What are my chances?

[jlars3]

Hello everyone! I am currently working on all the requirements needed for Speech Pathology Graduate Schools. Talk about a stressful process! I am very concerned about getting into a school in the Fall. I do not have a major in Communicative Disorders/Speech Pathology. Instead I have a major in Human Services with a concentration in Health Sciences. My minor is Communicative Disorders though. I will be graduating May 2014. I have a 3.39 GPA, but after this semester I should have a 3.4. However my last 3 semesters of school I have a 3.8 GPA, and I have one more semester to go. My GRE scores are embarrassingly low. I am a horrible test taker and studied hard for the test, took it twice, and still did terrible. My verbal reasoning is a 143, my quantitative reasoning is 140, and my writing is 2.5... This is below pretty much every schools recommendations. I have 4 professors to write me letters of recommendations that I feel confident about and I'm currently working on my letter of intent. I have quite a bit of volunteer work to put on my resume and I'm involved in some clubs and an honors society. One thing that makes me stand out from others is that last semester I had an internship at the ETSU Speech & Hearing Clinic at the college I attend. My supervisor wrote me a letter to add to my packet for grad schools. I also did a few hours at a local TBI rehabilitative center. So I have a lot going for me, but even more against me. What do you think my chances are of getting in? Any recommendations would be helpful! Thanks

[orthogonalcode]

Those scores are very low. Some schools have cutoffs, meaning they would not even look at your application. I would try to take it again if I were you. If you work hard I am sure you could get them up a bit!

[Socrates1]

Wow, I'm scared to take the test now!!

the test is seriously evil, no denying that.

[Socrates1]

It sucks cause it costs an arm and leg to take the test For college students at least. I'm trying to make my first shot at the test my first and last attempt!

 

Study a lot, taking some test prep class, online or in person would be a really good idea. Get some strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. Take practice tests.

[Flandre Scarlet]

Your GRE scores are problematic, as others have pointed out. 

 

For verbal, try to memorize as many "GRE Words" as you can.  Practice reading through short passages and then writing a quick summary for them.  Check how accurate they are afterwards and see how you can improve from there.

 

For math, I think ETS's "Math Review" that they have on their site is a really good resource.  Try to read through the concepts and see how you can apply them in questions.

Edited December 15, 2013 by Flandre Scarlet