Fall 2014 "Less Competitive" Grad Programs Applicants Thread!

[selbstverteidigung]

Accepted to ISU's distance program!

Yay! Glad you got in after that enigmatic rejection from Montana!

[slpwannabe2]

I have been following this thread for some time now and have enjoyed everyone's insight. I applied to 10 programs this year and got rejected from them all. After feeling discouraged and even considering other professions, this thread has given me hope to keep pursing my dream of becoming an SLP.

I have a low GPA, average GRE score (which I plan to retake), but tons of extracurriculars. I also plan to get an Autism Specialist Certification (online) starting this summer that will include some research. I think I will have a different outlook this time around about which schools I will apply to. Which leads me to a few questions for those of you that have gotten in after a few tries. Did you switch up your letters of recommendation? Since I will be graduating this May and will not be attending the same university that my LOR came from, should I switch to ask others from my Autism program even though it is online? Also, how did you go about changing your personal statements? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[chitchat2016]

I have been following this thread for some time now and have enjoyed everyone's insight. I applied to 10 programs this year and got rejected from them all. After feeling discouraged and even considering other professions, this thread has given me hope to keep pursing my dream of becoming an SLP.

I have a low GPA, average GRE score (which I plan to retake), but tons of extracurriculars. I also plan to get an Autism Specialist Certification (online) starting this summer that will include some research. I think I will have a different outlook this time around about which schools I will apply to. Which leads me to a few questions for those of you that have gotten in after a few tries. Did you switch up your letters of recommendation? Since I will be graduating this May and will not be attending the same university that my LOR came from, should I switch to ask others from my Autism program even though it is online? Also, how did you go about changing your personal statements? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Sorry to hear your news, but great of you to keep your head up! This was my second year applying. Last year I was wait listed at all 7 schools then eventually accepted to the post bac program I'm in now. This year I applied to 3 schools, accepted at 2 and wait listed at 1. So I hope my insight is relatable and maybe helpful for you.

I asked my top choice school last year what I could do to improve my chances and was told to get at least one LOR from my post bac program, retake the GREs, and write a new personal statement. I attended their open house in the fall and as I talked to fellow applicants realized we all sounded SO similar in terms of our interests and work experiences. And I realized that the personal statement I wrote the year before about my experiences likely sounded like everyone else's and though I have a high GPA, I realized that the personal statement along with my mid range GREs is likely why I got wait listed at all the schools.

So for the changes...I wrote a new letter of recommendation from a point of view I felt no one else could have. Kept 1 LOR from my previous supervisor (work experience) and got 2 new LORs from professors in my post bac program. I didn't retake the GREs but I addressed that in my personal statement and I had an extra transcript from my post bacc with a 3.8 gpa. Overall, I did as much to change my application from the previous year and noted to all schools that I was reapplying because of continued interest. And the resut for me was a shocking acceptance and funding offers to 2/3 schools I reapplied to.

If you really want to attend any of the 10 schools you applied to this year, I suggest contacting them for advice on how to strengthen your application and take additional/related courses to improve your gpa. I know it's an exhausting process but it is so worth it. I wish you the best of luck!!!

[katielea]

Yay! Glad you got in after that enigmatic rejection from Montana!

Thanks! Montana's distance program is more competitive than you might think because there are only a handful of spots.  But it does feel good to get accepted at ISU after a waitlist and a rejection. 

[ljhslp]

I have been following this thread for some time now and have enjoyed everyone's insight. I applied to 10 programs this year and got rejected from them all. After feeling discouraged and even considering other professions, this thread has given me hope to keep pursing my dream of becoming an SLP.

I have a low GPA, average GRE score (which I plan to retake), but tons of extracurriculars. I also plan to get an Autism Specialist Certification (online) starting this summer that will include some research. I think I will have a different outlook this time around about which schools I will apply to. Which leads me to a few questions for those of you that have gotten in after a few tries. Did you switch up your letters of recommendation? Since I will be graduating this May and will not be attending the same university that my LOR came from, should I switch to ask others from my Autism program even though it is online? Also, how did you go about changing your personal statements? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I would agree with the post above. It's best to talk directly with the schools you're interested in and ask what they're looking for and what you could change on your application to be a stronger applicant. I have no idea where you applied, but I would also considering applying into some "less competitive programs." I applied to my top choice school, but I also applied to a few safeties. These aren't necessarily guarantees, but they might be a better match for your statistics (gre, gpa, etc). 

