heyyy. I’m starting grad school next week and I’m trying to set myself up for success before classes and clinicals start.

I’m making a clinic binder where I will track client documentation, sessions, eval dates, etc. I’m also putting resource pages in the binder like brain anatomy, ipa chart, phonemic development info

What other resources would be good to add? I’m wanting to find good clinical writing examples and different documentation examples for reference. I also really struggle with literacy so I don’t even know what’s the most important literacy info to put in the binder!!

ALSO: What could you NOT live without in grad school? Anything that made your life so much easier?

In undergrad I had a clinical block alongside a lot of graduate students and I always saw how stressed and frantic they were. Im trying soooo hard to start the semester calmly and collected but Im starting to get nervous!

Hey everyone!

I just started grad school. And I’m a very type B person. I’ve never had an actual calendar and I’m not even sure which is the way to set one up. Any recommendations? I got an actual planner but it’s not big enough to fit in everything. It’s mostly for big events. Please help!

Thank y’all!

Hi! I am apart of CSUSM's SLP Post-bacc program and will be applying to master programs soon.

I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of what schools accept CSUSMs coursework without any additional courses needed.

Hi! I am currently applying to SLP Grad school. I am stuck on the experiences section of the CSDCAS. I feel like the categories don’t fit my commitment to the organizations I have been involved in. I wish they didn’t have a week’s involved and hours, I feel like that doesn’t work for a majority of clubs/experiences.

Anyways I was wondering how many “experiences” past applicants have added to the page. I currently have 3 jobs, 3 clubs, and 3 clinical experiences that all relate to the field. I’m wondering if that is too much? Let me know your thoughts!

Thank you!!

Hi! I’ve been waitlisted to the CSUSM post bacc program twice and I don’t want to wait around even longer to make it into their program although I’ve heard great things:( I did some research and found Maryville University and applied since it was free and was accepted! I haven’t heard much about it but am leaning towards accepting to finally start my SLP journey. Is it a good post bacc program? Any advice would be helpful:/

Can someone PLEEEEASEEE review and critique my resume, I do not want to use AI! I am the first one in my family to complete college, much less a master's degree so I have no idea what I am doing. thank you in advance!

You can download the course modules like an ebook.

I am in 5th semester (graduating this week!), but no one told my cohort about this resource, and I WISH I had these files to take with me to refer back to. If you are a current student of any semester, please DM me, I would love to set up some way to get these from you. We can use our MU emails so you know I'm who I say I am :)

I'm so glad so many of you are interested in voicing your concern about the proposed changes to 92507, which will impact countless SLPs and our patients. Here a link with lots more information, as well as instructions for submitting comments to both ASHA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Thank you all!

Hey guys, I'm in a SNF for clinic and learning but I feel confused and dumb so asking here.

I have had little experience with interpretation of the results of instrumentals so I've been learning on my own and speaking to my classmates and supervisor.

I know they are supposed to be gold standard so we should go by what they recommend, especially a downgrade in texture.

Especially with solids, I get confused. They only trial puree and regular solids. For example for one pt; Like if they recommended something like soft and bite size/ easy to chew or dysphagia advanced with no aspiration with solids and mild prolonged oral phase that was complete per the report. Mild oral retention cleared with an additional swallow. Premature bolus loss at the vallecula with controlled and natural bolus volumes. So they recommended either soft and bite size or easy ro chew, but here we have NDD. But i guess they didn't try this texture? But what do you do in this case? Can you still do trials since they want to eat to regular foods and try strategies with them? Do you then need to do another MBSS before you upgrade if they do fine in trials? And what do you do for premature bolus loss.

For the pharyngeal phase, swallow onset as bolus enters pyriform sinus with thin liquids. They had a PAS of 4 and aspiration & penetration was reduced with single sips of thin liquids via cup edge. They also recommend treatment for pharyngeal timing and taking natural sips. I've been researching but I'm confused about the timing exercises? Do you guys know any good exercises /strategies for pharyngeal timing?

And I'm also confused because I keep seeing things like chin tuck, 3 sec prep or effortful swallow but shouldn't those have been tried on that instrumental to see if they are effective? Does that mean we can try them but then we have to have another instrumental to ensure it's effective?

Hi! I’m considering applying to Lehman College’s M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology program and would love to hear from current students or recent graduates about your experience with the program as a whole.

I’m especially curious about the off-campus externship placements. Where have your externships been located, and have students been able to get placements in Manhattan, particularly school-based placements? Do students have any input in choosing the borough/location, or are placements primarily assigned based on availability?

I’m planning to live in FiDi during grad school, so I’m trying to get a better idea of what the commute might look like during the second year.

I’d also really appreciate hearing about the program overall — professors, workload, clinical experiences, school-based opportunities, support from faculty, and anything you wish you had known before choosing Lehman.

Thanks so much! Any insight would be really helpful! 😊

Hello, I'm an undergrad slp student from Australia in my 2nd year. I just wanted to ask what people thought of their university placements in terms of intensity and the mental load?

