CBG321

Apply outside of CA I am from there and am always cold and am totally fine living out of state. Everyone I know that has moved for grad school are all also having amazing experiences. It honestly flys by so fast you'll be back home With your family in the blink of an eye!! Plus I have about 5 times a year that I could visit home for a week-4 so plenty of time to visit. You will not regret moving and experiencing a new state for a few semesters. Good luck!!

I agree with what everyone else is saying wait until your GRE score is much higher. Take the money you would have spent on the applications and put it towards an extremely effective study course! Fullerton is a no go I know how their application process works and your stats are not a match for who they accept. They tell their own students to aim for 4.0s. Also the majority of their own students have hands on speech therapy experience already under their belt. Anyone getting in below a 3.8 is not going to be someone they don't have a relationship with. Here is the only constructive comment I can add. Really think about why you want to do this. Some people apply bc the career sounds good but don't really know what the job entails. Why are you passionate about this kind of therapy over any other? After you've decided if this is your field. You have to understand the committees go through hundreds of applications what about yours would make them say yes over someone else with much higher stats, first hand experience and an ability to express what exactly they are so passionate about. If you can raise your scores and are able to do some things to make your app stand out apply! Good luck

Yes there definitely are school based clinicians. It sounds like you are working as a resource specialist because what you are describing is their job description and duties. Are you a certified SLP? Most school therapists work on articulation, pragmatics with ASD populations, AAC with special needs populations, language skills etc. What you are describing is not typical nor is it what any public school based SLP's I have shadowed have done. Oh wait just saw the private school note, that is why you aren't getting typical therapy a lot of private schools are smaller and have no set rules on who you see and haven't had much experience with SLPs. I have worked with an SLP at a private school and she kind of made up her job as she went. Go work at a public school if you want to experience real speech therapy in schools. That being said maybe it is the wrong field if you are as unsatisfied as you sound and didn't get a good look at what the job was about during school...only taking the tone of this question you don't sound very excited to be in this field. Maybe making a change of employers will turn that around! Good luck!

I would recommend you retake the GRE and focus on improving that score. Idk if this will be possible since you say you aren't a very good test taker and the darn thing is timed, but if your GPA is below their stats or on the lower end you would want to balance it out with a GRE score that is towards the top of their range! Bc the application committee is going to be like aww GPA is a bit low let's look at the GRE, hmm it's in the middle. If you can get them to see wow she really showed that she can perform on the GRE it would balance out any concerns your GPA raised. Also you can raise your GRE earlier than your GPA it sounds like so it would make you a better applicant this cycle if you wanted to go ahead and apply now to see what happens. Good luck!

1. Only if you can score really high on the GRE. I know there are a lot of eternal optimists on this page that will tell people to reach for their dream etc etc, but give little consideration to the costs and sometimes the realistic likelihood of getting in. It is so competitive that unless your GRE stands out and I'm talking combined 320+ to balance out the GPA. I would say don't do it unless you are passionately wanting to pursue this. A lot of programs will not combine your masters gpa with your bachelors so your gpa will still be a 3.04 at most schools. Unfortunately almost all programs have a GPA cut off whether or not they publicize it...3.5 seems to be a common one. Go take the GRE first, see what you score, take a class to improve it (if you need to) and if you can get a really great score give it a shot. I am not trying to crush your dream if it is to be an SLP but at the same time go into the process with all the information you can! Good luck, hope you can kick the GRE's butt!

It depends on the graduate school some school don't really weigh your written score even on the GRE. I would say schools with any kind of research focus are very interested in your writing abilities. That being said other schools will use your statement of purpose to see if you can write well. That being said do NOT use any professor that tells you they don't feel comfortable no matter how nicely they phrase it! It will not be a good letter (trust me I've seen what kind of letters come from those professors) choose someone else.

Hey based on your above response I would definitely do a post-bacc before applying to graduate school. This is quite a unique field in the sense that most people don't really jump into it randomly (like many other graduate programs allow students from other majors to do, english, business etc). If you have even the smallest doubt about the field, I would highly recommend doing the post-bacc first. Graduate school is insanely competitive in this field for both in field and out of field applicants so this also gives you an opportunity to tell the application committee why you want to be accepted and decide if this is even the right field for you since it sounds like you are still exploring your options. It may be possible to proctor a class session to see what you'd be getting into before paying for a post-bacc as well.

