Should I get a B.A.? before grad school

[Cheshire727]

Recently I've been considering going back to school for speech pathology. I have a B.A. in Psychology but I have been out of school for two years already and I still can't find a job. It's been really discouraging which is why I've been thinking lately about going back for a different degree. I've been looking at the schooling requirements for this field and I know that I will end up having to take about a year to take the prerequisites that I'll need to take before I apply for my masters. But the thing is, that I think now it looks like I have all of the classes that I would need to take to earn a B.A. except for all of the speech pre-req classes that I'm going to need to take anyway. So, my question is do you think that it would be worth it for me to go back and get my Bachelor's? I'm 27 now, do you think it would be worth going back for a 2nd B.A. at my age? Do you think I'm too old? Right now, I'm thinking that it would probably take me 3 semesters (plus one summer in between my first and second semester) to complete this.

I think I'm just having a lot of anxiety about what it's going to be like. It just seems like it's going to be a really intense few years of my life and even though I do feel like this is something that I would be interested in doing, I'm just worried that I won't be able to handle the school aspect of it, especially once I'm able to start grad school.

Does anyone have any advice?

Edited September 9, 2017 by Cheshire727

[CBG321]

It isn't necessary to go back and get a second Bachelor's degree, however not getting a post-baccalaureate limits the number of schools you can apply to as an out of field student.  Before considering pursuing Speech Pathology keep in mind it is an extremely competitive field.  Take a look at your GPA and take the GRE if your GPA was below 3.6 getting in will be difficult.  Just as hard if not harder than the job with the BA in Psychology.  You'll need 3 letters of recommendation as well, most schools prefer from Professors.

What got you interested in Speech Pathology?  It's a great field but if you are wanting something that is more of a guarantee another field might be easier to get into and gain a job quicker.  You can apply to other Master's programs without prerequisites in the field.  

I'd say at this point it would take at least 4 years since Fall semester has already started so you'd be looking at  start date of Fall 2018 for most programs and then 2-3 years depending on the program IF you get in your first try.  Then 9 months for your CF which you get paid for then regular career.  If you are comfortable with that timeline and have the grades go for it!

[plume]

I agree with the previous poster—there is no real reason to get a second BA. I chose to apply to schools as an out-of-fielder without most prerequisites (but lots of relevant work experience), and that really limited my options of schools, but I was still offered a spot in a handful of programs. I am happy with my choice because it worked for me personally.

Also, I am not sure why you would ask if you're too old! I am 28, and I am not the oldest in my cohort (although, yes, most SLP grad students seem to be fresh out of undergrad).

I can't really comment on your worries about being able to handle school, because it varies so much from person to person. Some people find graduate school very stressful and others find it manageable. That is really only something you can decide, and perhaps an advisor at a local university can help you figure that out. I just finished my first week, and it is very intense and busy already, but I think it will also be completely doable. However, I am very passionate about and interested in the field, so I would make sure you are sure SLP is the field you want to enter before going through the process! There are so many great options in the helping professions.

[BeachySpeechy]

17 hours ago, Cheshire727 said:

Recently I've been considering going back to school for speech pathology. I have a B.A. in Psychology but I have been out of school for two years already and I still can't find a job. It's been really discouraging which is why I've been thinking lately about going back for a different degree. I've been looking at the schooling requirements for this field and I know that I will end up having to take about a year to take the prerequisites that I'll need to take before I apply for my masters. But the thing is, that I think now it looks like I have all of the classes that I would need to take to earn a B.A. except for all of the speech pre-req classes that I'm going to need to take anyway. So, my question is do you think that it would be worth it for me to go back and get my Bachelor's? I'm 27 now, do you think it would be worth going back for a 2nd B.A. at my age? Do you think I'm too old? Right now, I'm thinking that it would probably take me 3 semesters (plus one summer in between my first and second semester) to complete this.

I think I'm just having a lot of anxiety about what it's going to be like. It just seems like it's going to be a really intense few years of my life and even though I do feel like this is something that I would be interested in doing, I'm just worried that I won't be able to handle the school aspect of it, especially once I'm able to start grad school.

Does anyone have any advice?

