2016 Canadian SLP Thread

[RO_SLP]

12 hours ago, umsinger said:

Since I'm in the program at Western, I thought I would clarify some things about clinical placements.

Your first clinical placement will be at the in-house clinic from January-April of your first year. It could be in pediatric speech and language, fluency, voice, or neuro depending on your individual trajectory (which you will have an opportunity to discuss in the fall with our Clinical Placement Coordinator)

The second placement for the majority of students is a full-time external placement (may and june). This can be in London, your home town, or wherever you would like to go. We do have some issues getting placements in the GTA, but that is because the U of T gets priority for their student's placements in those areas. It's not impossible to get a placement in the GTA, but it is tricky. The remaining students remain in the in-house clinic and do a full-time placement and have the option to assist with our summer fluency camp. Whether you stay in-house or go external depends, once again, on your individual trajectory.

In the fall of your second year, you will do your second in-house clinic placement. If you were in-house during the summer, you will have an external placement in London or the surrounding area (depending on your access to a vehicle)

New for our class in 2017 will be the full-time month long external January placement. This replaces the former January-April placement in second year. This allows for even more full-time experience. This can be done anywhere in Canada, and since most people go home for winter break, most are opting to stay in their home town to do this placement.

Then there is a condensed final semester (February - April)

And of course, there is one more final full-time external placement once you are done classes.

Our clinical placement coordinator does an excellent job at working individually with students to build a placement trajectory with their interests in mind. You will get a very balanced clinical experience and the opportunity to work with many different populations. Also, the in-house clinic is a fully functional clinic, meaning that you work with real (not simulated) clients in a structured and supportive environment.

 

hope that clears things up!

 

 

 

Thanks for the information! I was a little worried when I heard that sometimes students at Western have trouble finding placements… this really helps clear things up!

[RO_SLP]

16 hours ago, lilacism said:

Is anyone who was accepted at U of T planning on going to the open house? 

I have volunteering in the morning that day but I think I'll probably go for an hour or so in the afternoon.

[SLPright]

I accepted my offer to the University of Toronto today.  Declining spots at UBC, Alberta, Western, and Dalhousie so good luck to everyone on the waitlists!

[SLP_a]

I got into Western and I'm going to accept the offer!!! I am so excited to start in September! Is anyone else planning on going to Western?
What is the living situation like in London, is there a lot of grad housing or do most people live off-campus?
 

[SLP_a]

On 2016-04-01 at 9:40 AM, SpeechBubble said:

Emerging from lurkdom: I have been accepted to both Western and UofT! So unbelievably excited....I couldn't even say anything but "thankyouthankyouthankyou" when Western called to congratulate this morning!  I have no idea which program I will be choosing yet....Any advice on program/ location / general atmosphere would be so greatly appreciated. Is anyone else going to the UofT open house on April 8th/ scheduling a tour at Western?  

Congrats on your offers!! That's so great! I'm planning on scheduling a tour at Western. I've been there once before but I want to check it out again now that I know I'm actually going there!

[westerngalgrad]

Waitlisted at Western for audiology, second time applying. Don't want to get my hopes up, but I'm so tired of living life in limbo and not knowing which direction my future is headed. 

[skittlez]

On 4/1/2016 at 1:10 PM, sjvwl said:

I can't remember where I originally found this document, but CASLPA surveyed all the programs 6 years ago and put out a review comparing them all side by side. I am having troubles finding a simple way to access it again. I think I found it here http://docplayer.net/1496201-Canadian-association-of-speech-language-pathologists-and-audiologists-university-programs-in-speech-language-pathology-2010.html

I am happy to email my pdf if you message me!

I only applied to 4 of the 6 English programs. I nixed UBC because of the prereqs and McGill because I couldn't fit a third stats course into my schedule.

My top choices were UofT and UofA. But I am from Edmonton and have a great support system here, so I am going to be attending UofA in the fall.

