University of Washington | University of Oregon | Temple

[kc1m2l8c]

I saw another poster recently asked for advice on deciding between SDSU and the University of Washington MedSLP program. I'm in a similar situation but with different schools and slightly different considerations. Of the schools I've been accepted to thus far, I believe my top choices are Temple, the University of Washington (MedSLP), and the University of Oregon. I'm looking for a good balance between clinical experience and research. I would like to attend a school that offers great medical-based practicum opportunities, particularly in cognitive rehabilitation therapy for stroke and TBI survivors. While there are cost considerations, I want to take them out of the equation for now and focus on understanding what my experiences as a graduate student may be at each school. If anyone has attended these programs, I would love to hear your likes / dislikes, what your practicum placements were like, where you found full-time employment upon program completion, and how you would characterize your overall experience. If you did not attend but have any impressions of each school's individual strengths / weaknesses, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

[Jolie717]

I don't know anything about Temple, but based on the four medical placements at UW, I would assume this equates to more medical-based practicum opportunities. I too am agonizing over my final decision...but for very different reasons.  Also, have you compared the curriculum, units, and duration of the programs for U of O and UW side by side?  They are strikingly different.

[kc1m2l8c]

16 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

I don't know anything about Temple, but based on the four medical placements at UW, I would assume this equates to more medical-based practicum opportunities. I too am agonizing over my final decision...but for very different reasons.  Also, have you compared the curriculum, units, and duration of the programs for U of O and UW side by side?  They are strikingly different.

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?

I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 

1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?

2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.

3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 

4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.

More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.  

[Jolie717]

5 hours ago, kc1m2l8c said:

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?

I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 

1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?

2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.

3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 

4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.

More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.  

Some of our concerns are the same, for example cost as well as availability of funding.  I am, however, also married with kids, so being happy with area of the grad program we choose as far as family-friendliness is important to me.  As is the family members we have living nearby in each of the areas - we no longer have family in LA (except one cousin) but we do have family in both Oregon and Washington.  I get job postings throughout the year for SLP positions that include CFYs, so the time of year I graduate isn't as much of a concern for me, unless I take into consideration the money I will gain by starting a CFY early due to graduating earlier from UO as compared to my other two programs.  

There are far more opportunities for SLPs working with adults with strokes/TBIs than there are for SLPs desiring a career in neonates/peds, say specifically at a children's hospital, for example.  At least this is what I've heard and believe to be true.  Many hospital SLPs, such as several that I work with, have caseloads across the spectrum with some peds but mostly adults.  I am, oddly enough, not at all concerned about the UO Spring practicum nor am I concerned about finding a CFY.  I have worked in the hospital setting for years, I have gone through multiple clinical rotations, and have been hired at one of my clinical rotation hospitals.  I feel like the biggest hurdle for me has been getting accepted into the very limited list of grad schools I applied to (well 2 out of 3 so far).  Due to the demand in our field I am not as worried about the rest.  That's not to say I will not be working my you know what off, but I am very driven and feel confident things will work out.  I should also mention that my husband and I had always planned to move to the Pacific Northwest, so I don't really have to worry about a cross-country move for a practicum or CFY as you might.  I think it's a great idea to ask the schools about the number of medical CFYs their grads get - keep us posted if you find anything out!

[Jolie717]

On March 9, 2016 at 2:49 PM, kc1m2l8c said:

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?

I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 

1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?

2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.

3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 

4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.

More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.  

Quick question - I just realized you mentioned that U of O costs less?  How so?  I thought out of state for U of O was more expensive than the $56K for the MedSLP program.

[Jolie717]

19 minutes ago, Jolie717 said:

Quick question - I just realized you mentioned that U of O costs less?  How so?  I thought out of state for U of O was more expensive than the $56K for the MedSLP program.

Groan.  In addition, I just found out the U of O tuition increase was passed.  4.8% higher for in-state and 4.5% higher for out-of-state.  It will likely increase again next year, given the trend...

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/03/university_of_oregon_board_app.html

[Cowsy]

10 minutes ago, Jolie717 said:

Groan.  In addition, I just found out the U of O tuition increase was passed.  4.8% higher for in-state and 4.5% higher for out-of-state.  It will likely increase again next year, given the trend...

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/03/university_of_oregon_board_app.html

?.

