Am I doing everything right to get into Grad School?

[JessicaMcKee2]

Hello, My name is Jessica and I'm currently a sophomore majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology.  I have minors in Psychology and Pan-African Studies.  Everyone keeps telling me it's too early to start worrying about grad school, but I can't help it.  My advisor won't give me any indication if I'm on the right track or not.  He is always putting me down, but my gut tells me I'm not off to a bad start.  I have a 3.8 GPA so far. I haven't taken the GRE yet since it's kind of early. I really would just like some pointers on what else I should be doing in order to make myself look more marketable.  I'm a resident assistant at the university I attend.  I'm involved NSSLHA and Operation Smile.  I'm a brother in a co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega.  I'm a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary for making a huge contribution to the residence halls at my university.  I'm also a teaching assistant for a freshman course.  I also have everything lined up study study abroad next summer.

 

Am I on the right track? Are there other things that I should be doing? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I possibly can in order to get in to at least one school, any school.

 

 

Thank you so much.

[debster]

Hi Jessica, I'm writing back to you for two reasons.....First, we have the same last name so maybe we are related ? (lol).  Second, I just got through all this with my daughter who recently got accepted into the six programs to which she applied.  You do seem like you are off to a great start, and good for you for planning ahead.  The only thing I could see missing would be research experience.  My daughter started volunteering in a lab at the end of freshman year, and ended up doing an honors thesis with the same lab professor.  Even if you do not get a chance to conduct your own research, it is a great experience to participate in a lab.  So if your school has research labs, maybe email the professors and ask if you could get involved in some way.  When you do start studying for the GRE (you don't really need to until later next year), I recommend Magoosh online instruction.  Megan did several books, and Magoosh, and she felt that it was by far the most helpful preparation.  Good luck to you!  Feel free to message me if you have other questions

[Chandru1]

You aren't a car, a phone, or some kind of product to be "marketed" to grad committees. You are a person with a lot going for you. I would focus on keeping your grades up, and choosing extracurriculars that you are passionate about, not those that you think will secure admission into a college.

[anslpaday]

You aren't a car, a phone, or some kind of product to be "marketed" to grad committees. You are a person with a lot going for you. I would focus on keeping your grades up, and choosing extracurriculars that you are passionate about, not those that you think will secure admission into a college.

I second what Chandru1 says. One hundred percent.

 

Do things that you are passionate about, and that will be reflected in your resume/statement of purpose/interviews. I spent some time teaching abroad and taught horseback riding lessons as my job while I was in undergrad not because they're 100% related to SLP - simply because that's what I loved to do. Both of those activities became compelling stories to tell in interviews, and I was an interesting and well-rounded applicant because of it.

 

Some of the best advice I got from an admitted student was to only think one step ahead, and not to stress about what you can't control yet. Think about opportunities you can take this year and next year, start casually perusing school sites in a year or so to get a flavor for what the process is like. But more than anything keep your grades up, learn/do new things that interest you, and enjoy the ride!

Edited March 11, 2015 by anslpaday

[limegin]

Hi Jessica! I totally understand your anxiety but I wholeheartedly agree with the other posters.

I did, basically, all the "wrong" things in undergrad. I majored in acting, worked in sports media, and babysat for over a year after graduation before I discovered speech pathology and started a post-bac. On paper I only had one semester of relevant experience (outside of babysitting kids with comm disorders) before I applied to schools. I really believe that my unique background and personal essays (in addition to LOR, GREs, and working my butt off that semester) got me into the second best program in the country.

So keep doing what you love, explore as much as you can, and hopefully you'll see (as I have) that this field rocks because schools want people, and not just a collection of statistics. So far you are doing great!

[jwurth]

Hey Bro!

 

I am also a proud member of APO.   Like everyone has mentioned above, what will really impress grad schools is your grades (so keep that up!) and you being able to show them what you are passionate about.  There are tons of applicants who are doing the exact same extracurriculars because they think it will impress grad schools and if you have one that's not SLP related but something you're passionate about you can really stand out to programs. Programs really want to have clinicians with diverse backgrounds because we will be serving clients from diverse backgrounds.    

 

I have recently been accepted into all of the grad programs I applied to and I think the main thing that helped me is that I got to know a couple faculty members who really gave me some great advice and guidance throughout my undergrad career and the application process (plus some awesome rec letters).  I know its a little awkward to do sometimes but most professors truly want their students to be successful (especially in our field) and if you can find a professor doing research in an area you are interested in I would really recommend talking to them or asking to volunteer a couple times a week in their lab.   

 

Also.

Not sure what university you are from but OSU is hosting APO's sectionals this year for sections 56/57/58/59. So feel free to let me know if you are coming to campus! 

[CBG321]

You aren't a car, a phone, or some kind of product to be "marketed" to grad committees. You are a person with a lot going for you. I would focus on keeping your grades up, and choosing extracurriculars that you are passionate about, not those that you think will secure admission into a college.

 

I totally agree with what other posters are saying.  If 3/4 random peers look at the information and give you advice to not go out of your way, so to speak, to accumulate extra-activities or resume builders I'd consider that.  The Graduate committee might look at the application and say she's doing all this stuff just to get into graduate school.  Which they don't like, even though they kind of force applicants to do these things to try and stand out!  What a catch-22!

 

Maybe look at your activities objectively and ask yourself what does this tell the graduate committee?  Right now it seems to show you are very hard working and busy.   It doesn't really show what got you interested in the program or what outside activities you've done to be sure this is your dream career.   

 

The best advice I ever heard from a friend who is in a really great Graduate school, is that your application should let the program know exactly why you are interested without you having to explain it!  Good luck!

Edited March 11, 2015 by CBG321

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

You've been given some excellent advice so far. Like everyone has said, it is great to have a wide variety of experiences, and a few that really show who you are. I found it beneficial that I come from a different background so I was not a "cookie cutter" applicant that closely resembled many of the CSD applicants who have very similar experiences. It is your job to set yourself apart from a sea of people who are likely very similar. At my interviews I found it very easy to speak about my unique experiences and perspectives from my psychology background, which is very related to SLP. Research is definitely something to get in on, if possible. I completed quite a bit of psychology related research which was a nice topic to speak about in interviews. Many graduate programs also like to see the research experience if you are potentially interested in doing a thesis. 

 

Also, volunteering is very important! I was asked about volunteering and luckily I had some great experiences to talk about from volunteering with stroke survivors as well as at a women's shelter. Your studying abroad is going to be wonderful too. I was asked about multicultural experiences in my two interviews as well. I think you are on track to becoming a great applicant! Your teaching assistantship will also be a great part of your resume. I completed multiple TAs which I think has pulled some weight for me. Keep doing what you're doing and earning good grades! 

 

Kudos to you for planning so far in advance.