2022 Canada Admissions SLP thread

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

That's code for "we screwed up"

[SpeechieGracie]

I also saw my ORPAS sGPA calculations last night and it looked wrong... I submitted a msg via SAM and got a response this morning. Thought I'd share to clarify for everyone who's asking. It seems like the calculations weren't official, so it's likely they weren't correct. 

[Natalie SLP]

Oh no Does that mean our sGPA calculation was inaccurate? I hope not...

[SpeechieGracie]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:01 AM, SpeechieAlly said:

I hope U of A overlooks my terrible CASPer score ?

Hey! I also didn't do too well on the CASPer test (2nd quartile ). I just wanted to let you know that a low quartile does not mean you did terrible! It simply means everyone that took it in your cohort (including people applying to MD, OT, PT, etc.) did really well on the CASPer. Now, this could be for numerous reasons: 1) they prepared a lot for the test, despite CASPer advertising that you "shouldn't study", 2) this isn't their first time taking it, so they knew what they were up against, and/or 3) they are really fast typers and have been coached on how to answer the questions. From what I know, universities consider applications holistically, and the CASPer test is a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Excellent references will hold much more weight than your CASPer results! Don't stress, and have faith in your application! We made it this far for a reason.  

[hopefulslper]

6 hours ago, SLPThreadGirl said:

Did you guys get emails about Orpas calculations being up because I don't see mine?

I didn't get an email, I was just obsessively checking once it got to February lol, it appeared in "document tracking" but now mine is also gone! 

[Dream_of_slp]

That is why I cannot see any calculated GPA! I almost freaked out! Ok then, we wait one more week ?

[Dream_of_slp]

Hey guys,

Hope all is well with you all

My s-GPA is around 3.74. Do you think I have a chance? I have over 600 hrs volunteer experience and 2 research experiences. Also, I am doing my master's in Ling. Plus, I worked in a long-term care facility in a recreational team.

Best,

Sam

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

12 hours ago, Dream_of_slp said:

Hey guys,

Hope all is well with you all

My s-GPA is around 3.74. Do you think I have a chance? I have over 600 hrs volunteer experience and 2 research experiences. Also, I am doing my master's in Ling. Plus, I worked in a long-term care facility in a recreational team.

Best,

Sam

Where did you apply?

[Dream_of_slp]

Hi Slp2020ab

Thanks for responding :). I applied to uoft and western.

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

14 hours ago, Dream_of_slp said:

Hi Slp2020ab

Thanks for responding :). I applied to uoft and western.

Your subGPA is a bit on the lower side, but you could have a chance for both. Someone last year got into UofT with a subGPA slightly higher than yours, less volunteer hours and similar research experience (it was very focused on speech - maybe that gave them an edge). But it's hard to tell now that they are not counting volunteer hours/clinical reference letters at all. Grades probably have much more weight now.

As for Western, it seems a bit random. They waitlisted applicants with all sorts of subGPAs (from ~3.5 to 3.9 if I'm not wrong) but your experience seems very well rounded so you might have a chance.

But this is all just based on last year's admissions, so who knows if their admission criteria will be the same...all we can do is hope!

 

 

[SoaringSLP]

I just got an email from orpas that I can review my application and I had a look too. SubGPA calculation is up!

[speechbean]

Just got an email about my GPA/sub-GPA being calculated. McMasters' website says the cutoff for an offer for MMI last year was 3.84 (literally 97% average - which is fucked). I have a good average, but its not 3.84. My question - if I am below that cutoff does that automatically mean I won't get an interview? 

My sub-GPA is 3.77, so its close.

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

9 minutes ago, speechbean said:

- if I am below that cutoff does that automatically mean I won't get an interview?

I think so. Someone with a 3.82 didn't get an interview last year.

 

EDIT: apparently 2 years ago someone got an interview with a 3.73 and someone with a 3.75 didn't, so maybe it's not 100% automatic. But I haven't heard of anyone getting in with less than a 3.84 last year, and it's probably safe to assume that it will be even higher this year.

Edited February 7, 2022 by slp2020ab

[Natalie SLP]

Does anyone know what the average sGPA was for admissions to U of T last year? 

 

 

[somethingcleveraboutspeech]

sGPAs posted on ORPAS today... I know that this year and last year there was more weight put on the sGPA for U of T and Western, but you really never know what will make or break your application even on a year where they aren't considering volunteering experience! Good luck everyone... There's nothing we can do to change our fates at this point, we just have to sit back until April 1. 

