My favourite thing about the course is the placements

“My desire to work in speech and language therapy started whilst I was on placement at a special educational needs (SEN) school during college. During my time there I was able to observe the children and how the teaching environment was customised to meet their specific needs. I noticed how there were different, preferred methods of communication for each individual and was impressed by how the teachers and therapists were able to accommodate their needs. This experience highlighted to me the importance of their role in supporting each individual, giving them opportunities to express themselves and feel empowered.

I’m currently in my second year of my degree, and I absolutely love my course! My favourite thing is the placements and how they span across a variety of different settings.

Sana Khan

"During my summer placement I was in a community setting so I would travel to different places - in the morning I might be based in the client’s home and in the afternoon I’d be in a day centre. Through this I was able to see the range of settings a speech and language therapist (SLT) works in, and the skills needed to adapt to them. As part of this placement I was able to have a meeting with an SLT specialising in strokes and learn about dysphasia competencies, which has made me interested in working in a stroke unit.

“The placement settings were all easily accessible by public transport, which I found extremely useful, and our practice educators were always there to help. I also enjoyed being in pairs for placements as it gave me the opportunity to bond with others on my course as well as discuss things with others before going on placement. Sheffield also has an in-house speech clinic, which has a resource room where you can look at different types of assessments for use in future sessions. This is really beneficial for when we qualify.

“I really like Sheffield as a city, and I feel it has many different facilities which are beneficial for students, especially the students' union. It has a lot of support available and holds lots of events which give you the opportunity to socialise with others.

“During my first year, I applied to be a student ambassador, and help out at events like Open Days. I really enjoy being a student ambassador as it has helped me develop my confidence through speaking at different events. Being an ambassador has allowed me to interact with people from other courses which is useful in making friends beyond your own course. Additionally it’s really beneficial to put into my CV, as it has given me valuable and transferable skills I can use in the future.

“My advice to anyone applying for Speech and Language Therapy at Sheffield would be that everyone is in the same boat so make sure to talk to others around you; you’ll find they often have the same questions! I’d encourage prospective students to look at the RCSLT website before applying, as they have lots of information regarding careers in speech and language therapy.

Don’t worry if you can’t find any hands-on experience; experience can take many different forms such as watching a documentary or reading a book and applying the knowledge you’ve learnt back to speech and language therapy.

Sana Khan

I would also recommend keeping on top of your workload and making notes as you go along, which will make it easier for you to revise.”