KEIM

Hello!
Sorry, I am not a current grad student but noticed you applied to competitive SoCal schools...and got in! Do you mind sharing your stats?

I believe they have two rounds of interviews. They strongly encourage you to attend if possible but also do them by skype. They want to see how well you fit and that its also a good fit for YOU. I did my interview by skype -  so it doesnt disadvantage you.
The first cohort is 15 students and the second one is 17. So the size isnt necessarily set in stone.
Our first residency weekend - we did actual hearing screenings, speech/language screenings and evals for people from the surrounding community.
As far as externships -  the first semester is through simucase - this is actually VERY good prep as it allows you to try different things within each case and you learn so much! There is tremendous feedback and personalized attention as you go through with each case. The vice-president of simucase is our instructor for this course. You get familiar with various screening/assessments before you go out into the field (for those who are coming from out of field, this is really good experience).
The rest of the clinicals are done at actual sites. They will ask you for recommendations in your area and then they take it from there. They do all the reaching out and placements for you.
The courses are all online. Much of the material is print work, videos, recorded lectures and scheduled skype sessions for additional discussions. Some courses have a requirement that you log on, but they offer more than one time slot in order to accommodate everyone. Sometimes, you just have to pick the one that works best for you even if its not ideal.
There are assignments due each week. Depending on the course there may be live interactions (they try to do these at times convenient to as many people as possible). Many of the instructors have live office hours to skype into as well as individual sessions if needed.
The workload can get heavy sometimes, but most of us have at least a part time job and its doable. We all stay connected and message each other frequently with questions and support. They also have tutoring in place from previous cohorts for some of the courses.
I know in my undergrad program, I sometimes felt like we were given "busy" work. That doesnt happen in this program. The assignments are targeted and teach to ASHA competencies. USA also recommends a praxis study book and they tell you which pages (areas) that each assignment correlates to so that you can study for the praxis as you work through the program.
I know that the idea of doing a residency weekend each semester (there are 5 total) may seem like a deterrent, but honestly, I believe it adds a tremendous bonus to the program.
I hope that answers some of your questions a bit better.
 

I am not sure. Call or email Heather in admissions and talk to her. She can tell you.

Just received a phone call that I was accepted to Biola's MS program in Speech Language Pathology.

I am going the 2nd BA route because of my low GPA from my first degree too. I know people think it's a waste of time and money. I think it's the best option for me because I can prove that I changed and am able to maintain a high GPA in the field of Communicative Disorders. I am also attending the program at ENMU if you have any questions about classes. Will I get into grad school? Honestly, I know my chances are slim because no matter how many As I get I still won't have a competitive GPA. 

Hello,
I created a spreadsheet of the distance education graduate programs that I could find. If you notice any discrepances, let me know. I will update it with the correct information. If anyone can provide tuition information for the ones I couldn't find, that would be great. Or if you notice that I missed a school-- let me know. 
Thanks!
Here's the link to the spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11dW2aEqonQkvxLGJSWsseOmQKP-D8KcIb7MLVpf3FA4/edit?usp=sharing

I try not to let the age factor hinder me too much. I'll be almost 33 before I can start applying to grad school. 

CSUN requires a Fluency course as a prerequisite before applying. Where can I take this online? ENMU doesn't provide this course. 
Isn't Fluency usually a grad class?
Thanks!

hi there, let me just say, this spread sheet is fricken amazing!!! Im going to use it for my FYI but Im sure you got all of them!!
Im applying for the year 2019 hopefully summer or fall!! 

Hello,
I created a spreadsheet of the distance education graduate programs that I could find. If you notice any discrepances, let me know. I will update it with the correct information. If anyone can provide tuition information for the ones I couldn't find, that would be great. Or if you notice that I missed a school-- let me know. 
Thanks!
Here's the link to the spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11dW2aEqonQkvxLGJSWsseOmQKP-D8KcIb7MLVpf3FA4/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you so much!

Thanks! I'll go ahead and edit that out. 

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.        
 
