Undergraduate SLP Struggling

[SLPgurl13]

Hi, I'm Ashley and I'm new to this website! I couldn't find a regular Speech Pathology forum for undergraduates that was as popular as this website so I decided to tell my problem in the major here with graduate students who would understand what I'm going through rather than people who are undergraduates just like me.

 

I am currently a Sophomore in my undergraduate SLP program that I got striaight into and so far I just completed all my general education requirements and I did two of the my SLP courses so far such as, Sound & Auditory Mechanism, and Phonetics & Vocal Patterns; Now, this past 2014 Fall semster has been the worst the semester I ever had! I was doing Language Acquistion and I got a D+ in the class! (at my college you need a C or higher in your major requirements), I dropped out of Anatomy & Physiology because it was way to hard and recieved a W in the class and I also dropped out of Statistics because I was as well getting a D in class and it is a major requirement as well. I honestly could not believe I would fail Language Acquistion because I felt like I could get a C! But with all of this said, I am severly struggling with this major and the difficult classes.

 

I have 54 credits earned so far out of 128 and I am starting to get second thoughts on if this is the right major for me! I been considering doing nursing instead but then I realized nursing is way more harder and has more anatomy classes and medical terminology to learn than SLP! I am just very worried that I now won't get into grad school if I decide to stick with doing SLP with my 2.8 GPA so far. Even my own advisor has told me I need a 3.5 or higher to get into any grad school in the world and that just frightens me and disappoints me into even why trying and wasting my time if I get my lousy GPA with my bachelor's and not even get into and grad school? What would be the point? *cries*

 

I am asking anybody who can please help me! It's like I really want to stay in my major but at the same time it's like I keep failing the classes and I dont know if its a way of saying that this major isn't meant for me and that I have to switch (keep in mind that I have no financial aid so I would be paying out of pocke from my family who would be wasting their money on me taking classes over again and taking classes that I don't even need if im switching!) I heard that the SLP classes can be counted as electives but im stil not 100% sure if it would be a wise idea to switch majors now since I'll be a junior soon!

 

I have talked to my advisor and she suggest that I have a plan B and that is to find another major but I honestly don't have any other majors in mind now that's avaiable at my college. I would think about occupational therapy but they don't have that at my school. The closet majors they have next to SLP is nursing (too hard), respiratory care (not what I wanted to do and only an AA for that major), psychology (not a good job outlook as I researched), social work (too little pay for master in that major; not something I wanted to do), and education (early childhood, adolescence, english teacher, etc...). Education would be the best switch from SLP but I never wanted to be a teacher!

 

This is the struggle I am having! Please somebody help me!

 

[sayjo]

I agree that SLP might not be the field for you.  Graduate level courses are much more difficult than undergraduate level, so even if you were to get into a grad school, I'm not certain that you could keep up with the workload.  

 

Both my husband and I changed our majors several times.  My best advice is to try to shadow people in the workforce to get an idea of different jobs.  Education tends to be a ridiculously easy major (disclaimer: this is my experience - not everyone would agree with me); however, the job itself is EXTREMELY difficult.  If you never wanted to be a teacher, it might not be a good fit for you.

 

I don't know a lot about nursing, but some of my friends started off in the field by becoming a certified nursing assistant first.  That's a little easier to do and you get hands on experience in the field.  Then you can work up to an actual nursing degree.  Just a thought.

[SLPgurl13]

If I knew nursing was something I really wanted to do, I would of started off as a CNA but I am already in college and I can't drop out of college (family personal issues). It just would not look good on my end and would be a disgrace to my family who has been paying all this time for me in college and for me to just drop out is terrible. I want to stay in college but I'm just afraid of my future.

 

SLP seems like a wonderful and fulfilling job to have but is it right for me? Will I be able to do it?

That's what I am struggling with.

 

One of my professor's mentioned that special education is a great field to go into with a good job outlook and my advisor said that many SLP undergrad's switched to special ed. when they found out SLP wasn't their calling.

I did do some volunter work back in high school with special ed kids, It was nice and even a bit challenging but I don't know if I can do that for the rest of my life.

 

I love to help people, and that is what I am aiming for. A job where I can make a living and also enjoy helping people in their lives.

Education seems like that for me but... I guess I got more researching to do!