 

This is a helpful resource! I wasn't able to find a more recent version.

[Rachel Faith]

23 hours ago, lilacism said:

Is anyone who was accepted at U of T planning on going to the open house? 

I will probably go!! Also, for those of you wait listed at Western I will most likely be giving up my spot and accepting UofT!!

Edited April 2, 2016 by Rachel Faith

[lilacism]

23 hours ago, klfstudent said:

I probably will! 

 

6 hours ago, RO_SLP said:

I have volunteering in the morning that day but I think I'll probably go for an hour or so in the afternoon.

 

14 minutes ago, Rachel Faith said:

I will probably go!! Also, for those of you wait listed at Western I will most likely be giving up my spot and accepting UofT!!

Yay  I'm glad that there will be a few people from here as well!

[J Mack]

19 hours ago, umsinger said:

Since I'm in the program at Western, I thought I would clarify some things about clinical placements.

Your first clinical placement will be at the in-house clinic from January-April of your first year. It could be in pediatric speech and language, fluency, voice, or neuro depending on your individual trajectory (which you will have an opportunity to discuss in the fall with our Clinical Placement Coordinator)

The second placement for the majority of students is a full-time external placement (may and june). This can be in London, your home town, or wherever you would like to go. We do have some issues getting placements in the GTA, but that is because the U of T gets priority for their student's placements in those areas. It's not impossible to get a placement in the GTA, but it is tricky. The remaining students remain in the in-house clinic and do a full-time placement and have the option to assist with our summer fluency camp. Whether you stay in-house or go external depends, once again, on your individual trajectory.

In the fall of your second year, you will do your second in-house clinic placement. If you were in-house during the summer, you will have an external placement in London or the surrounding area (depending on your access to a vehicle)

New for our class in 2017 will be the full-time month long external January placement. This replaces the former January-April placement in second year. This allows for even more full-time experience. This can be done anywhere in Canada, and since most people go home for winter break, most are opting to stay in their home town to do this placement.

Then there is a condensed final semester (February - April)

And of course, there is one more final full-time external placement once you are done classes.

Our clinical placement coordinator does an excellent job at working individually with students to build a placement trajectory with their interests in mind. You will get a very balanced clinical experience and the opportunity to work with many different populations. Also, the in-house clinic is a fully functional clinic, meaning that you work with real (not simulated) clients in a structured and supportive environment.

 

hope that clears things up!

 

 

 

Hi umsinger! Wow! Thank you so much for this info  I already really liked the curriculum set up at Western, and even more after reading this! So basically, nobody ever has to do a placement in London, off campus, if there aren't enough or there isn't a placement that aligns with your interests? That is very smart. Having a placement that follows the holidays is so smart too. I know my family will be happy to know that I can be home for that extra time if I decide to. 

 

Thanks again!

[slpppppp]

Hey guys! Congrats again! Does anyone know if UofT or Western give entrance scholarships?

[klfstudent]

1 hour ago, lilacism said:

 

 

Yay  I'm glad that there will be a few people from here as well!

Me too! But how are we gonna figure out who's from here? Haha 

[mogibear]

1 hour ago, klfstudent said:

Me too! But how are we gonna figure out who's from here? Haha 

Haha that's a good point! I am also planning to attend if I can get the time off work. Really hoping it will help me decide!

[mogibear]

17 hours ago, rachelfreed said:

Hey guys! Congrats again! Does anyone know if UofT or Western give entrance scholarships?

There are a few. I found some information about them in the U of T Student Handbook for SLP.

If you want the link to the entire handbook, you can find it here: http://www.slp.utoronto.ca/current-students/mhsc-student-handbook/

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by mogibear

[speechiehopeful]

Hey guys, just checking- for accepting via ORPAS- firm acceptance means your name is taken off the waitlist at other schools and provisional acceptance you can keep your name on the waitlist at other schools? So if I pick provisional acceptance it will just change to firm acceptance if I don't get into another school or tell them otherwise?

