Graduate School Talk

Last week at our NSSLHA meeting, Dr.Huber talked to us about graduate schools. As this mostly applied to juniors and seniors, it was very critical for freshman and sophomores to pay attention, because they will be going through the same process in less than three years.

Since I am currently a junior and have been a part of NSSLHA for three years, I have now heard Dr.Huber’s talk for the third time. Every single time I listened to her speech, I rigorously took notes and tried to absorb as much information as possible. I thought it would be helpful if I did a recap of some of the things she had talked about in case students needed a refresher or if someone had not attended that meeting.

GRE

-Try and get over the 50^th percentile. How can you do this? By studying a lot!

-Your overall goal of taking this test is to be able to answer the question without knowing the answers.

TRANSCRIPT & GPA

-When graduate schools look at your transcript, they want to see that you took harder classes such as math and sciences. They don’t want to see you take multiple easy classes and get a high GPA. For example, they would rather you take a hard social science class and get a little lower GPA rather a few art classes and a higher GPA.

LETTERS OR RECOMMENDATION

-Ask people that know you well! The points of these letters are to get to know you better.

-Try to get at least 1 letter from our SLHS department. You want 3 letters, sometimes 4, depending on the schools you apply to.

-It’s also more polite to ask the professor in person rather than an email to see if they can write you one.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

-This is one of the most important parts at Purdue!

-Let your true and authentic self come onto the paper. Make sure this part is reflective and not just you listing things like you would on a resume.

-Make sure this part is read and reread multiple times! There should be no spelling and grammar mistakes.

I truly believe that if you work hard on all of these parts and get everything turned in on time, you will have a better chance of getting accepted into your dream schools!

Good-luck to all of our fellow seniors applying to grad schools! We believe in you J

Welcome! Fall 2014

Hi Everyone!

I’m continuing the blogging for our Purdue NSSLHA chapter to keep everyone updated on what is happening with the SLHS program here at Purdue! This will also be a great way for underclassmen and upperclassmen to ask any questions they may have about classes, scheduling, and the SLHS major in general.

IMPORTANT NEWS:  Our first NSSLHA callout for the fall semester is on Tuesday, September 2^nd at 6pm in the NEW building Lyle’s Porter room 1160.  Oh and did I mention there will be FREE pizza?! 

I hope everyone had a great summer & I can't wait to see some new and old faces at the callout!

TEDx at Purdue!

Hey all!

Tomorrow, SLHS Professor Dr. Huber will be one of the featured presenters in the TEDx talks at Purdue.  There are still plenty of tickets left so you should check it out, it is only $10 and a great way to support the department.  In honor of the TEDx event at Purdue tomorrow, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite TEDx videos!  TEDx is one of my favorite web sites because their are speakers from every walk of life.  The informative talks aren't lengthy and are easy to understand, so browsing on this site is time well spent :)

Here are some of my favorites related to the field:

A neuroscientist experiences a CVA in the left hemisphere, this may be one of my all-time favorites https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight
A phiscician who thinks critically about cochlear implants: https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_building_the_musical_muscle
Early diagnosis of autism: https://www.ted.com/talks/ami_klin_a_new_way_to_diagnose_autism
How to lower the impact of noise in our environment:
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_shh_sound_health_in_8_steps

On a side note, I know it's been a extremely joyous and stressful time for the seniors these past few weeks.  When you're facing disappointments, remember that your self worth is not based on your awards or accomplishments but on the kindness of your heart.  I struggle with this constantly, but it's important to remember to only compete with yourself, and to work to make yourself better for you so you can be the best clinician you can be.

February Reflections

Hey everyone!  WOW has this month flown by, I didn't think the end of February would sneak up on me as quickly as it did.  It was an eventful month so I thought I'd share with you some of my reflections from this past month.

First of all, thank you to everyone who participated in the ARC Valentines Day Dance!  It was a huge success and it was so great to see you all fully involved, putting yourself out there and having a ton of fun doing crafts, and of course having fun on the dance floor!

Right before the dance, I watched a great TEDx talk given by a woman with Cerebral Palsy about disability in the media ( http://www.ted.com/talks/maysoon_zayid_i_got_99_problems_palsy_is_just_one.html), and it made me observe just how much the media influences the attendees of the dance.  So many individuals with disabilities have celebrity idols they can look up to, yet they themselves are underrepresented as actors, musicians, producers, etc. 

 Fortunately, we live in an age where disability is being represented more often in television such as  Switched at Birth.  Michael J. Fox is a wonderful advocate for those with Parkinson's Disease and continues to act.  Companies such as American Girl Doll sell toys who have crutches, hearing aids, and wheel chairs to comfort children and help them feel understood. Yet, if they aspired to be a professional actor or musician, they may face the same struggle Maysoon Zayid did when she was constantly rejected as an actress, even  when she auditioned to play a character with CP.

So how can we as future Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologist change this stigma in the media?

Do you have a favorite celebrity with a disability?  Please share so we can support them as a community!

