How are you deciding which program to go to?

[moosemoose]

I'm interested in finding out what factors people are using to decide between programs for those lucky enough to have more than one offer. Location, money, program specialization, gut feeling?

[neucool]

All of those pretty much! I took care of location by only applying to schools in places I would actually be 100% happy living in. Second is money- I'm ruling one out for sure because I received no merit scholarship, and would be 60-70k more than the other schools. Now I'm down to two schools, one which'll be about 30k total tuition and another which would be 20k... at this point, I'm going to both of those accepted students events and choose between the two based on gut feeling.

[jpiccolo]

Ugh I have no idea! It bounces between cost, location, and things I like about the programs. I do feel lucky to have multiple offers but choosing where to go is a rollercoaster. I really hope to visit my top 3 just so I can avoid having regrets about not choosing a program (hopefully). I haven't heard anything about funding for a couple; if I got really good funding that could be a game changer otherwise it'll probably be what I like most about the program. They each have such different structures and possibilities which makes it tough. I guess at the end of two years I'll still have a good education, some debt, and the freedom to go somewhere else if I want. 

[moosemoose]

All of those pretty much! I took care of location by only applying to schools in places I would actually be 100% happy living in. Second is money- I'm ruling one out for sure because I received no merit scholarship, and would be 60-70k more than the other schools. Now I'm down to two schools, one which'll be about 30k total tuition and another which would be 20k... at this point, I'm going to both of those accepted students events and choose between the two based on gut feeling.

 

Makes sense! I'm wrestling with the location aspect a little; I wish I had gone your route and given it more consideration while choosing schools to apply to. My top two are both in great (albeit very different) locations, but one has a much lower cost of living. I'm going to try and make it to the open house for USU so I can get a better feel for everything. I feel like this is such a big decision, I'd hate to screw it up!

[scisl006]

Just remember that no matter where you go, at the end of it all you will be an SLP!

[jpiccolo]

Makes sense! I'm wrestling with the location aspect a little; I wish I had gone your route and given it more consideration while choosing schools to apply to. My top two are both in great (albeit very different) locations, but one has a much lower cost of living. I'm going to try and make it to the open house for USU so I can get a better feel for everything. I feel like this is such a big decision, I'd hate to screw it up!

Have you been to the Logan/USU area before? I've never actually been on campus there but the area is nice enough. Lots of mountains. Hopefully you can go to the open house! I wish I had a little more time to make visits; it'll be tough to squeeze in 2-3 across the country in the next few weeks but I really want to.

[MangoSmoothie]

I'm still waiting to hear back from a few of my schools, but I only have one acceptance and three waitlists now. Unless I get another acceptance or taken off a waitlist, the decision is made for me. Ultimately, for me, it might come down to price. I only applied to schools whose programs I liked for whatever reason and in areas I would be okay living. I won't lie, I'd like to live in a bigger city, but a few of my programs are in smaller cities of around 20,000 people. That doesn't appeal to me, but I'll live there for two years if I must.

 

Price is huge, though. The school I got accepted to has a price tag of around $67,000 for 5 semesters if I'm understanding right... but many of my other schools I have instate tuition, and that price tag is closer to $25,000. It's a huge difference to me, since I already have $50,000 worth of loans in undergrad/post-bacc debt. The starting salary for an SLP is not that high that I would be able to comfortably pay off that much more in loans each month. It's possible I might get funding still for the expensive school, but things are still up in the air. I can't wait until it's closer to April so I know where I stand and can start making decisions.

 

I absolutely am in love with the school with a 67K price tag though, but I applied to it last minute, and I didn't inspect price closely enough before applying. I regret that, since I had only meant to apply to schools within my budget.

 

A few other things for me are whether or not the department has study abroad options, since I really wanted to do something abroad while in grad school. Many of my programs offer options abroad, and this might be a final factor I consider, assuming I am admitted to another school. I also would like to go to a school with an AAC lab or a focus on AAC devices, but that was also something that factored in to my initial search for schools and many satisfy this requirement.

