
meadymalarkey
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Everything posted by meadymalarkey
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Most bigger community colleges offer classes that satisfy the ASHA requirements. Community college classes are typically the most cost effective option and have a variety of times/formats available. One way to get them done quickly is check out schools in your state for what you need/pricing and enroll for online courses if the campus isn't within driving distance for you. If you're okay with paying more, lots of universities also have "extension" programs that are open-enrollment. Being from California, in addition to taking classes at Santa Monica College and Pasadena City College, I took statistics through UCLA extension because it was faster at the time. I also took some outstanding leveling classes online through Eastern New Mexico University and CalState San Marcos, both of which were more reasonable than taking courses through some of the bigger name schools, like Northwestern. Community college classes were typically ~200 each with supplies. Everything else tended to be between $800-$1200 per course. It's less about the units and more about how they transfer between schools, but I believe the rule of thumb is 3-5 per class and that the classes count. Also, if you've been out of school for a minute, you should check to see if all of your current credits still count. My graduate program asked me to retake statistics for a letter grade because my credits were more than 5 years-old (which was honestly a good thing, but a surprise). Everything else I had for the pre-reqs was in that 3-5 credit range (each class).
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It should! Also - while it may not happen, definitely don't be discouraged if it takes you more than one round to get in. I know people that had stellar stats that took 3 rounds before being accepted. I had lots of applicable work experience and a competitive GPA but a different undergraduate background, and it took me two years to get in.
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Well, I can't speak to exact numbers, but I know that a few people in my cohort definitely came into the field with low undergraduate GPAs who made up for it with life experience,personal mission statements, and completing their prerequisites with >3.7. From what I've seen, good GRE scores help but tend to matter less than the last 60-90 units of coursework completed. It may make it less likely to get into some of the more competitive programs, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, especially if you have a solid SOP and recommendations, preferably from people in the field that know you well. I'd highly recommend looking at the stats of programs you're interested in on EdFind. When I was applying, it really helped me to see the ranges of GPA's accepted to fight the ever-present imposter syndrome, as well as up to date acceptance rates. If your heart is set on programs that are less likely to consider you, I'd also recommend retaking some of the classes that set your GPA back earlier on, especially if they have significance to the SLP field.
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Speech Language Pathology advice
meadymalarkey replied to phanam's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
I think what matters more is where you see yourself going for your masters. If you're aiming for schools with a certain GPA average and this C+ drags you below that number, I would definitely retake the class. Consider both major GPA and overall GPA and look at the ASHA EdFind stats for programs you're interested in. If your GPA with the C+ does not make you a potential outlier, retaking it may not be worth it to you, especially if there were circumstances that led to that C+ that don't speak to your mastery of the material by the end of the course. I would consider retaking for these reasons: 1) it'll make any other phonetics classes you take in graduate school a much less stressful experience (I just finished mine and it was the most technically challenging class I've had by far, and I'm a very strong transcriber with a good ear), and 2) a C+ in a core class may limit where you're accepted. I don't know of any program that sees more school as a problem, especially if you show improvement over that time. That said, you don't need to take it at the same school. I did leveling work at several different institutions and got into most of the schools I applied to once I satisfied the prerequisites. Many of the people in my cohort have similarly winding-roads and came from other fields. -
Online Into to Audiology Winter Class
meadymalarkey replied to natalia34222's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
I completed my intro to audiology course online at CSUSM in February of 2019. It's an 8 week intensive but was very manageable and the professor was excellent. I would also recommend looking into ENMU's online offerings. I took anatomy and aural rehab through them last summer and it was very affordable. -
Soundtrack:
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How many Schools did you apply to?
meadymalarkey replied to Verlona's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
Based on my experience so far, assuming you have good recommendations, related experiences, and a solid SOP, I think acceptance really depends on the stats of your last 60-90 units and whether or not you've gotten pre-reqs out of the way. I've been told that if you're above 3.85, 3-4 carefully selected programs is typically enough to get in somewhere. If you're seeking programs that are more competitive (accept under 15% of applicants) it might be better to go above that/have a safety or two. If your GPA is at 3.6-3.85, it's better to shoot for around 7. If below, it's better to go above that and select programs that take a broad range of applicants. You probably already know this, but you can find a lot of good information on EdFind regarding acceptance rates/class profiles. That site was by-far the most comforting to me throughout this process.- 39 replies
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Share your victories!
