The Student Room Group

Speech and Language Therapy entry 2012

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Original post by juliewho
I can imagine! I love the countryside though, I wish my route to Sheffield was a bit more scenic. The Serbian is a bit of a random choice really, a lady at my work is from Bosnia and she keeps teaching me the odd word. I hope you do well too! I get the feeling i'll be in this thread a lot, stressing over tiny things :colondollar:


I will be the same! Speak soon :P
Reply 41
does anyone have twitter? if you do follow me - mizzmashx
:smile:
Reply 42
Original post by keeth
Hi,

I’m wanting to apply to an undergraduate Speech Therapy course this year but now that I’m pulling everything together for the application I’m getting worried about the high level of competition and the quality of the students with all their A grades and experience.

I’m 34 and I know that the criteria for mature students is less strict and I’ve written to Strathclyde and QMU who said they would consider me but I really feel that I’m not strong enough academically compared to everybody here, particularly as I only have a 2:2 in my undergraduate degree (its very frustrating as my course was officially the most difficult course to get a 2:1 in that year, only 2 or 3 people did).

My background for reference

Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (University of Stirling - completed May 2000)
B.Sc. (Hons) Ecology (University of Stirling - graduated May 1999)

Highers -
English B
Biology B
Geography B
Physics C
Chemistry C

I also have Maths and French at Standard Grade.

I know languages is an academic weak point but I am hoping that my Japanese evening courses and my learning Vietnamese from my wife will make up for it and make me stand out!

I’m currently studying OU module (30 credits) Discovering Psychology and will start Health and Social Care soon (60 credits) but the results don’t come in time for my application.



I know there are other mature students who have less qualifications but they seem to make it up by having a relevant career i.e. teacher, carer, SLT assistant etc. All I have is volunteering experience (a year as an adult literacy tutor with people with learning difficulties, almost a year as a communication partner with a stroke group and I’m starting to work with an asperger’s syndrome group). I know people who have less volunteering than me but they are usually very strong academically (such as being an accountant). My career so far for reference is working in financial administration.

I also am lacking working all the clients groups as I have limited contact with children. I have sat in one SLT session with a three year old child as my experience. I also only have two days work shadowing with an SLT. I have tried to make up for it by doing all the recommended reading on University courses list on both SLT as a career and language and communication issues generally.

I don’t really have time to do much more studying or volunteering as I’m working almost full time to find the money to go to University.

In summary while I have done everything that is expected of an SLT applicant, neither my experience or academic qualifications are particularly strong. Given the standard of applicants and the competition I’m starting to feel like I don’t have much of a chance as I’m only applying to two Universities and both have high academic requirements. I’m really keen to be a speech therapist, I’ve worked all year to do what is necessary, but if I don’t get in this year, I’ll have to apply to do something else in allied medicine next year (I'm not reapplying as my application won't be that different). Meaning it will be another two years before I could possibly get into University and as I’m rather old, I’m not sure if I can wait that long.

Sorry for the rambling post, I guess I’m feeling reading this and last year's thread like SLT is a bit of a long shot, a bit gutted as it’s something I am really keen to do and I’m torn between giving it a go and most likely losing a year or if I’m better applying this year for something that demands less academic qualifications. So could anybody kindly advise me on how much of a chance I have and if there is one thing I could to make a significant difference to my chances what would it be?



I just want to assure you that there is no reason that your application wont be considered alongside everyone elses. if you have the grades required for your uni there is a good chance you will get in with that experience.
You have far more experience than I had when i applied. (i only had 1 day shadowing a slt) I was techinically a mature student when i applied too so i had to fit to the mature application requirements. You have proof you can study at a high level and if you can get accross in your personal statement your passion for the profession then you have as good a chance as anyone!
I'm not going to lie its a competitive course to get onto but I kind of think if I got onto it there's no reason than anyone else wouldn't!

I worked in insurance and until I did a days experience had no previous experience of anything connected with SLT!
Reply 43
Hello I was wondering if there’s anyone in a similar position to me. Basically I graduated in 2009 with a first in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield and am now looking to break into SLT… I’ve been working as a copywriter for a large online company for a year, and have grown extremely disillusioned with the marketing world. It’s so soulless and I really can’t see myself sticking with it as a career…

At uni I took quite a few linguistic modules (applied linguistics, phonetics etc.) and although I don’t have a true science A-Level (English A, Psychology A, Classical Civ B) I’m confident I could cope with the science side of the degree. I’m annoyed at myself for not pursing SLT when I first left college, but to be honest I was ignorant to its existence and just thought ‘I enjoy English, I’m good at English, let’s study English’.

