LOW GPA SLP GRAD SCHOOL

[honey57]

help! 

 

I graduated undergrad with a 2.5 cumulative gpa (graduated may 2019) .. does anyone have any experiences applying to schools with a gpa that low? I currently work as a manager for a speech clinic ... do you think i have any chances? i have not taken the gre yet. i hope to begin applying this year. tips? 

[slpthings]

Hi

Probably not the best cGPA (if out of 4.0), what is your GPA for your last 60 credits as a lot of schools look at that too. 

I think if there was anyway possible, try to take courses again or equivalent courses to get your gpa up. If you cant take the prerequisites again at all, even if you did it online or through another institution, then I would try to take other courses to improve your gpa if you have the means. if your cGPA is 2.5 but you did really well, like 3.7+ in your last 60 credits i.e. last two years, then I would address that in your personal statement as to why that happened or how you have grown etc.. Your job experience might help you out, but if you can't take courses, or if you have enough time, I would try to gain experience with other populations by volunteering as well.

As for GRE, if you are not good at math, practice. The thing with the GRE is how well you do on the first section determines how difficult your second section is, and the harder your sections are the higher percentile you will have. Also, get a math tutor if you really have struggles. Magoosh was a pretty good online source for practice. I am okay with verbal so I did not study as much, but again, realising your weaknesses and trying to overcome them is really important. I think with your cGPA you would have to do fairly well on the GRE if that is what you are counting on alone to get you through this. 

I just applied this year, but in Canada, but have not heard back yet. The US has more programs though so you have that going for you. Also, I wouldn't hope on getting into top rated programs, go for the state schools. 

[MadisonMachelle]

Your best bet is to try and study REALLY hard for the GRE or take some online courses to bolster your current GPA. 

If you don't want to take any additional courses I would recommend looking into non west-coast schools, specifically private schools. They are notorious for accepting people with lower GPA's but the catch is that they are typically more expensive since they are private and hence offer more spots. 

Also I'd recommend looking at EdFind (https://find.asha.org/ed#sort=relevancy)

From what I found these are schools where your GPA (2.5) will be considered:
-Francis Marion University 
-Montclair State University
-Xavier University of Louisiana

[futurespeechpath1]

What's your CSD GPA? If it's a 3.4 or higher you might be okay with a good GRE. SXU requires a 3.2 in either CSD or commutative (depending on the competitiveness of that years cycle sometimes both) to be considered.Most schools want a 300 but anything in the 290s is good too. Or even a 288 or higher. Having a ton of experience especially research helps too. 

[honey57]

Thank you all for taking the time to apply! it has been helpful

 

[Nataliaspeech]

My GPA was low compared to what others have when applying for grad programs, but I became an SLP-A and I think that helped my chances along with being bilingual. If you could focus on studying for the GRE and retaking some classes I think that would be helpful, if possible.