Audiology Student On A Budget
Scholarships, bursaries and conferences that Au.D. students can take advantage of to get the most out of their student experience.
Hey, audiologists to be! As a #futureAuD, there is no time like the present to take advantage of all the wonderful (and often free) opportunities available to students! Grad school can take up a lot of your time. With studying, classes, projects, and little to no income, it can be difficult to take advantage of all the available events. Here are a list of suggested cheap or free ways to expand your knowledge, and your network, outside the classroom.
Join local and national professional organizations
As a student, membership fees to professional organizations are often reduced or free. So join as many as possible! This is your time to figure out what each organization provides, and which you will want to be a member of in the future. It's also a fantastic way to gain access to magazines, journals and publications that are only available to members, and learn more about the current trends in the field. An added perk is that as a member of professional organizations you can check out their "grants and bursaries" section on their websites to see if you qualify for scholarships. Often these organizations will offer grants, scholarships or research funding specifically for students.
Many of the professional organizations, particularly at the national level, have a separate student organization as well. There are a variety of ways to get involved, either by simply becoming a general member, applying for an elected position, or volunteering on a committee. Volunteers and elected positions have different time and travel commitments associated, so be sure to look in to what will work for you and your desired level of commitment.
Often taking on a leadership role can be intimidating. The earlier you get involved in your local and national organizations, the more likely you'll be willing to apply for those higher positions later on. These are fantastic opportunities to network with students and audiologists from across the country, gain insight in to the inner-workings of the various organizations, build your CV, and make a difference in the field!
Become a conference volunteer
Students often get discounted rates to attend local and national conferences. A great way to attend conferences for free is to apply for a volunteer position. Volunteering at conferences often involves some form of time commitment, which can take away from your ability to participate in every lecture or session you want, but often you'll find you gained more than you lost. By volunteering, it provides you an opportunity to interact with organizers and other students, utilize your skills and talents, and learn something new.
For example, at one particular conference I attended where I did not know anyone, I was volunteering as a raffle ticket seller...snooze right? Except, then I realized this provided the perfect opportunity to approach every and all audiologists in the room, introduce myself, and start a conversation. As a naturally introverted individual, this provided me the perfect ice-breaker to meet new people and hone my networking skills!
Another fantastic way to attend conferences for free, is to apply for conference travel bursaries. Look at the conference website to see if bursaries are available for students. You may be surprised at how many free travel opportunities are available.
Attend student workshops
Many hearing aid manufacturers or business management groups host conferences specifically created for students. Often professional organization conferences will also have student specific workshops. Seek out these opportunities to learn more about areas that interest you, but also to gain skills in areas that your school's program may be lacking.
You'll instantly find that the audiology world in very small, and many of the students you meet at one workshop, will also be attending future conferences with you. Make friends. Use this time to build a network of colleagues from across the world to share ideas, and ask those silly questions that you just don't want to bring up with your supervisors. Plus, you never know who will end up being your co-worker or will point you toward a job opportunity in the future.
Say "yes" to opportunities!
Say "yes" to any and all opportunities that arise. Often professors or supervisors will suggest elective volunteer positions, educational events or research projects. Don't be lazy, and just do it! The more you say "yes" to these types of things, the more you'll find people will think of you first when new and better opportunities arise.
The biggest obstacle to most scholarships and contests is just applying. Don't overthink if you will win or if your experience is up to par with other applicants. Simply put: You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.
Write up a generic letter of intent, update your CV regularly, request some solid references from a select handful of professors and supervisors, and keep them handy. When a student contest or scholarship application arises, you will already be prepared to complete the application. It also makes life easier on your references if they have a draft of a letter prepared well in advance of any applications. Then they can simply tailor it to the particular application when the time comes. Another bonus is you can use this time to "audition" future references. For example, if you've already read a glowing reference letter created for your scholarship application, you'll know to reach out to that supervisor in the future when you need a complimentary letter of reference for externship or job applications!
All in all, those four years will pass by quickly. Make memories, travel, network, and gain as much experience as possible on your limited student budget. If you have the choice between a couple days off or to attend a conference, attend that conference! Years from now, you won't remember those extra days watching Netflix, but you will remember that cool hearing aid modification tip you learned, or that contact you made for a future job prospect. Plus, you never know what you'll get out of it. (Me thinking back to getting to jump on stage with Smash Mouth at an American Academy of Audiology conference.) You never know what you'll get to experience when you put yourself out there. Good luck future Au.D.s! Make our profession proud!
Here's some links for student workshops and bursaries:
https://canadianaudiology.ca/grants-and-bursaries/
https://saa.audiology.org/educational-opportunities/grants-and-scholarships
http://www.audiologist.org/resources/student-resources
https://www.audigy.com/about/audigy-university/
https://www.oticon.com/professionals/audiology-students/events-and-programs
https://starkeypro.com/students-faculty/starkey-university/program-information
https://www.audiologyonline.com/releases/phonak-us-hosts-12th-consecutive-18106
Note: This is not a sponsored post. All external links are suggestions, not endorsements.
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Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
Note: This is not a sponsored post. All external links are suggestions, not endorsements.
