University of Washington | University of Oregon | Temple

[hkates]

18 hours 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!

Did you know that they call Oregon "Beervana"? You're fiancé would probably be in his element here! Breweries around every corner.

I've only passed through Salem, so I can't tell you much about it. I've heard nice things, though. Eugene...I've been there a few times, and it's never blown me away. It seems like a sleepy town, which is surprising given the fact that it's home to a huge (and very wealthy) university. But everyone I've talked to who lives or has lived there says it's a great city to live in, so there must be something to it. If you like being outside, I think it's a good place to be (although that can be said for basically the whole state. Oregon is gorgeous!) 

Right now I'm having mixed feelings about UW since it seems you have to make a lot of choices about the direction you're going to go before you even start the program (med vs core, adults vs peds). I'd rather get to experience all aspects of the field while I study, at least at first, and then narrow the scope after some time. But, maybe the visit to UW will assuage my concerns. I'll be there next Friday, and will be sure to post about it.

[Jolie717]

10 hours ago, kc1m2l8c said:

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. 

 

[Jolie717]

11 hours ago, kc1m2l8c said:

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. 

Whoops, that didn't work!  Okay, so I grew up in the SF Bay Area and then moved to Los Angeles, so I consider Eugene to be a very small town, but still a college town.  Maybe somewhat comparable to San Luis Obispo on the CA central coast.  I haven't ever visited Eugene just for Eugene - we've only visited to spend time with family.  Coming from LA, I definitely think there are beautiful areas and there is a lot of charm in some of the neighborhoods.   While I think it can be a bit of a college party area, I don't consider it a "party town."  It definitely has a bit of a hippy vibe - farmers market I think 8 months of the year, a few festivals here and there.  If you like the outdoors and being active you can find plenty to do.  If you are interested in a super active nightlife, or are a foodie, or love to shop, Eugene might not fit the bill for you.

About a half hour out on your way to the coast, there are some great hiking spots with water falls.  The Oregon coast is gorgeous - my mother in law lives in Florence, a very pretty, sleepy, touristy town on the coast an hour from U of O.  The sand dunes are fun if you like ATVs.  For the city vibe I would go to Portland, about two hours away as I'm sure you know. The way I see it, I will be very busy with school so I'm not worried about finding things to do with the little free time we have.  If we end up in Eugene I would still plan to spend some time up in Seattle as well.  That said, I have a family and the local parks and quieter way of life in Eugene do have appeal, as far as my grad years.  For demographics, I don't remember the percentages or anything but let's just say it is not at all an ethnically diverse town.  The university student body itself should be more diverse than the city.  I'm not sure I would choose to live there permanently, but I think I would be happy as a student there.

I've visited in February, June, and August and the weather was great each time (coldish in Feb of course).  Rain doesn't bother me at all as I actually miss it, and from what my mother in law says it may rain frequently but the duration is usually short.  She grew up in Eugene, and went to U of O for her undergrad in SLP.  I consider it safe, but again, I have only lived in big cities.  (A bit off topic but my brother says that while there is a homeless problem in Seattle, the homeless population is more aggressive in Portland, for whatever that's worth).  I haven't looked at public transportation - ideally I will live very close to campus but it all depends on the waitlist and how it progresses.  I'm trying to get an East Campus house, which is a 16 minute walk from the HEDCO building.  Most other students seem to have a short commute or they bike.  I remember hearing complaints about dealing with campus parking.  I think most people are welcoming, but Oregonians don't like Californians too much, so there's that.  

I'll have to bug my brother a bit more about the specific areas you mentioned in Seattle.  When I described the campus area he said it sounded like a good area (near downtown Seattle) and then mentioned the area his pilot friends tend to gravitate to but the name is eluding me - I will ask.  I also looked up the rating of the elementary school my kids would attend if I get Blakely or Laurel Village housing, and it had high ratings which is usually a good reflection of the neighborhood.  Traffic to me (and you) is probably very different from what others consider traffic, so I don't know much there but doubt it will be that bad.  I'll update when I can!

