Final Grad School Thoughts

Friends! This will be my last grad school post and my last post in general. I will be attending Texas Christian this fall (for Speech Language Pathology)! 

Last night was our final NSSLHA meeting and the grad school panel. I remember last year, I went home with a stomachache and shaking hands to research grad schools. And while this whole grad school business wasn’t nearly as horrible as I thought it would be, it was nice to be on the other side of things. Here are my final thoughts! 

Head advice  

(related to the intellectual/planning/organizing aspects of applying.)

-Be organized! So hard, I know. Get a binder and collect information for all of the schools, including the phone number and email address of graduate course secretaries. 

- Think big picture: where do you want to live? If you hate winter, don’t apply to schools in Minnesota.. just don’t. Because you will spend your money on the application and then when spring rolls around, realize how silly it was because if you had the choice, you’d never go there. 

-Ask professors where they went to grad school, why they chose that school, why they chose to do research, etc. Just in general, asking people why and how they chose a school is a great way to gain insight. 

-Visiting schools is great, but don’t feel like you have to make cross-country trips just to get accepted. (I actually didn’t visit any schools.) 

-Personal statement tip: Don’t be afraid to tell a sweet story, but be concise! I was so confused about the personal statement, thinking I had to sound all professional and smart. But then someone told me to think of it this way: until the school reads your personal statement, you are just a set of GRE scores, GPA, and list of accomplishments. They don’t get a glimpse of your character, of what’s important to you, of why you’re willing to invest time and money in this education until they read your personal statement. So be wise with your words! 

Heart Advice

(related to the less intellectual but still very important aspect of applying. The stress and anxiety that comes with throwing yourself at a grad school and saying “Here I am, please accept me!”)


- Take some time before starting the process and reflect on why you want to pursue this field. Then share that with a friend or write it down. This can help clear your mind. 

- Be careful with comparing yourself to other people. No one has a story quite like yours. So, own your uniqueness. Transferring schools, switching majors, taking a year off to work, anything "unconventional", relate it back to how it will make you a better SLP/AuD. Conversations that lead to comparisons are generally not helpful. 

-You will probably cry a few times during the process, but that’s okay. Don’t we always cry about the things dearest to our heart? You cry because you care about this and that is a good thing. 
        
- Something that helped me when thoughts rose up if I don’t get accepted anywhere.. well, I would probably just start applying for jobs. The sun would still rise up and be all pretty in the sky the next morning, my family would still live in our same hometown, my friends would still love me. Rejection stings yes, but that doesn’t mean life is any less valuable. 

-Finally, I love this quote on control. A good reminder that all of this (applications, decisions, programs) doesn’t have to be perfect to be sweet and rewarding. Be genuine throughout it all. 

“Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.” Anne Lamott 

P.S. Thanks for reading y'all. 

Language & Loneliness

No shame here, I think we’ve all felt lonely at times. Big times, feeling forgotten by people that you adore. Little times, being left out of an inside joke that has everyone else rolling on the floor. Both cases can leave you feeling hopeless and both cases matter deeply.

And as future SLPs and Audiologists, I believe we play a role in fighting this loneliness. We help to right the wrong-ness of feeling alone. Because we are menders of communication, and language lets us share life together, to know and be known. You can laugh because one friend says “y’all” and the other says “you guys.” You can roll your eyes when your dad tells the same story you’ve heard several times. You can smile because there is a letter in the mailbox for you. You can explain to a friend why your feelings are hurt and you can tell a professor why you’re excited for next year. This might seem trivial, but it’s all loaded with meaning. Language serves as sweet evidence that we are living life well together.

Isn't it so easy to worry about formants and bilabials and stuttering and cranial nerves and hearing aids and the fact that I've used “and” way too many times in this sentence? Those details are so important, but thank goodness they’re not the only reasons we do this. Life is precious, but doing life together with people you love? That is golden.

{Friends! I am graduating so soon. I will miss writing for this little blog. :) }