 

There's not a whole lot you can do about your GPA, but if there's one or two classes that are really pulling that number down, maybe think about retaking them. If your GRE isn't very strong, you might consider retaking that, as well. I had very average scores, but I would have retaken it if I didn't get accepted this year. If you study, especially the verbal section, you can basically memorize some of the vocabulary they're going to throw at you.

 

I would definitely keep at least two letters from professors, as a lot of programs are looking for proof that you'll succeed in their graduate program. I chose to have three letters written from professors, and one from my current supervising SLP (I'm an SLPA). Definitely keep in contact with those professors who are writing you letters and tell them everything you're doing to improve your application, as well. If they see how hard you're working to be a stronger applicant, they will likely put some of that information in the letters they write for you (and possibly give you higher ratings). 

 

Read through your personal statement, and have others read it. Ask questions about what to add and remove, the tone for this particular audience, etc. Also, make sure the personal statement is specific to each school individually. I used the same statement, but changed two paragraphs to fit what I liked about that school, which professors I'd like to learn from and why, the reason I want to attend there, etc. (In much greater detail than my friends and classmates did). I honestly think this helped, too.

 

A professor told me that many graduate schools actually prefer students who have taken a year or two off. These students have had much more time to mature and focus on the importance of graduate school, and they tend to do better (her words). She also said this was because many students who have had a year or two off have had some real experience in the field (if you're a volunteer, SLPA, etc.) and tend to do better and need less direction in practicum experiences. I'm not sure how much help this will be, but hopefully it can give you a few ideas on what you should do

[twinguy7]

For those of you accepted or wait listed at Fort Hays, I visited the school yesterday with my wife. The school is a nice clean campus made up of bigger yellow stone blocks. The Herndon clinic is nice and Dr. Britten is the nicest guy. The professors are all nice and their doors are always open. The school has decent student and family housing at a great price! Includes utilities AND laundry!

The immediate area around the school is made up of older homes, but once you get out about more than a half mile there are many more newer homes and apartments. The town has many fast food places, a Wal-Mart, and 2-3 Kroger grocery stores. There is also a movie theatre and bowling alley. The people of the town are the nicest people I've probably ever met. It was really surprising how nice they are to complete strangers.

If anyone has further questions feel free to PM me!

I will be visiting GVSU tomorrow so for those who'd like too know more about the city and program you can PM me tomorrow about it. Also will be visiting ENMU on Friday for those who want some feedback about the school and city.

[twinguy7]

Woke up this morning to my 2nd Acceptance! Jackson State University, Crazy!  Never thought I'd even have one, but not 2 acceptances and 3 wait lists!  It is TOTALLY worth it to email programs MONTHS in advance and find out which programs fit you and vice versa.  Also apply to as many as you can!  

[lgwslp]

Woke up this morning to my 2nd Acceptance! Jackson State University, Crazy!  Never thought I'd even have one, but not 2 acceptances and 3 wait lists!  It is TOTALLY worth it to email programs MONTHS in advance and find out which programs fit you and vice versa.  Also apply to as many as you can!  

 

Congratulations!!! 

[ljhslp]

Woke up this morning to my 2nd Acceptance! Jackson State University, Crazy!  Never thought I'd even have one, but not 2 acceptances and 3 wait lists!  It is TOTALLY worth it to email programs MONTHS in advance and find out which programs fit you and vice versa.  Also apply to as many as you can!  

Now you have some big decisions to make! You get to CHOOSE where you want to go. Great feeling, isn't it!?!? Is there one that you're leaning toward more so than the other?! Oh, and CONGRATS!!!

[SweetPea21]

@ Twinguy

 

Congrates, awesome news! Does that mean you have to squeeze in one more stop on your college tour?

[curly_girl]

Woke up this morning to my 2nd Acceptance! Jackson State University, Crazy!  Never thought I'd even have one, but not 2 acceptances and 3 wait lists!  It is TOTALLY worth it to email programs MONTHS in advance and find out which programs fit you and vice versa.  Also apply to as many as you can!  

 

Congrats on your acceptances!

 

I was just wondering what you wrote when you emailed all those programs? I am just starting the process (starting prereqs in the fall, still need to take the GRE) and am worried because my undergrad GPA wasn't steller (3.12). I'm already nervous and want to do whatever I can to increase my chances. Please and thanks!

[kumapanda]

Woke up this morning to my 2nd Acceptance! Jackson State University, Crazy!  Never thought I'd even have one, but not 2 acceptances and 3 wait lists!  It is TOTALLY worth it to email programs MONTHS in advance and find out which programs fit you and vice versa.  Also apply to as many as you can!  

