Reality Check...

[CBG321]

Hello based on your stats I'd concentrate your applications only on schools that focus on the last 60 units.  Those last 60 units look fantastic...however the cumulative will knock your application out of the running from a numbers standpoint before it even gets looked at for most of those schools. 

The west coast is so competitive that in reality they have to have some kind of GPA cut off regardless of if they tell this to potential students.  Not trying to discourage you by any means as your last 60 units show that you would be successful in graduate school!  Just lending the suggestion to apply smart and not throw away any money.  Good luck!!!

[SLPsingballs]

2 hours ago, CBG321 said:

Hello based on your stats I'd concentrate your applications only on schools that focus on the last 60 units.  Those last 60 units look fantastic...however the cumulative will knock your application out of the running from a numbers standpoint before it even gets looked at for most of those schools. 

The west coast is so competitive that in reality they have to have some kind of GPA cut off regardless of if they tell this to potential students.  Not trying to discourage you by any means as your last 60 units show that you would be successful in graduate school!  Just lending the suggestion to apply smart and not throw away any money.  Good luck!!!

Thank you for your input.  Do you happen to know of any schools in particular that are not west coast that look at last 60 units?  Most of the schools I had selected were because on their admissions statements, or through emails, they claim to look at last 60 units or department GPA the most.  I would love some ideas on where else I should bother applying to.  Again, thanks for your input.    

[Daniel998]

13 hours ago, jessie_lee said:

I don't know how the EWU interview changes from year to year, but I don't remember them asking me any case study-type questions. I was interviewed via Skype, by two people (I think one was the clinic director). I do remember getting some field-related questions, such as "What do you think will be the biggest challege facing SLPs in the future?" Or something to that effect. I wish that I had done more reasearch on the SLP field, in general; I didn't feel very prepared for that.

Also, I remember being asked at least one personal question along the lines of "Who are you outside of the SLP program?" and maybe one about my strengths and weaknesses, and why I picked EWU as a potential grad school, etc.

My interview skills aren't the strongest, so that's definitely a plus that you feel more confident in that area!

I didn't have much related experience, either, except for some volunteer work, but it was a meaningful experience for me, and I milked it for all its worth in my SOP. I did have 3 LOR writers, all of whom were academic. One was from an undergrad professor who knew me well (and I'm pretty sure he gave me a strong recommendation), and the other two were professors from my CSD post-bac program, who had had me in their classes for like 6 weeks.

Rejections aren't fun, but I'm just glad I got into a few programs. I think it worked out for the best, in the end.

I will heed your advice regarding the interviews. I was more worried about being caught off-guard regarding a hypothetical case with a kid who has a phonological/morphological or any type of disorder/impairment since I would most likely mess up with that. That's good to know since all I have are the 25 observational hours but don't have NSLLHA experience, research experience, etc. compared to other applicants on GradCafe.

 

Your 3 letter writers were fine writing to 6+ schools? I am afraid of annoying them if I asked if they can write LORs for 8-9 programs...

[CBG321]

1 hour ago, SLPsingballs said:

Thank you for your input.  Do you happen to know of any schools in particular that are not west coast that look at last 60 units?  Most of the schools I had selected were because on their admissions statements, or through emails, they claim to look at last 60 units or department GPA the most.  I would love some ideas on where else I should bother applying to.  Again, thanks for your input.    

I'm sorry, I don't off the top of my head, if I hear of any i'll post back on here but I can't remember which schools look at the last 60.   Sorry I can't be more helpful!

[jessie_lee]

2 hours ago, Daniel998 said:

Your 3 letter writers were fine writing to 6+ schools? I am afraid of annoying them if I asked if they can write LORs for 8-9 programs...

Sort of. A few of my applications were through CSDCAS, so I think they really ended up doing something like 4-5 LORs, total. Maybe check if any of the programs you're applying to use CSDCAS, as well, as that could lower the number of LOR submissions (if more than one of your universities use it).

 My school professors have a cap on the number of LORS they are willing to write per student (6, I think), so you might want to check and see if your school or profs have a similar policy. 

