Why did you pick this major?

Sorry for the delay in posting, friends! I suppose I could blame graduate school applications, and I think y'all would respect that. :) I thought it might be fun to start a discussion about why you chose to pursue Speech Language Pathology or Audiology. Comment or email me and I'll post your thoughts! Feel free to be as cliche or sappy as you'd like. Here's one of the reasons I chose this major:

Because I love words! Maybe because I am a senior or it's Christmas or friends have been so good to me or I am just a sap, but this week I've been thinking about how much I love words. Something about meaningful conversations with dear friends makes my heart swell and gets me all thankful. Written or spoken, words of encouragement have changed how I view the world. Language lets us share life with others, to laugh and cry and pat each other on the back. To know and be known.

So that's one VERY basic reason of why I love the "language" part of "SLP". I'd love to hear why you do!

Grad School, Part 3

So, grad school. I wrote about it on here before, and since it’s the end of October and applications are due soonish, I thought I’d write some more. It’s Crossroads time and when you have NSSLHA members sitting at tables together, grad school comes up in conversation. A lot. J People ask me all the time, every day, “Sooooo where are you going to go to grad school?” (I’m glad I have sweet friends who want life updates!) But I usually reply “Uhhh, ask me again in the spring! We’ll see!” And that can be a scary answer. Here are some things I’ve learned through this whole process that will help you stay sane. Not a to-do list, but a healthy (I hope!) dose of perspective:

Do NOT be intimidated by people who seem like they’ve done more than you. The girl who sits next to you in anatomy who’s volunteered at stroke camp since high school? Great! Good for her. But if you switched into the major during your junior year, that’s great too. A different kind of great, but just as great.

Or maybe you never worked in a lab? Or volunteered at a clinic? Or you did a varsity sport and didn’t have summers? Transferred from a faraway school? Retook anatomy?

That is all fine. Your story is your story, and no one else’s. Playing the comparison game will drive you insane.

Still, there is a nagging fear in my mind… what if I don’t get in anywhere? What would I do?

 Well, the sun would still rise in the morning and my friends would still be my friends. I would still be me, things would just be different than I had hoped for.

Don’t misunderstand me, I want so badly to get into grad school and become an SLP. With all my heart, I do. But that’s not the end. This is not who we are, it's what we do with the time given us.

Grad School, Part 2

           

 

{This post is from Maggie Flynn, a senior in SLHS. Hear her thoughts on applying to grad school. Thanks, Maggie!}

 

            As a Speech Language and Hearing Science major graduate school is something you hear about from the day you walk in the door. It is the next necessary step on the road to becoming a Speech Language Pathologist or Audiologist. For my first three years the application process seemed to loom in the distance; but now the time has arrived. While deadlines are still a few months away, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount steps I still need to complete in addition to managing 18 hours of course work.

            Thus far the best solution I have found to avoid stress is a few deep breathes paired with some master organization. It is all about the planning. Since I am applying to eight programs my answer was to make a series of excel documents with each school’s information: website links, deadlines, application type, due date, test scores, number of recommendation letters, tuition cost, etc. This way when I need to know something it is already there and I do not have to go searching through University website mazes.  Next, every week I set out a task to complete for the week. Last week was sending GRE scores to schools, this week it is Transcripts. Breaking the application process into stages makes everything manageable and avoids a panic to get everything together at the last minute.

            To all those currently applying to Graduate school or to those planning to in the future—Don’t panic, we can do it!

Grad School, Part 1

If you're committed to this major, no doubt you've heard about grad school. It will be a good thing, clinical experiences, classes, friends, and so on... So grad school will be a good thing, but APPLYING. That's a different story. Sometimes it can be a scary story. But it will be okay, too.

Here is a list of tips for applying to grad school. Just as a disclaimer: I am a senior, applying to grad school right now. So I can't say, "Oh, this is what I did, and it worked! I got into a program!" But I think these things have worked so far.

1. If you are a freshman or sophomore, THINK. Think about where you'd like to live after college, what aspects of Speech-Language Pathology you love the most, and why you are passionate about this field. Also, DO. Do  lots of things, whatever floats your boat and relates to the field. Babysit, volunteer, work in research labs, take classes that you love.

2. Don't take the GRE too early. And if you do, think about where you specifically want to go to grad school. I took it in March of my junior year, thinking it could be one thing to cross off the list. You can send your scores to 4 schools for free, after that you have to pay. Well, it was March and I hadn't thought about grad school too much, so it ends up that one of the schools I sent my scores to, I won't even be applying to. Learn from my mistake!

