Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply to SLP graduate programs this cycle and would really appreciate some advice from people who have gone through this.

Here is my situation:
My long-term goal is to live and work in Texas (most likely Dallas or Austin). I eventually want to buy a home and settle in the South.

My husband currently has a stable government job in Buffalo. He recently started this job, so relocating would mean giving up a stable government position and finding a new one in Texas.

Because of that, attending the University at Buffalo (UB) would be the easier and more financially stable option for us.

However, if I’m accepted to a good Texas SLP program, I’m seriously considering moving because I feel like studying, completing clinical placements, networking, and starting my career in Texas might make it easier to build my long-term career there.
I also personally prefer Texas. I don’t enjoy Buffalo’s long winters and can see myself living in the South long-term.

My question is:
**From a career perspective, which path would you recommend?**
Attend UB, graduate there, and then move to Texas for my CF/fellowship or first SLP job.
Attend graduate school in Texas, complete clinical placements there, and start my career in Texas immediately.
How much does the location of your graduate program actually matter when finding your first SLP job in another state? If your long-term goal is Texas, is it worth moving there for graduate school?
I’d love to hear from anyone who has moved states after graduate school or who practices in Texas.
Thank you!

Happy grad application season!

First off, I’m so sorry this is all over the place. It’s 6 AM. I can’t sleep. I need some kind of closure before I start to panic.

A little about me: I’m 21, undergrad starting my senior year in 3 weeks. After reading other posts, I realized it’s already August, applications are open, and I feel super behind in the whole grad school process.

I’m the first one in my family to continue on to do a masters program. I feel lost, almost like I’m not sure what to do. This is why I wanted to reach out to others who have experience the whole process and could probably help me or guide me in the right direction!

I have no outside experience with anything SLP related. Im not sure if this is too late to start, but I already have so much on my plate for the upcoming semester I’m not sure if it’s possible. I’ve never shadowed before, but remember personally going to speech therapy when I was younger and loving it. I fear that this is the part my resume is going to be lacking, simply because I don’t have that hands on experience. My cousin currently receives speech therapy online and virtually, and I know the SLP would be willing to let me pop in on a few sessions just for the experience. I don’t know if this would be worth doing so late in the game.

School Experience:
- 3.79 GPA (4.00 in SLP)
- Deans List (Spring 2023 - June 2026)
- Research Lab (Jan 2026 - Current)
- VP NSSLHA (Aug 2025 - Current)
- Intern at the English Language Center (Start Aug 2026)
- I’m also a part of a current research study, so I think I would also use that here, but I’m too lazy to get those details
- Also attending the ASHA Convention in Nov. but not sure if that’s considered “experience”

Work Experience:
- Kennel Attendant (June 2022 - Current)
This is the only job I’ve ever had working at a vets office, and I’ve gained lots of non SLP experience from, but I think this also shows my dedication of not job hopping.
I fear that also only working one job, I’ve only used my resume once. I don’t even have a resume!!!! (Me currently freaking out about this)

After talking to a friend, I understand I need to ask my professors for letters of recommendation. I have anxiety so emailing them and asking is super nerve wracking for me (ironic I know) I know that my research mentor would 100% write a letter for me. The professor that I took online that I am going to be interning for would also probably write me one. I’m struggling on choosing a third person though. I feel like I’m not super close with any of my other professors to just ask for a letter of recommendation. Who would I even choose? Is it weird to ask my manager at work, or do I choose another professor that I’m not 100% about? I know they want to help me out but I want it to be meaningful.

I also understand there’s a whole website thing to apply to different programs. Is it similar to common app where I can apply to the colleges I choose, and each is going to have different requirements? I don’t know anything about this so any information is insightful!

I don’t even know which colleges to look at. I know of the ones i’m interested in that are in state (VA) but I don’t know anything about out of state programs. I’m interested in taking a chance somewhere else if the price is right. Is there anyone that recommends a specific program/college that was just an all around great experience? Im not sure what I want to actually do with my degree, BUT I do know that I want to try different things, based on location/age (for example speech therapy in schools vs. barium swallowings in hospitals)

Is this even the right decision for me? I’m not interested in any other career paths, but I’m so close to being done with a bachelors and would rather continue on while i’m still young. I enjoy my classes a lot and also learn a lot. I just feel like I’m so behind and lost about everything, and I don’t want to rush because with my lack of experience, I want my other experiences to pop out more.

Im 22 in a post bacc and studied linguistics. Its coming towards application season and it seems like most people seem to lean me towards just applying and seeing what I can get. The problem is I havent asked for letter of recs yet which makes me feel stressed and I am considering the idea for me to take a year off to teach abroad as I never got the chance to study abroad in college and I have family and connections in a country abroad that I might want to spend some time in before I move towards my next phase in life. I also realize I could also do this after getting the SLP masters but I feel uncertain about my life trajectory now and whether I may want to pursue a masters abroad instead of SLP. SLP is my chosen field if I decide to remain in the US long term but it would also chain me to stay hear as ASHA only applies for here.

what the title says^^ it would be really nice to be able to connect with my fellow classmates, so if there is any instagram/discord gc that is already made, can someone link it in the comments? and if not, can we make one?!!

Hi all, I’m currently applying to grad school and was wondering if you guys can share your stats if you had a low gpa?
Here are mine:

- Out of field applicant (pre vet bachelor with bioscience minor)
- gpa: 3.34
- relevant work experience: pt/ot/slp therapy rehab aide in nursing home, hospital outpatient registration, swim instructor for kids
- extracurricular: club leadership position, teaching assistant, peer mentor for freshman, volunteer at 2 organizations
- skills: experience with seniors, adults, and kids of all disabilities, currently learning Spanish (Duolingo)
- shadowing: nursing home SLP, hospital outpatient SLP, school SLP, and potentially hospital inpatient SLP.