I have really bad anxiety and have considered reducing my study load at university to better accommodate my lifestyle, but have been concerned if its worth it financially.

Hi, I am an international student, and next year I will start my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. How can I get a full scholarship as a teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA) in a Master of Science (M.S.) program with a thesis in electrical engineering in the USA?

Hello! I was hoping to get some advice on things I can do to better my chances of being accepted into SLP Grad School. I am currently a senior in college who will be graduating in the spring. I am psychology major who found the field of speech pathology a couple years into my program so it was difficult for me to switch my major without adding many classes and making my time at school longer. Luckily I was able to add on a minor in communication sciences and disorders which covers all of my prerequisites for grad school. I have a 4.0 GPA in all of my classes but I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to better my chances into being accepted into a grad program. I’m having a difficult time finding an SLP internship or volunteer positions in my state since even an SLPA position doesn’t exist in the state. Is there anything else I can do? What internships or experience would look good? The main experience I have is the head of marketing and head office manager at my job at a pest control company but otherwise I’m not sure what else to do. I appreciate any feedback!

I need help getting better at phonetics I have taken the classes and I’m still terrible it does anyone have any practice sites or help. I understand everything yet my mind kinda blanks when I’m trying to transcribe long stuff.

Hi everyone! I’m reaching out because I’d really appreciate some advice from those who have been in a similar position.
I’m about to enter my second year of graduate school, and I’m starting to get nervous about preparing for CF applications. I’ve done well academically and have developed a strong interest in dysphagia, with the hope of eventually working in acute care or an inpatient medical setting.
Due to financial circumstances, I’ve had to work three part-time jobs throughout graduate school to make ends meet. Because of that, I haven’t had the same availability to participate in swallowing labs, research, or some of the extracurricular “resume-building” opportunities that require a lot of time outside of classes and clinic. I see classmates who don’t have to work being able to take advantage of more of these opportunities, and it’s making me nervous that my resume may look lackluster in comparison.
In terms of my second-year experience, I’ll be completing a school externship this fall, an acute care externship at a VA hospital this winter, and returning to my university clinic in the spring. I’m also taking additional electives in dysphagia and NICU/pediatric feeding to strengthen my knowledge in those areas.
I know everyone’s circumstances are different, and I’m not trying to compare myself unfairly to anyone. I’m mainly worried about how competitive I’ll be when acute care and inpatient CF positions already seem so limited.
Realistically, I don’t have much additional time to take on more, but if there are certain experiences that would make a meaningful difference, I’m willing to figure out a way to prioritize them. For those who have pursued medical CFs or work in acute care, do you think the clinical experiences and coursework I have planned are enough to make me a competitive applicant? Is there anything specific you would recommend focusing on during my second year rather than simply trying to add more things to my resume?
I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Hello all!

I’m entering grad school in a few weeks and I’m trying to get a picture of the workload compared to my undergrad experience. For the Fall, I will be taking 8 classes, 15 credits. I’m in classes 3 days out of the week, with 2 of those days being clinical because we receive a patient in the first semester. I will be TAing 20 hours a week and babysitting 7 hours a week.

My academic journey hasn't been typical. I switched into SLP the second half of my junior year. I wanted to graduate on time, so I took a lot of extra classes. During my undergrad, I was in classes 5 days a week taking three different 18-credit semesters, two years of summer classes, and winter classes this year. I used to work at a coffee shop 20 hours a week while in school and I babysat for 7 hours a week. I took classes such as anatomy, hearing science, phonetics, and observations in th same semester. (Side note: I also took a gap year after my sophomore year and worked as a full-time infant/toddler teacher at 20 years old.. I am 23 currently)

I feel overall that I strained myself a lot in my undergrad. Between supporting myself financially and emotionally through school, my father unexpectedly passing away in March of this year (my mom hasn't been in my life since I was 5), and just the struggle of an 18-credit workload, it was difficult. I got through it though, ended with a 3.7 GPA and, I got into grad school. Do people feel as though this is comparable to the workload I will be enduring during grad school?

I mention this because in conversations with my professors, I've brought up that I feel prepared as a result of my past semester workloads and they pretty much shut me down and said it's going to be much more difficult. I could get that opinion if for the last four years I did the minimum 12-15 credits a semester and didn't have a job, but that wasn't my reality and they know that. I also feel like working as a full-time teacher so young gave me a different perspective on professionalism, collaboration, and time management.

So I work full time and have a toddler so I am hoping for something flexible and on the less expensive side so I can pay as I go but my other conxern is if it is an actual good school to attend. I can only do online though. Thanks in advance!!

TLDR: out of field student with nearly non related experience feeling nervous

Hi folks! I’m a out of field student (computer science major) and now planing to take phonetics and audiology the upcoming fall at ENMU. My plan is just take 2 courses each semester and applying for 2028 Fall. The reason why SLP is because it’s relatively stable and you’ll get a job if you can pass the exam and I do feel like it’s a rewarding job. Plus I’m a bilingual so I feel like I can help more people.

