SLPgradstudent

If your Fall grades are in, they may ask to see those to help make an admission decision. I think schools do look favorably at students who improve their GPAs over the course of the college career.And I think a lot of schools look at the "last 60 credits," so however many semesters it takes to get 60+ credits. Full semesters though, so if you took 13 credits a semester, it would be more than 2 years of classes. Does that make sense?

Yes. They base their decisions on your performance on the CSD classes you've already taken, in addition to your GRE scores, personal statement, letters of recommendation, overall GPA, etc. They can't know how you might do in your remaining classes, so that's not really a factor.

Have you contacted any of the schools? That's probably the best way to get the answers you want. Maybe get in touch with your top schools to see what they're looking for and if they have cutoff GRE scores. Great infographic Neist! Thanks for sharing!

I agree with MarkMc, send both! Those are awesome scores. And some schools like to see 3.5+ on AW, so the first score will give them that score too. You could also check if your programs even look at AW. If they don't care about AW at all, then you could just send the second score. Way to go with your verbal section especially!

I think the best way to find out is to contact each school to ask what they look at for GRE scores. Some schools do look at the highest score from each section, regardless of whether those sections all came from the same testing session. I don't know that all schools do though, so you want to call or email each program to find out. However, even if you don't (or can't) get this information from the programs, I would imagine that bio programs generally would be much more interested in the Quant section (and maybe AW) than Verbal. Because you significantly boosted those scores, I would go ahead and send the new scores to the schools. I doubt it would hurt your admissions chances, if anything I would expect it to help! Particularly since your first language is Spanish, not English, I don't think schools will hold the lower verbal score against you. Best of luck!

My schools had fairly different prompts and length requirements, so while I covered more or less the same information in each SOP (with school specific details differing), they ended up looking very different in the end. I started with my top choice school SOP and then edited it for the others, to address each schools prompts. Also, I went to the open house for each school, so I tried to find out exactly what each school was looking for in the SOP. I agree with jpiccolo, the schools want to know you (and why you want to go to their program in particular), but they also want the information they ask for in the prompt. Try to cover both. And make sure it doesn't look like you copy and pasted each school's name into the same SOP! That's a sure way to get your entire application tossed. If you don't care enough about a school to tailor your SOP, they won't want to waste their time and resources on you either.

I'm not applying to CSU, but I think the "I only support myself" is the key here. If I'm not mistaken, you would fill this out just like if you were doing your taxes (which I'm assuming you file for yourself). If no one can claim you as a dependent, then you would have a household size of "1". But I'm not from CSU (or a tax attorney), so don't quote me on that. Just my best guess of what they're asking for.

That's a tough call PersonPeople, I think it depends a lot on what the program is looking for. Does the program explicitly state which scores it considers most heavily? The programs I applied to look at Verbal most heavily, then quant, then AW (I think), but I think it really varies by school and by program. Then again, some schools use cutoff scores for one section (or each section). If I were you, I'd do my best to get as much information as possible before deciding. Maybe call the school and directly ask which scores they look at most and if they have cutoffs for GRE. Again, in my programs, they generally say "above 50%ile GRE scores", but you have to check what your program wants. If it were me, and I couldn't get any other info, I might go with score 2, just to have that higher Quant score.

I agree with CrimsonWife, many deadlines are past or about to pass, so don't worry about trying to apply for Fall 2016 admission. Have you looked into taking classes through USU? If you already have a CSD minor, it might make sense to take classes (at USU or elsewhere) as a non-degree seeking student. (At USU you can only transfer in 2 classes or something like that for the 2nd bachelor's program.) Just take the ones you need for the programs you think you want to apply to. Or if you don't know which programs you might apply to, just start with the ones you know you're missing. The nice thing about an online program is that you can take classes no matter where you live. If you have to move mid-semester, no problem. That's one of the reasons I chose USU, not knowing where my fiancé would find a job. It's hard not knowing where you might end up if that's a major factor in choosing schools to apply to. But I think if I were you, I would start post-bacc classes, maybe this summer if you can manage even one class. I know at USU at least, you can take anywhere from 1 to 6 classes a semester. It's great to have that kind of flexibility. You could also start GRE prep now. Give yourself several months to prepare, take practice tests, see if you want to take a prep course, etc. You want your GRE scores to be as strong as possible. When there are so many candidates, it's easy for schools to simply eliminate candidates below a certain score. Also, way to rock that 4.0 CSD GPA! Keep that 4.0 if at all possible when you take post-bacc classes, and I think you'll give yourself a really good shot at getting into grad school wherever you end up. Congratulations on your engagement, and good luck planning! It can be overwhelming planning a wedding while still in school, but you can do it!

