First Impressions

So, here I am, in week 2 as a first year grad student. I have successfully made the adjustment from employee/student to grad assistant/graduate student. In the last two and a half weeks, I have gone to the SLP orientation, met with my academic adviser, registered for classes, bought textbooks, met with my TA supervisor, got my first clinic assignment, studied my client's file, met with my clinic supervisor, and went to classes. Whoa. It's been an adventure.

At Ithaca, we begin our clinical practicum first semester of first year. I like this because I feel that I will greatly benefit from as many semesters of experience as I can get under my belt before the outside placements during the spring semester of year two. So this semester, I will have my very first client, one on one in the clinic on campus! It's a crazy thought for a girl who was told at the beginning of her journey that she'd never make it to grad school.

Anyway, I have a few thoughts about grad school so far that might be helpful to anyone thinking about going someday. First, try as hard as you can to visit your school before you accept a spot there. My first impression of IC were very accurate, and I am so glad that I was able to get a preview of what my time would be like here while on my tour. My first thought about the clinic was: ideal. It was updated and modern, unlike some of the other clinics I had seen, and it had everything nicely fit within a relatively small space (clinic rooms, sound booths, voice lab, observation rooms, etc). Ithaca had a great clinic. Not only was the clinic impressive, but my tour guide and co-assistant chair of the department was more than happy to answer any questions I had and to encourage me during my application process. Now, I find that IC's faculty and staff in the SLPA department are all friendly, encouraging, and very intelligent. All of my professors, I feel confident, are ready to prepare us for the field--not to trick us on tests, or make us do busy work, no, they want us to do well and they want us to know our stuff. It's quite exciting. I'm also a nerd.

Second, don't freak out too much about clinic. So this is actually something I've had to repeat to myself for the last two weeks. And honestly, I'm still repeating it. My first client is AAC. I don't have any experience with AAC at all, and I haven't completed any clinic hours yet (FYI: ASHA requires you to have 400 clinical hours by the time you receive your Master's degree). So reflecting on my inexperience and the fact that I will be planning treatments and goals for an individual in just a few days, I tend to be inclined to freakout. But then I take a step back and think about the individual, my client. This is another person, and people I have experience with. My whole life up until this point has consisted of interacting with people in different settings and for various purposes, so this is just another experience. A new one. I'm sure that everyone can relate, and this is why we shouldn't freak out about clinic. Also, we have an awesome team of faculty or staff members behind us to help us figure out how to serve our clients and to guide us to success! So each time I'm ready to run for the hills from worrying, I try to remember these things.

Third, there are some things you have to consider that you didn't think of before. Just be prepared for point number 3, no matter how vague it might seem. I came here with a budget, lists of things I'd need, and expectations in my mind of how things would go. So far, things are very different than I thought they would be--and this isn't a bad thing! There are things you just don't know to think about in advance, but you will figure it out along the way. Here's a list of a few physical objects I didn't even consider working into my school supplies budget:

1. Children's books
You'll probably want these for use with kids or maybe even adults. You can use them for reading passages for assessment or therapy, but they are just a nice tool to have for your own stash of SLP supplies. Fun tip: I got about 30 books from my local thrift store, and only 1 was over a dollar!

2. White board
I didn't even think to buy a white board for therapy, but it's essential for my client, and I'm sure will be useful for many others as well. I'm also planning on buying a large mirror for artic therapies, but I don't need one quite yet.


3. Snacks
My client will be with me for over an hour once every week, so my client needs breaks. And snacks. She loves her snack time and it acts as a reward time in and of itself. You might need to have some snacks on hand for your clinical time. Note: be sure to get any dietary needs from your client before you get snacks for them.


4. Voice recorder
I actually cheated here. I already had a voice recorder from when I did voice lessons in undergrad (it was fun!), but I know that some people might not even think to buy one on their own. Not everyone at IC has one, but I think it's a great thing to add to your supplies stash so that you have it when you do need it.


5. iPad
I've never owned anything Apple related in my life. I am, though, planning on purchasing an iPad next fall before I start my externship semester (Spring of second year). The reason why I'm planning on going iPad is because the App Store has so so sooooo many apps for SLPs. More than what Android is offering. Also, my very first client uses an iPad as her AAC device. There's an app right on there that you can program for them! And she has the same app on her iPad at home. So right off the bat, I feel like my future purchase is justified! It's going to be such an awesome tool to use in therapy. I can't wait to explore it! Note: Buying in October or November (Black Friday!) is the most cost effective way to go. Apple usually releases the new model in October, so the previous year's model goes on sale after that. Or you could wait for the deals for Black Friday, because I know there are some great ones out there then. One of the reasons I want to get one while I'm still in school is because you can get a discount for being a student from Apple iteself. So check out all of your options if you're looking to buy one of those pricey tablets.

