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