Getting into the SLP Grad program.. HELP!

[Yari]

Hey guys, so I am extremely concerned about applying to graduate school for speech and hearing. I just graduate this spring (2016), and I had applied to 3 schools but got denied from them all. I applied to Hofstra, Mercy college, and Columbia. I honestly did it to see if I had any luck, but it backfired. My GPA is not that great, I have an overall GPA of 3.16 and my GPA for speech major is a 3.0. NOT GOOD AT ALL. I am studying to retake my GRE's so I am hoping for higher grades. 

If anybody can help out and give me some recommendations, schools where I can apply, and/or things to change in order to get accepted that would be great! Also I live in New York city, so I am looking into graduate schools on the East Coast. The closer to New York the better. 

[Puffer Fish]

Hi, I haven't been accepted anywhere either (second time applicant woo). I feel your pain; my stats aren't much better.

One major thing you should work on, if you can, is increasing your speech GPA. It's NOT a good sign to grad committees if your major GPA in-field is lower than your overall GPA by any amount at all. Is there any way you can retake classes or take additional courses in-field? What's your non-academic stats like? Have you done any volunteering/etc? If you cannot fix the GPA in any way at all, I think you really need to at least address it in your SOP. Even if it's only a sentence or two. But I'll leave advice on that to people who've actually been accepted to programs. Best of luck to you!

[castikat]

Did you graduate with a speech and hearing/communication disorders undergrad degree? If so, maybe you could take some courses at your school/at an online school/at a nearby school and get an A in each of them to show you can handle grad level work. If you can't improve your speech GPA somehow, you won't get in anywhere. That's kind of just how it is. Low GPA in courses out of field is one thing, but if your speech courses are all Bs and lower, it's not happening.

If you didn't get the undergrad degree (if your degree is in another field), I'd recommend doing post-bacc courses. Either for a certificate, second bachelor's, or just to take as many courses as possible to get that GPA up.

If you CAN improve your GPA, also focus on getting good letters of rec, doing volunteer or paid work with target populations (special needs, children, elderly), anything to get experience in-field, and getting top notch GRE scores. This should be possible in your time off. I'd really recommend not applying this next application cycle with your GPA being what it is. Improve your application to the strongest possible and apply for grad programs starting in Fall 18.

[Yari]

On August 7, 2016 at 10:08 PM, castikat said:

Did you graduate with a speech and hearing/communication disorders undergrad degree? If so, maybe you could take some courses at your school/at an online school/at a nearby school and get an A in each of them to show you can handle grad level work. If you can't improve your speech GPA somehow, you won't get in anywhere. That's kind of just how it is. Low GPA in courses out of field is one thing, but if your speech courses are all Bs and lower, it's not happening.

If you didn't get the undergrad degree (if your degree is in another field), I'd recommend doing post-bacc courses. Either for a certificate, second bachelor's, or just to take as many courses as possible to get that GPA up.

If you CAN improve your GPA, also focus on getting good letters of rec, doing volunteer or paid work with target populations (special needs, children, elderly), anything to get experience in-field, and getting top notch GRE scores. This should be possible in your time off. I'd really recommend not applying this next application cycle with your GPA being what it is. Improve your application to the strongest possible and apply for grad programs starting in Fall 18.

I just graduated with my undergrad degree.. As of now I am working on my GRE's. I am also going to be working in with children in a school. I am looking into volunteering, but I don't think I can go back and retake the courses at my school since I graduated. Thank you for the feedback!

[Yari]

On August 3, 2016 at 9:38 PM, Puffer Fish said:

Hi, I haven't been accepted anywhere either (second time applicant woo). I feel your pain; my stats aren't much better.

One major thing you should work on, if you can, is increasing your speech GPA. It's NOT a good sign to grad committees if your major GPA in-field is lower than your overall GPA by any amount at all. Is there any way you can retake classes or take additional courses in-field? What's your non-academic stats like? Have you done any volunteering/etc? If you cannot fix the GPA in any way at all, I think you really need to at least address it in your SOP. Even if it's only a sentence or two. But I'll leave advice on that to people who've actually been accepted to programs. Best of luck to you!

Yes! I am certainly looking into volunteering, and I will definitely take your advice on addressing these issues to the schools! Good luck to you as well! 

[Yari]

On August 7, 2016 at 10:08 PM, castikat said:

Did you graduate with a speech and hearing/communication disorders undergrad degree? If so, maybe you could take some courses at your school/at an online school/at a nearby school and get an A in each of them to show you can handle grad level work. If you can't improve your speech GPA somehow, you won't get in anywhere. That's kind of just how it is. Low GPA in courses out of field is one thing, but if your speech courses are all Bs and lower, it's not happening.

