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For the first entry of my “write my drafts challenge”… we have SLP grad school must-haves!
A little bit of background on ya girl before we dive into the post: I finished grad school for speech-language pathology at the University of Delaware in May 2019. I have written tons of other posts here and have had my blog since my sophomore year of undergrad! This blog and my YouTube channel are two great hubs of information for aspiring SLPs (at least, that’s what I’ve heard).
I’ve gotten asked over and over: what are the “must-have” items for grad students studying speech pathology? This list is just what I learned from my own personal experience. Do I think you can succeed without 99% of these things? Yes. Is this a totally exhaustive list of everything you’ll ever need? No. Do I think these things will make your life easier/better while in grad school? Yes.
If you’re an SLP grad student/CF and you have any items to add that I missed, feel free to add it in the comments!
Water bottle.
My 32oz Hydroflask was a go-to whether I was sitting in class or in the clinic/practicum! I loved having a larger reusable water bottle because I needed enough water to get me through 3 hour classes and long nights in the clinic! We were lucky to have a water fountain nearby but it wasn’t always practical to have to go refill it every hour or two. Vocal hygiene, people!
Watch.
Absolutely does NOT have to be fancy, but a watch is SO helpful especially once you start working in the clinic/are at practicum. Knowing what time it is and when your session ends is pretty important. You don’t want your sessions to go over!
I bought an Apple Watch for myself about halfway into my first year, and I liked that I could use the stopwatch feature on it! Most watches have that, though, or at least a second-hand that you could use! Another thing I liked about having the Apple Watch is that I could get texts/notifications to it when I was running around throughout the day. If you think you’ll wear it every day/use it it’s not a bad purchase! I bought mine in January 2018 and I’ve worn it every day since.
Here’s a blog post I wrote comparing the Apple Watch and the Fitbit Charge 2.
Clipboard with storage.
THIS. If you buy one thing from my list of grad school must haves, let it be one of these! One of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received was a clipboard with “do what you love, love what you do” emblazoned on the back. I used my clipboard EVERY DAY during grad school and still use it now in my CF! It doesn’t have to be fancy, but I love that mine is more personalized. It’s a really cheap, easy gift too if you’re reading this looking for a gift for a soon-to-be SLP grad student! Unfortunately, it was left at school pre-COVID so I don’t have pictures of it to take but I’ve linked the exact one I have here!
(Reliable) Laptop.
When I was a sophomore in undergrad, my parents gifted me a new MacBook. I used that laptop throughout undergrad and grad school! It’s still going strong using it for work every day.
If your laptop is on its last leg heading into grad school, I would consider getting something you know will last. Nothing worse than your computer crashing during grad school or constantly dying during your classes.
Laminator.
This is one of those “nice to have, but not necessary” purchases. I have one and it definitely saved me a bunch of times because I was a commuter and didn’t always have access to the laminator at the clinic. Also, the laminator at the clinic was broken/unusable 50% of the time. So I liked having my own backup. Here’s the exact one I purchased in 2018!
I didn’t laminate everything and anything, but I use it when I made my own board games/visuals that I know I will use again in the future. I never had to buy more laminating sheets in my 2 years of grad school so I think it was a good purchase. If you know you want to work with kids, I think a laminator is probably a beneficial purchase.
Index cards + sticky notes.
I used these all the time for a variety of things! In the clinic and in class! Great to have for various reasons. I used these for artic cards, to write down reminders, and to make flashcards to study.
Highlighters and pens.
Obviously. These pens and these highlighters are my favorites! I love using them in my planner and to take notes. My pack of highlighters lasted throughout the two years of grad school and I still have some colors staying strong even after using them relentlessly in class and in my planner.
Pilot G2s are my all-time fav pens. I have used the .7, .5, and .38 in the past and I have to say my favorite is the .5! It’s thin without being too scratchy. If you’re a pen person, you know what I mean.
Clinic-appropriate wardrobe.
A big one on my list of grad school must haves is clinic appropriate clothing! Most of what I wore was from Old Navy/Loft Outlet. I highly suggest finding comfortable/stretchy dress pants because if you’re working with kids you’ll be on the ground a lot! I really like Old Navy’s pixie pants and Gap Outlet has a similar option as well! I love any kind of pants with stretch because they’re much easier to move around in!
For my medical placement, I wore scrubs and a blue t-shirt. I would recommend waiting to buy scrubs until you are a) positive you need them and b) are sure you want to work in a medical setting. I bought cheap scrub pants and ended up donating them after my practicum ended because I knew I wouldn’t be somewhere medical for a while.
Lunch box.
I’ve had a few different lunch boxes over the past few years. This one from Target has been perfect! I don’t have this exact pattern but kind of wish I did! Mine is blue floral and I found it on an endcap near the dishes/silverware section. It’s really affordable and a great size! Most of the time at work my lunch bag doubles as a purse so I like for it to be easy to carry and have an outside pocket for my keys, phone, and wallet.
I’ve also used this Vera Bradley one for a long time.
Planner/iCalendar.
At the top of my list of grad school must haves, is a PLANNER. If you’ve been following me or reading my posts for a while, you know I am all about paper planners! I used the Plum Paper vertical priorities layout for my second year of grad school. Using the habit tracker to make sure I was still taking time for myself (exercising, reading, drinking enough water) and keeping on top of some dreaded school work (capstone) was really awesome to have built-in to my planner for year 2. If you have never bought a Plum Paper planner before, shoot me a DM or leave a comment below for a 10% off code!
My first year, I used a planner from Mia Ellsworth Co which I loved but they are no longer being sold. Hopefully the shop will reopen soon!
Backpack/Tote.
When it comes to backpacks/totes I’m a firm believer in personal preference. People have asked if backpacks are still used in grad school and in my experience, YES. Do whatever works for you. This is an old picture, but I have used and loved this tote since 2015! I bought it after working my first full-time summer job. It’s a Tory Burch tote, not sure if it’s still being sold. I used this for my school-based and adult practicums to tote my clipboard and personal belongings (book to read at lunch, laptop, etc.)
My first year, I exclusively used a backpack from North Face! I’m not a huge tote person, especially when it comes to carrying around super heavy books/laptops so I used a backpack almost every day instead. I also use the same backpack now for work though I am considering a Dagne Dover tote for next year! It is def a splurge but they look super roomy and nice!
That’s a wrap on my list of grad school “MUST HAVES”. Of course, there are other items that you could buy for grad school, but these are the things I used the most each and every day. Hopefully this was helpful!
