castikat

Your extracurriculars look really good and I'd say your GPA is competitive too. Your GRE scores aren't terrible but improving them couldn't hurt. Honestly, you've got a really good shot. Of course, no one can say for sure if you'll get in. Just make sure you get everything in on time and applying to a bunch of schools since you never know what's going to happen. Best not to put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. My only other note is that you'll need 3 LORs, not 2, so start thinking about another prof to ask. And ask for your LORs EARLY. Profs are actually terrible at getting those in, even if they think highly of you. Best of luck!

Did you graduate with a speech and hearing/communication disorders undergrad degree? If so, maybe you could take some courses at your school/at an online school/at a nearby school and get an A in each of them to show you can handle grad level work. If you can't improve your speech GPA somehow, you won't get in anywhere. That's kind of just how it is. Low GPA in courses out of field is one thing, but if your speech courses are all Bs and lower, it's not happening. If you didn't get the undergrad degree (if your degree is in another field), I'd recommend doing post-bacc courses. Either for a certificate, second bachelor's, or just to take as many courses as possible to get that GPA up. If you CAN improve your GPA, also focus on getting good letters of rec, doing volunteer or paid work with target populations (special needs, children, elderly), anything to get experience in-field, and getting top notch GRE scores. This should be possible in your time off. I'd really recommend not applying this next application cycle with your GPA being what it is. Improve your application to the strongest possible and apply for grad programs starting in Fall 18.

If taking the gap year means higher GRE scores, better letters of rec, and more work/volunteer experience (in-field or just with target populations), it possibly means the difference between getting in and not getting in. Honestly, I do think it is better to take the year off and save up money for app fees and strengthen your application as much as possible to give yourself the best shot at getting in. You do risk missing out on a year's worth of salary but if you don't get in the first time because your application wasn't strong enough (but would have been if you waited), you're just throwing away money on the applications. And it's not a paltry sum! I know a lot of people on this forum are prone to saying things like "It can't hurt to apply!" but we're talking $500-$1000 dollars here, depending on the number of schools you apply to, possibly even more. So, just think about if you'll be showing the strongest possible application if you decide to apply this year.

The other poster had really great information and I concur with the accuracy of what he/she said. I'll add that it might be a better idea for your friend to put off applying to schools until after she's completed all of her pre-reqs so that the schools she is applying to will get the whole picture of her academic competence. She'll also need to make sure she has taken/takes a standalone course in statistics (psych stats and a stats module inside of another course do NOT count), a course in human or animal biology (plant biology doesn't count), and a course in either chemistry or physics (physics of sound/music is more relevant to our field and does count as long as it says "physics" in the course title/department name). Other than getting to know profs for good letters of rec and retaking the GRE, more volunteering/work experience can be helpful for her application. Anything that gets her more experience with different populations (various special needs groups, the elderly, typically developing children) and also leadership positions are what schools like to see on applicant's resumes. Maybe show this thread/forum to your friend to back up what you are saying.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center has an Aural Habilitation Concentration that seems like sort of a certificate in addition to the main program. UT-Dallas has a Pediatric Aural Habilitation Specialists Training Program. Nazareth University has a Deafness Specialty Program and the opportunity to work with deaf children and young adults in Ethiopia.

I know that Concordia University Wisconsin is starting up a new SLP program. My mother-in-law is a professor there in another department and has discussed the program with the director who has said that they have all the staff hired and curriculum planned out but are waiting for the clinic building to be physically built but they expect the program to start in Fall 2017.

Your extra curriculars are good and that internship should be great for your chances of getting in. However, your gpa is on the low end of competative for this field and I know SDSU in particular has a very high average GPA for those who are admitted. Buckle down and get as high of grades as possible in your SLP classes. If you get a 4.0 in-major, your overall GPA will matter less. Also connect with your instructors so you can get good LORs. And of course, a high GRE score is helpful. Keep adding volunteer experience to your resume as possible, especially with different populations (elderly, special needs, etc.). GRE and GPA are the most important things though, so really just focus on your grades and you should be fine.