meadymalarkey replied to lifeispeachy's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
I also got into Northwestern this morning! Really eager to see the results for the last two. -- Undergraduate major: Anthropology (emphasis on sociolinguistics and psychology) GPA: Undergrad: 3.62, Post-Bacc: 3.93 GRE: V157, Q151, AW 5.0 Research & work experience (education, exceptional needs, and healthcare) University of Washington - Portland State University - Vanderbilt - Northwestern - Louisiana State University Health New Orleans - CSU Los Angeles Applied - Accepted - Wait-listed - Rejected -
So I didn't get in.. Now what?
meadymalarkey replied to miss_liza_ann's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
You really put yourself out there and fully invested in an idea of how your life was going to look in the next year, and now you are redrafting the narrative without a whole lot of information or reasoning, because somebody sent you a form letter. Rejection can be really hard to stomach. You're not alone. I know those feelings all too well. For what it's worth, I got rejected from everywhere I applied last year for SLP. Prior to that, years before, I applied for MFAs and had a nearly identical experience (waitlists and rejections galore). In both cases, I wondered if graduate school was something I was even meant to do if I got such negative responses. I would look at who else got in and alternate between thinking "what the literal balls?" and "I'm completely delusional and not worthy of this world," instead of looking at what I was bringing to the table on my own terms. When I finally did this, it was a lot more constructive. If you were competitive for UNCG based on their average admit stats, you are competitive for heaps of programs. I know it's raw right now and it takes time to heal. Some things that have helped me are: 1) considering that most people's journeys look suuuuuuuper different, no matter what their careers are. If they didn't, that'd be pretty dull. 2) that this process, like it or not, isn't an all or nothing thing. Ultimately the year you end up starting graduate school isn't going to be important, so much as how you did graduate school and what you got out of it. Graduate school is one piece of the puzzle, but SLP is a career you'll hopefully have for a long time, and with every step there will be setbacks and things to learn. 3) that admissions decisions are complex. Graduate programs are looking for baseline stats and certain courses, but they're also looking for a lot of other things when they're building relatively small cohorts. That means diversity (where people are from, in-state vs out of state, race, age, gender, military/civilian, life experiences) but it also means selecting people they a) see thriving under the faculty's direction and b) are more likely to accept their offers. Which brings me to the point that one of my very high ranking academic neighbors reminded me of recently - grad programs sometimes talk to each other during admit cycles and prioritize applicants based on where they know they are more likely to attend later. Their admissions decisions don't make sense to those rejected for this reason. You're still waiting to hear back. I understand your feelings, but it's not over till it's over. The first letter I got back this cycle was from the lowest ranking I applied to, and they didn't even ask me to interview. This stung especially because they let us know that they'd asked nearly 30% of applicants to interview, and even with a 3.92 post-bacc I didn't make the cut. I was certain I was done-for. Then, I was accepted by 2 programs, both of which are far more dynamic and much better fits for my research interests. Bye Felicia. And finally, 4) the question isn't whether or not you're "enough," inasmuch as honing your vision and finding ways of expanding the breadth of your knowledge between now and the next time you apply. You were absolutely enough, you are still enough, and you will be enough a year from now. There just might be more to do in between. -
Share your victories!
meadymalarkey replied to lifeispeachy's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
Ah, yes... the cost is definitely deterring. Hard to make those tough decisions. Looks like you have some options too, though. Congrats! -
Share your victories!
