Competitive GRE Score?

[res2135]

Does anyone know what a "competitive" score is for a Speech Pathology Master's Degree? All I can find is that I should "aim for 1000 or higher." I got 1160. Is that competitive enough to get into a top 5 school like Vanderbilt?

My gpa is 3.57 ish but my undergrad major is Linguistics, and I'm graduating a year early (in 3 yrs rather than 4). I'm really nervous about all of these things, can anyone calm my fears?

[Genomic Repairman]

I think you just have to punch through the 1000 mark and that is satisfactory. LSU states that their average is 1000 and that is similar to what I have heard from other folks at different places. Good luck.

[expressionista]

My sister got around 1100 on her GRE and didn't get in to any programs the year she applied (I think she applied to 4 and was waitlisted at 1 and totally rejected at 3). She was a communication sciences and disorders majors with around a 3.0 gpa, and she had a year of graduate education classes with like a 3.9 gpa in those. While I think you could be fine with your score and GPA combo, Speech Language Pathology programs are really quite difficult to get into, so I do think the higher the better. Because it's a professional program, it's also not really the same as a lot of the programs people on this board apply to (phds, humanities, etc.) where "fit" and the statement of purpose are sooooo important.

[res2135]

Thanks everyone!

[Kirby137]

I'm going through the app process now and applied to 10 schools (hopefully I get into one). Like you, I read that a 1000-1150 was a safe score. I earned a 1310 on my GRE, a 3.57 undergrad in Business, have taken 7 courses in SLP undergrad work w/ GPA of 3.95. I have only heard back from one school and was rejected (a top 25 school). I don't know if this supports that GRE scores don't matter as much as other things, or if the field has just become SUPER competetive. I read at least one of my LOR and it was really good. I think I am an okay writer, but my SOP could have definitely been stronger. Who knows?!?!?! I wish I had more experiene in the field, which I probably will try to get if I don't get accepted anywhere.

[res2135]

I'm worried about not having enough experience too. I'm sure you'll get into a few of the schools you applied to

[Kirby137]

Does anyone know what a "competitive" score is for a Speech Pathology Master's Degree? All I can find is that I should "aim for 1000 or higher." I got 1160. Is that competitive enough to get into a top 5 school like Vanderbilt?

My gpa is 3.57 ish but my undergrad major is Linguistics, and I'm graduating a year early (in 3 yrs rather than 4). I'm really nervous about all of these things, can anyone calm my fears?

And to calm your fears a little about GREs... I started putting this together when trying to figure out where to apply (rankings from US News week). You can see that the averages are right around 1150 (note that this might not be the most updated, I got these numbers from the ASHA website)

SchoolAverage GREUniversity of Iowa 576 V

643 Q

4.7 AWNorthwestern University 1150 ComoPurdue University–West Lafayette 520 V

640 Q

4.7 AWUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison 489 V

587 Q

4.3 AWUniversity of Arizona 522 V

597 Q

4.4 AWUniversity of Kansas 490 V

560 Q

4.0 AWUniversity of Minnesota–Twin Cities 494 V

619 Q

4.5 AWIndiana University 496 V

601 QUniversity of Florida 1100 Combo

4-5 AWUniversity of Memphis 493 V

579 Q

4.3 AWUniversity of Pittsburgh–Main Campus 455 V

543 Q

5.3 AWUniversity of Texas–Dallas 540 V

580 Q

4.5 AW

[res2135]

Oh, great, thank you! This was very helpful!

[rmjones123]

You have to be aware that numbers are not that important to SLP programs. (I just barely skimmed 1000 on the gre). SLP is a professional training program NOT an academic program. They want you to be intelligent enough to keep up but book smarts won't get you far in this profession. You have to be people-oriented. Your best shot at getting in is LOTS of experience. Volunteer wherever you can with the type of people you will likely serve (i.e. Autism, Geriatrics, Deaf, etc.). They don't care about grades as much as what kind of clinician you will be on the other side. (your name will be attached t theirs for the rest of your life). It is also a good idea to volunteer in these areas to make sure you can handle these types of populations before pursuing the career. it doesn't pay much and there is definitely not a lot of prestige. You have to LOVE it to handle the day to day. Good luck to you!

[slpundergrad]

Does anyone know what a "competitive" score is for a Speech Pathology Master's Degree? All I can find is that I should "aim for 1000 or higher." I got 1160. Is that competitive enough to get into a top 5 school like Vanderbilt?

My gpa is 3.57 ish but my undergrad major is Linguistics, and I'm graduating a year early (in 3 yrs rather than 4). I'm really nervous about all of these things, can anyone calm my fears?