So yeah, at the moment I think my application downfall will be work experience. At the moment I have none but I’ve already lined up some voluntary work at a local stroke charity, a day shadowing a local speech therapist and possibly some weekend work with an autism group. .. Trouble is, applications have to be in by 1st December and it’s not really enough time to gain much experience (although I plan on finding a relevant job for next year before the course starts in Sept…) Ah. It’s highly competitive. I wonder how much they consider your current knowledge of SLT (i.e. I’ve read umpteen books and can demonstrate a firm understanding and, importantly, enthusiasm for the subject… )?

Anyway if you’ve already completed a degree and are now looking to purse an SLT degree, I’d love to hear from you! Thanks :smile:
Hayyyy...
I've recently completed my gcse's and wait for the results on the 25th of August, with which I am expecting to recieve grades of majority A's and a few B's. I have made the decision regarding my A-level choices and have settled for a combination of; Sociology, Economics, Biology, Psychology. This choice has changed multiple times and 'Sociology' was orginally 'German' before I faced the reality that I wouldn't enjoy it and don't have enough confidence in it to continue to even AS.
The reason behind my final choices is the fact that I wish to go into speech and language therapy after A-levels. I hope to achieve A's/B's in these subjects and plan to drop Economics after AS, to continue with Sociology, Biology and Psychology.
I completed two weeks work experience at a nursery as part of my school's requirements recently, and this confirmed my future thoughts about speech and language therapy. I plan to develop and expand my work experience with various age groups which would satisfy the needs of a speech and language therapy degree, such as in nurseries, special needs schools, with the elderly and with stroke victims.
The reason for this post was mainly to ask advice on the decisions I have made so far regarding my A-level choices. If I managed to achieve good grades in those subjects and gain relevant work experience- how do you think my chances would bare with gaining access to a competitive speech and language therapy degree? I know conventionally my A-level choices aren't mostly 'traditional' or the best looked upon for most degree subjects, however considering most universities for speech and language therapy request at least one of; Biology, psychology, english language, foreign languages, (and often other social sciences such as Sociology)...which I would then have two or three of- do you think my choices are justified?
Just want some trusted opinions :smile: thankyouuuuu
Reply 45
I realise my opinion isn't worth a whole lot (as I have yet to be enrolled on an SLT degree course, too), but why have you decided not to study English Language (or Language & Literature)? I think the linguistics part of an English A-Level can be very helpful for an SLT degree, especially as you've chosen not to pursue German.
well, all advice welcome- I need all the help I can get! Hmm I'm not really sure, I suppose in an ideal world I would happily take english language and was never against doing so for any other reason than something like 20% of the course is based on speaking and listening. This would involve some roleplay and presentational skills- which is my absolute idea of hell if I'm honest. I hate performing in any way (always have done- HATED drama) and that is soley what puts me off that course. English lit on the other hand as a seperate A-level aren't where my interests are either, as I know that is predominantly novel-based.
Original post by keeth
Hi,

I’m wanting to apply to an undergraduate Speech Therapy course this year but now that I’m pulling everything together for the application I’m getting worried about the high level of competition and the quality of the students with all their A grades and experience.

I’m 34 and I know that the criteria for mature students is less strict and I’ve written to Strathclyde and QMU who said they would consider me but I really feel that I’m not strong enough academically compared to everybody here, particularly as I only have a 2:2 in my undergraduate degree (its very frustrating as my course was officially the most difficult course to get a 2:1 in that year, only 2 or 3 people did).

My background for reference

Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (University of Stirling - completed May 2000)
B.Sc. (Hons) Ecology (University of Stirling - graduated May 1999)

Highers -
English B
Biology B
Geography B
Physics C
Chemistry C

I also have Maths and French at Standard Grade.

I know languages is an academic weak point but I am hoping that my Japanese evening courses and my learning Vietnamese from my wife will make up for it and make me stand out!

I’m currently studying OU module (30 credits) Discovering Psychology and will start Health and Social Care soon (60 credits) but the results don’t come in time for my application.