[sayjo]

I'm not trying to scare you away from the education field (Lord knows we need good teachers), but I do want to caution you that in my opinion, there is considerably larger amount of stress being a special education teacher compared with being an SLP.  However, special ed can still be a very rewarding job if you're the type of person who has a good personality for it.

 

Again, I want to strongly encourage you to try to shadow and/or interview special education teachers before making your final decision.  Ask them about their favorite/least favorite parts of their job, how much work they have to take home, do they feel valued in their profession, etc.  Volunteer work (like you did in high school) is great to get some hands-on experience.  I worked at a summer camp for kids with special needs one summer - that might be something to look into.

 

Just a final piece of advice - I know it's hard to go against your family when you're young and your parents are paying for school.  I get it.  I've been there.  My parents were really overbearing and insisted on me only majoring in certain fields.  I was too scared to go against their wishes.  Now, I really wish I would have put my foot down and done what I wanted to do.  I ended up working in a career for 5 years that made me miserable just because I liked making my parents happy.  I still like making my parents happy, but being older has given me a lot more perspective.  Sometimes I do things that they don't like, but I'm an adult and I know they'll get over it eventually.  You need to follow your own heart and do what makes you happy.  I promise your family will still love you (even though they might not act like it at first).

[SkylerN]

Have you looked into becoming a Speech Language Pathology Assistant?  

[MBSLP]

It's great that you're looking for advice so here's my two cents:

Most graduate schools have a 3.0 minimum GPA, but depending on the school that can be a 3.0 overall, 3.0 in the last 90 credits, or 3.0 in the last 60 credits. Some schools do conditional admission so if you don't meet the 3.0 cutoff, they can admit you with provisional conditions such as meeting a certain GPA within your first semester or you'll be dropped from the program. They will only do this though if you have stand out aspects of your application that show you are promising. I think the most important thing you can do is be realistic... if you're feeling like the core requirements for your major are too difficult and you're just passing, graduate school may not be a good idea since most graduate schools require their students to earn a minimum of a 3.0 in their classes. Many graduate schools will see a low major GPA as a red flag. There are quite a few schools who require a 3.5 MAJOR GPA, 3.2 major GPA, or at least a 3.0 major GPA.

 

As for me, I will have a 3.5 overall GPA, 3.5 in the last 60 credits, 3.3 in the last 90 credits and a 3.2 in the major. Depending on the school, there are multiple aspects that they're looking at in your GPA. The unfortunate reality for this career path is that a decent GPA doesn't cut it since there are way too many applicants for the number of spots in graduate programs. I have a decent GPA for grad school in general, but with SLP grad school.... I have days where I feel like I won't get in anywhere when I apply.

 

If you REALLY want to pursue SLP I recommend a few things:

 

Retake the major classes you got below a B- in. I know this sounds terrible, but I had to really think about retaking one of my major classes and doing so would really help me with my chances for grad school admission so I'm biting the bullet and doing it.

 

If you're really struggling with these classes, but you still want to be in the major, get help! Get lots of help! Study groups, office hours, extra online research on what you're studying, etc. Seriously! Some of these classes come naturally to others, but some of us have to put a lot of work in to do well. Be willing to do the extra work!

 

Do lots of volunteer work related to the SLP field. It's as easy as signing up for Volunteermatch.com and looking through the list of volunteer opportunities. I personally chose to look through opportunities involving disabilities and senior citizens. If anything, volunteer in your department such as with NSSLHA.

 

If your department has a speech and hearing clinic and you can sign up for observations, I HIGHLY recommend doing that. You need to have 25 observations hours by the end of your major anyway, but the more the better. If your class is focusing on stuttering, sign up for a fluency session. If your class is focusing on aphasia or apraxia, sign up for a neuro session. That way you can study the books and see a real therapy session using that information. Make sure the clinical supervisor signs your observation sheet at the end of the session so you get credit for it.

 

Check in with yourself. Am I doing well on my tests/assignments? if not, why? Am I putting sufficient study hours in every day? Am I going to class every day? Am I taking good notes? Is my study time actually productive? (Not checking facebook periodically and texting). Are my study strategies helping me or hurting me? If you're taking a full load of credits (15 credits), you should be putting in five study hours per day for six days out of the week. I go to University of Washington and this is what is recommended by academic counseling. Structure your study time and be accountable.

