Does school really matter?

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Hello! I'm thinking about applying to grad schools this fall for SLP. I was wondering what people though in regards to how much it really mattered going to a well known school, or just going where you can get the degree? I would love to go to a top ten school, don't get me wrong, but with how competitive it is out there today...What do you all think? Does it matter where you get the degree, or just so long as you have the degree...?

Originally Posted by MNfutureAuD

Hello! I'm thinking about applying to grad schools this fall for SLP. I was wondering what people though in regards to how much it really mattered going to a well known school, or just going where you can get the degree? I would love to go to a top ten school, don't get me wrong, but with how competitive it is out there today...What do you all think? Does it matter where you get the degree, or just so long as you have the degree...?

It really depends on what you want to do with your degree and if you plan on moving after. I think if you want to work in the schools, it matters a little less than if you wanted to work in inpatient at an academic hospital. However, it's sometimes the case that public school districts "prefer" SLPs who graduated from one school over the other and the same goes for hospitals. If you are applying to a lot of schools in the same region, find out if any of these preferences exist. Hospital websites often list where the speech pathologists went to school and if they all came from the same place, it's telling you something! My thinking has always been that if you plan on moving after grad school, you should go to well-known program. Also, if you want to go on for a PhD, where you go to school for your M.A. matters a bit more.