[SpeechBubble]

On 4/2/2016 at 2:01 PM, SLP_a said:

I got into Western and I'm going to accept the offer!!! I am so excited to start in September! Is anyone else planning on going to Western?
What is the living situation like in London, is there a lot of grad housing or do most people live off-campus?
 

Hey! Thank you! I'm completing my undergrad right now at Western, and will very likely be accepting my offer too! I have lived both in on-campus residence and off-campus so if you need some advice feel free to message me! 

A popular graduate residence is London Hall, which is conveniently about a 3 minutes walk away from Elborn (where the speech clinic is!). There is a lot of student housing near the same area as well, such as off Sarnia Rd (where I am) or down Western Rd  

Edited April 4, 2016 by SpeechBubble

[J Mack]

On April 2, 2016 at 1:01 PM, SLP_a said:

I got into Western and I'm going to accept the offer!!! I am so excited to start in September! Is anyone else planning on going to Western?
What is the living situation like in London, is there a lot of grad housing or do most people live off-campus?
 

Hi SLP_a! I am nearly positive that I am going to accept at Western as well  Woohoo class of 2018! I have also been looking at accommodations there and have been having a lot of luck just looking on Kijiji. Also, Platt's Lane grad housing seems pretty great and my fiancé and I are going to check it out in a couple of weeks when we visit. 

 

Good luck in your searches!

[treaclemineroad]

Random bit of advice for people going to Western -- if you can, get a different source of water than London tap water, that stuff's absolutely revolting. I used to get stomachaches after drinking even a small amount. While living in London Hall, actually, speaking of residences.

[hnabnanaslp]

Hi everyone,  I am new to this thread. 

first off, congratulations to those of you who got the acceptance letter and good luck to everyone who got on the wait list.

I am planning on applying next year or the year after. 

I have some work+volunteer experience in the related field but I do not have a high GPA so I am planning on going back to school in the summer and start taking/retaking prerequisites for the SLP program. However, reading so many posts from lots of applicants with very high GPAs makes me very nervous + anxious to even think about applying to the program. I even feel discouraged and doubt if i will ever going to make it to the program. 

has anyone with not so high GPA gotten into the program so far?

will there be any hopes for applicants like me?

 

[MakeSpeechGreatAgain]

10 hours ago, hnabnanaslp said:

Hi everyone,  I am new to this thread. 

first off, congratulations to those of you who got the acceptance letter and good luck to everyone who got on the wait list.

I am planning on applying next year or the year after. 

I have some work+volunteer experience in the related field but I do not have a high GPA so I am planning on going back to school in the summer and start taking/retaking prerequisites for the SLP program. However, reading so many posts from lots of applicants with very high GPAs makes me very nervous + anxious to even think about applying to the program. I even feel discouraged and doubt if i will ever going to make it to the program. 

has anyone with not so high GPA gotten into the program so far?

will there be any hopes for applicants like me?

 

I believe I'm on the lower end of the GPA scale. Stats are here:
http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/64980-2016-canadian-slp-thread/?page=18#comment-1058376571

At the beginning I thought it was impossible and it wasn't until just this application year where was I like, "Okay... I think I got a chance". Plan your road map carefully and be ready for a lot of work. If you think my background is similar to yours, just send a message and we can chat.

 

Edited April 4, 2016 by MakeSpeechGreatAgain

[june_lu]

11 hours ago, hnabnanaslp said:

Hi everyone,  I am new to this thread. 

first off, congratulations to those of you who got the acceptance letter and good luck to everyone who got on the wait list.

I am planning on applying next year or the year after. 

I have some work+volunteer experience in the related field but I do not have a high GPA so I am planning on going back to school in the summer and start taking/retaking prerequisites for the SLP program. However, reading so many posts from lots of applicants with very high GPAs makes me very nervous + anxious to even think about applying to the program. I even feel discouraged and doubt if i will ever going to make it to the program. 

has anyone with not so high GPA gotten into the program so far?

will there be any hopes for applicants like me?

