cheaper program vs. better program

[limegin]

I also meant no offense--this can be a tough topic here but I think everyone should feel comfortable to ask the questions. I think you're on the right track! Maybe also ask professionals in the field their opinion of how school reputation might affect future job chances? Feel free to PM me anytime.

[Yancey]

I was in a similar situation. I got accepted to my "Dream" location/school and only received a small amount of work study. I got into another school in my state, which I received free tuition for at least the year, and two more schools that offered me a 75% scholarship and 50% scholarship. Even with those scholarship 5-6 semesters would cost $25,000-30,000 total. To me that seemed live getting into a state school with no aid. The amount of debt (living expenses it what really gets me), depends on your comfort level. Not all programs are equal, but that has less to do with rankings and more to do with classes/electives offered (not all the same and some require more units/different electives), professors (are the teaching EBP like no NSOME for speech/language etc), networks (future jobs etc), support, size, clinic, etc. In the end the a little debt my be worth it but it may not be. Look at things that are more important other then just a name. Some name brand schools may truely be a better fit while some, despite the name, wouldn't be the right fit regardless.

[slpchi]

Thank you everyone so much for your insight! It is going to be a really difficult decision for me, but everyone brought up great pros and cons. $20,000 is a LOT of money to me, but Rush is also an amazing program, with a hospital based program, located downtown Chicago, so it may be worth the extra cost! Tricky tricky!

[onedayslp]

I was in a similar situation. I got accepted to my "Dream" location/school and only received a small amount of work study. I got into another school in my state, which I received free tuition for at least the year, and two more schools that offered me a 75% scholarship and 50% scholarship. Even with those scholarship 5-6 semesters would cost $25,000-30,000 total. To me that seemed live getting into a state school with no aid. The amount of debt (living expenses it what really gets me), depends on your comfort level. Not all programs are equal, but that has less to do with rankings and more to do with classes/electives offered (not all the same and some require more units/different electives), professors (are the teaching EBP like no NSOME for speech/language etc), networks (future jobs etc), support, size, clinic, etc. In the end the a little debt my be worth it but it may not be. Look at things that are more important other then just a name. Some name brand schools may truely be a better fit while some, despite the name, wouldn't be the right fit regardless.

Out of curiosity, where did you end up attending? Are you happy with your choice? 

[moosemoose]

Help! So I got accepted to Rush (my dream program) which is 67,000 for the two years. I also got accepted to Elmhurst, with scholarship for a total of 46,000 for the two years. Both schools I can live at home for. Rush I can take public transportation to, while Elmhurst I will have to drive too. Also, it is only Elmhurts 2nd year of having a graduate program, so they are not accredited yet, while Rush has been around for a while and is attached to a hospital. But if I went to Elmhurst I would be saving like 20,000 dollars. Any advice??

 

For me, an extra 20k would be too much to stomach. Since you sound like you're really interested in the medical side, maybe talk with some advisors/professors at Elmhurt and compare the curriculum of both schools to see if Elmhurst would meet your needs. $20,000 is a lot of money, plus all the interest as twinguy pointed out.

[mayaella]

I'm definitely having a similar dilemma. I've been accepted to one school where the tuitition fo 2.5 years would be just around $100,000, and then another where, with an assistantship, I would pay just over $20,000 for 3 years (I need to do a leveling year). The thing thats holding me back is that the cheaper program is very small, very rural and not terribly well respected or ranked. Would it make a huge difference for clinical placements and job opportunities after graduation to go to a place like this?

[slpchi]

Honestly, mayaella, the connections and placements alone is why I will most likely choose Rush.  If you plan on staying and living in the area of your more expensive school, I feel like it is a great investment for your future.  I plan on staying in the Chicago area, and Rush has had great connections with every major hospital, and the public school district here.  

 

To everyone, we also have to remember that is an investment in ourselves.  The final price tag should not be the only decision factor.

[moosemoose]

I'm definitely having a similar dilemma. I've been accepted to one school where the tuitition fo 2.5 years would be just around $100,000, and then another where, with an assistantship, I would pay just over $20,000 for 3 years (I need to do a leveling year). The thing thats holding me back is that the cheaper program is very small, very rural and not terribly well respected or ranked. Would it make a huge difference for clinical placements and job opportunities after graduation to go to a place like this?

