Friday, June 16, 2017

10 Things To Do Before (SLP) Grad School

You did it! You're in! The hardest part is behind you! YOU GOT INTO A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM!

I've been told by quite a few SLPs that getting into grad school is the hardest part and that once you're in, you just have to survive. I am extremely glad that the application process is behind me, because let's be real...it's intense. But that's another post for another day.

Today I want to talk about:


one. CELEBRATE!

It is no secret that SLP programs are extremely competitive. Take some time to really be proud of yourself and celebrate your accomplishments! A lot of us #SLP2B people are go-getters and it's easy to brush off an exciting acceptance in effort to start working toward the next goal (like getting an A on an upcoming exam), but DON'T. Reflect on all of the hard work that went into getting into that program and treat yourself. When I got my first acceptance letter I bawled my eyes out. Then my husband and I popped a bottle of champagne and went out to dinner...I'll always cherish that night!

two. Send your final transcripts.

Most grad programs will remind you to do this. I went ahead and ordered my transcripts during finals week of my last semester and let my undergraduate institution know to hold them until my degree was posted. I knew that I would forget come summertime so I wanted to get it squared away ASAP. If your school has the option to place the order and have the transcripts held until your degree is posted, I suggest taking advantage of that.

three. Shadow a few SLPs.

I did some shadowing right after finals week and it made me so excited to start grad school! It was nice being able to observe SLPs without having to vigorously take notes on everything he or she did for an assignment. I loved being able to sit and really take everything in without worrying about doing an assignment on it.

four. Set up a review binder.

If you read this post, you know that I set up an SLP Review Binder. I skim through it 1-3 times per week just to keep the information that I learned in undegrad from leaking out of my brain forever.

five. Join Facebook groups.

It's likely that there is a Facebook group for your incoming cohort. And if there's not one, make one (I made one for my cohort). This is a great way to get to know some of your classmates before classes start. It's also a great way to find roommates if you need to do that. I also found a "current + past students" group for my program which has been useful. I've reached out to a few of the graduates of the program with questions and they've been so helpful!

six. Decide how you're going to organize your lecture notes and coursework.

Most of us figured out what works for us in undergrad. I'm sticking with my same system - I like to have one big binder with divider tabs for each class. I keep all of my syllabi, notes, and print outs in that binder. I also went ahead and made a list of the books that I need to buy for my first semester.

seven. Set up your planner.

Planning and organization are truly my love languages, as you know, so setting up my planner is one of my favorite things to do. I wrote in my orientation dates and important university dates. I'm going to do a separate, detailed post on how I set up my planner to stay organized.

eight. Polish up your resume.

Now that you've finished your bachelor's it's time to spruce up your resume. You can also add your graduate program which is exciting! I try to update mine 1-2 times a year so that it remains as current as possible. The summer before grad school is the perfect time to do this.

nine. Read up on your program and familiarize yourself with professors.

I don't know about you, but I applied to quiiiite a few schools. Of course, I did my research on all of them but now that I know which program I'm committed to, I've delved a little bit deeper into getting to know that specific program. I read about the professors who will be teaching my first semester courses and made a list of questions to bring to orientation.

ten. RELAX!

If you're anything like me you struggle with this. I am always go, go, go but countless SLPs have told me that I really need to soak in the summer before grad school. I recently took up yoga and hand lettering to help me relax a little bit. My husband and I are planning a little beach vacay in July, too. Try your best to stay present and really chill out the summer before grad school, because from what I've gathered, it's gonna get really real really fast come August ðŸ˜…





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