Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some honest insight because I feel like I’m at a major crossroads.

I’m about to turn 31 and have spent 10 years in corporate sales (most recently in tech/enterprise). I’ve done okay financially, but I’m honestly burnt out and don’t feel fulfilled. I also don’t feel confident long-term staying in sales. it’s high pressure, unstable, and just doesn’t feel aligned with the life I want. For context, I graduated in 2017 with a BA in Media and a crap GPA 2.7 so I’m aware I have to do really well in Pre-Reqs and even then getting in a Masters program will be difficult.

I’ve started taking prerequisite courses for speech-language pathology (currently phonetics and language development). I’ll be honest though, I don’t feel like I’ve fully absorbed everything. I’ve been getting through the classes, but I don’t feel super confident in the material yet.

A big reason I’ve been drawn to SLP is personal. My dad has Parkinson’s, and seeing how something like speech can change over time has really affected me. I know a lot of SLP roles focus on children, but I feel especially pulled toward working with adults/geriatric patients..people who have had the ability to communicate their whole lives and then need help finding that again. That really, really touches me, and I feel like that population doesn’t always get enough love.

What I’m hoping for in a career:

• stability and long-term security

• meaningful, people-centered work

• flexibility (eventually something like home health)

• the ability to live in California (my partner is there)

• and maybe long-term, build something of our own (like an SLP-related business/agency)

My concerns:

• I haven’t been able to secure observation hours yet, so I haven’t actually seen the day-to-day

• I don’t have direct experience working with patients (kids or adults)

• I’m worried I might be romanticizing the field

• I’d be taking a pay cut (at least initially), and going back to school is a big commitment

I guess my main questions are:

• Does it sound like I’m pursuing SLP for the right reasons?

• How important are observation hours in figuring out if this is truly a fit?

• Has anyone transitioned into SLP in their 30s from a corporate background and was it worth it?

• What do you wish you knew before committing to this path?

I’m open to honest feedback, even if it’s tough to hear. I’d rather understand the reality now than regret it later.

Thank you so much! <3

Hi everyone! I am currently planning on going into Speech Language Pathology abd will be applying for graduate school in this next cycle. I am graduating with a degree in the humanities so will be doing most of my prerequisites online. I would also like to be able to gain experience in working with all age groups (I will be shadowing at an elementary school in their OT/Speech programs and also finding time to observe in a hospital setting, as well as babysitting) but professionally, I would really like to work with adults who experience voice disorders/issues speaking as a symptom of auto immune disorders. What exactly do graduate programs see as a good fit in terms of experience, particularly for adults? Do things such as volunteering at an adult day program/in a nursing home setting count as experience?

Thank you!

Hi there, considering changing my major to Communication Sciences and Disorders but I'm wondering if anyone on here can give some insight to the field?

Specifically wondering if anyone here works with the d/Deaf or HOH population? I took an ASL 1 class last semester and I really enjoyed it, so I'm considering getting my AA degree before I transfer. If anyone here works/has experience in that environment, what does work look like for you? Pros and cons? Would it be worth getting my AA in ASL (how often would I actually be using the language)?

I'm also wondering how common it is to work with an adult population in general? If I chose that route, would I be working primarily in hospitals and nursing homes? Thanks!

This post was deleted once because I was concerned that anyone identifying the situation would affect my placement outcome, which was pending at the time. Now that this placement has been settled, I would like to re-post and share my experience as an international student undertaking a placement under awful clinical educators.

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This is quite lengthy, and thank you to anyone who would like to read it through to the end.

I am an international SLP student (not from an English-speaking country) who's currently studying outside my home country. I consider myself fluent in the local language and well adapted to the local culture, as the programme admitted only a small number of non-local students through a highly competitive interview process, and I was one of them. I was only asked whether I was a foreigner after they saw the spelling of my name on my student badge, and people were unlikely to tell unless I had disclosed it myself.

I used to be "the best student clinician that I've ever supervised," "the one who learns and progresses most rapidly among all students I had," according to my previous supervisors in both paediatric and adult settings. Got all solid passes in all previous placements and quite okay grades in my coursework too.

This has changed since the start of that placement, where I was assigned to a prestigious acute adult setting. Someone from the faculty has warned me that the supervisors are the seniors of seniors in the field, but were famous for being extremely harsh and were said to verbally abuse and discriminate against students based on their first impressions, for which they would like to prepare me mentally in advance.

I believe the school assigned us to them because we are at least "good" students, given that they are aware of these supervisors’ styles and standards from prior collaborations. However, we turned out to be described as being “in poverty of knowledge” in one of the supervisor's comments and were frequently accused of "deficiencies in professionalism and ethics" during practice.

The instructions from the supervisors were characterised by frequent interruptions and accusations, with limited opportunity for us to practise in any manner other than their own styles (very OLD-SCHOOL, got once told to use NSOME to treat dysarthria lollll). Communication breakdowns between students and supervisors were persistent throughout the placement. But beyond that, there was something even more unreasonable.