And with that... I'm going to do my best to stay off this forum until then!

[SpeechieSar]

Hi everyone  first time making an account//posting on here so I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly lol.. I just got an email that the sGPA's were posted and thought I'd ask you guys here before sending a message to SAM...because I'm not sure if my sGPA was calculated correctly. 

I graduated in 2021 so have the full 10 half courses for the fall-winter 2020/2021 year. In winter 2020, I participated on an exchange to Aus, so these grades were excluded from my sGPA calculation. However, between the two semesters prior I took 10 courses (6 in Fall 2019 and 4 in Winter 2019, which equates to the full 20 courses). I'm visual so made a little visual below to help explain:

Winter 2021 -- 5 half courses 

Fall 2020 -- 5 half courses

Winter 2020 -- Exchange (they didn't count these)

Fall 2019 -- 6 half courses

Winter 2019 -- 4 half courses

Instead of calculating my sGPA with the courses in Winter 2019, they used my average from the full 2018-2019 year to account for the last 4 courses. Do you think this is a mistake? I know they will use your average if they need to extract courses...but in this case I have the exact number of courses. I would appreciate any advice//help. 

ALSO just want to say congrats to everyone for applying just getting through the application in itself is an accomplishment my goodness.  

 

[cloto SLP]

Hey all! For anyone who completed practicum(s), were yours included in the GPA and SubGPA calculations? Mine weren't and it has influenced my calculations significantly, as it required the average grades of my second year courses to be included to make the 20.0 credits... With the practicum grades included I'd be at a 3.87, currently without the practicums included I am sitting at a 3.69 (My second year was a doozy lol).

On the ORPAS website it mentions, "We include all courses and marks, including failed, incomplete and supplementary courses, academic practicums (even if a portion of the course has a placement aspect) and courses extra to degree requirements, in the GPA." I'm a little confused seeing as they say they include practicum courses?? I have sent a message through SAM, but wondering if anyone else has experienced the same?

[SLPThreadGirl]

17 minutes ago, cloto SLP said:

Hey all! For anyone who completed practicum(s), were yours included in the GPA and SubGPA calculations? Mine weren't and it has influenced my calculations significantly, as it required the average grades of my second year courses to be included to make the 20.0 credits... With the practicum grades included I'd be at a 3.87, currently without the practicums included I am sitting at a 3.69 (My second year was a doozy lol).

On the ORPAS website it mentions, "We include all courses and marks, including failed, incomplete and supplementary courses, academic practicums (even if a portion of the course has a placement aspect) and courses extra to degree requirements, in the GPA." I'm a little confused seeing as they say they include practicum courses?? I have sent a message through SAM, but wondering if anyone else has experienced the same?

To my knowledge, practicum courses are not included in the gpa calculation. I think it mentions it on the specific websites for various universities. I would have loved to have them included too.

[slplease123]

Hey guys so subGPAs are up and mine turned out much lower than expected. For people that have graduated and had to reapply what have you done in the one year to improve your application? Also with COVID a lot of places are not accepting new volunteers and I have a couple of virtual SLP-related opportunities but I don't think it is enough. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[cloto SLP]

30 minutes ago, SpeechieSar said:

Hi everyone  first time making an account//posting on here so I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly lol.. I just got an email that the sGPA's were posted and thought I'd ask you guys here before sending a message to SAM...because I'm not sure if my sGPA was calculated correctly. 

I graduated in 2021 so have the full 10 half courses for the fall-winter 2020/2021 year. In winter 2020, I participated on an exchange to Aus, so these grades were excluded from my sGPA calculation. However, between the two semesters prior I took 10 courses (6 in Fall 2019 and 4 in Winter 2019, which equates to the full 20 courses). I'm visual so made a little visual below to help explain:

Winter 2021 -- 5 half courses 

Fall 2020 -- 5 half courses

Winter 2020 -- Exchange (they didn't count these)

Fall 2019 -- 6 half courses

Winter 2019 -- 4 half courses

Instead of calculating my sGPA with the courses in Winter 2019, they used my average from the full 2018-2019 year to account for the last 4 courses. Do you think this is a mistake? I know they will use your average if they need to extract courses...but in this case I have the exact number of courses. I would appreciate any advice//help. 

ALSO just want to say congrats to everyone for applying just getting through the application in itself is an accomplishment my goodness.  

