2016 Canadian SLP Thread

[sjvwl]

46 minutes ago, Bananis said:

I'm from Sask too, and a first time applicant. I only applied to Alberta because I didn't have the prereqs for anything else really, so I'm getting a little disappointed here too... Is this your first time to apply? What kinds of things have you been doing to get experience? It's really hard in Sask to shadow slps and there's very little opportunity to do research here I'm finding... So many SLPs said they aren't 'allowed' to take students on. I'm wondering how everyone gets these internships and such. If I don't get in this year, I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to leave Sask...

I hope they send out more acceptances on Monday. It's going to be a stressful week.

Hey!

UAlberta has a huge undergrad research initiative for getting undergrads volunteering and working in research. I personally took two courses to get involved in research and then volunteered.

For clinical experience I reached out to the Glenrose Rehab Hospital and became a conversation partner volunteer with people with aphasia and CP. I also volunteered with the Institute of Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) on campus and ended up becoming a Research Assistant with one of their researchers. 

Another way I got a bit of shadowing was through the school system. I contacted a school in my neighbourhood and they connected me with Inclusive Learning, who manage the placements of SLPs and assistants. I was able to shadow an assistant for 12 hours and an SLP for 3 hours of experience over 2 months.

If there are any organizations that you can volunteer with to gain experience with populations that SLPs often work with, there is usually a multidisciplinary team including an SLP! 

Hope that helps!

 

 

[J Mack]

6 hours ago, Beeee25 said:

I have not received anything from U of A as of yet... Feeling a bit disappointed. Does U of A usually send out all of their acceptances at one time?

Looking back on the last few years of Alberta results, I think there is a high chance more acceptances will be sent out next week  

[PleaseLetMeIn]

Have any of you who have been rejected in the past e-mailed a school to ask about where you can make improvements on your application? I'm just wondering if that's something they're willing to discuss with you or do they not typically like to mention anything about it?

[J Mack]

Does anybody know if U Alberta requires a deposit on April 7 when we have to accept or decline?

[SLPright]

 

On 3/17/2016 at 6:13 PM, paidean said:

On 3/17/2016 at 5:58 PM, Hopeful_SLP said:

On 3/17/2016 at 5:30 PM, SLPright said:

 

I've got the 2010 version of the survey saved, so I've attached it here!

I'd emailed SAC in Jan 2015 because the link that I had bookmarked redirected to a members-only area. They changed the permissions to public after I emailed, but looks like it's reverted again... I'd also asked if there were plans to do any future surveys but they didn't mention. It's a shame, because it's quite useful.

SAC university_survey_ 2010_speech_0.pdf

I can't seem to access the pdf link. I'd love to look at the document. Is anyone else having trouble viewing it?

 

Same! It gives me the following error:

Sorry, there is a problem

The page you are trying to access is not available for your account.

Error code: 2C171/1

 

 

Hmm, I also get that error code when I click on my own post. I've put it in my public dropbox here, try that instead? If that also doesn't work, PM me your email address and I'll send it over!

Unfortunately I'd think some of the numbers are outdated given that it's more than 5 years old (e.g. class size, number of applicants, clinical hours) but it's still a good overview.

[tillersaurus]

8 hours ago, J Mack said:

Does anybody know if U Alberta requires a deposit on April 7 when we have to accept or decline?

You can always call and ask them! Or send Vicki and e-mail. They've been really helpful when I dealt with them in the past (I had made a mistake on my application and enclosed a transcript that didn't show that I was enrolled in one of the prerequisites!).

It doesn't look to me as though there's a deposit you need to pay by then, although I assume that when/if you accept your seat they might provide you instructions and ask that you pay the deposit at that time.

[tillersaurus]

7 hours ago, SLPright said:

 

Hmm, I also get that error code when I click on my own post. I've put it in my public dropbox here, try that instead? If that also doesn't work, PM me your email address and I'll send it over!

Unfortunately I'd think some of the numbers are outdated given that it's more than 5 years old (e.g. class size, number of applicants, clinical hours) but it's still a good overview.

The Dropbox is working for me!

[J Mack]

2 hours ago, tillersaurus said:

You can always call and ask them! Or send Vicki and e-mail. They've been really helpful when I dealt with them in the past (I had made a mistake on my application and enclosed a transcript that didn't show that I was enrolled in one of the prerequisites!).

