LORs and application improvement

[Getmeintogradschool]

So I'm considering applying for a third time.. The only thing is that I don't even know who to ask to write LORs anymore. I'm currently taking an online phonetics course, so I guess I could ask that professor. But I feel like it looks bad bc it's only an online course. Should I ask old professors? ( I've been out of school for a yr and a half) I've also been trying to get into volunteering at a hospital for the past 2 months, but their process is super slow. I've reached out to countless slps to volunteer for but either they don't get back to me or they can't have me help due to privacy reasons. I really want this but I feel like I just keep hitting wall after wall. Any suggestions to improve my app would be greatly appreciated. Stats are gpa: 3.26 gpa major: 3.6. Graduated cum laude after transferring schools. Gre is v 152 q 147 w 4. 

[esopha]

Can you contact the professors who wrote you letters before, list what you've done to improve your application, and see if they'll consider writing you another one?

I can also commiserate about having difficulties finding places to volunteer. When I was living in the midwest, everywhere I emailed was happy to help and even offered me volunteering opportunities, and now that I'm back on the east coast, it's maybe one out of five places that will email me back. It's hard not to read stereotypes into it... (And I'm saying that as an east coast native.) Do you have observation hours already? What about working at an assisted living facility or a senior community center? You can do all sorts of things there, read books, play card games, etc, and they're adults, so no privacy concerns!

[LillyZebras]

Have you considered volunteering abroad? I think that would strengthen your application much more than volunteering locally. An obvious one would be to improve your GRE score. If you're out of school you can devote more time to studying for it. Perhaps contact old professors who you would like LORs from and ask if you could potentially help with any research (this could be tricky because you've finished classes but worth a shot). That lets them get to know you better. Esopha has good recommendations for working with geriatrics. If you're more interested in kids, then consider ABA or being an SLP assistant. Personally, I would take a break of from dealing with applications this semester and focus on what you can do to improve your application if this is what you really want. 

[Getmeintogradschool]

Yeah I've contacted about 12 places in the summer, and heard from none. It's hard to believe that people who were in the same boat won't give others a helping hand. I currently work as a mental health worker at a psychiatric hospital so I think that adds to my app, we often use aba therapy which I will touch on in my personal statement. I def am thinking about doing the gre again it's just so expensive! This whole process is so expensive. But good idea about asking to help research! I'm fed gonna try that