So these are just a few of my thoughts thus far into my program. I absolutely love my school and department, and feel so privileged to be here. And I am definitely feeling the support from all of my mentors/faculty members. I wish you the same in your own journeys to grad school!

Applying for Grad School: Where to Start?

As I'm changing my address, packing up my life, and getting ready to move for grad school, I'm also thinking about where I was last year at this time. At the end of my summer semester, I was just getting ready to start gathering my grad school app materials together. How crazy is that?

So I thought this might be the right time for me to share three ways that might help you get on top of the applying process, stay organized, and just be successful in the process overall:

1. Get Your Info

So first things first, you'll want to use ASHA's life-saving tool: EdFind. The best way to discover schools where you might want to apply is to explore EdFind, and I did it by browsing states that were close to where I lived at the time: PA and NY. Once you click on the state you want, a list of schools will come up for you to choose from. The page for each school will tell you what degrees are offered there and other really helpful bits of info like what their MS application requirements are, what the average GRE scores are for their applicants, and who the graduate admissions contact is. These are the types of things you will want to write down and keep easily accessible for your application process, which brings me to my next point.

Here's the browsing link for you to follow: EdFind


2. Get Organized

So after I checked out local schools with Masters programs, I made a list of the ones I wanted to apply to. My list had 12 schools initially, but I ended up only applying to 10 of them. So once I had my top schools picked out--and you'll probably want to also visit their websites to determine where you want to apply--I made an Excel spreadsheet that had basic info for each school. Make sure to include things like: school name, mailing address, admissions contact name and email, application deadline, and admissions requirements. Once I started applying, I made an additional page on my spreadsheet for all of the documents required for admissions at each school and when I had sent them in. Doing this will help so much as you get lost in which transcripts you've already sent, and which GRE scores still need to be sent in.



3. Get Your Foot in the Door

Once I started my applications, I tried to figure out how I could set myself apart from all of the other applicants out there. I knew that if I scheduled an interview, that would be an ideal way for the department to remember me...but let me tell you, it is so hard to schedule an interview with Speech Path departments! Everyone I emailed from the contacts provided on EdFind said that the number of applicants was way too large to let people schedule interviews. So I was feeling pretty discouraged AND nervous, until I discovered department tours. Asking for a tour is a whole different approach to getting an "in" with the Speech Path departments at these schools. When you ask for a tour, you are coming from a position where the school needs to appeal to you, rather than you appealing to the school. Well I guess it still works both ways, but for some reason, schools are much more willing to schedule a tour with you to tell you why their program is the best out there, than to let you come and tell them about yourself in an interview.

Luckily, I was able to schedule 4 (out of 10) tours of grad programs to which I wanted to apply. This experience was so very valuable to my application process, so don't miss out by passing up the touring opportunity! The tours provide you with a great opportunity to not only get your foot in the door, but to get a real feel for the programs you are applying to. It's because of tours that my whole preference order for my schools changed. My top choice, which I initially thought was the best school in the area, became my last choice because of the graduate coordinator I met with. I got very bad vibes from the school, and when compared with the other schools I had seen, I realized my top choice was not the best place for me to be. Fortunately for me, I was accepted to 2 of the schools I toured at (and probably would have been accepted to a third if one of my recommendation letters hadn't been lost in the mail), and another I hadn't been able to see. The school I accepted at wasn't initially my first choice, but my tour at the school completely changed my mind. The coordinator was so helpful and knowledgeable, and I immediately felt like it was the ideal program (and school!) for me.


So as you're starting to think about applications, check out EdFind, make yourself a chart or spreadsheet, and get those tours on your calendar! You won't regret taking the time to do any of these things.

What are the options out there?

A huge question when you come from a non-major background is: What Schools Offer Pre-SLP Courses?

When you are looking for schools to fulfill the Masters program pre-reqs, be careful. College is a business. They'll try to get you to take as many classes as they want, just to get more money from you! What you need to know, is that on top of the "major-specific" courses that you have to take in the SLP field, there are some other, general courses required by ASHA.

