Marybeth

I was accepted, but I wonder why schools are getting so many applicants this year? Does anyone know? I will be at UNM in the fall, and I was told this is their largest cohort ever. (Which I didn't like to hear.) Why are there more applicants this year?

I'm sorry hon, but I don't really think there's a chance with a GPA below 3.0. At least I haven't heard of any schools accepting a GPA that low. I would go through all the schools on the ASHA website and see what schools have the lowest GPA requirements, and what they are. How are your GRE scores? If they are near perfect, it will help a bit, but the GPA in SLP/CSD courses is usually the number one criteria for admittance. You might need to work as an SLPA for a year or two, take or re-take courses and do really well, then re-apply and plead your case that you have "grown" or "improved" in some way.

Make sure you take the lab!!! Unfortunately, the ASHA website is not very specific about this. Some of the leveling, undergraduates, and even current SLP graduate students at my uni have gotten quite fed up, because they took a Chemistry or Physics class after being told about the new requirement and were then told that the class didn't count towards the M.S. in SLP. So, now they have to take another one. I talked to a few students; one woman's class was not counted because she didn't take the lab. Others took a course called "Chemistry in your Community" and were told it didn't count, and they would have to take another Physics or Chemistry. Like someone else mentioned, it will be up to the head of your master's program to determine if the Chemistry or Physics counts towards the ASHA requirement. From what I know, I highly suggest taking a course that has an associated lab and taking the lab. I know at my university, they recommend a Physics class called "Physics of Music" sometimes called "Acoustical Physics" or "Physics of Acoustics".

Decaf, Housing is very tough in Albuquerque right now. My husband and I are new here and just got a new place in November (2019), and there were zero houses available for rent. I called several real estate agents and all the property management companies I could find. Although some had houses advertised, they were not really available when I called to check. Apartments are also scarce, and the prices have risen in about the last year or so. (There is a reason homelessness went up by 30% in ABQ in 2019.) We were in the NE quadrant, then they raised our rent from $1200 to $1600 for a nothing fancy, small two bedroom. We then moved over to the NW quadrant. My husband and I originally wanted to live near campus, but that is scary, and I don't recommend it. UNM has family housing a couple of miles south of the main campus. I went to visit and told my husband it was like the slums of Mumbai. Cracked sidewalks, buildings in bad shape, very shady neighborhood, etc. I asked a couple I ran into into how it was, and the reply was "many problems". I didn't need a tour to tell me that place was disturbing. It does have gates, but it took me approximately 30 seconds to put in a random code and drive in. It is very cheap though. However, they do not allow pets in the family housing. In general, around campus is very dangerous. It has been rated the 2nd most dangerous campus in the U.S.A. https://www.koat.com/article/unm-negotiates-with-cops-while-study-says-it-has-second-most-dangerous-campus/29419350. A graduate student was shot and killed on campus about a year ago, and no one was charged. Stabbing reports are common around the campus. Crime in general has gotten very bad in Albuquerque. I have lived in a number of other states and countries, and I have never experienced the property crime, theft, and violence that I have seen here. Just today, someone in a "nice" rich area reported on NextDoor that they had a drive-by shooting and someone hit their house. The news has had a number of articles this past year on people getting shot in their homes while just sleeping or getting in and out of their cars. We had to get a P.O. box here, because they have a HUGE problem with mail theft. Mailboxes are just constantly broken into. At our last apartments, our downstairs neighbors left her car right outside her door for a minute to warm up in the cold, and someone got into the driver's seat to steal it! (It was quite the commotion, but she and her husband were screaming at him, and he finally got out and walked away. I could see it from my window.) We rented a garage at our new apartments, and within a couple of weeks, it was already broken into and my husband's tools and our camping gear was taken. People have been DRILLING into the gas tanks here. I don't even know if they steal the gas or are just out to do damage. Albuquerque is without a doubt the most crime ridden place I have every lived! For housing options that are not around campus, look at the UNM shuttle routes and the buses, and see what is on those routes. UNM parking is a serious hassle, so I take the 790 bus that goes straight to UNM. Try Eagle Ranch apartments, which are right near the 790 line. They are not great, just so-so, but they were one of the few places that had anything available. My commute with walking to and from the bus stops is about 1.5 to 2 hours, but that is about the same as my classmates who can only get a parking pass for the south lot, which is a couple of miles south of the main campus. They have to drive and park there, then wait for the shuttle to take them to campus, and they don't really feel safe waiting in that area, even during the day. The 790 has a lot of UNM students and employees riding on it, so it is not a bad crowd like you get on some of the buses that run on Central. I am sorry for the bad news on housing and crime, but it is what I have found.