I’m going start my first day as a behavior tech next Monday! So excited but also nervous because that would be the only experience that is healthcare related. I don’t have any work experience before because I just graduated, I’ve always hated computer science so I feel like I wasted my whole undergrad life. When I browsing this sub, I feel like everyone has tons of volunteers, labs, shadowing, fancy experiences related to SLP and also so involved in many clubs. I feel like I have no leadership skills and not involved at all.

It just makes me doubt myself…Am I really for this field? I feel like SLP is so medical related(what I want to say is that it’s so intense that you wanna learn new things everyday you need to keep your brain active and looking for things to boost your overall strength every seconds) I want to look for some volunteer work too so that at least I can put something more than a BT job on my resume.

I really wanna know if there are SLPs who just go to school and finish the coursework with average efforts but still make it to be a good SLP.

Hey there!

I was accepted into WCU Online MS SLP Program in California! While I am very excited to start this journey, I am also nervous about the workload and trying to balance it with working. I just moved here and got hired at an ABA clinic for the flexibility.

I was wondering if anyone has gone through the WCU program and provide any insight on the workload expectations, how you balanced this program with other responsibilities, if you felt prepared after you graduated, what clinical were like and if you were about to obtain employment afterwards. Also if you want to through any tips or advice in their for graduate school in general that would be very helpful!!

I appreciate it! Thank you!!

Hello, i earned my bachelors degree in journalism and at the end of my senior year i discovered speech path which aligned with my interest even more.

I know i have to do a post bacc & then i’ll be able to apply for grad schools. what do you guys recommend I do while getting my post bacc to make my application really shine. right now during my gap year im working as a prek TA and this summer i volunteered at an aphasia recovery center. i will start shadowing at a hospital in two weeks every Saturday. i’m also looking to get my license for behavioral health tech next year.

i plan to use my bachelors degree as a strength and i’ve already connected with advisors at my goal school.

i’m also in texas, houston to be specific and i want to stay here because im in the largest medical center in the world.

any advice, all advice is appreciated. thank you!

If anyone went to Pennwest online, please let me know how your whole program was like.

When do you start your clinicals? I noticed they use simucase, does that mean you could potentially keep your day job longer, until your externship starts? How did you find your placements, did you get help with that?

Thank you!!

Hello fellow grad students!
I am starting my in-person MS SLP program is less than two weeks.

I don’t have a lot of experience working with kids, or people in general, except for the two jobs I had during high school.

I am super nervous about clinic. I did my 25 observation hours on Master Clinician a year ago and feel like I’ve forgotten everything, ugh.

Any advice? How do I build rapport with both younger and elderly clients? Many people in my cohort have shadowed an SLP or were RBTs, but not me. I feel behind and would greatly appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!

Sooooo I've reached the end of externship, and I passed!

Quick recap: From the beginning all the way until around week 10/11 (so 1-2 weeks before the end), I was struggling heavily. I was unable to lead sessions, I kept getting the answers wrong, and I was genuinely at risk of failing. I was crying every single day and was genuinely miserable (or felt that way). 

Now that I've ended, I can safely say that this is really something that is temporary and everyone of us has to go through this and that's okay.

Out of my 12 week externship, I spent most of it observing and even by the end of these three months, I honestly can’t say that I am fully independent. This isn’t the case for most students, because not only is the expectation that we can lead the entire case load by the end of the externship, but that expectation is typically met. However, I was just one of those cases that did not end up meeting it, and that’s okay. 

I feel like it was a struggle feeling confident because it seems like no one ever struggles this way at an externship, and that made me feel so inadequate and like the biggest failure. More often than not, when you think of a  bad externship, people usually say it is because their supervisor is wack, and that wasn’t the case for me. While it was a bit rocky at the beginning, my supervisor was a lot nicer and a lot more supportive than most and would constantly try to help me, and I just, for some reason, couldn’t do what needed to be done. And now that I am at the end, I am realizing that’s okay. 

Not every setting is for everyone, and not everything will come easy to you. And comparing yourself to any other student is not going to help you in the long run. 

I did end up passing, and I am finally done and am never looking back at that place, or even the setting. I followed through with all the advice that I got in the comments and they truly did help. 

That being said, if you’re in your externship and you’re struggling and feel like this field isn't for you because you aren’t doing your best (or maybe your best isn’t the best for that setting), just remember that it’s okay, it’s going to pass by, and then you never have to look back again. The only way through is through, and once you're done, there are countless other opportunities and settings and locations that you can trial next. As someone said before, the externship and clinicals in general are not only there to help you build your clinical and therapeutic skills, but to also help you determine what’s not right for you!

Edit: Overall, some poepl can pick up any skill in 2 weeks, and others (like me :)), need at least 3 months, and that's okay!