 

Most importantly, stay positive. You will feel inadequate at times and it really sucks. All of us feel like that at some point. What you have going for you though is that you're still a sophomore. You have time to fix a few mistakes and utilize the years left you have in your undergrad to get your GPA up and prove what you can do! This probably won't be the last time you may have a bad test score after endless hours of studying. But if you're determined, your academics will slowly improve and you will learn a lot about how far you can push yourself.

 

Celebrate your successes. Did you do well on a pop quiz? Be proud. Did you go to class every day of the week? Be proud. Did you get a B+ on your test? Be proud! And when you fall short, have a good cry if you need, then pick yourself right back up and keep moving forward with new knowledge about what doesn't work.

 

If you really want this, you CAN do it!

[MBSLP]

Also, another reply pointed out something great. If you live in a state such as California or Texas that has a sufficient amount of Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant jobs, you can get licensed after undergrad (just look up what additional requirements you need to meet) and work as an SLPA in a school or clinic. They make decent money too! Unfortunately I live in Washington and SLPA jobs are very scarce here.

[speechie264]

It's great that you're looking for advice so here's my two cents:

Most graduate schools have a 3.0 minimum GPA, but depending on the school that can be a 3.0 overall, 3.0 in the last 90 credits, or 3.0 in the last 60 credits. Some schools do conditional admission so if you don't meet the 3.0 cutoff, they can admit you with provisional conditions such as meeting a certain GPA within your first semester or you'll be dropped from the program. They will only do this though if you have stand out aspects of your application that show you are promising. I think the most important thing you can do is be realistic... if you're feeling like the core requirements for your major are too difficult and you're just passing, graduate school may not be a good idea since most graduate schools require their students to earn a minimum of a 3.0 in their classes. Many graduate schools will see a low major GPA as a red flag. There are quite a few schools who require a 3.5 MAJOR GPA, 3.2 major GPA, or at least a 3.0 major GPA.

 

As for me, I will have a 3.5 overall GPA, 3.5 in the last 60 credits, 3.3 in the last 90 credits and a 3.2 in the major. Depending on the school, there are multiple aspects that they're looking at in your GPA. The unfortunate reality for this career path is that a decent GPA doesn't cut it since there are way too many applicants for the number of spots in graduate programs. I have a decent GPA for grad school in general, but with SLP grad school.... I have days where I feel like I won't get in anywhere when I apply.

 

If you REALLY want to pursue SLP I recommend a few things:

 

Retake the major classes you got below a B- in. I know this sounds terrible, but I had to really think about retaking one of my major classes and doing so would really help me with my chances for grad school admission so I'm biting the bullet and doing it.

 

If you're really struggling with these classes, but you still want to be in the major, get help! Get lots of help! Study groups, office hours, extra online research on what you're studying, etc. Seriously! Some of these classes come naturally to others, but some of us have to put a lot of work in to do well. Be willing to do the extra work!

 

Do lots of volunteer work related to the SLP field. It's as easy as signing up for Volunteermatch.com and looking through the list of volunteer opportunities. I personally chose to look through opportunities involving disabilities and senior citizens. If anything, volunteer in your department such as with NSSLHA.

 

If your department has a speech and hearing clinic and you can sign up for observations, I HIGHLY recommend doing that. You need to have 25 observations hours by the end of your major anyway, but the more the better. If your class is focusing on stuttering, sign up for a fluency session. If your class is focusing on aphasia or apraxia, sign up for a neuro session. That way you can study the books and see a real therapy session using that information. Make sure the clinical supervisor signs your observation sheet at the end of the session so you get credit for it.

 

Check in with yourself. Am I doing well on my tests/assignments? if not, why? Am I putting sufficient study hours in every day? Am I going to class every day? Am I taking good notes? Is my study time actually productive? (Not checking facebook periodically and texting). Are my study strategies helping me or hurting me? If you're taking a full load of credits (15 credits), you should be putting in five study hours per day for six days out of the week. I go to University of Washington and this is what is recommended by academic counseling. Structure your study time and be accountable.