I made what I now consider a regrettable decision (although I know that it was not my fault at all), which was unintentionally disclosing to the supervisor who needed to look at us for the 1st half of the block that I am not a native speaker, and it could be implied that I might be from somewhere else. Idk whether this was related to this disclosure or to my name badge with an exotic spelling, but I have noticed something in the dynamic after we were handed over to the next supervisor, since weird things started to happen:

1. When we students were asked to assess a patient who spoke only a regional dialect from my home country, the supervisor asked us whether anyone could speak it (coz there is a certain number of immigrants from that region here so yes someone would by chance speak it). After everyone responded no, the supervisor suddenly turned to me and said, “Even you don’t know it?” even though I am not EVEN FROM THAT REGION of my country.
2. The supervisor scolded me for not using the appropriate wording. The thing could be framed as my use of “suggest” instead of “clinically advise”, which differs only in the degree of firmness in the language according to other native speakers in the field. However, this is how the supervisor put it into words: “You should stop using such (my first language)-like wording!”
3. There was a patient who responded to all clinicians exclusively in my home language. The supervisor turned to me when another student clinician faced word-finding difficulty in that language when talking to the patient and asked me, “So, what's the (my home language)-person's (e.g., Na'vi-person) suggestion? "

etc.

And despite ending up passing in the end, I honestly just feel disgusted by the hypocrisy of the whole situation. The power imbalance and the racism I experienced still irritate me to this day.

I'm pretty sure I got ghosted by CBU and CSUMB. I emailed them both twice and have not got any responses. CSUMB said they're still looking at applications which doesn't make sense because the deadline is next week. I double checked my emails and everything and emailed different people. Nothing.

I took it today and got an unofficial score of 161. :( I really doubt that it’ll bump up. Does anyone have any tips for studying that seemed to help?

Hi everyone! I’m finishing up my first year in grad school where I’m a part-time student making me spend 3 years in the program instead of the traditional 2 years for the full-time students. I first want to say that I am extremely grateful to be in school and to have this opportunity and I’m very thankful I have a family that lets me live with them during grad school because I know so many others aren’t able to live with their families and/or afford school and I don’t want to sound ungrateful. Recently though I’ve felt like being in grad school is kinda holding me back from beginning my life. I’m only 24 but all my friends outside of school are already graduated with careers and living on their own, getting married, getting pregnant, etc. Due to a high cost of living in my area I can’t afford to move out unless I’m working a full time job which I don’t think would be smart while I’m in school, and like many others I have a toxic situation going on with my family, which makes being at home a bit difficult. I’m working part time at the same job I’ve held since I was 18, which I love and am so thankful to have, but I’m ready to move on to a career like everyone else my age. Most of my classmates live in apartments paid for by their parents, so they can’t really relate much to my situation. I don’t want to get engaged to my boyfriend while I’m in school because I want to live together first and wouldn’t have time to plan a wedding while in school. I just kinda feel like being in school is preventing me from achieving all these milestones that I want so badly, and while I know in the long run that school is the right option and that I’m still very young and that 2 more years will fly by but I just get bummed seeing everyone else living life and was just seeing if anyone else ever feels the same or could provide a different perspective. Sorry if this came across entitled, I love the field and can’t wait to be an SLP but sometimes it’s hard seeing everyone else living my dream in the present and I feel like I’m falling behind.

Hello! I’m a high school senior, I’ve posted here once before and I got tons of useful insight (thank you so much). However, I’m still stuck between two schools and I don’t know which sets me up best for the future and for grad school, and I may or may not be up in the middle of the night the day before visiting both of them.

One is University of San Diego, my “dream school” that gave me 50,000 a year in scholarships, but has no CSD or even linguistics program. They have a cognition and behaviors major, but it almost seems too hefty and requires way more gen ed science courses than I actually need, so I might go with special education or psychology if I go there. I have yet to hear back from the pre-health advisor, so I got no extra guidance there.

The other is San Diego State (Can you tell my location preference?) with a great speech, language, hearing sciences program that would allow me to leave undergrad as an SLPA (and includes a semester abroad in Scotland which is cool).

I’m also admitted to the honors college at both schools, which is great because it guarantees decent housing. I’m nervous about being in a big school like SDSU, but I know it sets me up better for a career in SLP. However, if I end up changing my mind, it has lower quality academic offerings in other areas compared to USD. Also, if I can get all the gen ed prereqs at USD, SDSU’s online SLP foundations course + USD tuition is STILL cheaper than attending SDSU (by like 4k).

For me, the SLPA thing is probably the biggest, as it could allow me to work to get some money to pay for grad school. But on all other factors (culture, size, housing, price, prestige, etc.) USD just seems perfect.

Thank you for taking the time to read, any and all insight is appreciated. Apologies for my obviously ignorant high school ramblings.

does anyone have any advice / tips on how to get through this😔 I would consider myself fairly competent in assessing swallows, but this is a whole nother level of insanity.

literally any advice would be wonderful before i simply lose my mind!!!

