Upcoming Senior student - advise needed!

[al77]

Hey guys. I am very interested in pursuing a career in Audiology, and I understand undergraduate majors such as speech and hearing sciences, communicative disorders, communication science, and etc- are great choices for prospective audiologists.

I was wondering if you guys had a good list of excellent schools with these majors. And what should I look in a college if their hearing/speech science program is good or not?


Thanks!

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[BigAl]

I'll give you a quick answer as I don't have much time for a response, sorry. But the school is the independent variable in this equation. It depends how well you do in these programs, sure if you go to a school that has lost its education accreditation you will have trouble. You can also be in the best program and do horrible (B- would be considered horrible in the communicative science realm, as it is very competitive). So, it depends on how well you do and other factors... hope someone can pick up from here or Ill get back to it later.
Hope this helps.

 

[Raconteur07]

What state are you from. Another thing to take into consideration is how much you will be spending on your education. The cost of audiology training -- including undergrad, grad, and post doc if you decide to go that far -- can add up over the years. As rewarding as the career can be, you won't want to start off with a hefty amount of student loans to pay off.

Consider in-state schools with reputable CSD programs.

 

[rEliseMe]

Consider in-state schools with reputable CSD programs.

I 100% agree with this. Your undergraduate program won't matter as much as the "extra stuff." Seek out an audiologist who might be willing to mentor you. Read as much as you can in your spare time. Pick elective credits which will bolster your 'resume' by making you a well-rounded student. Build relationships with your professors so you're sure to get glowing letters of recommendation. Even if you switch majors (I think the average number of major-changes from start to finish is like 3-5), those are still good tips for any degree.

I think the overarching theme is: don't treat your degree as just a piece of paper. Treat it like preparation for life. If you earn your degree in a 'bigger picture' sense, no matter what you major in, you'll be better-prepared than your peers and end up in a good job. Good luck!

 

[cidanu]

If you can find an undergraduate program where you get to have an internship or some kind of clinical experience that would really give you a jump start for graduate school.

On the other side of the spectrum, in my graduate program, we have a lot of people that didn't major in speech or audiology, never worked in clinic before, and are doing great. Just be sure to get all your prerequisites for grad school in during your undergraduate career.

And yeah I agree with everyone else here: IN-STATE is where it's at! Or any school that gives you a decent financial aid package that makes it competitive with in-state. Unless you've got a trust-fund or need to use up the money your parents stashed for you in a college savings account, then the less debt the better. Money has a habit of biting you in the behind.