Graduate / 'Leaping over red-tape' - Speech-Language Pathology grad school personal statement. [3]

Tell me what you all think? Applying soon and these schools are difficult to get into. Didn't have the best grades in other areas--but did well in Major courses. No rules here---just a personal statement requesting why you want to attend grad school for speech pathology.

I had just completed my sophomore year at the University of Texas as an advertising major and visiting my sister as part of my summer break. At the time, she was attending the University of Texas at Dallas as a Speech-Pathology undergraduate. As I was lounging around her living room, I picked up one of her textbooks that she had for a Phonetics class. I began to flip through the book and immediately felt a strange sensation in my stomach, my heart started to race and I found myself asking my sister question after question about this textbook. A brief moment later, I had an explaination for my lack of interest in my advertising and business studies. It was as if a light bulb had gone off above my head and I knew exactly who I was meant to become.

That summer was spent figuring out how to switch my major to Speech-Pathology and still graduate within the four year goal that I set for myself before entering college. It took countless office visits to the counselor and a tremendous amount of red-tape to leap over that fall semester to get everything in order. I was told by my counselor that it was unwise to pack that many major-specific courses in each semester as I had planned out. In fact, she claimed she had never witnessed anyone accomplish it without out failing one or more courses. I encountered many difficulties those next two years, but my grades had never been better. I was motivated, I was interested and I was dedicated. I had my goal and was determined to see it through. I was devoted to becoming a speech therapist and I wanted to learn as much as I could so that I could one day make a difference in someone elses life.

Overwhelmed by my un-advised courseloads each semester, handling one to two jobs each semester at part-time as well as an internship my last semester, I made the decision to put graduate school on hold. Knowing I did not want to waste any of my time before re-entering school, I secured a speech assistant position before I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. Upon gaining my assistant license, I have worked in home healthcare and have had the opportunity to work for an amazing school district.

The experience I have gained is irreplaceable and has been more rewarding than I had ever imagined. I have found that I am very versatile in work settings and thouroughly enjoy working with clients that range from severly disabled to having a minor articulation impairment. I have not made the decision as to which environment I will thrive the most in. When I was eleven years old, my grandfather suffered a stroke which affected his ability to communicate. If not for his speech therapist, the next ten years of his life would have been in silence. I intend to work in a hospital setting and help give someone else's grandfather or loved one the ability to communicate again.

While I have gained a great deal of knowledge from my hands on expereiences, I want to be as profficient as possible in the field and obtaining my master's degree is one step closer for me. I want to be able to walk away from a patient and know that I did absolutely everything I could to achieve their goals. I know that without proper training and exposure to the subjects in detail, I will not be able to close a case file with confidence. I desire more to help develop my chosen path so that I am able to make that difference in the world.