Graduate / Researching communication disorders/ Speech-Language Pathology; Personal Statement [4]

Hoping someone can offer some insight/editing for my SLP grad school personal statement. I have a varied GPA (graduating: poor, last 60: decent, CDS: fantastic), from attending many schools. Graduated with a non-SLP undergrad degree after transferring to a school without an SLP program and struggling in the new school (went from 3.8, Dean's List, to barely graduating with a 2.88). Very strong GRE scores.

The personal statement request: Discuss the factors that led you to pursue (aspects of discipline that interest you, insights gained from coursework, clinical, research or other personal experiences. Describe your career goals.

Attending a graduate level program was never a childhood dream of mine; it never occurred to me to aim so high. I was the first person in my family to graduate high school and going further than that was never expected. After high school, I took a variety of classes at local community colleges as I had no real direction or clear professional goals. In the spring of 2008, I was working as a riding instructor for a stable. We had a deaf student that year and spending time with her inspired me to begin the Communication Disorders program at the University of **. For the first time in my college career, I felt as if I had finally found my passion. Studying was no longer something I avoided. I had been unable to get into Anatomy and Physiology of Speech that year but requested a waiver from the professor to take Structural Disorders of Communications, simply because I was so excited to learn more that I didn't want to wait to take the courses in sequence. Not only did I surprise everyone by passing the class without the A & P pre-requisite, I was in the top ten high scores for the final exam.

Unfortunately, as I hit my stride educationally, things were not going well for my husband professionally. When he moved into a new military career, I had few transfer options and was unable to find a program similar to the one I was leaving. I struggled greatly to even complete classes when I was not passionate about the subject matter and no longer felt that the education I was receiving had any bearing on the career I truly wanted; additionally, all of my classes were taken through an online format. As we moved several times in a very short period of time, this was a necessity but it was also a very bad fit for my learning style. I no longer felt that I was truly learning, just achieving short-term memorization. While I initially floundered, I was able to complete a degree in English. However, there was a marked difference between my time at the University of **, studying what I loved, and my time at the University of *****, trying to finish with any degree, with classes in a format that did not engage me.

In the time post-graduation, I have nearly completed a course of 90 hours of lactation-specific education, to earn the title of Certified Breastfeeding Counselor, with the goal of becoming an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I will become certified in both Speech-Language Pathology and in Lactation. In large cities, hospitals employ teams of specialist in the NICUs and Labor/Delivery floors to help parents and infants with feeding problems. Two key components of these teams are SLPs and IBCLCs. Growing up in a rural community, I know how difficult it can be to gain access to these types of specialty services. It is my dream to gain these skills, combining two key specialties, and return to small town life, providing evidence-based care to patients and clients who would otherwise have to travel several hours to receive these services.

I am eager to surround myself with other students and professors who are equally dedicated to serving those suffering from communication disorders and researching communication, speech and hearing, and to return to an educational environment that I feel dedicated to and passionate about. I am confident that I would be an asset to the University of *** and that the opportunity to study at this level will allow me to achieve professional success for myself and my family.