Why did you choose your university?

[ashny]

What is it about the university you chose that makes it unique and a good fit for you?

The reason I ask this question is because I'm trying to get an idea how to select universities that are a good fit and include this in my SOP. Others here have mentioned choosing a professor you would like to work with based on your interests. I am not sure I understand that - when I studied in the UK, we did not get to choose our professors based on our interests. We simply had a list of subjects we had to complete for the degree program and had to work with every professor that walked in the door to teach us those subjects. Just trying to get a better idea of how things work here in the USA. Thanks.

[plume]

Choosing faculty members could apply to who you want to do research under, if you are interested in research. I think it also provides an opportunity to show that faculty interests align with yours, and schools want to know why they are a good fit for you and why you are for them. I don't think we can pick and choose which professors we want and don't want to see, similar to your experiences in the UK. 

Location, clinical opportunities, and faculty focuses were important to me in choosing schools to apply to. Although I know that you can focus on any interest when you are a clinician no matter where you go to school, I want to attend a program where I can make connections with faculty members who are working in areas I am interested in so I can gain experience and be better prepared to apply to the right job later. I also wanted a school with broad faculty focuses so I could explore other areas in grad school. You can also look at how programs set up clinicals—some programs allow an externship if you're interested in working at another location, some start clinicals right away while others start in the classroom, etc.

Hope this helps!

FYI - I have not been admitted to a program yet; I am just an applicant.

[lexical_gap]

I considered the following factors (in roughly this order):

1) Location and clinical opportunities (both on campus and off):  Most of us go into this profession to become clinicians.  Will you have the clinical opportunities that you are looking to have by going to that school?

2) Cost:  Let's be honest, it's a factor for most of us.  Even if accepted to Dream School A that is out of state, will you be able to afford the cost of attending?  Will you get a comparable education for a fraction of the cost at school B?

3) Feel of the city:  If I was going to live there for 2 years, I wanted to feel safe and "at home".  I was accepted to a school that has a good reputation, but I couldn't picture myself living there for any length of time.  I just didn't have a good feeling about the city.

3) Faculty Research / Reputation:  I was interested in research, but had no idea what I wanted to research.

[angela4]

I applied based only on cost and location (I already have another graduate degree from a more "brand name" expensive school, and the name meant nothing because when I graduated there were no jobs in the field). For the SOP, I recommend reading the school's mission statement. That helped me a lot. For instance, if a school mentions that they have a commitment to diversity, you can share your own experiences with diverse populations and how your values mirror the university's commitment to diversity (but in a better-worded way).

[StPaulCCC]

I'm relieved others said cost and location as their primary factors for decisions, because save for the school I'm currently attending, there is only so much difference I can glean from the websites, mission statements and course lists. Were some of you honest in your interviews about your reasoning for choosing the specific program (i.e. location)? Or did you focus more on what you learned afterwards that you researched?

[SpeechLaedy]

On 2/7/2017 at 2:22 PM, RaginBSLP said:

I'm relieved others said cost and location as their primary factors for decisions, because save for the school I'm currently attending, there is only so much difference I can glean from the websites, mission statements and course lists. Were some of you honest in your interviews about your reasoning for choosing the specific program (i.e. location)? Or did you focus more on what you learned afterwards that you researched?

I was actually surprised to find there were certain things that stood out about each of the schools I applied to. I definitely hope I get to talk about that if I'm given an opportunity for an interview