Should I Even Bother Trying To Become an SLP Again?

[tns1991]

Here is my situation, and I want honest opinions about this. I joined this forum last year when I was originally applying for grad schools and I found the forum so helpful, so I am hoping you all can help me again. I applied to slp grad schools as a non-traditional student as I did not have a background in slp (I was a Psychology major) and I was limited to the schools I could apply to. While posting on the forums, I learned of several people that were students at various online programs that have post-bacs for people that are not slp undergrads to prepare them for grad school application. I did not know of these online programs while I was applying a year ago, and I would have taken a year to do an online program instead of applying to a limited number of schools that admit students without the pre-reqs if I would have known of the programs beforehand.

 

Anyway, I did get accepted to a program and dropped out after a semester because the program was absolutely horrible. I won't go into great details about it: but the professors and program were unorganized, nobody felt prepared or felt like they were learning anything, and the clinic could not bother to get enough clients to ensure that everyone would have a clinical experience. That is only scratching the surface. They also lied to me about getting my schooling partially paid for, so that in combination with a horrible first semester, I made the decision to drop out of the program.

 

A year later and I am bitter about the whole experience. I have half the pre-reqs that most programs need and can easily finish the rest online. My fears are that I will have another horrible experience and waste even more years of my life to getting into this profession, I will not be accepted to another program and my C and two B's (in classes that most programs don't even require, for what it's worth) will cause me to never get accepted to another school. I am currently set up to enter into a certificate program for web design, but I fear that I am entering into that profession to just settle for something since SLP may be out of the question. But is it worth my time and money to even think about applying to SLP again? 

[tinabobina]

Well, I'm not sure there's really enough info for someone else (here, anyway) to make a judgment about this for you. That said, I notice that you don't talk about how much you love speech and wish you could do it, and you are not choosing a different but similar profession - that tells me that maybe it's not worth it to you personally to keep trying.

 

I really want to do this job, and I have a good background and good grades. But getting into grad school is so ridiculously competitive that good -- even great -- is not good enough. I'm seriously reconsidering because even though I love the field, I think I can be happy enough doing something else (like SLPA).

 

And while I'm at it, I'm not terribly impressed with these grad schools. They all seem to be disorganized, poor at communication, and so full of themselves. They CAN be, because we are all dying to get in and must put up with their crap. And honestly, I can see no reason why a master's is even necessary for most SLP jobs. Medical, sure - why not make that a master's job? But I am perfectly capable of reading test directions out loud and counting check marks, which is pretty much the only thing that separates an SLPA from an SLP.

 

Sorry for the rant. Obviously I am bitter as well.

[tns1991]

You don't need to apologize, I fully understand where the bitterness comes from because I am with you there. I do like this profession and feel like I could be a good slp. I have an entire semester of pre-req courses and plenty of research and knowledge about the field that it just seems like a huge waste of the time, money and effort to just say that I have the knowledge and not actually use it in a job. However, I am extremely bitter and freaked out about the horrible experience I had and I cannot afford to repeat that experience (or go to grad school without an assistant ship or similar funding) . I'm also with you about not being impressed with these grad schools either, my undergrad is known as one of the best programs in the country by people in town (it's not, by a long shot) and I have heard of similar issues people had that I experienced myself in grad school. 

 

I have looked at similar professions, mainly OT and school psychology. OT is just way too expensive and they never offer any funding other than loans, plus I don't think I would like the job. School psych is also losing funding and with public school's budget cuts being slashed, I don't think it is a good career for the long run. I have an online business which gives me good web skills that I could use to my benefit to be a web designer and a community college nearby offers a certificate I can get in just one year. I also applied to a few college student affairs programs that offer full funding, and a job throughout schooling, but I still go back to speech path. I just put in too much time and effort for me to let it go. When I hear of career changers and people who get accepted after 3 or so application cycles, I feel like I can do it too.

 

BTW, I don't want my negativity or ranting to sway people away from the profession or scare people. There are great programs out there and this is a good profession- but pick your programs wisely. 

[tinabobina]

Is being an SLPA an option for you? (I know that not every state uses them.)

 

I wish you luck making your decision. It's a tough one. Maybe you could even put it off a while longer - do something else for a while and see if you want to revisit the idea in a couple of years?

[SLP2B_2k16]

I was browsing through the SLP threads and just couldn't help but comment on this one.

Getting into grad school for speech is not easy. The applicants are, for the most part, crazy type A students who have been working towards a career in speech pathology for a long time. If you are not sure that it is the right field for you, chances are your reservations and lack of confidence will show in your applications, making it that much more difficult to get accepted. That's exactly why it's so competitive - to weed out those who are not fully committed.

I am currently in grad school for speech and it was very difficult to get where I am. I applied more than once, and spent a long time gaining relevant experience and building my resume to compensate for a lackluster undergraduate GPA. It was one of the hardest things I've done, but now that I'm in school it is also hands down the most rewarding. If you really want it you can get there, you just have to be willing to work your butt off for it!

It sounds like you've had some negative experiences. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that (I know I can!) but don't let those experiences make the decision for you. Do your research. Every school, every program, every application process is unique and if SLP is what you want to do, you'll find the place that's right for you.

Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that being a speech pathologist is all about "reading test directions out loud and counting check marks." It's exactly that kind of insulting attitude and ignorance that will prevent you for furthering your career.

Best of luck with your decision!

[CBG321]

Hello, I totally understand if you'd rather not say, but is there any chance you'd be willing to list the school you had such a bad experience at so others can avoid applying there?  Sounds like it really needs to be looked at by ASHA if it is running some kind of lackluster scam program that isn't training it's students properly!