[kc1m2l8c]

19 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

Quick question - I just realized you mentioned that U of O costs less?  How so?  I thought out of state for U of O was more expensive than the $56K for the MedSLP program.

 

Yes, you're right about the tuition. I believe it's about $59k for the UO versus $56k for UW MedSLP. The UO costs less once you consider the cost of living. Rent in Eugene is unbelievably affordable compared to the greater Seattle area (1BR apartments in Eugene can be as low as $700 / mo versus $1,250 / mo in the suburbs of Seattle...even more if you want to be closer to the city). I also believe there may be greater availability of scholarship and graduate assistant funding based on a conversation with a current graduate student and the financial aid website. I applied for several scholarships at the UO but am still waiting to hear back. I think the UW MedSLP just has a couple of recruitment scholarships. I'm not sure how many GA/TA opportunities they have for first years. 

[kc1m2l8c]

19 hours ago, Cowsy said:

?.

 

19 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

Groan.  In addition, I just found out the U of O tuition increase was passed.  4.8% higher for in-state and 4.5% higher for out-of-state.  It will likely increase again next year, given the trend...

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2016/03/university_of_oregon_board_app.html

And yes - unfortunately, I didn't update any of my cost estimates for approved tuition increases. I think you will see increases at most schools each year, so I wasn't including them in my calculations for second-year tuition. I work in the business office at a college, and our Board just approved a 5% tuition increase. We're anticipating increasing at the same rate for the next several years (although these decisions are always made one year at a time). 

[hkates]

On 3/9/2016 at 2:49 PM, kc1m2l8c said:

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?

I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 

1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?

2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.

3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 

4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.

More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.  

I've been accepted at U of O and UW, as well, and just attended U of O's visit day. I did not get the impression that there is a lot of uncertainty on where you get placed in externships, rather that each student has quite a bit of control and independence in making this decision for themselves. They have great connections, especially in the northwest, and seem to be very supportive of students seeking externships out-of-state. 

I understand your concern with future employers being more familiar (and impressed) with UW's program. This is something I've been going over and over in my head ever since I was accepted. I have been talking with med SLPs about whether or not they think having UW on my diploma would affect my opportunities in the future. They've all said  is that it has much less to do with where you went to grad school than what you did at grad school. 

I didn't talk to anyone at U of O about CFY placements; now I wish I had. But I have talked with SLPs who work at OHSU and Shriner's (both in Portland) who mentioned that they have had fellows from U of O, and plenty of externs.

[Cowsy]

14 minutes ago, hkates said:

I've been accepted at U of O and UW, as well, and just attended U of O's visit day. I did not get the impression that there is a lot of uncertainty on where you get placed in externships, rather that each student has quite a bit of control and independence in making this decision for themselves. They have great connections, especially in the northwest, and seem to be very supportive of students seeking externships out-of-state. 

I understand your concern with future employers being more familiar (and impressed) with UW's program. This is something I've been going over and over in my head ever since I was accepted. I have been talking with med SLPs about whether or not they think having UW on my diploma would affect my opportunities in the future. They've all said  is that it has much less to do with where you went to grad school than what you did at grad school. 

I didn't talk to anyone at U of O about CFY placements; now I wish I had. But I have talked with SLPs who work at OHSU and Shriner's (both in Portland) who mentioned that they have had fellows from U of O, and plenty of externs.

Hi! Welcome to the gradcafe, haha. :-) That's awesome that you were able to attend UO's visit day. I'm wondering if there's anything else you learned that you found really interesting or new? I wasn't able to attend and wish I could've, so I would love any and all information you have to share about the campus, faculty, etc.! Did you apply to PSU as well?

[Jolie717]

9 minutes ago, hkates said:

I've been accepted at U of O and UW, as well, and just attended U of O's visit day. I did not get the impression that there is a lot of uncertainty on where you get placed in externships, rather that each student has quite a bit of control and independence in making this decision for themselves. They have great connections, especially in the northwest, and seem to be very supportive of students seeking externships out-of-state. 

I understand your concern with future employers being more familiar (and impressed) with UW's program. This is something I've been going over and over in my head ever since I was accepted. I have been talking with med SLPs about whether or not they think having UW on my diploma would affect my opportunities in the future. They've all said  is that it has much less to do with where you went to grad school than what you did at grad school. 

