Toya

Hi, 
I am an SLPA in SoCal and from my experience that is not true. You gain so much experience as an SLPA and it has helped me in numerous ways. It's great to gain experience with volunteering, ABA, etc. but gaining experience as an SLPA is so valuable. We conduct therapy, plan lessons, complete notes, progress reports and so much more. I would highly recommend you look into becoming an SLPA, especially in CA  because the job market for SLPAs is "booming". Let me know if you need help on where to start!

@speechieontherun I’m not asking that you sugarcoat it. I’m asking that you don’t comment at all if you are unable to support other students. There is a difference between being realistic and being cruel. Please get off grad cafe.

You seem to already know that your undergrad gpa is low. Many schools have a hard 3.0 cutoff to have you application looked at. I'm sorry to say, but looking at the other schools you applied to, it is not looking good for you. 3 cycles = approximately 3 years, have you considered anything else career wise? 

@speechieontherun the way you commented on posts is not supportive of other students. If you don’t mind me asking, have you received admission to a graduate program this fall? Because whether you have or have not, this is not an environment of disencouragement.

This is true! I just received a call a couple of days ago from CBU that I was accepted. I’m a SLPA right now, since the license came with my bachelors! All the schools I applied to in California I only got rejected to one. I know most schools in Cali especially (including my undergrad LLU) prefer the SLPA experience. Which I have only been working for a SLPA since November. California is extremely competitive when it comes to SLP masters and all the schools you listed are public schools so even more competitive on top of that. You have to look at what can give you a leg up and becoming a SLPA gets you connections to SLPs or any other professionals in the field as well as all the experience of doing therapy, note taking, and etc. I would also recommend private schools since their application pool is smaller and they’re prone to doing interviews, which gives you a better chance of being looked at in other aspects rather than just on paper. 

Hi, 
I am an SLPA in SoCal and from my experience that is not true. You gain so much experience as an SLPA and it has helped me in numerous ways. It's great to gain experience with volunteering, ABA, etc. but gaining experience as an SLPA is so valuable. We conduct therapy, plan lessons, complete notes, progress reports and so much more. I would highly recommend you look into becoming an SLPA, especially in CA  because the job market for SLPAs is "booming". Let me know if you need help on where to start!

My signature list the schools I was accepted to. I had to go out my "comfort" zone and apply to schools that cost a ton or out of my immediate area. I live in Los Angeles and there's no way I could have applied to CA schools only. Oh, and my cumulative GPA is low! 

I got waitlisted for into my program to come to Japan but I got in! Once I arrived, the fact that i was waitlisted instead of beign accepted from the beginning was irrelevant. I do my job just as well as the people who had been accepted. 
I think having "imposter syndrome" is so common in this field. Even after finishing school, it seems like a lot of people struggle with accepting that they CAN do the job and do it well. Know you're not alone in your feeling but also know it's unwarranted and you'll do great <3 Your waitlist is irrelevant now that you're in. Make the best of it!

Yes, I just attended a CEU with a fluency specialist and ~35 percent of her utterances was disfluent. We are not robots! I have disfluent moments or mispronounced words as well. When it happens I self-correct and tell my client ( I am an SLPA) or parent that we all make mistakes and the purpose of speech isn't to be"perfect". Parents love this and they tell me the words they cannot say, lol. It allows me to connect with parents more and limit the hierarchy. 

First year grad student here! I was taken off the waiting list for the school that I'm currently attending. And actually, it was the only school I got into. I was rejected from everywhere else. So I TOTALLY understand what you're feeling. They talked a lot about "imposter syndrome" my first semester. If you aren't familiar, look it up! I felt like I wasn't good enough either, and it always feels like you're the only one that feels that way, but I guarantee you're not! As you start your program (CONGRATULATIONS!), keep this in mind as the "waitlist" mentality stuck with me.
Most professors will either not remember or don't care, and honestly people in your cohort don't really care either.
I was tight lipped about getting in off the waitlist, until someone else confided in me that they were taken off the waiting list. In fact, four people, including myself, were taken off the waiting list. So chances are, you're not the only one either. But of course, keep that information to yourself if that's what you want! Nothing wrong with that either.
Like @KelsHud said, know your worth. You are 10000% valuable and qualified to be in your dream program. Don't deny yourself the full experience and elation of getting into your dream program! That's a big deal!
Again, congratulations!!

Yes, I just attended a CEU with a fluency specialist and ~35 percent of her utterances was disfluent. We are not robots! I have disfluent moments or mispronounced words as well. When it happens I self-correct and tell my client ( I am an SLPA) or parent that we all make mistakes and the purpose of speech isn't to be"perfect". Parents love this and they tell me the words they cannot say, lol. It allows me to connect with parents more and limit the hierarchy. 

