Advice for applying to Grad School

[kjzslp]

So, I've been freaking out lately about having to soon apply to grad school. Currently I have a 3.5 GPA and I will be going into my senior year at West Chester University. I'm involved in many organizations on campus, and have a leadership position in one of these groups. I work as a Teacher's Assistant at The Goddard School and also am a group leader at a summer camp for children with developmental disabilities. I'm so scared I won't be accepted into any graduate programs and I am looking for some advice! Thank you!

[clmogel]

Your GPA just made the mark for being considered as competitive. If you have at least a 4.5 on GRE writing and combined score of 307 on SAT you will have a chance at Towson University. Maybe waitlisted for your GPA though. Most GPA averages on the East Coast are 3.75. You should check on the individual school websites on this information though. See how many applications they have received over past two years and see if you meet their averages. If you meet them all, then you are a good candidate and should apply. Don't apply to West Chester's SLP program. They have lost their accreditation in the past, which has left students stranded to find another program.

[jpiccolo]

My best advice is to start early and to research programs thoroughly. Find out where your GPA and GRE scores fall in their range of accepted students and be flexible on where you apply if possible. I think part of the reason I did not get accepted the first time around is I really didn't apply to the right schools. I applied to several top-ranked schools and my undergrad, all of which can be tough to get into (in my case). With a boosted resume, higher GRE scores this year, and the right schools, it worked out very well for me this year. 

 

Also take a look at some other threads that are a little older. Several other people have been looking for help and there's a lot of great advice in some recent threads. Good luck!

[hopefulslp2b]

It may seem impossible to get in but have faith! I know it may not sound like actual advice but I drowned in anxiety thinking I wouldn't get in but you'll end up where you need to be. Research schools get good letters and work on your GRE! It all seemed easier when you actually start doing it instead of just thinking about it.

[hopefulslp2b]

Oh and work on your statement early and really show your passion for the field, what your interests are and what it is about speech that will drive you to be a great grad student

[cdawson92]

So, I've been freaking out lately about having to soon apply to grad school. Currently I have a 3.5 GPA and I will be going into my senior year at West Chester University. I'm involved in many organizations on campus, and have a leadership position in one of these groups. I work as a Teacher's Assistant at The Goddard School and also am a group leader at a summer camp for children with developmental disabilities. I'm so scared I won't be accepted into any graduate programs and I am looking for some advice! Thank you!

 

Don't freak out! My overall GPA is slightly lower than yours, and I've been accepted by two schools so far. Getting into grad school is a lot more than your grades and GRE scores (though those are important).

-Make sure you bulk up your Resume as much as you can with Lab experience, varied volunteer experiences, related jobs, etc. ANYTHING that you can put on your resume to demonstrate your passion for and experience in the field.

-Make sure you study hard for your GRE and leave yourself plenty of time to retake it if you feel the need to, prior to applying (I took mine twice before applying). 

-Research prospective schools THOROUGHLY. Make sure the schools you are applying to are REALISTIC prospective schools. You can even email schools beforehand and politely give them a run down of your profile (GRE Scores, GPA, experiences, etc.) and ask them what your chances are of getting in are. (I did this at all he schools I was thinking about applying to and it was extremely helpful)

-Develop relationships with your professors so that they know you well enough to write you strong, personal letters of recommendation

-DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. Always make sure you start everything early - asking for rec letters, starting applications, taking your GRE, etc. Do everything early on! There's nothing more stressful than trying to get everything done last minute.

-Don't freak out about getting into "Top" schools. The fact is, SLPs are extremely in demand these days. So the place where you get your Master's degree isn't all that important in regards to your chances of getting a job. Most everyone from any school has a job before graduation in our field.

-Apply to as many schools as you can manage/afford in order to maximize your chances of getting in somewhere!

-Lastly, don't freak out! You will get in somewhere!

[jmk]

Also- I would email programs to see what GPA they look at. If your cumulative is a 3.5 but your last 60 units a 3.8, you may want to put your time and resources into schools that focus on your last 60 units GPA instead. 

[Michelle_Mabelle]

Apply to as many schools as possible. I had a 3.6 GPA. 305 Q/V GRE. 5.0 AW. I applied to 16 schools (California, Texas, Portland, Tri-state) and only got into 1. Apply, apply, apply. Research schools that focus more on last 60 credits if that helps. Volunteer work in the field if possible. It may seem very expensive to apply to a bunch of schools (it is), but all you need is one acceptance and you're good to go. Good luck! 

[Slp1268]

I would agree with applying to many schools. I applied to 10 (Indiana, Illinois) I got accepted at 3, rejected at 2 and wait listed at 5. (Gpa 3.7, GRE 315 Q/V, 4.5 AW). I think your SOP is also critical.

[CBG321]

Apply to as many schools as possible. I had a 3.6 GPA. 305 Q/V GRE. 5.0 AW. I applied to 16 schools (California, Texas, Portland, Tri-state) and only got into 1. Apply, apply, apply. Research schools that focus more on last 60 credits if that helps. Volunteer work in the field if possible. It may seem very expensive to apply to a bunch of schools (it is), but all you need is one acceptance and you're good to go. Good luck! 

 

Well that is scary!  Congrats on having an acceptance though!  How strong would you say your letter's of recommendation were if you don't mind my asking?  Oh and what the above poster said with the letter of intent was yours pretty strong?  How much volunteer experience would you recommend?  I only ask b/c I don't yet know my GRE score or final GPA so i'm trying to focus on what I do have control of at this point.  I'll keep my list pretty large though after hearing this.

Edited May 2, 2015 by CBG321

[BNJ2017]

I don't think you necessarily need to apply to a lot of schools. Just do your research and apply to schools that you believe you have a good chance of getting into (average GPA is around yours, Average GRE scores are ones that yours fall into). I have a 3.6 GPA, a 305 V/A combined GRE score, and 4.5 on writing and was accepted into 2 out of the four schools I applied to. It will save you a lot of money and stress if you just pick a few schools that you feel you will most likely get accepted to. I only applied to four because I didn't have a lot of money to spend on application fees but if you have the money and don't mind spending it on those fees, then apply to as many schools as you want!

[jmk]

^^ I completely agree. 

 

If you put forth the effort emailing programs and finding which ones match your GPA/GRE, you are in a much better position than blowing 2k on app fees to schools that are close by or have recognizable names.  

 

I would email programs instead of relying on ashaedfind or even the school's website. 

[MangoSmoothie]

Quality over quantity, for your applications. 5 amazing applicantions that you poured your soul in to is better than 15 that you just used CSDCAS for and changed one line of each SOP to put in the school's name.That isn't to say apply to the Top 5 programs in the country and be done with it, no. Apply to schools that fit you, you are interested in, accept people in your range, and be able to articulate clearly why you want to go to these places. And write it in your SOP That speaks volumes and is a much better use of time than applying to all the schools you can. I applied to 12 schools, which was too many, but I'm coming from a less competitive academic background, so it seemed worth it to me. Realistically, I wish I had applied to 8. By doing 12, I was very near the quality of my applications, particularly my SOPs, decreasing because it was just too much work to put 100% in to all of them. Besides that, the financial cost of applying to 12 was ridiculous; I can't imagine more.

 

The more research you do and the more programs you visit (if possible), it's easy to see which schools will fit you and your interests.