Fresh Meat

So, you're newly graduated and stressing out about finally being apart of "the real world"... you're NOT alone. 

 

First: BREATH, YOU DID IT! YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO BECOMING A CERTIFIED SLP!!! CONGRATULATIONS!

*Make sure you apply for ASHA membership while you're a student (you get a student discount)! 
http://www.asha.org/Members/Graduate-Student-Membership-Discount/

Helpful job hunting tips:  

• Don't limit yourself! However, don't apply to jobs/places you know you're not interested in, as that is a waste of your time and the employers. 

• Make a portfolio of your best work. Include, your resume, cover letter, letter of recommendations, lesson plans, session notes, diagnostic reports etc. one of each is good enough (employers are usually impressed by this)! 

• Use search engines such as, Indeed.com, Monster, Glassdoor, even Craigslist, and REACH OUT to anyone and everyone you know in the field, even teachers/principles can sometimes be helpful!  

• Make phone calls if you want more information, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and talk to people (I know we live in a world where texting and emailing has become the norm but despite that my experience has found that speaking to people is the best way to get the information you need).

• Once you receive a call/email for an interview do NOT freak out!

• Remember to prepare for academic questions as well as personal ones such as the most famous question, "tell me about yourself?" or "What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?"

• Don't be shy to reach out to your professors and ask them for help, or to alumni students who have recently graduated from your school (since they most likely are more familiar with the process). Also you could always comment on this blog and leave ANY questions you have and we will do our best to answer! 

• Lastly, stay positive! Even if you do not get the first job, or the second, or the one you thought would be the 'perfect' job don't be discouraged. Remember why you entered this wonderful field and know that you will find your place, and when you do it will be awesome! 

GOOD LUCK!!!  

P.S. This post is bittersweet, as we have now both graduated with our Master's in SLP, we are no longer students (although we will always be students at heart), therefore we will be saying so long  to our "students for students" blog. 
Thank you! 

THE CHECKLIST

Hey Speechies,

Finals are over, and it's finally that special time of year... No, not the holidays... GRADUATE APPLICATION TIME!! Many of you have asked us to blog a checklist of what you have to prepare and send to graduate schools. SOO here we go!

For each school of our choice, you will need the following:

• Transcripts
  
• 2nd Bachelor Degree transcripts (if you are a second B.A.)
• Transcripts from abroad (if you studied abroad)
• Your most polished resume -- make sure to attach it/send it in accordingly
  
• Personal statement (answer specific questions, and stick to length limits)
  
• Recommendations 
• GREs (Fun fact: GRE's stand for: Graduate Record Examination)
• TESOL Exam scores (if you are required to take them)

Although it's less luck than just hard work, good luck everyone!

Grab a Buddy, Go Study!

Finals time is around the corner, and you will come prepared. 

   Studying is terrible. HOWEVER, if you do it correctly you can benefit immensely! In fact, when people ask us how we met, and how we began our blog we happily reply that it was STUDYING that brought us together! You read that correctly: STUDYING! 

   After a very challenging lesson, we separately went to the library and opened our textbooks in despair :(. We found each other there, and decided to study together and realized that it actually improved our test scores!  
      Later that semester, we became closer friends which was both a pro and a con. The con was that we would talk too much and get distracted, but the pro was that we brainstormed the idea to create this wonderful blog... So some advice about studying with friends is that it can be done effectively--as long as you stay ON TASK.

That brings us to our next point:

MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS! 

      That means that as soon as you're done reading this blog, commenting on it, and sharing it with your friends, you will stop surfing the internet, watching TV, and get your study plan ready. 

      We find it best to begin as early as possible in reading the exam material, even if you are not memorizing every term, you are familiarizing yourself with the text, and absorbing more than you know. 

      Research show that studying with peers can improve students' understanding of class material. Maybe two-oo-oo is better than one...

      Also remember not to let one exam get you down-- we all have our strengths and we know what we have to focus on more...

Our tips especially for you:

• Shut your phone off!
• We believe that you can get more done in half an hour without electronics than in an hour plugged in.
• Work out!
• Don't neglect your body, and remember that exercise promotes learning.
• Give yourself regular breaks!
• You deserve it!
• Listening to music could be beneficial, but be careful not to get distracted. Pnina's personal favorite is white noise. 

Don't stress too much, before you know it, it'll all be over! 

Feel free to share your own tricks with us in our comment section!! 

Good Luck!!!

BELIEVE, ACHIEVE, SUCCEED!

     The semester started and you realize either that your GPA is lower than you wanted or that you're struggling in a specific class. Everyone around you is stressing about the numbers and while grades ARE important you can only do the best that you can do.

     There have been some people asking us if they should change their major because they are worried about their GPA. However, there have also been many professors who have told us to focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses.  

      So if you feel that your grades aren't showing your true potential, then show it through other means!!! EVERYONE has something to offer!

      Rejection is bound to happen sometime. We have to decide what we're going to do when faced with it. And you?

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!    

                                                         Yours Truly,

                                                               SLP Nation 

Roadmap to Success

Hey Future Speech Pathologists! 
Summer has flown by faster than ever! It's time to get back into the groove of school...
This summer, we had different speech internships and took our GREs... If this sounds like something you want to do, you came to the right place! All you need now is a plan! 

