Why Did I Become an Audiologist?
I studied Psychology as an undergraduate at Loyola University Maryland and developed an interest in child development, specifically the development of communication. From there, I wanted to pursue a PhD in Developmental Psychology. Over two years I applied to roughly 16 programs and didn’t have luck getting in, despite getting interviews. Of course, back then I was upset, but I know now it was a blessing in disguise.
By my third year of applications, I decided to complete post-baccalaureate coursework in Communication Sciences and Disorders, which I figured would give me an edge over other applicants. I had become disenchanted with Developmental Psychology, but I wanted to try once more. During that year, I had to take an introductory course in Audiology. Admittedly, I wasn’t interested in the class because I didn’t see it as critical to my PhD goal. During that class, we were assigned observation hours and I signed up to observe at Johns Hopkins.
I fell in love with Audiology on that day. It was there I met Roni Dinkes, AuD, whom I was impressed with immediately. I loved the work she did. She worked with patients, took on plenty of graduate students, had an interest in research, and was an overall incredible mentor. The day-to-day functions of an audiologist were the perfect mix of my interests – allowing me to use a unique blend of science, math, technology, and counseling skills. Though I was only required to attend one half-day of observations for that course, I continued to go observe every Thursday for over a year.
I applied to five Audiology programs and was accepted at every one. I only stopped my weekly observations when my Audiology doctoral program started, and I had to move away from Baltimore to attend Montclair State University in NJ. I am so thankful that my original plan didn’t work out because I can honestly say I look forward to going to work as an audiologist every day.
Talin Marino, Au.D., CCC-A is the Director of Audiology and a Tinnitus/Hearing Aid Specialist at ENT and Allergy Specialists. To read more about Talin go here.
