Graduate / Male in the Speech Pathology field (SOP: Graduate School Essay/Letter) [4]

Hello everyone! This is my first time using this site. This is a very very rough draft and am missing some key points, but am looking for grammar and general feedback please! especially vocabulary/word usage. The prompt is: Write a brief statement expressing why you have chosen to study in this field, plans you have to use your education and training, the needs and/or challenges you perceive as important in your field of study, and any personality qualities, characteristics, and skills you believe will enable you to be successful. If you help me in anyway I will look at your work if you need a hand as well! Thank you so much!

"I think I'm in the wrong major (class?)" was the first thought I had when I entered my first Communicative Disorders course. The classroom was filled with women and as I looked around the room, there was no fellow male student in sight. It was not until the professor wrote on the board "Intro to Communicative Disorders" that I sighed in relief and knew I was in the right place. That gender disparity continued in my speech courses and speech experience outside the class. However, despite that difference, deep in my heart was an ever growing desire to become a person could help others with their ability to communicate, especially bilingual patients or boys who might need a "big brother" model. I began to develop a clearer understanding of how I wanted to influence the world around me, and influence them as a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).

My desire to study in the speech field emerged from an unexpected occurrence. As I was painting a picture when I was an art major, I could not help but feel a distinct emptiness when I was doing art work. I felt that I possessed the positive energy, patience, and interpersonal skills necessary to work in a field that could benefit from my abilities. That was when I took a 15-page personality test to determine if there was a job suited for my skills. The description of the job at the top of my list incorporated all that I yearned for in a job; it would hinge on fostering relationships with others through the speaking and writing, present the ability to give back to my community, and would prove challenging and enlightening. That test pointed my fate towards my top, most compatible job, Speech Therapy.

I have strong aspirations for the speech field. Research advancement for new approaches and activities for therapy, working with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), promotion of the field to males, and working with special needs children are some examples. However, at first, my rudimentary understanding of the field didn't suffice in determining my goals for speech; I needed to learn more about a speech pathologist's everyday work from an insider.

I reached out pathologists who work in variety of settings in the Southern California area. I began to observe an SLP who works in Sparks Elementary School and volunteer for a SLP in at Nogales High School. Even now, I also continue my +200 hours of volunteering for speech therapists for Casa Colina hospital. All of these SLPs gave me the opportunity to immerse myself more into the field, and taught me knowledge I could not learn in class. Whether it be adjusting the tube during a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation or carefully analyzing a Modified Barium Swallows to identify if a bolus penetrates, I continued to experience more of the speech workplace and learn more hands-on knowledge that would inevitably influence plans I had for speech.

My background outside of the speech field has also prepared me well to take on an SLP's work. I have substantial amount of experience with disabled students, and I love working with them. As a Special Education Aide, I have learned how to work with students who have different special needs at the same time, such as those with Autism and Cerebral Palsy. I also work with students on a 1-on-1 setting as a tutor. Furthermore, I have been an active volunteer for Cal State Fullerton's (CSUF) Project Buddies, a program where we, the volunteers, can enjoy activities with intellectually disabled young adults. We are able to participate in social gatherings, and go to restaurants and theme parks together. Additionally, I can speak Japanese fluently and can talk Tagalog at a conversation level. One of my goals is to improve my Tagalog skills and another language as well, so that I can help as many types of clients as I can.

I have also been an active member of CSUF's NSSHLA club, which enabled me go to conferences and hear about activity occurring in the field. For example, one of the conferences I attended, the annual Fluency Conference, taught me about how medicine, such as Dopamine, can aid stutterers. I was also invited to join the Golden Key International Honor Society for placing in the top fifteen percent of my class and also graduated from CSUF Cum Laude. My academic achievements are important to me and I hope to continue my road of education in your program.

(Missing a paragraph before this) I believe my experience and involvement with speech has helped to provide a solid foundation on which to build my career on. In the near future, I hope to continue strengthening my language skills so that I may be an effective bilingual SLP and work with those in undeserved populations. I believe I would be a great addition to your program and would be honored to be able spend the next two years at your institution.

Thank you so much! I am still need to add a lot of stuff.