Do I have a chance of getting into SLP school and what type!!!

[grangeca]

Hello everyone, 

First off any and I mean any help would be useful. I graduated college in 2014 with a degree in Psychology from a state school in California. I have within the last year fallen in love with SLP and decided to pursue that. There are a lot of variables to applying, and its hard discussing it with others because they do not understand the complexity of grad school so forums like these are so helpful because I everyone here gets it. 

 

Anyways here is my question I would like to know if anyone has suggestions on where to apply, how realistic my likelihood of getting in is, and what type of program I should try for. Any advice would be appreciated even if it is something I dont want to hear.

 

So my stats are as follow:

Undergrad GPA : 3.492 (argh)

Major GPA: 3.77

I have taken 5 speech pathology general prereqs at a different university and received a 4.0 GPA

I have not taken the GRE's yet.

And I have been a TA for Life-Span Development, shadowed a SLP for 80 hours in a hospital setting, as well as volunteered with three different SLPs in different school settings. Ive also worked in a special education classroom as an aide and have a variety of other volunteer experiences I could mention.

 

So my main questions are...

Since I have some pre reqs done but for most schools not all should I apply for the 3 year track some schools offer? Would this make me a stronger candidate since I have some classes? Or should I be applying to 2 years and see if I can get in on contingency acceptance and finish those classes?

 

Does online classes VS on campus matter?

 

and where should I apply? I would like to stay in California but I know its competitive so I am pretty much willing to go anywhere at the end of the day.

 

Thank you in advance!!!!

 

Edited May 31, 2016 by grangeca
new tags

[Gab - future SLP]

Hello! 

There are plenty of schools to apply to. If there is something specific you are looking for in a program than I would apply to those programs, but otherwise any program is acceptable. For example: I knew someone who knew they wanted to be a SLP in a hospital setting so they only applied to programs that had a M.S in speech, although there is not much of a difference between M.S and an M.A. I applied to mostly all programs that were already accredited. I only applied to two that were in candidancy, one because it was where I went to undergrad and knew the program would succeed and the other because it was brand new and I felt I had a good shot of getting in since many of my classmates from undergrad were getting interviews/accepted and I was on the same level as them. When looking at programs, use ASHA's EdFind and look at the each schools website for information. Many schools will highlight the minimum requirements they are looking for, which is helpful because if you have not reached the requirement, you will know not to even try applying to that school. If possible, attend open houses or information sessions, many times you will get an application fee waiver. Also, if a school has rolling admission, apply as soon as possible. That will show them you are interested and if you are a strong candidate, they will consider you. 

A majority of programs use the CSDCAS application (like the common app in high school) and then there are some schools that have their own application. When you are using CSDCAS, you will send them all of your college transcripts. In your case, that will be helpful because your speech pre reqs GPA of 4.0 from the other university will raise your overall GPA highlighted on the CSDCAS application. Honestly, your undergrad GPA is not awful and do not stress over it. Many schools websites encourage you to apply if you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Also, you have a lot of strong experiences, which is a big plus. If you are applying to any schools that use CSDCAS, do NOT procrastinate. The process to get your documents verified can take a long time, especially if there are issues. 

STUDY for the GRE. It is obviously impossible to know what questions will be asked, but taking practice tests and studying vocabulary words/math equations will help greatly. 

To address your question about the 2 vs 3 year program. I am unsure of that since I did my undergraduate in speech, but you already have 5 pre reqs done which is probably half (maybe 3/4) of the pre reqs needed for programs. All programs follow ASHAs requirements, but some have additional classes they want you to take so look into that also before applying. I say try to finish the pre reqs and apply for the 2 year program. If in doubt, contact the schools you want to apply to and address your concerns/ask any questions. 

I know someone who is in an online program and they like it. She is in a part time program so she does not take as many courses in one semester like in a full time program, but it is three years with only a few weeks for breaks. Also, she had to spend this summer at the school for clinical although the program is an online program. If online grad programs is something you are considering, I would look into all the details.

Lastly, if you do not have anything holding you back, do not be afraid to spread your wings and apply to places out of you state/comfort zone. I applied to grad programs all over the country (for the most part). I start in August and am moving 8.5 hours away. I am nervous, but mostly excited for this next chapter of my life and to gain experience!

I hope this helped! I know from personal experience how stressful the entire process can be. I am grateful I got accepted my first time around so I did not have to go through it more than once, but if I did not, I would never give up because I know this is what I want to do. I hope my personal experiences and findings as well as the information I shared about other people's experiences have made you feel better about grad school. Good luck! 

[grangeca]

Thank you for your thoughtful response !!! @Gabrielle Papandrea

Edited June 9, 2016 by grangeca

[castikat]

Most schools have a different list of prereqs required for admission, so you want to get in straightaway, you're going to have to do a lot of research and emailing program directors to find out what those courses are. It's possible that you will be able to get in and do some makeup courses for your undergrad deficiencies but you are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to the amount of schools that will even consider you with only 5 courses in major.

You still have time to take a few more pre-req courses so you might consider that. The ones commonly required are: normal language development, neuroscience/neuroanatomy/neural bases, aural rehab, hearing science/anatomy, audiology, speech mechanisms/anatomy of speech, child language disorders, and pre-clinical observation. Some programs also require courses in psychology or specific in-major classes. It just depends.

Also, you need to make sure that you have all the ASHA required courses. Those are human/animal biology, chemistry or physics, a standalone stats course (not research methods), and a social/behavioral sciences course such as psychology. More info here: http://www.asha.org/Certification/2014-Speech-Language-Pathology-Certification-Standards/#Standard_IV

Taking online classes vs on campus doesn't matter for pre-reqs. As long as you get a good grade, no one cares which method it was delivered.

That said, the rest of your stats look quite good. Get good GRE scores, write a solid personal statement, and you will have a good shot at admission. If you can find a program that accepts your pre-reqs, that is. But you still have time to figure all that out. Good luck!

Edited June 13, 2016 by castikat