 

Because it will not be hard to find a job after graduation no matter what uni I go to, I really am focused on price first. My starting salary will be in the same range no matter where I get a job, even if grad tuition is not!

[moosemoose]

Have you been to the Logan/USU area before? I've never actually been on campus there but the area is nice enough. Lots of mountains. Hopefully you can go to the open house! I wish I had a little more time to make visits; it'll be tough to squeeze in 2-3 across the country in the next few weeks but I really want to.

 

I haven't, never even been to Utah in fact. In general I much prefer suburbs/rural areas to large cities, so I feel like Logan might be a better fit for me than a big city like San Diego. If you're from Utah, do you know anything about the reputation of the program?

 

I definitely feel like squeezing in whatever visits you can would be worthwhile, sometimes things are completely different from how they sound on paper!

[moosemoose]

Price is huge, though. The school I got accepted to has a price tag of around $67,000 for 5 semesters if I'm understanding right... but many of my other schools I have instate tuition, and that price tag is closer to $25,000. It's a huge difference to me, since I already have $50,000 worth of loans in undergrad/post-bacc debt. The starting salary for an SLP is not that high that I would be able to comfortably pay off that much more in loans each month. It's possible I might get funding still for the expensive school, but things are still up in the air. I can't wait until it's closer to April so I know where I stand and can start making decisions.

 

I absolutely am in love with the school with a 67K price tag though, but I applied to it last minute, and I didn't inspect price closely enough before applying. I regret that, since I had only meant to apply to schools within my budget.

 

A few other things for me are whether or not the department has study abroad options, since I really wanted to do something abroad while in grad school. Many of my programs offer options abroad, and this might be a final factor I consider, assuming I am admitted to another school. I also would like to go to a school with an AAC lab or a focus on AAC devices, but that was also something that factored in to my initial search for schools and many satisfy this requirement.

 

Because it will not be hard to find a job after graduation no matter what uni I go to, I really am focused on price first. My starting salary will be in the same range no matter where I get a job, even if grad tuition is not!

 

I feel you! Private school tuition is crazy.

 

I'd never even thought about study abroad for SLP! What kinds of places would you be able to go? Would you be taking courses at a foreign university or doing practica?

[MangoSmoothie]

I feel you! Private school tuition is crazy.

 

I'd never even thought about study abroad for SLP! What kinds of places would you be able to go? Would you be taking courses at a foreign university or doing practica?

 

It's not even private school. It's just out-of-state tuition! I glanced at tuition before applying, but mistook the per semester tuition as the per year.

 

Most of the study abroad programs are around 3 weeks in length, and you get to do some clinic work! One of them isn't doing clinic work but observing the impacts of health care policy, which I am still interested in. I would love to do one of these programs, but they're not terribly common.

[rubyslp23]

Makes sense! I'm wrestling with the location aspect a little; I wish I had gone your route and given it more consideration while choosing schools to apply to. My top two are both in great (albeit very different) locations, but one has a much lower cost of living. I'm going to try and make it to the open house for USU so I can get a better feel for everything. I feel like this is such a big decision, I'd hate to screw it up!

 

If you do happen to make it to the open house, you should let me know! I really hope I am able to go. The only thing that scares me a bit is the fact that classes start June 1st - I graduate May 14, so that doesn't give me much time to move/get settled...I have a feeling I'd be on my own for that first month, with my husband and dog moving at a later date. As of now I'd go to USU for sure, but I'll find out if I get in to my alma mater next week which will definitely influence my decision. 

Edited March 13, 2015 by rubyslp23

[limegin]

I was feeling really set on UW-Madison because cost of living is insanely low, I have a paid research position, I love the community, and the school is very highly ranked. However I just received a scholarship offer from NYU that would lower tuition to within $10,000 of Madison. It's still expensive but I'm back to feeling torn. I would much rather live in New York (all my best friends are there), I'm intrigued by their ASD research, and there are infinitely more clinical placement options (mostly because of location). 