Edited March 15, 2016 by Jolie717

[kc1m2l8c]

7 hours ago, chg38 said:

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! 

I used the program plan (see the graduate bulletin) to calculate the total credits for each semester and applied the semester rate to those credits.

I double-checked my previous response and everything there is accurate. In addition, there is a basic practicum hour in audiology. I believe the advanced practica are completed at the onsite clinic. There are also offsite practica in each of the last three semesters. I am not sure how those placements are determined and whether there are restrictions on patient population or setting. I hope to find that out when I visit on April 1. 

[kc1m2l8c]

5 hours ago, hkates said:

Did you know that they call Oregon "Beervana"? You're fiancé would probably be in his element here! Breweries around every corner.

I've only passed through Salem, so I can't tell you much about it. I've heard nice things, though. Eugene...I've been there a few times, and it's never blown me away. It seems like a sleepy town, which is surprising given the fact that it's home to a huge (and very wealthy) university. But everyone I've talked to who lives or has lived there says it's a great city to live in, so there must be something to it. If you like being outside, I think it's a good place to be (although that can be said for basically the whole state. Oregon is gorgeous!) 

Right now I'm having mixed feelings about UW since it seems you have to make a lot of choices about the direction you're going to go before you even start the program (med vs core, adults vs peds). I'd rather get to experience all aspects of the field while I study, at least at first, and then narrow the scope after some time. But, maybe the visit to UW will assuage my concerns. I'll be there next Friday, and will be sure to post about it.

Haha, yes, I have heard that. I think it will be a great experience for both of us all around!

Your description of Eugene is very consistent with what I've heard. I do love being outside. I think Seattle and Eugene would be both be a huge step up from where I am currently in that regard! 

I definitely understand where you're coming from. I look forward to hearing how it goes!

[kc1m2l8c]

1 hour ago, Jolie717 said:

Whoops, that didn't work!  Okay, so I grew up in the SF Bay Area and then moved to Los Angeles, so I consider Eugene to be a very small town, but still a college town.  Maybe somewhat comparable to San Luis Obispo on the CA central coast.  I haven't ever visited Eugene just for Eugene - we've only visited to spend time with family.  Coming from LA, I definitely think there are beautiful areas and there is a lot of charm in some of the neighborhoods.   While I think it can be a bit of a college party area, I don't consider it a "party town."  It definitely has a bit of a hippy vibe - farmers market I think 8 months of the year, a few festivals here and there.  If you like the outdoors and being active you can find plenty to do.  If you are interested in a super active nightlife, or are a foodie, or love to shop, Eugene might not fit the bill for you.

About a half hour out on your way to the coast, there are some great hiking spots with water falls.  The Oregon coast is gorgeous - my mother in law lives in Florence, a very pretty, sleepy, touristy town on the coast an hour from U of O.  The sand dunes are fun if you like ATVs.  For the city vibe I would go to Portland, about two hours away as I'm sure you know. The way I see it, I will be very busy with school so I'm not worried about finding things to do with the little free time we have.  If we end up in Eugene I would still plan to spend some time up in Seattle as well.  That said, I have a family and the local parks and quieter way of life in Eugene do have appeal, as far as my grad years.  For demographics, I don't remember the percentages or anything but let's just say it is not at all an ethnically diverse town.  The university student body itself should be more diverse than the city.  I'm not sure I would choose to live there permanently, but I think I would be happy as a student there.

I've visited in February, June, and August and the weather was great each time (coldish in Feb of course).  Rain doesn't bother me at all as I actually miss it, and from what my mother in law says it may rain frequently but the duration is usually short.  She grew up in Eugene, and went to U of O for her undergrad in SLP.  I consider it safe, but again, I have only lived in big cities.  (A bit off topic but my brother says that while there is a homeless problem in Seattle, the homeless population is more aggressive in Portland, for whatever that's worth).  I haven't looked at public transportation - ideally I will live very close to campus but it all depends on the waitlist and how it progresses.  I'm trying to get an East Campus house, which is a 16 minute walk from the HEDCO building.  Most other students seem to have a short commute or they bike.  I remember hearing complaints about dealing with campus parking.  I think most people are welcoming, but Oregonians don't like Californians too much, so there's that.  