As far as I can tell, being an out of field applicant does not hurt your chances of getting into grad school. Some schools even seem to seek out-of-field applicants for diversity. However, unless it's a three year program, you may be required to take some prerequisite coursework before starting a master's program. There are lots of ways to do this though! I had a psychology degree for my first bachelor's, so I applied to USU's online 2nd bachelor's program, which I am now almost finished with. You can also enroll as a non-degree seeking student at USU or any of a number of other online courses (or local if you can find one nearby). For each of the programs you are interested in, I would look at their admission requirements. I expect you could apply right away to a 3-year program, but if you don't get in, or are interested in some 2-year programs, you can start taking prerequisite classes. Does your school offer any CSD classes? I'm sure others can share more about 3-year schools, but I think one of the benefits of doing prerequisite work first is that you can a better feel for the field before jumping in. Also, if your GPA needs help, you may be able to raise it by taking COMD/CSD classes. In terms of figuring out how competitive programs are, have you looked at ASHA EdFind yet? http://www.asha.org/edfind/ You can search for a school, and then check out the "Number of Applications Received" compared to the "Number of Admission Offers" to find the percent of admitted students. You can also find information there about accepted students' GPAs and GREs. GPA and GRE scores are by no means the only thing schools consider, but schools do use these to weed out applicants. Consider taking a prep course if you haven't taken the GREs yet. If you want to try to go straight from undergrad to graduate, by all means, apply to a 3-year master's program. Whatever information you find about the likelihood of getting in, you really never know until you apply. In the meantime, consider looking for options for leveling coursework. Also be aware that ASHA has a few undergraduate requirements for coursework. I'm sure you've already met the bio & physical science requirements. You'll also need a stat class and social/behavioral science (ex. psych or sociology). If you're missing any of these requirements, it would serve you to sign up for something your senior year. I hope that's helpful! Best of luck!

TheMonkeyOnMyBack is correct, I'm using TheGradCafe's result's search/survey to look for my schools and programs. You can find it here: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php

I submitted my first application December 18th, my second December 28th, and the last isn't due until 2/15. I'm actually hoping I might hear from at least one school before then, and I won't bother applying to the third school. It's my 3rd choice school, and I've got a lot of other stuff to deal with between now and then. If I do apply, I'll just need to finish my SOP, so it won't be that big of a deal. From past years, it looks like offers for these programs go out anytime between the first week in February to the middle of April. So I could potentially be waiting for anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 months. I hope it's the later!

I actually used Manhattan Prep Books and Magoosh's free vocab apps. Mostly, I used the Manhattan books for studying for the verbal and AW sections. I reviewed a little in the algebra book, but since my practice test scores were already good for math, I spent very little time studying that. Manhattan is nice in that it gives you 6 tests (per book) and then breaks down your results to show you what you did best, worst, fastest, slowest, etc. for each section. I found that I did several points better on the real GRE than I had been doing on the practice tests. For the Verbal section, one of the best things you can do is to boost your GRE level vocabulary. ETS also has a couple practice tests on their website I think, although I didn't get around to using those.

As a second bachelor's distance learning student, I was not an officer in NSSHLA. I had other volunteer experiences though, both in school and outside of school. Also, I didn't minor, but my first bachelor's degree was in psychology.

Good point Kanga. Acceptance rates can also give you an idea of how hard it might be to get into a school. It seems like UVA and Auburn are much better bets in that regard, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to Armstrong. Just be aware that they are more selective. I feel like 20-30% is quite typical for this field, and I think there must be a significant number of people who are a little under-qualified (not you, Emmie) for each program, just hoping to get in anyway. Don't give up hope! Getting into grad school is hard, but we can do it!

