Astrid Coleslaw

Hey Dad! Your daughter's stats and her experience sound very good. She has a good chance of getting into at least some of the schools she wants! However since cost is an issue, I would make sure to apply to both her expensive dream schools and more practical state or well-priced private ones. Funding is sometimes available for stellar candidates but I would make sure to have lots of options in case she isn't offered any. Unless she wants to go into research specifically and not practice as an SLP, applying to "high ranked schools" really means nothing other than probably being impractically expensive compared to what a SLP is going to make in their lifetimes. All certified schools' programs are going to be equal when it comes to securing employment, so she can decide based on cost/location/emphasis and her personal impressions of the program. Best of luck!

Not sleeping much and I've lost 10 lbs!! Super stressful and I haven't even got to the worst part (SOPs!) I have an undergrad in something unrelated, but I do have most pre-reqs done. A lot of the schools I'm looking at (not research schools) are really wanting people with people with related (not necessarily COMD but teaching, working with special pops, bilingualism, brain injuries, elderly) experience!

Thanks, leesta. Getting info out of CSUs is like pulling teeth! The problem with using location as a determining factor for me is that I am able and willing to move pretty much anywhere! Right now I'm looking closely at all the contenders and seeing if there are things I've missed that would be a dealbreaker. I've narrowed the list down to 11 now and a chunk of those are CSDCAS (which makes it slightly easier for LORs, though I'm still going to have to pay mucho fees). -LB just got booted because you need ALL equivalent classes before Fall '12 and I cannot find a bilingual/multicultural disorders/assessment class anywhere online or in CA that I could take by itself to satisfy that (anyone else find a solution?) Also I've sent several emails in the last 6 months and never got a reply and calling them goes nowhere. Bad signs. Shame though because I've heard good things about their program. -East Bay is also out because many of their non-comm disorders undergrad requirements (bio with lab, psych, anatomy, and stats) have to have been done in the last 7 years. Assuming that these GE classes are usually done in the first 2 years of school, that means if you have been graduated 4 or 5 years you have to retake these. I have enough classes to finish up my BA and a few more to prep for grad school over the summer - I am NOT adding classes I've already taken (and whose fields have not exactly changed/added new important info) to that list. Also, the fact that this discorages older or experienced students (even though I am on the young-ish side myself) does not not speak well to the breadth and diversity of the program.

Hey lessta and JenniferD! I'm applying to SJ, SF, LA and SD as well (and some others). Stressful knowing how picky they are! How did you guys narrow your list down (specifically, the CA schools)? I've made minimal progress only because I've got a list of 14 and need to trim it, but don't know how to do it! I don't want to eliminate a school that might take me. But I don't know if I can handle this amount!

Hey acirtap, See what I wrote above about CA schools. The same applies generally to SDSU. Super competitive, large numbers of applicants, high out of state tuition. They do accept out of state students but I believe they are in the minority. The stats for last year (according to ASHA's Ed Find search program <--- find this and bookmark it. It will be your new best friend through this process) are 359 applications for 63 spaces. I imagine that this year there will be even more. Average GPA was 3.79 and average GRE was 1179. Also, that may be even more higher in upcoming years. They do look at things other than these numbers but with such a high volume of applicants, they do have to draw the line somewhere. Your Spanish background might be a slight advantage but a minor might not be enough because in order to practice bilingually you will have to be fluent. Could you bump that up to a double major maybe? Also, your being an SLP major is also probably an advantage. Make sure your grades in these core classes are top-notch. Looking at the big picture, even if you meet all their requirements, there is a good chance of not getting in just because of lack of space. Hundreds of exceptionally qualified applicants will be turned away. Still, raise your stats in order to be a competitive applicant in general because its tough everywhere! Also, there are many schools with a good bilingual/ESL emphasis that are just as good. You can search for those specifically on Ed Find as well. I'm personally applying to SDSU because I am a CA resident but I'm not really counting on getting in. I honestly wouldn't even bother if I was out of state.

Hello schung, What brings you to CA for grad school? I'm applying to most of those schools too. CA public schools are crazy, crazy competitive for SLP. In the last couple of years applications have nearly doubled (for the same number of spots) and I have a sinking feeling it's even worse this year. I'm hoping to get into one because I am a resident and will pay in-state tuition. I am applying to schools out of state as well as back-up. I do have a order of "preference" for which schools I want to go to, but honestly, I am going to have to pretty much go with whichever takes me -- it's really that brutal. If I were you I would retake the GREs (try to break 1000). Are you a SLP undergrad? Do you have experience with language disorders? Or with children, the disabled or the elderly? Experience is important. Don't narrow it down. Apply to all of them if you really want to go to school in CA and its worth the out-of-state tuition price. In fact, for about the same price there are a few private schools that have programs. I would also apply to some non-CA schools just in case.

The 75 credit hours includes the coursework you would have done if you were a Comm Disorders major for your BA. Check with UT to see if you can complete those hours at another institution. There are several US schools where you can take those courses distance (I don't know if you can do them before Spring '12, though!) whose credits may transfer. Three years is pretty standard for out-of-field students if you don't have any of the pre-req classes done.