Also, many seniors have been receiving interviews for and acceptances into Graduate programs, congratulations to you all!  It is so wonderful to see how your hard work has paid off.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

Welcome Back: Spring 2014

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a great winter break and the first week back at school has been treating you well.  Personally, this week has been a rough adjustment back into the daily grind, and all of this snow isn't helping!  Luckily, the spring semester is filled with my favorite NSSLHA events and there is much to look forward to, including:

The Arc Valentine's Day Dance
Student Faculty Lunches
Easter Egg Hunt
Relay for Life

So be sure to come out to meetings to sign up for these fun events!  Speaking of this, our call-out of the semester will be this Tuesday, January 21st at 6:30 pm in Stanley Coulter room 239.  The rest of our meetings for the semester will be in GRIS 280.  I can't wait to see familiar and new faces :)

And check out NSSLHA all over campus this week!

NSSLHA at the College of Health & Human Sciences Involvement Fair

Our Display Case in the Stewart Center

GLASS & Observation Tips

It's freezing outside...how many more days until summer?  As the weather is getting colder it is never to early to think about summertime opportunities.  Any break is a great chance to shadow Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in your area.  It'll help you get a better idea of what kind of setting you'd prefer post graduation, and those in the field are a great source for guidance.  Finding someone to shadow and going through with it can sometimes be intimidating, so I put a list together of helpful tips I've learned through shadowing.

1. Ask anyone about shadowing opportunities, the answer may surprise you.  It can be hard to figure out where to get started in your shadowing search.  You can try searching the internet for sources but that can be frustrating at times.  Instead, try to let those around you know you're interested in shadowing an SLP or AuD, you may be surprised at who knows who.  In high school one of my dance coaches was also a special needs teacher, and while we were catching up my freshman year she gave me the names of all of her SLP friends who would allow me to shadow them, and the list grew from there.
2. Dress to impress.  This may go without saying, but be sure to always dress professionally while shadowing.  You never know who you will meet or impress.
3. Always ask to come back.  Once you find someone to shadow, chances are they they know another people in the profession who would love for you to shadow them.  Always ask the professional you shadow if you can come back again or if their's anyone else you could shadow in your area of interest, you never know what opportunity you'll find.
4. Keep documentation of your shadowing.  One of my biggest regrets is not keeping track of all the SLPs I have shadowed.  Learn from my mistake and keep track of all of them from the start, you WILL need them eventually!

And if you can, NSSLHA has a great opportunity for shadowing through GLASS!  It's a big time commitment, but a great way to shadow during the school year.  Some of our current participants took the time to write about their experiences and this is what they shared:

"I love working with her and I don’t ever feel useless. I get a good mix of observation and work time, so it’s good!"

-Stephanie Andres

"She is extremely nice and is always giving me advice and knowledge that is helpful in regards to graduate school as well as speech pathology in general. I never thought I would like the school setting of speech pathology but I surprisingly am enjoying it and could see myself working in the school setting as an SLP. She sets a great example for the type of SLP I want to become."

-Kendra Roberts

"Experiences like this are what make me excited to become an SLP, and after working with my teacher I am more motivated to do what I need to do at Purdue to become a successful SLP"

-Lauren Caputo

 "Some days I help her with paperwork and compiling speech samples and other days I just observe. Since I'm there the same time every week I get to see the same kids every week which I love! The kids now know me and she involves me in the sessions which I'm very grateful for. One of her students is apraxic which is my main interest. Because of this I am getting more practice with AAC and a better look into apraxia. I always come with questions and I'm learning a lot for her!"

 -Erin Logan

Have you had success with shadowing?  What did you learn from it?

Thanks for reading everyone, have a great Thanksgiving!

*Special thanks to Vice President Becca Henaghan for collecting GLASS quotes and her hard work put into the program*

Crossroads Thank Yous & Reflection

Hello everyone!  I hope you all are having a lovely week.  Thanksgiving break is creeping up on us and I can hardly believe it.  I know I am feeling overwhelmed by all the work that has to be completed before then, but don't stress, it'll all get done!

        Crossroads seems as though it was a long time ago, but it was less than two weeks ago!  I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for all your hard work, you made Crossroads a huge success! I really enjoyed getting to know so many of you better. Even if you only volunteered for a short time or felt that you didn't do much, you made a lasting impression on the presenters and professors who attended.  It was amazing to see so many of you eager to help and to learn more about the field.

        For me, Crossroads is always the reminder I need about the big picture.  It's easy to get caught up in the comparison game; making sure your grades are the best they can be and that your experiences and involvement in clubs will make you stand out when you apply to grad school.  I know I am guilty of this, but it'll only make you want to rip your hair out.  Crossroads shows how what we learn in the classroom actually applies to the real world.  Crazy, right? But our curriculum is designed to help us become the best possible clinician we can be.  So while grades and volunteering is important, it is even more essential that we do not lose sight of the end result and that one day we will be able to better someone's quality of life.  So learn as much as you can without stretching yourself too far, but do it out of passion for the field rather than for your resume.

What was your takeaway from Crossroads?  I'd love to hear about it!

Some of our lovely volunteers!

 NSSLHA Exec

Exec at the NSSHLA table