Vandy was my dream school. I got a 1310 on my GRE, 4.0GPA, clinical experience (my school doesn't have a grad program so this allows the undergrads to get lots of experience), great LORs, and my research interests fit perfectly with Vandy. I had met with a POI at the ASHA convention and he was very positive about my chances for admission. Boy, was I blind sided when I got that rejection! It just goes to show you that you never know what they are looking for. On the bright side, I did get several funded offers which softened the blow.

I would say do everything you can to get over the 1000 mark but really aim higher if you have your heart set on funding or Vandy. Good luck!!

[stephpop]

I applied to 5 schools for their Speech-language pathology masters programs. I bombed my first GRE (610Q and 390V) so I studied for a month straight and got a 660Q 730V. I thought, great, I should do pretty well with a 1390 GRE score, but although I got into 1 school, I already got waitlisted at 2 schools. I think that it had to do with my gpa. My undergrad gpa from COrnell in animal science is a 3.41, which is a lot lower than the average gpa for all the schools I applied to. I would say GPA is way more important than GRE. Obviously letters, resume, and personal statement are very important as well.

I wouldn't fret so much about the GRE. I've seen lots of people with 11-1200s get into top 10 schools, but they have amazing GPAs and probably everything else.

[dogfishing]

Like other people have said, the GRE won't make or break you. Shoot to do above 1000 and you'll be okay. You can get accepted to great programs with a low-mid score if you have great grades and experience, etc, etc, but a 1600 won't save you from a low GPA and zero experience.

[HowNowBrownCow]

This is the info I got from Vanderbilt for their class entering Fall 2009. Vandy has the highest stats by far of any school I've seen. While it's obviously possible to be at the lower end and still gain admittance, I think your chances are much better if you are above their averages. I agree with other posters though that stats are not everything. Sorry if this is hard to read. I can't get the formatting to stick.

Degree GPA (highest/lowest) GRE (highest/lowest)

Audiology (AUD) 3.8 (4/3.4) 1234 (1450/970)

Ph.D. in audiology (Graduate School) 3.7 (4/3.1) 1246 (1440/1050)

Ph.D. in SLP (Graduate School) 3.9 (4/3.4) 1284 (1510/990)

Speech-Language-Pathology (MS) 3.9 (4/3.4) 1247 (1460/1010)

Edited March 25, 2011 by HowNowBrownCow

[dd2014]

stephpop--

Do you mind telling me how you studied that month before you took it a 2nd time? I took the GRE the other day and got 630Q and 410V and I obviously want at least my verbal score to be much higher!!!! I have 2 or 3 months before I take it again. Do you have any suggestions (especially about how to study for verbal?)

THANK YOU

I applied to 5 schools for their Speech-language pathology masters programs. I bombed my first GRE (610Q and 390V) so I studied for a month straight and got a 660Q 730V. I thought, great, I should do pretty well with a 1390 GRE score, but although I got into 1 school, I already got waitlisted at 2 schools. I think that it had to do with my gpa. My undergrad gpa from COrnell in animal science is a 3.41, which is a lot lower than the average gpa for all the schools I applied to. I would say GPA is way more important than GRE. Obviously letters, resume, and personal statement are very important as well.

I wouldn't fret so much about the GRE. I've seen lots of people with 11-1200s get into top 10 schools, but they have amazing GPAs and probably everything else.

[We regret to inform you]

stephpop--

Do you mind telling me how you studied that month before you took it a 2nd time? I took the GRE the other day and got 630Q and 410V and I obviously want at least my verbal score to be much higher!!!! I have 2 or 3 months before I take it again. Do you have any suggestions (especially about how to study for verbal?)

THANK YOU

i got a 1390 - 800 Q, 590 V. Haven't gotten my AW score back, but i'd be surprised if it's lower than a 4.5.

I'd strongly recommend using the GRE books by princeton review and kaplan. The kaplan book gives you 5 practice tests to take which helped tremendously! But the princeton review book has a longer list of frequently occurring GRE words to memorize. The combination of both books was perfect for me.

[We regret to inform you]

i got a 1390 - 800 Q, 590 V. Haven't gotten my AW score back, but i'd be surprised if it's lower than a 4.5.

I'd strongly recommend using the GRE books by princeton review and kaplan. The kaplan book gives you 5 practice tests to take which helped tremendously! But the princeton review book has a longer list of frequently occurring GRE words to memorize. The combination of both books was perfect for me.

I spoke too soon. I just got my results back and i only got a 4 on the AW. Crap. Oh well, it's probably not that big of a deal since i got a 1390 on the other two parts, which is well above average.

Edited July 3, 2011 by We regret to inform you