Out of field applicant degrees: social work, linguistics, other?

[bettafish293]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently a social work major with plans to go into grad school for SLP. If all goes as planned, I'll have 6 SLP pre-reqs completed by graduation as well. Lately, I've been feeling really out of place in my social work classes. Fortunately, I am only a sophomore credit wise and still have the option of changing my major to something else. I've been considering linguistics an awful lot because of its relation to speech therapy. I also have found through my research that it is one of the most common out of field applicant majors for SLP programs, along with psychology (please don't suggest psychology because no-no-no-no-no I can't nope-nope-nope bye.)

Seems like an easy choice, right! Wrong. I'm capable of making a can with a pull tab difficult to open. Overall, I personally have found my social work classes to be very easy content wise. I understand that linguistics classes may be more demanding and content heavy with lots of memorization and phonetic-y fricative-y stuff, which I don't mind at all! But if social work is easier for me, should I pursue it in the interest of possibly obtaining a higher GPA since the graduate process is ultimately a game of numbers? In terms of graduate admissions, would majoring in linguistics look better on a transcript, or does it not matter at all what your major is if it's not CSD? Any suggestions besides these two you think would be a better fit? Etc. etc. etc. etc. why do I always have to make these posts so long

Thanks!

[maurmaur]

I once had a PhD candidate said if you were anything other than speech, a science-y major looks good. She said it's because speech people sometimes shy away from science.

 

I haven't found that to be the case at all. Honestly, only GPA seems to matter. I was a, wait for it, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science major with an emphasis in language and communication sciences.

My point is: if social work is what you would love to learn about more, do that. Also I wouldn't say social work is entirely unrelated to SLP. I work at a pediatric clinic for kids with autism and there are several kids who are also going through family stuff. There's another organization in my city who also works with people with autism and sometimes houses those who are given up by their parents.

 

Take advantage of doing a 4 year degree and learn about what you want to learn about.

[maurmaur]

Also find out when the like intro to linguistics class is offered and if it's big enough, go sit in on it.

[SpeechLaedy]

Your posts are seriously too long lol but I get it (I'm working on my editing issues as well). I honestly think linguistics will make learning a bunch of things in CSD a little easier (especially phonetics if you're not already familiar with it. Before I got into the CSD major, I took about 4 or 5 linguistics courses to get a feel for what I may learn. It made me breeeeze through my phonetics classes plus gave me additional info that the CSD major did not give me but was really cool info I could keep in mind as a future SLP. 

Basically, choose what is best for you. I would think that it not only looks better to have prerequisite courses for CSD done (that I believe your school offers about 6 or so) but it also will help you not have to add to your graduate courseload. It may look a little better I suppose to major in linguistics, but I personally think the prerequisites are more important (after all, they're a requirement to get into a lot of schools anyway - whereas majoring in linguistics isn't). Social work is a related field so that should honestly be enough. But if you're really worried, maybe it would be a good idea to call some of the schools you're interested in and talk to or email the Directors of the programs or someone in the graduate admissions office. 

I, myself, am an out of fielder coming from psychology. I'm curious... What turns you off about psych? 

[SpeechLaedy]

4 minutes ago, maurmaur said:

I once had a PhD candidate said if you were anything other than speech, a science-y major looks good. She said it's because speech people sometimes shy away from science.

 

I haven't found that to be the case at all. Honestly, only GPA seems to matter. I was a, wait for it, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science major with an emphasis in language and communication sciences.

My point is: if social work is what you would love to learn about more, do that. Also I wouldn't say social work is entirely unrelated to SLP. I work at a pediatric clinic for kids with autism and there are several kids who are also going through family stuff. There's another organization in my city who also works with people with autism and sometimes houses those who are given up by their parents.

 

Take advantage of doing a 4 year degree and learn about what you want to learn about.

Yes! I totally agree! I forgot to mention that you should definitely do what you're most passionate about

I work at a special needs school and a social worker comes in and has a push in session with one of the children in the class every week. Social workers are definitely apart of the team of people SLPs will work with and it will benefit you to learn how best to support families and find support for them because as an SLP we will have to do that too. 

[maurmaur]

3 hours ago, SpeechLaedy said:

Yes! I totally agree! I forgot to mention that you should definitely do what you're most passionate about

I work at a special needs school and a social worker comes in and has a push in session with one of the children in the class every week. Social workers are definitely apart of the team of people SLPs will work with and it will benefit you to learn how best to support families and find support for them because as an SLP we will have to do that too. 