Your best bet is to score extremely well on the GRE. You don't want them to see your GPA and not even read your statement that explains why it was lower. If they see a really high GRE score then they might be curious enough to read the statement to find out why they were so different. Also the last 60 units is a great way too if that gpa is higher. Good luck, sounds like you are doing the footwork and researching which schools would be the most likely to take a look at everything.

Visiting UTD in person can definitely help your application process attaching a face to your application goes a long way there. As long as the other items in your application check out which it looks like they do. It is a great program , if you have any specific questions feel free to PM me on here. I don't get on too often but will respond as soon as I see it.

Adding to what other posters have said, have things changed in your life to help you improve your GPA once in a graduate program? No need to explain of course, but just curious if you are confident that this time around your grades would be much higher. The reason I ask is because graduate programs all have a minimum gpa (3.0 typically) that is required to graduate with a master's. The reason schools shy away from people with lower gpa's is because they do not think you will graduate from their program, so they feel like they are wasting the spot on someone who is not guaranteed to succeed academically. (This part is lame but it also makes their stats look bad to potential applicants if x% did not graduate from their program, so this is something some schools weigh) That tied with the fact that graduate school is more demanding than undergrad academically at most schools puts you at a disadvantage. I am not saying this to discourage you, but without all the information, I just think you should only apply if you know or have a strong reason to believe that your grades would improve/meet that standard in a graduate program. Goodluck!

Good luck!!

I would advise higher than 300 on the GRE to show them that you can handle the extra strain and academic pressure that is found in the Graduate environment. I think 300 is more competitive for applicants with GPA's above 3.6, to be considered competitive for a GPA around 3.0 i'm thinking at least 310 or higher. Not saying this to deter you, but a lot of students in my year got above 300 on the GRE with 3.8's and 3.9 GPA's so it is better to know ahead of time since the GRE is something you can re-take and improve! A higher GRE score will offset a lower GPA in some committees! You can do it! Also I would suggest directly related therapy. I worked 4 years at a therapeutic horsemanship program but schools were more interested in the direct internships or shadowing I had done with speech therapy students. I would absolutely continue doing the therapy you are doing b/c it rounds out your experience just make sure you have hands on speech experience as well as it is weighed more heavily. Good luck on your journey!

Sounds like you've done everything you should and can do. I know it isn't easy but put your mind at ease and realize you've actually already done a lot more than most applicants. The research and 100 hours are unique as well as being bilingual. The GRE scores will keep you competitive as long as they are average or better! I got into fantastic programs with the same major GPA 7th and 12th in the nation. So just make sure you write a compelling statement of purpose and apply to a good variety of schools (Location, location, location!!) things will work out! Also do not use 2 professors and 1 SLP if the school asks for 3 professors. They don't like that, if the school doesn't care about where the rec's come from you're fine but if they want 3 academic give them 3 academic. The SLP won't matter to certain programs bc they want to know how you will do as a student not necessarily as a clinician (lame I know but true for some programs heard this first hand from a professor who is on her school's committee every year).

Hi I would advise you to consider all of the stuff that previous posters have put. But I would go one step further and say do not apply until you have above average GRE scores. If you are already 30K in debt it wouldn't be helpful to spend money on applications until you have raised those GRE scores and gotten some relevant work experience. As another poster pointed out unfortunately the graduate committee most likely won't put any weight on the stuff you listed. I know there are variables where people get in with lower/similar GPA's, but the rest of their application is extremely well drafted. I would wager (not trying to sound cruel) that if your GRE writing score is a 2.5 or a 3 that you will also need to spend a lot of time on your statement of purpose and get that thing read by PHD professors to make sure it is up to the quality and level they expect from a future graduate student. The Manhattan GRE books have a whole book dedicated to what they want in your GRE essay. Counselors at your school can also offer advice on what to change in your statement of purpose. If this is your passion, I wouldn't discourage you from pursuing it, but I would go in with the knowledge that it might not happen right away and you would definitely have to raise the GRE scores to balance out your GPA and have a stellar statement of purpose with great directly related speech experience. I guess my advice is to decide if with 7 years already under your belt you are willing to wait a few more to get that application ready for grad school. But we are all working much longer these days so if this is your dream job it's just a drop in the bucket of time! I hope my advice does not come across too harsh, I just want you to know ahead of time what it will take to get that acceptance letter in your hands. Good luck!!

