UVA vs Syracuse

[asmallfish]

Hi!  I'm an out-of-field SLP applicant and I'm having a tough time deciding between schools.  I've been accepted to both UVA and Syracuse University and I keep wobbling between them.  They're both really great programs (as far as I can tell) and both would mean myself and my husband moving from the DC area, but we're prepared for that.  I'm wondering if anyone could shed light on what being in either program would actually be like, or if anyone has been accepted to one or both schools and why they did or did not accept them.

Also - I've been out of school for several years, so any advice from folks who went back to school after a period of time would be very welcome  

[limegreen19]

Hello, I was accepted to both as an out-of-field applicant. They're both 2.5 years, which is great for us out-of-field people. I just declined at UVA and will be accepting at Syracuse with the main motivation being that Syracuse offered me scholarship money and UVA did not. So your situation may be different, but I'll talk about my visits to both and my impressions of the schools.

UVA - Clean, professional atmosphere, the "campus" must be referred to as "grounds," clinic is used for both psych&speech, professors are friendly&knowledgeable (Dr. Robey esp - do not hesitate to email him with any questions!), for our track there are 2 semesters of on-campus clinic, 2 semesters of externship (Charlottesville area), and 1 full-time internship anywhere in the country ( you can go back to DC!). There are specialty groups such as fluency, accent mod, aphasia, etc.. which grad students can lead. There is very little flexibility in the curriculum so no electives or chance to "specialize" - you get a very well-rounded exposure to all types of populations&settings (child&adult, school, med, etc...). Many students come from out-of-state and out-of-field, so it's not unusual to be in your situation. Research is not really encouraged (but it is available), which is also why I chose Syracuse. UVA a highly clinically-focused program, preparing you for professional practice, so not many people do master's theses or research projects. Weather is warm, of course, and the surrounding areas are very safe. Housing is very affordable based on craigslist ads

Syracuse - the building was isolated from the main campus, so it's sort of in a quiet area. The clinic was clean and professional as well. There were more treatment rooms than UVA if I remember correctly. Clinic is used for speech&audiology. Professors were friendly&knowledgeable and introduced themselves (I got to see all of them at this open house event rather than just 1 at the short UVA tour, so keep that in mind). There are 5 semesters of on-campus clinic, 2 semesters of full-time internships (one of these must be in the Syracuse area, the other you MAY be able to complete anywhere, depending on grades&performance in the program so far). There are a small number of electives in the program. One placement must be with children, one placement must be with adults. The faculty gets really excited when students are interested in research, and it's encouraged to volunteer/work in a lab, etc... There's a lot of exciting work being done in the labs (I didn't hear about the labs at UVA so I assume there's not much there) - like ultrasound biofeedback and EEG and even a pharmacological clinical trial with the voice professor! Weather is generally cold&snowy, but it was sunny on my visit day so that was nice The city & surrounding areas are sketchy, but the immediate university area is safe. I plan to stick to the campus so this is not a major concern. Housing is also very affordable and there are many apartment complexes near the university area (some offer snow removal and covered garages!). Oh and a lot of the students come from in-state (many were from Buffalo or some other upstate NY cities), a few of them were from out-of-state (CA, NJ, PA). There's also a good amount of people without a background. I met several older students at the Syracuse open house (many who've been working for a few years), whereas at the smaller UVA visit day the students seemed fresh out of undergrad or 1-2 years out of school.

These are just first impressions so I don't know as much as current students could tell you, but hope this helps! I'm obviously biased towards Syracuse but both schools are very good choices! Congrats and good luck with choosing. You can relax a bit knowing you'll get a great experience at both schools.

[Yancey]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with Syracuse University based on the fact that they teach and support intervention that is not founded on evidence-based practice. They have a whole lab that is dedicated to supporting the pseudoscience of facilitated communication (they now have renamed it supportive typing to try and rebrand it after it was called in to question), which is basically the 'facilitator' moving the limbs of a patient that does not have the language or literacy foundation/skills to construct those messages and acting like the patients can construct detailed messages independently. It really said for the patients and their families. I wouldn't want to attend an expensive school that teaches controversial practices if I had another option. However, that's just my opinion. 

Edited April 7, 2016 by Yancey

[limegreen19]

@Yanceywhich lab is that? On the tour, we saw the 7 labs listed on the website ( http://csd.syr.edu/Research/CSD_Research-Focus.html ). There's no descriptions that match what you said. Is this a course you're talking about, and where did you learn about this?

[Yancey]

http://soe.syr.edu/centers_institutes/institute_communication_inclusion/

 

[limegreen19]

Wow... nobody mentioned this at the open house. I wonder how closely it is associated with the grad program. I find it somewhat alarming that the school as a whole has this organization. But I don't think it's actually tied to the SLP program. There weren't any faculty members associated with this "institute" or even working on any related topics like autism. I certainly understand where you're coming from though, as it does fall under the whole university.

[Kavro]

I am a grad student in the CSD department and the CSD does not support facilitated communication. There is no association whatsoever. They have tried to distance themselves from what that other "institute" is doing. It is a shame that that is going on under the umbrella of the whole university, but be assured it has nothing to do with our department.