It doesn't look to me as though there's a deposit you need to pay by then, although I assume that when/if you accept your seat they might provide you instructions and ask that you pay the deposit at that time.

Just emailed Vicki! Also, a student who is in the program right now doesn't think we need to put down a deposit, she didn't when she accepted  

[J Mack]

Does anybody know how much tuition is for SLP at Western? I have heard some things but overall can't find a straight answer on Western's tuition website.

[paidean]

1 hour ago, J Mack said:

Does anybody know how much tuition is for SLP at Western? I have heard some things but overall can't find a straight answer on Western's tuition website.

Their fee schedule for the Winter 2016 semester says the following:

Canadian Total: 3,795.47

Tuition: 3,480.33

Student Union/Health/Dental: 120.69

Building & Endowment: 41.27

Univ: 153.18

 

For the fall semester: 

Total: 4,449.80

Tuition: 3,613.67

SU/Health/Dental: 641.68

Building/Endowment: 41.27

Univ: 153.18

http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/pdfs%20fee%20schedule%20/Winter%202016%20Fee%20Schedule%20Grad%20CDN.pdf

http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/pdfs%20fee%20schedule%20/Fall%202015%20Fee%20Schedule%20Grad%20CDN.pdf

Edited March 21, 2016 by paidean

[kelseymg]

6 minutes ago, slp_throwaway said:

Hi!

I got accepted at the U of A on Friday too! I was wondering if anyone else is considering doing their combined MScSLP-PhD program?

Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Just so you know, you do not have to decide whether or not you'd like to pursue the PhD prior to starting classes. There will be information meetings to learn more about this in September or October.

 

[J Mack]

1 hour ago, paidean said:

Their fee schedule for the Winter 2016 semester says the following:

Canadian Total: 3,795.47

Tuition: 3,480.33

Student Union/Health/Dental: 120.69

Building & Endowment: 41.27

Univ: 153.18

 

For the fall semester: 

Total: 4,449.80

Tuition: 3,613.67

SU/Health/Dental: 641.68

Building/Endowment: 41.27

Univ: 153.18

http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/pdfs%20fee%20schedule%20/Winter%202016%20Fee%20Schedule%20Grad%20CDN.pdf

http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/pdfs%20fee%20schedule%20/Fall%202015%20Fee%20Schedule%20Grad%20CDN.pdf

Thank you so much for this! I know Western SLP runs until August. Do you think there are additional costs for that or it is bundled into Winter term?

[psycoleinguist]

Wow! U of A started emailing people already!! I am tempted to email them about results, but I should probably wait. The anxiety is kicking in! 

[Bananis]

Thanks to the people who replied about getting SLP experience. Maybe I can do some research online through the UofA but I doubt it. I'll look into it though.

One other thing I was wondering about was how is everyone calculating their GPA? It seems that every school does it differently. I get percentages but I also have some courses that I did through other schools which are letter grades. How do you calculate the most recent 60 credits? I tried to email UofA about but they never got back to me about it (this was FGSR or whatever, not the department). Do they convert each percentage into the 4.0 scale then average them? I just kind of applied not knowing what my average would be. It also depends if they take my marks from an exchange I did. I hoped they wouldn't because they were very bad (turns out taking classes in a foreign language is hard). Anyway, if any of you have a clue how Alberta calculates the GPA, I'd love to know. That way I can see how far I have to go to be competitive next year.

[psycoleinguist]

25 minutes ago, Bananis said:

Thanks to the people who replied about getting SLP experience. Maybe I can do some research online through the UofA but I doubt it. I'll look into it though.

One other thing I was wondering about was how is everyone calculating their GPA? It seems that every school does it differently. I get percentages but I also have some courses that I did through other schools which are letter grades. How do you calculate the most recent 60 credits? I tried to email UofA about but they never got back to me about it (this was FGSR or whatever, not the department). Do they convert each percentage into the 4.0 scale then average them? I just kind of applied not knowing what my average would be. It also depends if they take my marks from an exchange I did. I hoped they wouldn't because they were very bad (turns out taking classes in a foreign language is hard). Anyway, if any of you have a clue how Alberta calculates the GPA, I'd love to know. That way I can see how far I have to go to be competitive next year.

