AlwaysaFalcon

It's up to you whether you want to retake undergraduate courses or not. I received three C's in undergraduate courses, 1 in a speech class and I didn't retake them and was still accepted into three universities. This is advice from my graduate program about retaking courses. I found it helpful and thought I would share. Just something to consider. Retaking courses is generally not recommended, except under extreme circumstances. There are two main reasons for this. First, when your transcripts are reviewed by an admissions committee, they will recognize that you have retaken courses, and may view this as an indication that you will have difficulty with graduate level coursework. Second, once you accumulate a large number of credit hours, the impact of a grade change becomes smaller. To restate, the more credit hours you accumulate, the smaller the impact a retaken course grade will have on your GPA. You should learn to do your own GPA calculations and test out the “what if” scenario for yourself before retaking a class. Retaking classes is usually not a very productive strategy for raising your undergraduate GPA and improving your graduate school application, and is expensive as well as time‐consuming. It is important to discuss your concerns with your advisor before deciding how best to proceed.

I received two acceptances and both were in mid March. I had until April 15th to give them a decision. However, I received a third acceptance off the waitlist that wasn't until the end of July so it varies!

I ultimately chose a school that was $25,000+ cheaper. For me I wanted to be responsible and take out as few loans as humanely possible. I think its mature that you are considering the debt and the weight of that.

That's crazy that's all you were allowed! I'm sorry about that but I would've done the same thing if I didn't find a job. Just took out more loans to cover the cost so I totally get it. Mental health in grad school is important too!

I live by myself! I wanted the experience of having my own apartment because as an undergraduate I lived on campus all four years. It's totally worth it in my opinion to live by yourself. You don't have to deal with roommate drama and can do whatever you want. I'm an introvert so I like my time alone and can focus on school. If I wanna see my friends I just invite them over. For me it's a win win.

So it depends on the professor if they allow a laptop in the class first of all. I had one professor that didn't allow laptops in class because people would goof off. Last semester I would try and print out the slides and then write on the slides the notes. I feel like I remembered the material better when I wrote it out. This semester though just for convenience sake I've brought my laptop to class because I can type faster than I can write and I found I didn't have time to print out the notes beforehand haha. I've seen my classmates do both though. I use my laptop a lot for papers & google docs for group projects and such.

I'm pretty sure that the program has to transfer all the applicants over that they have accepted to other departments to create log in, email and student id information. Then this will be sent out in the mail. That's what happened with my program and then this gave me information on how I submit my deposit and what not.

Trust me as a current grad student I still sometimes doubt my abilities! I think it's because there is high pressure and we all want to do our best! But you are interested and have been chosen for a reason so believe in yourself! I have to remind myself of this and tell myself that I am going to be a good SLP! I think people are sometimes their own worst critique! We got this!

One of my programs accepted me off the waitlist in the mail so check everything.

My program currently has most of the classes in the evening. A lot of classes are 4:30-7:20pm with a break about half way through. Honestly you do get used to it. I know that some of my classmates will bring snacks or get something to eat on the break. Other classes are early afternoon but I know a lot of my classes that I have personally had are in the evenings.

Oh trust me I had my fair share of grad school dreams! Haha just shows how much we care and how invested we are in this crazy process!

I"m a current grad student and right now I work 15 hours a week. I was lucky enough to qualify for federal work study and got a job working on campus in an office. So far it's pretty manageable. Once I start my clinical my last three semesters I won't be able to work but as of now it's fine. Most of my classmates have a job(s) to help pay. While I don't make a lot, I am able to use the money to help pay for utilities and groceries so it's something! Hope that helps!

I would definitely reapply! Your statistics weren't that far off from mine. Just gain more experience between application rounds and expand your schools that you apply to. From personal experience, I had better results when I expanded the states and schools that I applied too and also gained the experience that I needed. Don't give up! It took me three application cycles before I was accepted!

The programs that I declined I did so through email. That's probably because they required a written decision back whether to accept or decline but also I feel like it's the polite thing to do. Just treat people with respect and show courtesy and it'll treat you well .

I know that my backup was to volunteer and get experience with children. I volunteered at an integrated preschool as a classroom assistant and also had the chance to observe an slp while I was there. It was a great opportunity and I think definitely helped my application for the next year.

I know that for myself that I took out loans to cover my cost of living. While this is not exactly ideal, I know for me personally I'm doing what I have to do. It's two years of my life and then after that I will not need to take out anymore loans. I also work through federal work study on campus. I work about 14 hours a week and for me this is enough time to keep my time management in place and provide me with extra income to mainly cover my utilities and groceries. I worked throughout my undergrad and before I start my clinical I like having the opportunity to work. Otherwise I would find time to goof off haha. So look into jobs on campus and the surrounding area! I know my friend is a GA in the speech department and they pay for some of the tuition cost and a stipend every month.