meadymalarkey replied to lifeispeachy's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
I was pretty much rejected across the board last year (1 wait-list, 3 rejections) and this year I actually have some options already. So there's that. Are you planning on attending PDX's open houses? I'm waiting to hear back from everyone before I jump any guns, but I'm probably going to go if I can figure it out with work. -- Undergraduate major: Anthropology (emphasis on sociolinguistics and psychology) GPA: Undergrad: 3.62, Post-Bacc: 3.93 GRE: V157, Q151, AW 5.0 Research & work experience (education, exceptional needs, and healthcare) University of Washington - Portland State University - Vanderbilt - Northwestern - Louisiana State University Health New Orleans - CSU Los Angeles Applied - Accepted - Wait-listed - Rejected -
NOVA Southeastern SLP CA Cohort Summer 2020
meadymalarkey replied to BenC26's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
Granted I didn't interview at this school, but I just wanted to say that I think it's pretty normal to think it went worse than it actually did. You don't know what the other interviews were like or what the faculty got out of talking with you. I thought my interview was less than stellar with one of the schools I applied to and I ended up getting accepted. Waiting for results is exhausting and it's easy to get tied up in knots when things feel so uncertain. Deep breaths. -
Applying to SLP Grad School with Low GPA
meadymalarkey replied to JBruin's topic in Speech-Language Pathology Forum
Hi JBruin! I think you fair well enough but that you might be underselling yourself a bit without doing some more pre-reqs. I wasn't quite in the same boat when I applied, but as an out-of-field UCLA grad that has had a lot of the same questions before, I can definitely relate. I majored in anthropology with an emphasis on sociolinguistics and finished with research experience under the direction of a reputable person in the department. I went into this in loads of detail a while ago, so if you're curious about the particulars you can check out my GC post history (it's short). My GPA was okay (3.62) but it didn't make me as competitive as I wanted for the programs I was most excited about, so after being wait-listed from my top choice last year and rejected from everywhere else, I worked through pre-reqs via CSUSM, SMC, & PCC while working in a related field (reading intervention tailored to dyslexia and ASD). I did this to avoid the process of applying to post-baccs, because it seemed unnecessary to me if I could just take the classes without being in one. Anyway, as a result of all of this, my post-bacc GPA is significantly higher than my UCLA stats. Based on my experience this year, it seems to have made a massive difference, as I've gotten into two programs (PDX and LSUHSC-NO) so far and rejected from one (CalState Los Angeles). I'm still waiting for the others to release decisions. At this point I'm just really excited to have options. I'm sure if I'd done neuroscience for UG my stats would have been lower, and UCLA is known for their program being 1) very, very good, and 2) very competitive. However, there are a lot of great neuroscience programs, and knowing a lot of about how the brain works does not inherently make for good therapists, advocates, or researchers. Obviously it can and does tend to help a lot, but most programs are also looking for people with good perspective, passion, and a long-term track record of pushing themselves in addition to GPAs and test scores. In other words, usually they want people with a unique points of view that complement the work the department already does. I think it's important to think about the types of programs you'd be excited to be in and go into debt for. If you want more options, bridge programs are really great opportunities to hone what you want to get out of the field and will lead to less $$ being spent in a graduate program. I can't speak to Chapman's, but highly recommend the ones I've done and/or looking into ENMU. The classes at CSUSM and PCC in their SLPA program are fantastic and relatively low in cost if you do your research and pick and choose where you complete the courses. Another thing I did was made sure my GRE's were within the target range for all of the programs I was interested in. I used the free version of Magoosh and took it twice. Aside of those things, I secured the max number of recommendation letters I could for each program from a broad range of professors and coworkers/bosses. This is all to say that if you complete pre-reqs and do well on the GRE, you'll likely be fine, but just to make sure, you may want to look into working in a related field with the populations you're drawn to for one-to-one intervention experience and for non-academic references. If you happen to be interested in children and/or individuals on the spectrum, I'd suggest checking out Lindamood-Bell for summer work. You can PM me if you'd like more information about that. I hope this was helpful and not too long! If it wasn't and it was, my apologies. Happy Saturday -- University of Washington - Portland State University - Vanderbilt - Northwestern - Louisiana State University Health New Orleans - CSU Los Angeles Applied - Accepted - Wait-listed - Rejected- 16 replies
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Conceptual Physics is fine (and a good time). There was some math in mine but the emphasis was definitely on broader topics. I really enjoyed it.
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To my understanding, the disparity in graduate experience (online vs in person) isn't massive, but I may not know everything there is to know about that. I've been told that what matters is licensing and what you're aiming to get out of the experience (research, clinically, what you ultimately want to specialize in, if anything). I will say that my bridge program's later classes were more challenging than the first few, but they're focused to fill in gaps in existing knowledge/experience. This may be why they seem easier to you, but then I haven't seen yours. A 2nd career is frightening to commit to, though. I think that if I were in your position, I wouldn't worry a lot about undergraduate GPA, online/offline, age etc. I would be more concerned with whether this career will give you what you're looking for in the next chapter of your life. If you've worked with similar populations and you know it's up your alley, all the better, but if you haven't yet you may want to look for ways to do so, either through observing, volunteering, or a related job. I didn't know if it was the right move until I started working with the population regularly. If I had just started a bridge program without that, I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have much clarity. 10k is absolutely a lot of money, but it's a lot less when you know you'll feel inspired and fulfilled.