Oh and going off of this idea, it helps you grow as a clinician and person to recognize and be able to serve more needs than just speech. Of course, if just an SLP you cannot do what a social worker does, but you are able to empathize better understanding another aspect of that client's life.

For instance, as an ABA therapist who works with kids who cannot really tell me what they like to play with or do when they aren't there, I use other team members and their parents as a resource. It shows you're good with teamwork and collaboration.

[Afternoonprogram]

I would really encourage you to major in something that interests you!  2 years is a long time to take classes in something you feel "meh" about.  Plus, if you don't get in a graduate program for SLP what are you going to do with a social work degree if you are not interested in working in human services.  I would encourage you to think more outside the box -straight communications major, political science, education,  -what other interests do you have?  Graduate schools look at grades but they also look at research -what do you want to know more about?  Volunteer experience with different populations is also important.  Have you ever thought about tutoring for ESL?  Your college career center might be able to provide you with some summer internships/experiences that could help in your decision making process.

[Crimson Wife]

How are you at foreign language? My oldest daughter is dual-enrolled at community college aiming for a linguistics major and she will need 4 semesters of one foreign language and 2 semesters of a 2nd in order to transfer into the major at the flagship state university offering linguistics.

[thespeechblog.com]

9 hours ago, bettafish293 said:

Hi everyone!

I'm currently a social work major with plans to go into grad school for SLP. If all goes as planned, I'll have 6 SLP pre-reqs completed by graduation as well. Lately, I've been feeling really out of place in my social work classes. Fortunately, I am only a sophomore credit wise and still have the option of changing my major to something else. I've been considering linguistics an awful lot because of its relation to speech therapy. I also have found through my research that it is one of the most common out of field applicant majors for SLP programs, along with psychology (please don't suggest psychology because no-no-no-no-no I can't nope-nope-nope bye.)

Seems like an easy choice, right! Wrong. I'm capable of making a can with a pull tab difficult to open. Overall, I personally have found my social work classes to be very easy content wise. I understand that linguistics classes may be more demanding and content heavy with lots of memorization and phonetic-y fricative-y stuff, which I don't mind at all! But if social work is easier for me, should I pursue it in the interest of possibly obtaining a higher GPA since the graduate process is ultimately a game of numbers? In terms of graduate admissions, would majoring in linguistics look better on a transcript, or does it not matter at all what your major is if it's not CSD? Any suggestions besides these two you think would be a better fit? Etc. etc. etc. etc. why do I always have to make these posts so long

Thanks!

I don't want to sound negative or overbearing, but if you're worried about phonetics in an undergrad linguistics class, a graduate degree in SLP would be even more difficult. That basic working knowledge of the phonetic system is the basis for so many things we do in SLP; seriously I talk about phonetics almost everyday in every class. I would strongly recommend at least trying a linguistics class and seeing what it is like for you.

Also, I'm not entirely sure - but if you're an undergrad and you have time to switch your major and you want to go into a masters in SLP program you should strongly consider at least a minor in SHS/SLP/Communication Disorders. If you don't, you'll have to complete all of the necessary prerequisite classes anyways as part of an extended masters program, post-bacc, or 2nd degree. 

[bettafish293]

@mcamp Perhaps I worded it wrong, but what I meant is because social work is easier than linguistics (in my opinion/experience) it might be beneficial for me to pursue that degree instead for a possibly higher GPA, thus giving me a better chance of getting into grad school. It's just a big hypothetical scenario I've cooked up in my head lol. However, my intro to communication disorders class has had two chapters on phonetics and linguistics so far and I did very well in those chapters and found them to be interesting as well. Also, I will be taking 6 CSD classes through my schools CSD department. My school doesn't offer an official major or minor, but they do have a grad program and a few undergrad classes, and you can also take some graduate level courses as an undergrad if you get permission from the department, so I'm hoping if I continue to get good grades, I might be able to take a couple more pre-reqs that way. I do not want to switch schools and wouldn't have the finances/support to move to another school either away. The only other option would be moving back home and commuting to the local university but I would 100% rather have to take more classes in grad school than do that because of personal reasons. I went into college thinking I wanted to study business (lol) and now I am trying to make the best out of the school I'm at now (which I actually love a lot despite it not offering an undergrad CSD degree)

@Crimson Wife I hope she likes foreign languages! My university has an English linguistics major and it only requires two basic low level language courses in a foreign language to meet that requirement, which I think I'll be able to handle.

@Afternoonprogram Thank you for your reply, I think it helped me realize that social work is not for me. You brought up a great point about having a plan B if I don't get into grad school (a scary, scary thought lol). I can't see myself being happy as a social worker, so I definitely need to do some soul searching and figure out what interests me the most besides SLP, but I think it might be linguistics.