3. Don't be cliche with applications. Meh, I know. I've heard countless times "Don't say you want to be an SLP because you've always wanted to 'help people'." This is hard, because I really do want to help people, and I am assuming all of you do as well! Cliches often exist because they are true, and they've stood the test of time. (Haha, "stood the test of time," that's kind of a cliche phrase). But you have to move past that and show the grad school why you are different and why you should get to study at their school. Tell them why you absolutely HAVE to be in their program.

4. Sometimes, you just have to take a night off from applications and walk to McDonald's for a McFlurry.

5. Seniors..  it's overwhelming. What helps me is to pick one thing each week to work on. So one week I'll work on asking for letters of recommendation, the next week my personal statement, the next week will be sending out transcripts. It's worked so far, I've only done it for two weeks though.

I hope that in the spring I can look back and say, "Yes! This all works because I got into (insert name of school)'s program and I'm going there! Yay!" Until then, this is my humble advice.

Thanks for listening, y'all. :)

--Katie Hingst

Summer Experiences:: Adult Edition

From Haley Borton, a junior in SLHS:

This summer I volunteered at MarianJoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, Il. I really had no idea what to expect when I got the volunteer position. I didn't know if I would be working with kids or adults and I did not know what my job description was. The first day was amazing though! I worked with an SLP named Julie who graduated from the University of Illinois 3 years ago, so she is still young and can relate to me! I was there for four hours every Wednesday so she would have me "volunteer" part of the time and observe the rest of the time. The volunteer part was boring...just making copies and doing busy work like that haha but they really appreciated my work! The observation time was incredible! Julie works in the inpatient Stroke Unit of the hospital. I got to see swallow studies, initial assessments, and regular everyday one on one work with the patients. The most rewarding thing I got to see was the progress that people made while they were at this hospital. I saw a man the day he was admitted into the hospital and the day he got to go home and it was truly truly amazing. We really will be doing work that SO many people will appreciate. This was just a great opportunity to see stroke patients and how different and interesting all of the cases are. I do not know what I want to do in the future, but this was the best experience I could have asked for and definitely opened my eyes up to stroke patient rehab! I recommend this position to anyone from the Chicagoland area! This rehab hospital is nationally known, and is a great place to get some observation! Let me know if you have any questions or are interested!

From Courtney Wisher, a junior in SLHS:

This summer, i had the privilege of getting to intern at my local
nursing home/rehab center in Greentown, Indiana. I came in twice a week
and had the chance to observe the SLP's therapy sessions and evaluations
she had for the day. I observed everything from Alzheimer's patients to
stroke patients and even some swallowing patients. It was always fun to
get to interact with the elderly at the nursing home and they always
enjoyed hearing about Purdue and my experiences as a college student.
Now that I am a junior, I'm currently taking SLHS430, which is Speech
and language disorders in the health care setting. Everything that I
have seen at the nursing home thus far is starting to tie into my class
and its really interesting to be able to relate what I observed this
summer to what I am learning about in my SLHS 430. I definitely enjoy
getting to intern at my local nursing home and I look forward to going
back next summer too!

Summer Experiences:: Youth Edition

From Lauren Rosswurm:

This summer, I worked at Easter Seals ARC in Fort Wayne. I got the idea to apply there after I organized the ARC dance in Lafayette. I worked in a teen program and was assigned a group of sixteen special needs kids. Most of my kids were ADD/ADHD, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and Mentally Retarded. The group that I was assigned to was a higher functioning group that stayed at the facility all day along with another group of sixteen kids. Another group of lower functioning kids went out into the community on field trips. We did many things every day including Personal Hygiene, Arts and Crafts, Personal Space, Positive Thinking, and Sports and Games. The things that we did every day encouraged a tight-knit group. One success story- a 13 year old girl with Asperger's Syndrome was the most socially anxious person I have ever met at the beginning of the summer. By the end of camp, this girl had gotten another girl's phone number and they hung out on weekends! She got our "Social Butterfly" award because of her improved social skills.

