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Student Opportunities

Graduate School (Part II)

Mechanics of Applying for Graduate School Entry

Now you have to decide which schools you will apply to. (Re-read Part 1 if you are still in doubt.)

Gathering materials
From the ASHA Home Page or the hard copy of graduate school information, locate the name of the individual/office that will send you the necessary application materials. Call or write for the application materials far in advance of the application deadline. When they arrive, ensure that you have all of the needed items:

  • Application form
  • Forms upon which your reference letters are to be written
  • Deadline for the application's completion and filing
  • Applicable application fees and payment method
  • Financial aid information/application
  • Decide whether or not you will apply

Application procedure
Follow this procedure for all of the schools you are considering. Read all the materials very carefully.

Letters of recommendation:

  • What are you told about these in the application materials?
    Whom are they expecting to write these letters? Department faculty only?
  • Must the recommender use a form or simply prepare a letter on department letterhead?
  • Does the recommender mail the letter in? To whom? By when?  Send the letter to a web site or email it?
  • If the letter is written, does it need to be returned to you in a sealed/signed envelope so that you will send it along with your completed application?
  • Who will you ask to write your letters of recommendation? (Consider carefully who it is that know you well.)
  • Letters should address your academic and clinical experiences.

Letters of recommendation

Ask those individuals whom you would like to write letters of recommendation.

Those individuals may ask you to sit in a brief interview to review your achievements and to outline your aspirations.

Give all the lead time you can to these individuals. Typically, letters are requested at the end of the Fall semester and grading exams takes precedence. A faculty member may be asked to write between 20 and 50-60 letters in any given year. Using every minute of the semester break may not be enough time!

Carefully complete all that is asked of you on the form(s) associated with letters of recommendation. Clearly indicate that you are willing to waive your right to see the letter which will be prepared. That tends to assure the recipient university that you have given the opportunity for the recommender to be open and forthright. If you do not wish to do so, please make that clear when you deliver the applications and/or the return envelopes. It is virtually impossible to contact you during the holidays to verify any unstated preferences.

Sign the recommendation form as required. Do not expect that the recommender will be able to locate you to remind you to do that. It makes particularly good sense to take time in order to do things correctly at this stage in your career.

Clearly, on a post-it note, write the grad school deadline for receiving the letter and attach one to each letter of recommendation form.

Prepare a typewritten, addressed envelope in which each letter/form will be returned to the grad school of your choice. If letters are to be sent in the mail, ask the department secretary for a department envelope.  Clearly type the address where the letter should be sent on the envelope.  Placing the proper postage on each envelope is recommended.

Properly address the envelope to the individual/committee indicated with each application. Align it correctly. Re-read. Check all spelling.

Add the return address in the upper left hand corner like this:

M/Dr. ___________________________
Communication Sciences and Disorders Department
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 Coliseum Blvd East
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

It would be helpful if you would indicate to the faculty members whom you have asked to write letters of recommendation, that you will also be requesting letters for scholarships at a later date. That may facilitate later preparation.

If you decide not to follow through on a particular application, notify the person who is writing the letter immediately of your change of heart. Saving that time is important.

Federal Regulation, the Family Educational Records Privacy Act (FERPA), requires that you authorize the release of your academic records for the purpose of letters of reccomendation. Each referee needs a signed copy of this form.

Download:

FERPA_release[PDF]

 

Applicant's statement

One of the most important parts of your application will be your personal statement. Make it neat and easy to read. Write in clear, grammatically correct sentences. Have others read your statement to give you feedback on it. Proofread.

Most applications call for you to offer a composition (length will be specified) that will give the grad school acceptance committee a clear picture of who you are.

You will need to write an impeccable composition.

You will need to have good things to write about! You should have been preparing for years to write this statement.

You've been an outstanding scholar! Awards, dean's list, etc. You've demonstrated special abilities that relate to SLP or A: you sing (voice), you have cared for a relative who had a stroke, you were a volunteer in SLP/A related agency/office, you have "people" skills and experiences - infants - elderly, you have been an effective team member on the job, and so on and on.

Ask a faculty member to help you gather your ideas to draw your own unique relevant information together.

Ask someone to read your statement to be certain that you have made all the points clearly. Bring all of your W233 learning to bear here.

State clearly why you want to continue with speech-language pathology or audiology.

  • Include the people, personal experiences, courses and events that motivated you to want to continue your education.
  • Add personal characteristics which you believe are important to the professions of speech-language pathology or audiology.
  • If you have had some extra activities such as volunteering in a hospital, nursing home, or school, describe how these experiences influenced your decision to continue your education.
  • Where possible, explain how that particular graduate school can assist with meeting your goals. For example, if you have a desire to work with the elderly, a particular school may have a specialized program or coursework directed toward the geriatric population.
  • If you know a professor who is doing research in an area of interest to you, add that you would be interested in that area of research and that you would welcome opportunities to assist.
  • Sell yourself and the unique skills or characteristics you bring. What are your goals? With whom and in what settings do you think you want to provide services? Do you think you would like to continue your education to earn a PhD? Why?

Remember: your application is the only "you" that the admission committee will see.

Be very careful. Do not wrinkle the paper. Triple check all that you do.

Prepare rough drafts before putting it on the one and only form that you have. There may not be time enough to write for a second one. Use your word-processing skills. Use a typewriter if you cannot line up short spaces on the form on the computer.

Make certain that you put sufficient postage on the envelope. Double check at the post office. You may wish to ask to have it mailed so that you receive a receipt telling that it was delivered to the addressee. That should put your mind at ease.

Application maintenance
You must make a phone call a couple of weeks before the application deadline to verify that all of the components have been received (application, letters, GRE score, transcripts, and whatever other materials they require of you).

 

IPFW is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University.