I have the mindset that you should accept every opportunity. Like others have you said you might end up liking the other school's programs better or they could offer you more money. Don't waste a chance like that.

Some schools range in deposits that you put down. Some are $500 and others are $300 while a friend of mine that was accepted into her program had no deposit. So like others have said if you can afford to lose the money than do what you need to do. Personally that is a significant amount of money to lose but if you don't care than its up to you. If you end up not going to the school you put the deposit down for at least you are giving someone else a chance. I know my first two times applying I would have loved for that chance.

I received this email from financial aid for a couple of schools that I was waitlisted at. Unfortunately I ended up not getting off the waitlist even though I think I was close. I don't want to burst your bubble with that potential news but it could be good news! I just know that for me it wasn't a sign of the outcome.

Congratulations! Those sound like great schools. Other than the hospitals in the area, look at cost. For me one of the deciding factors was cost. Is there one program that is significantly more expensive than the other? If you have to take out loans to pay for your education its not going to be worth it to get into a significant amount more debt for. Go with the school that you have a good feeling about and that you think will have the best clinical opportunities and in my opinion cheaper. It's ultimately up to you but that would be my advice because when you apply for jobs the job won't care if you get into a more expensive, fancier school. They will care if you are a competent clinician.

I was accepted off of a waitlist in July for another school. Since it was such a late acceptance off of the waitlist I had already made a decision at another school, my current school and went there. The waiting game is definitely hard. Especially when you see other people posting their results on sites like this and you start to question your own ability. I know I did that. But honestly, as cheesy as it sounds you end up where you are meant to go and everything works itself out. I know that I was checking my mail and emails like a mad person. So my biggest advice would be to distract yourself from constantly worrying about results. The decision is out of your hands at this point and worrying won't change anything. It also depends on the people that are accepted how quickly they get back to the school to accept a decision or not. This factor will effect how quickly people get off the waitlist unfortunately. I started to hear pretty close to April 15th if I got off the waitlist or not for most schools, but honestly it really depends. Some schools I had to wait till May to know or not. Remember you only need one school!

1. Start the application process early! Once the csdcas application opened up in early August I was online filling out the time consuming sections such as resume, coursework and volunteer and work experience. This might not seem like much but this stuff wastes time and it doesn't hurt to get done early! 2. Ask for letters of recommendation early! Professors are usually asked about letters from October-January. Get in the door early and ask even in the summer. You'll be a priority for them and then you won't get rejected because they won't be bogged down writing other letters. I provided a list of schools and they letter of recommendation deadlines to each of my recommenders. I think this is a courtesy that is not only professional but also keeps the professor organized. This way they can keep each school on track, if you were like me and applied to so many schools. 3. Thoroughly research the graduate programs you are interested in. I can not stress this ENOUGH. Research asha edfind and realistically apply to schools you think you can get into. Research the ratio of applicants to class size, applicants to the number of interviews given, the percentage those offered in interview with given an acceptance. This helped me so much to narrow down my number of schools. Research gpa range, gre score range, etc. This is valuable information given right on the website. 4. Believe in yourself! Just because you are not accepted the first application cycle into the program does not mean that you are not meant to be a speech language pathologist. Don't give up :)!

I would say what @snoves suggested. Since in fact a B- is better than a C. It's interesting, because my graduate program actually does not recommend retaking a class even if you got a C in the course just to improves grades. The reason being they say is that if you have to retake a course it will not look good to the professors reviewing the application because they may think you would have difficulty with graduate coursework. Another reason is the more undergraduate coursework you have the smaller impact the grade from reviewing the course will have on your overall gpa. So therefore I would clarify with the department before spending money on unnecessarily retaking a course. Another reason why I like my program, they are straightforward with you!

Hi guys! As someone who took it took three different application rounds to be accepted into graduate school, I can assure you I have had similar frustrations and doubts with the process. When I would talk to family and friends many would not understand how difficult this process is and how competitive it is to get into graduate school for this field. Having rejections and waitlists is rough, I won't lie especially when you talk to other students and feel like you are the only one that did not get in anywhere. But don't give up! If this is what you want to do then don't give up. Keep moving forward and improving your applications year after year. I also honestly can say that I feel like not giving up and applying says something about your character and this is beneficial to professors that review your application. This past cycle I was waitlisted and accepted into the most programs, so for me third time was a try. Also there is still time to hear back. Those that are already accepted have until April 15th to accept their spot. I know from experience that people will sit on an acceptance and wait from other schools. So its frustrating for those that are still waiting and haven't heard squat. This past cycle I was accepted off a waitlist in July!!! By then I had already made my decision on a school but trust me there is still time I hope that was helpful and like someone else said we are all in this together!!!

I agree with what everyone is saying. Go to the cheaper school. You will be happy in the future that you saved the money.