I didn't talk to anyone at U of O about CFY placements; now I wish I had. But I have talked with SLPs who work at OHSU and Shriner's (both in Portland) who mentioned that they have had fellows from U of O, and plenty of externs.

"They've all said  is that it has much less to do with where you went to grad school than what you did at grad school."

That at least makes me feel a bit better.  It's tough for me too because I don't want to work in one setting or the other - ideally I'd like to work in a school and in the medical setting as well.  Not sure how realistic this is, but it's what I'm aiming for.  Med SLPs I've worked with have said that you can still get work in schools even if you go the med route (or track) in school but that the opposite isn't usually true.  I think this is a bit arrogant, but they may very well be right.

I also got the impression from the session yesterday (online for me) that there was no need to worry over clinical placement opportunities - they have a huge number of affiliations!  I'm just crossing my fingers that some funding comes through soon, as the uncertainty is killing me!

[utteranomaly]

2 minutes ago, Jolie717 said:

It's tough for me too because I don't want to work in one setting or the other - ideally I'd like to work in a school and in the medical setting as well.  Not sure how realistic this is, but it's what I'm aiming for.  Med SLPs I've worked with have said that you can still get work in schools even if you go the med route (or track) in school but that the opposite isn't usually true.  I think this is a bit arrogant, but they may very well be right.

An SLP I shadowed with was a UW alum, and she worked both at a school and medical setting. Depending on the school district, schedules can be flexible. Also, I believe she did the CoreSLP. So I think your goal is pretty realistic.

I did my postbac at UW, and I don't know if it matters to you, but the department facilities are a bit dated. Much of the department is in an old building, but they've been experimenting with using other facilities on campus for collaborative classrooms. Other than that, I really liked most of the staff at UW. There are a couple of exceptional teachers that were inspiring to me.

Feel free to PM me if you want to know more of my thoughts about UW.

[hkates]

1 hour ago, Cowsy said:

Hi! Welcome to the gradcafe, haha. :-) That's awesome that you were able to attend UO's visit day. I'm wondering if there's anything else you learned that you found really interesting or new? I wasn't able to attend and wish I could've, so I would love any and all information you have to share about the campus, faculty, etc.! Did you apply to PSU as well?

Haha, thanks, yeah it's a total time-suck that sometimes I wish I'd never heard of, but things like this thread are helpful.

I learned so much at UO's visit day, I wish I could tell you everything! The most striking thing was that their facilities are AMAZING. Compared to PSU's windowless basement hallway, especially (and yes, I also applied to PSU. Still no word). The entire building the department is in is incredible. There's a collective learning area that's like a big living room with tech help, smaller study areas specifically for CSD students, and the clinic...oh my god. So nice, clean, spacious, and professional-looking.

Okay, other things that stood out to me...The clinic is not only for CSD services but for family counseling services. It is shared with the counseling/psych students (as is the building, home to both depts) and there is collaboration between students of the two depts when counseling is needed for CSD clients. I really liked this, since counseling is a big part of speech, language & hearing treatment, and this collaboration just makes sense. There is a really strong sense of community and collaboration overall, between and among students and faculty. They just hired a professor whose focus is in bilingual research, and are going to begin developing a bilingual program. This prof has also expressed interest in working with students who want a bilingual focus. Students start clinical rotations right away; they get 5 on-campus rotations (in 5 different specialty clinics; there are 6 total, I think), and then the last two quarters are spent in externships, 1 med and 1 non-med. Students seemed to really appreciate the preparation for both med and non-med career paths, and the fact that you don't have to choose one over the other. They have a big focus on diagnostics, and a rational clinic decision-making model.

Overall, I was really impressed. I thought this was my last-choice school, and now it has jumped to the top of my list. If you have any more specific questions about UO, I'd be happy to try to answer them! I'm planning to visit UW the week after next. 

Edited March 13, 2016 by hkates

[imunster]

20 hours ago, hkates said:

Overall, I was really impressed. I thought this was my last-choice school, and now it has jumped to the top of my list. If you have any more specific questions about UO, I'd be happy to try to answer them! I'm planning to visit UW the week after next. 

Please keep us updated on your UW visit! I'd love to know more about their program!

[kc1m2l8c]

16 hours ago, imunster said:

Please keep us updated on your UW visit! I'd love to know more about their program!

Agreed - I will not be able to visit the UW program before having to make a decision, so I'd very much appreciate hearing about your visit!