Hi Emmie! I know how you feel, I'm also only applying to three schools, and it makes me very nervous! But I know that those three are programs I would be happy to get into, and not just extra applications taking time and energy away from the programs I really care about. Have you looked at ASHA EdFind? For (almost) every school, they list stats from the previous year's accepted students. http://www.asha.org/edfind/ These are the stats for each school: UVA - GPA: 3.00-4.00, V: 150-167, Q: 150-163, AW: 4.00-5.00 (You're only low for AW, some schools don't care that much about this anyway) Auburn - GPA: 3.67-4.0, V: 142-166, Q: 135-161, AW: Not listed (Verbal is right in the middle of the range, Quant is above average.) Armstrong - GPA: 3.39-3.97, V: 145-158, Q: 141-158, AW: Not listed (Your verbal is above average, Quant above average) I don't think you have to worry about your GRE scores for any of these schools. You are within their ranges for GRE, and with your stellar GPA, I don't see any weakness in this part of your application. Keep in mind, every school has different aspects of your application that they consider most strongly, but many schools look at the whole picture, assuming you meet their minimum requirements in each area (GPA and GRE). I'm guessing the Auburn and Armstrong don't look that much at AW, since they don't share that info with ASHA. Your GRE may not be the most stellar score they receive, but your GPA is, and if you focus on making your SOP strong and tailored to each school, you are putting in a really strong application. Think of your GREs more as a hurdle you have to pass to get them to look at your application. (And I think you've passed it for these schools!) Since you probably aren't going to be retaking the GRE before you apply (if you haven't already submitted), don't stress about your GRE scores anymore. You've done your best, and that's all you can ask of yourself. No matter what our scores and stats are, we are all going to be worrying about whether or not it will be good enough to get us into our chosen programs this time around. None of us can know for sure if we'll get in, because there are too few spots for too many qualified students. I'm guessing you'll get into at least one or two of these schools, but even if you don't, remember that's not a reflection on your worthiness to be in this field. If you don't get in this time around for whatever reason, spend the year strengthening your application. Volunteer, take a GRE course and then retake the GREs, etc. In the grand scheme of things, starting grad school one year later is not going to make a huge difference in your life. I say this as a 29 year old returning student. I wanted to apply last year, but didn't finish my 2nd bachelor's as quickly as I'd hoped. If you haven't already submitted your apps, take the time to really customize each statement of purpose. What appeals to you about each program, and what do you have to offer that program? If the school knows that you're really interested in them, they will be more interested in you, regardless of your GRE scores. Best of luck! Amber

I don't know if I agree with your decision to apply only to schools that need fewer than three letters. If you can't get a third letter from a professor, I would recommend asking an employer or someone you've volunteered with to write a letter for you. While some programs say they need three academic letters, I think they understand that's not always possible for whatever reason. Find a third recommender, professor or not, who can meet the requirement, rather than just applying to schools that require 2 letters. Best of luck!

I'll second what JFFA said. I also did a second bachelor's at USU, which I have heard is highly regarded in the eyes of graduate admissions committees. I'm applying for Fall 2016, so we'll see what happens. I don't believe that my chances of getting into graduate school are at all hindered by my online degree status. JFFA is also correct in that the diploma is for a bachelor's in Communicative Disorders - nowhere on the transcripts or diploma does it say "Online". Best of luck!

Manhattan Practice 1: V 157, Q 154 Manhattan Practice 2: V 161, Q 155 Manhattan Practice 3: V 157, Q 155 Manhattan Practice 4: Verbal only 161 Real GRE: V 164 (94th %ile), Q 159 (75th %ile), W 5.0 (93rd %ile) I used Manhattan Prep for about 2 months. I studied almost exclusively for the verbal section, since that's what the programs will be looking at most. I studied a little for the quant section, and read about what was expected for writing. I did two practice writing tests with Manhattan, which were ungraded. For the 2 months I studied, I wasn't working or taking classes, but I was recovering from a debilitating illness, so take from that what you will.