abbielizx3

ESU Alum here. They only take 1/3 of the incoming class from their undergrad , the waitlist on the other hand is about half ESU. But if you are a PA/NJ res it is SUUUUPER competitive 

I just was pulled off of Baylor's rejection list and was offered a spot to their program. I know its not common, but fingers crossed good news may find you
 

1. Congratulations! but 2. This legitimately sounds like the start of a spy thriller. The only reason that this would never work is that who needs speech therapy to rescue the world from geopolitical disaster?

Well I was accepted into my back up plan 14 months masters degree, so I will be in school still for another year and then probably work in that field for a year or so before reapplying. All my schools were actually on the less competitive end, and most people from my university actually didn't get in anywhere (not sure if its my schools rep) because a lot of people have fantastic GPAs. I'm kind of discouraged because I know my GPA isn't strong although my resume and GREs were, but maybe at some other point but, I'm just going to finish my masters in Deaf Education, and maybe reapply

Hey guys I received my phone call yesterday from Department Chair with an offer to NAU summers only program!!!!!!!! They didn't have a waitlist but I was told via email if additional seats opened up I would be notified. I'm OVER the moon HAPPY!!! feeling blessed and very thankful!!! I hope a seat opens for each of you!!! You all deserve it!! This is a very competitive field but don't GIVE UP!!! This was my 3rd year applying!!! JUST keep trying and keep taking courses and staying active in the field!! I have worked for 9 years as an SLP-Assistant.
GOOD luck to everyone!!! DON'T STOP TRYING!!!

Hey All,
 
When I was applying to graduate programs in SLP in Fall 2014, I was driving myself crazy. The stress I caused myself by reading GradCafe alone was a nightmare! But, it was also very helpful. I'm back on GradCafe because I want to help alleviate some of your pain and also guide you towards improving your application so that you too may gain admission into a program. 
 
First off, being rejected from SLP graduate programs is not uncommon. Not only did I experience rejection when applying, but after being accepted I worked as a graduate assistant in an SLP graduate program. I've been on both sides of the table, which really allowed me to understand what it takes to stand out from the other 400+ applicants. 
 
When I was applying, many people would ask questions on GradCafe such as:
 
1. What matters most: GPA, GRE, Statement of Purpose, etc?
 
2. If I have a [insert GPA here] do I have a chance at being accepted?
 
3. I retook one undergraduate course, does this ruin my chances at graduate school?
 
4. How do I structure my application to stand out?
 
5. What should I address in my Statement of Purpose to impress the readers?
 
At that time, I didn't have the answers to these questions. I believed with some confidence that a lower GPA greatly reduced an applicants chances at being accepted, among other things. 
 
However, from going through the application process, working as a graduate assistant for a graduate program, completing two-thirds of the SLP graduate program, and helping students improve their applications to graduate programs in SLP as well as many other graduate fields, I have come to understand the answers to these frantic questions...
 
1. What matters most: GPA, GRE, Statement of Purpose, etc.?  and   2. If I have a [insert GPA here] do I have a chance at being accepted?
 
               Each of these play a role in whether or not you earn admission. However, there is no "smoking gun." Admission decisions typically are not supported by one factor alone. Therefore, an applicant with an extremely high GRE (What is an extremely high GRE for SLP Graduate Programs? I'll get to that later in the post.) does not simply earn themselves admission. It's much more complicated than that.
 
               Think of GPA, GRE, SOP, etc. as the ingredients it takes to make Panang Curry (Thai - If you haven't had it, please visit Thai Town in Hollywood and let me know what you think!). To start, we need 1 cup of GPA, 1.5 cups of GRE, and 2 cups of SOP. However, we can make alternative versions of the recipe that taste just as great! We can use 1.5 cups of GPA, 1 cup of GRE, and 1.5 cups of SOP. 
 
                Have you ever began to follow a recipe and as you successfully completed each step, your confidence grew just slightly, but by the 5th or 6th step you started feeling like you were Rachael Ray or Gordon Ramsay? You looked at the recipe and said to yourself, "You know what Jeff, I'm going to mix it up a little bit because I'm starting to feel like I've got a natural talent for this..." 
 
                Perhaps you haven't, but I'm sure you get what I mean. The point is, following a recipe is great. It's a blueprint. Someone else has already figured out HOW to do it. On the flip side, straying away from a blueprint can have extreme results - typically it's either AMAZING or simply terrible. If you want to stand out, you can't follow the Easy-Bake-Oven application recipe that's plastered all over the internet. You have got to standout.
 
                A 4.0 GPA, you would think, would make you stand out? But, a LARGE MAJORITY of applicants to SLP graduate programs have exactly that - a 4.0 GPA. So, what makes the applicant with a 4.0 GPA standout? If you thought a sky reaching GRE score, you're absolutely WRONG. At this juncture, it's imperative for me to tell you to FINISH READING THIS POST. I am not telling you that having a high GPA and GRE score is damaging to your application - that's absurd. What I am saying though, is that in this day and age so many of the applicants have high GPA and GRE scores. It becomes standard. It becomes uniform. It starts to feel, in some entirely ironic way, "average." 
 