 

Most importantly, stay positive. You will feel inadequate at times and it really sucks. All of us feel like that at some point. What you have going for you though is that you're still a sophomore. You have time to fix a few mistakes and utilize the years left you have in your undergrad to get your GPA up and prove what you can do! This probably won't be the last time you may have a bad test score after endless hours of studying. But if you're determined, your academics will slowly improve and you will learn a lot about how far you can push yourself.

 

Celebrate your successes. Did you do well on a pop quiz? Be proud. Did you go to class every day of the week? Be proud. Did you get a B+ on your test? Be proud! And when you fall short, have a good cry if you need, then pick yourself right back up and keep moving forward with new knowledge about what doesn't work.

 

If you really want this, you CAN do it!

 

I agree with MBSLP

The best thing that you have is that you are a sophomore. I am in the same boat. I am senior, well now to be a super senior. My current gpa is also a 2.8 and I am in the same situation as you. But there is more hope for you than me to amend your gpa. When i graduate, even if I get 4.0 in my last 2 semesters (30 units) and retake 3 courses (that I received D, my freshman year) I would end up with only a 3.1. So yes you can do it, and do it better. If I can raise my overall gpa from a 2.8 to a 3.1 in a year, imagine what you can do in 2-3 years. I would recommend retaking any course with a D, and if you need to take an extra year to improve your gpa than do it.

If this is really what you want to do you need to get focused (answer some of the question from the previous post), god knows I wasn't, and now I'm paying for my mistakes. But I'm not giving up, there are several posts I have read in this site that had had lower gpa's and still got into a grad school, and it is because they made sure that the other stuff was excellent (GRE scores, Letters of Rec, Personal Statement, Lots of Observation Hours). That is what I will be focusing on. It is a great profession to be part of, and it is worth the time, energy, money, and tears you put into it.

Good luck and I wish you the best in your journey.

[Missthang]

I struggled in one of my undergraduate SLP classes during my sophomore year. I knew that I was the only one who could make the adjustment, but I was also the person afraid of admitting my mistakes and saying that I was struggling. I set up office hours with the TA and professor almost weekly to review notes, discuss topics that were unclear and to review my quizzes and exams. On my first test in that course, I received a 78 but after all of the effort I put in to studying and showing my professor that I was determined to complete the course, I received a 99 on the final and passed with a B. It can be done with the right amount of effort and being proactive, so seek out those all of the available opportunities! I was amazed at what all was available for undergrads at my university and wished that I would've taken advantage of it sooner.

[HopefulGrad2017]

I have to admit this is my biggest worry. I am taking classes at a community college now, and planning on transferring to a 4 year program in the fall for SLP. And I worry about not getting into grad school. This isn't a major that transfers into other jobs well. And I know I don't want to be a teacher (I actually don't want to work in the school system if I become an SLP). And that makes me nervous that I should major in another field that has more opportunities if I can't get into a Master's program. Problem is, there is no other career I am as interested in.

[pure titanium]

I am a current slp and have a daughter that recently graduated with her masters in speech, and became aware of this site when she was applying. Now I just nose around once in a while and help when I can.

 

I have seen heartache from many applicants on this site and know some personally that did not get into graduate schools. My friend is the director of a program in PA. He states that it is so difficult right now to get into a program that an applicant with less than a 3.5 will have a difficult time getting in anywhere. It sounds like you are struggling with the basic subjects so I will be honest and suggest you not waste any more time and money on this major. Find another major that is a better fit for you. There are majors out there that you may never have been aware of. I strongly suggest you go to your schools career center for guidance. They can give you a test that can help match careers with your interests and abilities. Most if not all colleges offer this service free of charge for its students. 

Don't give up on college, just find the right area of study. Good Luck!

[katpdx]

Okay, girl. Here's the thing, you need a reset.  I am assuming that you are a true sophomore and have just begun to really dig into your classes.  I was a high school teacher and did very well earning my degree the first time around.  I decided to become and slp and it is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Study in a different way, visit your profs during their office hours and get all the help you can get.  Just because you don't get it the first time doesn't mean you can't get it at all.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and walk back into the game.  If nothing else, it will be a great perk on your SOP in the end.  There are a ton of things that can make you a viable candidate.  The thing is if you love it, it's for you. You can find a way. If, on the other hand, if it's a combination of not enjoying what you're studying with not doing well in class - that's different.  Follow your heart.  