I'll have to bug my brother a bit more about the specific areas you mentioned in Seattle.  When I described the campus area he said it sounded like a good area (near downtown Seattle) and then mentioned the area his pilot friends tend to gravitate to but the name is eluding me - I will ask.  I also looked up the rating of the elementary school my kids would attend if I get Blakely or Laurel Village housing, and it had high ratings which is usually a good reflection of the neighborhood.  Traffic to me (and you) is probably very different from what others consider traffic, so I don't know much there but doubt it will be that bad.  I'll update when I can!

I really appreciate all the detail you provided here! The student I spoke with basically said as much - she wouldn't want to live there, but it was fine to spend a year and a half there for school. 

That would be unbelievably convenient to be able to walk to campus. I haven't looked much into housing options near the UO.

Sounds great - thank you!

[Jolie717]

On March 15, 2016 at 4:03 AM, kc1m2l8c said:

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. 

Darn.  My brother was less helpful than I thought he would be.  The area that many of his pilot friends have settled in is called "Gig Harbor."  When I looked it up, it was gorgeous.  I found an apartment building that allowed big dogs, reasonably priced, and had absolutely beautiful views!!!  

However....  it also appeared to be an area that was about an hour from campus!  Argh.  But he did mention that "Mercer Island," which is much closer to UW, is also very nice.  Probably expensive however...  Unfortunately he was not familiar with the other areas you mentioned.  I looked at them, and found very few buildings that would accommodate my family of four plus our giant dog, so here I am, wondering again, ugh!!!

[NorcalSLP]

10 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

Darn.  My brother was less helpful than I thought he would be.  The area that many of his pilot friends have settled in is called "Gig Harbor."  When I looked it up, it was gorgeous.  I found an apartment building that allowed big dogs, reasonably priced, and had absolutely beautiful views!!!  

However....  it also appeared to be an area that was about an hour from campus!  Argh.  But he did mention that "Mercer Island," which is much closer to UW, is also very nice.  Probably expensive however...  Unfortunately he was not familiar with the other areas you mentioned.  I looked at them, and found very few buildings that would accommodate my family of four plus our giant dog, so here I am, wondering again, ugh!!!

I did my post bacc at UW so I may be able to answer some questions about Seattle neighborhoods. There were two women in my cohort with kids. One of them lived in Greenlake (a very nice neighborhood about 15 min from UW on public transit) the other lived in Queen Ann (also a lovely neighborhood that I've been told is hard to get to on public transit but is about a 15 min drive to UW). From what I recall they both have good schools. Greenlake is centered around a big park, so pleanty of good outdoor space for a dog (and/or kids). Rivenna, Wallingford and Ballard were also popular. Good luck!

[Jolie717]

On March 12, 2016 at 4:51 PM, hkates said:

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. 

Can't wait to hear how your visit went!!!

[kc1m2l8c]

On 3/25/2016 at 0:35 AM, Jolie717 said:

Darn.  My brother was less helpful than I thought he would be.  The area that many of his pilot friends have settled in is called "Gig Harbor."  When I looked it up, it was gorgeous.  I found an apartment building that allowed big dogs, reasonably priced, and had absolutely beautiful views!!!  

However....  it also appeared to be an area that was about an hour from campus!  Argh.  But he did mention that "Mercer Island," which is much closer to UW, is also very nice.  Probably expensive however...  Unfortunately he was not familiar with the other areas you mentioned.  I looked at them, and found very few buildings that would accommodate my family of four plus our giant dog, so here I am, wondering again, ugh!!!

No worries - thank you for following up! I haven't seen any apartment listings in Mercer Island but will keep my eyes open. That's too bad Gig Harbor is so far from campus. 

[hkates]

On 3/26/2016 at 6:40 PM, Jolie717 said:

Can't wait to hear how your visit went!!!