 

I know it might seem like another 5.0 is unacheivable... but you did it once, so it is possible! If it were me I would try to raise the verbal score. I know there's not as much prep you can do for the writing, but there are sample essays you can look at to see what they're looking for. Try to remember what you did on your first test date, since it obviously worked!
If you choose not to retake it, then focus all your efforts on the non-stats part of the app. An amazing personal statement plus a great AW score could outweigh the verbal score. Don't worry about quant, CSD programs don't care too much about that, and your score is not outstanding but solid. 
Remember this as well-- stats aren't everything! I had killer stats but no experience and meh LORs. I got into 2 out of 5, so obviously programs didn't just care about my GRE.

Don't worry too much! I'm an out-of-fielder and I also have no experience, also getting my first client (fortunately just one!) in less than three weeks. Have you seen your clients' charts? If they've had therapy in the past there will be a case history which shows prior treatments, so you can get a sense of what has been done, what they still need work with, and even preferred treatment activities. I highly recommend checking out the ASHA practice portal, which gives basic information, EBP guidelines for treatment, activities, etc. Research, research, research! Scour the internet for activities, treatment objectives, and any other helpful information. I'm guessing you'll meet with your clinical supervisor before your first session. Present what you have found and provide a rough game plan--you should get some feedback so you can revise it before the session. 
And even if you totally bomb the first session, I'm guessing most other people in your program will too. Mistakes are learning experiences! How else are we supposed to get better? 
Yeah, I know, I'm freaked too. I'm just good at pushing off my panic until later, so we'll see how calm I am in a couple weeks!

I've taken a few courses at ENMU and I've enjoyed them.
I'm currently taking Language Science w/Adele Raade and I think it's going to be an easy A. She's a helpful instructor who holds weekly chats. You can ask her questions about any material you are confused about. She also goes over the new material you will be learning that week.
I've heard good things about Audiology w/Sheree Hall
Is there any way you can work as an SLPA? Maybe some experience in the field would be attractive to grad schools. I have a horrible undergrad GPA w/my first BA. I'm completing an entire 2ND BA in COMD to increase my chances of getting into grad school. I'm hoping it wont be a waste of $$$$

Just an FYI...if the school you're applying to uses CSDCAS (third-party application system), they will break down your GPA into different areas like major GPA, cumulative GPA, etc. They also calculate ALL classes, even the ones you retook for better grades...they will calculate the first grade into your GPA. Even the ones you did an academic renewal on and had "erased" from your GPA ?

I'm also in CA and have looked into SLP-A as a back up for if I don't get into grad school. It really depends on where you're located--some counties have a ton of openings, since they're having trouble getting SLPs to stay, and some are totally barren. I know you said that you can't really move around so I would really search on job listing sites to see if your area actually has a fair amount of job openings. From what I've looked at salary is usually $20-25/hour depending on experience, the school district, etc.
I wouldn't say you're giving up too easily! This is unfortunately a stupidly competitive field, especially in California. There are so many people, on and off these forums, who would probably make great clinicians but can't get accepted to a program because of a low GPA that doesn't even reflect who they are anymore. I would think that doing well in an associate's program would at least show that you have grown since your years in undergrad and are willing to put in the work to do well in a program, although I don't know if it would count towards your last 60 units GPA. Best of luck to you!

Hello,
I have a low GPA from my first BA (2.5). Terrible,  I know...just discovered I had undiagonsed ADHD for most of my life. Anyway, I was going to go the 2ND BA route and try to get straight As. I have decided against it since I feel it'll be impossible to get into any schools in SoCal with such a horrible GPA. Not to mention the cost.
I do not have the option of relocating because I am a stay at home Mom and we recently bought a house here.
Instead, I've decided to pursue the SLPA route at Santa Ana College. Am I giving up too easily? Or am I jus being realistic? 
Will my SLPA AA GPA be counted into my last 60 credits?
I'm 31 years old and I eventually do want to apply to masters program if I end up loving Speech Pathology.  I've read about the NAU summer only track for SLP-As which would be ideal for me. Since, I have family in the area and it's only 8 weeks long I would be able to take my kids with me. 
Has anyone completed the NAU summer only track? If so, what were your stats? GRE/GPA What did you think of the program? 
SLPA-S...how difficult is it to got a job in the CA school district? Do they pay well?
If you have read this far, THANK YOU! I know I have a ton of questions but I just want to weigh my options.