[kc1m2l8c]

On 3/11/2016 at 6:32 PM, hkates said:

I've been accepted at U of O and UW, as well, and just attended U of O's visit day. I did not get the impression that there is a lot of uncertainty on where you get placed in externships, rather that each student has quite a bit of control and independence in making this decision for themselves. They have great connections, especially in the northwest, and seem to be very supportive of students seeking externships out-of-state. 

I understand your concern with future employers being more familiar (and impressed) with UW's program. This is something I've been going over and over in my head ever since I was accepted. I have been talking with med SLPs about whether or not they think having UW on my diploma would affect my opportunities in the future. They've all said  is that it has much less to do with where you went to grad school than what you did at grad school. 

I didn't talk to anyone at U of O about CFY placements; now I wish I had. But I have talked with SLPs who work at OHSU and Shriner's (both in Portland) who mentioned that they have had fellows from U of O, and plenty of externs.

I understand they work with you very early on to find your placements so you aren't left wondering where you will be. I just meant uncertainty in that I won't know where I would be doing my placements prior to deciding to attend the UO. I think if I weren't going to be married and was completely on my own, it would be a much easier decision for me to attend the UO. In fact, I believe it would be my top choice. However, I'm concerned about my fiance's job prospects in Eugene. We've discussed possibly living between Eugene and Portland as I imagine there may be more opportunities for him in Portland, but we would each have an hour commute one way if we did that. And then I would potentially be uprooting him again in 18 months when it came time for me to do my placements. I think it just feels a lot more overwhelming when I think about how the program structure would impact him as well. 

I have also heard that what you do matters much more than the school you attend. I have even experienced that first-hand with my first career. I was able to get a job in investment banking in New York City despite having attended a non-target school in the south (a target it school is a school at which the banks actively recruit). I just wonder if having a nationally-recognized program would make things a bit less difficult for me since I do plan to move back to the northeast after my program ends. 

Do you want to specialize in medical SLP?

[hkates]

19 hours ago, imunster said:

Please keep us updated on your UW visit! I'd love to know more about their program!

For sure!

[hkates]

2 hours ago, kc1m2l8c said:

I understand they work with you very early on to find your placements so you aren't left wondering where you will be. I just meant uncertainty in that I won't know where I would be doing my placements prior to deciding to attend the UO. I think if I weren't going to be married and was completely on my own, it would be a much easier decision for me to attend the UO. In fact, I believe it would be my top choice. However, I'm concerned about my fiance's job prospects in Eugene. We've discussed possibly living between Eugene and Portland as I imagine there may be more opportunities for him in Portland, but we would each have an hour commute one way if we did that. And then I would potentially be uprooting him again in 18 months when it came time for me to do my placements. I think it just feels a lot more overwhelming when I think about how the program structure would impact him as well. 

I have also heard that what you do matters much more than the school you attend. I have even experienced that first-hand with my first career. I was able to get a job in investment banking in New York City despite having attended a non-target school in the south (a target it school is a school at which the banks actively recruit). I just wonder if having a nationally-recognized program would make things a bit less difficult for me since I do plan to move back to the northeast after my program ends. 

Do you want to specialize in medical SLP?

I hear you, I'd have to move with my husband to Eugene if I accept UO's offer and I'm worried about how he would settle in there. I think Eugene is big enough that it wouldn't be super limiting, but I suppose that depends on the field of work. It sounds like there are promising placements in Eugene if you don't want to move twice during your grad career; I didn't ask many questions about them, though, since I'm sure we'd move back to Portland for my externships. Living between the two cities wouldn't be a terrible option; you could settle in Salem, which is a pretty nice little city 45 minutes south of Portland. My aunt actually worked there for her whole career and commuted from Portland every day. 

I think I want to specialize in medical SLP, but I'm not 100% sure. One thing I like about UO is that you don't have to choose, the program preps you for both. I applied to the core program at UW because it does the same thing, though I'm concerned that core students don't get good shots at medical externship placements, which might be a dealbreaker for me. Something I'm going to ask about when I visit them. 

I think I saw in a previous post that you are interested in medical SLP. Any particular area of interest?