 

Hi! In terms of how ORPAS calculates the cGPA/sGPA for Ontario schools, I am definitely on the lower end of the scale, too. According to ORPAS, my sGPA was 3.69 and my cGPA was 3.71. I went on exchange in my third year, and the grades I earned abroad were not counted in the calculations (they used grades from my second year to replace these).

Surprisingly I have been waitlisted at Western and accepted at UBC! Of course, UBC's prerequisites are completely different from Ontario schools, and I expect that my GPA was higher with their method of calculation. However, asides from your GPA, I think having a lot of experience is crucial. I have 100+ hours of experience working with SLPs in two different specializations, I work as an RA for a professor who does SLP research, I volunteer as an RA in a linguistics lab, I have 100+ hours of volunteer experience in related fields, etc., etc.

My point is, GPA isn't everything!

Edited April 4, 2016 by june_lu

[speechies]

28 minutes ago, SpeechGal said:

Hey everyone, congratulations on all of your acceptances!

I have been waitlisted at UoT and I was wondering if anyone knows if Toronto will give you your relative position on the waitlist? I know they won't tell you your exact ranking but it would be nice to have a general idea. 

Has anyone tried calling and asking?

Thanks!!

congrats my fellow wait lister ! I was wondering the same thing..i think maybe ill call once they I see they start accepting people off the wait list. For now it seems like they're compiling people who agree to stay on wait list and waiting for people that have received acceptances . Unless you have another program that needs a decision I would wait a little.

[Annulik]

Hi everyone, as a future applicant I'm wondering whether anyone has taken the Athabesca courses for the stats prerequisite and if so how did you find the course? any advice? I'm not that good in math...

[ssymslp]

Hi all!

A little late on the draw here but I have also been accepted to Western and I confirmed my acceptance today! So excited!

I did my undergrad at Western so I am excited to be back (went to Brock after graduation for extra schooling, as I am from Niagara - currently completing my CDA Grad Cert in Kingston at St. Lawrence College).

Looking forward to meeting all my fellow classmates and starting this journey! Feel free to give me a shout since I know the school/area.

[ssymslp]

On Monday, April 04, 2016 at 10:40 AM, june_lu said:

Hi! In terms of how ORPAS calculates the cGPA/sGPA for Ontario schools, I am definitely on the lower end of the scale, too. According to ORPAS, my sGPA was 3.69 and my cGPA was 3.71. I went on exchange in my third year, and the grades I earned abroad were not counted in the calculations (they used grades from my second year to replace these).

Surprisingly I have been waitlisted at Western and accepted at UBC! Of course, UBC's prerequisites are completely different from Ontario schools, and I expect that my GPA was higher with their method of calculation. However, asides from your GPA, I think having a lot of experience is crucial. I have 100+ hours of experience working with SLPs in two different specializations, I work as an RA for a professor who does SLP research, I volunteer as an RA in a linguistics lab, I have 100+ hours of volunteer experience in related fields, etc., etc.

My point is, GPA isn't everything!

I agree! I applied to Western with a 3.75 and was still accepted (granted, I have over 500 hours of clinical volunteer SLP experience with preschool, school age, adult and geriatric populations, as well as special populations, a Grad Cert as a CDA, work experience, etc.). Evidence that other things can make up for a slightly lower GPA (as compared to the competition)! The personal statement is also VERY important - they are looking for you to stand out - they want to see something unique that will make them remember you if your name was to pop up. Stellar references are also an absolute must. An average/ok reference will not be good enough, you need to get references that are going to vouch for you 100% and know you on a personal level. Schools can tell if your references do not know you very well. Hope that helps!

@june_lu

Edited April 5, 2016 by ssymslp