I had to postpone it, and I'll be visiting next Monday. But I will be sure to post here afterwards.

[hkates]

Hi to all of you thinking about UW, I just wanted to let you all know how visit day went. I was very impressed, and have basically nothing bad to say about this program. Students on both tracks seem very well-supported in achieving their goals, and are able to really delve into their interests in a way that doesn't seem as possible in other programs. Core students get a lot of elective options to steer their studies in the direction they want, and clinical opportunities for both tracks are numerous and varied. There seem to be lots of research opportunities, from doing a thesis to doing independent study to being an RA in one of many research labs. One direct benefit from the prestige of this school that I learned of is to do with clinical fellowships: apparently, UW students tend to get recruited for fellowships rather than compete for them. I don't know if this is true for all students,  or for what percentage of students, but they did mention that they are often contacted by people requesting to have a UW fellow. I asked about Core students going a medical route, and was told that it is not a problem. Med students are given preference for acute care placements, but other types of med settings are wide open for core student interns. They also said it's not an issue for med students to work in schools, they just have to pass a certification to be eligible to work with school kids.

Seattle is gorgeous, campus is amazing, U district is busy and lots of fun. The only things about this program that give me pause are the number of students in the cohort (med and core are combined in classes for the first year, so it's a group of around 40), and the fact that there is only one internship (done in spring or summer of year 2). Oh, and that the program is 2 solid years vs 7 quarters. 

[Jolie717]

1 hour ago, hkates said:

Hi to all of you thinking about UW, I just wanted to let you all know how visit day went. I was very impressed, and have basically nothing bad to say about this program. Students on both tracks seem very well-supported in achieving their goals, and are able to really delve into their interests in a way that doesn't seem as possible in other programs. Core students get a lot of elective options to steer their studies in the direction they want, and clinical opportunities for both tracks are numerous and varied. There seem to be lots of research opportunities, from doing a thesis to doing independent study to being an RA in one of many research labs. One direct benefit from the prestige of this school that I learned of is to do with clinical fellowships: apparently, UW students tend to get recruited for fellowships rather than compete for them. I don't know if this is true for all students,  or for what percentage of students, but they did mention that they are often contacted by people requesting to have a UW fellow. I asked about Core students going a medical route, and was told that it is not a problem. Med students are given preference for acute care placements, but other types of med settings are wide open for core student interns. They also said it's not an issue for med students to work in schools, they just have to pass a certification to be eligible to work with school kids.

Seattle is gorgeous, campus is amazing, U district is busy and lots of fun. The only things about this program that give me pause are the number of students in the cohort (med and core are combined in classes for the first year, so it's a group of around 40), and the fact that there is only one internship (done in spring or summer of year 2). Oh, and that the program is 2 solid years vs 7 quarters. 

Thanks for all the info!  So your concern as far as cohort size is that it seems large?  (In my current program it isn't unusual to have 50 in a class and sometimes 60).  As far as cohort size, are you more concerned with classroom learning or getting placements?  Also did you get any insight about off campus housing and areas to live in that are nice and within a decent commuting distance?  I can't remember if you were planning to live on or off campus now...  Thx again!

[girlgonespeechie]

10 hours ago, hkates said:

Hi to all of you thinking about UW, I just wanted to let you all know how visit day went. I was very impressed, and have basically nothing bad to say about this program. Students on both tracks seem very well-supported in achieving their goals, and are able to really delve into their interests in a way that doesn't seem as possible in other programs. Core students get a lot of elective options to steer their studies in the direction they want, and clinical opportunities for both tracks are numerous and varied. There seem to be lots of research opportunities, from doing a thesis to doing independent study to being an RA in one of many research labs. One direct benefit from the prestige of this school that I learned of is to do with clinical fellowships: apparently, UW students tend to get recruited for fellowships rather than compete for them. I don't know if this is true for all students,  or for what percentage of students, but they did mention that they are often contacted by people requesting to have a UW fellow. I asked about Core students going a medical route, and was told that it is not a problem. Med students are given preference for acute care placements, but other types of med settings are wide open for core student interns. They also said it's not an issue for med students to work in schools, they just have to pass a certification to be eligible to work with school kids.

