meadymalarkey

Based on what you've written, you don't have "low stats." Sounds like you have lots going for you. Just make sure you apply to at least a few schools and you'll most likely be fine. Good luck!

Congratulations on getting in! So sorry you had that experience. Sounds like she didn't really have a picture of how admissions work with speech pathology. There really are so many variables other than undergraduate GPA.

I think it depends on the district you end up in a lot of the time. I love being an SLP in education, but I am in my clinical fellowship year. I am aware that burnout is high in our field and it can be very frustrating depending on how you fit into the school culture/how you're seen by admin and other educators. I'd recommend checking out the r/slp forum on reddit to get a better idea of actually working SLPs. Note that it has a lot of complaints, which may not be as reflective of people's experiences on the whole, but it will give you an idea of what people tend to have issues with (both in education and in medical spaces). Personally, making a difference in student lives is a huge draw, but I don't think it's enough to go into speech pathology on top of all of the credentials you already have, as the complaints you've listed are also true of SLPs. Being a linguistics nerd is a good start. Do you also enjoy writing lots of reports and tricking kids into completing assessments in a fun way? Do you thrive when falling ass-backward into one-on-one and/or small group instructional situations and somehow manage, more often than not, to make them meaningful for who you're working with? What else do you think you'll get out of it?

Hi @ashreedslp Congrats on all of those invites! This forum has a wealth of information buried in the search function on all of those programs. I recommend using it, as this community is a lot less active right now. I can't speak to those programs, but I do know some people that went through the CSUSM process, which is pretty unique. One of the girls in this podcast duo got into CSUSM and talked about her interview process in one of their episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@PediatricSpeechPals Hope that helps!

Hi @gradSLP2023 - I can't help with these, as I didn't apply to any of those programs, but since nobody has responded I recommend using the forum search function to find more information. I've linked some below. https://forum.thegradcafe.com/search/?&q="emerson interview"&type=forums_topic&quick=1&nodes=95&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy https://forum.thegradcafe.com/search/?q=rocky mountain rmu&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=95&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=or https://forum.thegradcafe.com/search/?&q="nymc"&type=forums_topic&quick=1&nodes=95&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy This forum is also a lot less frequented the last year, especially for US-based programs. You may want to try reddit if you haven't already.

It's great that you're doing so well! Based on the information you've provided, I doubt your undergraduate GPA will drastically affect your chances of acceptance, but it really depends on where you're applying and what the applicant pool there looks like during the cycle you're submitting in. If you're willing to move or the school(s) you're aiming for locally are not swamped with applications, then it's likely that your post-bacc will count for a lot. If you're not able to relocate and planning on applying to only 1-2 programs that regularly get flooded with applications, that might make things a bit more challenging as you may stand out less than other applicants that are coming in with similar academic and professional profiles. You have a lot of great experience, including at one time not performing up to your potential (which can be very relatable, especially if you're interested in working in school environments or pediatrics). That also counts, on the condition that you communicate it well in your applications (essay + recommendation letters). I highly recommend utilizing ASHA EdFind to get a better idea of what students programs tend to accept and how many acceptances generally go out, and then applying to at least 6 programs with a broad scale of GPAs represented that are close to yours. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket if that's something you can help. I also recommend talking to professors and current students in the programs you're interested in about the things you hope to be able to do as a graduate student. Getting involved in some way can also speak volumes.

It won't look bad. The lab position you've described applies to the work you've been doing. If anything, it should make your application stronger because you'll have both clinical and research experience specific to communication sciences. You'll be going into a program knowing more about what you ultimately want to do in the field, which is more than many prospective graduate students bring to the table. Sounds like a great opportunity! Good luck.

You don't need to take all of your leveling classes in the same place. I did mine at like 5 different schools (2 community colleges, CalState San Marcos, UCLA extension, and ENMU). ENMU was by far the least expensive leveling program I found for upper level pre-reqs. You might also look into community college classes in your state because they're usually the most cost-effective. Doing it this way allowed me to pace my pre-reqs out faster rather than being dependent on a single program. The benefit of doing the leveling at one program is if you want to go to grad school there, you'll already have an idea of what the program is like, develop some relationships with faculty, and know going in who you might want to work with. You may also be able to do it in person. However, if you don't know where you want to end up yet, saving money is important to you, and you don't mind being online, I would shop around.

