Interviews for GA State??

[CSD1913]

Hi, 

Has anyone received a phone call from Georgia State regarding interviews? I was browsing through old threads and I saw where they usually send out phone calls and emails around this time.

[CSD1913]

UPDATE: I called & they said they should be making phone calls about interviews towards the end of the week. 

[maddiller3]

I just got an email from GSU today inviting me for an interview in 2 weeks! Hope you get good news soon! Do you know if they interview everyone or anything else about their interview process? I haven't had time to research it yet.

[CSD1913]

Congrats to you! I received an email today as well. I don't think they interview everyone and I don't know much about the interview process. From the information I gathered on here and from the email I saw that the interview is rather short. They also ask that you bring coursework but someone in the forum said they were just asked to bring an unofficial transcript. That would show the courses that you've taken. I have a lot of my old syllabi so I will probably bring them as well. I plan to research general questions online and practice with those.

[SLP2Be2015]

Hi guys,

I currently attend GSU for my master's degree. I thought I'd see if anyone has any questions that I could help with. Good luck!

[maddiller3]

I would love to know why you chose Georgia State out of all of the schools you were accepted to! I also applied to some of those schools (haven't heard back yet) but what was it for you that made GSU stand out?! Also any advice for the interview? Or even any advice to get the most from my visit? I have never been the university before so anything will help! 

[CSD1913]

Yes!

1. I too would like to know why you chose Georgia State.

2. I would like to know about the course load. Do you think I would be able to work a part-time night or weekend job if I got accepted into this program?

3. What kinds of financial aid do they offer?

4. What is the cost of living? I really don't want to resort to on-campus housing.

5. Any pointers for the interview?

[SLP2Be2015]

Great! First of all, congratulations on your interviews! 

I chose Georgia State out of the 8 schools I was accepted to because I felt that it would be the best fit for me. Georgia State was far away from home for me, but it feels like my home now. The faculty here are absolutely amazing and truly care about each person in the program. Even though they lead crazy busy lives with supervising in the clinic and volunteering for ASHA, they are always available to you and want to help you succeed. We students have an incredible bond. I have met some of my best friends here and everyone in my cohort is very friendly (you spend literally ALL your time together, so you get to know one another really well). I love that GSU is in Atlanta, which offers a very diverse client base in our on-campus clinic and also a wide variety of internship placements. GSU also offered me an assistantship, so I am not paying for tuition, which is awesome. Anyway, I could go on and on about why I picked GSU over my other schools and if you want to know more, I'll be working at the interviews on Friday!

Course load: It is a LOT of work, but many students, including myself, have a 10-20 hour assistantship or outside job. It's very do-able, although I suggest finding an assistantship because they tend to be more flexible around student schedules. 

Financial aid: As I mentioned, there are many assistantships available. I feel like I emailed the entire GSU faculty to find an assistantship and I was offered four of them. So while it can be a lot of work finding one, they are definitely possible to find. I actually emailed the director of our CSD program and told her I would not be able to afford GSU if I didn't have an assistantship and she took the time out of her schedule to secure one for me. I was amazed that a program director cared so much about one student and that's a big reason why I'm here today.

Cost of living: There are a lot of different areas in and around Atlanta where you can live. No one in our cohort lives on campus, so you won't have to resort to that! Living in Atlanta can be expensive. I pay $1000 a month and I take Marta (subway system) into school. It's about a 15 minute commute for me. There are definitely areas further away from the school where you could pay less. 

Interview: Be yourself! They will not quiz you on any speech pathology terms (or at least they didn't last year). They want to hear about why you're interested in GSU and what brought you to speech pathology. Basically they asked information that you probably included in your personal statement. I can't remember specific questions, but they were general interview questions and nothing that was too hard to answer. Again, they really just want to hear from you and get to know you better, so I'd say being yourself is most important. 

Advice for your visit: Talk to everyone. Really meet the current students and faculty as much as you can. Get a feel for the school. You'll get a tour of the clinic while you're here, but definitely check out the area around the school. It's a very urban campus, but getting a feel of the place is important. I'm sure current students will be more than happy to walk you around campus if you'd like. 

I hope I answered all of your questions! If there's anything else, please let me know. Good luck! I will see you guys on Friday!

*Sorry for the late response...it's almost midterms here and it is a bit crazy haha

Edited March 1, 2016 by SLP2Be2015

[SLP2Be2015]

How did your interviews go?

[LadyT]

It's hard to say how it went. Overall, the day went very well. I felt like I received a ton of helpful information from current students at the meet and greet! It was hard not to get nervous right before walking into the interview. Like most people, I thought of great answers as soon as it was over. I'm staying positive and am hoping for good news! 

[SLP2Be2015]

Glad to hear it. If anyone is accepted and wants additional information about GSU, please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck

[CSD1913]

As LadyT said, I thought of all of the things I should have said as soon as I walked out of the door. However, I think I answered the questions pretty thoroughly and sincerely. I just hope they couldn't tell how nervous I was.

[CSD1913]

Welp, I received an email telling me to check my online account because a decision had been made. I was rejected. I'm a little sad about it because this was my first choice. 

[SLP2Be2015]

I'm sorry to hear that  It's such a competitive field. I'm crossing my fingers for you for when you hear back from your other schools. Good luck!

[maddiller3]

I got accepted to GSU and I am almost positive that is where I'm going to go! Anyone else thinking the same thing?