Jolie717

Hiya - posted this earlier today on a related thread - everyone should try to scour the schools' websites before asking these types of questions. Hope this helps! ? I have found that you can find what is likely to be more accurate GREs and GPAs on the college program websites. For example, I found this on the UT Dallas website in the FAQs: Although there is no specific GPA or GRE cutoff for admission, most admitted students have an overall GPA of at least 3.6 and a GRE of 305 or higher. The median GRE score for students entering the program in Fall '15 was 314 and the median overall GPA was 3.8.

I have found that you can find what is likely to be more accurate GREs and GPAs on the college program websites. For example, I found this on the UT Dallas website in the FAQs: Although there is no specific GPA or GRE cutoff for admission, most admitted students have an overall GPA of at least 3.6 and a GRE of 305 or higher. The median GRE score for students entering the program in Fall '15 was 314 and the median overall GPA was 3.8.

It's not the same actually - it's a Doctor of Clinical Science in Med SLP. One of my professors has his CScD from University of Pittsburgh - otherwise I would have never known! ?

So that person lied? Or was it rolling admissions?

Nope - I think all of the schools I applied to are my top choice, but each for different reasons. It's easier for me to say this, given how few schools I have applied to, ha ha. Financial aid and funding will certainly influence my decision - plus availability of student housing, and the list goes on!

I live in LA, not near it lol - I know traffic like no other. We are on the westside though, near UCLA, so my commute into "the Valley" where CSUN is, happens to be a reverse commute. More people are driving from the Valley into LA - so it works out perfectly for me. And I agree - everything gets more complicated with significant others and kiddos. If I were younger and single, my list would have included Vanderbilt, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Colorado Boulder and San Diego State. I still would never have applied to ten schools. Or twenty, which is what an advisor at my school recommended. I think that is insane! I'd love to see DC some day - I've never been but my hubby loves it. Best of luck to you - it looks like you have a fantastic background!

Yes - I remember seeing earlier that you were only applying for a few (I thought you had three too originally) and I thought, hey, I'm not the only crazy one, lol! I had several reasons, I suppose. Commuting in LA is not pretty - and neither is relocating. I eliminated Long Beach due to the nasty commute, as well as the fact that you have to pick either a school or med rotation - if you want both it takes longer and costs more. I also eliminated Cal State LA because the commute is horrible there as well, due to the close proximity to downtown. I also don't particularly like that area. I have two sons and a hubby, so in fairness to them I decided I would only pick schools where if we relocated, we would all have an improved quality of life. We have family in Oregon and had always discussed relocating and buying a home there, so U of O was a no-brainer. We have some family in Washington and I have a brother who should be moving to Seattle this year (military pilot) so I also chose UW. My background is medical, so the MedSLP track appealed to me. Both Oregon and Washington are cheaper to live in than West Los Angeles, so that works out too. I wanted to stay on the West Coast because that is where most of my family is as well (SF Bay Area). And it's just gorgeous here, frankly. I picked my current school as well of course - where I absolutely love the faculty, diversity of clinics, and of course - no headache in relocating. My stats are within the range for all three, so I felt confident I would get into at least one of the programs. If I didn't, I was comfortable working for a year, polishing up my SOP and gaining experience. Plus I'm confident I could score a lot higher on the GRE with the added prep time.

University of Oregon: Jan 15th University of Washington: Jan 15th California State University Northridge: Jan 15th

In my experience - definitely yes. ?

I honestly think that the SOP is what really gets an applicant truly "noticed" as long as the applicant's stats are in line or relatively close to being in line with the program's stats. It isn't about the number of volunteer experiences, shadowing, internships etc... It's about how you can turn the experiences you have had into a compelling and intelligently articulated portrayal of who you are and why you chose this path. So quality over quantity. I'm also a "mature" applicant, and had limited volunteer and shadowing time - the two pivotal experiences I wrote about in my SOP that my critiquers really liked had absolutely nothing to do with my volunteer or shadowing experiences. The program I've been admitted to specifically mentioned one of the two experiences as a reason I was offered early admittance. That being said, a *complete* lack of volunteer work, shadowing, internships etc being mentioned anywhere in the application would certainly be a red flag. Do NOT start writing your SOP the month it is due - and DO get a lot of high quality feedback from people who are not afraid of offending you in their critique. I'm not talking about your parents here - find current grad students as well as people with advanced degrees (think attorneys, PhDs, MDs etc) that have been through this process too. If your first draft looks a lot like your final draft - you are doing something wrong.

