How influential is NSSLHA Membership/Research experience/Volunteer work on grad apps???

[futureSpeechLP]

Hi all!

I'm wondering how much it helps to be an active member of NSSLHA?? Do research projects or volunteer work in a related field actually help when schools are making decisions???

Do schools really care? It seems like a lot of SLP grad programs look at GPA, GRE and maybe a letter of intent. I know the school I'm currently taking my Post-Bacc doesn't care much about extracurricular/volunteer activities on the resume. I've heard multiple professors say they would rather the student spend their time studying. 

What are your thoughts? My undergrad GPA in a COMPLETELY unrelated field was 3.4 - my current GPA as a post bacc is 4.0 and I work my butt off hoping to keep it that way.  I'm planning to apply for Grad programs this fall to start fall 2017. 

[Kanga]

Congratulations, you're asking the 64 million dollar question. The answer is maybe very little, maybe more and it probably depends on the school! IMHO (and keep in mind, my opinion is just that, my opinion) I'm not sure it matter a lot. I think it can give you something to write in your letter of intent, but it's also true that these schools have no way of verifying the veracity of what you write!

On the other hand, I think having some related experiences is important, because it can help you discern if the field is something you have any interest in at all.

I believe that the letter of intent is your opportunity to show your writing skill (and you need to be able to write well to be a SLP), and how you can tie your past experiences into future goals and just as importantly, show your knowledge of the school/department by also melding your interests with what that particular school may offer.

I'm sure others may chime in with totally different opinions!

[jmk]

In my subjective opinion, I think EC's are the "cherry on top" of an application, but GPA/GRE are the heavy hitters. 

NSSLHA? Sure, involvement can show leadership. But I view it more as a social club where likeminded students can interact. 

Research? Definitely a stepping stone if you have a PhD in mind- whether now, or later. 

If you have the time, I would get your 25 observation hours this summer, and use your observation to glean interest in what population/s you want to work with so you have some solid firsthand experience to include in your essays.

[MangoSmoothie]

I think it matters as much as it matters to you. If you're doing something just for the bonus points on an app, that's a superficial involvement, and that shows. If you're in NSSLHA, volunteer, or do research, and you are actually engaged and interested in what you're doing, that will be reflected in your essays, and has a greater effect on your application.

I joined NSSLHA during my post-bacc year, and it did nothing for me. I tried to get involved, but I wasn't interested in their little department socializers and pizza parties. Instead I worked jobs that gave me great experiences and ultimately influenced my trajectory as a prospective SLP, and that's what I wrote about in my SOPs. I'd say most of my cohort was in NSSLHA as undergrads/post-baccs. Maybe 70% of us. Most of us weren't actively involved in our chapters, so it had very little effect on our apps.

For what it's worth, professors on my school's adcom told me outright that "Extracurriculars are worth about 10% of an applicant's application package." This is just at my school, but I imagine most schools will be similar. I had a lower GPA when applying, but good GREs, and I'm glad I rounded out my application with meaningful extracurriculars to me. I think a meaningful extracurricular will always help your app more than extracurriculars done just to try to boost your app, but only slightly. If you're going to be involved in NSSLHA just to be able to put that on a resume or app, and don't derive worthwhile experiences from it, then all you've done is been able to add "NSSLHA Member, September 2017-May 2018" to the EC section of your app.

[Jolie717]

12 hours ago, futureSpeechLP said:

Hi all!

I'm wondering how much it helps to be an active member of NSSLHA?? Do research projects or volunteer work in a related field actually help when schools are making decisions???

Do schools really care? It seems like a lot of SLP grad programs look at GPA, GRE and maybe a letter of intent. I know the school I'm currently taking my Post-Bacc doesn't care much about extracurricular/volunteer activities on the resume. I've heard multiple professors say they would rather the student spend their time studying. 

What are your thoughts? My undergrad GPA in a COMPLETELY unrelated field was 3.4 - my current GPA as a post bacc is 4.0 and I work my butt off hoping to keep it that way.  I'm planning to apply for Grad programs this fall to start fall 2017. 

I think being a NSSHLA member *can* be incredibly valuable, depending on what you take from it.  I work part-time, am a mom who is actively volunteering in my sons' school, I shadow two SLPs, and have been a full-time student throughout my time in school.  My campus, however, is a 30-40 minute drive from me, so given my lifestyle I was not able to be active on campus in any way other than my classes.

What I have gained from NSSHLA is: an inside and current look into our field and A LOT of inspiration for my SOP and funding essays from The ASHA Leader, the ability to apply for scholarships only open to NSHHLA members, and the knowledge that I am helping to support our profession for both students and practitioners alike.  I believe continuous membership also will save several hundred dollars down the line when we are getting our licensing - can't remember the specifics though.  Did I put NSSHLA member on my apps / CV?  Sure.  I don't think it will be a deciding factor in admissions - but will it help me get to where I want to go?  Most definitely.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Jolie717

[PinkSpeech]

It's less the experience being listed on your resume and more about how it influenced you, which can be addressed in your personal statement. If I could go back, I wouldn't change being super involved even though I do think it had a slight impact on my grades. But super involved doesn't mean just being in an org and volunteering. I've been on the executive boards of a couple different organizations, volunteered for two summers at a special needs camp in addition to community volunteer work, had an internship for one summer, helped a professor with research from the start to finish, and was actively involved in NSSHLA. I addressed how all this related to me now being a better student and future slp in my personal statement.