I know there are other mature students who have less qualifications but they seem to make it up by having a relevant career i.e. teacher, carer, SLT assistant etc. All I have is volunteering experience (a year as an adult literacy tutor with people with learning difficulties, almost a year as a communication partner with a stroke group and I’m starting to work with an asperger’s syndrome group). I know people who have less volunteering than me but they are usually very strong academically (such as being an accountant). My career so far for reference is working in financial administration.

I also am lacking working all the clients groups as I have limited contact with children. I have sat in one SLT session with a three year old child as my experience. I also only have two days work shadowing with an SLT. I have tried to make up for it by doing all the recommended reading on University courses list on both SLT as a career and language and communication issues generally.

I don’t really have time to do much more studying or volunteering as I’m working almost full time to find the money to go to University.

In summary while I have done everything that is expected of an SLT applicant, neither my experience or academic qualifications are particularly strong. Given the standard of applicants and the competition I’m starting to feel like I don’t have much of a chance as I’m only applying to two Universities and both have high academic requirements. I’m really keen to be a speech therapist, I’ve worked all year to do what is necessary, but if I don’t get in this year, I’ll have to apply to do something else in allied medicine next year (I'm not reapplying as my application won't be that different). Meaning it will be another two years before I could possibly get into University and as I’m rather old, I’m not sure if I can wait that long.

Sorry for the rambling post, I guess I’m feeling reading this and last year's thread like SLT is a bit of a long shot, a bit gutted as it’s something I am really keen to do and I’m torn between giving it a go and most likely losing a year or if I’m better applying this year for something that demands less academic qualifications. So could anybody kindly advise me on how much of a chance I have and if there is one thing I could to make a significant difference to my chances what would it be?


I'm not sure how helpful my opinion is, especially seeing as I wasn't a mature student and I graduated from the University of Reading, but I thought I would chip in my two cents anyway.
I know the mature students on my course had a really wide range of academic backgrounds, granted I didn't know all their grades, but I can't see that too much emphasis was placed on this, especially at the cost of relevant experience and passion for the course. I would be really encouraged that the Uni's you want to go too have said they will consider you, in my eyes that means you match their criteria. And academics aside, the real biggy is going to be work experience, of which you have a fantastic amount. I know before I started the course, I had very little really, and nearly all my understanding of the profession came from having to go along to my brother's SLT sessions when I was a kid.
As I said, I don't know much about the process for the Unis you've chosen, but at Reading the mature students faced a group and then 1:1 interview. I think this would really be your chance to get across how passionately you feel about the course. To be fair I can tell how much you want to do it, just for the little paragraph you've written there, so I'm sure you'd be able to convince them.
I can see why it's a bit of a risk, but I think you should definitely go for it. Everyone knows how competitive it is, but I think if it's just your academic background you're worried about and your unis have said they'll consider you, then you still have a good chance. Good luck!
Original post by sugarcoateddreams
Hayyyy...
I've recently completed my gcse's and wait for the results on the 25th of August, with which I am expecting to recieve grades of majority A's and a few B's. I have made the decision regarding my A-level choices and have settled for a combination of; Sociology, Economics, Biology, Psychology. This choice has changed multiple times and 'Sociology' was orginally 'German' before I faced the reality that I wouldn't enjoy it and don't have enough confidence in it to continue to even AS.
The reason behind my final choices is the fact that I wish to go into speech and language therapy after A-levels. I hope to achieve A's/B's in these subjects and plan to drop Economics after AS, to continue with Sociology, Biology and Psychology.
I completed two weeks work experience at a nursery as part of my school's requirements recently, and this confirmed my future thoughts about speech and language therapy. I plan to develop and expand my work experience with various age groups which would satisfy the needs of a speech and language therapy degree, such as in nurseries, special needs schools, with the elderly and with stroke victims.
The reason for this post was mainly to ask advice on the decisions I have made so far regarding my A-level choices. If I managed to achieve good grades in those subjects and gain relevant work experience- how do you think my chances would bare with gaining access to a competitive speech and language therapy degree? I know conventionally my A-level choices aren't mostly 'traditional' or the best looked upon for most degree subjects, however considering most universities for speech and language therapy request at least one of; Biology, psychology, english language, foreign languages, (and often other social sciences such as Sociology)...which I would then have two or three of- do you think my choices are justified?
Just want some trusted opinions :smile: thankyouuuuu


