Here is the experience of two Masters students with applying and interviewing for the course:
Claire:
I currently work as an SLTA in Coventry, and being mature and having a family means BCU is my only option. I knew a LOT of people had applied for not many places so was really nervous about my interview. Being in COVID times I only had a zoom interview with Gillian, who was lovely and put me at ease. The interview was very values based so I'm glad I'd prepared those really well and gave good answers.Â
I was able to visit BCU for an open evening prior to COVID but haven't seen as much of it as I'd like so looking forward to getting to know it properly in January.
Melissa:
I only discovered this course in May 2019, and contacted Wouter and Gill to double check whether my undergraduate degree in English Language and English Literature would make me a suitable candidate. I was very excited to hear that they would encourage me to apply, although the application deadline was just one month away! Within that month, I was very fortunate to secure work experience shadowing SLTs on a stroke unit, and this reaffirmed my desire to apply. I was interviewed on the penultimate interview day in August, so I believe my experience was a little different to many of my peers, as the day consisted of around 15 applicants for the Speech and Language Therapy course only, whereas earlier interviews introduced you to prospective MSc Physiotherapy and Dietetics students as well. The day was very informative, we had an overview of the course, a tour of the campus and facilities, met Experts by Experience who shared their personal stories, and we even had a free lunch in the cafeteria with them. We were made to feel very welcome and put at ease (well, as much as we could before an interview!). After lunch, we completed a written assessment before having face to face interviews. We were given some guidance and preparation ideas prior to the interview, and this was very beneficial, as well as reassuring, as we knew what to expect to some extent. I was interviewed by one of the lecturers on our course, another qualified Speech and Language Therapist, and an Expert by Experience. They all made me feel very welcome and were extremely encouraging, asking me questions about why I applied, my experiences, and what I hoped for the future. I came out of the interview feeling very pleased with myself, and I was very fortunate to only wait a week (although it felt like an age), before receiving a very lovely email offering me a place on the course, and telling me specifically why they were impressed with my application and interview. It was a very personalised email, and made me even more excited to start the course, as I realised I would be joining a very supportive team.
If you would like to share your experience, please leave it in the comments below!
Thank you to Claire and Melissa for sharing their experiences.
If you'd like to find out more about the Masters course at BCU, follow the link below:
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/speech-and-language-therapy-msc-2020-21