Congrats on getting into 2 programs!  So it really is possible.  I've been getting nervous reading these posts where it's considered lucky to get into a program at all. 

 

Along with curly_girl, I too want to know what you wrote when you emailed those programs in advanced.  I'm applying this fall and I've been doing a lot of research on programs, but some schools won't tell me their average gpa or gre score.  Should I be worried about the numbers?

[smartypants14]

Not one acceptance yet,

Looking into plan B's

[twinguy7]

Congrats on your acceptances!

 

I was just wondering what you wrote when you emailed all those programs? I am just starting the process (starting prereqs in the fall, still need to take the GRE) and am worried because my undergrad GPA wasn't steller (3.12). I'm already nervous and want to do whatever I can to increase my chances. Please and thanks!

 

 

Congrats on getting into 2 programs!  So it really is possible.  I've been getting nervous reading these posts where it's considered lucky to get into a program at all. 

 

Along with curly_girl, I too want to know what you wrote when you emailed those programs in advanced.  I'm applying this fall and I've been doing a lot of research on programs, but some schools won't tell me their average gpa or gre score.  Should I be worried about the numbers?

 

What I did was just start on the "U.S. rankings of schools" and started with the lowest ranked school and checked their website for info on GRE, GPA, Tuition, Etc. and emailed the program coordinator for that school asking for information that I could not find.  I set up a chart of like 10 questions and filled out the info I could find on their website and asked them to verify and fill in any missing items.  

 

I then followed up each returned email with a straight forward email about my GPA, GRE scores and my experience and asked what I could do to improve my application to their school for the following year and most importantly... IF they had admitted someone last year with my similar GPA, GRE and experiences.  

 

The email back after that 2nd email helped me decide if I would apply to that school or not.  The directors were straight forward and would tell me if I would be competitive in their application pool.  

 

Another piece of advice is to make sure that the schools you apply to truly believe that you want to go to their school.  If schools think that they are your back up school, they will reject you even if you have competitive stats and experience.  

 

Hope that helps some!  

[twinguy7]

@ Twinguy

 

Congrates, awesome news! Does that mean you have to squeeze in one more stop on your college tour?

 

We did not squeeze Jackson into our trip.  We just got home today and drove exactly 5,002 miles!!!!   We were able to visit FHSU in Kansas, GVSU in Michigan and ENMU in New Mexico!  All very nice programs and campuses.  Now just need to rest A LOT on the sabbath  

[Chandru1]

Congratulations on your acceptances Twinguy!

 

I have a similar GPA to you, and I'm also out of field. Do you know if your schools will be accepting of out of field students with low GPAs? I noticed that GVSU seems to have a postbac program, but I am not sure about Jackson...

[twinguy7]

Congratulations on your acceptances Twinguy!

 

I have a similar GPA to you, and I'm also out of field. Do you know if your schools will be accepting of out of field students with low GPAs? I noticed that GVSU seems to have a postbac program, but I am not sure about Jackson...

 

I would look into doing a postbac program to show you can improve your grades/GPA

[SweetPea21]

@ Chandru1
 
Utah State University does a post-bachelor program online. If you take a full course load you can complete the classes in one year, or you can space it out to just one class a semester if needed.

 

They request that you have a 3.0 gpa to apply but you can always contact the program advisor Brynne Davies (comd.distance@usu.edu) and ask her any specific questions you have regarding GPA and admittance. It is a great program and is decently priced. 

 

Best wishes on your SLP journey!

 
https://comd.usu.edu/htm/distance-education/online-post-bachelors-degree/post-bach-applying/online-post-bach-degree-seeking

[cosmicblast]

Out of curiosity, what are some programs y'alls consider less competitive?  From what I've seen:

• Jackson State
• GVSU
• Idaho State
• University of Central Arkansas

I'm asking because I've applied and been rejected to 5/7 of my schools (tomorrow is April 15!!!!) and I don't feel my stats necessarily make me the most outstanding applicant.  I addressed my low GPA in my statement, and discussed my community involvement (volunteer work), involvement in the field (I've collected about 100+ direct contact hours and 25+ observation hours), as well as my involvement on campus.  I'm feeling pretty down about all of this because I expected at LEAST one wait list.  So it looks like I'll be reapplying for spring and fall semesters.  Any advice would be so helpful!

 

 

Congratulations on everyone's acceptances! 