I know people in SLP grad programs who work. Jobs that are flexible are key. If you can work only on weekends and/or in the evenings, that's best. However, working during the week can be possible, it's just about your schedule. Jobs I can think of for this would be respite, ABA therapy, and tutoring. Don't feel limited to jobs related to the field, if you need money, you need money. You can wait tables or bartend or whatever. Do what you gotta do. Also, see what your school has available for jobs. Obviously graduate assistantships are best but there might also be lab positions and TA positions (my friend works in an AAC lab doing research for one of her profs) and even outside of the department there might be something like an RA position, working the desk at a library, etc. School jobs tend to pay less but really work with your schedule because they understand your situation. In any case, just don't take on too much; going to grad school is absolutely a full time job. It would be better to take loans than to fail out because you didn't have enough time to do your best work. But 10-15 hours a week should be doable for most people.

Honestly, why would you risk not getting accepted into another program? I understand your point about cost but, assuming you'll start the Masters program in the fall, you'd be taking a year off and incurring application costs. What kind of work would you do in the meantime? Would it pay enough to be worth losing a year of SLP pay (since you'd get the degree a year earlier by staying in this program)? I'm attending a school in the fall that really wasn't my first choice and isn't in the best location but I didn't get in to my first choice so it would have been crazy for me to turn down this program. Any program that gets you the degree is a good one. Just power through and get the degree.

Keep in mind that you might not be able to receive financial aid for doing pre-reqs as a non-degree student. It depends on the school. Also, look at all the schools you think you want to apply to and find out what they require for pre-reqs. It varies greatly from school to school and might be just as many as getting a second degree, or you might want to get the second degree just so you don't have to worry about taking every pre-req course required by every school you want to apply to. If you can save money, go for it, but just keep these things in mind.

It highly depends on the school. I know sally mae (navient?) offers a loan for non-degree seeking students but it requires that the school you attend offer you finaid in the first place. Also, you can use Stafford loans if the school offers finaid for non-degree students. I did a year at a school that offered that only for students doing pre-reqs, so they do exist, but you'll have to do the research to find out for yourself.

If anything, I think taking a gap year will improve your application IF you spend it getting relevant work and volunteer experience. Working in a related field will definitely give you an edge on fellow applicants who have not. Plus, it can help make you more comfortable when you get into clinic and are dealing with clients.

Most schools have a different list of prereqs required for admission, so you want to get in straightaway, you're going to have to do a lot of research and emailing program directors to find out what those courses are. It's possible that you will be able to get in and do some makeup courses for your undergrad deficiencies but you are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to the amount of schools that will even consider you with only 5 courses in major. You still have time to take a few more pre-req courses so you might consider that. The ones commonly required are: normal language development, neuroscience/neuroanatomy/neural bases, aural rehab, hearing science/anatomy, audiology, speech mechanisms/anatomy of speech, child language disorders, and pre-clinical observation. Some programs also require courses in psychology or specific in-major classes. It just depends. Also, you need to make sure that you have all the ASHA required courses. Those are human/animal biology, chemistry or physics, a standalone stats course (not research methods), and a social/behavioral sciences course such as psychology. More info here: http://www.asha.org/Certification/2014-Speech-Language-Pathology-Certification-Standards/#Standard_IV Taking online classes vs on campus doesn't matter for pre-reqs. As long as you get a good grade, no one cares which method it was delivered. That said, the rest of your stats look quite good. Get good GRE scores, write a solid personal statement, and you will have a good shot at admission. If you can find a program that accepts your pre-reqs, that is. But you still have time to figure all that out. Good luck!

What is your in-major GPA? Mine was 3.2 (after my second bachelor's) but in-major was 3.6 and I think that helped. You really need to take the GRE again and get your writing score up to 4 or 4.5 at a minimum or else I'm afraid your chances of being admitted are pretty low. My scores were 165V 152Q and 5.5W and I still had a really hard time getting admitted, it took 2 application seasons after doing leveling courses and I was still only on waitlists at first. How are your LORs? Did you know your profs well and are confident they are saying good things about you? If not, maybe having one come from an employer in a related field would be helpful. What work experience do you have? Anything related to the elderly, children, or special needs populations? If you don't have any experience with any of these populations, I would say take a year or two to work and volunteer with as many of these populations as you can. Summer camps, nursing homes, working in the school system (aide/para, substitute teaching), doing respite care, and doing ABA are all great options. SLPA is also great if you can do that in your state. What was your undergrad degree in? Anything related? Did you do any research or work on special projects with profs or in any labs? Did you attend any conferences? Those things look really good applications.

Business casual is the way to go from now on for anything you're uncertain about. As others said, it's definitely better to be overdressed than underdressed. The only thing I would say is that wearing a full suit or blazer with your slacks is probably over doing it. But can't go wrong with a professional dress!