Jordyn_M463

As for applying for Spring, I think that is really up to you. If you have the money to apply, then it would be worth a shot because you never know! 
As for better ways to research programs, I used EdFind on ASHA. It is really tedious but I narrowed it down to states and distances I was willing to travel and then started doing research on those particular schools to find ones that would best fit my stats. There are probably threads on here if you do some digging, but I have found that this forum doesn't necessarily cover all of the programs that exist in rural areas with less applications and smaller cohorts. I am not sure what state you live in, but if you live in or near Pennsylvania, or are willing to move I have found that, Edinboro: Cal U: Clarion were schools in the western Pennsylvania region that didn't have as high of requirements as some other schools. 
As for writing a letter of intent, my undergrad advisor told us to follow this prompt: Why do you want to be an SLP/How did you decide on this career? What cohort and setting do you want to work in and why? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why this school? (As long as the school doesn't have their own specific prompt)
I was advised that you should tell a brief story about why you chose SLP. When you write about why you want to go to that specific school, it is best to look up that school's program and the work they do. What is the schools motto? What kind of research do they do? Who are their professors and alumni? You can say how maybe their research and alumni have accomplished great things for the field and you need to learn from those individuals. If you use specific names and facts about the school that proves you have looked into the school and have a genuine interest in them, that stands out a lot. I had an English professor who was also a journalist review my essays and she said to use "demanding statements". Rather than saying "I hope to work with children with Autism", she said to say "I aim/strive to work with children with Autism because..." It will tell the admissions committee that you know what you want and that you are willing to work for it. Read, reread and reread again. Cut out any wordiness. Make everything short and to the point. You don't need to be overly descriptive. You can still write passionately without talking around a topic. You don't have to write about everything you have done in relation to the field. That will show on your resume. 
My own personal tip for writing personal statements: Write a "common app essay" that answers all the general questions about why you want to be an SLP, where you want to be and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Finalize that portion and make sure it is exactly what you want. Have others read it and edit. Then save that draft. Now do your research on the schools. You can write 1-2 small paragraphs about "why this school" and then just add it to the end of your "common app" that way you aren't writing a bunch of 1-3 page essays every time you need to submit an application. Writing all of that can get tiring and I found myself not caring as much by the end of my applications because I was tired of trying to be creative. You can individualize each essay to each individual school by talking specifically about their program. 
My last tip is to not worry too much about what is going on in this forum when it comes to applications and who has what stats. No one is the same. Everyone's stats are different and sometimes people with "better stats" are not admitted due to other circumstances. You can only make your application the best it can be for you. I panicked a lot during the application process because my "stats" were a bit lower than my friends and I didn't have any research, work or specific volunteer experience. But I was admitted into 3/5 schools I applied to. Don't be discouraged!
Best of luck!

Agreed with above. As long as there is no identifying information about the client (name/DOB/address/etc) you are fine to talk about it. 

I was asked questions about my personality. Strengths, weaknesses, why would I be a good SLP/grad students. As well as questions about the importance of diversity and whether I had experienced diverse populations. It wasn't anything about "here is a scenario, what kind of treatment would you implement." They were all very broad questions trying to "get to know you as a person". I think the biggest thing is, can you interact with other people without it being awkward and uncomfortable. I wouldn't stress too much about it. I would also have a few questions to ask them about their program. They should give you an opportunity to ask them questions. I would ask about how many clinical placements you get and how they are assigned. Do you have to find them yourself or does the program help connect you to good sites? What does the class schedule look like? Are their GA positions available? Is the school research oriented or clinical based? Those are all questions you will probably want to know to help you make a final decision in the end. Your grad school experience will really differ depending on the answers to those questions. 
This is obviously all in my own experience. This could differ for other people. Good luck! 