Yes, I completely agree. I have received many rejections... but nothing worse than waitlist (for my anxiety at least) because everything is STILL up in the air and I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Thanks so much! I will update you once I know ☺️
Being in this forum does give me a lot of anxiety, but at the same time so much peace because there's other people that are going/have gone through the same thing. I feel like were I get the most anxious is the results page.... I start checking my emails to see if I got anything ?
Oh and as for self-care: I purchased a membership at the gym! Hopefully I can tire myself out so I can get some sleep ?

Yes there is hope. Last year I applied to 15 schools during my 5th year and did not get in anywhere I was waitlisted at like 5 schools. I was applying with like a 2.85 during that time. So after I graduated I had had two C's from major classes and retook those to classes and got an overall of 2.93. Then this year I got accepted into my dream school. Just got to keep trying. My overall was horrible but my major GPA was a 3.64 and the Last 60 was a 3.50 GPA. Most schools look at the last 60 GPA and major GPA honestly.

think of it this way: in a few years, when you're an slp, NO ONE will care whether or not you got in right away or off the waitlist. all that matters is you're in! they simply didn't have space before, and now that they do, they want YOU. you're gonna rock it!

I got accepted off the wait list for my #1 school (my undergrad school) and now I'm feeling incredibly inadequate. First of all, I get how this looks -- I got in, I should be happy and there are a lot of people still waiting to get in. So, I'm sorry for being insensitive. However, I can't shake this feeling. I put everything into my undergrad. So much time and energy. I got the grades, participated, did the extracurriculars, got to know my professors, and so on. So there is this feeling of, they know me and didn't want me. Now going into this program I'll know that of my cohort, I was the runt of the litter. Has anyone else experienced this? 

Hello!
Sorry, I am not a current grad student but noticed you applied to competitive SoCal schools...and got in! Do you mind sharing your stats?

Hello!
Sorry, I am not a current grad student but noticed you applied to competitive SoCal schools...and got in! Do you mind sharing your stats?

@plughes I would take it as good news! If they have sent rejection letters and you have not recieved one then you are still being considered. I know the wait is terrible but I would wait until April 15. 

Hi everyone, not even an hour ago I received a general email from ENMU. I have been placed on the waiting list. It states "if a prospective student declines our offer, a seat may become available during May, June, or July. We send new admission letters and phone prospective candidates as this occurs." 

I've heard people say it's bad etiquette, but honestly I think etiquette can only go so far in this competitive environment (I get you California OP!). Do what you need to do to secure yourself a good spot!  

Hi, 
 
I am in U of A's undergraduate program currently, so I can only speak in very general terms. In terms of reputation, the U of A carries a lot of prestige for its SLP program. We are ranked in the top 5 programs in the country, which is the most competitive ranking of any graduate degree at our school. I started in a different major, and once I changed to my SLHS major, I was so pleasantly surprised. It is a completely different experience from the last department I was in. The faculty are all so friendly and willing to help, and there are people who represent just about any interest you might have (seriously...I am currently involved in research for language acquisition in those with language disabilities vs. those without, will be interning at our onsite preschool with toddlers with language delays, and was recently presented an opportunity to study the neurology behind bird communication as it relates to human communication). I have not gotten the impression that we lean medical or education, but there are lots of opportunities for both tracks. In terms of education, we have a speech-based preschool onsite (as I previously mentioned), I can think of several professors who do research geared for education, and we see all sorts of kiddos at our onsite clinics. My undergraduate experience has been wonderful here, and most everyone in the major wants to stay, but bear in mind that our graduate program is HIGHLY competitive. We all have that looming over our heads and many have accepted that they'll have to go elsewhere. I'm not sure where you live, but the reputation for the SLP programs in our state is UA>ASU>NAU. U of A is great, ASU is still pretty good, and NAU is more like the budget program (although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that - I know a successful bilingual SLP in town who worked on her MS SLP at NAU over summers because that was the cheapest instate option). Unfortunately I can't offer a huge amount of insight for the nitty gritty of the graduate program at U of A, and little to nothing about NAU, but let me know if there's anything you think I can answer for you. 

A short summary of my grad school journey, it took three grad application cycles to get into graduate school. I ended with a gpa very close to a 3.4 and was disappointed when I wasn't accepted. At the same time I know that this was something I wanted to do and I couldn't give up! My last time applying I was accepted into 3 graduate programs. Do not give up!  PM me if you have any questions!

I think that’s something a lot of students with low GPAs have faced. You might find this recent topic helpful  
 

I think you can do well in the accelerated program, they wouldn't have accepted you otherwise! The time, energy, and gas/mileage you save from not choosing school B can be invested into school A. And then you graduate a semester earlier and get into the real world sooner too. I'll add in a disclaimer however that I am someone who's commuted an hour or more depending on traffic (and then parking was its own issue) throughout undergrad and I know just how draining it is. No one needs that in grad school. Trust your abilities, and work your ass off in grad school. You'll do great.

honestly I decided a cheaper state school, as long as it's ASHA accredited they're all the same in my eyes. I'm leaving grad school with less than $20,000 in debt for 5 semesters, feels like a win to me.