Seattle is gorgeous, campus is amazing, U district is busy and lots of fun. The only things about this program that give me pause are the number of students in the cohort (med and core are combined in classes for the first year, so it's a group of around 40), and the fact that there is only one internship (done in spring or summer of year 2). Oh, and that the program is 2 solid years vs 7 quarters. 

Hey @hkates ! Thanks for sharing all this info. When I visited last summer the clinic seemed a bit outdated to me...did you get that vibe? Also, have you decided on attending UW? I know you mentioned that you were accepted to Core (like me) but were also having reservations about not getting a med placement.  Seems like they don't really give you any issues about that. But I would be bummed to only have one internship. The other school I'm considering (UNC-Chapel Hill) only does external placements and that is enticing to me.

[Jolie717]

3 minutes ago, girlgonespeechie said:

Hey @hkates ! Thanks for sharing all this info. When I visited last summer the clinic seemed a bit outdated to me...did you get that vibe? Also, have you decided on attending UW? I know you mentioned that you were accepted to Core (like me) but were also having reservations about not getting a med placement.  Seems like they don't really give you any issues about that. But I would be bummed to only have one internship. The other school I'm considering (UNC-Chapel Hill) only does external placements and that is enticing to me.

This is likely a silly question, but what is the difference between placements, internships, and externships???

[girlgonespeechie]

3 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

This is likely a silly question, but what is the difference between placements, internships, and externships???

Not silly at all! So "placements" is the umbrella term for all of them. Whether you're in a clinic, hospital, school, etc, it's a placement. An "internship" and "externship" I have found are usually interchangeable, and those are meant to describe external placements, meaning your supervisor will not be your professors.

So for example- at UW Core, we have a school placement, placements in the speech and hearing clinic, and then 1 pre-internship (off campus) and 1 internship (off campus). The internship gives the core students the ability to experience another setting!

 

[hkates]

18 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

Thanks for all the info!  So your concern as far as cohort size is that it seems large?  (In my current program it isn't unusual to have 50 in a class and sometimes 60).  As far as cohort size, are you more concerned with classroom learning or getting placements?  Also did you get any insight about off campus housing and areas to live in that are nice and within a decent commuting distance?  I can't remember if you were planning to live on or off campus now...  Thx again!

I'm not worried about placements, I think the school makes sure to only take the amount of students they know they can place well. My concern is about classroom learning, and just about the overall feel of closeness within the cohort; all the other schools I applied to have small cohorts and they say it's nice because everyone knows everyone, and they all get individual attention. But this is not a major drawback for me by any means. Just something to consider, along with the thousands of other factors that are going into this decision. Campus housing is not the easiest to get (pretty long waitlist), but there are lots of livable neighborhoods nearby: green lake, wallingford, ravenna, sand point (I'm sure there are more, those are the ones I remember). And Seattle has okay public transport, but they did mention that to get to clinical placements, having a car is a good idea. 

Are you getting close to making your decision? What are you still considering?

[hkates]

9 hours ago, girlgonespeechie said:

Hey @hkates ! Thanks for sharing all this info. When I visited last summer the clinic seemed a bit outdated to me...did you get that vibe? Also, have you decided on attending UW? I know you mentioned that you were accepted to Core (like me) but were also having reservations about not getting a med placement.  Seems like they don't really give you any issues about that. But I would be bummed to only have one internship. The other school I'm considering (UNC-Chapel Hill) only does external placements and that is enticing to me.