@maurmaur and @SpeechLaedy Thank you for showing me the similarities and strengths of working in both professions. I think my main unvoiced concern was that I've never heard of a social work major getting into an SLP program, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Also hopefully one day I'll be able to start trimming down my posts some more but that's a song for another time, like after I get into grad school and come back here to help undergrads in the same boat, lol.

 

 

 

[SpeechLaedy]

@bettafish293 here's one post from this website after doing a Google search for "switching from social work to speech pathology". I'm sure you will find similar stories if you research something like that 

 

"I am a career changer from social work over to SLP. I was a case manager for a while, worked in a rehab clinic and currently work for a human services coop for people with disabilities. I think that my experience was one of the main reasons I was accepted to graduate school this year. I made a point in my SOP to discuss my skills in coming up with therapeutic goals, dealing with difficult behavior, and working with people with physical and mental disabilities. I think that there is a lot of overlap in the underlying philosophy's of both fields, mainly in the therapeutic process and coming up with attainable treatment goals. I also especially focused on how my work with difficult populations proved that I was able to handle the types of patients that we might be faced with as SLP's. Even with a low undergrad GPA I was accepted to several programs this year. I also completed my pre-recs and worked hard for a good GRE score. I really think the key is showing how your experience can translate to the field. Good luck!"

[maurmaur]

Yeah overall if you don't want to do social work, that's cool too! But there are thousands of SLPs, I'm sure there are many that came from social work. Honestly, they probably come from everywhere at one point if that makes sense

[thespeechblog.com]

17 hours ago, bettafish293 said:

@mcamp Perhaps I worded it wrong, but what I meant is because social work is easier than linguistics (in my opinion/experience) it might be beneficial for me to pursue that degree instead for a possibly higher GPA, thus giving me a better chance of getting into grad school. It's just a big hypothetical scenario I've cooked up in my head lol. However, my intro to communication disorders class has had two chapters on phonetics and linguistics so far and I did very well in those chapters and found them to be interesting as well. Also, I will be taking 6 CSD classes through my schools CSD department. My school doesn't offer an official major or minor, but they do have a grad program and a few undergrad classes, and you can also take some graduate level courses as an undergrad if you get permission from the department, so I'm hoping if I continue to get good grades, I might be able to take a couple more pre-reqs that way. I do not want to switch schools and wouldn't have the finances/support to move to another school either away. The only other option would be moving back home and commuting to the local university but I would 100% rather have to take more classes in grad school than do that because of personal reasons. I went into college thinking I wanted to study business (lol) and now I am trying to make the best out of the school I'm at now (which I actually love a lot despite it not offering an undergrad CSD degree)

@Crimson Wife I hope she likes foreign languages! My university has an English linguistics major and it only requires two basic low level language courses in a foreign language to meet that requirement, which I think I'll be able to handle.

@Afternoonprogram Thank you for your reply, I think it helped me realize that social work is not for me. You brought up a great point about having a plan B if I don't get into grad school (a scary, scary thought lol). I can't see myself being happy as a social worker, so I definitely need to do some soul searching and figure out what interests me the most besides SLP, but I think it might be linguistics.

@maurmaur and @SpeechLaedy Thank you for showing me the similarities and strengths of working in both professions. I think my main unvoiced concern was that I've never heard of a social work major getting into an SLP program, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Also hopefully one day I'll be able to start trimming down my posts some more but that's a song for another time, like after I get into grad school and come back here to help undergrads in the same boat, lol.

 

 

 

Gooootcha - That makes more sense! So I think yeah, you're probably okay keeping your social work major. It'll definitely give you some unique perspectives and experiences that can hopefully come out in your personal statement and LOR's. I know a lot of people really emphasize GPA; I think GPA is a "blunt instrument" schools use but not the heart of an admissions decision. 

About the classes, look closely at grad school requirements for any school you're considering. Not having a degree in SHS/COMD/etc can sometimes limit the schools you can apply to. It is possible though to do what you're doing - my undergrad was in Spanish & Linguistics & Education (didn't even know SLP existed then) with a 3.54 GPA - now I'm doing a 3-year masters degree with missing pre-reqs included.

[bettafish293]

5 hours ago, mcamp said:

Gooootcha - That makes more sense! So I think yeah, you're probably okay keeping your social work major. It'll definitely give you some unique perspectives and experiences that can hopefully come out in your personal statement and LOR's. I know a lot of people really emphasize GPA; I think GPA is a "blunt instrument" schools use but not the heart of an admissions decision. 

