Am I okay, or maybe not?

[LaChanteuse]

Hi all, I go to Ohio State U &  I just got on this forum today. I must admit I'm a little freaked out after reading several posts!

 

I just wanted to get an idea of where I stand or if I'm in trouble here...

I do NOT have any research experience, however I have volunteered throughout college (but these experiences were not directly connected to my major).

 

My overall GPA should be 3.5 at the end of this semester when I graduate & my major GPA should be a little higher than that. I got off to a rough start at the beginning of my freshman year (back in Fall 2010) however I have been on an upward trend ever since (this summer I had a 4.0 for the semester & fall was 3.91) Will this help me?

 

After graduation I plan to study for/take the GRE. I plan to have one gap year (starting my application cycle this fall). I plan to stay in the Chicago area.  I found some schools in the area that don't require 3.5, but rather they accept lower GPAs. So, I'm just looking for any opinions or advice.

 

Thanks!

[lisa19]

I would say a 3.5 is a good GPA and many schools will focus on your last 60 hours or look at the overall trends in your grades. Research experience is not necessary I don't think, since research is not for everyone. I'm sure any volunteering is good and you can use your gap year (along with any free time this semester) to gain even more experience in the field!

[LaChanteuse]

@lisa19 Thanks for the reply! I'm open to any ideas as far as "application builders" for this spring/summer/fall before sending in the applications. I can't lie, I'm scared.

[lisa19]

If you have any interest in research, you should definitely look into that. Any work experience with children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities both looks great on your resume and will be excellent preparation for your future. Some ideas are babysitting or tutoring. Also join NSSLHA if your school has it!

[autismadvocate]

That's what I've done with my gap year - I've been nannying children with autism who receive speech therapy. It's been a great experience, and I think it helps the applications, too. You can find special needs children to care for on Care.com, which is what I did.

 

But, yes, you sound like you'll be fine. All of my schools asked for my last 60 hours GPA, along with the overall, so they can use that to see upward trends. I'd say even somebody with a 2.0 GPA overall that had a 3.98 last 60 credit hours would still have great odds of getting in because the last 60 hours counts for a lot.

[LDadvocate]

Hi all, I go to Ohio State U &  I just got on this forum today. I must admit I'm a little freaked out after reading several posts!

 

I just wanted to get an idea of where I stand or if I'm in trouble here...

I do NOT have any research experience, however I have volunteered throughout college (but these experiences were not directly connected to my major).

 

My overall GPA should be 3.5 at the end of this semester when I graduate & my major GPA should be a little higher than that. I got off to a rough start at the beginning of my freshman year (back in Fall 2010) however I have been on an upward trend ever since (this summer I had a 4.0 for the semester & fall was 3.91) Will this help me?

 

After graduation I plan to study for/take the GRE. I plan to have one gap year (starting my application cycle this fall). I plan to stay in the Chicago area.  I found some schools in the area that don't require 3.5, but rather they accept lower GPAs. So, I'm just looking for any opinions or advice.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Make sure you have awesome LORs to go with that GPA. Ask them in advance like 2 months (maybe even 6 months, I had a professor that made a list a semester before she gave letters because she had a cutoff)  It's terrible when you THOUGHT a professor would recommend you but find out they can't and you are left racing like a chicken without a head for your next recommender. I can go on and on about this but I will overkill in this post. haha

 

 

That's what I've done with my gap year - I've been nannying children with autism who receive speech therapy. It's been a great experience, and I think it helps the applications, too. You can find special needs children to care for on Care.com, which is what I did.

 

But, yes, you sound like you'll be fine. All of my schools asked for my last 60 hours GPA, along with the overall, so they can use that to see upward trends. I'd say even somebody with a 2.0 GPA overall that had a 3.98 last 60 credit hours would still have great odds of getting in because the last 60 hours counts for a lot.

 

autismadvocate, how do you find out your last 60 hours GPA? Did you go to registrar or something?

 

Edited February 8, 2014 by LDadvocate

[LaChanteuse]

Thank you for the replies (autismadvocate & LDadvocate) I really do appreciate the advice and information. I didn't know about Care.com but I will definitely try to use that! I have some ideas of who I would like to write my letters of rec, however I am hoping to talk with them and see how well they think they could write one (I'd like to know upfront where they stand) - at least I have a bit of a report with one of them, the second one is in development & the third is just a possibility. I'm freaking out a little about what I'll even write for a personal statement.

[autismadvocate]

 

autismadvocate, how do you find out your last 60 hours GPA? Did you go to registrar or something?

 

Haha, no, I didn't even think of that! I just looked at all my grades, figured out what my last sixty hours were, and then did the math myself. (A or A+ = 4.0, A- = 3.67, etc...don't use my numbers, though, it varies by school.)

 

 

Thank you for the replies (autismadvocate & LDadvocate) I really do appreciate the advice and information. I didn't know about Care.com but I will definitely try to use that! I have some ideas of who I would like to write my letters of rec, however I am hoping to talk with them and see how well they think they could write one (I'd like to know upfront where they stand) - at least I have a bit of a report with one of them, the second one is in development & the third is just a possibility. I'm freaking out a little about what I'll even write for a personal statement.

 

You've got a little while to figure the personal statement out. If it helps, I found FSU's letter of intent prompt to be a common thread of the prompts for all the schools I applied to - check theirs out and start thinking in your head how you would respond. http://commdisorders.cci.fsu.edu/files/2011/06/SCSD_letter-of-intent.pdf

 

If you find there are areas of your imaginary letter of intent (response to this) where you are weak or don't have much to say, then that's good guidance for what you can be working on.

[hopefulspeechie16]

Does anyone know if the grades from the prerequisites play a great part in acceptance? Some of my prerequisites are not in the last 60 Hour quarter...

 

That's what I've done with my gap year - I've been nannying children with autism who receive speech therapy. It's been a great experience, and I think it helps the applications, too. You can find special needs children to care for on Care.com, which is what I did.

 

But, yes, you sound like you'll be fine. All of my schools asked for my last 60 hours GPA, along with the overall, so they can use that to see upward trends. I'd say even somebody with a 2.0 GPA overall that had a 3.98 last 60 credit hours would still have great odds of getting in because the last 60 hours counts for a lot.

[autismadvocate]

You know, it's weird but I don't remember my schools asking for my CSD GPA, just the last sixty hours. So for my schools, at least, that would only be factored in on your overall GPA.