Hi Bananis! For the last 60 credits, I think that they use the 12-point grading scale divided by 60 credits. You will also get the same calculation if you use the 4.0 scale divided by 20 courses.

Edited March 21, 2016 by psycoleinguist

[paidean]

4 hours ago, J Mack said:

Thank you so much for this! I know Western SLP runs until August. Do you think there are additional costs for that or it is bundled into Winter term?

No worries! Unfortunately, I think you're looking at an additional tuition payment in the summer similar to what you pay in the winter term.

[m_456]

9 hours ago, Bananis said:

Thanks to the people who replied about getting SLP experience. Maybe I can do some research online through the UofA but I doubt it. I'll look into it though.

One other thing I was wondering about was how is everyone calculating their GPA? It seems that every school does it differently. I get percentages but I also have some courses that I did through other schools which are letter grades. How do you calculate the most recent 60 credits? I tried to email UofA about but they never got back to me about it (this was FGSR or whatever, not the department). Do they convert each percentage into the 4.0 scale then average them? I just kind of applied not knowing what my average would be. It also depends if they take my marks from an exchange I did. I hoped they wouldn't because they were very bad (turns out taking classes in a foreign language is hard). Anyway, if any of you have a clue how Alberta calculates the GPA, I'd love to know. That way I can see how far I have to go to be competitive next year.

Hi!

From what I understand, the U of A converts each percentage or letter grade to the 4.0 scale and then averages them together. For example, if you had 20 A's for your most recent 20 3-credit courses, it would be 20 x 4.0 = 80.0 Then 80.0 / 20 courses = 4.0. From what I remember, I also think that marks on exchanges are considered, but I'm not sure. I was also worried about having enough research experience/volunteer experience. I only had a few hours of research experience from one of my classes, but I was accepted as a first time applicant. Although research experience is advantageous, it doesn't seem to be necessary if other areas of your application are strong. I really focused on the academic side of my application. I heard that the prerequisite courses are indicative of how well you will do in the program, so I really focused on trying to get A's in each of them. Although I didn't do any internships and did not have a reference from an SLP, I tried to get as much volunteer experience as I could in related fields such as at schools and clinics.

[gradschool__throwaway]

20 hours ago, Bananis said:

Thanks to the people who replied about getting SLP experience. Maybe I can do some research online through the UofA but I doubt it. I'll look into it though.

One other thing I was wondering about was how is everyone calculating their GPA? It seems that every school does it differently. I get percentages but I also have some courses that I did through other schools which are letter grades. How do you calculate the most recent 60 credits? I tried to email UofA about but they never got back to me about it (this was FGSR or whatever, not the department). Do they convert each percentage into the 4.0 scale then average them? I just kind of applied not knowing what my average would be. It also depends if they take my marks from an exchange I did. I hoped they wouldn't because they were very bad (turns out taking classes in a foreign language is hard). Anyway, if any of you have a clue how Alberta calculates the GPA, I'd love to know. That way I can see how far I have to go to be competitive next year.

Honestly, I just started emailing profs asking if they needed volunteers. I know it seems competitive and intimidating to get into but most professors are very willing to take on students. Look up professors on your department's website and email the ones you find interesting. I bet that your school offers some kind of research experience course that you could gain experience while earning university credit. Those are the best because then those professors can serve as an academic reference for you too!

[Beeee5]

On ‎03‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 3:16 PM, Bananis said:

I'm from Sask too, and a first time applicant. I only applied to Alberta because I didn't have the prereqs for anything else really, so I'm getting a little disappointed here too... Is this your first time to apply? What kinds of things have you been doing to get experience? It's really hard in Sask to shadow slps and there's very little opportunity to do research here I'm finding... So many SLPs said they aren't 'allowed' to take students on. I'm wondering how everyone gets these internships and such. If I don't get in this year, I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to leave Sask...

I hope they send out more acceptances on Monday. It's going to be a stressful week.

