How much "relevant experience" in years do most applicants have?

[CBG321]

Hello everybody, I'm currently in a post-bacc program and have some lab experience and child-care/after school program experience and volunteering with special needs populations.  And am able to observe with a local school SLP whenever I have time but am not considered a regular volunteer there.  So i'm lumping that all under volunteer/related experience.

 

However, I was wondering on average how much relevant experience (time-wise) do most people have when they are applying to Graduate school?  So for example, directly related experience working with an SLP as a volunteer or in a hospital with an SLP as a volunteer. 

 

How long had you and/or your classmates been doing this directly relevant experience by the time you applied?  I'm reaching out right now to get a weekly volunteer position going with an SLP, but was just curious how long most people have under their belts by the time they apply?  I want to know how my time will stack up against other applicants .

 

 

[CBG321]

Nobody has any advice or stats to offer? Just trying to bump. I'm having trouble finding a regular volunteer position with any slp's or hospitals

[sayjo]

I only had my 20 observation hours at the time I applied, but I had worked as a teacher for the previous five years.   I didn't go out of my way to get volunteer hours.

[CBG321]

Thank you for the information! I appreciate the response!

[caligirl002]

I think it depends on the person, their previous background, and their age. I've heard that a lot of schools do not even look at the volunteer/extracurricular stuff. I have teaching experience (both here and overseas), research experience, taught first aid/cpr classes, etc...  I don't think that any of it is going to really help me accept (maybe) my work with kids that are on the spectrum.

[twinguy7]

Though many schools look at GPA mostly, there are many schools who look at the person and their experiences and strengths interpersonally.  But I agree that many of the top(expensive $$$) schools probably look at GPA.  In reality, all schools teach you what you need to know to be a SLP. 

[slpfall14]

I'm currently in a program and about two thirds of the people in my program have had relevant experience.  Most were teachers, SLPAs, para-educators and behavioral interventionists. But there were some who had zero experience when starting the program.

 

Good luck!

[caligirl002]

That's actually encouraging to know that some programs look beyond a GPA and GRE and see that experience is actually worth something. I have a decent GPA and GRE scores,  but I shine in an actual work setting where I can put my knowledge to use.

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

I am an out-of-fielder applying this year. My experiences aren't a direct 1:1 speech pathology correspondence but some are closely related. Some of the highlights on my CV are my neuro internship, paid APA paper editing job, three teaching assistantships, two research assistantships, volunteering at inpatient rehab, officer of an honor society, shadowed a school SLP, etc. I would also like to shadow a hospital SLP but I don't think it will be humanly possible with my intense spring semester. 

 

I am applying to mostly "less competitive" programs. I know that some of these didn't even ask for a CV, which is troubling. Most of them did, though. I asked my advisor who is on admissions for one of the programs if their program looks at extracurriculars and she had said that it's one of the last things they look at when making admission decisions after all the numbers are crunched (GRE, GPA) and applicants are rated on a scale. That's one program, but it seems like many use it as a final thing they glance at in passing, from what I've heard. 

[caligirl002]

I think like most have said, it's mainly GRE and GPA; however, I think that in an interview one's relevant work experience could definitely help.

[lakegirl92]

I did an internship at a private speech and OT clinic with kids ages 2-11, observation hours at a rehab hospital, take sign language, work at a school in the special education rooms, volunteer with deaf and hard of hearing children, and volunteer with the adult disabled popluation

[CBG321]

Thank you so much everyone for the responses!  So what i'm gathering is the main thing across the board as we've been told a bunch is GRE score and GPA. 

Then after you pass the grades/gre bar, they may or may not look over your relevant experience depending on the school?

 

I can apply to volunteer at a children's hospital  with their SLPs starting in the summer (i'm applying to grad school Fall 2015) I can either keep sending out feelers now and try to get an extra 4 months on that CV or just relax and focus on grades and wait until summer having about 4 months of direct experience when sending out those applications.

 

Thanks again everyone!