twinguy7

Just wanted to give some encouragement to all those out there who have less than stellar grades, GRE scores, etc. You can do it!!! Keep getting great relative experiences and get in contact with those department heads to see what you can do to improve your applications. I had less than stellar grades and GRE scores but my experiences helped and I am proud to say I am now an SLP!!! I graduated Last week!!! KEEP YOUR HEADS UP and keep your thoughts, actions and experiences centered on helping others as this is what our profession is all about!!! Good luck to all and I will always be available for advice if needed just contact me!!! Mike

Just a thought, but one of my LOR's was not a gifted writer as well so me and coworker worked on the LOR with him. Also for one of my LOR's for job applications I emailed one of my busy LOR writer's a paper with bullet pants of things she could mention in my LOR and she used pretty much everything I wrote. A lot of these people are busy so they actually appreciate it when you kinda give them a generic blue print. Hope that helps!

Why would someone choose to come to your school/program and why would someone NOT choose to go to your school/program are both great questions. Kind of like a strengths and weaknesses question they usually ask the students.

You also have to factor in that Grad school is actually easier than undergrad as far as how hard the classes are. There may be a few reasons for this: First - the programs wants their students to get good grades so their program looks good, second - a lot of the classes are repeat of things learned in undergrad... third - you are usually part of a cohort which helps you stay in line if you normally are a procrastinator. So it really would take some laziness, medical reasons, family situations, etc or bad teaching to get a B- in grad school. I have also heard this from others from different programs outside of speech as well. Hope that helps!

Grand Valley State University

As far as grades, GRE scores and experience go, you are in a very good position. It just comes down to what each of the schools you are applying to want/need for their cohorts. In short, you have done everything on your side of the coin, now its just up to them. You seem like a solid candidate for any school.

Try your best on your next test and if it does not improve much or at all, just state in your letter of intent(statement letter) that you never fare well on standardized tests and you will be fine. Your GPA's will counter the lower GRE scores and your honesty about your GRE scores in your letter will show your maturity and ability to self reflect. Good luck on your next GRE test! I took it twice and was only able to raise it a few points but that's all you may need to do.

Experience in the field is valuable to some schools. I'd say it is worth it. Another avenue is to apply to be a full fledged SLP in California. The school districts can hire you and get you a credential waiver for a year. You will be an actual SLP for a year which would be even better experience than an SLPA.

The only thing you have to worry about is your letters of Rec. and your letter of intent. Your GPA and GRE is fine. Also depends on what schools you are applying to. If you apply to schools outside of N.Y. and California you should be fine with your stats.

apply to GVSU

Another thing to think about is that the averages are not the averages of people they accepted. They are the GPA averages of the people who actually accepted their acceptance. So they could have accepted plenty of 4.0 GPA students, but those students did not go to their school.

One option is to just email each and every school you would consider applying to and let them know your stats and experience related to the field and ask if they admit people with your overall application package. I found it fun to do so. I just had a template email I copied and pasted and sent out to more than 100 programs. Almost all programs were honest about my chances and some would steer me in the right direction as to which programs would fit me.

I agree with JaimeSLP.... email schools and find schools that will take a chance on you. Your stats and experiences are similar to mine and I emailed hundreds of schools to narrow down the list of schools I'd apply to. There are schools out there that look at experiences as well as GPA. So email away! I'd recommend Jackson State and Grand Valley State University as well as Eastern New Mexico University. Good luck!

You can always go to the website of the school you will be attending and check out past class schedules for past semesters to see when your classes typically are. They don;t see to change much from year to year as far as days and times. I did this before starting school both in undergrad and grad school.

Cool. I messaged you. we'll talk there

How long between your undergrad 2.2 GPA and when you took your Comm Dis classes(3.4) ? I would apply to midwestern schools, specifically GVSU and Jackson State where I was accepted. We have similar stats and experience. I am bilingual and did the credential waiver SLP job for a year before getting into grad school. Message me if you want any more feedback, etc.

California

Everyone at my orientation was dressed casual with a few business casual.

@ JaimeSLP congrats! Your dedication has paid off.... keep up the good work

sounds like a difficult decision!

I do not know if you know this, but if you do live in Washington you would get in state tuition at Idaho state because of the western regional program.

I agree with above. Get experience working with kids in any therapy setting possible. Same goes with adults. My GPA was REALLY low but I had ALOT of experience with kids and adults and therapy outside of SLP. What do you think is your biggest weakness with your application?

I experienced something like this firsthand. After graduating undergrad I was interviewing for a SLP-Assistant job in Los Angeles at a private practice and the lady wanted me to work for her and liked me, but she wanted to insure that I'd be staying and living in the area so she picked up her cell phone right then and there and called her friend at a local grad school program and asked if her friend could sneak me into the grad program that was starting 2 weeks later! This all happened within like 5 minutes of knowing this lady! It was pretty crazy! The fired eventually said it was too close to the program starting or otherwise they probably would have gotten me in! I totally forgot about this until seeing this post!

I got in for Fall last year. I hear Spring is easier to get into at my school at least. Deadline is July 15 for Spring apps I believe. Grand Valley State University.

2.77 Undergrad GPA, 3.4CSD GPA. GRE's about average. I would recommend looking for programs that are brand new also. People tend to be scared to apply to or go to schools in their first years of accreditation.