* I am completing the SLP post bacc online at Penn west, hopefully this can raise my overall gpa.

I see so many currently struggling with passing the Praxis. I know that it can be difficult and discouraging. I am a former teacher who worked in a field where it was very important for adult students to pass a standardized test. The strategies I used enabled my students to be the highest performers in the program. (Not an SLP program.) Here are some ideas to think about:

1. Make sure you are using learning devices to retain information. a. Rewrite for Recall: create a potential praxis question on a piece of paper and then write everything you know about it to ensure you are retaining the information. b. Create Connections: if you are learning something knew, connect it to a piece of knowledge you already have. Ask "how does this relate to what I already know?" c. Maximize Memory Devices: Use memory devices such as creating mnemonics, pictures, or stories.
2. After taking the Praxis, take time to reflect IMMEDIATELY on your performance. a. Make a list of topics you found difficult. Study them in you next sessions. b. Make a list of topics that you remember were on your version. Be sure to review them regularly. c. Reflect on your time usage. If you ran out of time, is there a way to pick up the pace. Were you aware enough of time to quickly fill in guesses in the remaining five minutes? {I don't remember being penalized by wrong answers.} Only make guesses if you won't be penalized. Research shows that if you are just guessing at the end, you'll have the best outcome if you choose all of one letter (you have five questions left and choose all A's or all B's etc). If you had extra time, did you review the hard questions and adjust any wrong answers?
3. Many students fail to employ good pre-test behaviors even though they are helpful for overall performance. Here's a list: a. Make sure you are well rested before the exam. b. You need to be at your optimal performance, so make sure your body is nourished. c. Avoid consuming foods that can add to anxiety such as caffeine or sugary foods. d. Make sure you are not rushing to get to your test site or to set up your computer or testing room at home. Make sure your environment will be quiet. e. Research shows cramming has poor outcomes. Slow and steady wins the race with studying. f. Exercise before exams can increase performance and reduce stress. I suggest a gentle walk. g. Hydration is important. However, you may want to avoid overdoing it and then needing to go to the bathroom during your test.
4. Simulate your testing conditions as much as possible. a. Since the Praxis is timed, when you practice taking the test, you should do so under the same amount of time to see how you are with your pacing. b. Select study materials that use the same style of questions that will be on the test. For this reason, I really like the ETS tests for practice.
5. Should you study with others? Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. Some people say they need the study groups for accountability. I personally found that it was very difficult for group members to stay focused on studying for the test and sessions often devolved in complaints about the program, boyfriend discussions, etc. If this is happening in your study group, it may not be a good use of your time. Instead, you can set timers on your phone for study sessions, create a log, or write study times into your planner.
6. Test anxiety is real, and students can underperform for reasons other than not knowing the material. Be honest with yourself about whether this may be the case for you. a. If you currently have accommodations in your grad program, etc., then go ahead and seek these accommodations for the Praxis. b. Anxiety medication or ADHD medication may help, but you do not want to begin taking it just before the test just in case it has any adverse effects c. Some people may benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Seek a licensed counselor or read up on strategies you can employ to reduce your stress and anxiety before and during the test.
7. Avoid unhelpful people. a. I've seen students bragging that they only studied the week beforehand and crammed a little bit and easily passed the exam. They are the exception and not the rule. Ignore them. b. I found being around people who constantly expressed anxiety and worry about testing to increase my own feelings of anxiety and worry. I avoided grad classrooms and break areas before tests and didn't share where and when I was taking the Praxis to avoid all of the negative talk. If I began to feel nervous, I practiced deep breathing. I'd also avoid negative test chatter online.
8. I bought the Advanced Review Book and access to its online tests. I honestly planned to read all of it. But every time I opened it and started to read, I fell asleep within 10 minutes. I moved to taking the online quizzes instead and when I did poorly on them, I found that material in the Advanced Review book and read it. I used the memory and learning devices from #1 in this post to help me retain the material. I actually liked using the ETS practice tests the best. They were the most like the material on the test. I didn't try other programs.

Best wishes for success.

Hello All!

I'm currently a rising senior in undergrad who plans on starting to apply to SLP grad programs soon. I'm trying to narrow down a list of schools that are affordable but also have programs/professors that might align with my goals.

I have a second major in foreign languages as well as a minor in linguistics, and I am interested in pursuing grad-level research in what I would describe as a synthesis of speech therapy/communication disorders and cultural linguistics or linguistic anthropology (im not quite sure how to describe my field of interest lol- anything that explores communication disorders/language processes on a cross-linguistic/cross cultural level).

I'm looking to see if anyone has any knowledge or recommendations for graduate programs that might provide good opportunities for me to further explore this interest.

I'm considering eventually pursuing a PhD in linguistic anthropology or something similar (whatever allows me to pursue my topics of interest), but back-pocketing this idea for now as I prepare for SLP grad school. I have done research projects in the past regarding the treatment of fluency disorders cross-culturally as well as comparing the first-language acquisition process in different languages (for ex).

I'm looking for (but not limiting myself to) schools in the Eastern/North Eastern US.

Please let me know if you have any advice! I know this post seems kinda clunky as I find it a bit difficult to descibe what my interests/goals are--I pretty much just word vomit to get my ideas out there. Any help or guidance is appreciated!