ashny

Are there any older students out there who have taken the GRE exam and what was your experience in learning the math part? I understand that GRE math is based on Grade 7-12? high school maths and being out of school for a long time would mean that we would have forgotten most of the maths. As a 43 year old who went to high school in another country I have never even heard of some of the concepts (like absolute values for example) and am now studying it for the first time. I had a 'breakdown' this weekend as I was studying from Magoosh and could not even get a single answer right in the quiz/test section. I have read statistics that only 3% of people over 40 take the GRE exam. If you were an 'older' student when you took the GRE, did you find it difficult,? Do you think the test is learnable? I have always been a very bright student who has scored top marks in my academic career, but the GRE maths is making me lose my confidence.

That's good to know as I have been extremely worried about it. In my case I am applying for a Masters in Speech Pathology which is extremely competitive to get into, so GRE scores are often used to sift out the initial round of candidates. A many of the schools, hundreds apply but only about 20 get in.

Is it possible for you to study your PHD abroad? The USA is one of the only countries in the world that require a GRE score. It's insane as it shuts out perfectly good and capable candidates. I have not taken the GRE yet but I have concerns about it as I know I am a good student (always scored in the 95th percentile) but I think the GRE is going to bring me down especially as I have not studied maths in over 20 years.

That is a really great score for not studying. What grade is Algebra1? (I have not heard this term before). You are an inspiration. I'm already starting to consider other careers as it's difficult for me to invest so much time in something that I am not sure is going to work out or not at this age. I will however plod on and study for the GRE as I don't want to have regrets about not trying. Are you able to find work with your CSD in your state if you don't get in for SLP. I live in New York so even becoming an SLPA is not an option.

I just called a graduate school to find out what their requirements are and they said that if you have scored on average between the 55th and 65th percentile on the GRE, you have a good chance of admission. In my case my last GPA is 3.4 which they thought was good. In other words you don't need a crazy high GRE score, you just need to be above average. A lot of people here have said that it is extremely competitive to get in and lots of students have no choice but to find alternate careers. Is it that these students are not getting these kind of scores OR they are getting these kind of scores but still NOT getting in?

Are there any older students out there who have taken the GRE exam and what was your experience in learning the math part? I understand that GRE math is based on Grade 7-12? high school maths and being out of school for a long time would mean that we would have forgotten most of the maths. As a 43 year old who went to high school in another country I have never even heard of some of the concepts (like absolute values for example) and am now studying it for the first time. I had 'breakdown' this weekend as I was studying from Magoosh and could not even get a single answer right in the quiz/test section. I have read statistics that only 3% of people over 40 take the GRE exam. If you were an 'older' student when you took the GRE, did you find it difficult,? Do you think the test is learnable? I have always been a very bright student who has scored top marks in my academic career, but the GRE maths is making me lose my confidence. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

I have a low converted GPA for my bachelors and a higher one for my Masters degree. One of the schools I spoke to said I should not worry about the low one as they would look more at my Masters GPA since it was done after.

Thanks. Converting my font to Times New Roman really cut it down a lot. I am now down to 3 pages. There is not much detail on the university website for me to say why they are the best place to apply, Do you know if that is really necessary to address in a SOP?

If the university does not specify how long your statement of purpose should be, what is the maximum length you would write? Is 4 typed pages too long? Thanks.

I have international transcripts which need to be converted into the American GPA format. Do your transcripts reflect the last 60 hours of your degree? If so, I will ask the organization who is doing the conversion to include my last 60 hours as he said it is higher than my cumulative GPA. Thanks.

Nova said that they have around 2000 applications per year and only admit 240 per year. At that rate, they are only admitting about just over 10% of students. Where are people getting this info that they accept almost everyone?

Yes, an admissions counselor has called me several times but I missed the deadline because I was intimidated by the GRE and did not have time to study. Will apply for next cycle if I can get a half decent GRE score. I live in NY.

Congratulations! Was your SLP experience the only thing that made a difference to your application? Do you think NYU was looking for SLP experience?

Studying in the USA is so complicated. In many other countries you can become a speech pathologist with a bachelors degree. That way your bachelors is not wasted and you dont need to switch careers. The process of taking prerequisites, CSD programs that don't guarantee anything, GRE's etc are ruthless in my opinion.

That's interesting considering that NOVA has such low admission rates posted on ASHA edfind (almost 1 out of every 9 students) if ASHA is a reliable source of information. I'm sure you will have tons of choices of grad programs with your stats. NOVA: Number of Applications Received: Full-time Students: 944 Part-time Students: 0 Total: 944 Number of Admission Offers: Full time: 133 Part time: 0 Total: 133

Congratulations! Gallaudet certainly has a list of pre-requisites to meet: Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in any of the above listed majors must demonstrate successful completion of required courses in anatomy and physiology of speech and hearing, phonetics, acoustics or speech-and-hearing sciences, and introduction to audiology. A biological science is also required of applicants. http://www.gallaudet.edu/hearing-speech-and-language-sciences/graduate-programs/ms-speech-language-pathology.html Did you cover these in your CSD degree or take them as separate pre-requisites?

Great score, congratulations. We are the same age so you give me hope!

Yeshiva also has a list of pre-requisites courses for admission into the program.

Are there people who don't get into any masters SLP programs at all and have to pursue a different profession? I was discussing how competitive it is to get in with a family member who said that everyone must get admission somewhere at some point. I realize that sounds simplistic and it is extremely competitive to get admission but considering that many schools accept around 1/3 to almost 1/2 the applicants, is it possible that only a small minority of students do not get admission into the SLP programs?

Thanks. How would you know which professors you would want to work with? I'm assuming that would be based on the elective subjects you decide to choose?

Interesting, I did not know they have optional courses where you could choose what you want to study. As an immigrant here, I am not exactly familiar with the educational system here. I guess I need to check what options are offered at the university. Thanks for your help. 0

I am looking at a grad school which asks as one of the questions: What are your plans for graduate study and your future career? Now the second part about plans for a future career is self explanatory, but the first part 'what are your plans for graduate study' seems unclear. I mean if you I applying for a Masters program, what plan are you expected to have for your graduate study. I would think the university sets the plan for the Masters degree. How should one interpret that?

Interesting, i did not know that most people are working....I thought it would be a full time bachelors. I think I may have even asked someone on gradcafe and they said full time. So in my case, i would need to get a good GRE score AND the second bachelors. If anything, I think I should just take a mock GRE test or the real one just to see how I score on the verbal section. If my score is within range, I can attempt overcoming the math part and then consider the second bachelors. I say this as the GRE math is probably going to be the most challenging part for me, so if I can overcome the math, I think that the second bachelors will be less risky to think of doing...and you are right about the low first GPA. I wonder if I can only submit the second higher GPA - will check with the schools.Thanks for your advice.

Congratulations. Did you have speech pathology volunteer or work experience. I also have a 3.4 GPA - have not yet taken the GRE.

Also, may I ask why you are not pursuing speech pathology with a CSD degree?