adjusting to this new life.

I've been pretty quiet around here, but not because I'm "done" with blogging, or because I don't know what to write about. I actually really miss blogging, and I miss the community that comes along with it. Lately, I've only been active on Instagram which gets a little...eh. We all know how Instagram gets. I actually have a pretty lengthy post drafted regarding actual blogs vs. Instagram blogs, but it's not "there" just yet. Ya know?

Moving right along.

Saying I've been busy doesn't really feel accurate. I mean, it's the truth. But aren't we all busy? Nothing to write home about (or on the blog about, clearly). Given this time of year, we're lucky if we're productive at all, between the parties and shopping and attempting to be mentally present throughout the festivities.

So yes, I have been busy. But in reality, I've been readjusting to the working world; a working world that I wasn't even familiar with while I was working in the life of luxury and flexibility that is an outside sales position. Long gone are my days of hour lunches and a mid-morning Starbucks break to power through the day.

Now, I wake up at 5:35 a.m. every morning (unless I'm really on the edge and hit snooze until 5:45) and I function on one cup of coffee. I drive 30-40 minutes to work in the morning with a 45 minute commute back home. While I have to be on campus (I work at a school) from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., I almost never leave at 3. I come home, take out the dogs, go to the gym, make dinner, do laundry, hang out with Ryan. Most nights, the clock catches me off guard.

"It's only 8:30," Ryan tells me.

But in a perfect world, I'd be winding down and getting ready for bed at 9 p.m., with a strict 9:45 p.m. bedtime for eight hours of delicious snoozing. In a perfect world. 

On the surface, if you painted this post as a picture, you might reach for dark hues and stroke with a heavy hand, weighted by a litany of woes. That, however, is 100% not my intention. Because while I'm adjusting, I am also growing to love this job.

Even though I'd love to sleep in longer, I don't mind sipping my hot coffee in a cute travel mug while listening to 90's pop or high school punk on my half hour commute.
I live for the days when my 5th grade language students tell me they're excited to learn more about prefixes because they think it will really help them succeed in the classroom.
It warms my heart every time one of my students calls out my name in the middle of a hallway, or runs up to hug me when I pick them up for speech.
I love making sure my kids know that it's a big, exciting, giant, humungo deal when they reach their goals, because I'm figuring out that a lot of these kids don't have that support system at home.

So, you know, things are going pretty well around here. In the new year, I'd like to refocus and start redirecting my energy back into hobbies, such as writing this blog. At the very least, I'd like to figure out its purpose. If you've stuck around during these quiet months, I want to say thank you, and I hope you'll continue to do so.

Advice for your First Year of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate School.

Note: This post is for my fellow or future SLP graduate students! Non-SLP following - you're more than welcome to read on, but if you're not interested, come back later in the week for more travel/personal bits :)

I can't believe my first year of speech-language pathology grad school has already come and gone. I start my second (and final!) year in just a couple of weeks, so I wanted to share a few bits of advice I've gathered from my experience as a first year speech-language pathology student for anyone who's about to start their program this month, or anyone applying in the future! I hope you find this at least a tiny bit helpful as you begin your journey! I certainly don't know it all (I don't think I even know half of it all), but after reflecting on the last year, I've found these to be true:

No amount of observation will prepare you for treating your own clients. Going in, I knew that I had no real idea what I was doing, but I didn't realize how true that actually was...ha! Every client is different, and finding what works while making sure it's an evidence based practice plus making it entertaining for your client (especially the kiddos) can feel especially daunting. But you will learn. Some days you'll want to cry, but you'll always learn!

Staying humble is key. It's no secret that these programs are tough to get into, so it's safe to say that you are one smart cookie! But as a student, or even as a seasoned SLP, you don't know everything (duh!). It doesn't matter how many textbooks you've read, how high your undergrad GPA was, or how many hours of observation you've logged (read above!). Be respectful of your supervisors, keep an open mind to your classmates' ideas, and always be kind. Remember that your supervisors and professors have years of experience with what works and what doesn't and you get to piggy back off that experience...pretty cool, if you ask me! Having said that, never be afraid to ask "why," or to ask if you can try something new.

Finding "your people" (or your person) in the program is so important. From clinical triumphs to formulating appropriate goals, complaining about a tough session or simply wanting to talk about your future profession - there are certain things that your classmates will just understand better than your parents, non-SLP friends, or significant other. These programs are tough, and you'll need someone to bounce ideas off of, to study with, to grow with. You're all in grad school now, so the competition is out the window (heads up - there will still be some people who are competitive AF...I say either kill them with kindness, or ignore them altogether).