[Malys]

I'm an undergrad and am also going through the crazy process of applications. I've been floating around on gradcafe for a few years now and thought I would search Portland State tonight. I am also applying to Portland State and have very low stats. I am applying to a total of 6 schools and have a feeling I will not get into any school this time around. I will possibly be taking a break and doing SLPA. I just took my GRE a few days ago for the first time, and it looks like I will have to focus on this and bring up my scores. 148 V and 142 Q. OUCH! My GPA sits at a 3.29. I am wondering if my experience in research, being a volunteer committee member for NSSLHA, and volunteer work with an aphasia recovery center will help me any. I will be keeping up with this post and I wish all those applying this year some luck in this crazy process. 

Edited January 2, 2017 by Malys

[jessie_lee]

2 hours ago, Malys said:

I am applying to a total of 6 schools and have a feeling I will not get into any school this time around. I will possibly be taking a break and doing SLPA. I just took my GRE a few days ago for the first time, and it looks like I will have to focus on this and bring up my scores. 148 V and 142 Q. OUCH! My GPA sits at a 3.29. I am wondering if my experience in research, being a volunteer committee member for NSSLHA, and volunteer work with an aphasia recovery center will help me any. I will be keeping up with this post and I wish all those applying this year some luck in this crazy process. 

Your experience and volunteer work in the field should definitely help! And it's useful for grad school clinic work, as well. Make sure that you allude to your experience in your SOPs (if you haven't already).

If you end up taking some time off, being an SLPA would be an amazing way to get more experience and beef up your application. I would also recommend doing a GRE prep course  (I constantly hear great things about Magoosh) before you retake those GREs!  Sometimes a strong GRE score (especially verbal) can help offset a lower GPA. 

If it makes you feel any better, I got a 142 on my Quantitative section, too. Math is not my friend...

Hang in there! The application process is a pain, but you can do it. Best of luck to you!

[Daniel998]

22 hours ago, jessie_lee said:

Sort of. A few of my applications were through CSDCAS, so I think they really ended up doing something like 4-5 LORs, total. Maybe check if any of the programs you're applying to use CSDCAS, as well, as that could lower the number of LOR submissions (if more than one of your universities use it).

 My school professors have a cap on the number of LORS they are willing to write per student (6, I think), so you might want to check and see if your school or profs have a similar policy. 

I shall. Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it

[Malys]

On 1/2/2017 at 4:10 AM, jessie_lee said:

Your experience and volunteer work in the field should definitely help! And it's useful for grad school clinic work, as well. Make sure that you allude to your experience in your SOPs (if you haven't already).

If you end up taking some time off, being an SLPA would be an amazing way to get more experience and beef up your application. I would also recommend doing a GRE prep course  (I constantly hear great things about Magoosh) before you retake those GREs!  Sometimes a strong GRE score (especially verbal) can help offset a lower GPA. 

If it makes you feel any better, I got a 142 on my Quantitative section, too. Math is not my friend...

Hang in there! The application process is a pain, but you can do it. Best of luck to you!

Jessie, thanks so much! I really appreciate your encouragement. I have been fantasizing about PSU for a while now and it would be a great school for me. My stats are not the best, but I am hoping and praying that I somehow get in. Thank you so much for your feedback. This is the school that's top of my list. I'm ready to make that move from Houston to Portland.

[speechie2b]

On December 31, 2016 at 1:05 AM, jessie_lee said:

I was rejected from the University of Houston, Arizona State, and EWU (after a Skype interview that didn't go that great for me). I was waitlisted at WSU, though, which combines elements of its program with EWU, so I'm not sure how that whole thing would've worked if I'd ended up getting in there. While EWU is competitive, it might be worth a shot, especially if you have some interview skills, ha. It seems less competitive than UW, at least.

The ASU rejection, while possibly due to a variety of factors, was not helped by the fact that one of my profs didn't submit his LOR. It was a different submission than usual (letter writers have to answer questions, rather than submit a document), and I should've kept a better eye on it.

Also, remember that there are a lot of different factors that go into a program's acceptance: you could have some experiences, killer LORs, or personal qualities (for example) that I don't, and that could be an advantage for you.

 

I'm curious as to when you found out that you were waitlisted at WSU ?? Obviously this was last year, but timing seems to be similar this year among many colleges!

[jessie_lee]

On 3/7/2017 at 8:02 AM, speechie2b said:

I'm curious as to when you found out that you were waitlisted at WSU ?? Obviously this was last year, but timing seems to be similar this year among many colleges!

I don't think I found out until mid-April, which seemed late, to me. I heard from the rest of the programs a lot earlier...