You'll end up having to take the prerequisites as leveling courses in grad school..so grad school is going to take longer for you to complete and end up being more expensive. Why not take your  prerequsites some place like USU or ENMU (cheaper than leveling courses in grad school) then applying to grad school. 

I'm also curious as to why you have picked speech pathology? You definitely want to make sure this is what you really want to do because it can end up being a very expensive life lesson if you end up not really enjoying it. 

[Crimson Wife]

On 9/9/2017 at 8:01 PM, plume said:

I agree with the previous poster—there is no real reason to get a second BA. I chose to apply to schools as an out-of-fielder without most prerequisites (but lots of relevant work experience), and that really limited my options of schools, but I was still offered a spot in a handful of programs. I am happy with my choice because it worked for me personally.

I totally disagree with the bolded. There is a very big reason to get a 2nd BA: cost savings. You will have to take the leveling classes regardless of whether you do them at the undergraduate level or the graduate level. And the tuition is quite a bit higher if you take them at the graduate level. For some schools, you could be looking at a $25+k difference doing the 3 year "extended" master's vs. the 2nd BA + the standard 2 year master's.

Pretty much the only reason I can see for doing an extended master's is that you know for sure that you have a slot in grad school. Doing the 2nd bachelor's there is a risk that you will finish the leveling courses and then not get accepted to a master's. Whether that risk is worth taking in order to save $$$$ depends on how confident you feel about your chances. I took the GRE early on in the 2nd bachelor's and knew I had competitive scores plus a decent GPA in my 1st degree. So for me, it was a no-brainer to take leveling the courses at the cheaper UG tuition rather than paying a ton more to do a 3 year "extended" master's.

[plume]

16 minutes ago, Crimson Wife said:

I totally disagree with the bolded. There is a very big reason to get a 2nd BA: cost savings. You will have to take the leveling classes regardless of whether you do them at the undergraduate level or the graduate level. And the tuition is quite a bit higher if you take them at the graduate level. For some schools, you could be looking at a $25+k difference doing the 3 year "extended" master's vs. the 2nd BA + the standard 2 year master's.

Pretty much the only reason I can see for doing an extended master's is that you know for sure that you have a slot in grad school. Doing the 2nd bachelor's there is a risk that you will finish the leveling courses and then not get accepted to a master's. Whether that risk is worth taking in order to save $$$$ depends on how confident you feel about your chances. I took the GRE early on in the 2nd bachelor's and knew I had competitive scores plus a decent GPA in my 1st degree. So for me, it was a no-brainer to take leveling the courses at the cheaper UG tuition rather than paying a ton more to do a 3 year "extended" master's.

Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to take the prerequisites through an undergraduate post-bacc program, rather than to earn a second bachelor's? I did not explain myself there, but I do not think there is a reason to get a second BA rather than just take the prereqs on my own, but correct me if I am wrong. I agree with your comment on it costing more to fulfill prerequisites as a part of your graduate program.

 

[Crimson Wife]

9 hours ago, plume said:

Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to take the prerequisites through an undergraduate post-bacc program, rather than to earn a second bachelor's? I did not explain myself there, but I do not think there is a reason to get a second BA rather than just take the prereqs on my own, but correct me if I am wrong. I agree with your comment on it costing more to fulfill prerequisites as a part of your graduate program.

By the time you've taken all the various courses that grad schools want, you've pretty much finished the 2nd bachelor's (and even finishing the 2nd bachelor's you may be missing pre-reqs for certain schools like several of the Cal States). And with the 2nd bachelor's you may be able to work as a SLPA/SLT or if your state allows it, as a SLP on waiver to help pay for grad school. There are certain programs only available to working SLPA's (like Northern AZ's summers-only program).

Also, if you need financial aid, that is only available to those in a degree program and not non-degree students. I didn't take out loans to pay for my 2nd bachelor's but many of my classmates did.

[KEIM]

I think if you had a low gpa in your first degree it might be beneficial to get a 2nd BA. But I'm curious if others think it's necessary for that scenario. I'm debating it myself. I'm 31 and if you're too old at 27 that I'm not even sure what I'm doing! Lol. I've actually decided to become an SLPA first to ensure this is the field I want to go into.