If you didn't get the undergrad degree (if your degree is in another field), I'd recommend doing post-bacc courses. Either for a certificate, second bachelor's, or just to take as many courses as possible to get that GPA up.

If you CAN improve your GPA, also focus on getting good letters of rec, doing volunteer or paid work with target populations (special needs, children, elderly), anything to get experience in-field, and getting top notch GRE scores. This should be possible in your time off. I'd really recommend not applying this next application cycle with your GPA being what it is. Improve your application to the strongest possible and apply for grad programs starting in Fall 18.

Also if I want to take post-bacc courses, should I take them in one of the graduate schools that I am thinking of applying to or just any school nearby? 

[slporbust2016]

If you already have a CSD, which post-bacc courses would you be taking? Those are usually the pre-reqs for people who don't have the first degree. 

Have you contacted the schools that rejected you and asked what you can do to improve your application? Have you researched schools that might not have as high of GPA cut-offs? Looking at more options and asking schools for feedback might both be helpful. 

Edited August 12, 2016 by slporbust2016

[Yari]

On August 12, 2016 at 6:05 PM, slporbust2016 said:

If you already have a CSD, which post-bacc courses would you be taking? Those are usually the pre-reqs for people who don't have the first degree. 

Have you contacted the schools that rejected you and asked what you can do to improve your application? Have you researched schools that might not have as high of GPA cut-offs? Looking at more options and asking schools for feedback might both be helpful. 

I am getting into contacting those schools. I have been looking into schools with lower GPA's but I still think I need improvement. The post-bacc courses will not be pre-reqs I already took this and got good grades for them. I am only trying to improve my grades for Language development, Diagnostics in communicative disorders and Aural rehabilitation. (Courses might have a different name depending on the school you attended.) But thank you for the advice I will certainly continue to ask questions to the universities and look into more schools.

[Speechster]

You could try to get a graduate level certificate to get graduate level credit and see if that could help show the school that even though you have a low undergrad gpa, that you can be successful in graduate level classes.

[charlemagne88]

@castikat summed it up nicely. 

On 8/7/2016 at 8:08 PM, castikat said:

Did you graduate with a speech and hearing/communication disorders undergrad degree? If so, maybe you could take some courses at your school/at an online school/at a nearby school and get an A in each of them to show you can handle grad level work. If you can't improve your speech GPA somehow, you won't get in anywhere. That's kind of just how it is. Low GPA in courses out of field is one thing, but if your speech courses are all Bs and lower, it's not happening.

It's blunt but to the point. Grad programs in SLP are highly competitive right now, especially at sought after universities -I know people with high GPA's, great LORs and outstanding GRE scores who had little success last application cycle, simply because there are so many people applying for 5-8 spots... you'll be competing with those rejected applications from last year, on top of anyone graduating this year looking to apply.  

One way you might be able to get around this is; I've seen a lot of advertisements lately for MA SLP programs online. Not sure how credible they actually are, but doing an MA in SLP through one of these private colleges could potentially show committees you're up to the task -and these schools seem like they'll take almost anyone as long as their check clears. Might be worth looking into, or as others have said, take one or two graduate level classes and your current institution and reapply in a year.

 

I know it's scary, but I'd want to know these things before I spent ~$700 on application fees, only to get all rejections. Good luck to you!

[SLP advising]

Hi all- just wanted to share a new website I started- http://slpgradschool.com/ (or just enter slpgradschool.com) to help undergraduate speech pathology and audiology students improve their chances of getting into graduate school.  The site has tutorials- videos too- on all aspects of getting into grad school.  I've been in the field for 12 years and have served on two different university admission committees so have a pretty good sense of what schools are looking for.  On the site, I give you lots of strategic ways to improve your chances of getting in and even explain the parts of the process. For example, its the start of the fall semester-- if you are a senior, you should have asked the 3 or 4 people you've identified to write your letters of rec already. Check it out!

 

[AlwaysaFalcon]

As a fellow New Yorker I can tell you that I wanted to stay instate as well. My first round of applications I applied to all New York schools. That backfired and I didn't get in to any of those schools. The second year I applied to New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio because again I didn't want to go out of state. That backfired again. The third year I applied to schools in 25 different states and was accepted into 3 and ended up moving out of state. My point? Apply out of state if you can move. It is only for 2 years and then you will be done and can move back home and start working! This is how I looked at it and it worked! You have a better chance of getting in if you open your mind to the possibilities! Apply to schools that take less applicants. You have a better chance of standing out this way. Don't give up!