If you are considering applying to the Pitt Doctor of Audiology or Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology programs, you likely have heard of “holistic review.” Sometimes we can hear a term repeatedly and not give it much thought. Here at Pitt, holistic review is important to us and there are several ways to consider it in the context of your graduate application.
What is Holistic Review?
Holistic review is the process we adopted to review our applications. The significance of the holistic review process is that it is more than academics alone! We start by analyzing our program’s goals and outcomes, assessing the factors that make up the best clinicians in our field. Then, we apply these same characteristics to evaluate prospective students’ applications. We explicitly define our student preparation goals and how we prepare students through our curriculum, helping you to understand what we seek in our applicants through transparent guidelines.
To view examples of the goals that help us in evaluating applications, you can review the following items:
- Our goal in preparing students in the MA-SLP program: https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/macsd/about
- Our goal in preparing students in the Doctor of Audiology program: https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/aud/about
- Our Curriculum for the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology Program: https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/macsd/curriculum
- Our Curriculum for the Doctor of Audiology Program: https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/aud/curriculum
After reviewing these materials, you can see the different factors we consider within our goals. These include using and synthesizing information, your ability to inquire and solve problems, your ability to effectively communicate and how you might reflect upon your own skills. Our application review process involves considering all elements of your application to determine how you best fit both our goals and program requirements. Do grades factor into that? They are one indicator of a foundation for growth in our educational program. However, there are other ways for you to demonstrate that you fit in with our graduate programs.
What is the Best Path for Moving Forward with an Application?
Some strategies as you develop an application for holistic review include thoughtfully responding to our essay prompts and requesting letters of recommendation that go beyond simply addressing your grades (you can find my article on letters of recommendation here).
You’ll also note that our application process has an area where you can include unique factors about yourself. Here, consider not only discussing times you were challenged in your academic career, but also how you and your life experiences fit into our graduate programs and goals and the community we serve right here in Pittsburgh.
What Happens After I Apply?
Our admissions teams thoughtfully review all our applicants, looking at each aspect of the entire application. This means that we don’t have immediate “cutoff scores” for grades. Instead, several reviewers read each application and provide thoughtful input on applications both before and during our admissions meetings. We even debrief in a variety of ways after our admissions process to make certain that we are meeting our goals.
As an applicant, this means you can work to strengthen your application as you see fit! Have lower grades in one area? Make sure to write about your strengths and talk with your recommenders about how you might highlight your skills in a cohesive manner, so they are clear to a review committee. This might mean meeting with your recommenders and establishing themes where you would like them to highlight your best attributes.
Applying to graduate school can feel stressful. Take your opportunity to apply seriously and start early. Make certain all the areas where you shine are completely clear to an admissions committee!
Do you have other questions about the AuD and SLP application? You can reach out to our enrollment specialists for more information at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu.
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Written by:
Mark DeRuiter, MBA, PhD, CCC-A/SLP, F-ASHA
Vice Chair for Academic Affairs and Professor, Director of the Doctor of Clinical Science in Medical SLP