I Chose Salus
Audiology
My name is Marisa Fassnacht, and I am first-year student in the Salus University Osborne College of Audiology. I went to Temple University for my undergraduate school and received a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders. Fortunately, I knew that I wanted to study audiology going into college.
I have been involved in audiology almost my entire life. I was born with a growth called a cholesteatoma in my left ear in front of my eardrum. It was not found until I was about 7 or 8 years old. I had one surgery to remove the growth, and a second to put prosthesis in place of the bone that I lost. Since then, I have always wanted to become an audiologist. My main goal is to help children who may be experiencing hearing difficulties like I have in the past. I want to relate my story to them, so they will feel comfortable sharing their worries and triumphs with me while growing and developing with their hearing disabilities.
So now that we are properly acquainted, let me bring you into a day in the life of a first-year Doctor of Audiology graduate student.
6:30 a.m. I usually start off the day by pressing the snooze button about three times.
7:00 a.m. I check my phone, going through my Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and e-mail. Then, I roll out of bed (finally) and get myself together.
7:30 a.m. Breakfast! Probably my favorite thing to make besides eggs benedict – Ezekiel toast with avocado and an over-easy egg on top. While cooking my egg, I pop a K-Cup into my Keurig and select the biggest cup setting possible (because coffee=survival). I re-check my class schedule on Typhon (our online clinical scheduling portal) just to make sure nothing has changed. After this, I relax while I eat and watch an episode of Friends on Netflix (my favorite TV show ever).
7:50 a.m. After inhaling my breakfast, it’s time to pack up and head out to school. I always make sure I have my ID, laptop, lunch and coffee before I leave the house. I commute to school, so I always try to give myself about 45 minutes to get to there. My route to school is pretty easy; thankfully, I don’t have to take any major roadways.
8:20 a.m. I arrive at school and grab a great parking spot right in the front. If you get to school any later than 10 a.m., you either have to park in “Guam” or tail anyone that looks like they’re pulling out of a spot. I like to get to campus early to give myself time to drop off my lunch in my locker, get to the classroom and set up my laptop. When I get situated, I pull up the lecture needed for the class and chat with my friends.
9:00 a.m. Class time - from now until 11:00 a.m., I’m in Molecular and Cellular Processes.
11:15 a.m. I’m just hanging in the classroom doing some school work or a collaborative study, as well as eating lunch with my friends. We’ll stay here until we have to head to lab or clinic.
12:45 p.m. I’m heading over to the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) for clinical. From now until about 5 p.m., I’ll be observing and interacting with patients in their hearing appointments with my faculty preceptor.
5:00 p.m. Time to head home, but first: traffic!
5:45 p.m. Dinner time! Honestly, it’s my favorite part of the day. I love coming home after a long day to a great home cooked meal and hanging out with my parents. It’s nice to catch up and see how their days were.
6:15 p.m. I get changed into comfy clothes and start another round of homework and studying. Homework and studying takes about four to five hours depending on my upcoming schedule of assignments combined with exams.
11:30 p.m. *Belly flops onto bed because my bed is the greatest thing ever, and I missed it!* At this point, I’m exhausted and ready to go to sleep. I settle in, check my social media for a little, and watch some vlogs and tutorials on Youtube of one my favorite Youtubers (Sarah Day, Jaclyn Hill, Chelsea Trevor, and Danielle Mansutti to name just a few). I think about upcoming classes, clinic and assignments, but then I feel my eyelids getting heavy and I’m out. Grad school will do that to you!