 

Does anyone here have any advice about NYU? I don't know very much about the program or its reputation. Any advice about any of this would be appreciated! Madison is so prestigious and cheaper, so I feel like I would be crazy not to go there. And yet I think NYU is incredibly exciting.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all opinions!

[cochlea]

Hi MooseMoose, I would encourage you to try and talk to current (or former) students at the schools. I gave tours at my old grad school and was very open to questions and emails. Also, if you can attend an open house, do so. Keep in mind: if faculty aren't open to questions now, they are unlikely to be helpful in the future. That being said, make sure you've scoured their websites before asking questions. Ultimately, you have some good choices on there. (I really hope I don't sound like a know-it-all; I've just been in your shoes before)

 

Good luck (and may the force be with you )

[Shayy_Dee]

Hi MooseMoose, I would encourage you to try and talk to current (or former) students at the schools. I gave tours at my old grad school and was very open to questions and emails. Also, if you can attend an open house, do so. Keep in mind: if faculty aren't open to questions now, they are unlikely to be helpful in the future. That being said, make sure you've scoured their websites before asking questions. Ultimately, you have some good choices on there. (I really hope I don't sound like a know-it-all; I've just been in your shoes before)

 

Good luck (and may the force be with you )

That's a great idea... I'm going to be attending open houses if I can. Can you guys think of some good questions to ask them?

[Liz113]

I gotta say price has to come first. I can make any of the programs I applied to a home, so whichever one is going to land me in the least debt. 

[loonybean]

I think it's worth noting if you take out the federal PLUS loans, you can pay back based on income, with a max of 10% of your income due per month.  Additionally, if you work in non-profit or public sector (hello most schools and hospitals!) for 10 continuous years and pay your bill on time every month, the balance of your loan is forgiven after the 10 years is up.  Of course there are a lot of 'ifs' in that, but theoretically the 25k school and the 70k school could cost the same in the end... It's probably not worth banking on, but it is worth considering.

[nicoleac]

I hate to say it but my decision so far is being based on funding. One school offered me an in-state tuition waver, and the other (my top choice) won't give out funding info for another week or so. When it comes down to it, though, I can't justify paying double the amount for similar educations. I've also been stalking these forums to try and find information about both schools. I found a current student from UT Dallas who has been messaging me all there is to know, which has been an invaluable source of information! If it's possible, I would recommend trying to get into contact with current grad students--they've been in our shoes before and generally have sympathy to answer all questions lol.

 

No matter what...we got into grad school! So no matter where we choose, it's a win-win situation.

 

Side question...The two schools I'm deciding between are UT Dallas and University of Arizona. Does anyone know anything about these programs in particular or know someone who's a student there now?

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

It looks like I don't have much of a choice at the moment for where I will go, but I chose to apply to schools that were pretty affordable. I currently have three waitlists, and if I get off of them I will likely go to a program that is cheaper than the place I am currently accepted at. The amount of my undergrad debt is a little scary so I am trying to keep the price reasonable. Like others said, the salary for an SLP is decent but crippling debt is something to consider, even with the loan forgiveness program. After all, the government loans (forgivable ones) have a cap and then the rest of tuition would likely need to be payed by private loans which do not apply for loan forgiveness. Let's just hope that the loan forgiveness program doesn't get axed in the near future!

 

I also chose programs where I closely resembled stats of students they have admitted in the past. I wanted to give myself the best chance of getting accepted that I could. Aside from that, I am finishing my post-bacc year and many programs don't take applicants whose undergrad degree isn't CSD; even if they've taken all the necessary preparatory work. I did some footwork contacting grad programs to ensure I would be considered since my undergrad degree is not CSD. There are so many factors to consider when applying! I am happy to be done with that part of the grad school process.

[moosemoose]

Seems like funding/cost of tuition is a big thing for everyone. Would be nice if that was something we didn't have to worry about and could instead choose based solely on the merits of the programs!

