me more motivation to improve my application and get in this year! So don't give up!!! You will get in Thanks! Might I ask how many hours you had with an SLP/volunteering before and after? I already have quite a few and am just wondering what kind of number makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brody43 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Brody, do not worry - you said nothing wrong. I am just a little frustrated and disappointed because this is my second year applying and I had an overall good package. I worked really hard and made many sacrifices to make my application competitive. For a whole year and a half, I literally did nothing else other than study, work and volunteer. Anyways, I know there is still a good chance for me, and I do appreciate what you wrote in both posts. To those who got in, congratulations, you should be very proud of yourselves. To those on the waitlist, I hope we all get good news in the end, and to those who didn't get in, don't give up... I know I am not. Hi Nins, I am glad your not getting discouraged. I have faith that your will eventually get in, only another few days till everyone has to make their decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssymslp Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Hi everyone - ****for those who did not get accepted**** if you applied to CDA at St. Lawrence and you are looking for a roommate, please contact me: ssymond@alumni.uwo.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagherkm Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I just declined Western's Offer for Audiology... A spot will hopefully open up for someone on the waiting list. Good Luck to Everyone ! DeafAudi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiplease Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Hi everyone, I will declining Dalhousie's offer for audiology, so a spot will be opening up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
let'sgo Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I was accepted off the Alberta waitlist today and I will be accepting! Does anyone know of a facebook group for Alberta? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nins Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I was accepted off the Alberta waitlist today and I will be accepting! Does anyone know of a facebook group for Alberta? Congrats! I am so excited for you!! You deserve it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP333 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) I was accepted off the Alberta waitlist today and I will be accepting! Does anyone know of a facebook group for Alberta? Congrats! the group on facebook is called "University of Alberta - Speech Pathology - Class of 2017" Edited April 9, 2015 by SLP333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandaleelocke Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I was accepted off the Alberta waitlist today and I will be accepting! Does anyone know of a facebook group for Alberta? yaayy! congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
let'sgo Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speechful11 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Congrats on your acceptance, Letsgo! Have most of you guys already accepted Western/ U of T offers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxymosy27 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi everyone, I was accepted into University of Ottawa and I'm on the waitlist at U of T! Is anyone else interested in going to Ottawa? If so, please let me know! futureslpcan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nins Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi, I stumbled across this thread last night and I had a few questions to ask. I'm currently a first year psychology student at UofT thinking of pursuing SLP as a future career. I'm worried about gaining enough volunteer/work experience and was wondering, how much do you think is enough? Over the next few years I was thinking of doing a work study placement in a children's development research lab at my school as well as volunteering in various nursing homes, and working with children in a school setting. Is it possible to shadow a current SLP and work with them? And should I get started on getting experience now or later on in my 2nd/3rd year of school? Thanks so much and good luck to everyone! Hi, That is great that you are thinking about it so early! I would recommend volunteering as soon as you can and not holding off, unless you do not think you would be able manage school and volunteering. Your plan about researching in a child development lab is fantastic, I wish I had that opportunity when I was in your shoes. Try contacting Aphasia Centres for experience in adults populations - there is the York Durham Aphasia Centre which is connected to March of Dimes and they operate in York and Durham Region. If you live in Toronto, you could try the Aphasia Institute. Also, try the Toronto Speech & Stuttering Institute. I recommend getting experience with adults and kids. For kids, you could try your local Preschool Speech and Language services. The one in York Region is affiliated with the Markham Stouffville Hospital.. not sure for Toronto, but I do know that they exist. I have had a lot of SLP volunteering experience in the GTA so if you have any questions, you can contact me . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skittlez Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Anyone accepted to western and/or u of t willing to message me their stats? It would be greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speechies Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hey guys, I was thinking of retaking a course I got a B in that is really doing damage to my transcript. However, I was told that if I retake it it takes a full year for it to replace my old grade on my transcript, so ORPAS winds up taking BOTH your grades. Just want to confirm this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LINGmb Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I have officially accepted Western! A spot will be open at U of T. Anyone else attending Western, join the fb group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/813718762055261/?ref=ts&fref=ts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandaleelocke Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Hey guys, I was thinking of retaking a course I got a B in that is really doing damage to my transcript. However, I was told that if I retake it it takes a full year for it to replace my old grade on my transcript, so ORPAS winds up taking BOTH your grades. Just want to confirm this "ORPAS includes all courses and marks, including failures, incomplete, repeated, and supplementary courses." I copy and pasted that from their little handbook - page 11! https://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/orpas/b_orpas_e.pdf Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBombastic Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) "ORPAS includes all courses and marks, including failures, incomplete, repeated, and supplementary courses." I copy and pasted that from their little handbook - page 11! https://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/orpas/b_orpas_e.pdf Hope that helps ORPAS basically mirrors your transcript... Usually what happens is you will have the original course entry on your transcript with a "No Grade Reported/No Credit" and a second attempt with the improved grade. In that scenario ORPAS does not take the initial attempt into calculation. However, how that shows up on your transcript is entirely school-dependent Edited April 10, 2015 by MrBombastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sab236 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Just wanted to say that I rejected my acceptance at Western and took myself off the waitlists at Toronto and Dalhousie, so this should help some people that are waiting! Good luck everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nins Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Thank you for the information and support! Those sound like great places, I'll definitely be looking into them. As for the amount of relevant work experience they expect you to have, what would you say would be a good enough number? Around 5-10? Or more than that? 5-10 would be more than enough. Rather than quantity, think about quality.. you want somewhere where you can get direct exposure with an SLP and clients, where you can learn about the field, and where you can network (meet others in the field who can give you good advice) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
let'sgo Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 5-10 would be more than enough. Rather than quantity, think about quality.. you want somewhere where you can get direct exposure with an SLP and clients, where you can learn about the field, and where you can network (meet others in the field who can give you good advice) As well as someone who will be able to give you a great clinical reference when the time comes! I only worked with one SLP throughout the past couple years, but I was able to help out with children and teens/adults with developmental delays. Since you can only submit one clinical reference, and the remainder should probably come from academia, it would be great to have a SLP who knows you really well and can say how you've been with them for however long. It would also be really beneficial if after taking a class with a professor, you could get into a research lab with them as well - that way they can speak about both your academic performance as well as your work in the lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skittlez Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 As well as someone who will be able to give you a great clinical reference when the time comes! I only worked with one SLP throughout the past couple years, but I was able to help out with children and teens/adults with developmental delays. Since you can only submit one clinical reference, and the remainder should probably come from academia, it would be great to have a SLP who knows you really well and can say how you've been with them for however long. It would also be really beneficial if after taking a class with a professor, you could get into a research lab with them as well - that way they can speak about both your academic performance as well as your work in the lab. I know that we are able to submit more than one clinical reference, would they look at only the one listed on orpas? Will they look at the additional ones as well? Is it weighed significantly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nins Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) I know that we are able to submit more than one clinical reference, would they look at only the one listed on orpas? Will they look at the additional ones as well? Is it weighed significantly? Yes you can! You can actually submit as many as you want and they do look at the additional ones. I submitted two clinicals... one for adults one for kids They are weighted evenly, but it looks better if you have two SLPs saying you would be a great SLP rather than just one. Edited April 10, 2015 by nins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
let'sgo Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Oh really! Haha, I just thought that since one slot was listed specifically for a clinical referee on ORPAS, I thought I could only submit one. Oh well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-slp Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Just got my official letter from Dalhousie for SLP. Does anyone know if there is a facebook group at all for Dal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now