A male in my undergrad had AMAZING GRE scores talking 90th+ percentile in both qualitative and quantitative and a high writing score (can't remember the exact # but assuming 5+) he also had a good gpa I don't know the exact number but he was a good student so i'd say 3.7 or higher. Anyway he did not get in this cycle because he applied to very competitive schools and cast a very narrow net to maybe 3 schools. So he did not have the "male" advantage despite having good statistics, so based on that I'd say it's competitive for everyone. That being said I can't account for his experience as one of the only men in our program. Everyone know's you though usually!

No the West coast is extremely competitive. People coming from these states often have to apply elsewhere to get accepted. And students within these states tend to apply within their own state so the numbers here are very high. Somewhere in the range of 500+ applicants for 30 spots in some schools, it's kinda nuts.

I think if you had the opportunity in-person education will always have more benefits/reasons to attend than an in-person program. If you cannot move for parenting/family/job/other reasons you will still be qualified with an online education but SLP is such a strange profession to be taught online in my opinion. That person to person contact, meeting mentors and collaborating with future colleagues etc is so incredibly valuable. I say if you can do in-person, do it! If you cannot, really vet that program and make sure they are going to give you the support and mentorship you deserve! Also opinions from past students on how prepared they felt when they really started working is also something to consider when selecting a distance program.

Hey as just a general preference on my end was only applying to the schools that did not send me generic unhelpful responses like "just apply and see what happens." Furthermore if the school flat out doesn't respond chances are that same experience might happen again come admissions. Idk if this is true for others but it worked in my favor when I applied to only schools that had returned my response. I just think that if they are too busy to talk with you now I feel that may be the same attention your application receives further down the line. Not a proven formula but one I trust

With the traveling for missionary work I would also see which form of therapy is most needed or most sought out in addition to what you enjoy. If that is the driving force behind this I don't know that speech would be a great fit unless you were specifically working with cranio-facial disorders (cleft palate etc) or perhaps swallowing? Articulation and actual speech therapy would not make a lot of sense unless you are multilingual or bilingual and become certified with those languages in mind in order to put them to use abroad. Whatever kind of therapy you decide it will definitely be a rewarding career helping others

Hey just to tack on to this University of Nebraska Lincoln allows you to take electives and works closely with the special education department so while it isn't an exact specialization there are opportunities there. And UTD has some cool things to offer as well Dr. Rollins research on Autism is really incredibly interesting i'll try to find a link. If you are interested in Autism I would definitely check out UTD! I'll be attending there in the Fall so could answer program questions better at that time but it has a lot of opportunities! http://www.utdallas.edu/calliercenter/evaluation-and-treatment/autism/ http://www.robokindrobots.com/newsroom/robokind-reveals-cutting-edge-autism-research-national-press-club-event/

Why do you feel you aren't a strong candidate? If I read your OP correctly you still have an opportunity to raise your GPA in post-bacc classes and already showed improvement with your last 60 units. Plus your outside experience is different/unique which is fantastic. I agree I don't think 18 schools is necessary (unless they are all crazy competitive programs), the application process is a lot more time consuming/stressful/expensive than I had anticipated, I also applied to 8 programs myself. But it is a lot easier to write an essay about a school you researched a lot or were able to visit and 18 schools would take a long time! And while i'm sure you will be conscientious, juggling applications while in school makes it easier to make mistakes, miss deadlines etc if you aren't careful. Your choice of course but even knocking 5-8 off that list would save you a ton of money and perhaps make stronger essays! Good luck!

Same here! What kind of therapy are you interested in? ?

You will be fine as far as science goes. I always struggled with my lower division science courses and I agree that Neurology was not fun and I was pretty lost, however it is one class and if you don't want to focus in that area you will be okay. Anatomy went back and forth for me I ended up liking it and doing well but it took me a few weeks to learn how to study for that class. The pros definitely outweigh the cons! Don't let a fear of hard science scare you away

I would get a used car that you buy locally (in Texas) for 2 years and then sell again when you move back home. Most people wouldn't be willing to share cars, people tend to be pretty protective of them/need them themselves in areas where a car is necessary. You can find a pretty affordable option that would outweigh the cost and benefits of public transportation for 2 years.

Who did you get and did you already get started registering/picking classes? I haven't had a real advisor...well actually ever, so this is a new process for me haha. Glad to know we have that resource