First of all I think it's great that you've already decided you want to do SLT, as well as being able to choose A levels which will give you a good shot at getting a Uni place, you've also got loads of time to get work experience and find out more about the profession.
I think with SLT, unlike a lot of courses, you will be considered with a broad range of A levels. As you've said some universities do stipulate that they want Biology, therefore I think it's a really good move to take it as not only will it help you get on the course, but it will also help you with the medical side of things once you begin. Personally I wasn't very good at Biology, so although I knew it would be beneficial to take it, I didn't as I didn't want to risk getting a poor grade.
I took English Literature, German and History- so all very artsy/essay type subjects, and I was able to confidently state why these all prepared me for the course in my PS. My best friend on the course however, took Biology, Chemistry and Psychology- all sciency subjects. My point is that, it would seem, so long as you can justify why these subjects are relevant, you will be considered. I think academics are, not irrelevant obviously, but so long as you obtain the grades you need and you haven't taken totally irrelevant subjects, then you're set as far as A-levels go. Obviously SLT is a very competitive course, but I think a lot of the differentiating between applicants will go down to work experience and passion for the course.
Having said all that, I think your choice of A levels definitely sound appropriate, and if these are also the ones you want to do and you feel confident that you can do well in, then that's ideal really!
Original post by Georgiahoneybee

Original post by Georgiahoneybee
First of all I think it's great that you've already decided you want to do SLT, as well as being able to choose A levels which will give you a good shot at getting a Uni place, you've also got loads of time to get work experience and find out more about the profession.
I think with SLT, unlike a lot of courses, you will be considered with a broad range of A levels. As you've said some universities do stipulate that they want Biology, therefore I think it's a really good move to take it as not only will it help you get on the course, but it will also help you with the medical side of things once you begin. Personally I wasn't very good at Biology, so although I knew it would be beneficial to take it, I didn't as I didn't want to risk getting a poor grade.
I took English Literature, German and History- so all very artsy/essay type subjects, and I was able to confidently state why these all prepared me for the course in my PS. My best friend on the course however, took Biology, Chemistry and Psychology- all sciency subjects. My point is that, it would seem, so long as you can justify why these subjects are relevant, you will be considered. I think academics are, not irrelevant obviously, but so long as you obtain the grades you need and you haven't taken totally irrelevant subjects, then you're set as far as A-levels go. Obviously SLT is a very competitive course, but I think a lot of the differentiating between applicants will go down to work experience and passion for the course.
Having said all that, I think your choice of A levels definitely sound appropriate, and if these are also the ones you want to do and you feel confident that you can do well in, then that's ideal really!


Thanks for all the info :smile:
I agree that I feel more confident with these choices and feel I could achieve higher and will be more motivated to do so. As I said, I do plan on dropping economics after AS in order to continue with the most relevant subjects...however do you think economics is a little too irrelevant? And based on your experiences - do you think not taking english language would leave me at a disadvantage when it comes to coping with the demands of the course and qualifying for entry onto the degree?
Original post by sugarcoateddreams
Thanks for all the info :smile:
I agree that I feel more confident with these choices and feel I could achieve higher and will be more motivated to do so. As I said, I do plan on dropping economics after AS in order to continue with the most relevant subjects...however do you think economics is a little too irrelevant? And based on your experiences - do you think not taking english language would leave me at a disadvantage when it comes to coping with the demands of the course and qualifying for entry onto the degree?


Yeah I think that's really important. You need to get your grade offer, I think that's probably pretty non-negotiable, so definitely study subjects you enjoy and think you can do well in.
As for economics being too irrelevant, well I took just straight plain Maths as my AS subject and it didn't do me any harm. I even just scraped a C in it. To be honest, I didn't really mention Maths on my PS or anything, because, as you say it's not very relevant. Again I think it comes down to whether this is something you really enjoy and want to do. So whilst yes I don't think it'll help your application, I don't see why it would hinder it either. Is there another subject you're considering as an alternative? Since it's just likely to be an AS though, I would weigh the pros (potentially more revelant) against the cons (not enjoying it and it not making a huge difference to your application)
Well I didn't take English Language, I would have done, but it wasn't an option at my school. I had to do English Literature instead. Obviously there were overlapping features though, and I've always been quite strong with linguistics/grammar type stuff. I suppose it did help me a little, but I know others who got on perfectly fine without that background. As I said my best friend came from a completely sciency background, and she never really loved all the grammar type stuff, but she could certainly cope with it. I think so long as you have a good GCSE level grade in English, they'll see you're competent enough to learn what you need to. They certainly don't assume much prior knowledge when you start, and you end up going into such depth, I think most people are in the same boat really!
Original post by Georgiahoneybee