I'm jealous! We kinda got shoved into the deep end of the pool to see if we swim (although it's not really that bad, none of our professors/supervisors want us to fail and understand that we're human!).
One thing I thought might be helpful for people is an idea of what the assignments are like, since I was trying to find that out when I was applying. Again, this may vary from program to program so I can only speak to my experience.
I was expecting some crazy long papers, but actually all our essays are only about 4 pages and the professors emphasize conciseness. Topics have included the usefulness of MLU vs. the IPSyn, differentiating types of reading disabilities, and why non-speech oral-motor exercises are mostly worthless (my words, but my professor's pretty adamant about it). We also have some practical assignments like dx plans for sample clients. I just finished a sample dx with a partner, and next week we're doing a simulation where we talk to the "parents" (actors) of the child to ask questions and share results. One assignment was simply writing a long term goal and two short term objectives for our projected treatment plan, which we would have had to do anyways.
What makes the work tricky is there are so many moving pieces. Multiple assignments with multiple components, and lots of reading to keep track of. And then there's clinic paperwork. Each weekly plan/SOAP is 2-3 pages (single-spaced), and my projected treatment plan was about 6.5 pages. Making materials can also take a while--try not to go overboard if you can avoid it! 
Speaking of work, I'm actively procrastinating writing a paper right now that I really should start on. Whoops.

If it has been a long time, maybe call them. Mine took around a month to be finally entered on the CSDCAS application site. That being said, it was past the application deadlines as well. It didn't hinder my chances of getting into grad school. Everything else was on CSDCAS on time and I paid the fees before the deadline and I was fine. 

I would seriously ask yourself if it is the difficulty adjusting or if it speech pathology that is effecting you. I say this because I would hate for you to "struggle through" and waste money and time on something you don't truly enjoy. If it is an adjustment issue, you could look into transferring or seek out opportunities to hang out with other people in your program! I know for me, I knew no one in my program when it started a month ago. About half of the program commutes from home! But my cohort started a GroupMe and when someone wanted to go out for drinks or to get dinner, they extended the invites to everyone else. When I got one of these invites, I made a huge effort to try to go and talk to everyone. It was difficult for me because I don't generally go out of my comfort zone and do things alone, but it was something I told myself I had to do! Maybe you could suggest a GroupMe chat! Chances are, there are other individuals who want to hangout with other people but are nervous to initiate it. You can always start small. Drinks? Studying? Working on any homework? Extend the invite to everyone so you can get to know everyone and start building relationships. 
As for not feeling challenged, to be honest I wouldn't worry too much right now. My schedule is also pretty slow right now. It will pick up and things will start to get hectic. That is what everyone has guaranteed me. I would say maybe you are just more prepared and have a wider knowledge of the field due to your undergrad. There are probably individuals in your program that are feeling challenged! Don't worry if you aren't too busy! That is honestly probably a good thing!
Ultimately, you should probably talk to family and friends about what the best option for you is! I wouldn't give up if you genuinely love speech pathology! Best of luck to you!

Like the post above, you have pretty similar stats to what I applied with! (152V, 150Q and 4.0AW). I also had a 3.7 GPA. I applied to 5 schools in Pennsylvania and was accepted into 3, waitlisted to 1 and rejected to my "reach" school. My advice would be to find schools that have smaller programs that don't receive a lot of applicants. Look at their stats on edFind. Look for schools that have an interview process. It is always good to talk face to face. I feel like you make a better impression in person rather than on paper. Then just pad the rest of your application. Volunteer, work, unique experiences on your resume are something to include. Write a really strong letter of intent and try to find people who know you well for your letters of recommendation. I know in my case, I didn't have a single LOR that was SLP or CSD related even though I was an "in field applicant". I just felt like other professors and employers knew me better. 
Ultimately, your GRE scores are not bad. If you are that concerned you could maybe take them again, but if I were you I wouldn't worry about it. The rest of your resume and application materials are a good way to show who you are and how you will perform as a grad student and future SLP. 
Good luck!

So I was given this structure from the department head of the SLP masters program of my undergrad school: 
Intro: I said "Why grad school" What will grad school do for you? What population do you want to work with? What setting? "What is your dream job" Why? (This is where I put some of my background experience that helped influence my decisions) What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why this particular program? What about this school fits you?  For this I would suggest "name dropping". Do some research about their professors and alumni that have been doing big things in the fields. Talk about research done at their school that interests you. Talk about the programs "goals and morals" and why they are important to you as well. Just make it seem like you are genuinely interested in their program.  Good luck! Message me if you have questions!