[kc1m2l8c]

6 hours ago, hkates said:

I hear you, I'd have to move with my husband to Eugene if I accept UO's offer and I'm worried about how he would settle in there. I think Eugene is big enough that it wouldn't be super limiting, but I suppose that depends on the field of work. It sounds like there are promising placements in Eugene if you don't want to move twice during your grad career; I didn't ask many questions about them, though, since I'm sure we'd move back to Portland for my externships. Living between the two cities wouldn't be a terrible option; you could settle in Salem, which is a pretty nice little city 45 minutes south of Portland. My aunt actually worked there for her whole career and commuted from Portland every day. 

I think I want to specialize in medical SLP, but I'm not 100% sure. One thing I like about UO is that you don't have to choose, the program preps you for both. I applied to the core program at UW because it does the same thing, though I'm concerned that core students don't get good shots at medical externship placements, which might be a dealbreaker for me. Something I'm going to ask about when I visit them. 

I think I saw in a previous post that you are interested in medical SLP. Any particular area of interest?

I had seen Salem on the map when I was looking at cities in between Portland and Eugen, but I had no idea what to expect. I have never even visited the Pacific Northwest (which is at least in part why I applied to schools out there...that and they are much more affordable, even UW's, than programs out here). Have you spent much time in Salem and / or Eugene? I only have two accounts of Eugene thus far, and while neither of them was absolutely horrible, they weren't exactly positive either. My fiance is a brewer (of beer). I don't know much about the beer scene out there - it does look like there are a ton of breweries, but depending on the size and growth prospects of each, it could be hard to find available brewing positions. I think his biggest concern is having to take a job that's a step down from where he is now, especially given he is technically getting his education through work at the moment (he plans to open his own brewery when we return to the northeast). It sounds like he may have better connections through his current employers to breweries in the Seattle area. 

I'm also worried about limiting myself in a specialized program. I tend to like keeping my options open, even if I am almost certain that I want to specialize in medical SLP, so I completely understand where you are coming from. I think you're right about the core program - I believe I read somewhere on the site that the medSLP students have first priority for medical placements. I think you should definitely ask during your visit though. 

I'm interested in cognitive rehabilitation for TBI and stroke survivors. The UO would really be perfect for this for a number of reasons, but I think all of the other considerations are really swaying me towards UW. I was put in touch with a current MedSLP grad student at UW today, so I hope to get her thoughts on the program. We'll see what she says. And please do keep us all posted on how your visit goes!

[Jolie717]

54 minutes ago, kc1m2l8c said:

I had seen Salem on the map when I was looking at cities in between Portland and Eugen, but I had no idea what to expect. I have never even visited the Pacific Northwest (which is at least in part why I applied to schools out there...that and they are much more affordable, even UW's, than programs out here). Have you spent much time in Salem and / or Eugene? I only have two accounts of Eugene thus far, and while neither of them was absolutely horrible, they weren't exactly positive either. My fiance is a brewer (of beer). I don't know much about the beer scene out there - it does look like there are a ton of breweries, but depending on the size and growth prospects of each, it could be hard to find available brewing positions. I think his biggest concern is having to take a job that's a step down from where he is now, especially given he is technically getting his education through work at the moment (he plans to open his own brewery when we return to the northeast). It sounds like he may have better connections through his current employers to breweries in the Seattle area. 

I'm also worried about limiting myself in a specialized program. I tend to like keeping my options open, even if I am almost certain that I want to specialize in medical SLP, so I completely understand where you are coming from. I think you're right about the core program - I believe I read somewhere on the site that the medSLP students have first priority for medical placements. I think you should definitely ask during your visit though. 

I'm interested in cognitive rehabilitation for TBI and stroke survivors. The UO would really be perfect for this for a number of reasons, but I think all of the other considerations are really swaying me towards UW. I was put in touch with a current MedSLP grad student at UW today, so I hope to get her thoughts on the program. We'll see what she says. And please do keep us all posted on how your visit goes!

It's so refreshing to talk about a different kind of ranking: BEER!  Lol.  ?  I think Portland is usually ranked higher for beer than Seattle, for what it's worth.  I've been to Eugene many times - what kind of info are you after?  I've visited Portland only once, but I think that is where we will likely move after grad school.  I haven't been to Seattle yet, but my brothers are pilots and one of them is absolutely in love with the city and the other one is moving there in July.  Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll try to get you some answers.  