[hopefulspeechie16]

So let's say your doing a double major like speech and psychology and your overall average for the two majors is low but your average for all the speech courses is high. Would you still have a good chance or is overall GPA and last 60 units really important?

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

So let's say your doing a double major like speech and psychology and your overall average for the two majors is low but your average for all the speech courses is high. Would you still have a good chance or is overall GPA and last 60 units really important?

 

From what I have been told/seen, the ranking of importance usually goes:

 

1. Comm Sciences and Disorders GPA

2. Last 60 Credits GPA

3. Cumulative GPA

 

The head of the Comm Disorders Department at the place I'm doing my post-bacc at also told me that a high Comm Disorder GPA can offset lower grades in non Comm Disorders courses. They are more interested in seeing mastery in courses that apply to the profession than in semi-related/unrelated courses. Moral of the story: Bust you butt and put the time in to get an exceptional Communication Disorders GPA.

[CBG321]

Hi Ashley,

First of all sorry you had such a rough semester! I wanted to share my experience so far and offer advice based on it. I already have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field and just finished my first semester as a post Bach student. I want to let you know that I have never dedicated more time, energy and studying in my entire education! I was out of school after graduating for a few years and know 100% this is the career for me. I think if you are considering other majors you should definately seek out a career counselor for some help. This major and career require 100% commitment and will be your entire life for the next 5 years. Not to sound harsh but if you are struggling a lot now classes only increase in difficulty and that can be very stressful to constantly be working your butt off with a fair possibility of not getting accepted to grad school. I live where they throw your application out some schools if it isn't a 3.8 or higher. Just really sit down and ask yourself do you have the passion for it? I only ask because as a sophomore I had no clue what I wanted to do, my advice is explore other options before committing to something that might not be your perfect fit. Keep in mind as well you need a high GRE score, and to pass a chemistry or physics class as well as statistics. It is a lot of work and a huge commitment just do a little more research to make sure! Good luck to you, and remember if you really want it over any other career get some tutoring and give it a go! Hope that helps a little!

[ImHis]

I don't know if you have addressed this yet, but you may want to dig deep how you learn information best.

 

Success depends on:

 

1) Finding your learning style

2) Effective notetaking

3) Time-management

4) Motivation

 

You can have 2 to 4, but if you don't have 1, you won't be able to learn any information no matter what you do and that's going to affect your confidence in the long-term.

 

To give an example, I thought I was an auditory learner and nothing was going inside my head. At first, I thought I was going crazy because everyone seemed to "get it." It wasn't until I recorded lectures and transcribed it word for word and then, I annotated that everything clicked. It was a pain to learn procedures for articulation disorders. I envied my classmates who could listen to lectures and memorize them on the spot but I take a longer time because I need to roleplay the steps. I ended up photocopying the test batteries to practise at home and look at them. I also study aloud rather than read. It helps with auditory feedback and I catch where I need futher review. Again, this reflects my kinesthetic learning style.

 

So...don't change majors, yet. Rather, exhaust all your options in finding out why you're struggling. There are many learning strategists on staff at the tertiary level. If you need to, drop your course load to maybe 1 course, use the time to experiment and see if you observe a significant change in your grade (D to A).

Edited December 24, 2014 by Articklish

[gradgirl21]

I would like to ask...have you considered going to your disability center on campus? No joke. I was struggling my first semester in my SLP courses and ended with two C and two B then I found out about disability center and got Dr to write me note etc...then once approved they helped me to get more time allotted to take my tests. This allowed me to get straight As for the next three semesters in every class! All it took was study groups, and extra time to process comprehension. Of questions being asked on tests. Maybe this will help.

If you are thinking of special Ed . teachers are needed badly. If OT is not at your school is it possible to go to another school? Or...

This option will take time and money. Get anothet B.A in a different field. Acing all classes. Raise GPA then you could apply to a grad school masters program that accepts leveling students like university of the pacific. Etc..

Definitely would have a better chance. Lots of ways to complete a dream. .still trying to do my dream and hoping for an acceptance.