So I was given this structure from the department head of the SLP masters program of my undergrad school: 
Intro: I said "Why grad school" What will grad school do for you? What population do you want to work with? What setting? "What is your dream job" Why? (This is where I put some of my background experience that helped influence my decisions) What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why this particular program? What about this school fits you?  For this I would suggest "name dropping". Do some research about their professors and alumni that have been doing big things in the fields. Talk about research done at their school that interests you. Talk about the programs "goals and morals" and why they are important to you as well. Just make it seem like you are genuinely interested in their program.  Good luck! Message me if you have questions!

I wasn't accepted into schools in those cities, but I would say that those scores are actually really good. You are well above the 50th percentile on 2 and the other score is still a very good score. I was told to shoot for 150s on verbal and quantitative and 4 or higher on AW. So in my opinion, I would say you are looking pretty good. I was in the 38th percentile for quantitative and I was accepted into 3/5 schools I applied to in Pennsylvania. I would just suggest to apply to a few less competitive schools that are maybe not in the city, that you would enjoy attending as "safety schools". I was advised to apply to both "reach" and "safety" schools to give myself the best chance. 
Best of luck to you!

You could connect it saying that working with those children was the deciding factor for wanting to work with children. (assuming that is the population you are hoping to work with). I don't think you need to say "I learned x,y/z about the SLP field while working this job". You could always say you learned characteristics/skills such as patience, empathy, organization, multi-tasking, etc. Then you could explain why maybe those characteristics make a good grad student and SLP. 
Just a suggestion: I wouldn't discuss every single thing you have done in your letter of intent. Maybe just highlight the important ones, or begin your letter with the most salient one being your "calling" to the field. Your resume will show all the experience you have gained. I would focus more on these questions: 
What setting/population would you like to work in? Why? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why this school?  I suggest focusing 1/3 of your essay on this portion. You can use real names of professors/alum that have attended the program. Talk about their research and the schools motto/focus. Say you strive to learn from the best in the field and their program can provide that. Be specific and prove that you have researched and took the time to learn about their school/program.  This was just what I was told by an advisor when applying last year. He was on the application/acceptance board of the schools SLP masters program. He told me those are things they really looked for. 
Best of luck!

I would also suggest visiting because you may think you would enjoy their program until you get there and see and ask questions for yourself. I know that I ended up choosing the school I knew the least about just because I visited and fell in love with their program and their people. My top choice ended up being the school I liked the least when I compared it to the other schools I had applied to. My thoughts and perspectives completely changed. 
I would ask about clinic placements, when you are working in internships at outside placements can you go wherever you want or does it have to be close to the school?, what are the class schedules like, are there GA options to help pay tuition, graduation rates, national exam passing rates, how many students get jobs within the first year of graduation, are there research opportunities (if you are interested), where do most students live, anything that may be of concern to you. No question is a dumb question. It is your time, effort and money that is being put into these programs so it is best that you know everything you want to know before you commit somewhere. 

I'd like to add that there are a few websites  often sell books for cheaper than it would be to rent them. Some of the websites that come to mind include Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Better World Books, and Thrift Books. I've sometimes picked up books for as low as $4 when the asking price elsewhere was more than $30. It might be worthwhile as well to check with the professor to see if a specific version is required or if a different version or an older version is permissible.

I've done it all basically, but renting has almost always been the most cost effective and cheapest option. I've kept a few novels by choice, but I still have a couple of purchased textbooks around that weren't worth selling back. I really just like sending the books back at the end of the semester so I don't end up with clutter/unwanted books that can't be sold back (loose leaf editions for example).

Personally because I am on a budget I usually try and rent textbooks from Chegg. If the cheapest option is to buy from the bookstore or amazon then I will do that. I figure I can buy the textbooks later on if I want them once I graduate and have more money. That's why I keep my syllabi since it lists the textbooks on there. 