[moosemoose]

How expensive is "extremely expensive?" I would try and come up with an estimate of your total cost for each program, including tuition, rent, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare, etc. Then look at what the monthly payments on that kind of debt are (I used this website: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/mobile/repayment/repaymentEstimator.action ) Depending on what area of the field (medical vs schools) you want to go into, do you think those are payments you can handle for the next ~10 years? If yes, then go for it! If no, I'd maybe take another look at the more affordable option. I used this method to rule out Ithaca College for myself; while I was very interested in their program I just wasn't comfortable with the amount of debt I would have to take on given that I plan to work in the public school system. Hope you find this helpful!

[onedayslp]

I would love some advice....I am torn between Texas Christian University and Northwestern University. I was offered a GA at TCU that will pay for more than 80% of my tuition (I will only pay for 7 credit hours total) and am from Texas, but I was really wanting to get out of Texas and move to the Chicago area for grad school and I only applied to TCU on a whim. After hearing my admission decision and funding offer at TCU I began considering it more seriously and think I would end up loving the program, but that would mean staying in an area I am already familiar with and not getting the completely "new" experience I thought I was looking for. It is comforting to think that at TCU my transition would not be huge in terms of the area, but I also have a lot of family in the Chicago area which would soothe some of the stress moving across the country. In addition, Northwestern is extremely expensive and I will not hear about funding until April 13th, but I have to let TCU know my decision by next week

 

Northwestern definitely has always been my dream school and is obviously a very well known, highly ranked, and overall great program but I don't know if I can justify the giant difference in cost. Sadly I am unable to attend the open house dates at NU so I cannot visit the campus and get a feeling for the program myself. Does anyone have any advice or opinions on what I should do? Go to the dream school or the school that I was not strongly considering until recently? SOS! Only one week until I have to decide so I am very overwhelmed and would love any type of advice!!! 

I remember reading on an old thread that Northwestern costs over 120K in tuition alone...

If that is the case, I would definitely go to TCU instead (sounds like TCU would be nearly free for you).

You can always move to Chicago after your program ends.

 

If you really can't decide without hearing about NU funding, you could ask TCU for an extension until April 13. They might be willing to grant you one if you explain the situation.

[Madison.]

I am old (29yr), have a young family (4yr old and a baby due in June), and my husband is our primary income so we aren't moving. If I am going to go to grad school it till be at my local university or online, maybe NOVA. Ideally, I would like to be accepted to our local university since my husband works there and I would received a HUGE tuition discount... grad school for under $10k, YES PLEASE! Also, I did my undergrad there and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to continue to work with the professors. So that is how I am deciding. It's totally not as thoughtful as so many of yours- but my life is different than many of you, and that's okay! 

[mas810]

I'm stuck between two schools. NYU and St. Xavier. I don't know which one to attend or how to figure it out. My boyfriend of 3 years lives near St. Xavier but my family lives on the east coast. I don't know much about either program. I loved my college experience at nyu but it wasnt in slp. I also know I'm a different person than I was 7 years ago. I'm worried about making the wrong decision. Not to get to personal but how hard is long distance? My boyfriend is a lawyer in Illinois and can't make the move to NYC. Cost wise I'm not too concerned bc nyu undergrad cost me more than I will ever be able to pay back.

Edited March 20, 2015 by mas810

[bindlestiff]

I've also been wondering about long-distance.

 

Since we met I've lived in the same town with my boyfriend of two years. I studied abroad a couple summers ago, and although I didn't have much trouble with it (probably because I had so much going on), my boyfriend was pretty unhappy with me being gone. Sorry if this is too much information!

 

Does anyone have experience with long-distance relationships? What works and what doesn't?

[anslpaday]

I've officially received responses from all of the schools I applied to, and I officially have NO IDEA where I should go. Let the fun begin!

Edited March 20, 2015 by anslpaday