A Scared, Nervous Senior…

[kjordanprice]

I have a 3.9 GPA and I have been really involved as an undergraduate: President of organizations, an internship at the Speech Garden in North Carolina for SLP, sorority, NSSLHA, and other volunteer opportunities. However, here is the big "scare" to applying for graduate school: the GRE. I scored a 138 in Verbal and a 142 in the math with a 2.5 Writing score. Again… 3.9 GPA and a low GRE score. In other words, standardized tests aren't my thing. I am applying to only 3 schools due to specific circumstances. 

 

Is there anyone out there who was, or is, in a similar situation as I am and ended up getting into a SLP grad school program? 

 

And if you didn't, what was your plan B? I am planning on reapplying next year if things don't work in my favor.. but if I continue to get declined, what is another profession (besides Audiology) that SLP students tend to take? 

Sincerely,
A terrified senior in undergrad.  

[alejandro112]

The GRE sucks, but there are lots of books and online courses and materials to help you out. So I would really consider retaking it. Schools sometimes have a cutoff and it would usually be around a combined verbal and math of 300 or higher.

As for backups, you could become a nurse. Some schools have an entry level master's degree nurse intended for people with zero experience, but they may also require you to take microbiology and other science courses. Same with becoming a Physician's Assistant (which also requires clinical experience.)

Your GPA and stats do look really great. So I would just focus on the GRE.

[Jolie717]

So I am assuming that the three programs you applied to all require the GRE?  Do you have time to study for and retake the GRE?  At any rate, one of my professors mentioned that they had admitted someone who scored around a 240 on the GRE.  I'm sure this person was the exception to the rule, but it does happen.  Good luck to you - I hope it works out.

[Rose Garden]

Hmm... The professor must have misspoken because the lowest possible GRE score is 260- 130 for each section.

OP, I think you should retake the GRE.  I shared my experience in another thread; I was rejected because one of my GRE scores didn't meet the school's cut-off.  I got a 153 (V)  and 144 (Q), the school's cut off was 145.  The rest of my application was solid with a high gpa 3.849.  The program that I applied to didn't care about any of that. They never even looked at the rest of my application. That one point did me in. BTW, this isn't supposition on my part, I contacted the department chair at the school and she confirmed it. 

 Just give yourself some time to prepare and study for the retake or maybe take a GRE prep course, if that's feasible. Good luck to you and don't give up.  

Edited October 20, 2015 by Rose Garden

[Jolie717]

Interesting - I never knew that!  Seems strange, though.  At any rate, I think the point my professor was making was that they do look at the whole package, not just the GRE score and they don't have a specific cut-off.  However other programs are like the one Rose Garden mentioned where your app isn't even looked at unless you are at or above a certain score.

[Rose Garden]

Jolie- More programs should approach it that way. I know it's more work for the adcom, but I believe it's a better process for all involved.  For this application cycle, I'm applying and looking into programs that use a holistic approach and staying away from programs with strict cut offs.  I'm retaking the GRE next month in hopes of improving my math score, so we'll see what happens.  

 

[Kanga]

I recommend Magoosh for GRE prep.

JMHO....While I do believe that some (or many, who really knows for sure??) look past a low GRE score with good grades, recs, letter of intent, etc. I think a 138 in Verbal and a 142 in the math with a 2.5 Writing score is lower than I'd feel comfortable with applying to grad school.  When I think of lower scores, I think of those that hover around 290, not below 280. I'd want to bump it up to at least a 290 with a 3 in writing.

Have you looked at your schools on ASHA EdFind to see what the range is for the schools you are applying to? That would give you much more info than asking here.

[ENFPslp]

Hey apply to a school like Loma Linda, they don't require GRE!

[eggfish]

Good job at everything else!  Your extracurriculars blow mine out of the water.  As for the GRE, how long did you study?  If you studied for fewer than 50 hours, I think you should study and retake it.  There is no such thing as simply not being good at standardized tests.  It's all about putting in the time and learning the tricks.  You can read through a strategy book in a day.  I used this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRE-2015-Strategies-Practice-and-Review-with-4-Practice-Tests-Book-Online-/281835188338?hash=item419eafb072:g:jt4AAOxyaTxTTxXU 
Only 5 dollars plus shipping, and the proceeds go to charity apparently.  You could also just go to the bookstore, but that's a lot more expensive.  

If you have a little extra money, I recommend getting a month-long subscription to Magoosh and following their schedule.  Also, vocabulary notecards are your friend.  I made a bunch on quizlet and would just study in between classes.  Memrise is also a good app.  It really made the words "stick" for me.  

[jpiccolo]

It took me two years of applying to get in. It's not impossible! Having a year off isn't bad. I ended up retaking the gre to improve my verbal and had an internship and a job related to the field. I also did a lot more research on schools and doubled my applications. A lot of it I think will be choosing the right schools (not all high brow, not all 'safety schools'). I went from 5 rejections to 6 offers and my gpa was lower. Study hard and retake the gre (use magoosh!) and I bet you'll get in.