Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I took out some specifics on here so you may only see letters instead of specific names. Also, my closing paragraph will be tailored to each individual school/university I'm apply to but I definitely would appreciate some feedback on how to actually end my closing paragraph. Thanks for your time and thoughts!
She told me to head in, she was right behind me. I apprehensively took a seat in the corner of the room. I noticed the cover of one of my favorite books almost immediately, "Pat the Bunny,"on the table in front of a little boy facing away from me. I said, "I love this one," but to my surprise I didn't get a response. Again, I tried, "Would you like to read it together?" Still nothing. I scooted closer and he finally looked my way. With a slight smile, he pushed the book toward me. The gray device that was connected from his ear to his skull immediately caught my attention. I've never seen a hearing aid that looked like that, I thought. I began with the title and author, like I'd done a million times before, but as I flipped the page I was interrupted by Mrs. D--, the elementary school's speech pathologist. "He won't be able to hear you well without you wearing this," and she unhooked the tiny microphone from her sweater and handed it to me. With that, a whole new world was opened up.
I've always known I wanted to work in a profession that allowed me to interact with children, I just didn't know which direction to go in until the day cochlear implants and assistive listening devices were explained to me. Observing the therapy Mrs. D-- provided was an eye opening experience. It was the beginning of seeing first hand that the SLP profession is challenging, yet so much more rewarding. Seeing the small and big successes experienced with dedication, patience, progress and improvement while watching this child throughout his communication journey convinced me that this is where I belong.
Having the opportunity to observe in I-- College's E-- S--- Clinic for the past four months has allowed me to not only gain clinical knowledge but has also improved my work ethic and motivation. D--, the client that I was specifically assigned to observe was an adult who stutters. Through my eyes, I didn't focus on his struggles, frustrations or repetitions. What unavoidably shined through was his diligence, strong will and desire to produce fluent speech. Watching D--'s speech evolve over such a short period of time has made the benefits that speech pathology offers more real to me. His inspiration has only made me more eager to begin my first placement next semester; hopefully I can help someone empower themselves like he helped me.
Knowing ahead of time that I was going to be spending time in the clinic, but unsure of my specific placement, I decided to expand my knowledge base and take an additional speech class that focused on two subjects that typically aren't introduced until graduate school: voice and fluency. My curiosity paid off when I found my clinical placement. But it wasn't until my professor mentioned cognitive behavioral therapy as an approach used with a person who stutters that I immediately became intrigued with the subject. After researching this therapy approach and discussing it with my professor I feel ------------ (great promise, future plans, how to tie in?)
Your college provides me with the chance to grow as not only a professional but as person as well. The diverse clinical settings and countless opportunities at hand will allow me to take on challenges that/and ------------(?). My desire to become a SLP stems directly from the characteristics the profession is known for: patience, intuition and empathy. Along with creativity, good communication skills and the desire to help people, these characteristics tell me this is where I belong. I am very determined and extremely committed to obtaining my Master's degree at ---- College. I'm looking forward to closing one chapter of my life and continuing on to begin my lifelong career as a speech language pathologist.
After researching this therapy approach and discussing it with my professor I feel ------------ (great promise, future plans, how to tie in?)
Maybe say it like this:
"I feel that working with hearing impaired individuals is of great interest to me. A goal of mine is to delve deeper into this field of study, and learn more about my professor's therapy approach. By immersing myself in this field, I could gain insight on how to improve upon methods that are already in place. By studying this, I will learn the skills needed to advance my career in this field. These skills will help me achieve my goal of... and college will be my stepping stone on the path to lifetime success."