                And, average is exactly what you can't be to earn admission into a SLP graduate program! Average is unappealing. So, how does a 4.0 GPA, 85th percentile GRE applicant become interesting again? The Statement of Purpose - their unique story. That's how. On the flip side, how does a 3.0 GPA, 50th percentile GRE applicant compete with this ridiculous competition? They swing for the fences in their Statement of Purpose. 
 
               You see, the GPA and GRE are part of the dated application recipe. You can't change how your GPA is calculated. You can't change how your GRE is scored. You could have improved them by getting better grades and scoring higher on the exam (which is another topic I'll address in a future post) but at this point, your GPA and GRE are fairly set-in-stone (at the time of applying; yes of course you can retake the GRE.) When your application is evaluated for GPA and GRE, it's a glance at the number listed beside the acronym. For the most part, it's either an up-down head nod for higher scores or a unilateral sideways lip extension paired with a side-to-side head nod for lower scores. You get my point: whether you have exceptional GPA and GRE scores or not, your admissions decision won't be based solely on these two factors. Who you are perceived to be, from your entire application and including the most important factor - the statement of purpose - is the foundation that your admissions decision is based off of. 
 
                As long as you have a high enough overall GPA to meet the minimum requirements for the university and graduate program (These are two separate entities) I would not count yourself out. There are plenty of ways to market yourself despite these numbers. 
 
 
 
3. I retook one undergraduate course, does this ruin my chances at graduate school?
 
                Not at all. Retaking one course doesn't entirely ruin your chances. You may choose to explain the circumstances in your statement of purpose. Personally, I think deciding whether to explain it or not is extremely individualized and depends on your specific situation. Use your best judgement in deciding whether to tackle the explanation or address other aspects of yourself in your SOP. 
 
 
 
4. How do I structure my application to stand out?
 
               While there certainly are methods to improve your application, they do not include deception or falsifying information. DO NOT LIE IN YOUR APPLICATION. The best place to stand out from the crowd is in your SOP; however, there is much to be said for standing out in other parts of your application...
 
 
 
5. What should I address in my SOP to impress the readers?       
 
                I get asked this question a lot, and I see it posted on graduate forums even more. Remember, I help students apply to all types of graduate and Ph.D programs across the U.S. Simply put, when typical students ask this question they are already veering off into the wrong direction. Each university and program have specific instructions for writing the SOP. 
 
                Never write one SOP for multiple schools. Never cut and paste parts of it together to form a "new" SOP for another program. These are common mistakes applicants make and it costs them greatly. There is a reason each school creates a unique and specific guideline for their SOP. Take a moment with me and think about one thing in your life that you are REALLY good at. Is it knitting? Perhaps it's horseback riding. However, for our example let's use public speaking.
 
                 So, you're amazing at public speaking for CORPORATE EVENTS and want to find ONE person to teach all of your secrets to. You send out an advertisement, and you receive applications from people all over the world wanting YOU to train them in public speaking. In your ad, you wrote, "In one page, tell me why learning from me, specifically, is what you need to achieve your dreams." You get hundreds of responses, and you begin reading them:
 
                1. Hi, I'm Suzy and I have done public speaking events across the world. I am extremely interested in learning from you because I am passionate about public speaking. 
 
                 2. Hello! I'm Joe. I do public speaking events in book stores for at-risk youth. I am dedicated to improving quality of life for children subjected to environmental risk-factors. 
 
                3. Hi, I'm April. I have a private consulting firm where I am hired to do public speaking engagements for private businesses. Some of my past clients include CBS News, The Cheesecake Factory, and a Google subsidiary. I've been a fan of yours since I watched the speech you gave at Apple, "Corporate Morale in the 21st Century." 
 
        Who would you choose? It's easy, right? April clearly matches the criteria. However, would it surprise you to learn that Suzy was once hired by Ford, the car company, for a public speaking event? Certainly. Why didn't she include this in her letter!? That's the point...not including something relevant because you wrote one SOP that could "fit" all of the programs requirements is a mistake. Also, including something irrelevant is also a mistake. Address the specific and unique requirements for each program.
 
         When writing your SOP, make sure you understand what the specific focus is within your program, not just simply speech-language pathology. Who are the professors? What have they accomplished? And so on...these are the types of questions you should be addressing. Now, it takes more than simply listing the professor's accomplishments and saying, "Me too..!!!!!!" You have to bring it full-circle. That's the challenge; that's the test. 
 
 
 
I hope I was able to give you valuable insight into the admissions process. If you want to learn more about bringing your application full-circle and have specific questions for me, or you want to learn how I was able to gain admission into a California SLP graduate program with a 3.01 overall GPA and 55th percentile GRE scores, visit my website: www.bartonj.com
 
 
 
For my next post, what would you like me to discuss? Tell me below. 
 
 
 
Best Regards,
 
Jeff Barton
 
M.S. Communication Disorders and Sciences: Speech-Language Pathology (Candidate 2017)
 
*All of the information contained in this post are my personal opinions and personal findings. I do not represent any institution, university, or program.