University of California San Diego/San Diego State University AuD Program

[MJBroom]

I just wanted to get your opinions on UCSD/SDSU's AuD program? I looked over their website and brochures, but I was wanting to know more about tuition waivers or stipends, externship placements, and clinical spots. Are there a lot of clinical opportunities in San Diego, or is there quite a bit of travel involved to see areas across the scope of practice? I know it is ranked in the mid-20s, so I was just kind of curious as to why? Are there any drawbacks to this being a joint-degree? Does it have a strong clinical program or is it more research-based?

Basically I am wanting some first-hand objective information that they don't tell you in the brochure

Thanks!

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[james6911]

I just wanted to get your opinions on UCSD/SDSU's AuD program? I looked over their website and brochures, but I was wanting to know more about tuition waivers or stipends, externship placements, and clinical spots. Are there a lot of clinical opportunities in San Diego, or is there quite a bit of travel involved to see areas across the scope of practice? I know it is ranked in the mid-20s, so I was just kind of curious as to why? Are there any drawbacks to this being a joint-degree? Does it have a strong clinical program or is it more research-based?

Basically I am wanting some first-hand objective information that they don't tell you in the brochure

Thanks!

I was accepted there in-state, but i chose not to go for several reasons. 1. They seemed organized when I took the tour. A lot of the questions i asked resulted in walk-around responses. 2. Price, even with in-state tuition, it is expensive. 3. Horrible drop rate. They are not getting the outcomes they want and i'm not sure exactly why.

I felt the joint program incorporated both clinical and research. If i had to choose i would say it's more clinical based as their 'project' is not all that comprehensive.

 

[arrowgirlie]

I was also accepted in-state and chose not to go.
Pros: Everyone was very welcoming when I was there, and they had several research labs that I was interested in. Of the four schools I applied to, it was the cheapest. It's also the closest to home (I'm from a very close-knit family), and has the best weather of any school I applied to.
Cons: I was concerned about the drop rate. I didn't have the guts to ask a professor why they had so many people dropping, but this could be a beneficial question.

Financial Aid: The professor that I talked to said they try to give all of the AuD students graduate assistantships. Mine totalled $2200 for the year. Other than that, there is really not much aid available for the first year, because at the end of the day, it's a Cal State school, which means that funding is being cut all over the place.

Placements: My impression was that there are a lot of placement opportunities. There several paid VA traineeships available for qualified third years.

Research vs. Clinical: I think it's a mix of both, with maybe slightly more access on the clinical. You start clinic your first semester at SDSU, and UCSD seems to have a good selection for research.

I was worried about the drop rate, but that wasn't the reason I eventually decided to attend UW. My decision came down to the fact that UW simply gave me WAY more funding.

 

[CDLissa]

As of right now UW would be my top choice school, I'm glad to hear you got funding. One thing I was worried about was how high their tuition is.

 

[arrowgirlie]

I'm not sure what UW's general funding policy is. By some miracle, I actually got one of the only scholarships they give out. If you have a strong application though, the scholarship is wonderful. I'm still not sure what it was about my application that they liked so much.


Edited to add: If you live on the west coast, look into WICHE. There are several audiology programs that give in-state tuition waivers. UW and CU Boulder both participate in this program.

 

[MJBroom]

Thanks for all of the information! I definitely need to ask about the drop rate if I choose to look at the school seriously. Something to be concerned about. Thanks again!

 

[CDLissa]

Thank you, I do live in one the the 15 western states so currently all of the schools I have looked into are in the WICHE program. So that definitively helps with tuition.

I am planning to take a lot of time this summer writing my letters of intent to strengthen my application. I have a great GPA and I will take the GRE this summer so hopefully that goes well

 

[arrowgirlie]

Obviously, I can only speak from my experience, but I think that finding a few things that I was really passionate about, rather than doing everything under the sun really helped me. I did one research project inspired by a trip that changed my life, shadowed a VA audiologist for a few hours, and was president of NSSLHA. I had good grades and good GRE scores, but other than that, I was the most normal applicant ever. Good luck on the GRE and finding the things you enjoy!

 

[CDLissa]

Thank you! I am hoping to find an audiologist that I can volunteer with or shadow this summer.

 

[Enimsajwho]

Don't know if it's too late to reply this thread as most people already made a decision by now.

I graduated from UCSD/SDSU Joint AuD Program. My class and the previous class had the highest drop out rate. I'll tell you why. Some of my former classmates came from anthropology and psychology background and realized that audiology wasn't the right career for them after the first semester ended. All of them went back to get their masters in fields related to their undergraduate background. Another person dropped out because she is a mother of two (5 y/o kid and a 1 month old newborn at the time) and was in a long distance marriage. She wasn't able to find a nanny so she quit school.

More information about my program:
1. It's more clinical based than research.
2. Graduate assistantship for year 1 and 2. Most people signed up to work in the clinic at least 10 hours a week. Year 3 - paid internship at the VA. Year 4 - depends on your externship.
3. Travel: each internship during year 3 is local. Driving is easy in San Diego compared to Los Angeles.
4. If you want business or pharmacology courses, they are not offered in this program. We already talked to the program director about it, but I don't think it's going to happen with the current budget problem.

 

[arrowgirlie]

I'm glad to finally get an answer on the drop out rate. I really liked the people that I talked to during my tour, so I'm happy to hear that the program wasn't a good fit for some students, rather than there being some untold secret horror.

I definitely would have been happy to know this when I was deciding on schools, but I think this is good info for anyone who will be reapplying or applying for the first time next year. Thanks for the response, Enimsajwho!

 

[Earreplaceable]

Thanks for your input, Enimsajwho! I am applying in the fall and have been wondering about this program. I'm glad to know outside factors played a role in their statistics.

 

[Nalabear]

I will be applying for a Doctorate in Audiology this fall, and I wanted to hear some suggestions from current AuD students, or anyone else with graduate application experience.
SDSU/UCSD AuD is my #1 choice program and I have been working really hard to gain as much experience as I possibly can. I am 110% set on Audiology and nothing will sway my choice.
My only concern is GPA. I ended community college with a little over 3.0 GPA, and have a major GPA of 3.7, so a rough cumulative of 3.2 GPA if I retake one course from my undergraduate general education. I have not taken the GRE yet but I am foreseeing a score of 1000.
Here is where the questioning comes in. By the time my AuD application will be due to SDSU, I will have accumulated close to 200 hours of clinical observations.
I also have 4 years of working in clinics in paid and volunteer positions and am currently a teaching assistant at an Oral School for the Deaf.
With that said, I have A LOT of relevant exposure to the field of Audiology, more specifically to clinical audiology, but my GPA is my only concern.

What are your thoughts on my chances of admission to SDSU/UCSD AuD?

THANK YOU!