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So... I've been a serial lurker here for the better part of 18 months and I've never posted or responded. Hi all! Firstly, I just wanted to say - for those of you that have shared your experiences: thank you so much! You probably don't realize it, but your willingness to share has been very calming and helpful. Even though I've never met any of you, it's been reassuring to see others share their statistics and misadventures throughout the application process. I come from a linguistic anthropology background and found CSD later, so my connection to the community from an academic standpoint has been sorely lacking. This forum has helped me quell a lot of my concerns (and develop some new ones, but whachagonnado?). Secondly, given that it has been useful for me to see, I've decided to share experiences and stats, in case anybody else might benefit from seeing more of them for another out-of-fielder. If that's not interesting to you but you want to judge my numbers, I've listed them further down. In 2013, I graduated from with departmental honors for a thesis I wrote on gendered narratives and a 3.62 GPA. I transferred from a community college for my junior year. My GPA took a hit due to one very bad quarter in my first year, during which I dealt with an assault and fell off the map for a few weeks, leaving me with flat B's in 4 courses. Despite this, my research and overall performance gave me a leg up with potentially continuing in that field for PhD's. By that time, I recognized that I had qualms about academia. I didn't love the idea of working with populations in need without seeking to directly empower them in being able to advocate for themselves. I wanted to feel like my research had more potential to have direct impacts and have the ability to work with individuals long-term. Also, the job outlook for PhD's in the social sciences is less than stellar, and while I love teaching adults, I also love not always being in debt and things like food and roofs. I spent a few years trying to decide whether I saw myself going to graduate school for sociolinguistics or not. I ultimately found myself working in exceptional needs intensive reading interventions, which typically caters to the same youth populations as SLPs. Speech pathology had come up a number of times, but it didn't really click until I was working with kids from the academic side of things as something I saw myself doing. I now manage an instructional caseload of between 15-20 students at any given time, most often ages 5-14 (meaning that I'm responsible for assessing, pacing, and training/mentoring teachers, in addition to teaching). It's by far the best day-job I've ever had, 2 years strong. Last cycle I applied to 4 schools knowing that my background was insufficient. I was wait-listed at my top choice (U.W.) and rejected from the other 3. While disappointing, I found this hopeful, given that despite some applicable work experience, I'd completed a grand total of 0 prerequisites. What I had done in fall of 2018 was find a local program for SLPA and begin taking the courses it required at my local community college that I was able to enroll in and kept a 4.0. The following spring, I found an online program within my state that offered a bridge. So, as of this cycle, I've accrued 45 post-bac units (15 of which are SLP-specific, the rest which are in related areas like ECE, psych, linguistics, physics, etc), maintained a 3.91, and continued to work full time because, again, roofs etc. I have no idea what will happen this round, but the very least, I've become a walking encyclopedia for parents to lean on throughout the IEP process and I can tell when people are under-trained in those meetings (ANSWER: TOO MANY). So there's that. TLDR: Post-Bac GPA: 3.91 CSD GPA: 3.82 (likely to improve after this semester) UCLA - BA GPA (last 2 years): 3.62 Community College - AA GPA (first 2 years): 3.54 CSDCAS GPA: 3.56 GRE: Q151 (41st), V157 (75th), and AW 5.0 Experience: I'm currently an exceptional needs educator/case manager for a private company that does academic interventions - mostly see dx's of ASD, dyslexia, hyperlexia, ADHD, and cAPD. I also managed a healthcare clinic for 9 years and have a nonverbal sister with dx's of ASD and Downs Syndrome. Current woes and oh noes: I'm concerned I didn't apply to enough schools/should apply to more. Maybe I should be aiming a little lower. I'm in my early 30s. I mean, it's fine but I'm a little scared about being in a cohort with fresh-faced undergraduates and not measuring up. My GRE could be better. The first time I took it, I did worse on the multiple choice and better on the AW, so it could definitely be worse. Admittedly I'm a lot better with quantitative reasoning when I'm not a total ball of anxiety, which is why I haven't forked out another $200ish in an effort to earn back that 5.5 and push my quant up. Maybe if I fail this round again I'll revisit that. *shivers* My SOP was SO HARD to write. As you may have noticed, I'm not very good at being brief. I'm concerned I didn't say everything I should have, or what I said may not have illustrated what I wanted it to. My old GPA is still haunting me like Moaning Myrtle and looking at it in CSDCAS was like that part in "What Not to Wear" when you look in the 360 mirror, but not getting a $5,000 shopping spree afterward. ;_______; The idea of getting rejected from everywhere again after all of the work and sacrifice makes me more than a little sick to my stomach. Limbo is a mediocre game at best, but it's absolute murder when it becomes what your life looks like for too long. Anyway, thanks for reading and for your posts! If you have any insight I'd love to read it. --- University of Washington - Portland State University - Vanderbilt - Northwestern - Louisiana State University Health New Orleans - CSU Los Angeles - UT Dallas Applied - Accepted - Wait-listed - Rejected