 

Hmmm. Obviously you don't want to go somewhere where you're not going to get a good education, but $80,000 is a huge difference. The monthly payments on $100k in loans must be astronomical. You might have more varied clinical placement opportunities at the larger/more expensive school, so I would see if you can talk to someone at the smaller school about what their clinical placements are like. The larger program could potentially give you a bigger network of contacts that could be useful in finding a job after graduation, but the impression I've gathered from talking to some SLPs who are currently working is that once you have your C's you should have very little trouble securing a job (barring an over-saturated market or being extremely picky about location/setting). Have you/can you visit both programs? That might help you get a better feel for them.

[limegin]

Mayaella, first of all congrats! I would definitely ask professionals in the field their opinions on the two schools. I've gotten some great and informative responses doing this. Some have told me that it does matter to future employers, but I only have anecdotal evidence.

[ba23]

I'm in a similar situation.. one of the schools I've been accepted to I've always considered one of my "top" schools and I've never really thought of price as something to change my mind between programs (obviously price is a major factor but I figured I would rather be at a school that gives me better opportunities/is a better fit for me and I can worry about loans after I graduate). Now I've been accepted in another program that is $20,000 cheaper in tuition plus I would be able to live at home which would save me a lot of money too, I've also been looking into scholarships here which could make this school even cheaper. The first school has a better reputation but is not located where I want my career (still in an awesome city), and the cheaper school is in the area where I could see myself working. I want myself to have the best opportunities for clinical placements and the best education I can get in order to reach my full potential as an SLP, that is why I am so torn.

 

so: program I see myself as a great fit but super expensive or program that is just eh (in my opinion) but significantly cheaper?

[Yancey]

Out of curiosity, where did you end up attending? Are you happy with your choice?

I choose the school where I got the second largest scholarship (so tuition for 6 semesters is around 30,000), but I did move to another state (which adds to the cost). I do think I made a good choice but I still have the what ifs or maybe I should have monts. Sometimes it's do to price other times it's due to living in a new place without my friends and family.

[s1bailey]

To the people who heard back from and were accepted to Worcester State... When did you hear back?? I applied here as well and have not heard from them yet! I am getting very antsy since I saw a few others post on the result page about hearing back from them as well. I was also unaware about the graduation rate... hmm. 

[phaedra]

To the people who heard back from and were accepted to Worcester State... When did you hear back?? I applied here as well and have not heard from them yet! I am getting very antsy since I saw a few others post on the result page about hearing back from them as well. I was also unaware about the graduation rate... hmm. 

 

I received my acceptance via email on March 3.

[futurespeechie]

So I've been hearing that as long as you get your degree it doesn't really matter where you go, in terms of being able to land a job afterward. But I was curious whether the type of degree matters. For example I am currently interested working as an SLP in the schools so I am looking into a program that awards a masters of arts in education with a concentration in speech pathology. However, would that lower my chances of being able to work in the medical field later on if I wanted to?

[bindlestiff]

Is this an ASHA accredited program that prepares you to get your certification as an SLP? If not, I'd say you definitely won't be qualified to work in a medical setting.

[futurespeechie]

Is this an ASHA accredited program that prepares you to get your certification as an SLP? If not, I'd say you definitely won't be qualified to work in a medical setting.

Yeah it is ASHA accredited.

[phaedra]

Thanks for the support everyone! I guess it's a bigger deal than I thought. I don't know how I missed this when I was researching where to apply. This is Worcester State for anyone who can't guess based off my signature, haha. I am wondering if the explanation is that these students finished the program later than expected, rather than just dropping out. Some schools include those students separately when they list their stats, but Worcester didn't have a column for that. The Praxis pass rates and employment rates are all spot-on, 100%.

 

What I also find strange is that the program is super-competitive numbers-wise, accepting only around 16% of people. So they get a fair number of applicants. Probably because it's super inexpensive. But I have not been able to find any chatter about it on here. Where are all the Worcester applicants??

 

I will report on what I here from the open house, for those who are curious and for any prospective applicants reading this forum.

 

Just in case anyone is reading this and wondering, I did end up asking about the graduation rate at the open house - the director seemed offended and didn't really want to give me an answer, but she did say that some students dropped out because they decided the field wasn't for them, others for personal reasons, and others because Worcester has strict clinical/academic requirements and some students were not up to par, so they had to be dismissed.