Hey @megcharney, that's such a pain. So sorry you're going through this. I don't miss that headache at all. CSDCAS tends to verify transcripts and applications within about 2 weeks of having received the necessary items. Officially, it's 7-10 business days, so weekends wouldn't count in that number. It is on the longer side if you're submitting closer to the deadlines due to other people waiting to submit as well. They review chronologically based on the order they receive applications. So, if they don't let you know in the next few days that it's verified, you might want to reach out to their support system via their LiveChat option to ask for more information. As far as SJS, that's a horrendous reason to not review an application and shouldn't be held against you. It sounds like you've done everything you can based on what was asked for. I'm not sure what the system was that you used to supply the info, but if you have a digital copy of your proof and you continue to not hear anything come Monday/Tuesday, you may want to call admissions and ask them to confirm receipt and offer to send a PDF if they have yet to review your original documents.

We had a general lesson on it in my medical concentration class, but I think usually you really learn that stuff in your externships.

If you use ASHA EdFind, you can search to look at the admit stats profiles of different programs. Typically they include a GPA range in those profiles. Lower GPAs may be an exception but that doesn't mean they don't get considered. In your case you're more to the left side of the average range. There's definitely options. As far as pre-reqs, most community colleges offer something in each of the 4 areas, and these can be online courses. I don't know your situation or location, but if you go part-time that could be done in 2 terms. Full time (usually 4 classes on the semester system) can be done in 1, if the topics don't feel like they're going to require all of your focus. I don't see how it will cost 10k unless you're very committed to a particular institution. If you do your courses via ENMU it would be <4k tops (typically about ~800-900 per online class), and it's very likely to be less if you do it at a CC. Also, bear in mind that online programs for public schools in your state may be cheaper than out of state programs. And many online programs have rolling admissions. You may not need to wait an entire year to get started if you go that route.

Hey @Momspeech, That's really rough to hear. A 3.4 is by no means the end of the world. Are you able to relocate for graduate school? If so, I would suggest looking into programs that don't have such strict GPA cutoffs. If not, you might want to consider online programs. If you have developed positive relationships with people in the faculty at USU, I would also suggest talking with them about how you might be able to flesh out your experience by getting involved in labs they might have. Like @Arcanelady27said, many programs look more holistically at applicants, even ones that generally have hard GPA cutoffs. Cultivating relationships and showcasing your abilities in other ways can go a long way. As far as switching career tracks, it depends on where you see ultimately yourself thriving. Teaching is amazing if you enjoy kids, working with groups, and you feel the pay would be enough for you to live the life you envision for yourself. You can look up what teachers get paid in your area by googling the district name + pay schedule. They typically post PDFs on their HR sites. That said, I would suggest researching ABA more thoroughly. As pervasive as it is, it has an extremely problematic history and many Autistic people, having lived through it, regard it as abusive. Increasing evidence indicates that autism is one of many forms of neurodivergence. Here are some resources, if you're interested: https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/controversy-autisms-common-therapy/ https://autisticmama.com/even-new-aba-is-problematic/ https://www.amazon.com/Were-Not-Broken-Changing-Conversation/dp/1328587843 In my years of experience working with Autistic individuals, there are genuinely more effective and respectful ways of helping people thrive into adulthood.

Totally hear you on the CSDCAS GPA feelings. I remember being upset seeing the drop as well. They do also calculate different aspects of the GPA if memory serves, like major, last 60-90 units, etc (I may be misremembering exactly but I do recall looking at it thoroughly to make sure there weren't any mistakes). But I wouldn't worry too much about it with your current stats. You wouldn't be the only one. Are you only applying to CSDCAS schools?

Hi @SLPwonder. I'm not sure I'm understanding you exactly. What I'm picturing is that you're wondering what counts toward your final 60 units. My understanding is that they're calculated based on what you report last having taken and goes backward from there, which means that your 2 classes would count, unless those credits are still pending by the time you're entering graduate school. So you can't "exceed 60 credits." I applied with well over 200 credits and of the final 60, 45 came from my post bacc work. Your entire academic history is considered, so it'll be seen either way.

I think it depends on whether or not the schools that are requiring the GRE are your top choices or not. If they are, and you scored <300, it may be worth redoing it. If not, then I wouldn't sweat it.