Original post by Georgiahoneybee
Yeah I think that's really important. You need to get your grade offer, I think that's probably pretty non-negotiable, so definitely study subjects you enjoy and think you can do well in.
As for economics being too irrelevant, well I took just straight plain Maths as my AS subject and it didn't do me any harm. I even just scraped a C in it. To be honest, I didn't really mention Maths on my PS or anything, because, as you say it's not very relevant. Again I think it comes down to whether this is something you really enjoy and want to do. So whilst yes I don't think it'll help your application, I don't see why it would hinder it either. Is there another subject you're considering as an alternative? Since it's just likely to be an AS though, I would weigh the pros (potentially more revelant) against the cons (not enjoying it and it not making a huge difference to your application)
Well I didn't take English Language, I would have done, but it wasn't an option at my school. I had to do English Literature instead. Obviously there were overlapping features though, and I've always been quite strong with linguistics/grammar type stuff. I suppose it did help me a little, but I know others who got on perfectly fine without that background. As I said my best friend came from a completely sciency background, and she never really loved all the grammar type stuff, but she could certainly cope with it. I think so long as you have a good GCSE level grade in English, they'll see you're competent enough to learn what you need to. They certainly don't assume much prior knowledge when you start, and you end up going into such depth, I think most people are in the same boat really!


Oh okay, so I think i'll stick with my original options and gain some work experience & just hope for some success :smile: thank you for all the advice, it was very helpful xx
Reply 52
Original post by sugarcoateddreams
well, all advice welcome- I need all the help I can get! Hmm I'm not really sure, I suppose in an ideal world I would happily take english language and was never against doing so for any other reason than something like 20% of the course is based on speaking and listening. This would involve some roleplay and presentational skills- which is my absolute idea of hell if I'm honest. I hate performing in any way (always have done- HATED drama) and that is soley what puts me off that course. English lit on the other hand as a seperate A-level aren't where my interests are either, as I know that is predominantly novel-based.


Okay, that's fair enough... Although I would say that maybe facing your fears with the presentations etc will really help you in the long run. The more you do them, the less you'll come to dread them.. Plus, don't most SLT courses have oral presentations etc as assessments, or faux clinical situations where they act stuff out? Just a thought anyway... 'cause if you're gong to have to do speaking and listening as an SLT, you might as well get some practise in now :smile: I was quite lucky as my college did the combine Lit/Lang A-level. Ultimately though, I agree - stick with what you enjoy!
Original post by Spence_LJS

Original post by Spence_LJS
Okay, that's fair enough... Although I would say that maybe facing your fears with the presentations etc will really help you in the long run. The more you do them, the less you'll come to dread them.. Plus, don't most SLT courses have oral presentations etc as assessments, or faux clinical situations where they act stuff out? Just a thought anyway... 'cause if you're gong to have to do speaking and listening as an SLT, you might as well get some practise in now :smile: I was quite lucky as my college did the combine Lit/Lang A-level. Ultimately though, I agree - stick with what you enjoy!


Oh dear...well I strongly hope that is not the case then haha! And if it is, the case then I suppose I could always try and face it :-/ uh-oh. I've seriously considered seeing a hypnotist or therapist sort of person about how I hate doing all that sort of stuff...maybe I should do it sooner than I planned :smile: thanks for the advice & I agree, I'm happy with my choices now x
Reply 54
Original post by sugarcoateddreams
Oh dear...well I strongly hope that is not the case then haha! And if it is, the case then I suppose I could always try and face it :-/ uh-oh. I've seriously considered seeing a hypnotist or therapist sort of person about how I hate doing all that sort of stuff...maybe I should do it sooner than I planned :smile: thanks for the advice & I agree, I'm happy with my choices now x


Nah I used to hate them too, but we did lots during my English degree and I think it gets easier when you get older anyway - I hated them at school. Good luck with everything anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine, you seem pretty driven :smile:
Original post by Spence_LJS
Plus, don't most SLT courses have oral presentations etc as assessments, or faux clinical situations where they act stuff out?