 

Hello! I ran into the same, where my second (year) average was calculated, not the last semester of second year, on the ORPAS website it reads,

"Where course grades/lengths must be extracted from a grouping/duration to make up the 20 course grades/lengths required, the average of the next grouping/duration of ORPAS GPA values will be used. ORPAS does not separate semesters, and so if an average must be used, it is from the fall and winter durations combined, as this is considered an academic year."

Hope that helps, and best of luck!!

[SoaringSLP]

5 minutes ago, slplease123 said:

Hey guys so subGPAs are up and mine turned out much lower than expected. For people that have graduated and had to reapply what have you done in the one year to improve your application? Also with COVID a lot of places are not accepting new volunteers and I have a couple of virtual SLP-related opportunities but I don't think it is enough. Any help would be greatly appreciated

The main advice I've gotten from current SLP students who had to go through the process of reapplying was to try and increase one's subGPA. One student I know said that while she ended up doing a CDA program what she felt ultimately helped her get into an SLP program was that she went back, retook some courses and got her subGPA up. She emphasized that while the CDA program gave her more insight to the field and more practical experience, which can help in boosting your application, it isn't a golden ticket to SLP like a lot of her classmates thought. I know it's probably tiring to hear again and again but this is what I hear the most. 

[2022slpplease]

1 hour ago, cloto SLP said:

Hey all! For anyone who completed practicum(s), were yours included in the GPA and SubGPA calculations? Mine weren't and it has influenced my calculations significantly, as it required the average grades of my second year courses to be included to make the 20.0 credits... With the practicum grades included I'd be at a 3.87, currently without the practicums included I am sitting at a 3.69 (My second year was a doozy lol).

On the ORPAS website it mentions, "We include all courses and marks, including failed, incomplete and supplementary courses, academic practicums (even if a portion of the course has a placement aspect) and courses extra to degree requirements, in the GPA." I'm a little confused seeing as they say they include practicum courses?? I have sent a message through SAM, but wondering if anyone else has experienced the same?

Hey, those courses are not supposed to be included and I would bring it up to SAM as we have till February 16th (i think) to report any changes that need to be made. 

Here is what it says on the website: 


I had the same issue where my internship was included as a 0 (it was a pass/fail course which I passed so the 0 was weird haha). It brought my GPA WAY down. They were able to fix it within 2 days of me contacting using SAM when I messaged them last week while the GPAs were momentarily available. This may take longer now as based on the request number (i.e. of my request last week and another request this morning) it seems like they've gotten a couple hundred SAM messages since then. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by 2022slpplease

[hopefulslper]

14 minutes ago, SoaringSLP said:

The main advice I've gotten from current SLP students who had to go through the process of reapplying was to try and increase one's subGPA. One student I know said that while she ended up doing a CDA program what she felt ultimately helped her get into an SLP program was that she went back, retook some courses and got her subGPA up. She emphasized that while the CDA program gave her more insight to the field and more practical experience, which can help in boosting your application, it isn't a golden ticket to SLP like a lot of her classmates thought. I know it's probably tiring to hear again and again but this is what I hear the most. 

^ This! As well as I just wanted to mention that while CDA helps with practical experience, those grades will not count towards your sGPA.

[SpeechieSar]

28 minutes ago, cloto SLP said:

Hello! I ran into the same, where my second (year) average was calculated, not the last semester of second year, on the ORPAS website it reads,

"Where course grades/lengths must be extracted from a grouping/duration to make up the 20 course grades/lengths required, the average of the next grouping/duration of ORPAS GPA values will be used. ORPAS does not separate semesters, and so if an average must be used, it is from the fall and winter durations combined, as this is considered an academic year."

Hope that helps, and best of luck!!

Hi thank you for this! So I guess they use the average instead of the last semester of your second year because the full year is considered a "grouping/duration"? Thank you so much for your response

[jec]

1 hour ago, 2022slpplease said:

Hey, those courses are not supposed to be included and I would bring it up to SAM as we have till February 16th (i think) to report any changes that need to be made. 

Here is what it says on the website: 


I had the same issue where my internship was included as a 0 (it was a pass/fail course which I passed so the 0 was weird haha). It brought my GPA WAY down. They were able to fix it within 2 days of me contacting using SAM when I messaged them last week while the GPAs were momentarily available. This may take longer now as based on the request number (i.e. of my request last week and another request this morning) it seems like they've gotten a couple hundred SAM messages since then. 

Can the credits for the practicum be used towards the 60 credits needed without counting the 0 which comes from the pass/fail aspect of the course?