If you’ve spent any time preparing for grad school, you’ve probably heard the advice: “Get to know your professors.” It shows up everywhere: on pre-health forums, in advising offices, and in conversations with mentors. And while it’s not wrong, it’s also not very helpful. A better way to think about it is this: focus on helping your professors get to know you.

If you’re pursuing speech-language pathology, you’ve probably heard about the 25 required observation hours. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) mandates these hours as part of the path toward earning your Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP).

Many graduate SLP programs now expect applicants to have all 25 hours completed before they begin the master’s program. If you’re not already in an undergraduate communication sciences and disorders (CSD) track, finding these observation opportunities can be tricky but totally doable.

Below, we’ll cover three ways to complete your ASHA-required 25 observation hours before starting grad school.

Hi everyone!

It's been a while, and I'm happy to be back. I'm starting up my second year on faculty, and the first year was chock-full of activity. Now that things have slowed down a bit in my second year, I've decided to write an update on things I've learned this year that you might find helpful. 

There's a new subreddit in town for current and prospective SLP students to find placement, observation, and job opportunities. 

Confused about ASHA CCC's (we call them "sees") vs state licensing? This brief explainer is for you. 

Applying to graduate school in speech-language pathology can be a challenging process--there are many small parts to keep track of, and you want to present as prepared and polished in your application materials. The process can be overwhelming, but with careful preparation, you can assemble a compelling application that highlights your qualifications and passion for the field. Here’s a guide on how to prepare the essential materials for your application. 

Application season means many of you are in the process of requesting letters of recommendation. Requesting letters can be a stressful task--who do you ask? how do you ask them? when? These are all important factors to consider. In this blog post, we'll cover the when, who, and how of requesting letters of recommendation and (hopefully) help alleviate some of the stress.

Many people do not get accepted into a speech-language pathology graduate program on their first try. Others may not be able to afford entering grad school immediately after undergrad. Whatever your reasons are, do not feel discouraged. There are many jobs that will provide you with the opportunity to learn skills that you will use as a speech-language pathologist. Read on the learn about jobs to consider as you prepare to begin your grad school journey. 

But first! A special thank you to Jackie Rodriguez, MS, CCC-SLP for authoring this blog post. She is a wealth of knowledge, and we're lucky to have her share with us. Check out her Instagram for information on all things SLP. 

 

If you found your way to this site, it's likely you're a student interested in pursuing a career in speech-language pathology or audiology. Then you may have heard of or even considered joining the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA). We first mentioned NSSLHA in this post, but we thought the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association deserves a proper introduction and explanation for students coming from outside of the field. Note that this post is meant to be informative, not persuasive. I'll leave it up to you to determine if joining NSSLHA is right for you ;)

If you're considering becoming a speech-language pathologist, here are 8 reasons this career might be a good fit for you. This isn't to say the day-to-day work is perfect or doesn't have room for improvement, but by and large, SLPs have a high rate of job satisfaction. It's no wonder it's one of the fastest growing professions in the country! 

  

   It's that time of the year we all know and love...or dreadː Application season. For most people applying to graduate programs, the end of summer is something like a prolonged version of the Sunday scaries. Fall is here, and that means most of your graduate school application deadlines are coming up in late November and early December. Your personal statement is arguably the hardest and one of the most important parts of your application. You'll want to start drafting it months in advance. This is your chance to demonstrate to admissions committees why you're an excellent fit for their program. Your personal statement is also useful for people writing your letters of recommendation--they can use your statement to learn something about your personal qualities and experiences in a way that's clear and concise. This can help your letter writers make stronger recommendations on your behalf. So open up that blank document and take some notes on how to write a powerful personal statement. 

We focus a lot on post-bacc programs here, but we'd remiss not to mention at least a few SLP master's programs that don't require pre-reqs. Typically, these are 3-year master's programs, where the first year is spent completing pre-requisite coursework and the remaining two years are the typical master's track courses and clinical work. The benefit of these programs is you have guaranteed enrollment in a master's program. The downside is the cost--you'll pay for three years of graduate-level tuition rather than two. Here, we highlight three in-person SLP master's programs that don't require pre-reqs. 

 

 

What's a CFY? Who's ASHA, and why do they matter so much?...what even is NSSLHA???

If you're new to looking into speech-language pathology (SLP), you've no doubt encountered these acronyms and maybe more. Here's your crash course on a few of the important acronyms you need to know as you're learning about the field. 

This post is written with the second-career future-SLPs in mind. Those of you who have been working for a few years and realized the field of speech-language pathology has a lot to offer. Read below for a step-by-step guide on what you'll need to get into grad school. 

Welcome to CSD Post Bacc, all about speech-language pathology leveling courses, post-baccalaureate programs, and getting into grad school. This website is for people interested in transitioning to a career in speech-language pathology. The resource pages (Online Programs and In-Person Programs) are always under construction, with updates added regularly.