Original post by sugarcoateddreams
Oh dear...well I strongly hope that is not the case then haha! And if it is, the case then I suppose I could always try and face it :-/ uh-oh. I've seriously considered seeing a hypnotist or therapist sort of person about how I hate doing all that sort of stuff...maybe I should do it sooner than I planned :smile: thanks for the advice & I agree, I'm happy with my choices now x


we do have oral assessments, I'm afraid. :tongue: We do oral presentations in seminars, which aren't assessed, but from second year onwards we do clinical exams which means we have to present a patient we've seen to 3 of our lecturers, and clinical actors come in to test our clinical practice skills.
Original post by naomiele
Hey, what questions were you asked at your interview at Sheffield?

I am really worried about not having a clue what to say at the interview.

As for my personal statement I have written way too much and I am now working to cutting it down haha xx


The Sheffield interview was a weird one. there's a group of about 10 candidates and you are all shown a powerpoint about the course etc. then you get given a listening test to carry out. It's all really easy stuff like - "are these words the same or different" then it says "man...nan", and you've just got to say if they are the same word or not.
You also have an individual interview with 1 member of staff, and it's fairly casual. I got asked about what experience I've done, what I learnt from it etc. She also gave me a situation and said "if you were a speech therapist, what would you do". Oh and she asked about what books/films I've read around the course and stuff :smile: the kings speech would be a good one to mention but at the time of my interview it wasn't out yet!! Try and read the diving bell and the butterfly if you can, it's really good and very speech therapy related!
The interview was really quick and try not to worry, they're all very nice there! What grades are you expecting or have you already got them? x
Original post by Spence_LJS
Hello I was wondering if there’s anyone in a similar position to me. Basically I graduated in 2009 with a first in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield and am now looking to break into SLT… I’ve been working as a copywriter for a large online company for a year, and have grown extremely disillusioned with the marketing world. It’s so soulless and I really can’t see myself sticking with it as a career…

At uni I took quite a few linguistic modules (applied linguistics, phonetics etc.) and although I don’t have a true science A-Level (English A, Psychology A, Classical Civ B) I’m confident I could cope with the science side of the degree. I’m annoyed at myself for not pursing SLT when I first left college, but to be honest I was ignorant to its existence and just thought ‘I enjoy English, I’m good at English, let’s study English’.

So yeah, at the moment I think my application downfall will be work experience. At the moment I have none but I’ve already lined up some voluntary work at a local stroke charity, a day shadowing a local speech therapist and possibly some weekend work with an autism group. .. Trouble is, applications have to be in by 1st December and it’s not really enough time to gain much experience (although I plan on finding a relevant job for next year before the course starts in Sept…) Ah. It’s highly competitive. I wonder how much they consider your current knowledge of SLT (i.e. I’ve read umpteen books and can demonstrate a firm understanding and, importantly, enthusiasm for the subject… )?

Anyway if you’ve already completed a degree and are now looking to purse an SLT degree, I’d love to hear from you! Thanks :smile:



Hiya,

I did the exact same degree as you at the same uni and graduated in 2008! I'm starting the 2 year Masters course at Sheffield this September. Sounds like you'll be getting some great experience in the area so that should stand you in good stead. The first you got in your degree should also put you in good stead as they do seem to value the academic element quite highly in my experience. I think enthusiasm on the day at the interview goes a long way so as long as you come over as very knowledgeable and enthusiatic about SLT that should really help. Try and relate everything to experience at interview.

I got a 2:1 in my degree and decided I wanted to do SLT in my final semester at uni. I applied in 2009 with not that much experience (I was volunteering with the Stroke Association for 1 afternoon a week) and I didn't get on the course. I applied in 2010 with more experience (I'd been working as a part time SLT Assistant for about 3 months and had more voluntary experience at that point) and still didn't get on the course.

I finally got in this year after working for another year as an SLT Assistant!! I must say it has been hard work getting on!!! However I must admit that I feel the most prepared I have ever felt for doing the course, so that's one good thing to come out of the long wait!!

I do know other people who have had a much easier time of getting onto these postgrad courses than I have. Most of these people have had more relevant degrees (such as psychology or just pure English Language) and seemed to have a lot less experience than me so it's just so hard to say what your experience of the application process will be like. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me how they pick people for the courses!!! Be prepared for how hard getting on a course might be and if you really want to do it stay focused and determined. I was overwhelmed by the standard of the applicants I met at interview and struggled not to become disheartened by it.

I applied to Undergraduate degrees too this year as I just wanted to get started and decided I didn't care if it was by doing a Masters course or another degree. Leeds Uni do a 3 year course so I would have done that had I not got on a Masters this year.

