Strengthening application for grad school

[mckennahslp]

Hi everyone!

I am a a third year studying CSD and planning to apply to graduate school to become an SLP next fall for the Fall 2020 admittance period. I have a couple questions, but first it is probably useful to insert some information about myself and my own stats so far.  Right now I have a 3.3 cumulative GPA. I took pre-calculus and failed which is still on my record, so I plan to retake it next semester and when that grade gets replaced my GPA should go up quite a bit. I took physics at a community college and struggled with it but passed with a C. I am currently in statistics and will end with some form of a B, which I am happy with. I struggle with anything math related so these three classes have been my greatest struggle as a student. Most all of my CSD classes are A's and A-'s, but because of these couple classes my major GPA (currently) is a 3.1. I have volunteer experience, attend NSSLHA, have an intership (not CSD related), and work on campus at two CSD related jobs. So my questions are:

Has anyone else had a C or C's and been accepted into grad programs?

What are some tips on strengthening my application that you all have found helpful in getting accepted into programs?

How much does GPA impact acceptance? I have seen many forums where people get accepted into programs with "lower" GPA's.

I know this is a loaded forum, but I appreciate any words of advice and information from anyone else who has been or who is in a similar situation as me.

Thank you!!!

[SLPtobe22]

You can do it! 

Edited November 7, 2018 by SLPtobe22
Typos

[thespeechblog.com]

Hey There, Great questions.

Has anyone else had a C or C's and been accepted into grad programs?

Probably TONS of people. I can say I did! I failed (D) and retook (B) a corporate finance class as part of my business minor. I also had a C in one of my Spanish classes. They're not super relevant so I doubt most schools cared. They look most closely at your CSD coursework, which it sounds like is a plus for you!

What are some tips on strengthening my application that you all have found helpful in getting accepted into programs?

I recommend 3 things: 1) Focus on writing kick-$%@ personal statements. Start early (4-6 months) and consider hiring a writing coach if you need to- you can find people willing to help you out for as little as $100. I've even given people on here a one-time read over of their essays for free. 2) if you have the time/energy/money spend some serious time (6months) on GRE prep - I recommend Magoosh on my blog and you can read there about why I think its great and how it helps me boost my score 16 points 3) Be strategic and intentional about obtaining letters of recommendation

How much does GPA impact acceptance?

I have seen many forums where people get accepted into programs with "lower" GPA's. I know many people with "low" GPA's the got into grad school and are now practicing SLPs. It's one of many factors. On my blog, I use 2 schools as case studies based on info from their website (http://www.thespeechblog.com/how-do-slp-grad-schools-evaluate-applications/). One school has a 35 point scale and GPA is 10 points of it or roughly 29% of your score. Is that big? Yea. Is it everything? No. There's another 71% of your application to care about!    

 

Finally, know why you want to do this  - become an SLP that is. Own it and let it motivate you. Be strategic and set clear goals to do things. You won't get through graduate school on dreams and caffeine, you need discipline and a willingness to put in the effort consistently. If you don't get in the first time, it is okay to try again. I know people who didn't get in until the 3rd try and now they're SLP's living their dream.

[AlwaysaFalcon]

2 hours ago, mckennahslp said:

Hi everyone!

I am a a third year studying CSD and planning to apply to graduate school to become an SLP next fall for the Fall 2020 admittance period. I have a couple questions, but first it is probably useful to insert some information about myself and my own stats so far.  Right now I have a 3.3 cumulative GPA. I took pre-calculus and failed which is still on my record, so I plan to retake it next semester and when that grade gets replaced my GPA should go up quite a bit. I took physics at a community college and struggled with it but passed with a C. I am currently in statistics and will end with some form of a B, which I am happy with. I struggle with anything math related so these three classes have been my greatest struggle as a student. Most all of my CSD classes are A's and A-'s, but because of these couple classes my major GPA (currently) is a 3.1. I have volunteer experience, attend NSSLHA, have an intership (not CSD related), and work on campus at two CSD related jobs. So my questions are:

Has anyone else had a C or C's and been accepted into grad programs?

What are some tips on strengthening my application that you all have found helpful in getting accepted into programs?

How much does GPA impact acceptance? I have seen many forums where people get accepted into programs with "lower" GPA's.

I know this is a loaded forum, but I appreciate any words of advice and information from anyone else who has been or who is in a similar situation as me.

Thank you!!!

Hi @mckennahslp! 

So myself I had very similar GPA statistics as you! It took me three application cycles of applying to schools but started last year! This is currently my second year of grad school so you can do it too!

 

Personally I had 3 C's in undergraduate schools and didn't redo them before entering grad school.

My biggest tips I used to strengthen my application were:

1.Doing more than 2-3 letters of recommendation. I personally did 4 letters of recommendation (2 bosses, 1 academic advisor/professor and another professor). I feel this made me stand out and I had professors and bosses to back me up that had experience with me personally and could attest to my character.

2. Gain experience in the field. I volunteered at an integrated preschool in between undergrad and grad school to help gain experience. I was a preschool assistant and was also able to observe in slp in the field. It was great and confirmed my interest and determination not to give up in the field that I wanted. 

3. If you can apply to schools all over. My last application I applied to 25 different states. (You don't have to be as extreme as I was haha) I did throughout research on asha edfind of grads schools and their statistics. I applied to schools that I felt I could be accepted into matching my stats and that less applicants were applying too. This way there is less competition. 

4. Personally I also feel interviews for schools that I spoke too helped. I felt as though I shown more in person than just on paper. 

Personally gpa does matter to an extend but honestly it depends on the school and what they find important. I felt that the grad school I ended up attending cared about the applicant as a whole and not just their gpa but their letter of intent, interview and letters of recommendation. 

Let me know if you have any other questions!