Chances of getting into grad school

[helenaaa]

Hi all,

I am currently a Junior pursuing my Bachelors degree in Communicative Science and Disorder (CSD). My overall GPA is 3.3, which I know is really low compared to others who are applying to SLP grad programs but part of why my overall GPA was so low is because I was a different major and decided to switch to CSD last semester. I have volunteering experiences at a hospital for an year doing some basic paperwork and assisting patients during their recovery, worked at a lab as a research assistant and have some tutoring experiences. I have not yet taken the GREs but planning on taking it later this year and then again during the summer of 2017. My dream grad schools to get into are University of Washington, NYU, Columbia (Teacher College), and MGH. I know my chances of getting into these schools aren't high but I still want to give it a shot and apply. I'm open to any suggests that you think I would need to work before I apply. Thanks in advance!

[fadedfigures]

The big answer here is whether you are looking to pursue a Master's degree or a PhD. I will answer each separately, since you didn't mention what your goal degree is.

If you are aiming to get a Master's degree, you are on the right track. A 3.3GPA is fine, as most schools will simply want to see above a 3.0GPA. You can easily explain your major change in your application, and/or you have another year to pull that GPA up to a higher range. Your research assistantship and your volunteering experience are both positives. You should work on emphasizing whether your volunteering experience directly relates to what you want to do with your graduate degree. You said you assisted patients with their recovery. How so? Did you do so in a way that relates specifically to what you'd want to do with your graduate degree?

Now, if you are looking to get a PhD, you have a more challenging path ahead of you. The schools you want to apply for are R1 school, meaning that they are the top of the food chain in terms of research productivity. The best of the best aim for these schools, and you can bet they have high GPAs, solid GRE scores, relevant experience (and, in some cases, a MA/MS already). It is true that GPA/GRE is not the ultimate deciding factor in these applications, but schools receive hundreds of applications a year for 6-12 spots. Thus, they will look for any reason whatsoever to axe a student. You need to pull up that GPA, kick ass on your GREs, and provide a good explanation as to why your GPA is where it is at. In addition, you need to continue gathering more relevant experience, especially as a research assistant. One of the most important experiences you can have is research experience, as these programs are research-intensive and want to see that you have that research training. That's how you can stand a chance at these sorts of programs. It may be best to spend a year working and also gathering additional research experience.