[twinguy7]

Out of curiosity, what are some programs y'alls consider less competitive?  From what I've seen:

• Jackson State
• GVSU
• Idaho State
• University of Central Arkansas

I'm asking because I've applied and been rejected to 5/7 of my schools (tomorrow is April 15!!!!) and I don't feel my stats necessarily make me the most outstanding applicant.  I addressed my low GPA in my statement, and discussed my community involvement (volunteer work), involvement in the field (I've collected about 100+ direct contact hours and 25+ observation hours), as well as my involvement on campus.  I'm feeling pretty down about all of this because I expected at LEAST one wait list.  So it looks like I'll be reapplying for spring and fall semesters.  Any advice would be so helpful!

 

 

Congratulations on everyone's acceptances! 

 

 

I would add Eastern New Mexico University, Montevallo, Southeastern Louisiana University, Fort Hays State University. 

 

I would definitely apply to GVSU and ENMU for spring!  Hope there is some good news out of those last 2 schools!

[caterpillar]

Out of curiosity, what are some programs y'alls consider less competitive?  From what I've seen:

• Jackson State
• GVSU
• Idaho State
• University of Central Arkansas

I'm asking because I've applied and been rejected to 5/7 of my schools (tomorrow is April 15!!!!) and I don't feel my stats necessarily make me the most outstanding applicant.  I addressed my low GPA in my statement, and discussed my community involvement (volunteer work), involvement in the field (I've collected about 100+ direct contact hours and 25+ observation hours), as well as my involvement on campus.  I'm feeling pretty down about all of this because I expected at LEAST one wait list.  So it looks like I'll be reapplying for spring and fall semesters.  Any advice would be so helpful!

 

 

Congratulations on everyone's acceptances! 

 

While my husband was rejected from U of Southern Miss, I'm still not entirely convinced it is a particularly competitive school based on its stats in Edfind. That being said, in his rejection letter, USM said:

 

"Keep in mind that there are also other regional programs accredited by ASHA (including Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi University for Women, the University of South Alabama, and Southeastern Louisiana University). Many of these programs do not have applicant pools as competitive as ours, and the requirements for admission tend to fluctuate significantly from year-to-year."

 

So that list may also be something to look into - we also looked into a couple of those programs and had them on our initial list of possible to-applys as they seemed to be not especially competitive, but crossed them off for other reasons. 

[dial1010usa]

Cosmicblast- You are not alone, my daughter hasn't heard from 5 schools and all are in CA. She and I both are very nervous. I keep telling her if she hasn't heard, it might be a good news at the end, trying to be positive. She hasn't heard from her own school yet.

 

I believe in whatever happen there is always reason behind it. Believe in God and yourself.

 

Congratulations to those who got in and all the best to those who are still waiting.

[Chandru1]

I would look into doing a postbac program to show you can improve your grades/GPA

 

 

@ Chandru1

 

Utah State University does a post-bachelor program online. If you take a full course load you can complete the classes in one year, or you can space it out to just one class a semester if needed.

 

They request that you have a 3.0 gpa to apply but you can always contact the program advisor Brynne Davies (comd.distance@usu.edu) and ask her any specific questions you have regarding GPA and admittance. It is a great program and is decently priced. 

 

Best wishes on your SLP journey!

 

https://comd.usu.edu/htm/distance-education/online-post-bachelors-degree/post-bach-applying/online-post-bach-degree-seeking

 

Thank you for your responses! I have been looking into a few postbac programs, and I'm really liking Sacramento's second bachelor's program (though they still aren't sure if they're doing spring or fall admission :/), and I just read that for University of Oregon, as long as you have a bachelor's degree, they'll accept you for your postbac! I'm trying to avoid online courses, and I don't mind moving. 

[ballerina18]

I'm going to grad school! OMG!

 

I got the call today notifying me that I was pulled from the waitlist for the Idaho State University Meridian SLP graduate program! I was pleasantly surprised to get the call! I didn't think grad school was going to happen for me this year. Meridian was my second choice, but I am thrilled. They said they would notify me if a spot opened up for the online program (my 1st choice), but there are 8 other people ahead of me for the online program so I'm pretty sure Meridian will be my grad school home! I couldn't be happier.

[twinguy7]

I'm going to grad school! OMG!

 

I got the call today notifying me that I was pulled from the waitlist for the Idaho State University Meridian SLP graduate program! I was pleasantly surprised to get the call! I didn't think grad school was going to happen for me this year. Meridian was my second choice, but I am thrilled. They said they would notify me if a spot opened up for the online program (my 1st choice), but there are 8 other people ahead of me for the online program so I'm pretty sure Meridian will be my grad school home! I couldn't be happier.

 

 

CONGRATS!!!!!