By Nicole North

Janna Grant of SFU Linguistics has been accepted into University of British Columbia’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. This was her first time applying. Janna was awarded an Undergraduate Open Scholarship from Fall 2022 to April 2024. This scholarship recognizes and supports undergraduate students who are highly qualified academically, awarded on a term-by-term basis.

"Diverse experience has helped me become a well-rounded applicant with a much deeper understanding of what it means to become an SLP."

Janna also won the SFU Linguistics Paul McFetridge Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship in Linguistics for the Fall 2022 term. In Spring of 2023, she won the One World International Scholarship through the BC Scholarship Society to help fund her participation in the Vanuatu 2023 Psychology Field School. This past winter, Janna was awarded the McCall MacBain Regional Award towards grad school.

Did you receive helpful feedback for your SLP applications?

My references and some of the speech-language pathologists that I’ve worked with have shared comments on my applications. Firstly, my letters of intent were very connected to each school that I applied to. Although my UBC and University of Alberta letters were similar, I made sure to talk about why my skills were best suited to their schools after doing hours of research into each program’s specific goals. Another comment I received was regarding the variety in my experience; I have worked with children in a clinic with one-on-one sessions, adults in group sessions, in outdoor summer programs, and in two different labs at SFU. I tried to do a bit of everything, which my references said made me an excellent candidate.

Which Linguistics courses had the most impact on your successful application?

Phonology (LING 321)
Neurolinguistics (LING 415)
Research Techniques and Experimental Design (LING 851)

Was there a Linguistics instructor who was instrumental to your success?

There were two incredible professors who helped me achieve SLP admission. The first is Dr. Yue Wang. I was fortunate to take her graduate-level course, Research Techniques and Experimental Design (LING 851). It was during this course that I realized how much I want to pursue research. Dr. Wang guided me in developing my skills and ultimately helped me immensely to become a strong research candidate for grad school.

The second professor who has been highly influential during my journey to SLP admission is Dr. Ashley Farris-Trimble. Participating in her courses has always reminded me how much I love this field and how much I love learning. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Farris-Trimble for being one of my academic references for the applications.

Please tell us about your SLP-related volunteer work.

My volunteer experiences were a significant component of achieving SLP grad program admission. The first experience was working with March of Dimes Canada in their Aphasia Peer Connect groups. March of Dimes Canada is a leading national charity committed to championing equity, empowering ability, and creating real change to help the more than eight million people with disabilities across Canada. I was a volunteer with this organization for two years and loved every minute of it. This position gave me a love of working with adults and reinforced how much I love the field of speech-language pathology.

Another important position was with the Power for All Adventure Therapy Society, an occupational therapy organization that primarily runs kayak and paddle boarding programs for people of all ages and abilities. Power For All is a charity that serves clients in the Fraser Valley to provide universal access to adventure-based activities to people from all walks of life regardless of physical, cognitive, or social ability and financial resources. I started as a regular volunteer and eventually earned a seat on the Board of Directors. I have loved working with this organization and I’ve gained incredible experience. I’ve made so many valuable connections that led to many other opportunities which shaped both who I am and my SLP applications.

Please share your general advice for gaining admission to an SLP graduate program.

Diversify your experiences! When I first wanted to become an SLP, my perception of the job was limited to working in a clinic with kids. Throughout my undergrad, I’ve worked and volunteered in so many different positions, and only one of them was working in a clinic with children. Diverse experience has helped me become a well-rounded applicant with a much deeper understanding of what it means to become an SLP.

I cannot express enough how important it is to show who you are in your application. You are more than your resume! You’ve worked hard to get where you are and you should showcase that, but what will make your application stand out is giving the admissions panel a taste of who you are as an individual. This was the greatest piece of advice given to me and I know that it helped me in gaining admission.