University of Oregon/University of Georgia/Michigan State/University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

[mayaella]

I'm trying to decide between these schools and am desperately and hopelessly lost. Does anyone know anything about any of these programs?

[kc1m2l8c]

Of those schools, I only have some familiarity with the University of Oregon (through my own research and conversations with current students and professors). What are you interested in knowing? Where do your interests lie within the field?

[koalalover1]

I am going to the open house for UW Milwaukee today actually! I will message back to this and let you know how that goes if you would like! 

[mayaella]

On 25/03/2016 at 9:17 AM, koalalover1 said:

I am going to the open house for UW Milwaukee today actually! I will message back to this and let you know how that goes if you would like! 

I would love that! Thank you so much!

[mayaella]

On 24/03/2016 at 4:22 PM, kc1m2l8c said:

Of those schools, I only have some familiarity with the University of Oregon (through my own research and conversations with current students and professors). What are you interested in knowing? Where do your interests lie within the field?

Honestly at this point I'd be happy to know anything that'll just give me more of a picture of what it's like! At this point I believe I'm interested in early intervention but having not had any clinical experience yet I don't want to box myself into anything in particular

[koalalover1]

2 hours ago, mayaella said:

I would love that! Thank you so much!

The open house went really well. I really enjoyed it. It is one of my top choices (although I am waitlisted) but I definitely learned a lot about the campus and the program that I was not aware of. You get experience in both hospitals and in a school, so you do not have to know which population you want to work with right away. Also your first year is clinic on campus, so you will have ample time to gain good clinic experience. Milwaukee is a bigger city so there is a lot of opportunity. You would also be required to do research with a professor, or a thesis (most people do the research) which was really interesting to me. We got to tour the clinic, which is all looks very nice. The professors seem very personable and were very willing to answer questions we had. There is also an opportunity to be a TA! Any questions just message me or reply to this and I'll see if I can answer them! It was a quick tour but very informative! 

Edited March 28, 2016 by koalalover1

[mayaella]

4 hours ago, koalalover1 said:

The open house went really well. I really enjoyed it. It is one of my top choices (although I am waitlisted) but I definitely learned a lot about the campus and the program that I was not aware of. You get experience in both hospitals and in a school, so you do not have to know which population you want to work with right away. Also your first year is clinic on campus, so you will have ample time to gain good clinic experience. Milwaukee is a bigger city so there is a lot of opportunity. You would also be required to do research with a professor, or a thesis (most people do the research) which was really interesting to me. We got to tour the clinic, which is all looks very nice. The professors seem very personable and were very willing to answer questions we had. There is also an opportunity to be a TA! Any questions just message me or reply to this and I'll see if I can answer them! It was a quick tour but very informative! 

Thank you so much for answering! It sounds like a really great program. What was your overall impression of the professors and other students? Did they seem nice/supportive/knowledgeable? And what was the clinic like? And also I've never been to Milwaukee so how do you feel about it as a city?

[jpiccolo]

I visited Michigan state last year and found it to be a really cool program. They don't have an on campus clinic but they see that as a huge pro because then they put you in real life placements starting spring semester. The main downside for me was cost for a nonresident. They said there can be opportunities to research with different profs and lots of students worked part time. I can't think of much else right now but feel free to message me and I'll see if I have notes somewhere when I get home 

[koalalover1]

1 hour ago, mayaella said:

Thank you so much for answering! It sounds like a really great program. What was your overall impression of the professors and other students? Did they seem nice/supportive/knowledgeable? And what was the clinic like? And also I've never been to Milwaukee so how do you feel about it as a city?

Oh I liked it more than I thought I would! The professors knew so much and had so much to tell us about what their interests are and how they do research. Definitely more knowledgeable.  They were all supportive and encouraging of us touring the facilities. I grew up 40 minutes from Milwaukee, so I have been there many times. I enjoy it a lot because there is a lot to do around Milwaukee. There is a lot to offer in the city, which I am drawn to. I'm not sure what placements you are into, but the medical opportunity in Milwaukee seems very strong also! 

[Logos16]

I visited UGA on Friday for their Open House and I think their program is great--I'll be attending!

They mentioned a lot of things about their program that I consider to be positives: their clinic sees about 1000 clients a year, they offer a dysphagia course (not offered in many programs), students get medical and school externship placements, and students start in the summer to help them wrap their heads around balancing clinic and coursework. The clinic seemed great: they recently acquired videostroboscopy technology and I know that they have the capability of doing swallow studies, which I know is not the case at all universities. The professors at the open house seemed warm and competent. Five graduate students talked about their experiences and they seemed to really enjoy their professors, clinical supervisors, clients, classmates, etc. They say that they love living in Athens, which is what I hear from everyone I've ever met who went to grad school there.

One of the downsides to their program is the lack of funding opportunities; getting a research assistantship is super competitive unfortunately. I think the out-of-state costs might be high as well, but I'm not sure.

Have you compared how much each program will cost you since you're coming from out-of-state? That might help you narrow down your options.

[cici448]

I am a current 1st year graduate student at Michigan State. The program is set up to allow for 4 different clinical internships. The first semester is comprised of 4 courses (12 credits) and is pretty intense, although I imagine that is the case for most SLP graduate programs. One of the courses, Clinical proseminar, teaches the basics of what you need to know for your first clinical placement. The course also elaborates on KASA standards, ASHAs Code of Ethics, licensing, etc. Panels of SLPs from around the community (school-based and medical-based) come in and talk about their roles and responsibilities at their settings and their expectations for student interns. The first placement for all students is either in early on or an elementary school. The second placement (in the summer) is medical based and can basically be anywhere in the US as long as MSU can establish a relationship with whatever facility you are interested in. And from there you can decide if you are interested in going the school route or the medical route and plan your remaining 2 placements accordingly. 

There is a plan a (thesis) and a plan b (oral exam-3 electives) if you decide to do a thesis you are not required to test out of the program with an oral exam. A thesis also counts for 12 credits so you would not be required to take 3 elective courses. I'm doing the Plan B route and looking forward to taking my elective courses. Elective courses offered include: cognitive communication, counseling, medical aspects, AAC. The professors are personable and intelligent. Our program is ranked 46 I believe. I'm so happy with my graduate program as are the rest of the members of my program. If you have any other questions feel free to message me!

Edited April 18, 2016 by cici448