Maggie Flynn wrote this post while working at a special needs summer camp in Pennsylvania:

I work with three other counselors watching over ten amazing girls. They are 13 to 16 years old and come from all different parts of the country and have a range of mental, social, and emotional disabilities. Some have very supportive families and others are not so fortunate. During the year some are in specialized schools and others are mainstreamed. Camp is a great place for them because it is an escape from their normal lives. An escape from the pressures of their teachers, parents, and peers. It is a place were they come to make friends and learn how to be independent. They are not pressured to be anything other than the best version of themselves. 

Even in this short amount of time the girl’s abilities to be patient, listen, work together, and solve problems independently have improved greatly. So too I have seen changes in myself. I have learned to be more patient, understanding, and empathetic; working with the girls as well as the other counselors requires has required lots of cooperation, teamwork, and compromise. 

From Katie Hingst:

This summer, I worked at Charis Hills, a camp in Texas for children with Asperger's, Autism, ADHD/ADD, and any Learning Differences. It was a fantastic experience- while some days were difficult, I look back on my summer there with fond memories and remarkable lessons learned. During the mornings, I led swim lessons for the kids and snorkeling for the teenagers. During our teen session, one boy was enrolled in snorkeling, but refused to get in the lake. (He didn't like the way sunscreen felt beneath his goggles-- a lot of our kids had sensory integration issues). I was flustered and wasn't quite sure what to do, other than quietly encourage him to participate. Finally, with about ten minutes left of the activity, he got in the lake and tried snorkeling. And he loved it. :) He told all of the other campers and counselors how much he loved to snorkel. This sweet story taught me to meet our kids where they are at and take baby steps from there. Initially, I was flustered and frustrated that he wouldn't get in the lake--- we were wasting time! But improving his snorkeling skills by leaps and bounds was not the goal. No, the point was to try a new skill, persist through self-doubt, and gain confidence. Quietly persevering and showing grace to your campers matters most.

In SLHS terms.. I saw lots of classroom lessons in real life! Our children were extremely concrete thinkers. Our boss encouraged us to identify and minimize abstract language when talking to the campers. Phrases like, "Calm down!" or "Pay attention!" can be confusing to kids with Asperger's. Instead, we would say things like "Please look at my face when I am talking to you, so that I know you are listening." Our kids also had several deficits in the pragmatics area of language-- especially about what is and is not appropriate for conversations.

I would love to share pictures and tell more stories, if anyone is interested, please let me know! My email is khingst@purdue.edu. Do not be shy, I love to talk about camp!

From Hillary Greeson:

For the past two summers, I have been a camp counselor for the summer camps called Just Us Kids Outdoors (JUKO) and Just Us Little Kids Outdoors (Lil JUKO) in my hometown of Richmond, Indiana. JUKO is a six week program for children in 1st through 6th grades and Lil JUKO is a two week program for children in preschool and kindergarten. Both are completely free of charge and many of the children that attend the camps are at risk.
Specifically, I was a co-camp counselor at JUKO for groups of around fifteen to twenty first and second graders, with one group being in the morning session of camp and the other being in the afternoon session of camp. The activities of JUKO included playing games, doing crafts, going to the pool, field trips, dress up days, and other special activities including “Squeegee Hunts” and Splash Pad days. As for Lil JUKO, I was a co-camp counselor for groups of around ten to twenty preschoolers and kindergarteners, with one group being in the morning session of camp and the other being in the afternoon session of camp. The activities of Lil JUKO included free play, playing games, doing crafts, singing songs, dress up days, and other special activities including Fire Sprays.
Although most of the children that I worked with were typically developing children, some of the children had ADD/ADHD, behavioral issues, or other various learning differences. An inspiring story that I have to share involves one of my campers at Lil JUKO, a preschool aged boy who was born without hearing. Although this boy has some difficulties with his speech which makes him hard to understand at times, fours year later, this boy is one of the sweetest, happiest, and most loving children I have ever seen.
Overall, both JUKO and Lil JUKO have been great for the past two summers. If you are interested in working with children, I highly recommend being a camp counselor at a summer camp because it is truly a great learning experience and so much fun!

A good reason to keep coming back

NSSLHA= National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. What a mouthful, right? :)


Life at Purdue is far too exciting to spend alone. While dragging yourself to a NSSLHA event in the midst of whatever crazy Indiana weather we currently face may seem mundane and trivial, it is anything but! (Last December we trudged to the All Fired Up social on a snowy night!) We eat pizza and fundraise and learn more about our future profession- and through all of these seemingly insignificant tasks- we become a united group of aspiring Speech Language Pathologists. I have made some fantastic friends through NSSLHA!

