Canada SLP Application 2020

[Huds]

Hi, 

I'm new to gradcafe. I'm currently a 4th year student completing a psychology degree at U of T. I am planning on applying to the SLP program at U of T this year however I'm a little nervous because of my GPA. 

I didn't do as well in a few courses during my second year, and these courses are really weighing down my subgpa to 3.74. I have alot of research experience (two RA positons and completing my thesis) related to speech and language pathology. I am also currently volunteering with an SLP. I'm hoping that my research and volunteer experience, as well as my statement of intent, will make up for my low SubGPA.

However, I'm not sure if I really have a chance, considering that most people apply with a 3.85 or higher. Any tips or suggestions to make my application stand out? Do you think its worth applying with such a low subgpa? I would relaly appreciate any advice. 

Thanks

[SLPseagull]

Hey, don't worry! Averages are not minimums -- it's a really easy black-and-white thought process to get trapped in but that's not how averages work.

A subGPA of 3.74 is not going to work against you, really. That's totally an indication you should be capable of graduate level work. If it helps, my subGPA was 3.73 I think and I got in to U of T. I had about 6 months of RA experience. Didn't write a thesis or major in psych or linguistics. I did have about 250 hours volunteer experience in three settings with different populations (ages and cultures). I really suspect my statement of purpose is where I stood out from other very capable applicants.

 Don't stress about things you can't change and focus on what you can do that will tangibly strengthen your application.

I followed this advice from my referees and truly think it made my SoP a million times stronger than it would have been:
a) tell a clear story of progression (eg explaining how a class/prof I had led to a volunteer opportunity resulting in a part-time work position which inspired interest in an area of research)
b) have a concrete "agenda" as a future SLP (so like, I stated my "cause" aka the topic I'm passionate about and said these are the experiences that brought this to my attention, this is why it hits close to home, here is evidence of my capacity for operating appropriately within the social group disproportionately affected by this issue, and this is the specific approach I'm interested in my future practice)

tl;dr take the time you could use to fret about your grades or obsessively studying for at best a couple tenths of a GPA point increase and put it toward digging really really deep into why you should be an SLP so that your statement of purpose can be as strong and concrete as possible. After all, you can train someone who's not an SLP to be an SLP and the admission commitee knows it. You can't train passion or drive. ?

[Huds]

18 hours ago, SLPseagull said:

Hey, don't worry! Averages are not minimums -- it's a really easy black-and-white thought process to get trapped in but that's not how averages work.

A subGPA of 3.74 is not going to work against you, really. That's totally an indication you should be capable of graduate level work. If it helps, my subGPA was 3.73 I think and I got in to U of T. I had about 6 months of RA experience. Didn't write a thesis or major in psych or linguistics. I did have about 250 hours volunteer experience in three settings with different populations (ages and cultures). I really suspect my statement of purpose is where I stood out from other very capable applicants.

 Don't stress about things you can't change and focus on what you can do that will tangibly strengthen your application.

I followed this advice from my referees and truly think it made my SoP a million times stronger than it would have been:
a) tell a clear story of progression (eg explaining how a class/prof I had led to a volunteer opportunity resulting in a part-time work position which inspired interest in an area of research)
b) have a concrete "agenda" as a future SLP (so like, I stated my "cause" aka the topic I'm passionate about and said these are the experiences that brought this to my attention, this is why it hits close to home, here is evidence of my capacity for operating appropriately within the social group disproportionately affected by this issue, and this is the specific approach I'm interested in my future practice)

tl;dr take the time you could use to fret about your grades or obsessively studying for at best a couple tenths of a GPA point increase and put it toward digging really really deep into why you should be an SLP so that your statement of purpose can be as strong and concrete as possible. After all, you can train someone who's not an SLP to be an SLP and the admission commitee knows it. You can't train passion or drive. ?

Thank you so much for your answer! It helps to know that UofT considers applications holistically and I guess I just need to start focusing on volunteering and writing a strong statement of intent. ?