The facilities definitely weren't state-of-the-art, but since they're located in an old building I guess I was expecting that. No, I haven't decided on UW. It's down to there and Portland State for me. The one internship (externship, whatever) thing at UW is a mixed bag for me; I think there are a lot of great clinical experiences to be had in their on-campus clinic, but I also like the thought of being out in the community more. But my big pull away from UW (and towards PSU) is the fact that UW has no bilingual focus, and that is one of PSU's big strengths. The chair of PSU's dept is a very prominent figure in bilingual SLP, and there are 3 other faculty members whose focus is on bilingual assessment/development. I asked about bilingual opportunities at UW, and was basically told that they sometimes get clients from different cultural backgrounds, but they aren't seeking out a bilingual population to serve. And no, I don't think getting a med placement while in the core program is a challenge, especially if you track adults. Are you leaning towards one school, or is it still up in the air for you?

[girlgonespeechie]

4 hours ago, hkates said:

 The facilities definitely weren't state-of-the-art, but since they're located in an old building I guess I was expecting that. No, I haven't decided on UW. It's down to there and Portland State for me. The one internship (externship, whatever) thing at UW is a mixed bag for me; I think there are a lot of great clinical experiences to be had in their on-campus clinic, but I also like the thought of being out in the community more. But my big pull away from UW (and towards PSU) is the fact that UW has no bilingual focus, and that is one of PSU's big strengths. The chair of PSU's dept is a very prominent figure in bilingual SLP, and there are 3 other faculty members whose focus is on bilingual assessment/development. I asked about bilingual opportunities at UW, and was basically told that they sometimes get clients from different cultural backgrounds, but they aren't seeking out a bilingual population to serve. And no, I don't think getting a med placement while in the core program is a challenge, especially if you track adults. Are you leaning towards one school, or is it still up in the air for you?

The one internship thing is bugging me a little too. That's what is pulling me away from UW. I'm going into this ready and wanting to learn about everything, because as an out of field applicant I don't really know 100% what population I want to work with. Also- it would be literally on the opposite side of the country from my family and that scares me a little haha. I feel like I may be leaning towards UNC-CH because right off the bat they push you into the real world since they don't have an on-campus clinic. However, I've heard that on campus clinics can help you learn more...

I think that if you're really set on working with bilingual populations,  Portland State is giving you something that UW may or may not be able to offer you. With all the debt we'll all be in, I would much rather go to the school that I know will give me all the opportunities I want vs taking a chance on not getting them.

[kc1m2l8c]

On 4/6/2016 at 0:30 PM, hkates said:

The only things about this program that give me pause are the number of students in the cohort (med and core are combined in classes for the first year, so it's a group of around 40)

 

Regarding the class size, I had the same concern and asked the student that I was speaking with about it. She said all cohorts can of course be different, but she didn't think the size prevented the group from being close. She said that her cohort is really close and very supportive.

[talkingcake]

8 hours ago, kc1m2l8c said:

Regarding the class size, I had the same concern and asked the student that I was speaking with about it. She said all cohorts can of course be different, but she didn't think the size prevented the group from being close. She said that her cohort is really close and very supportive.

I got the same impression from the open house.  Also, Core and Med have different practica classes from the first quarter.  And by the second year, not only are Med and Core split up, some Core classes are split into the adult and peds tracks.

And I agree with what many of you are saying here- it sounded like getting an internship site that fits you is not a problem, as long as you have an idea of what population or setting might want to work with, regardless of which program or track you're in.  However, if you would rather have experience with a variety of different settings, this might be a problem.

[girlgonespeechie]

21 hours ago, talkingcake said:

And I agree with what many of you are saying here- it sounded like getting an internship site that fits you is not a problem, as long as you have an idea of what population or setting might want to work with, regardless of which program or track you're in.  However, if you would rather have experience with a variety of different settings, this might be a problem.

I'd like to add that all of the professors that I spoke with said that as far as CFY and job prospects are concerned, employers do not care what school you went to or what courses you took (because ASHA has strict guidelines), rather what your practicum breadth was and what networking/connections you make while in school. My professor who works in the medical side of things said that she will not hire a CF who hasn't had experience with her setting/population especially because if you don't know what you're doing you can actually harm someone. 

It seems like UW is a better fit for those who are pretty confident they know what setting/population they want to work with, like you said @talkingcake.