As of 2014, ASHA requires the following general courses:
1. Biological Science - 3 cr.
    - this could be Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Neuroanatomy, etc.
2. Physical Science - 3 cr.
    - this could be Chemistry or Physics
3. Statistics - 3 cr.
4. Social/behavioral Science - 3 cr.
    - this could be Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, etc.

(For more info on these, and other requirements, see the 2014 SLP Certification page by ASHA)

I ended up choosing to do my courses through La Salle University's Pre-SLP program. And when I started they told me that my Psychology and Sociology courses wouldn't satisfy the requirements. I'd have to take Abnormal Psychology. So this was not true, and I looked online to find out for myself, and I found that they weren't right. I didn't end up applying to their graduate program, but if I did, I would have needed the Abnormal Psych to apply. So, just be careful, and know your facts before you enroll in the online program you end up choosing, and before you apply for graduate school as well.

Some of the online programs out there are as follows:

1. La Salle University

The great thing about La Salle is that it's a very flexible program. I did the majority of my credits through their program, and was able to work 35-40 hours per week at the same time. I typically took 2 courses per semester, although I did take 3 during one fall semester and that was a little more difficult. La Salle's courses mostly focus on Discussion posts, which you must participate in weekly in order to pass the classes. My thoughts on DB (discussion boards) are that if you are going the online route, discussions make it much more exciting to learn than just straight textbook readings. I enjoyed the input and perspectives of the 25-30 students in my classes, it gave me the chance to think a little differently than I would normally. Without the discussions, I find online courses very difficult to engage in or absorb. So I really enjoyed this aspect of La Salle's program. Two other huge bonuses were that tests did not have to be proctored (as of Spring 2015), and you could take any class any semester (for the most part--summers were sometimes more limited). The tests were great because you could pretty much take them whenever, wherever you wanted--very flexible, and that's what I ultimately want if I'm trying to work full time too.

The biggest negative aspect for me with La Salle was that many (but not all) of the professors were barely involved in their classes. Some would just grade your work or open class content each week, but not give you any type of feedback at all. One of the best things about this field is that professors typically have a wealth of experiences to share with their classes, so missing out on that in a number of the La Salle courses was very disappointing. If you take the materials shared by the professors seriously though, you can still learn a lot. Another huge issue I had was with registering for classes and billing. One semester I somehow was just not registered for my classes at all and only found out one week before classes started. These course have max limits, so I got wait-listed and got very nervous that I would be set back a semester (which for grad school apps means an entire year). So I was not happy. Their billing department was also super disorganized. I would wait and wait for my bill to be posted, and call, and wait, and they would sometimes post it after the due date! I never got a late charge, but it was seriously frustrating.

The courses offered by La Salle are listed below, and I've taken them all as part of pre-requisites. The ones I've found that have not been necessary to all of my grad school apps are the last 2, but they were great for additional info about assessment and treatment.

Intro to Language and Communication.................................................3 cr
Intro to Communication Disorders........................................................3 cr
Phonetics................................................................................................3 cr
A&P of Speech and Hearing Mechanisms............................................4 cr
Language Development.........................................................................3 cr
Acoustic Bases of Speech and Hearing.................................................3 cr
Introduction to Audiology.....................................................................3 cr
Neurological Bases of Communication and Behavior..........................3 cr
Clinical Procedures in Speech and Language Pathology......................4 cr
Diagnostic Procedures in Speech and Language Pathology.................4 cr

For more info about La Salle's Pre-SLP program, click here.



2. Utah State University

USU's online program is pretty impressive. It's got 1st Bachelor's Degree, 2nd Bachelor's Degree, and Non-Degree options, so it can literally apply for anyone. I am currently (Summer 2015) taking one of my last pre-requisite courses through their non-degree program (all I had to do was fill out some minimal paperwork and pay the fee for 3 undergrad credits--way cheaper than La Salle). It's definitely no where near as flexible as La Salle's program. USU's tests are proctored, and there's a much tighter schedule for assignments being turned in. In case you don't know, proctoring is when you have to go somewhere (like a public library, educational institution, or government institution) and have an individual certified by your school give you the exam (or open it for you to take). This person monitors you while you take it to ensure that you don't cheat, and you will likely have to pay a fee for using a proctor. Not fun or remotely cool. This makes life a little more difficult, and is a major reason why I'm glad that I'm only taking one course at USU. Even though I'm only taking one class through them (and another through a different school), it's been tough working 35 hours a week with this class.

