Those Hidden Fees of Grad School

It's getting to be that time of year again for seniors of undergraduate speech-language pathology programs-- application season! I'm not sure about all programs, but my school already gave us a pep talk in April about how to prepare during the summer. It's crazy how many things need to be done, or at least  thought of during summer. Of course, some students, like myself, like to find things to research in their free time and have already been looking at certain points of the checklist already... like interesting grad schools. I know that some have thought of this, and others haven't. I attribute my searching to two things: I just like to look up things, and I consider myself 1/2 undergrad 1/2 post-bacc since I came into this degree as a transfer (from Linguistics). So, I've always been on the more self-driven side of my peers and researching everything about SLP within my first year of the program since I was transferring.

Anyway... sorry for that tangent. It has a purpose though! These searches, including those on forums like gradcafe, have led me to realize there are many more things to consider besides the tuition of grad school itself. These "hidden" fees can be enough to change your decision once you realize how much they can add up!

1. Cost of an apartment: 

Many undergrads don't get an apartment until their junior or senior year. Some may even be lucky (or maybe not lucky when you consider the amount of their loans) enough to live in a dorm their entire undergraduate career. With an apartment comes certain fees, which you should consider:

-Each city has a different "average" rate: For example, Pittsburgh can be about 500 for a shared and 6-700 for a single. Boston on the other hand? Mad expensive!

- Utilities: Don't forget the cost of utilities. If you're living in a studio, you have to pay them all yourself (unless some are included in rent). This can make your monthly payments go from $50 in a 4-person apartment to $150 alone depending on what utilities you decide are necessary (TV and Internet plans)

-Transportation: Find an apartment in an area you deem an acceptable distance from campus. Walking is always cheap, especially in the city. Some universities give you free public transportation with your ID, so you may not need a car. So, consider if you'll need a car (+ gas) or if you need to pay for public transport or not.

2. Factor in General Travel: 

Will you be living close to family and friends, or will they be hours (or even states) away? Do you plan on visiting them occasionally or for holidays? Then search the cost for gas for train/bus/plane travel to and from your house to see if you can afford that X times a semester while you are in school.

3. Supplies:

Think about any supplies you need. These include: books, furniture, kitchenware, physicals or clearances, school supplies, lesson planning supplies, and any other "small" things that might add up.

4. The Big Move:

If you are planning on going cross- state or cross-country for school, then you might rack up even more costs. Will you be able to fit everything in your car or in your checked luggage? Or will you need to rent a moving truck? How much will the gas or tickets cost to do this?

These are just several of the hidden costs that grad school has. For some, these can make or break the decision for going to a certain school, while others think about the long term investment. Of course, if you manage to get a scholarship, assistantship or other form of reimbursement that helps alleviate some of the cost of grad school, then these may not weigh as much on your decision.  Either way, good luck to all in my current position and hope you find your best match!

If you can think of any other hidden costs, feel free to comment!

It's A Glottal Thing

Today I have an extremely small anecdote to share, but the linguist in me found it rather amusing. Let me take you back to a few days ago...

I had just sat down with my boyfriend on these unique benches in the local airport. They're an odd shape, almost a horizontal cross-section of a boat with a dorsal fin in the middle for back support. My boyfriend had already taken out his laptop and I was in the process of mimicking his motions, as we had an hour to kill.

In the midst of sorting through my rather large tote (brought to be used as a beach tote for towels at our destination) I hear a rather odd noise. Of course, airports are a mecca of odd noises, even a small one like this. Several languages and dialects are being spoken, plates and cups are clanging on the tables, there's pitter-pattering of small and large feet alike... so this shouldn't have been out of what I'd normally expect, especially as I've heard similar utterances before.

All I heard was " Now I thought I told you before..." What caught my attention was the extreme glottal stop usage of the man's dialogue. Or perhaps his accent made it sound harsher and more apparent in speech. I can't quite tell, but he was somewhere from the United Kingdom. Despite hearing British/ Welsh/Irish people talking before, I had never heard this much glottal-age in such a short sentence. (For those who might not be aware of what a glottal stop is, it is the 'noise' you make when saying things like 'uh-oh' or 'button', it's more prominent in British English. It's that quick "stop" you make in the middle of uh-oh. I'll post a video below to help.)  I'll attempt to transcribe it, but forgive me as it's been a year since I've transcribed anything, and vowels aren't my strong-suit. This is what it sounded like to me:

Aj  θɔʔ  aj  toʔd  ju  bifɔʔ

All I know is, I swear I heard that darn glottal stop at least 3 times. I even thought he pronounced it at the end of both 'I's too, but I left that out as it's most likely my mind on sensory overload. Either way, my inner linguist is fairly satisfied right now, despite leaving the Basque country, a linguistic paradise, for the time being. Does anyone find it amusing to hear less-common American English (or your native dialect) IPA sounds? What's your favorite IPA sound?

