Low GPA, what do I do :(

[HopefulFutureSLP2016]

I am currently an undergrad Communication Disorders major in my junior year (second semester junior in a few weeks when spring semester starts) and my GPA, both overall and major, are pretty low and rather embarrassing :/ my overall GPA is a 3.19 and my major GPA is a 3.3. I know this is really low and my chances of getting into grad school currently are slim to none. I plan on working my butt off my next 3 semesters to raise it, if at all possible. I have not yet taken my GRE's but plan on taking them probably the first semester of my senior year and I also plan on studying super hard for it, as well! But, if by some reason I can't raise my GPA very much, i was wondering if anyone had any tips for me on what schools I should apply to where I would have more of a chance of being accepted with my current GPA. I would really appreciate feedback! Thanks!

[timberlake]

Study! You still have plenty of time to raise your GPA. Figure out why you haven't done well before, and take the steps to fix it. GPA and GRE scores aren't the only part of your application. What are you doing to supplement your application? 

[HopefulFutureSLP2016]

Study! You still have plenty of time to raise your GPA. Figure out why you haven't done well before, and take the steps to fix it. GPA and GRE scores aren't the only part of your application. What are you doing to supplement your application?

Well I am in a sorority (Delta Zeta) at my university, which I know sounds pretty redundent and unrelated to our field of study, but our national philanthropy is actually speech and hearing and we do a lot of volunteer work and fundraising for speech and hearing organizations. I am also a member of my university's NSSHLA organization where I do plan on eventually holding a leadership position, as well. I am a volunteer peer mentor at my university and do a lot of shadowing at a nearby children's therapy center when I am home over breaks. Does any of this seem like it would boost my application or should work on doing more?

[lisa19]

Compare your stats to those on ASHA EdFind. Some schools will have higher averages than others. Also pay attention to the percentage of applicants accepted. I had a cumulative GPA below the average of one of the schools I got into, and I think their 33% acceptance rate helped with that. Also, look for schools that focus on your last 60 hours. If you have 3 semesters left and do well in all your classes, that will look really good to grad schools even if it doesn't raise your cumulative GPA a lot higher. If you look through the previous posts on this forum, there are people on here I've seen with low stats who've posted schools they've applied to taking this information into account.

 

In terms of your extracurriculars, I would say quality is better than quantity. You can be involved in 50 different things but not have any strong connections to any of them. Definitely try to get a leadership position at your school's NSSLHA but if you can't, just be an active member. I would say the best thing that my EC's brought for me wasn't a resume booster but was stuff to write about in my SOP. If you can't think of any way you would mention an EC in your SOP then it may not be worthwhile. Having strong experiences in 2-3 ECs will look just as good, if not better, than having 10+ ECs with weak/average experiences.