Worried About Reapplying

[dhuffman2013]

Hi there! I just graduated from Bloomsburg University with my bachelors in speech pathology and audiology. I applied to 8 schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania as well as NOVA's online program, but was not accepted. I graduated with a low GPA of 3.02, a major GPA of 3.12, and my last 60 credits GPA about 3.3. My GRE scores were average. I'm planning on applying for my SLPA certification and working for a year, but am worried about reapplying for grad school this year. I'd like to stay on the east coast, but am planning on applying to Arizona State and University of Texas El Paso. Moving that far is not ideal. Any tips?? 

[AlwaysaFalcon]

It took me three times to become accepted into grad school! Don't give up! I would say that getting your slpa certification and working for year is a great idea! . I volunteered the past school year once a week at an integrated preschool. There I assisted the special education teacher with the classroom and got to work with kids with Autism, Down Syndrome and developmental delays. They were also super helpful and let me observe with an slp since I expressed an interest an becoming an slp. I think that really boosted my application I am going to grad school in the fall and I even had a choice between schools   I would use that experience you'll gain and also if you are able apply to schools all over. I found that I had a better time not restricting my applications to a certain region of the country. As a fellow east coaster I found there was a lot of competition there so I expanded my search but I understand if that's not possible. While I am going to school farther from home than I would have liked I figure it is only 2 years of my life and it will get me the degree I want!  Edfind ASHA was my best friend when researching schools. I became really picky and specific with finding schools that my stats fit with and I think that really helped.

[amy.will]

It took me four times of applying to finally get in. Working as an SLPA will definitely help...I was working in a different industry, which was part of the problem for me. If you're worried you won't get in next time, I would definitely suggest applying to a wider range of schools, particularly ones in less desirable areas. I really wanted to stay in the Portland/Seattle area, but then, so do a lot of people...which is why all the programs in those places are so competitive! I'm going to Idaho State and I'm not super thrilled about living in such a rural area...but two years is not a very big sacrifice compared to the decades you'll get to work in your desired field! Plus, every SLP I know (plus people in other healthcare professions) tells me that it really doesn't matter (from a career standpoint) where you go to grad school. 

[slpgirl898]

I exactly know how you feel. This will be my third time applying to graduate school in the fall, and I'm hoping to finally get in... The whole process can definitely be discouraging and so much work,  and stressful but it will all be worth it in the end. From experience I think it is good to get more experience in the field. I retook, and currently retaking classes I got lower than a B in, in the Speech pre requisites. Your GPA won't change but, it good to show that you're working to improve. Also I would email the department heads of the schools you want to show interest in the program. If you have any more questions I can def help!

[Spondee]

Get your GRE up. You need something quantifiable that looks good. 

[CBG321]

On 6/10/2017 at 9:59 PM, dhuffman2013 said:

Hi there! I just graduated from Bloomsburg University with my bachelors in speech pathology and audiology. I applied to 8 schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania as well as NOVA's online program, but was not accepted. I graduated with a low GPA of 3.02, a major GPA of 3.12, and my last 60 credits GPA about 3.3. My GRE scores were average. I'm planning on applying for my SLPA certification and working for a year, but am worried about reapplying for grad school this year. I'd like to stay on the east coast, but am planning on applying to Arizona State and University of Texas El Paso. Moving that far is not ideal. Any tips?? 

So this advice may come across as harsh, but you can't be picky with location and those scores.  Most programs have a cutoff of 3.5 whether they advertise it or not.  Your GRE scores would need to be extremely high to offset your GPA.  Like 315+ high in my opinion at the very least 310.  Even with this stronger GRE I would strongly advise against being picky in terms of location at all.  

You should apply to states that people don't want to live in.  Arizona and Texas are very popular states (as well as other the other states you mentioned).  I think maybe Northern states on the Canada border, or i'd say midwest but those are also competitive, probably less so than anything on either coast.  Also don't reapply until you've raised your GRE scores.  I'm not trying to be discouraging but if your GRE reports show no improvement or attempt at improvement that won't reflect well to an application committee.

This isn't to discourage you, but instead to help you save money until your GRE scores make your application a bit more appealing.  We get re-appliers at my school and if they have made no noticeable effort to improve scores they don't get in.  I wish you the best of luck!  Maybe taking a prep course will boost your GRE!  

[Pjeak]

Instead of concentrating so much of your energy on the GRE, I would suggest spending more time improving your resume/CV. Go out and get experiences! It sounds like your already off to a good start with becoming an SLPA. When you get off from work, don't go home! Volunteer! Maybe on the weekends you can work as a camp counselor at a camp with people who have disabilities. Do as many things as you can to boost your resume. This will show thT you are more than scores. Grad programs want to see what kind of person your really are. I know plenty of people with lower scores who got into grad school because they have a lot of relevant experience. My cumulative GPA was a 3.1, my major GPA was a 3.5 and my last 60 credits was a 3.5. My combined GRE was only 297. But I was very involved in my school and worked at a senior living home for 4 years so this mattered more to admissions committees.  I will say I did get rejected from 1 school but I got accepted to 3. Good luck!

[Pjeak]

To add to my previous post, I would also recommend having a stellar letter of intent and be sure to have a good relationship with the professors who will be writing your letter of recommendation. Don't be afraid to talk about you lower scores in your letter (Not GRE though). In my letter I never made excuses for having lower score at my community college, but instead pointed out how and where I improved. For example, I stated how when I started finally learning about the field I was passionate about, my grades soared up. I also pointed out how a became an academic personal trainer to help students who also had a difficult time with the transition from high school to college. I had a great relationships with the people who wrote my letters of recommendation and I am sure those letters had a lot to do with my grad school acceptances. The GRE is such a minuscule part of your overall application. It is important, but shouldn't be your everything. Hope this helps!

[K8eCastle]

Echoing what someone else said about Arizona and Texas. I'd look into some smaller schools in states that aren't as "popular." Large schools like Arizona State or UT will get more applicants because of the location and the name recognition. Definitely try to get your GRE up but if you can't there are a few schools that don't require the GRE. 

[WannabSLP124]

How did you go about choosing schools you want to apply to? The first time I applied I was not very analytical about where I applied to, I just applied where I wanted to go. Many of those choices were a bit out of my league, and I did not get in anywhere. This time around I researched the stats (GPA/GRE) of all schools I considered and only applied to schools where I met their avg. stats or not far below. Don't waste your money applying to schools you probably wouldn't get into based on your stats unless you have something extraordinary about yourself that makes you desirable to that school. You need to be really honest with yourself and how you look as an applicant. You didn't mention any research, volunteering, shadowing, work experience, or organization - that stuff can help you a lot. It's also helpful to apply to schools that look beyond GPA and GRE. 

Based on the info you supplied, I think schools would look at your GPA and be concerned. Many people can get past a low cumulative GPA with work/volunteer/research experience, doing really well in their last 60 hours or major GPA, outstanding LOR's, coming from another field, or some extenuating circumstances that were occurring while you were in school (working through school probably isn't going to cut it, as MANY people have had to work through school while maintaining a higher GPA). Getting your GRE could help show that you are capable of more, but you are going to really have to sell yourself in other ways. I'm not trying to be harsh, it's just very competitive. I am a career changer and I got in with a low cumulative GPA and a decent but still lower than average major GPA, and it was a lot of work. A lot of research, a lot of writing and re-writing and re-writing, volunteering, making the right connections, etc. If you do look through the results pages of GradCafe you will get a good idea of what people's stats look like who get into programs. Good luck! You can do it, you will just have to put a lot of effort into it!