I would honestly not bother paying to take it again. I don't know how much they look at AWA scores but I would say all your other scores/grades would outweigh one lower score. If you are really worried, it couldn't hurt taking the test one more time just to see though.

I second this. All of my schools accepted "unofficial transcripts" in order to make their decisions. I had all late January, early February deadlines though. I had final grades by the 2nd week of December. I was told that technically all transcripts sent are "unofficial" because you haven't completed your degree yet. You will have to send your final conferred transcript to the school you choose. But every single one of my classes looked at "Fall Senior Year" classes. Then they asked me what I was projected to take in the Spring to be sure I met all of their requirements. 

I agree with all of the other people. Don't pile on more debt if you are not 100% positive this is what you want to do. I would hate for you to pay the money and then realize after taking out loans or whatever you are planning on doing, that this is definitely not the field for you and then you back out half way through. It is a lot of money and time to commit to if you are already having thoughts about backing out. With that being said, if you really love the field there could be ways around all this debt. It will be a lot of hard work and a lot of research on your part. I know that UPMC in Western Pennsylvania will help pay off loans as long as you commit to them for the number of years they are paying for you. Now, jobs can be hard to come by but UPMC is a huge company in my area so that is what I am praying for. If you are from the Boston area, you could always look into companies that would do something similar. I always say that some loan forgiveness is better than none. 
Another thing to consider is if this field is for you, but you can't see yourself paying that much for grad school, then take a year off. You could maybe work full-time doing something that is interesting to you for that year. This could help solidify your mind when it comes to pursuing and graduate degree , and give you time to apply to less expensive programs. If you do take this route, I would suggest only applying to programs that will be reasonable for you to pay back. My program gives every SLP graduate student a GA position that is 3/4 tuition reduction for the first year. That is what sold me on this particular program.
Ultimately, this is your life. You should definitely do what makes you happy (cheesy I know) and what you feel most comfortable with. Don't go to graduate school because you think you should. There are plenty of other fulfilling careers out there, that could definitely be for you! 
Best of luck. 

@Jordyn_M463 
Here is the dress code from my school’s handbook. People don’t always follow it. My black pants definitely have denim in them. We do have a polo shirt with the university name on it that we can wear too. I purchased mine at the beginning of the year for I think about $25. Hope this helps! 
Dress for all clinicians should be appropriate for a professional setting. Male clinicians are required to wear a dress shirt with a collar (t-shirts and tank tops are not acceptable) and a pair of slacks. Male clinicians may wear jackets or sweaters, if they choose. Female clinicians may wear dresses, suits, skirts, dress slacks, jumpsuits, blouses, and sweaters. Tops that reveal cleavage (e.g. halter tops, sheer blouses, tank tops, tube tops) and overly short skirts are not acceptable. Under no circumstances are clinicians permitted to wear jeans, leggings, gym or sport shorts, beach attire, flip flops, or warm up suits. Footwear should be appropriate for a professional setting. Optional dress: you may wear the Department Polo Shirt as a shirt/top. 

I second the other advice as well, but especially the Moscow Mule, and its cousin the Cranberry Mule. ?
 

I would agree with raising GRE scores. It is worth studying extremely hard one more time to see if you can raise at least your quantitative and writing a little more. I bought a Kaplan book because I never knew Magoosh existed. It gave good tips and tricks on how to go about the questions and what the scorers will be looking for in writing responses. I think it would be well worth your time to try that. 
Other than that, maybe some volunteer or work experience in something related? I know a lot of people work as an aide or volunteer at camps for individuals with CP or Autism. That could be something you could look into. Also more shadowing hours at all different settings. Then perhaps you could have one of those SLPs write a LOR for you. Then you could say you have X amount of hours in a bunch of settings! 
Best of luck to you!

