ashny

I am in a predicament. I have been accepted into a masters program in speech pathology abroad and was going to turn that down due to personal circumstances making it difficult to leave the country. However, I recently took the GRE and scored dismally which is making me re-evaluate my decision. I scored : Verbal: 156 Quant: 148 and AWA 4 My GPA is around 3.2 My fear is that if I turn down the school abroad, what if I don't get in here? I have read so many stories here about people who try for years or who don't get in and have to change their career choice. So although it would be very challenging for me to leave, I feel pressured to do it anyway. I could try to raise my GRE score and plan to re-test but time is of the essence as the masters program abroad starts in September. Any advice? What would you do?

Thanks Kslptobe. It's good to know that AshaEdfind's scores are not set in stone. Congratulations on your admission. It's a wonderful story and inspiration.

Your story certainly is inspirational, especially in the midst of all the posts talking about how competitive it is to get into grad school. Thanks for sharing. What I am wondering though is if AshaEdfind is accurate with their GPA/GRE stats. For Eastern Washington Uni, the stats are: GRE: Verbal reasoning: 154 Quantitative reasoning: 150 Analytical writing: 4.5 GPA: 3.32-4.0 Since your stats are lower, does that mean that one can get into grad school with a lower GRE and GPA listed or am I missing something? I have not yet taken the GRE and the GPA of one of my degrees is under 3.0 so I'm just wondering what my chances are (especially in light of your story) Thanks.

Thanks, it sounds like I need to take some CSD prerequisites/post bacc/2nd bachelors. It would be good to for me to take CSD courses anyway to raise my GPA from 3.4 to a higher GPA, especially considering how competitive it is to gain admission I got a good letter of recommendation from a lecturer whose classes I attended for a certification course a few years ago, but that was in a different field and the universities seem to want more recent relevant studies. Congratulations on your admission to the Masters program 'afternoonprogram'.

Hi, I have been doing some research on universities that offer graduate SLP programs and have found that some of them would like to see recent evidence of study. Since i completed my university education over 18 years ago, it is considered too long ago. What has been the experience of other older students on this board? Did you have to go back to studies again (e.g do second bachelors/pre-requisites etc) or was your degree from previous years/decades recognized? I understand that the GRE is usually required to provide evidence of your educational capabilities at this point in time but I am not sure if additional studies are generally required from universities. I do not have a CSD degree so have just been looking at universities that accept out of field applicants.

Congratulations! This is wonderful news. You are an inspiration.

mcamp thanks for sharing your blog link - it has very useful information.

Just an idea - if it's possible to do a the PHD part time while doing clinical work in the field so you get the best of both worlds?

Hi Jeff, this is really useful information. I have tried to access your website www.bartonj.com However, I cannot locate it. Is your website still accessible? Thanks.

I live in New York and have heard that the job market for social workers is saturated and it's difficult to get a job in the field. I have been considering applying to Masters programs with a long term view of earning the LCSW and going into private practice. Does anyone know what the job market is like, especially in NYC and what the prospects are to work with an LCSW. I am afraid of investing so many years in this profession and eventually finding out that I cannot work in it or cannot open a private practice/make any money in private practice. Thank you

Thanks everyone for the replies. It makes me feel better about the GRE. Already 40, congratulations on getting into the only school you applied to- that's inspirational. I have been using CliffNotes too and it's really helpful to lay the foundations of basic math before going on to Magoosh etc. I'm planning to give myself about a year too but since we are allowed 5 tries a year, I will probably test after a few months to see where my scores are at. Did you also have a good GPA/relevant voluntary work experience in the field of speech pathology?

Thank you so much. I'm going to be exploring leveling courses/pre-requisites soon so that helps.

Im applying to a different field but had one university say that provided the scores are met, they would welcome an older applicant as it adds to the diversity of students in their program

You are right .....I also spoke to a few schools who said that although they look at the overall score, the verbal is more important. Thank you

Hi, Sacred Heart strongly recommends that you complete the ASHA 'pre-requisites' before taking their pre-requisites course (see below) . I was curious if you took the ASHA subjects before the Sacred Heart online pre-requisites? Thank you. In order to qualify for application to Master’s programs in SLP, you must also have completed five, basic science courses (at least 3 credits each course) required by ASHA: A course in Biological Sciences (e.g., BI 111, BI 030) A course in Physical Sciences (e.g., PY 102 AO, CH 030) Statistics (e.g., MA 131) Two courses in Social/Behavioral Sciences (e.g., PS 110, PS 252 -required for SHU's graduate program) We strongly recommend that students enter the SLP-OPS having completed these courses. However, it is possible to take them while you are completing the SLP-OPS. Be sure to check the specific requirements of all graduate programs you are applying for.