HippoPirate

If you're in a hurry to get your Master's, why not take all your post-bac courses this fall/next spring and try applying this winter to less competitive programs? If you don't get in anywhere for next fall, work as a SLPA for a year or volunteer and maybe take some electives while you try again. A lot of post-bac programs don't have competitive admission or require application months in advance. I decided to do mine a couple weeks before classes started. If you can't find a program like this in your area, there are a few online options.

I heard from more than one professor that the longer ago you did your undergrad, the less weight they give it. But that might not be true everywhere. I'm going to Pacific University in Oregon. It's a very new program, but I'm told they got over 500 applicants for 35 places. I was offered a place in the first round of acceptances. In addition to kicking ass in post-bac, I would highly recommend getting some work/volunteer experience in the field. Work with culturally/linguistically diverse populations is an especially sought-after qualification. I know other students with a 4.0 in post-bac/undergrad who didn't get accepted anywhere, presumably because they didn't have relevant professional/life experiences. Another thing that I think contributed to my acceptance was the interview. I was wait listed at a comparably-competitive school that didn't do interviews and ended up not getting in. So if you're a good interviewer, I think it's a good idea to apply to some schools that do interviews. Good luck!

My undergrad GPA was 2.66 and I got into a very competitive master's program. My undergrad was ten years ago, though, and my post-bac GPA was 3.91. I also had very high verbal and writing GRE scores and relevant personal and work experience.

I just started putting words on a big piece of paper. I put words with negative connotations toward the left and positive connotations to the right, neutral in the middle. I think I had some kind of continuum from top to bottom too, but I don't remember what it was. If I had two words with very similar meanings, I placed them very close together, so I ended up with little word groupings (e.g. I had 4 or 5 words that had to do with being friendly, outgoing, or confident all in a little group). I think I also put parts of speech in different colors. The visual really helped me remember them.

Rio Salado College - $660

Just something to consider: unless you have near-native fluency in Spanish, you will need to use an interpreter to provide services as an SLP anyway. A bilingual Spanish speaker is going to be in much higher demand than someone who has some college-level Spanish (which is most people in California, I think). Unless you're planning to REALLY become fluent, which would probably take more than taking 2-4 years of college Spanish classes, you won't be able to call yourself bilingual. That's not to say a working knowledge of Spanish wouldn't be useful. It definitely would! But if you're planning on working with the Deaf community especially, a few years of ASL might get you further toward fluency than a few years of Spanish. And I'd be willing to bet that you'll be employable as a monolingual SLP, even in California.

I looked into this. It's $46 per unit for CA residents and $190 a unit for out of state students.

I'm taking stats this summer online through Rio Salado College. You can choose an 8-week or 12-week course, and the start date is flexible. It costs $660 (unless you live in Arizona, then it's dirt cheap). https://matrix.riosalado.edu/RioWebApps/Public/Rio.SyllabusDefinition.UI/MiniSyllabusRender.aspx?courseId=MAT206&specialtyCode=&instructionMode=IN&startDate=05-05-2014&termCode=4144&sectionNum=13699

When I took the GRE I made a big word map with all my GRE vocabulary, grouping words together graphically that had similar meanings, and using different colors for words with positive, negative, and neutral connotations. It really helped. I got a 168 on the verbal section!

I didn't do any prerequisites in undergrad (unless you count my math/science/social science requirements for ASHA). Like many people here, my undergrad degree was in a different field and and I did all my CSD coursework as a postbac. As that was done much more recently (2010-present) and my GPA was very good, I don't think my undergrad GPA was much of a factor.

I got an offer from Pacific University (which I accepted!) and wait listed at Portland State University (I was in the mid-range). I'm just assuming that they didn't put too much weight on my undergrad GPA, as they evidently liked me well enough. An advisor at PSU did tell the post-bacs at my orientation 3 years ago that the longer ago you did your undergrad, the less important it is.

My undergrad GPA was 2.66. My postbac GPA was 3.86, bringing my cumulative GPA up to 2.9. I was accepted into a program that got over 400 applications for 35 places. The program had a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 (I was wait listed for another competitive program with a minimum 3.0 GPA). That said, my undergrad was done 10 years ago, and I have a lot of fairly relevant work experience, personal experience, and work on an ASHA grant. And I had a really good interview, I think. I don't think either program really cared about my 10-year-old GPA.

I think you might be comparing semester hours to quarter hours. Sixteen quarter hours is four courses, but sixteen semester hours would be more than five courses. Five courses spread out over a semester is equivalent to about 3.5-4 courses in a quarter. Another thing to keep in mind is that some grad courses might be only 1or 2 credits. I know the program I'm going into has a one-credit course that's on the list for the semester, but it's a one-day interdisciplinary seminar.

I'm also finishing my postbac at PSU, and I have to add that although the class sizes are large, most of the professors really make an effort to get to know all their students. I also really liked all of my adjunct professors. I got my LORs from a professor I worked with on an ASHA grant and another that I took 2 classes with (one an elective with only about 20 students). For LORs I would try to take more than one class with the same professor and contribute so they get to know you a little. Also, I've never been in a class where there weren't enough seats or where it felt uncomfortably full.

autismadvocate, have you read Loud Hands, Autistic People Speaking? I highly, highly recommend it to anyone and everyone (as the neurodiversity-embracing mom of an awesome 8-year-old autie).