STEP 1:

Declare the major--- depending on what college you are in, you may have to apply for the undergraduate program.

STEP 2:

Join the NSSLHA Chapter at your school (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association). Here you will find information that will help you work toward your undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

STEP 3:

Do your best to keep your GPA up.

If you are having any trouble in any classes, use school resources for tutoring, or ask your new friends you meet at NSSLHA meetings for guidance.

STEP 4:

Around Junior Year, you should start thinking about Graduate School.

Already???

Yes.

Here are some things to take into consideration:

·      The programs you choose to apply to should be legit. Make sure they’re accredited places!

• Here is a link to ASHA's list of accredited programs and requirements for each program: Click here for specific Graduate School Information!

• Click here for a link that can tell you a little bit about different graduate schools in your area and their rankings compared to other programs. 
• For Speech Pathology, you click Health under PROGRAM, and Speech-Language Pathology under SPECIALTY RANKING.
• You may enter your preferred location and SEARCH!

·      Location is KEY! Are you willing to venture outside your hometown to find the best program suited for you?

·      It’s not about the money, money, money… but think about the money. Practically, what are your options? Some schools offer scholarships, so take advantage!

·      Consider your future: will you study full time or part time?

·      Take note of requirements for each program (prerequisites, GPA, GRE scores, personal statement) and fulfill them!

·      Think about which professors you want ask for letters of recommendation, try to take these professors more than once, and develop relationships with them.

STEP 5:

Your second semester as a Junior should be action-packed.

This semester, you should be finding a relevant summer opportunity, getting a head start on your GRE studies, getting recommendations, and writing your personal statement:

Summer planning (refer to our previous blog)- this summer can be the summer you will learn more about yourself in the Speech Language Pathology Field, and hopefully it will reaffirm your passion for the field (it did for us!). In other cases, it may direct you to a completely different career you never considered before, and that’s okay!

GRE Studies: in our humble opinion, the best time to take your GREs is the summer before you apply to graduate school. It is a time you can focus without having to study for classes!

Recommendations: find out how many recommendations you will need for applications (usually 2).

Give your professors ample time to write your recommendation (remember: your they’re writing recommendations for many students!). Make sure they are committed to you by the end of the semester (before the summer).

Make sure to have supporting materials (rough draft of your personal statement, unofficial transcripts, resume etc.).

Personal Statement:

Highly recommended: take Kaplan’s (free!) Personal Statement Workshop (which may be offered at your school or schools around you).

Brainstorm all the time, and have several people read it before submitting it (possibly your school’s writing center).

STEP 6:

APPLY (make sure to send ALL required materials)

STEP 7:

FOLLOW UP! Check in to verify that all your applications are complete!

STEP 8:

Interviews… but we’ll get there when we get there ;)

                             Good Luck Readers, 

                                       Pnina and Mikhal 

 

Summer Edition: How to Make Your Summers Count

So, you're an undergrad speech student, and you want EXPERIENCE!

     So don't take the lackadaisical (GRE WORD!!) route and, instead, be proactive!!! 
     Need some bolstering (we can never have enough GRE words)? Well, we've made you a whole list of options that you could look into!

• School settings:
• Special Education/Program or Mainstream Schools
• Teacher's assistant
• Personal shadow for a special student
• Observer
• Hospital Setting
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Pediatric/Geriatric Speech Therapy
• Feeding/Swallowing Groups
• Screening/Evaluation Centers
• Research (check your local universities and colleges)
• Speech-Pathology/Audiology Clinical Settings
• Special Needs Camps 
• Nursing Homes
• Abroad Options
• Specialty Clinics (who specialize in: Aphasia, CP, Traumatic Brain Injury, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Lou Gehrig's Disease, etc.)
• Special Internship Programs
• This site has various opportunities- so click here!!

Although summer has already begun, ask around! You never know what could be available! Ask at your local temples/churches/community centers etc. Email your professors! Look through the ads in those parenting magazines that you always ignore! Ask family members and friends for opportunities!

For those of you who have more summers before graduation, plan ahead! For example, some hospitals require applications in March to begin volunteering in the summer.

 Take advantage of this time-- it could lead to future connections and opportunities ;)

                                              Good luck,

                                                      --SLP Nation

Welcome to SLP Nation!

The path to Graduate School:

       As Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD/LCD) majors over the last 2 years we have been looking for an EASY WAY to guarantee our futures at good Speech Language Pathology graduate schools, and succeed... turns out, there is no easy way (click here!).

But never fear! 

Pnina and Mikhal are here to help!

We are going to try* to guide you when it comes to:

• Study Skills
• Building your Resume and Experience 
• De-stressors 
• Making Connections (What is ASHA/NSSLHA?!)
• Graduate School Possibilities
• The Graduate School Application Process
•  your Personal Statement
• Writing your Personal Statement
• Recommendations
• GRE Preparation and Exam
• Graduate School Interview Etiquette 

So stick around, leave questions, comments, and advice! We're here to help!

Soon to Come...Our June Edition:

As a future SLP: how to make your summers count

*disclaimer: we are undergraduates graduating in 2014... we'll do our best to help you :)