About the classes, look closely at grad school requirements for any school you're considering. Not having a degree in SHS/COMD/etc can sometimes limit the schools you can apply to. It is possible though to do what you're doing - my undergrad was in Spanish & Linguistics & Education (didn't even know SLP existed then) with a 3.54 GPA - now I'm doing a 3-year masters degree with missing pre-reqs included.

Congrats on the acceptances in your signature! You have great stats. Can you tell me anything about your time in linguistics and education as an undergrad? I'm also considering education now.  I just can't seem to make up my mind! Which major did you find was more related/beneficial to you for grad school? The easy answer I'm thinking is linguistics, but I can also see how acquiring the foundations of becoming a teacher could help a future SLP. I see applicants freaking out over not getting accepted with 3.8 GPA's and it's very daunting, so it's nice to see someone with a 3.54 get into so many schools!

Side note -- it drives me crazy how competitive this field is! Non SLP majors think anything above a 3.0 is a competitive GPA, but we have people freaking out in fear of not getting in to grad school with GPA's in the 3.5's through .8's!

Edited February 22, 2017 by bettafish293

[Crimson Wife]

You can probably get a summer school job as a paraeducator if you're interested in possibly switching to education. I know a lot of the paras at my daughter's school are moms and don't work summer school because they're home with their own kids. In my district, working as a para requires a high school diploma, a clean background check (which you'd need for SLP), and passing the CBEST (super-easy as I took it to get a substitute teaching credential).

[Afternoonprogram]

I second Crimson Wife's suggestion - you could also a work as a summer camp counselor.  At my college the local special education recreation league was looking for college students to be an aide to a special education student at summer camps.  This type of experience would let you know who you feel about spending 8 hours a day with kids and look great on grad school apps. 

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Afternoonprogram

[bettafish293]

Thank you @Crimson Wife and @Afternoonprogram those are great ideas!

[thespeechblog.com]

On 2/22/2017 at 1:17 AM, bettafish293 said:

Congrats on the acceptances in your signature! You have great stats. Can you tell me anything about your time in linguistics and education as an undergrad? I'm also considering education now.  I just can't seem to make up my mind! Which major did you find was more related/beneficial to you for grad school? The easy answer I'm thinking is linguistics, but I can also see how acquiring the foundations of becoming a teacher could help a future SLP. I see applicants freaking out over not getting accepted with 3.8 GPA's and it's very daunting, so it's nice to see someone with a 3.54 get into so many schools!

Side note -- it drives me crazy how competitive this field is! Non SLP majors think anything above a 3.0 is a competitive GPA, but we have people freaking out in fear of not getting in to grad school with GPA's in the 3.5's through .8's!

Thanks  

I had a lot of trouble too making up my mind; I ended up with 3 minors for that reason. I think almost anything can be relevant to SLP if you think about it in the right way. 

My hispanic literature classes taught me about different ways to experience the world (So important in working with CLD populations). Linguistic classes study a lot of the same aspects of language, just with a different perspective or goal in mind. My Ed minor was great all around for SLP. For example, In Ed Psych I saw the same fundamental theories (Cognitivism, Social interactionism, Behaviorism, etc) from similar perspectives which is great now as I apply those theoretical frameworks to therapy. Biology and chemistry would be so valuable in understanding the fundamentals of neural signaling. You can study a lot of things and it still be relevant to SLP.  As for what is most helpful - it depends on you and what you need. I would advise the following:

1) Find out what it takes to be a good grad student

2) Find out what it takes to be a good SLP

3) Find out which of those things you already have and which you're lacking

4) For the things you're lacking, find experiences (maybe a specific class, minor, or major! Maybe a summer internship!) that will give you those skills. 

5) Once you've got that covered, think about what excites you and study that even more. (for me it's bilingualism, so I learned other languages. If its Med.SLP for you, get some medical terminology classes, if its voice feminization therapy, take a gender theory class). 

Does that make sense? I could tell you what was valuable for me, but it'll be different for you. Maybe you need to work on your writing (so important for grad school). Or maybe you need to work on your people skills (so important as an SLP!). You know yourself and your needs better than I. 

Last note, lots of people freak out over GPA and that's because it is an easy thing to look at/compare and easy to stress over. Personal statements are harder to judge and compare, but they're infinitely more meaningful to a committee when they're trying to get to know you. I'd take a kick-ass personal statement over a kick-ass GPA any day. 

[bettafish293]

@mcamp Thank you! I will definitely be taking your advice moving forward.