It does sound like you're in with a good shot though and just because I found it hard to get on, doesn't mean you will too! Give it a try and just give it your all when it comes to interview..it probably helps if you're good at interviews to start with which I'm not!! :smile:

PM me if you need any other help and lots of luck with it! :smile:
Reply 58
Original post by Butterfly85
Hiya,

I did the exact same degree as you at the same uni and graduated in 2008! I'm starting the 2 year Masters course at Sheffield this September. Sounds like you'll be getting some great experience in the area so that should stand you in good stead. The first you got in your degree should also put you in good stead as they do seem to value the academic element quite highly in my experience. I think enthusiasm on the day at the interview goes a long way so as long as you come over as very knowledgeable and enthusiatic about SLT that should really help. Try and relate everything to experience at interview.

I got a 2:1 in my degree and decided I wanted to do SLT in my final semester at uni. I applied in 2009 with not that much experience (I was volunteering with the Stroke Association for 1 afternoon a week) and I didn't get on the course. I applied in 2010 with more experience (I'd been working as a part time SLT Assistant for about 3 months and had more voluntary experience at that point) and still didn't get on the course.

I finally got in this year after working for another year as an SLT Assistant!! I must say it has been hard work getting on!!! However I must admit that I feel the most prepared I have ever felt for doing the course, so that's one good thing to come out of the long wait!!

I do know other people who have had a much easier time of getting onto these postgrad courses than I have. Most of these people have had more relevant degrees (such as psychology or just pure English Language) and seemed to have a lot less experience than me so it's just so hard to say what your experience of the application process will be like. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me how they pick people for the courses!!! Be prepared for how hard getting on a course might be and if you really want to do it stay focused and determined. I was overwhelmed by the standard of the applicants I met at interview and struggled not to become disheartened by it.

I applied to Undergraduate degrees too this year as I just wanted to get started and decided I didn't care if it was by doing a Masters course or another degree. Leeds Uni do a 3 year course so I would have done that had I not got on a Masters this year.

It does sound like you're in with a good shot though and just because I found it hard to get on, doesn't mean you will too! Give it a try and just give it your all when it comes to interview..it probably helps if you're good at interviews to start with which I'm not!! :smile:

PM me if you need any other help and lots of luck with it! :smile:


Whoa - congratulations for finally getting on the course! That's dedication; well done for sticking at it. Were you only applying for the Sheffield masters course? I think I've pretty much decided to go for the undergraduate course as I don't mind an extra year covering the basics again. Did you get any offers from the undergraduate ones you applied for? I really hope I have enough time to get some relevant work experience for the 2012 entry... I don't know what I'd do if I had to wait til the end of 2013! I need to get some work experience underway asap I think... It's tough as I'm currently working full-time as a copywriter and don't want to throw the towel in on that yet because I'm saving lots of money.

Thank you very much for your reply - I appreciate you taking the time.
Original post by Spence_LJS
Whoa - congratulations for finally getting on the course! That's dedication; well done for sticking at it. Were you only applying for the Sheffield masters course? I think I've pretty much decided to go for the undergraduate course as I don't mind an extra year covering the basics again. Did you get any offers from the undergraduate ones you applied for? I really hope I have enough time to get some relevant work experience for the 2012 entry... I don't know what I'd do if I had to wait til the end of 2013! I need to get some work experience underway asap I think... It's tough as I'm currently working full-time as a copywriter and don't want to throw the towel in on that yet because I'm saving lots of money.

Thank you very much for your reply - I appreciate you taking the time.


Thanks, I was totally made up to get a place this year :smile: I applied for the Masters at Sheffield and also Newcastle. Got on the high reserve list at Newcastle and was later offered a place there too this year. Really has been 3rd time lucky for me this year. However in hindsight I think I'd have been better off applying to undergrad courses last year. I got in at Leeds too this year and I think the Leeds course do quite like taking more mature students so you're probably in with a good chance there. I also applied to Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester Met undergrad. Got interviews at both Sheffield and Birmingham but never went to them as at that point I'd got my place on the Masters. I didn't get in at Man Met and I think it was because I got a D in my science GCSE!

I think you'll be in with a really good chance of getting on an undergrad course- especially with your first degree and knowledge from reading up on SLT. You don't have to have an interview at Leeds so just make sure your personal statement is good and conveys the enthusiasm you have for the subject. I also wouldn't rule out applying for a masters course too- you obviously have the academic ability or you wouldn't have got a first!
Good luck!
(edited 12 years ago)

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