[kc1m2l8c]

9 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

It's so refreshing to talk about a different kind of ranking: BEER!  Lol.  ?  I think Portland is usually ranked higher for beer than Seattle, for what it's worth.  I've been to Eugene many times - what kind of info are you after?  I've visited Portland only once, but I think that is where we will likely move after grad school.  I haven't been to Seattle yet, but my brothers are pilots and one of them is absolutely in love with the city and the other one is moving there in July.  Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll try to get you some answers.  

Ha! Very refreshing! Yes, that's my understanding as well. I think it's more of a matter of available positions. He told me that Portland was one of the first places to decide that it wanted good, local craft beer. It was basically the birthplace of the current movement. He seems to think there are a lot more smaller brewpub type places where they may be owned and operated by a few people that don't have any plans of leaving / expanding and thus wouldn't need to hire a brewer. At any rate, I asked my fiance to do some more research so that he could do what you asked your husband to do - rank both places! 

I guess I'm just looking to get a sense of what it would be like to live in these towns / cities. How big/small is Eugene? What's the demographic like? Mostly locals (older, younger, families?), mostly college students, a good mix? Is it considered a safe town? Are locals friendly toward / welcoming of UO students? What's the scenery like? What's the weather like? Is there any public transportation? If so, is it widely used and dependable? The feedback that I've heard on Eugene is that people are expecting it to be a vibrant small town and then visit and don't seem to get the sense that much is going on.

For Seattle, I think I've heard / read that traffic is horrible, finding parking can be horrible, and it rains a lot during the fall and winter months. It honestly sounds a lot like where I live now, except I'm imagining there is a lot more nature in the vicinity! And perhaps it's relatively cleaner? I honestly can't imagine the traffic and parking could be as bad as they are in the 5 boroughs of New York City, but maybe that's naive. I read somewhere that the bus system is pretty reliable and you can get a Upass for $100 per quarter. I guess I'd want an opinion on the neighborhoods of Seattle. Like in New York City, each borough and each neighborhood have pretty distinct personalities. Is the same true in Seattle? If we were to live closer to the downtown area, where should we look for something relatively affordable but in a nice neighborhood? And how feasible (/ aggravating) might it be to live in the suburbs (Kent, Everett, Auburn, Lynnwood, Redmond, etc.) and commute to school every day. 

[chg38]

anyone have any info about Temple university-classes, cost, clinical placement options? I was accepted into the program but live about 8 hours away and haven't been able to visit campus yet! Would love to get some more info before I book a plane ticket there! Thanks!  

[kc1m2l8c]

15 minutes ago, chg38 said:

anyone have any info about Temple university-classes, cost, clinical placement options? I was accepted into the program but live about 8 hours away and haven't been able to visit campus yet! Would love to get some more info before I book a plane ticket there! Thanks!  

I will be visiting on April 1. I will tell you the cost is very high - it's about $75,000 just for out-of-state tuition and fees (excluding cost of living), and that was based off the 2015-16 rates, so it will likely be even higher. Cost of living will depend on whether you plan to live in Philly or in the suburbs, and whether you would be living alone or with roommates. If you look at the graduate program bulletin, I believe they state they have 180+ practicum site relationships in the Delaware River Valley area. They require some pre-requisites that most programs do not require (I'm not sure if your undergrad is in CSD - if it is, you're probably fine). You start clinical work in the first semester at the onsite clinic. There are some advanced practica as you move through the program in aphasia, voice, and stuttering from what I remember. I have more detailed notes at home that I can get to you later tonight (and can verify that everything I just said is accurate). 

[chg38]

11 minutes ago, kc1m2l8c said:

I will be visiting on April 1. I will tell you the cost is very high - it's about $75,000 just for out-of-state tuition and fees (excluding cost of living), and that was based off the 2015-16 rates, so it will likely be even higher. Cost of living will depend on whether you plan to live in Philly or in the suburbs, and whether you would be living alone or with roommates. If you look at the graduate program bulletin, I believe they state they have 180+ practicum site relationships in the Delaware River Valley area. They require some pre-requisites that most programs do not require (I'm not sure if your undergrad is in CSD - if it is, you're probably fine). You start clinical work in the first semester at the onsite clinic. There are some advanced practica as you move through the program in aphasia, voice, and stuttering from what I remember. I have more detailed notes at home that I can get to you later tonight (and can verify that everything I just said is accurate). 

how did you come up with the cost of the program? i have been trying to calculate it myself but am having trouble because of the cost per credit hour versus semester price. Thank you so much for the info! good to know they have so many practicum options!