midnight

Was your GPA strong as an undergrad? Did you produce quality work? If so, you may be surprised to find out that many professors do remember you, possibly even quite well. It also helps to jog their memories with examples of projects you did, scanned tests or problem sets that you did well on (if you still have any in your possession), etc.
 
I do think it's going to be important for you to have academic references. One out of three or four recs can be professional, but that's tricky in your case since your jobs haven't been relevant to the CS field.
 
If worst comes to worst, you can possibly take another relevant class or two (might be a good idea anyway as the industry is dynamic and 2006 is ancient history--assuming you took any CS-related coursework as an undergrad), find a CS-related job, and/or volunteer somewhere with a CS focus with hopes of getting some recs. Those would all be good for your CV anyhow.
 
ETA: Don't forget that your GRE and SOP can strengthen your app, as well as the POIs you make and the schools you choose. If you kill the quant section and write an enthusiastic, convincing essay after aligning with profs whose work interests you, your app will be all the better for it.

I don't have any great advice, but given your level of introspection and desire to correct or change whatever is bothering you, you're clearly NOT dumb!
 
Good luck finding your groove.

There were definitely a lot coming from our SLP hopefuls, haha!

uromastyx, I wish I could accuse you of hyperbole, but I'm afraid you're not far off from the reality of Grad Cafe.
 
And clearly the answers to those questions are EXCELLENT and YES.

uromastyx, I wish I could accuse you of hyperbole, but I'm afraid you're not far off from the reality of Grad Cafe.
 
And clearly the answers to those questions are EXCELLENT and YES.

I don't know, it's a little too easy to say, "Well, you should've just scored higher on the GRE." Some programs seemingly (perhaps tacitly) expect 165+ on the verbal, which may not be feasible for someone, even if s/he studies for the test.
 
I suppose you could claim someone with a lower GRE score just didn't try hard enough or by virtue of a lower score just isn't right for a specific program, but I don't doubt that there are people who are highly talented, interesting, and motivated writers, thinkers, and critics (and they probably have sizable vocabularies and read/analyze literature all the time) who may struggle with GRE, be it the timed component, the more obscure vocabulary words (though the new test is easier and more approachable in this regard IMO and IME), or the longer science-based reading comps.
 
I've long been conflicted about the use of the GRE--not that anyone cares or that my opinion matters, ha. I see pros and cons to it. And I'm also speaking as someone who did pretty well on the GRE verbal with minimal studying (and more than well enough for the field I'm hoping to enter), so it's not a matter of sour grapes.

I did about the same on the practice tests as I did on the actual GRE, and my strengths and weaknesses were consistent.
 
I have no idea how long I studied. I relied mostly on practice tests for review/"study" by taking them and then going over what I missed; I don't necessarily recommend this method, but I found it to be better than doing nothing. However, I should've done more back-to-basics review for quant, and I feel I could've done quite a bit better with more focus and direction. I met my lowest target for quant by the skin of my teeth.

When I was getting my undergrad, I wish I had known that SLP existed. 

I wish I'd have known (sooner) about the prerequisites ASHA is now requiring for your C's. I'm lacking in statistics and a physical science.

There were definitely a lot coming from our SLP hopefuls, haha!

There are definitely some schools that accept the MAT over the GRE; I know that William and Mary does (or did circa 2010 when I considered applying there--yikes, I guess I have dated info now!) for certain programs. However, I don't think many schools do.
 
I took the MAT and the GRE. The nicest thing about the MAT is that it's a much shorter test and cheaper as well, but it's likely not worth taking unless you've exclusively found programs that accept it since the GRE is by far the go-to standardized grad admissions test.

Yeah, the test itself is overpriced but not necessarily prohibitively exorbitant. However, $25 per extra score report is criminal.

Just saying hi.  I moved to Boston and did my five prereq courses at BU this summer (what a whirlwind), am now studying for a competency exam so I don't have to take another prereq, and start grad classes on September 3rd.  I can't believe that a year ago around this time I hadn't even officially decided to apply yet!  I hope everyone else is doing well.

I'm sending actual thank-you cards.

Ummmmm so the impossible just happened.  I got off the waitlist for Wisconsin-Madison!
 
I couldn't be happier, but I'm already signed up for classes at Milwaukee...met with an advisor, registered, the whole shazam. 
 
I'm leaning towards the position at Madison (but only if my stafford loan would transfer over...)...what do I do about Milwaukee?  The people there were so nice and I really like it there, but I really like Madison too and it would mean not having to move (or at least only within Madison itself). 
 
Help?  :'( 

Not sure if anyone still looks at this thread, but I wanted to check back in and say "hi" now that i've survived my first week of grad school/clinic!!! Classes haven't been too hard, but doing all the lesson plans/treatment plans/room decoration/activities takes a LOT of time.  It's totally worth it, though, once you get to be in there with the client(s)!  
 
and huge congrats to badgerina! I know you'll love UW Madison!

You can search for SLP programs by state on ASHA's EdFind:
 
http://www.asha.org/edfind/
 
Most programs are competitive now, so your GPA might be a concern. Make sure you do well in your classes next year and focus on putting together the strongest application possible.
 
Good luck!

I FINALLY GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!! Yayayayay I will be attending Texas Woman's University! second choice school! Very excited! I'm still in disbelief haha

You can also camp out in a Barnes and Noble and do tests from a book there for free (I love Barron's 6 GRE Practice Tests)--kind of iffy, I know, but I used to work at a BN and no one cares what you do there.

As others have said, this is very unusual for the area. The bombing itself is a freak occurrence, and now it just happens to be mobile (in the form of the suspects running around). If it makes you feel better, think about how the cities/universities responded in terms of security: 1) Watertown and Cambridge sent out robo-calls in the wee hours of the morning to instruct residents to stay at home 2) The governor/mayor shut down the entire transit system 3) Universities closed very quickly and notified students 4) Thousands of police and National Guard were mobilized (to be honest, they've been around since Monday) and are sweeping the areas 5) Even with the shootout, no individuals in the surrounding houses were hurt, and they already have folks on the ground to dismantle any explosive devices left behind. So, freak occurrence, but the cities have responded very thoroughly and quickly to the threats. Compare this to, say, the shooting in NYC last year where the police decided to open fire on a crowded sidewalk and ended up hitting several hapless pedestrians. Although I must say that I'm rather tired of being locked in my apartment. Hopefully this will all be wrapped up in the next few hours.

Congrats on your decision, mystique!
 
matrixgrl, I'm pulling for you.

It looks like everyone on here is applying to Canadian schools, but I'm going to drop in anyway. I was accepted to University of Washington, Arizona State, and San Diego State/UC San Diego, and rejected from CU Boulder. I'll be attending University of Washington next year.
 
Good luck to you all of you still waiting! 

Congrats, slpf13 and all others who have recieved acceptances off of the wait list!

It's a rough time of year for everyone in or attached to a school, and your entire life is about to change as well. Panic shouldn't be unexpected. When it comes up, give yourself permission to feel it/be paranoid about your admission falling through for like 15 minutes, then jump into another activity.
 
ETA: In the past 5 years, I've gotten married, had a child, moved 3 times, left 2 jobs, had my husband leave 2 jobs, completed a 2nd BS, bought a house, put it on the market, and been admitted to grad school, not all in that order. Change is stressful. You can't deny it, and you have to find a way to acknowledge your stress and let it out, because if you hold it in, your base-level anxiety will seep out in ways that drive you and everyone around you crazy.

You certainly have a unique perspective. I hope it benefits you during next year's application season.