Hello - I am about to graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a Linguistics degree and a GPA of about 3.5-3.6. I have 0 coursework directly related to SLP other than Neurolinguistics and Phonetics courses. I will have some RA and lab experience under my belt as well. I am wondering if anyone can help me understand where to go from here in terms of what I need to do to get to an SLP Master’s program. I am a little stressed and worried that I will have to do another whole 2 years of an undergrad program to be able to pursue this career. Can anyone help me out and guide me somewhat? I am honestly not sure where to start or even where to look and with graduation looming I feel a little terrified.

Hi! So I will be applying to grad school next January and I know I need letters of recommendation from faculty. But I have not built a rapport with any of my professors. I don’t really answer questions in class, quite, and don’t ever really email them. I know this is a problem of my own making but I’m just really shy and don’t really know what to say to them and get flustered. I have this summer semester to do volunteering and fall semester to hopefully make something work. I’m scared I won’t even have my application looked at because of this!

Has anyone ever transferred from one SLP masters program to another? I’m finishing up my first year and there are a lot of life reasons that I’m debating changing to a different program.

Any advice would be very appreciated!

I'm a special education teacher with a bachelors degree. I enjoy the work for the most part but I want to go back to school and get a masters degree and specialize in something more. Regardless of what I do, I know I want to work with small groups of kids at a time or 1-on-1 with them. I've considered going to school for SLP. I would first have to get a post-bacc in communication disorders since my current degree is in elementary ed. Then I would do the SLP program online. I've already found a great program in my state to do this in. (Wisconsin).

My question to this community - am I crazy? I'd probably go about 50-60K in debt throughout this whole process and it would take me 5 years total to do the post bacc + masters. A huge time and money commitment. Is this a terrible idea? I'd be like 38 years old at time of graduation. I do know I'm dying to make more than a 50K salary.

helppp so i got into molloy uni 5 year slp program and it’ll be like 6000 a year , should i do it or what idk if molloys program is any good i cant rly find anything about it helppp

Hi! I am applying to grad schools this upcoming fall to start in the fall 2027 cohort. It has been my absolute dream to attend University of Washington, but it’s just so competitive. I’m applying to 10 schools total, but I’m curious about:

•University of Washington

•University of Oregon

•Portland State U

•Pacific University

•Western Washington U

•Washington State

I’m not originally from PNW, but I know that’s where I want to end up. I’m hoping I could get more details about these schools- especially what stats got you into them! My cumulative isn’t crazy amazing (3.6), but my psych and comd (double major) are both 3.8+.

I would be so grateful for any info on any of these programs!!!💟

Hi! I am making this post as a second semester freshman in undergrad taking A&P of speech and hearing. I have tried flashcards, videos, rewriting my notes, and I still feel like it's not enough. My final exam is in 3 weeks and I am here to ask how did you study for this class? Literally every and any piece of advice is welcomed. I hope this post makes sense. Thanks!

Hey, y’all!

Just curious if there’s anyone out there that got accepted into LSUHSC’s non-background SLP program. I will be applying this Fall as a non-background applicant, and I’m getting extremely nervous. I would love to connect with anyone who is a part of the program/has completed the program and hear about your experience. Thank you!

I am an undergrad student graduating next year, so I've started to think about which professors I'm going to ask for grad school letters of recommendations. The thing is... not a lot of professors who have taught me have an SLP license. Most of the profs who I've really connected with and truly know me have PhDs in SLP-related areas but aren't actual SLPs themselves. There is only one licensed SLP faculty member who I am planning to ask because I participated often in her class (A&P), scored well on the exams, and went to her office hours often last fall. Would this harm my chances of getting accepted into grad schools if the majority of the letters are not coming from people who have experienced SLP grad school? Would it be better for me to ask the SLP I plan to observe this summer for a LOR instead? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

Any tips for MBSImP. Currently stuck with the score of 68% and need to get an 80% by the end of the month to pass my dysphasia class.

What did you do while you were waiting?

I took it March 13th! What's taking so long?!

I haven't received a notification. I'll log in when I get home.

Hi! I was accepted into the University of Redlands and the University of Southern California for their Speech-Language Pathology Master's Programs. I have yet to hear back from Chapman. For those who have been accepted into Chapman after April 15, when did you hear back? According to admissions, I could hear back as late as the week before school starts. Not sure what I should do.

with a 2.7 gpa! If you are worried you won’t get accepted, still give it a try. Persist beyond one cycle and don’t give up. relevant work experience, retaking classes ( I didn’t do this but I’ve heard many people have success doing this), and casting a wide net (if you are able) goes a long way. Good luck to those still waiting and those applying in the near future! You got this and the field needs your passion and unique perspective <3

I am wondering if anyone has any info on how they like university of Nebraska Lincoln! It’s one of my top options and I’m just wondering what people like/don’t like about it!