Time management time management time management. In some ways, graduate school is a bit easier than undergrad. I can't put my finger on why that is exactly...maybe because getting into grad school is so difficult in itself that once you're actually there, all you have to do is survive. However, it requires a lot of time management. Unlike undergrad, you have to be readily available at any point for a meeting with your clinic group, your supervisor, or a team project. Add in your individual client, making treatment plans and writing SOAPs plus homework (and you know, existing as a human outside of grad school), and you can get overwhelmed real quick. Keeping a planner is important, as is being flexible...like, real flexible.

Understanding what you're learning and actually being able to apply it as a clinician is far more important than getting an A. I know, I know. We want all the A's! But remember that when you're interviewing in the future, they're not going to ask you about your 4.0 GPA - they'll be more concerned with your clinical experiences.

But it's also okay to not be interested in every single thing you're learning. As an SLP, you can wear a ton of different hats over the course of your career, but you probably won't be wearing them all at the same time. So don't feel guilty if learning about swallowing disorders and feeding tubes doesn't appeal to you. You'll find your niche!

You don't have to devote all of your time, energy, and mental space to school. And you shouldn't. Study hard, but make time for fun things and don't feel guilty about it.

Most importantly? Enjoy this time. Even when it sucks (because it will). Your classmates will become some of your best friends - take advantage of getting to see them every single day because you'll miss it when it's gone (AKA like I will be when we're all at different externships & in different classes this semester). 

If you're currently in a program or a seasoned SLP, any tips for incoming first years? Or if you're a graduate student for a different kind of program, what's the best piece of advice you could give, or that you've received? Let me know in the comments!

Getting into Graduate School for Speech-Language Pathology.

Note: if you have zero interest in speech-language pathology/getting into graduate school for said field, this might not be the most interesting post for you!

When I made the decision to apply for graduate school (in a field that was 100% different from my initial degree), I knew that quitting my job and going back to serving wasn’t going to be the only difficult part of the journey.

If you’re familiar with speech-language pathology as a field, you know that getting into graduate school is notoriously difficult. Hundreds of students apply for just 20-60 spots, and a good majority of them have phenomenal GPAs. 

Now that I've officially (and miraculously) been accepted to school, I thought I'd put together a list of tips that I believe helped me secure my spot in a great program:

Don’t blow off the GRE. No matter what your friends tell you, spend some time studying for the GRE. For one, it’s a really expensive test to just throw your hands up and see how things go. Learn the strategies, memorize the vocabulary, and take practice tests. I will be the first one to tell you that it’s a stupid test that in no way actually determines how you will perform in grad school. Having said that, it’s a stupid test that will either make or break your application. TIP: Spend a couple hours looking at sample analytical writing essays and prompts. My verbal and quantitative scores were above what I needed when I took the test my first time…and then my analytical writing score came back 12 days later 0.5 points below what I needed. It matters.

Personally, I loved using Magoosh for my studies. I could take full practice exams, and I had access to hundreds of verbal and quant questions. Every single practice question gave a 1-3 minute explanation for the answer, so it was like having my own personal tutor. Definitely worth the money, and it’s considerably cheaper than many other programs.

Immerse yourself in the field. I spent the summer before applying to schools emailing local private practices and hospitals about shadowing their SLPs. I managed to secure a volunteer position at a major hospital here in Tampa for my spring semester (just finishing up my 80 hours this month!), and I formed a great relationship with an SLP practicing at a local school (who ended up writing me a letter of recommendation!). Plus, I spent a couple half days shadowing my friend at the private practice she works at. Not only was I buffing up my grad school application, but I learned so much over the year while getting to work in different settings. 

Get personal with your letter of intent. Even though I’m pretty comfortable with writing, drafting my letter of intent was intimidating. It’s your only opportunity to tell the admission committees exactly why and how you’re different from other applicants…especially if you’re coming from another major or acknowledging a low GPA. I used my background in professional sales and recent observation hours to explain why I decided to pursue speech pathology, and why I felt I would be a perfect fit for the program. Get creative! I also made sure to send drafts to friends and family for review, and quadruple checked for spelling and grammatical errors. In a nutshell – sell yourself, but tastefully!

Reach out early for letters of recommendation. And don’t feel weird about asking for them! Writing letters of recommendation is literally in a professor’s job description. Having said that, reaching out early is key. Again, as a post-bacc, I was in a weird position. Thus, I had to reach out to professors after hardly getting to know them at all. If at all possible, don’t do this. Get involved in research or attend office hours. BUT, do know that it’s completely possible to get a good letter from a professor you don’t have a close relationship with, so long as you’re in good academic standing in the class.