[SLPgurl13]

Hello guys thanks so much for all your thoughtful advice and opinions from this old post. I know it's been a while since I logged back in just I been so busy and stressed out and I'm currently on summer vacation from school. I been trying to find jobs specially jobs that will earn me good experience to become an SLP (e.g. doctor offices, daycares, babysitting, medical office jobs, nursing homes etc..) but no luck. Most of them want experience and I never had a job before. Most of u stated that having a good resume with great experience and recommendations can help give me a push into grad school but I honestly am starting to lose hope. My advisor emailed me stating I am struggling a lot and believes I should reconsider the major I choose. At first I was mad because I feel like she was putting me down and making me feel less of what potential I could have but when I thought about it for some time I realize I don't want to be like people who go to college and can't get a job in what they studied for for 4 years.. it scares me.. and i don't know if I would want to become a special ed teacher! I watched many videos on youtube on special ed teaching and regular elementary school teaching and I would be nervous to become a teacher...

Before I thought about becoming an SLP I did have psychology on my mind but I knew I would need a PH.D to become a psychologist so I dropped that. I thought about nursing but now it's too late to apply for nursing school at my college and I don't have the minimum gpa requirement to get in. Now the career counselor at my college said that social working would be good for me to get into although the classes may be east but the job itself will be strssful... plus my family will shame me from going from slp to a social worker...

That's another problem. I feel like I can't even switch majors because my parents are paying out of pocket for my college which is around $14;500 a year and I don't want to make them waste any more money on me going back and choosing another major. My mother already got mad at me when I told her about switching.

I just don't know what to do. In case you all wondering, I go to Molloy College. I checked the other majors there and some don't fit me or they too are competitive to get into.

I really need some help on knowing what to... I just decided even though I may not get into grad school.. I might as well just graduate with the bachelor's degree and try finding a different job with it. It will be tough since there aren't really any other jobs out there that will fit for a degree in slp other than slp itself and education. I technically will be wasting my time now in college but I feel like all other hope is lost.

[SLPgurl13]

I also checked to see if I can use my slp bachelor degree to transfer into an occupational therapist program but it to is competitive and has almost the same workload and classes like speech pathology too. :-\

[JustJay]

Regardless of whether your move forward in this major or change to another one, you still need to refine your study skills to be successful. Realize that you must study long and hard for any worthwhile career...period. What you are doing now just isn't enough. This is something I had to learn when I found myself struggling in school at one point. But I'm the kind of person that if I make a lousy grade I immediately have to stop and reevaluate what I am doing. As they say, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result". If you are making Ds then there is something you must change in the way you are approaching your studies. Luckily you're only a sophomore now so technically you do have enough time to pull up your GPA but you will only be able to do so by changing what you are doing. I understand not wanting to change your major (I changed mine 3 times before finding SLP). What you need to do is find all the resources you can to teach you how to effectively study the material. Amazon, youtube, pinterest, tutors, professors. There are tons of resources available. There is literally a book called "How to Study"! Good luck

[Yancey]

Maybe you should consider one of the AA related health fields like radiologist assistant, physical therapy assistant, respiratory assistant, neurodiagnostic technology, dental hygiene, teacher/sped assistant etc. It will help you cut the cost of what you're spending on education, give you a chance to experience something in the medical or school field and make connections, and can help you gain perspective on what job/setting your skill set would be best suited for. SLP grad school definitely has more demands than undergrad (placements/clinic plus coursework). You may just need a semester off to think about your options and expiriement with what's out there. There may even be a major/job unrelated to medical or education that you haven't thought of and can explore. But I'd take sometime to reflect without debt and stress building so you don't dig yourself into what feels like a deeper hole. Things will work out! Good luck!

[CBG321]

I'm so sorry to hear the situation you've been put in.  It sounds like there is a lot of pressure from your family.  I understand they are paying for your education but sticking with this major when it isn't working out just to make them happy is not going to be beneficial to you in the long run.  I think they'd be happier if you were doing a major that would prepare you for a job after graduating.  I think it's really unfortunate they look down upon social workers as they are very caring individuals who help a lot of people. 

 

I didn't have that kind of pressure so I don't really know what to tell you but, you are at a good point to switch majors if you could decide on something prior to school starting and get enrolled this next semester.  I transferred schools so had limited major specific coursework and had no issues at all with my schedule starting most of those major classes my Junior year. 