Although a major weakness for their program is lack of flexibility, I am impressed with my professor for the class that I am taking this summer. He is very on top of replying to students and providing help, his lectures and all the class information is available from the start of the semester, and he has us doing very hands-on lab assignments throughout the semester, which are so cool! It's nice to finally be doing something in the field besides observing a session or watching a video (the curse of learning online). Utah offers quite a few courses online, you can take them any semester you want (I think), and you can check out each syllabus on their website. I am taking the Disorders of Articulation and Phonology course, check out the list below for all of the courses offered at USU:

Speech, Language, and Hearing Development...............................................3 cr
Fundamentals of Anatomy for Speech and Language....................................3 cr
Phonetics/Developmental Phonology.............................................................3 cr
Language Science...........................................................................................3 cr
Disorders of Articulation and Phonology.......................................................3 cr
Acoustics and Anatomy of the Ear.................................................................3 cr
Speech Science...............................................................................................3 cr
Observation/Grad Prep...................................................................................2 cr
Basic Audiology.............................................................................................3 cr
Assessment & Treatment of Children with Communicative Disorders.........3 cr
Language Assessment & Intervention for Preschool Children......................3 cr
Aural Rehabilitation.......................................................................................3 cr

For more info about their programs, click here.


3. Longwood University

Longwood's program is flexible, just like La Salle's so I really enjoy that so far in the semester (Summer 2015). There are no discussions, or very few for my course at Longwood, however the instructor is very involved in the class so far. She's already given feedback on just an intro post, which is nice to see. She also seems like she will be assigning some great, hands-on assignments, so that's a plus as well. Longwood doesn't have proctored tests, which I love, and makes a working girl's life just a bit easier.

I haven't had nearly as much to do yet for this class, in comparison with USU's course, so I don't have quite as much to say. However, I definitely am a fan of the flexibility so far, and registering for my class was very easy as well. Also, something to be aware of, Longwood's courses are only offered during certain semesters, so you can't just take whatever you want whenever you want. My course was luckily offered the semester I needed (Summer), but it's not offered any other semester. So be careful with their course schedule when looking into their program. I'm only taking one (Phonology and Language Disorders) so I did not have to apply at all. Courses offered by Longwood include:

Introduction to Communication Disorders................3 cr
Language Development.............................................3 cr
Morphology and Syntax............................................3 cr
Phonetics...................................................................3 cr
A&P of Speech and Hearing Mechanisms................3 cr
Phonology and Language Disorders.........................3 cr
Introduction to Audiology........................................3 cr
Speech Science.........................................................3 cr
Neurology in Communication..................................3 cr

To learn more about Longwood's program, click here.


These are just 3 schools that I have experience with taking pre-requisites online. I can't speak for any other schools out there, but I know there are more. I did a thorough search online when I was looking for my last two pre-requisites to get into grad school for the fall, and luckily the last two that I needed were offered online during the summer. Be very careful to check the availability of the classes you want to take, because not all schools are like La Salle and USU--which offer their classes pretty much every semester. Many are like Longwood, which only offers certain classes during certain semesters.

If anyone knows of any other schools with good online programs, feel free to comment about your experience below.

In the Beginning...

I always loved science and English in school. People thought it was weird because those two subjects apparently don't mix well. So when it came to picking a major as I applied for undergrad programs, I decided to start out with Biology, and if I didn't like it, it'd be easier to switch to English than the other way around later on.

My first semester at Grove City College in the Fall of 2009 revealed that I just wasn't cut out for Bio. Too much about cells and stuff that I just didn't care about. Anatomy was my true passion when it came to science. I loved learning about how my body was put together to make my everyday functioning possible. Anyway, Spring of 2009 I was happily a new English major. And I stayed that way through to my graduation in 2013.

By the time I started trying to figure out how I'd use my major in a job, I was wondering what exactly I could do that would satisfy my interests. And I wasn't coming up with much. I would have probably liked to go into publishing, but that business is changing so much these days. I just didn't feel it would be a safe career choice for me.

Advanced Grammar during my senior year showed me an area of my major that I hadn't thought about before: language, development, and phonetics. I was quickly convinced that this might be an area that would capture my interests but needed to figure out what that looked like in the employment field. And so I discovered Speech-Language Pathology.