*Note: I'm not disrespecting British people at all, so i hope it doesn't sound like that! It's just amusing to hear accents. :)

Here's a link to the promised video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uS4YZ_a3_ig     I think he does a decent job at explaining how the noise is made and giving examples.

Student "non-CEU" Classes

Remember how I mentioned that I registered for an online CEU company? Well, As of yesterday, I have now completed my first 'non-CEU' class. It is technically a CEU (Continuing Education Unit) course, but as I am not a professional Speech-Language Pathologist (yet), it doesn't count for credit. But I still get a certificate of completion if I receive an 80% or above on the test that follows! And guess  what? This girl got a 90%! I'm so happy! If you aren't on this bandwagon yet, I suggest you do so. Yes, it costs about $49/year for a student account, but there's plenty of other aspects that make it worth the while:

-Applications- Grad school applications, that is. These classes are extremely great assets to have in your educational arsenal when applying to grad school. They will show that you are not just dedicated to this field, but you are really, truly dedicated to it. You are not only interested in learning within the school system, but you want to learn more on your free time. That should get some of those admissions officers eyebrows raised.

-Knowledge- It's always important to maintain and expand your knowledge-- especially when it comes to the field you work in. Our field  has become so vast in the past years that there's much to know, almost too much. Taking these classes will assist you in this never-ending, but fun, endeavor. Say you read something in the news about Autism or Animal-Assisted Therapy and you want to learn more about those issues within Speech-Language Pathology, you can look up some courses about that and take them! There's plenty to choose from.

-Education- On a similar note, these classes can act as fillers (possibly, not guaranteed) that provide extra information on topics you learning in school. Perhaps you're behind or confused about a subject and want a different perspective, or you want to know some information before taking a class the upcoming semester. One way to accomplish those could be taking related classes through companies like these. Just make sure you get some sort of recognition at the end and ASHA approves of the company. One way to do that is by looking for classes on this site: http://www.asha.org/eweb/csdynamicpage.aspx?webcode=coursesearch

-Variety of Methods- At least the website I use has a variety of means through which the learner may view the material. So, whether you are a visual, auditory, or text-based learner, there are  classes for you. In fact, the same class may be available in all three mediums, which is great. There are also live Webinars you may partake in, where you can ask the presenter questions while he/she teaches the material. I've also seen virtual conferences are available!

-Extra Material- Many classes also have supplemental information for your benefit. You can save and print them out as you deem necessary. These are great to have for future reference and to jog your memory if you forget something later down the road. Of course, if you want to use them for therapy or handing out to clients, then you'll have to ask permission from the presenter.

Those are just a few reasons to take some CEU classes for no credit as a student. I'm sure there are plenty more!

*I use www.speechpathology.com . This was not an endorsement or an expression of their opinions. These are solely my opinions.

Boosting That Transcript and Gaining Knowledge

Now, lots of people might ask "why take classes you don't need? Why torture yourself with some "classes" in the summer that don't "count" for something? Well, there's three reasons:

1. I'll admit to being a nerd and enjoying learning. Crazy, I know

2. To go along with that, these classes will boost my knowledge of the field I want to work in, and related items.

3. It'll boost my transcript and show I'm really serious about this, and not doing the bare minimum.

How will I go about doing this? Taking Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) that SLP's have to take for their license, but without getting credits at the end. Since I'm not a licensed professional, I don't need the credits themselves, so I'm just taking the classes. It's fairly simple. You can search on ASHA for CEUs you'd like, online or in person,  and find their provider, then take the class through the provider.

One of the main online providers (which makes it easier) is speechpathology.com, and what's good is they give a discount to STUDENTS! It's only $49/ year for access to all of their courses, which can be text, audio or video! And then you can take the test at the end. Each class is worth a different amount of CEUs and is a different difficulty level and length, but most I've found are 1 hour long, so not much time at all! There's even some classes related to audiology.

Another provider I've seen on ASHA (although it's not for credits, I'd still prefer it to be accredited) is linguisystems.com. I've actually seen some SLPs mention this on Facebook... and they love it cause some of the CEUs are free! So even better. :) That should be an easy way to gain more insight without having to hurt the college budget.

 

Those are just two examples to help boost that resume and just keep learning. Some even say it helped for finding a Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) after graduate school. :)Check ASHA for other providers, or even take ones that might not be approved! If they don't count for credits then it may not matter anyway. :) Just make sure you jot down the courses and speakers to write on your resume!