My chances of getting accepted?

[Gabby]

I'm so nervous about not getting into grad school. I feel like my application won't be good enough. I have a 3.75 overall gpa but I'm not sure about the major gpa. Haven't taken the GRE yet but I'm hoping for a 300. I'm in three clubs, including NSSLHA which I'm the treasurer for. I've worked as an aide for children with special needs the past three summers in which I also got to observe speech therapy sessions (I should mention that I want to work with children when I become an SLP). I do extracurricular activities at home too, as well as occasionally babysit. I have the work experience and have observed outside of the required hours, but I'm afraid that it's not enough to get me accepted. Can anyone give me some advice?

[charlemagne88]

I think the biggest thing apart from your GPA (which is fine) and your GRE scores when you take it is the letters of recommendations. You'll need three -ideally from professors in SLP who will attest to your dedication to the field and ability to be successful in graduate school. The other thing is your statement of purpose and/or personal statement dictating your proposed area of research and how you will accomplish this in grad school. I would suggest start working on both of these things asap. I spent a lot of time in my professors offices throughout the semester getting help/advice and drafting and re-writing my statement of purpose. I'd suggest reaching out early in the semester so that you can secure those LORs. 

[thespeechblog.com]

I would really agree with what @charlemagne88 said about personal statements - get started ASAP on some drafts and get lots of feedback on them. It is such an important part of your application that most people tend to overlook or underestimate the importance of. After the numbers game is over, I feel like SOP's make the biggest difference. I've got some posts on my blog about what I think should go into an SOP, and you'll be able to find lots of other resources out there too. 

Also, start planning your LOR's strategically (more posts on my blog about this). This about which professors can comment on which things and try to get a diverse perspective. You wouldn't want all 3 LORs talking about your great clinical experiences. You'd ideally want one focused on clinic, one on academics, and one on research or something. They don't have to be those 3 categories, but you want to diversify. 

Also, prep hard for the GRE. It is too expensive to just say "I'll try it and see." I recommend doing at least one full practice test (better 2) before taking the exam. I used Magoosh and loved it (there's a full review on my blog), and even if you don't pay for it they offer a lot of really good free resources like their vocab builder app or their blog.