 

I understand you must be very stressed out with this big decision so early on in your college education, but now is a great time to make some changes if you decide that's what is right for you.  Visit your career center on campus before Fall and maybe if you have a concrete plan with all your questions answered your parents will be supportive of your new goals!  If you are afraid of them wasting their money now, it's a bigger waste of money if you can't get a job afterwards with your current degree.  They would be saving money if you find another major that's a better fit!

[Jolie717]

Maybe you should consider one of the AA related health fields like radiologist assistant, physical therapy assistant, respiratory assistant, neurodiagnostic technology, dental hygiene, teacher/sped assistant etc. It will help you cut the cost of what you're spending on education, give you a chance to experience something in the medical or school field and make connections, and can help you gain perspective on what job/setting your skill set would be best suited for. SLP grad school definitely has more demands than undergrad (placements/clinic plus coursework). You may just need a semester off to think about your options and expiriement with what's out there. There may even be a major/job unrelated to medical or education that you haven't thought of and can explore. But I'd take sometime to reflect without debt and stress building so you don't dig yourself into what feels like a deeper hole. Things will work out! Good luck!

It's actually Respiratory Therapist (not assistant) and this major has all the same pre-reqs as nursing - as do several of the others mentioned above. So the OP would still have to get through some of the tougher science classes. In addition, working in the medical field can be very stressful and because of reimbursement cuts it will likely get worse.

I would make an appointment with one of the counsellors at your school to try to figure out where your skills and passion would best serve you in considering a new major. Especially if you are determined to finish at your current school. Otherwise you could save a lot of money if you could get into an SLPA community college program. I'm sure it's still a lot of work so you would have to make some changes in how you study, but it might give you the experience and confidence you seem to be lacking and ease your transition back into a 4 yr college and grad school down the line.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Jolie717

[Yancey]

It's actually Respiratory Therapist (not assistant) and this major has all the same pre-reqs as nursing - as do several of the others mentioned above. So the OP would still have to get through some of the tougher science classes. In addition, working in the medical field can be very stressful and because of reimbursement cuts it will likely get worse.

I would make an appointment with one of the counsellors at your school to try to figure out where your skills and passion would best serve you in considering a new major. Especially if you are determined to finish at your current school. Otherwise you could save a lot of money if you could get into an SLPA community college program. I'm sure it's still a lot of work so you would have to make some changes in how you study, but it might give you the experience and confidence you seem to be lacking and ease your transition back into a 4 yr college and grad school down the line.

Actually I was referring to Respiratory Assistant aka Respiratory Therapist Assistant/Technician that work under the Respiratory Therapist. http://www.healthcaresalaryworld.com/respiratory-therapy-technician-job-description/

I don't know the OP's whole situation. Maybe s/he has a lot of things going on in addition to coursework. I was simply listing other ideas or careers to explore. Someone who struggles in certain courses can always get a tutor and/or just take less credits per semester to really be able to focus on studying. Working toward earning an AA degree that would lead to a career versus 6 years of difficult courses for a Bachelors and Masters degree seems like an idea that could be useful to anyone who does not want to prolong their schooling, but is still interested in a field of helping others. 

Edited July 24, 2015 by Yancey

[Jolie717]

Actually I was referring to Respiratory Assistant aka Respiratory Therapist Assistant/Technician that work under the Respiratory Therapist. http://www.healthcaresalaryworld.com/respiratory-therapy-technician-job-description/

I don't know the OP's whole situation. Maybe s/he has a lot of things going on in addition to coursework. I was simply listing other ideas or careers to explore. Someone who struggles in certain courses can always get a tutor and/or just take less credits per semester to really be able to focus on studying. Working toward earning an AA degree that would lead to a career versus 6 years of difficult courses for a Bachelors and Masters degree seems like an idea that could be useful to anyone who does not want to prolong their schooling, but is still interested in a field of helping others.

Interesting - as an RT I have never heard of this type of position nor have I ever worked with or met a RespIratory Assistant. I found one job listing in the state of California though, and it appeared it was more of a respiratory equipment tech type of job. At any rate, to the OP I would be wary of "career college" type programs as they are typically very expensive when compared to community colleges and their coursework often will not transfer to a four year college/university. Also it's important that you look at whether there is a demand for whichever career you end up choosing - there is nothing worse than getting a degree only to find you can't use it.