Graduate / Aphasia, impaired language development and articulation disorder Language Pathology [2]

I am currently taking the pre-reqs for entrance into a SLP Master's program. In order to get into the pre-req pre-professional program I was required to write a statement of purpose. I will be applying to Master's programs soon and I was wondering if this statement is workable or should I go in another direction. This is the one I wrote to get into the pre-professional program. Any and all comments are appreciated.

My cousin Bill spends most of his time in a wheelchair now. His falls started to occur more frequently and his injuries became more serious. Bill, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy and a host of other physical and cognitive impairments, also has a severe speech impediment. But, he is one of the happiest people I know.

I graduated college in 2007 with a degree in Business Management. When I started college I had no idea what I wanted to do and thought that a business degree would, at least, open some doors into the business world. Since then I have worked in finance, sales and marketing. None of these positions have given me a sense of purpose. However, it was during this time I met a new neighbor who happened to be a Speech Pathologist.

We talked a lot about my cousin. She would explain to me about aphasia, impaired language development and articulation disorder. Kristen works in a couple of hospitals and rehabilitation centers and about a year or so ago suggested that I accompany her. It opened up a whole new world that I never knew existed and it was wonderful. The experience was both exciting and humbling. It was exciting because I saw the efforts her patients made. Yet it was humbling because I could never know what the patient was feeling. I have seen the complexity of the profession and also understand that sometimes there is a simple fix.

One of my brothers is a few years older than me and is a physician. We were discussing my decision to enter this profession and he told me that he, too, had a speech impediment when he was in grammar school and had difficulty with several tongue sounds. He could not remember if he was seeing a speech pathologist initially but he went for therapy for about year. He did remember that the school brought a new person in and that person, who he believes was a speech pathologist, recognized immediately that he suffered from tongue thrust. A simple trip to the dentist to have a gate installed in his mouth fixed the problem.

Over the next several months I plan to volunteer in as many different setting as I can. Right now, I think I would like to work with children but I do see the abundance of opportunity that is available for a speech pathologist.

Bill moved to Vancouver, Washington with his family a few years ago and we talk quite frequently by phone. I still do not understand half of the things he is trying to say but even now, he is one of the happiest people I know.

Graduate / My family background; Speech Pathology Statement of Purpose [2]

Hi, This is my 1st draft and I'd like to get some quick opinions on it. I need to polish it up and have it in soon. App deadline for 1 school is 1/15. Feel free to rip it apart. I just want to get a feel if I'm going in the right direction. My advisor said not to harp on inspirational examples but on what motivates me and what I can bring to the program. So here goes...

I grew up surrounded by family in the medical field. My mother is an adolescent psychiatric nurse. My brother is a family physician and 2 of my cousins are graduating medical school this year. But that was not for me. I was going to set the world on fire.

My undergraduate degree is in Business Management. I planned on gaining experience in finance and marketing and then obtaining an MBA in whichever field interested me. Now, here I am almost 6 years later having realized that I had no sense of purpose, that I would go home at night feeling that I had not accomplished anything. I now look back at friends from high school and college and envy the fact that they always knew what they wanted. Many are teachers, some are attorneys and a few went into the medical field. They are happy. I was not.

Over the last few years I tried to figure out what I wanted to do, what would give me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. My family talked to me about medical school, nursing school and law school. They suggested that I obtain teaching certification but I just did not feel the calling for any of these. It was during this time that I became friendly with a neighbor who is a Speech Pathologist.

It was during these talks that I was able to reflect on how many members of my family have benefited from speech therapy. My cousin suffers from Cerebral Palsy and a host of other physical and cognitive impairments. It was always difficult to understand him but I now realize how his speech has improved over the years. My father's cousin has a daughter who is autistic and was non-verbal as a child. She just recently graduated from high school. When I was discussing my thoughts about becoming a Speech Pathologist with my brother, he told me that he had a speech impediment when he was a child and went for speech therapy.

The more I talked to my neighbor the more interested I became in the profession. She would explain to me about aphasia, impaired language development and articulation disorder. She works in a clinical setting at a couple of hospitals and rehabilitation centers and about a year or so ago suggested that I accompany her. Since then, I have met other Speech Pathologists and have observed in an educational setting. It opened up a whole new world that I never knew existed and it was wonderful. The experiences were both exciting and humbling. It was exciting because I saw the effort patients made. Yet it was humbling because I could never know what the patient was feeling. I have seen the complexity of the profession and also understand that sometimes there is just a simple articulation disorder.

Although my background is in business, it strengthened my work ethic. It enabled me to become self-motivated, driven and determined to succeed. Last year I made the decision to return to school and I enrolled in the Speech-Language Pathology Pre-Professional Program at Kean University. I am in my last semester of the program and I was hoping to show you a 4.0 GPA. I didn't quite make that but I came very close. But what my GPA shows me is that I can strive to do better. This is another one of the qualities that I will bring to the program. I will always strive to do better.