This is actually my third time applying to U of A... I was hoping that perseverance would pay off. The first year I was quite sure I wouldn't be accepted. Last year I spent a lot of time volunteering with an SLP and boosting my application, but I still wasn't accepted. This year I boosted my prerequisite GPA by a lot and was hoping that might help. In the past two years I only applied to U of A because I only had prerequisites for that program. But this year I also applied to Dalhousie and Western (And I am happy that I was accepted to Dal, but U of A is a lot closer to home and would be my top choice). I did my volunteering through the health region. Feel free to private message me if you want more info about that! I don't have any research experience, but I haven't spent a lot of time seeking that out...

I am really tempted to email them and ask for an update... Anyone know if all of the acceptances have been sent out?

[masumasuda]

2 hours ago, Beeee25 said:

This is actually my third time applying to U of A... I was hoping that perseverance would pay off. The first year I was quite sure I wouldn't be accepted. Last year I spent a lot of time volunteering with an SLP and boosting my application, but I still wasn't accepted. This year I boosted my prerequisite GPA by a lot and was hoping that might help. In the past two years I only applied to U of A because I only had prerequisites for that program. But this year I also applied to Dalhousie and Western (And I am happy that I was accepted to Dal, but U of A is a lot closer to home and would be my top choice). I did my volunteering through the health region. Feel free to private message me if you want more info about that! I don't have any research experience, but I haven't spent a lot of time seeking that out...

I am really tempted to email them and ask for an update... Anyone know if all of the acceptances have been sent out?

Yah I'm thinking they must not be done accepting people because my boyfriend has an excellent application (honours degree with great GPA, above 50th GRE scores, volunteering with 2 SLPs) and he hasn't heard anything yet from U of A. He's on the waitlist for Dalhousie and McGill.

[klfstudent]

4 hours ago, slp_throwaway said:

Actually they are pushing this year to get people enrolled before they start! Which is exciting but also terrifying. I'm sure they will keep the option open though for those who decide late and want to transfer in.

I just got an email with more info for the PhD program and they said that the deadline is May 1st to apply but they'll accept applications after the deadline, there's just less of a chance they'll consider you. 

[lindzzz]

Just to let you guys know.. I just got an email at around 2:30PM AB time that I'm on the wait list for U of A. It says they have sent out offer letters to 56 students, but I guess that doesn't actually mean they've finished sending out acceptance letters yet. 

[J Mack]

56 minutes ago, lindzzz said:

Just to let you guys know.. I just got an email at around 2:30PM AB time that I'm on the wait list for U of A. It says they have sent out offer letters to 56 students, but I guess that doesn't actually mean they've finished sending out acceptance letters yet. 

U of A told me that they are accepting 56 people this year so if they have sent out that many acceptance emails than I think they are done with acceptances. That is until people decline and then the wait list will start opening up

[MakeSpeechGreatAgain]

Long time lurker. Thank you everyone for your tips and stats. It was very helpful during these years and gave me a lot of hope.

I've been applying for three years. It's been a long journey, but I've just been accepted at UofA.

It didn't go my main email account, but went to the @ualberta.ca account associated with me. So the offer has been sitting there since Friday and I didn't even know until today. So check that account, just in case!

Stats
sGPA: 3.77
GPA for UofA's prereqs: 3.84
GRE: like bad
Shadowing: 50 hours with SLPs
Volunteer: 100 hours at a children's clinic
Research: 3 years in different fields (Linguistics, Kinesiology, Neuroscience)
Professional experience: Coordinator/Researcher for a local project focusing on improving child outcomes through parent education (since Sept 2015). Prior to this: 7 years working in Mental Health & Disability (from being a support worker to leading teams in crisis intervention)
Teaching: TA for a Linguistics department for a few seasons
References: three professors who I have worked with (one in an independent study; one in Linguistics as TA and RA, and the

Applications:
Mcgill: Refused
Dalhousie: Waitlisted
UofA: Accepted
UofT: Pending
Western: Pending

Last year, I applied with a 3.64 and did not make the 3.7 cut-off for UofA (so, refused), but was waitlisted for Dalhousie.

I graduated in 2009 with a terrible GPA and no references; I was a terrible student in general. I have spent probably 5 years turning this around: upgrading classes, research experience, volunteer, and building my connections with professors & professionals. For everyone still working at it: if you believe in it, keep fighting for it.

[rose7740]

I have also been wait listed at the University of Alberta. Here's hoping!