Sorry - but I'm guessing not, at least here in SoCal. Keep in mind, I did my research a year ago, so things may have changed. Plus I was amazed by what Crimson Wife said - the criteria in Northern Cali (where I'm from lol) is apparently different from where I am now (Southern Cali). The general impression I received was that there needed to be an "umbrella" type college signing off on your hours as well - either a 4 yr university or a 2 yr community college program. Hope this helps!

That is truly amazing!!! So glad you posted as a Northern Californian.

Ha - replying to my own post. Just as an update for any future readers - I did not end up updating my transcript as I was admitted to the program early, however I would recommend that anyone in the same position simply call the department to see if they put any weight/consideration on the new grades.

Unfortunately, as silly as it is, from my own research you do need to enroll in a program. My intention was to find my own preceptor (which I did) and log my hours and have them signed off and apply. According to the SLPA advisor in my current program, you need to have someone from a university (or SLPA program) sign off for you as well. I asked if they would be willing to sign me off if I completed my hours (and BTW the preceptor MUST have their CCCs). They said no, they wouldn't. So you either have to go through an SLP program at a 4 yr school which is shorter but more expensive - or go through a two-year longer but cheaper community college program. I even emailed the community colleges, to find out if they would waive classes as I was a major. No deal. For the record, it sounds as though in my area (SoCal) Loma Linda is the least expensive and is pretty quick, as far as the 4 yr universities go. But please re-post if you find anything that contradicts my own findings.

Anyone who gambles at all has little room to critique frivolous spending, lol! Disclaimer: I mean this with no disrespect - but I am a very blunt person. Because of this characteristic of mine, I try to never type anything I wouldn't feel comfortable saying to someone's face. My current school (which is relatively competitive - in CA with an acceptance rate around 18% last cycle) has accepted many students with GREs below 300. Some even lower than the OP. I don't think all is lost - and regardless, what's done is done at this point. It's a waiting game for all of us.

I just received an early admission offer from University of Oregon today - and am still in complete shock!

I'm not sure anyone can answer this question at this point, unless they are on the admissions committee for the schools you have already applied to. I would just sit back and relax and wait for responses. That's what I am trying to do, at any rate lol.

These threads were bumped for you already, but just in case you didn't see them:

Use this link and type in your school name and "Speech" in the search function to pull up acceptances and denials custom to each program that include dates, as well as stats of some applicants, if you click on the burgundy "diamonds." Or don't because it might make you crazy, lol, and just call the departments and ask (after first combing through their websites for the answer, of course)! http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php

The one and only school I have applied to through CSDCAS does not require that we send a new transcript with Fall grades. That being said, I wonder if it would be to my benefit? My new Fall grades have no impact on my cumulative GPA (they raise it but not noticeably), but they actually lower my CD GPA very slightly (from a 4.0 to a 3.94 due to one A- in a CD course). So I can keep as is - 22 CD units with a 4.0, or update to 31 CD units with a 3.94 GPA. Thoughts???

I wanted to give a brief update, for any future ex-military SLP applicants. Again, as a recap, I was enlisted Army Reserves. I was not an academy grad, nor did I enroll in any coursework that was designated as college-level in the military. No ROTC coursework either. I was 91-Delta, surgical technician, for my MOS (military occupational specialty). Thankfully, CSDCAS did verify my transcripts, despite my not having submitted my military transcript. I read and re-read the CSDCAS fine-print FAQ but still found it very vague. For any future ex-military, I highly recommend calling CSDCAS well ahead of all deadlines to see if they want the military transcript. Or err on the side of caution, and just send the damn thing! ? Especially as I have no idea if they verified my transcripts because they didn't need the military transcript after all - OR if they made a mistake and overlooked the military transfer credit that is noted on my current program's transcript.

That makes sense - I remember CSDCAS mentioning that classes taken again would be averaged with the original class taken.

I'm not sure why your cumulative GPA would be different from the one that CSDCAS calculates, unless certain classes just don't count towards your degree. Or unless your cumulative GPA on your university transcript includes your most recent semester, with grades that didn't post in time for submission to CSDCAS. PS: Where did you even find your cumulative GPA for CSDCAS? Do they email it to you once you have been verified? My transcripts were verified today but I don't see any kind of section dealing with my cumulative GPA.

I've just finished applying for grad school, and I was not asked once in any app about number of observation hours. In my program we are required to obtain 25 hours, which I did plus more, but I am pretty sure only 25 hours are needed.

I didn't apply for UC Boulder, but I didn't include GPA on my resume for another app bcz it is all over the app itself. Unless they specifically ask, I'm not sure I would. Are you applying for Fall 2016? I thought Boulder's app deadline was Jan 15th.