However, as important as these experiences were to me, they're just the icing on the cake to grad schools. I have an average for slp gpa and above average gre scores, with great LORs in addition to all this. Extracurricular experience alone won't get anyone into grad school. But if you have two identical cakes (aka gre/gpa) except one has icing and the other doesn't, you'll probably pick the cake with icing. It's all really dependent on the school too. 

[Crimson Wife]

I've found the ASHA Special Interest Groups to be a great way to network with professionals working in my area of interest. Auditory-Verbal Therapy is something that can be done either as a SLP, an Aud.D., a Teacher of the Deaf, or as a PhD. in Speech & Hearing Science. Since CSDCAS forces the applicant to choose between either SLP and Aud.D. for any given app cycle, I found it helpful to ask the question on the SIG 9 (Hearing and Hearing Disorders in Childhood) forum and got a lot of great responses about the pros and cons of each option. Whether it helps my application or not is less important to me than building those connections, KWIM?

[thespeechblog.com]

20 hours ago, futureSpeechLP said:

Hi all!

I'm wondering how much it helps to be an active member of NSSLHA?? Do research projects or volunteer work in a related field actually help when schools are making decisions???

Do schools really care? It seems like a lot of SLP grad programs look at GPA, GRE and maybe a letter of intent. I know the school I'm currently taking my Post-Bacc doesn't care much about extracurricular/volunteer activities on the resume. I've heard multiple professors say they would rather the student spend their time studying. 

What are your thoughts? My undergrad GPA in a COMPLETELY unrelated field was 3.4 - my current GPA as a post bacc is 4.0 and I work my butt off hoping to keep it that way.  I'm planning to apply for Grad programs this fall to start fall 2017. 

I think those things matter as much as they improve your personal statements or earn you strong LOR's. If any of those experiences have affected you enough to help you write a convincing personal statement - then they're valuable. If not, then the chance of a professor noticing them is pretty slim. 

I wrote a blog post on how grad schools evaluate applications, and I looked at a few schools and their review process. One school has "Resume" listed and I'm assuming that listing "NSSLHA" and volunteer work would help a little bit there, but they're probably not big components. Think about it - when a professor sits to read an application a list of one-liners like "NSSLHA Member" or "Volunteered at _____" are not going to have nearly as much impact as a 750 word personal statement. One takes 5 minutes to read, one takes a cursory glance. SO, unless a school specifically asks for those things then I don't think they're going to move the needle. 

[CBG321]

IMO NSSLHA doesn't do too much, if being active is going to take time away from grades don't bother.  That being said like another person said it could be icing on the cake.  I felt it was more of a social club than anything and I would guess most professors are aware of that...although all my professors told me to join it so what do I know haha.  

I was an active member though...

I think hands on volunteer work directly in a speech capacity is helpful as it helps you write about your personal experiences and how they shaped your graduate school goals.  Volunteering in "related" fields holds a little less stock for some programs.  They all are pretty picky haha.  

Also I have heard of a few NSSLHA presidents getting into only one school or not getting in, so if the president's position can't get you in, i'd say it's safe not to join.  

Grades & GRE > clubs and random volunteering 

Good luck!

[jpiccolo]

I think it's all been said but I'll just say while I don't think nsslha is a huge booster to apps, you do need SOMETHING. meaning something to set you apart, something to add in your SOP. You might come around to writing it and realize you have little experience to describe why you're in this field. Everyone can say it's their passion or they want to help people. But show them you've done something about it by shadowing, doing an internship, having a relevant job. That'll mean more than some 1 hour nsslha activity

[jazspeaks]

I ended up getting a NSSLHA membership after I had applied for graduate programs.  I decided against submitting a bunch of updates through CSDCAS to avoid looking desperate, so I didn't include my membership.  It apparently didn't affect their decision in my case.  It couldn't hurt though.  Also, I have already used my membership to research articles in my post-bac classes, so I would say it's worth it.  Even if they are more concerned with "studying," extras can't hurt, especially if it's extras that build experience and knowledge in the field.  Observation hours, by the way, can really help.

[RFutureSLP]

On 2/28/2016 at 9:58 PM, futureSpeechLP said:

Hi all!

I'm wondering how much it helps to be an active member of NSSLHA?? Do research projects or volunteer work in a related field actually help when schools are making decisions???

Do schools really care? It seems like a lot of SLP grad programs look at GPA, GRE and maybe a letter of intent. I know the school I'm currently taking my Post-Bacc doesn't care much about extracurricular/volunteer activities on the resume. I've heard multiple professors say they would rather the student spend their time studying. 

What are your thoughts? My undergrad GPA in a COMPLETELY unrelated field was 3.4 - my current GPA as a post bacc is 4.0 and I work my butt off hoping to keep it that way.  I'm planning to apply for Grad programs this fall to start fall 2017. 

I do think that NSSLHA, work experience, clinical experience, etc. all are extremely helpful if your GPA and GRE are not where you'd like them to be. That being said it also depends on what you make of those experiences. For example, being the president of your NSSLHA chapter might have more weight than being a member. I think your related field experiences will be especially helpful for you since you have an undergrad in a completely unrelated field.

I don't believe I would have been accepted to schools on my GRE and GPA alone. I work at a speech clinic, in the school of education, and I have 49.5 hours of clinical experience. But again, if your professors are saying something different, then they probably are correct. Just keep working hard, and apply you never know what may happen!

Final advice: Grades and GRE come first, then in field experience, letter intent, etc. 

Edited March 13, 2016 by RFutureSLP

[megleemac]

I was told by the director of our program (University of Houston) that if two candidates are the same, but one is a member of NSSLHA, they would choose the NSSLHA member.

[futureSpeechLP]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Best of luck to those in the midst of grad school decisions.