Wanting to apply for MA/MS Speech-Language Pathology, but...

[AspirantPH]

I'm actually planning to go to grad school, maybe 3-5 years from now (cause I need to prepare financially, and to get all the experience I need), and I've just started looking for possible universities to attend. I have a Bachelor's in Speech Pathology, which I didn't obtain from a university in the US. Upon looking at the minimum grad school requirements, not gonna lie, i was disheartened. This is, again, about the 3.0 GPA minimum. I tried converting my grade into US GPA, and I only got a 2.98 overall if I remember it right. 

 

Do you think I still stand a chance? Is there still anything I can do to get into the program/s? I mean, this is all I've ever wanted. My parents sort of indirectly offered to fund my education for med school before, and I turned it down cause, well, this is what I want. However, it seems that I've had really bad luck.

[fuzzylogician]

Normally you don't convert your grades from another system to the American one -- the schools do that themselves. It's hard to tell exactly how they'll interpret your grades, but the cutoff (if it exists) may be more difficult to implement, so your application may have a higher chance of being reviewed. You should find out if the grades cutoff really exists in your field because I wouldn't be surprised if there's less of an emphasis on grades in professional programs. If it exists at some schools, you may have to research programs more carefully to find ones that accept students with lower grades. In addition to this, the longer you've been out of school, the less important your grades are. If you'll be 3-5 years out of school at the time of your application, you should hopefully have relevant experience that you can draw on and that will help your application. 

[AspirantPH]

Well, so far, all the schools I've looked into have this 3.0 minimum gpa requirement. Some have stated they're making considerations if they see that the applicant is capable of finishing the degree. I thought I would try and convert my grades into US gpa just to see a 'rough' estimate of what it might be, though yeah, they're 2 different systems so I can't be entirely sure about the conversion.

 

Also, what exactly do you mean by the cutoff being more difficult to implement? I mean, most schools state that it is one of their minimum requirements. And I do hope experience helps me. AND I hope working in a bilingual setting gives me even a little advantage.

[yumangous]

Hi AspirantPH,

 

I'm really really curious. By any chance, does the PH in your username mean Philippines? Cause I'm from the Philippines and I also have a bachelor's degree in speech pathology. I'm currently working on my grad school applications for Fall 2014.

 

Anyway, regardless if we're from the same country or not, here's what I think...

 

- I've read that some schools can still accept you even if you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement for the program; however, you will be a probationary student on your first sem or first year. 

 

-Agree with fuzzylogician. I think you can try to estimate what your American GPA might be, but the schools would really determine the official equivalent of your international GPA. Another option I guess is to have your transcripts evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service like WES, which happens to be a requirement of a lot of schools now.