delete-account

Has the situation improved at all? I have never heard of an experience like that for a practicum! You should be able to go to your department and request a practicum change. Sometimes it's okay to burn a bridge with a supervisor if you truly feel unsafe, have high levels of anxiety, etc. No employer would require you to endure what you are enduring (source: I work in home health/ECI). Stand your ground!

No need to retake it! I got a C in my intro math class, and another in Physics, and was admitted to 3/4 programs I applied to. Focus on your major-specific classes and your GRE.

I gave my supervisors coffee mugs. Even if they don't drink coffee, they can use them on their desks as pencil holders. My internship supervisor gave me a flash drive full of therapy materials and it was hands down the best gift I've ever gotten!

Did you find one? I did mine through Utah State and it was super easy.

I think doing a CFY as a travel SLP would be really difficult just from a paperwork and licensure standpoint. Every state has different requirements for CFY licensure (example, in Texas you're an "intern"; in Georgia you have a PCE, etc etc). If you did not have continuous supervision or had to change supervisors, that's more paperwork that gets sent to ASHA. If you think you'll have enough hours from all the jobs but end up falling short and having to apply for a CFY extension, that's something else you need to contend with. Once you get Cs though, I think a travel position would be amazing.

Is there anything you can do to make your applications more personal? Can you email professors and express interest in their work, specifically? Have you met with deans? It sounds like the numbers are not necessarily working in your favor, so go for the personal element. Meet people in the field and make an impression. Make sure your letters of recommendation are strong, too. What does your personal statement look like? Have you addressed your low GPA in your personal statement? Just ideas -- I would also study for the GRE and retake it. Consider programs with more relaxed GPA/GRE cutoffs. In the end, we are all SLPs, and its been my experience that people don't really care where you got your degree once you're in the workforce. Best of luck!

Might as well! It won't hurt to see what happens. You could always email the grad programs you're interested in and ask what their opinions are. Best of luck!

You can always re-take it and chances are your score will go up a few points. Study, take the ETS online practice tests, and that'll be close to the score you should expect. On their websites, most grad schools usually have the typical GRE score ranges of their accepted applicants, so check that out before you spend the money on the test. If you're already in the range for the schools you're interested in, and you're competitive GPA-wise, then just focus on getting observation hours and related volunteer experience.

Your stats are better than mine and I got in to UT Dallas, University of Arizona, and NMState.

Is it possible to get experiences like: direct observation of an SLP in several different settings, research in speech and hearing sciences, volunteer time at a rehab center... something more directly related? SPED experience is good and is more related than IT, but it's not direct experience with speech/language pathology. If you are looking to go into auditory/verbal therapy and use that ASL you would learn if you took the classes, then that could be more beneficial in the long run. Just my 2 cents. You could also email your grad programs of interest and just ask them.

"Hello, My name is ___ and I am currently a ___ at ___ University, majoring in _____ . I am very interested in your communication disorders (or whatever they call it) program, specifically the 3-year track/provisional option. Specifically, I believe my background in/experience with _____ would mesh well with _____(pick an aspect/specific focus in the program). I have attached my resume for reference. This year, I have the opportunity to (pursue research, write a thesis, gain clinical practicum experience, observe an SLP, go abroad, take this or that course, etc). Which of these opportunities would make me a more competitive applicant for your program? Thank you for your time, name, university + graduation year contact info" Or something like that. Programs get emails like this all the time - when I was applying, I sent one to every single school I applied to, lol.

I am currently at UT Dallas and while I'm not in the same position as you, I know of at least 4 ladies in the program who are in similar positions! Former teachers, at least one with a couple kids, wanting to change their career. Would you like me to reach out to them and possibly connect y'all? Also, if you haven't already, email the UT Dallas COMD program director, Dr. Stillman, and get his advice. He is so kind and willing to help current and future students. I know nothing about Univ. of North TX, but it also couldn't hurt to email their program head and just see what they say. Maybe you don't have to do as much as you think! Best of luck!

Contact the programs you're interested in and ask! Let them know if you've already been accepted into the Americorps program or if you're applying, your background, etc. I'm sure you can't be the only person who has ever done this/ wanted to do this, especially with programs abroad like Americorps and the Fulbright, etc. Good luck!

Contact your graduate programs and ask this question directly. Especially since the classes are after graduation and not related to your program, they may say that you don't have to. I believe the general answer is yes, you do have to include all classes. If students did not have to send all transcripts, then theoretically a student could just take a class at 4 different institutions and only report the highest grade they receive. Does this make sense? Not saying that you're doing that, but that's just the reason for the rule, I believe.

Yes, it is possible. A few girls in my program (in Dallas) are working part-time as SLPAs and using some of those hours toward their clinical experience requirement. Contact the programs you're interested in and ask what their students can do.