I would agree with raising GRE scores. It is worth studying extremely hard one more time to see if you can raise at least your quantitative and writing a little more. I bought a Kaplan book because I never knew Magoosh existed. It gave good tips and tricks on how to go about the questions and what the scorers will be looking for in writing responses. I think it would be well worth your time to try that. 
Other than that, maybe some volunteer or work experience in something related? I know a lot of people work as an aide or volunteer at camps for individuals with CP or Autism. That could be something you could look into. Also more shadowing hours at all different settings. Then perhaps you could have one of those SLPs write a LOR for you. Then you could say you have X amount of hours in a bunch of settings! 
Best of luck to you!

This was extremely helpful. Thank you so much!

As for applying for Spring, I think that is really up to you. If you have the money to apply, then it would be worth a shot because you never know! 
As for better ways to research programs, I used EdFind on ASHA. It is really tedious but I narrowed it down to states and distances I was willing to travel and then started doing research on those particular schools to find ones that would best fit my stats. There are probably threads on here if you do some digging, but I have found that this forum doesn't necessarily cover all of the programs that exist in rural areas with less applications and smaller cohorts. I am not sure what state you live in, but if you live in or near Pennsylvania, or are willing to move I have found that, Edinboro: Cal U: Clarion were schools in the western Pennsylvania region that didn't have as high of requirements as some other schools. 
As for writing a letter of intent, my undergrad advisor told us to follow this prompt: Why do you want to be an SLP/How did you decide on this career? What cohort and setting do you want to work in and why? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why this school? (As long as the school doesn't have their own specific prompt)
I was advised that you should tell a brief story about why you chose SLP. When you write about why you want to go to that specific school, it is best to look up that school's program and the work they do. What is the schools motto? What kind of research do they do? Who are their professors and alumni? You can say how maybe their research and alumni have accomplished great things for the field and you need to learn from those individuals. If you use specific names and facts about the school that proves you have looked into the school and have a genuine interest in them, that stands out a lot. I had an English professor who was also a journalist review my essays and she said to use "demanding statements". Rather than saying "I hope to work with children with Autism", she said to say "I aim/strive to work with children with Autism because..." It will tell the admissions committee that you know what you want and that you are willing to work for it. Read, reread and reread again. Cut out any wordiness. Make everything short and to the point. You don't need to be overly descriptive. You can still write passionately without talking around a topic. You don't have to write about everything you have done in relation to the field. That will show on your resume. 
My own personal tip for writing personal statements: Write a "common app essay" that answers all the general questions about why you want to be an SLP, where you want to be and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Finalize that portion and make sure it is exactly what you want. Have others read it and edit. Then save that draft. Now do your research on the schools. You can write 1-2 small paragraphs about "why this school" and then just add it to the end of your "common app" that way you aren't writing a bunch of 1-3 page essays every time you need to submit an application. Writing all of that can get tiring and I found myself not caring as much by the end of my applications because I was tired of trying to be creative. You can individualize each essay to each individual school by talking specifically about their program. 
My last tip is to not worry too much about what is going on in this forum when it comes to applications and who has what stats. No one is the same. Everyone's stats are different and sometimes people with "better stats" are not admitted due to other circumstances. You can only make your application the best it can be for you. I panicked a lot during the application process because my "stats" were a bit lower than my friends and I didn't have any research, work or specific volunteer experience. But I was admitted into 3/5 schools I applied to. Don't be discouraged!
Best of luck!

Thank you for the response.  I did read that GRE scores must be recent (it has been 15 years since I took the GRE!), so I want to start studying for the exam asap.  In the meantime, I'm trying to register for online leveling courses for the fall.  I'm hopeful that I can make strong enough connections with professors via online learning courses to get strong LORs.   I am contemplating taking the chemistry and statistics on campus at a community college so that I could at least have one or two LORs from someone who has met me face to face, assuming those instructors would be willing, as I know ASHA does require those courses, and I'm lacking those.  My undergraduate GPA was high, (3.95), and I'm hoping I can manage to achieve a high GPA in the leveling courses to strengthen my application.  I hope that I can achieve a high enough GPA in my leveling courses and a high GRE score to compensate for weaker LORs.