CSD Students of Color Navigating the Graduate School Admissions Process: A Gauntlet

Regardless of entry point, nearly all potential speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States (US) share the experience of navigating the arduous application process for graduate school. For students of color, especially first-generation students, this application process can serve to cause them to question whether they belong in the field. This may be one of the key factors that manifests itself in the lack of diversity within the profession. This study followed nine undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) students across nine months from application cycle through post-baccalaureate life as they shared their experiences about deciding whether to apply for graduate school and how they navigated the process, as well as how they felt as they transitioned into their post-baccalaureate lives. Using testimonio (Delgado, 2012) as a methodology, students shared their experience as they attempted to compete for the limited seats available in graduate school. This study contributed a real-time voice from students as they navigated the graduate school application process. Many students felt unsupported in the process, a fact that kept some students from applying at all. With a need for more diverse professionals in the field, this study contributes to an understanding of what factors may serve as barriers for students of color as they consider graduate school.