I just got ACCEPTED to one of my top 2 schools after being waitlisted there back in March! I honestly am in so much shock and so happy!! I hope this provides some hope to others because I seriously thought "oh that won't happen to me I would never get off of a waitlist" and I did! Sending so many thoughts and good vibes to everyone still waiting and wishing for the best for all of you in this position!
Alice,
I'll try answering your questions from above, being that I am bilingual and were accepted to a few bilingual programs/research labs.
1. Is this GPA really just hopeless? I have seen so many people who have their GPAs around 3.3 and do not get any offer. Would it be a better option if I just delay my graduation for another year, and re-take more classes and get more experience? (that will not help my GPA by too much though. My school does not take out my former grades after I re-take courses)
I had a GPA lower than a 1.0 when I first started college .... I took a break for 5years, gain some experiences in the medical field and came back swinging. I eventually earned a 3.8 in the major, 3.8 in my last 100 credits, and re-did about 6-8 courses that would jeopardize my chance of getting into grad school. Some classes were so old that they could not be redone and they're still sitting on my transcript. It eventually took me 7years to graduate from my undergrad but ...good news, I got into grad school on my first try! =)
As I was reading your post, you stressed the fact that you are "not the hardest worker" and a "school person" ---to be honest, the people that make it into grad school are. I have friends in grad school that had a near perfect GPA, were some of the smartest classmates I know ....who literally cries in the hallway because its that hard. I'm not discouraging you in anyway but I do suggest rethinking a few things over because one of the reasons why this field is so competitive is because grad school IS extremely tough, like, mentally and physically draining tough. My grad friends describes our undergrad studies as a "kiddie playground". 2. I know bilingual SLPs are kind of in-demand in the United States now. how can I maximized this advantage/counter my disadvantage on my GPA when I'm applying?
I suggest doing some research to show that you're making an effort in helping bilingual populations. Mandarin and Spanish speaking SLPs are in high demand both in the workforce and in research. During my interviews, every faculty member asked me if I knew how to speak Mandarin or Spanish, sadly, it's a no WHICH cost me a few rejections. If you can somehow make use of your talents, do it! because they need more bilingual speakers to help recruit and interpret data. 3. Are there any schools that I can specifically look at that provide bilingual research or clinical opportunities?
Bilingual labs are very popular in our field... I suggest looking down south where there are a higher populations of bilingual speakers. Some schools like Arizona and Texas are top schools for research in bilingual speakers. 4. What cities or states should I be aiming for to have contact with a bigger population of bilingual clients? The state I am in right now does NOT have a lot of diversity.
(read above) 5. I am debating if I want to get my permanent resident identity (the US green card) right now. If I do so I will lose my international student status. I know every school has a quota for international students. Does anybody have any idea or similar experiences on which identity I should be applying under to have a better chance to get in?
I'm not an international student or know any, I'm unable to answer this question. 6. What are some of the other things I can do to help counter my low GPA?
I knew my low GPA in the past was going to hurt my chances of getting into grad school so I did three years of research, got an article published and presented at 5 conferences (one of them being ASHA). I looked for volunteer opportunities everywhere! I volunteered at inclusion schools (working with children with special needs), volunteered at a rehabilitation center (working with AAC devices), became active on campus to build good rapport with faculty members so that I can have strong LOR. Also, by volunteering, I made sure I stayed there long enough so I can get a speech language pathologist to write a LOR for me. When you apply to graduate school, they typically want two letters from someone who knows your academic strive (so like, professors) and one from a clinical perspective (someone who knows your hands on experience).
I hope that helps! Good luck in whatever decision you make =)
I haven't heard if any have gotten acceptances/rejections, but it does seem like they're doing them in waves (I saw some people had already posted yesterday and honestly thought I didn't get in!) I wouldn't get discouraged yet, they're probably just sending them out over this (and possibly next) week!
Ya maybe they do separate interviews by programs hopefully they get back to you soon I'd be great to get a chance. The wait is definitely killing me hoping to get an acceptance somewhere so far I've been wait listed to 2 schools and rejected at another but I'm trying to stay positive ! wishing you the best of luck too!
