"low" GPA acceptances

[BioCook]

On 3/23/2019 at 5:25 PM, mckennahslp said:

This is so helpful! Congratulations! I won't be taking time off, but do feel there I have experience that will hopefully stand out. I have an internship that's not SLP related, but certainly different than what they will likely see on other applications. I volunteer as often as possible, especially during the summer. Like you, I will probably apply to around 9 schools to (hopefully) ensure myself a spot. I don't have research experience and likely will not have any by the time I apply. Did you have anything else on your resume that you mentioned that you feel helped, besides working for two years?

Thanks so much! 

Absolutely! Some applicants decide to take time off for a variety of reasons (i.e. financial, unsure of career). I took time off (1) because I wasn't sure if speech was what I wanted to do and (2) because my undergraduate career wasn't necessarily "competitive." I think working helped me solidify my excitement about the field. Some people know they want to do it right off the bat, which is great! I transferred into speech from another major.

If you have experiences that set you apart (like your non-SLP internship and the volunteering), you should feel proud of that and power through undergrad and grad school! If I learned anything from this process, it's that we are all great, deserving candidates and we are better than what we tell ourselves.

I think what really helped from my resume were the research projects I had participated in, undergraduate institution, two publications, and military service (not super important, but I'm sure a bit different). 

[peachy.speechie]

On 3/21/2019 at 7:54 AM, mckennahslp said:

Has anyone been accepted to programs that have lower GPA's? Around the 3.3 range. I realize this is still a great GPA in general, but many applicants in this field have above a 3.5. Just looking for some motivation/hope. If so, can you share what you feel made you stand out on your application despite a GPA below a 3.5?

Thanks in advance!!

Hello! My cumulative GPA is a 3.3, I started the program my junior year with a 2.7 and did well in the CSD courses. The reason my GPA was so low was because I started off as a Biology major and took classes that I needed for the major, I eventually came across SLP and my GPA was a MESS, I made sure to address that in my statement. In my signature below you can see my stats and they are quite low compared to other CSD applicants as well. From experience, I will not sugarcoat and say that it is easy because it is definitely difficult and it will put you at a disadvantage than everyone else. However, It is doable, I doubted myself so much throughout the process and sometimes I still find myself doubting myself but it is important to acknowledge that we are more than our grades and stats. Some advice I would give is doing lots and LOTS of research. I started researching right away my junior year and both of the summers. EdFind is your best friend, I went through every single school on the list and tried to find a strategic way to figure out a list of schools that seemed to be good fits and would also somewhat give me a chance. Also, go to office hours or make good connections to have professors and faculty write you strong LORS do lots of community service that is field related. Even if the stuff you do is not field related you can always tie it back to CSD. On your application make sure to turn your negatives into positives and focus on the portions that you can strengthen such as your statement of intent. Also, if you have an interest in Medica/ Multicultural/Bilingualism make it clear and explain why it is your interested. 

 

Best of luck to you! I don't doubt you will do great things!

Edited March 26, 2019 by peachy.speechie

[MassSLPwannabe]

bumping this! I have a 3.28 undergrad GPA and I am hoping to apply in the fall.. starting to do research on schools with lower GPA range.

 

Love hearing the success stories, they make me less anxious !

[jsieges]

I'm in the same boat. I took a year after undergrad to take graduate classes part time at ENMU and substitute teach. I'm trying to shadow/volunteer this summer with an SLP to use that to boost my resume and get that LOR. Question for people who went in feeling like an underdog: did you submit more LORs than were required? Most schools I've looked at ask for 3 and I will be getting letters from 2 undergraduate professors, a teacher I have covered as a substitute for multiple times a month who has many sped students, and hopefully an SLP I shadow. Is it going to hurt me to send one more than they are asking for? I'm stressing out because I'm barely catching by with a 3.0 and I want to show that so many people in the field believe in me even though test anxiety makes me a terrible student. Hoping to hear from what others have done!

[VS-SLP2B]

12 hours ago, jsieges said:

I'm in the same boat. I took a year after undergrad to take graduate classes part time at ENMU and substitute teach. I'm trying to shadow/volunteer this summer with an SLP to use that to boost my resume and get that LOR. Question for people who went in feeling like an underdog: did you submit more LORs than were required? Most schools I've looked at ask for 3 and I will be getting letters from 2 undergraduate professors, a teacher I have covered as a substitute for multiple times a month who has many sped students, and hopefully an SLP I shadow. Is it going to hurt me to send one more than they are asking for? I'm stressing out because I'm barely catching by with a 3.0 and I want to show that so many people in the field believe in me even though test anxiety makes me a terrible student. Hoping to hear from what others have done!

I had a low GPA overall a 3.1 and in the major a 3.3. I did take a year off and got accepted for fall 2019. 

For me personally, I only sent in 3 LORs. Two professors and an SLP I shadowed.

I think sending in a fourth won’t hurt your chances. Unless of course a school explicitly says they only want 3 but for the most part I don’t think they would mind having a fourth.

If you come across a school that really only wants 3 I would double check the requirements (sometimes two have to be professors) and then submit only one from your undergrad professors, and then the teacher you cover and the SLP you plan to shadow. At least this way they have an array of people who have interacted with you all in different settings. 

[Ashash2012]

On 3/21/2019 at 8:45 PM, Speech95 said:

I had a 2.9 overall GPA and CSD GPA. However, I had extenuating circumstances that explained a few of my bad grades during my sophomore year (looking back, I should've taken a leave of absence that semester!) If you have a similar situation, explain in your SoP!!! I believe that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY. I also was able to bring my GPA up to 3.6 for the last 60 hours. I took a year off after undergrad to gain more experience (good for resume and make $$$ for grad school!) and get a feel to see if I actually wanted to continue in the field. I had a low GPA, average GRE scores, but a lot of experience. I've been accepted to one program and waitlisted at the other three. I applied to some obscure and some competitive schools just to see how far my application would go. I really did not think I'd be accepted, but here I am!!! you got this, I believe in you!

Just curious, how detail oriented did you get in your SoP? My low GPA is because I developed a rare autoimmune disease and it took a while to get diagnosed and find the proper medication. Would you recommend I share what it is and how it affected me or would that be over-sharing?