Don't know where to start...

Paying for College
1

<p>I hope I'm posting in the right thread here, I guess my story is a bit complicated...</p>

<p>Basically, I have completed 3 1/2 years of college, and am a semester away from having a B.A. in psychology. But due to health issues, I had to stop attending college for a few years. Then, other personal/family matters got in the way. And now that most of all this has been resolved, I have realized that I have absolutely no interested in pursuing a career in psychology.</p>

<p>Instead, I am really interested in becoming an audiologist, and would like to go as far as pursuing a doctorate (Au.D.) in this field. But to do this, I will need to attend a new college as my previous one offers no courses in speech pathology, etc.</p>

<p>I was going to college in my home state, and this did help a lot with tuition costs, but due to other circumstances in my life I may be moving out of state soon. I did receive a lot financial aid, including loans (which I'm currently paying off now), but I'm just wondering how much more I can get if I switch schools/states, especially considering I'm changing my major in the middle of my senior year - and would likely be an undergraduate for around two more years.</p>

<p>I would still like to get my psychology degree since I'm so darned close to it, but my heart is really set on audiology now. Honestly, I was pretty much unaware of this profession in the past, which is a shame.</p>

<p>Well, that's the gist of my situation. I feel pretty stuck now and am looking for any suggestions, options, or experiences from others. Any help would be appreciated, and if you need more info about me please don't hesitate to ask.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>Since you are very close to graduation could you complete the mandatory course work for your degree either in state or out of state and transfer it to your initial institution? Many schools will grant you a degree as long as the majority of your course work was completed on the degree granting campus.</p>

<p>Then you could look into masters programs in audiology in you new state of residence.</p>

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<p>Thanks, that would be nice to get my psych degree like that… But I still would have much work to do regarding audiology coursework before I could “jump” to the post-graduate level. Only a few, and I mean very few, courses I’ve taken so far are prerequisites for a speech pathology B.A./B.S., which is the next step for me. And I’d imagine that will take me about 2 more years to complete…</p>

<p>So yeah, I’d basically be a 3-year senior, which seems a bit silly, but what other choice do I have?</p>

<p>Actually, I think not quite yet finishing the traditional 4 years could be a blessing right now, as I’ve heard it’s very hard to get financial aid at the undergraduate level once you already have a degree… Is there any truth to this?</p>

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<p>I believe it is difficult to get federal aid for a second bachelors degree.</p>

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<p>Ditto Kat.</p>

<p>I think you should then consider then getting a second bachelors if you need more prep for grad school.</p>

<p>My older D has a bachelors from Colgate. She decided to change career direction, and will soon have a second bachelors in environmental science in preparation for grad school in environmental science.</p>

<p>She is able to keep borrowing Federal Loans for her second undergrad because she hadn’t hit her max.</p>

<p><a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp[/url]”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>good to know susgeek :)</p>

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<p>Otange34
I found this site (American Speech Language Association) that certifies Audiology educational programs. It looks like you may be able to finish the undergrad degree and then go to Masters (page down to “Step 3: Learn about the application process
Do I need an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) to apply?”)
It looks like some colleges may accept students and allow them to complete prerequisites after acceptance (online or at Grad School). Good Luck!</p>

<p>[Planning</a> for Entry into Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://www.asha.org/students/academic/Graduate-School.htm]Planning”>Sorry! That Page Cannot Be Found)</p>

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<p>You might check with your current college and see if your “life experiences” count for any credits (you don’t know until you ask!). You could also ask a counselor if you qualify for any other degree with what you’ve finished so far (such as a “general studies” degree). Ask for any sort of path that will get you out the door of college A and on the road to your heart’s desire. </p>

<p>I think you should definitely look deeper into the graduate school particulars. Graduate school has two flavors: a) you pay to go or b) they pay you a stipend while you teach/research/be a dogsbody and take some classes. I got my Master’s under the Type B path (the only way I could have afforded to go). </p>

<p>It can happen that, once you have a bachelors degree (important first step) that a graduate program will take you on as a Grad student with the understanding that you will pick up the missing undergraduate courses over time. I started with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and switched to Wildlife Science. My advisor (who had the power of God but also was a great guy) wanted me to fill in one particular course and then he “waived” the other prerequisites. (I had some work experience that he counted). </p>

<p>If at all possible, go spend a couple of days at the desired program. It is well worth you buying lunch or a beer for a couple of grad students who are currently in the program. You may hear there are a number of ways to proceed – or that there are additional hoops that you hadn’t heard about yet. </p>

<p>NewEnglandMother is correct. Some colleges take in folks to a grad program who began in a very different field. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks to everyone so far, that’s a lot of info to digest. :wink: But if anyone else has some input, please don’t hesitate to share. I really had no idea about any of this as I’ve been out of the “university loop” for some time now…</p>

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<p>I’m wondering…</p>

<p>Since some financial aid opportunities end when you get your first bachelors, would it be a good idea for this student to do her pre-reqs for her grad program before she gets that first bachelors degree??</p>

<p>If she qualifies for Pell, then I don’t think she should get her BA yet. Am I wrong?</p>

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<p>I think you should definitely look deeper into the graduate school particulars. Graduate school has two flavors: a) you pay to go or b) they pay you a stipend while you teach/research/be a dogsbody and take some classes. I got my Master’s under the Type B path (the only way I could have afforded to go).</p>

<p>That would be great, but is it really realistic in my case? Remember, I’m still half a year away from graduating “regular” college and have practically no prerequisites for audiology, with the exception of a psychology course or two. And I would not be going for a master’s, but rather a doctorate. This is becoming the new standard (and often requirement) in the field, but I would want it anyway because of its advantages.</p>

<p>If I did go ahead and get my finish my bachelor’s degree (possibly at the same school I’d be going for with audiology as I will be moving), I’m afraid this would kill my chance of getting financial aid should I still need to stay at the undergraduate level for some time. </p>

<p>I suppose there are no definitive answers here until I start really looking into various places, but I do appreciate hearing about others’ experiences. Thanks again everyone.</p>

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<p>You need to get your bachelors degree out of the way FIRST. I would suggest you go to the American Speech Language Hearing Association website and look for student information. I believe you will find info about grad programs in audiology as well as speech pathology.</p>

<p>I am a speech pathologist. NOT every student gaining entrance into a Masters program in the speech and audiology fields have bachelors degrees in THOSE fields. Psychology is actually a related field…it’s not like you majored in one of the arts or history. What will happen is you will apply for your grad school programs for enrollment following completion of your bachelors degree. You will likely take a little longer to complete your Audiology grad work because you will have some courses to take to get you up to steam. You won’t be the only one.</p>

<p>There are not very many schools out there at all that offer a bachelors degree in audiology. Students need graduate degrees to get licensed in this field.</p>

<p>So…check ASHA’s website, and see what you can find for information.</p>

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<p>Once you have completed the classes necessary for you bachelors inn psychology you will no longer be eligible for federal grant aid such as the Pell grant. If your income is low enough to qualify for the Pell the you should look into whether you can complete some of the required classes for the audiology before you complete the psychology degree (double major, or a minor perhaps).</p>

<p>As far as federal loans, it depends on how much loans you already have. There is a cap, but if you are an independent student the cap is higher than for a dependent student ($57,500 compared to $31,000). Your federal loans will go back into deferment if you return to school at least half time.</p>

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<p>Most of the REQUIRED course for a degree in audiology will need to be at the graduate level. This student should find out any prerequisite courses they would need to fulfill to gain admission to a grad program. BUT the reality is audiology is a GRADUATE field of study, not a bachelors one.</p>