What inspired you to pursue speech-language pathology?  

I have always known that I wanted to pursue a career where I could help others while making meaningful social connections. As a Psychology major, I gravitated towards clinical counselling earlier on in my degree, however I never reached a point where I felt that this career path was truly for me. 

In second year, one of my friends encouraged me to take a Linguistics course, and I quickly fell in love with this area of study. As I encountered more and more Linguistics students who were planning to pursue SLP, I learned more about the field, and quickly came to recognize its positive impact. 

I was also able to find connections between the field and my personal experiences, including how my family and I had to navigate new communication patterns with my grandmother who had developed aphasia following a stroke several years ago. 

I came to recognize that by pursuing SLP, I would have the opportunity to help others, practice in an area that I was truly passionate about, and honour the experience of my grandmother by empowering individuals in their communicative agency. 

Which aspects of preparation had the most impact on your success? 

My first stepping stone towards practical experience began with volunteering in Columbia Speech and Language Services’ Aphasia Group. This experience not only helped me to develop basic skills for communicating with this population, but further showed me all the work that goes into building authentic and meaningful relationships with clients. 

My experiences as a pediatric speech-language pathology assistant were also very impactful towards my application. Not only did this position provide me with directly applicable experience to the field, but it further allowed me to reflect on concrete events from sessions that influenced my “why” throughout my letters of intent. 

With a combination of Linguistics, Psychology, and Education coursework, I was also able to build a balanced academic foundation. I particularly enjoyed Dr. Robert Williamson’s EDUC 424 class, as I got the chance to support a child’s literacy-skill development, using evidence-based interventions and assessment techniques. I also volunteered as a research assistant in the Phonological Processing Lab, which helped me to develop practical skills in research design and data analysis, which I was able to highlight in my application. 

Please explain your approach to the letter of intent. 

Writing my letter of intent was definitely the most time-consuming aspect of each application that I completed. I started the writing process as early as I could, and slowly refined my (many) drafts, utilizing feedback from Linguistics Advisor Rita Parmar, peers, and family members. 

I would say that there were two main pieces that I tried to keep consistent through all of my letters; explaining my “why” for my interest in SLP, and advocating for my skills and experiences. I really tried to tie personal anecdotes, reflections and concrete examples of my experiences to specific areas of each program and my interests in the field. I also felt that it was important to assert that because of the skills and experiences I had gained, I felt confident in my abilities to be successful in a graduate program for SLP. 

My personal conclusion is that there really is no single formula for what to say, or how to write your letter of intent, especially if you are applying to several programs, as different schools may direct you to highlight different things. I think what matters most is to be authentic and genuine, and to show through your writing that you truly believe you are ready for the program you are applying to. 

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself as a first-year student, what would it be? 

I would tell my first-year self to just be patient and enjoy the ride of university. Like many other students, I feel that I put a lot of pressure on myself early on to know what I wanted to do right away, and to figure out all of the steps to get there as quickly as possible. 

I would tell myself that the application process does not start when you open a school’s application portal, it starts with the little things—your early prerequisite courses, or investing in your relationship with a professor who may become a reference for you down the line. Different experiences and opportunities will come when the time is right, so just be present in what you are doing at the moment!

Is there anything else you would like to share? 

Application periods are a stressful time where self-doubt can become rampant. Funny enough, I almost decided at the last minute to not bother with sending in my McGill application, because I was convinced it was the last school that I would have a chance of getting into; however I figured I had nothing to lose by sending it in, and McGill ended up being the first school to reach out with an offer of admission, and ultimately was the school that I chose! I want to encourage future applicants to try not to get caught up in the competitiveness of programs, and rather focus on highlighting all of the unique qualities that you have to offer. 

I also wholeheartedly believe that one of the most impactful contributors to the success of my applications was that I had friends and classmates who were going through the same process simultaneously. This truly created a strong support system for me, as my peers and I would frequently give feedback to one another, remind each other of deadlines, and work together through stress and feelings of self-doubt. With this, I would encourage future applicants to invest in your peer relationships during your degree—you might even make some lifelong friends along the way!