goal statement for admission to Speech Pathology
One page personal narrative " goal statement" 4for admission to Speech Pathology masters program. Feedback appreciated!
Graduate admissions at University of Cincinnati:
Throughout childhood, we are often asked this penultimate question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We are asked to color pictures and write papers on the subject, in well intentioned attempt to help guide us to our areas of possible interest. Once we reach the end of high school, the expectation is that we are now "grown up" and the answer to this question should be definitive and complete. For some, this holds true and they are able to make a lifelong career based on the interests during childhood that lit a spark and led them to their passion. For me, this was not the case. The path to finding the field of Speech-Language Pathology has been a winding road, yet one that has led me to become the hopeful future clinician that I am today.
I began my college career seeking a bachelors in elementary education. While I have immense respect for those in the field, I quickly realized that teaching was not my passion. My grades suffered due to my own mistakes and confusion about my chosen career path. When I decided to unassumingly switch my major to Speech-Language Pathology, with little prior knowledge of the field, I came to realize just what I could accomplish when I was driven by passion for what was being learning. During my undergrad at Brescia University I was the secretary of our schools NSSLHA chapter for two years. My GPA slowly but steadily improved, as I was able to maintain A's and B's in the vast majority of my classes.
During undergrad, I completed one of my clinical practicums at a home for those with developmental disabilities. This sparked an interest in the way of assistive technology. I saw two young boys diagnosed with cerebral palsy who were able to communicate by the use of "eye-gaze" assistive communication devices connected to their wheelchairs. At this same location, I observed an SLP who specialized in assigning clients the assistive technology devices that would best fit their needs. While most aspects of this field appeal strongly to me, something about the use of technology to aid in helping those with developmental disabilities truly pushed me to continue seeking graduate certification. As a future SLP, I intend to pursue further certification in the field of assistive technology.
Following undergrad, I began working as a behavioral therapist in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. As with my introduction to Speech-Language Pathology, I had little prior knowledge of the field but soon realized that I had found a patient population that I was equally passionate about: children on the autism spectrum. The profound impact that these children have had on my life is not to be understated. I have learned more in the ways of patience and perseverance than I could have imagined, and I strongly feel that these are skills that will become invaluable on my path to becoming a well-rounded future clinician.
I understand that admission to the University of Cincinnati's online graduate program is competitive. I also realize that my standardized testing scores may not be as strong in some areas. I encourage you to view my application as a whole, as a person who found my career path in Speech-Language Pathology and flourished academically in my last sixty hours of undergrad. I am a person who has grown professionally through the field of ABA in the last three years. I strongly believe that my passion and determination will allow me to find success through University of Cincinnati's online graduate degree program. The flexibility in my work schedule would allow me to make coursework a priority, and I am familiar with the complexities of taking online coursework and the importance of prioritizing. I am currently enrolled in a six-week online course to complete my physical science requirement