Let them know you’re thinking about them, in a non-suffocating kind of way. As soon as I heard USF was sending out waitlist notifications (in addition to acceptances), I called the graduate school advisor to check in on the status of my application. While talking on the phone can seem scary, it really is so much more personal than an email. Later that week, I was waitlisted. I made sure to reply to the email expressing my continued interest in the school, and then sent an updated resume the following week. I maxed myself out at three separate points of contact, and from there, I [im]patiently waited for my future to unfold…into an acceptance! Of course, there’s no guarantee that reaching out here and there will make a definite difference, but it felt good to know that there was nothing more I could have done to make myself stand out.

Quitting Your Job & Going to Grad School: What to Expect.

In January 2015, I shadowed a speech-language pathologist for the very first time. Speech-language pathology was something I'd been considering for a long time, despite having a degree and career in a completely different field. After more than a year of indecision, I scheduled a one-time observation at an outpatient center for a local children's hospital. Just over two months later, I put in my two-weeks notice at my job, signed up for the GRE, and swapped my salary for tips. Sounds easy, right?

Nope. It's never been easy. It's hard all the time, every day. What I'm going to say next is 100% cliche, but true nonetheless. Can you guess it?

It's worth it.

Even if I don't get into graduate school this go around (speech-language pathology programs are notoriously difficult to get into), it will all have been worth it for me.

If you're thinking about going to graduate school for something completely different than your initial degree, making the first move can feel like a giant step. It is a giant step, and it's important to consider (and to expect) all of the following to happen once you decide that you are ready to make the jump:

Before...

• Think about it. Think about it again. Think about it some more. As I mentioned previously, I'd been thinking about SLP for a long time prior to actually quitting my job and returning to school. It started out as a random thought in my head in late 2013 and became a reality in early 2015. I am student loan-free from my first degree, so I really wanted to make sure it was something that was going to be worth going into debt for.
• Consult the people you love/the people who care about you the most. While the choice is ultimately up to you, I personally like to get feedback from my family, my boyfriend, and my very close friends before making big decisions. It's easy to make impulsive decisions on your own, but your friends and family are the people who can help you rationalize, and the people who will be your biggest supporters once you make the leap!
• Prepare yourself. Chances are, your life is about to change in a big way. It's time to get your ducks in a row. Quit your job if necessary, and find something more flexible. For me, it meant getting a serving job so I could spend most of my free time studying for the GRE. 

During...

• Find your why. Because you are 100% going to need one. Going into all this, I already had a perfectly good bachelor's degree in mass communication. So what if I didn't love sales? I could have easily found something else in (or out) of my field without putting myself through school once again. But the more I scrolled through endless job listings and descriptions, the less inspired I felt. It was within those moments that I realized what I was looking for: I wanted to help. Of course there was a lot more to it than that, but I wanted to do something where I could look back in years to come and say, "this really mattered." It's all a matter of opinion, but that was mine. So every break down I've had (there's been a lot), I've had to come back to my "why." It's probably what's kept me from completely losing my marbles.
• Adjust yourself, and remember that it's all temporary. I still haven't adjusted to being a broke college student. I thought I was done with serving forever, so going back to it was probably the biggest adjustment for me. I watch my friends from college go on vacation, plan their weddings, buy houses, etc. and I think, "that could've been me right now." But this, too, shall pass. I won't be broke forever. I won't be in school forever. It's all temporary. And I'll never look back and think "what if I'd gone back to school?" So it's a win.
• Immerse yourself in the field and keep an open mind about learning. Now that I'm spending my own money out of pocket (no loans until grad school, FML), it's a lot easier for me to dedicate myself to my studies. And while I won't always say this in the middle of an exam week, I truly enjoy [most of] what I'm learning. I'm observing at Tampa General Hospital every week and shadowing at an elementary school when I can. I'm getting good grades on my exams. I'm doing everything I can, because I chose this. What's the point of taking the leap if you're just going to half ass the journey?

After...

Weeeellll, I guess I'm not really at my "after" point yet. I'm still on this crazy road. Some days I truly enjoy it, and sometimes I really don't. Some days it's hard for me to remember my "why." But along the way, I've met some great friends, and I've learned more about myself than I even thought possible. It's been kind of life changing, and I don't think I'll ever regret it, regardless of the outcome.