I started researching how to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and I found out what requirements I'd have to satisfy:

1. a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology
2. pass the Praxis exam
3. completion of a Clinical Fellowship Year following graduation
4. CCC's (Certificate of Clinical Competence)

To find out more, you should visit the ASHA certification webpage, and also check out the State-by-State requirements for your state.

At this point, I figured that my next step was getting my Masters degree. In order to get a Masters in Speech Path, there are a list of requirements, most of which I did not yet have:

1. undergraduate pre-requisite courses such as:
    a. Intro to Communication Disorders
    b. Phonetics
    c. Anatomy & Physiology of Speech and Hearing
    d. Intro to Audiology
    e. Neurological Bases of Speech and Hearing
    f. Language Disorders
    g. Articulation Disorders
2. 20 hours of clinical observation hours (with signature of a certified SLP)
3. GRE test scores
4. GPA of at least 3.0 (and many average GPAs of applicants are much higher)

Now, each grad program you apply to will likely require different pre-requisite courses, but most of the ones that I applied to required the ones I listed above. Additionally, the clinical observation hours should be a mix of adult and pediatric, with as great a variety of disorders as you can manage. This might be difficult if you are doing your classes online (like I did), but all I can tell you is to call around at hospitals and schools to try to find people who will let you come and observe.

So with the knowledge above, which I found over the course of hours of reading up online, I decided to enroll in an online Pre-SLP program to get my pre-requisites. Not what I hoped to be doing when I graduated in 2013, when I had originally hoped to be done with school forever! But I don't regret my decisions, and at that point in my life, I was beginning a journey that would direct me towards an amazing career field.



Up Next: What Schools Offer Pre-SLP Courses?

How I got here

Senior year of college, I found myself in an Advanced Grammar class. Despite the horror some might feel at the idea, I had actually chosen this class. It was between Literary Criticism and Advanced Grammar, and I chose grammar.

I graduated from Grove City College, a small Christian school near Pittsburgh, PA in 2013. My undergrad was in English (no, not English Ed.), and I had little to no idea what I'd be doing with my life come May. Until Advanced Grammar. Where I discovered language development, Noam Chomsky, and phonetics. I quickly became fascinated and wanted to learn more about these things, but the videos we watched in class all had to do with research...and I did NOT want to do research. I wanted hands on. Working with kids. And learning lots of things I didn't know already about language.

I should also mention that my biggest decision in college up until this point was choosing between science (anatomy especially) and English (mostly for the language, and also literature). I have always loved both, despite how "weird" it was for me to be interested in them both. People who like science like math. And people who like Enlgish are more artsy. You can't like both.

That's what I had been hearing for most of my adolescent life, and I believed that everyone was right. Science and language don't really mix. They don't go together at all. Well, luckily Speech Pathology proved me--and everyone else--wrong.

As soon as I discovered that there was a career path that wouldn't make me choose between science and language, I knew I found the right place for me. So in the spring of my senior year (2013), I started a new journey. I learned that schools offered post-bacc programs to get students like me the undergraduate credits to get into grad school. And I also learned that the field was crazy competitive, due to limited seating in graduate programs. I had managed to come out of undergrad with no student loans, but this new path would definitely cost me. So I had my second huge decision to make: would I take the risk in a new field?

It was a hard choice. Lots of people thought I was crazy. I just got my Bachelor's degree, why would I want to do this to myself? Well, seeking council from people in the field already, I talked to three SLPs that spring. The first two were fully supportive of my crazy plan to enroll in a post-bacc program and get the pre-reqs I'd need for grad school. The last, a guy who was supposed to be an employment counselor, was just terrible. I can't remember how I found his information, but I emailed him, seeking some type of positive guidance or encouragement. Instead, I got a haughty and rude response, where he basically told me I was making a huge mistake and that I'd never get into a graduate program.

I'm sharing my back story here because I want to speak out to people looking for encouragement who come from a background like mine. An English major, from a small school, with an average undergrad GPA, who had to take pre-reqs from another school in order to get into graduate school.

You can do this. Despite what Negative Nancys might tell you, if you work hard and want to break into the field because you know it's what you're meant to do, you can definitely get into graduate school. I'm starting this blog in the hopes that my experiences will be an encouragement to students--whether you have the undergrad in Speech Path, or not--those looking for just a little reassurance that they are not crazy for trying to pursue such a competitive career. I'll be sharing sporadically, so stay tuned.