Grad school/ Worried about GRE scores

[carolinea]

Hey guys! I’m currently finishing up my degree at the university of north Texas and I’m starting applying to graduate school soon for speech pathology. I took the GRE about 2 weeks ago, and I’m worried about my scores which were V-156 Q-145 AW-4.0. My overall gpa is a 3.71 and I’m thinking my major gpa will end up around a 3.9. I have a double minor with a specialization in children and rehabilitation studies and am graduating in 3.5 years. I have done work under a child psychologist, aba therapist, shadowed speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, done volunteer work in rehab centers with the elderly and with children all of whom had disabilities, and had an external internship under a speech pathologist. My only worry is that one bad GRE score might do me in, and going to grad school has been my dream for years. I don’t think I’ll have the money to be able to take the GRE again or the time, so I was looking for a little advice from those who have gotten in. Please let me know :)

[Southwestspeechie]

Our scores and GPA are pretty similar, but I was an out of field candidate. My best advice to you is to really comb through edfind to look for programs that match your scores. Make a list of schools and try to have at least 2-3 safety schools, 2-3 in the middle, and 2-3 reach schools. I am not sure how many schools you are planning to apply to, but I would suggest at least 5. Make sure your SOP is really good and have it checked various times by multiple people. 

The quant score is the least important score, don't give up hope, you can definitely do it  

[Jordyn_M463]

Like the post above, you have pretty similar stats to what I applied with! (152V, 150Q and 4.0AW). I also had a 3.7 GPA. I applied to 5 schools in Pennsylvania and was accepted into 3, waitlisted to 1 and rejected to my "reach" school. My advice would be to find schools that have smaller programs that don't receive a lot of applicants. Look at their stats on edFind. Look for schools that have an interview process. It is always good to talk face to face. I feel like you make a better impression in person rather than on paper. Then just pad the rest of your application. Volunteer, work, unique experiences on your resume are something to include. Write a really strong letter of intent and try to find people who know you well for your letters of recommendation. I know in my case, I didn't have a single LOR that was SLP or CSD related even though I was an "in field applicant". I just felt like other professors and employers knew me better. 

Ultimately, your GRE scores are not bad. If you are that concerned you could maybe take them again, but if I were you I wouldn't worry about it. The rest of your resume and application materials are a good way to show who you are and how you will perform as a grad student and future SLP. 

Good luck!