Flusteredpoet

Hiya folks! I'm new here. In the last few months, I discovered Speech Pathology as a career option - exciting stuff for me, since no other career ever felt quite right. I should mention that the forums have been immensely helpful, so many thanks to you all. So, I'm wondering if you all have any advice for preparing for post-bac applications. I've narrowed down my list of schools (all California state schools), and I'm worried about the competitive nature of these programs. A bit about me: I'm an out of field English BA, with a cumulative GPA of 3.6. I'm currently taking Statistics and Spanish at a local community college, and I'm planning to take Chemistry, Spanish 2, and a Speech Pathology class prior to applying. I don't have a ton of related experience, but I've worked as a private tutor, classroom teacher, and have tutored students with autism. I'm also hoping to participate in an Autism Speaks walk, volunteer at a Los Angeles speech & hearing center, and volunteer at a retirement home. Not sure about any letters of rec yet, but I did get some scholarships and awards in undergrad and have good relationships with professors. Hoping y'all can throw some recommendations my way in terms of what might make me a more competitive applicant at the post-bac level. I'd appreciate it greatly!