This semester, we will have a scavenger hunt, host Crossroads, provide opportunities to job shadow through GLASS, hear from relevant guest speakers, learn more about graduate school, and host a Trick or Treat event for children who attend the clinic.

Why do I love NSSLHA? Because it is so much more than a resume builder. NSSLHA provides the gifts of connecting with other students in your major, sharing in the defeats and triumphs of academic life, and partaking in the common passion of helping others. Specifically, helping those who are NOT exactly like ourselves: the disabled, the elderly, the young…

So here’s to loving our campus, community, and field of study together.

Welcome Back!

Hi y'all. :)

I sincerely hope everyone has enjoyed a refreshing summer vacation, filled with experiences that may help you mature and learn more about speech-language pathology. I just love that America has summer vacations because it gives us a chance to learn and grow outside the classroom. Job shadowing, research, and summer jobs are all fantastic ways to explore our field.

This summer, I worked at Charis Hills, a summer camp in Sunset, Texas. Charis Hills specializes in providing a therapeutic camp experience for children with ADHD, Asperger’s, Autism, and Learning Differences. Working as a counselor was extremely tiring, and required copious amounts of patience and grace, but so very rewarding. We taught lots of social skills and pragmatics to our campers, such as maintaining eye contact, appropriate conversation topics, and respecting personal space. I wholeheartedly enjoyed working with our kids, and this summer gave me hope and passion for speech-language pathology.

But enough about summer—classes start really soon, which means NSSLHA meetings start again too! Our first meeting is Tuesday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m. in Grissom 180. There will be pizza and drinks, too. Please please come. Class is much more fun when you have friends to sit with, and NSSLHA is a great place to meet SLHS friends. 

I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone and welcoming our freshman! 

Second Semester Review

First, let me introduce myself! My name is Katie Hingst, and I'll be the Corresponding Secretary for 2012-2013. Which means I'll be updating the NSSLHA blog. :) I am a junior (for 2 more weeks), my major is Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (of course!), and I love walking, reading, running, and just being with people.

If you were not very involved in NSSLHA this year, let me wholeheartedly encourage your participation for next year! College is far too exciting to miss out on the great opportunities (Crossroads, socials, Relay for Life, etc.) that NSSLHA provides. Sharing in the joys and trials of academic life with fellow students of speech, language, and hearing sciences is a beautiful thing.

Our semester in review:

1. Bowling Social

NSSLHA goes bowling! 

2. ARC Valentine's Day Dance

This was my first year going, and it was a BLAST! Honestly, you don't want to miss this next year!

ARC Dance

3. Student-Faculty Snack. Sadly, no pictures for this event. Chatting with professors & eating cookies with green icing-- not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

4. Relay for Life

SO much fun! We walked for hours, ate pizza, painted faces, sold keychains, took a ride on the Boilermaker Special, raised money to fight cancer, carried the spirit surfboard (makes me think of Bring It On !)and got to partake in a HUGE campus-wide event. Our seniors were amazing and so very tough- staying the entire night & earning the spirit award! You all did a wonderful job, and make me so proud to be a part of NSSLHA!

NSSLHA Relay for Life team 2012

Seniors with the Spirit Award

5. The Senior Graduate Panel-- An eye-opening experience to the stressful and overwhelming process of applying to graduate programs. BUT, it was also very encouraging- they are all going on to great graduate programs, which gives me hope that the same will be true for the class of 2013! 

Senior Graduate Panel 

My hope for us all is to gain knowledge and experience in the field of Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology this summer. Enjoy summer, friends, & see you next fall!

~Katie

Exciting events taking place soon!

Hey everyone!

Only 2 more weeks until spring break and good luck to everyone who has exams in these next 2 weeks! Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 6 and we will be voting for new officers then so make sure to come to the meeting that night! Also, Relay for Life will be taking place on March 31 and you can sign up via the link on our facebook page. Its for a great cause and it will be a fun time with fellow NSSLHA members and many other Purdue organizations.  Coming up soon will also be our spring egg hunt event for the clinic kids so make sure to keep your eyes out for info on that.  Have a great night and boiler up!! :)

Spring Callout & First meeting of the Semester!

 Welcome back,
 Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break and that you're ready for this spring semester at Purdue! We are having our first meeting January 17, 2012, @ 6:30 in Grissom 280.  You can pay dues then if you are new to the club and we have lots of exciting events to talk about! Don't forget that there is always pizza too :) Hope you can make it!