Experience For Grad School?

[ainsworthk7259]

Hi folks,

So I just transferred into a CommDis program, and I am receiving good marks: but I am wondering about certain facets of the grad school application. For example, student research at my school is incredibly hard to come by: this is because there is a large number of CommDis majors at my school with frankly, all of the same qualifications, so the chances of any student(even with good grades) being accepted into one of these positions is few and far between. Is there a way to offset this in my application, or any organizations that allow students to participate in research?

Additionally, I am wondering about what is considered an "average" resume for grad school, and also what is the top standard. I have had some experience working with children, and I am doing a ten week internship with an autism program next year. I plan on doing tutoring, as well as doing a weekly program as a teaching assistant with The Literacy Project(A program which helps both highschoolers and adults graduate with a high school diploma). I am also a member of the NSSLHA chapter at my school. However, I feel that these things seem sub-par at best on my application. I am attempting to get a job working as a PCA one-on-one, but those jobs are also hard to come by in my area. Any advice or ideas?

Thank you for your time! 

 

[snoves]

Research is really subjective to the program, from what I've read. Some programs are very research-based and it's very helpful to have experience in that area; others aren't necessarily looking for it. While it can only really strengthen your application, I wouldn't be extremely stressed about it. There are plenty of people who get into grad school in this field with little/no research experience.

There isn't an average or standard application honestly. There are people on these forums that had average or meh GPAs/GRE scores but great work/volunteer experience, and people who have great grades and some experience and they all got in! There isn't a secret formula to a good application, especially since different schools are looking for different areas of strength. Your experiences, as far as I've read, are more important in showing that you have an interest in the field and so that you have something to write about in your personal statements that makes you stand out. I would use ASHA's edfind search engine and see what programs interest you, and base your application baseline for "good" vs. "average" applications off of that.

If you are getting good grades and have volunteer/work experience, then you'll probably do just fine. It sounds like you are doing very well for yourself and that you will have a lot to mention on your SOPs! I know that it's hard to not be stressed out about grad school in this field, but you're going to be fine. Keep your grades up, study for the GRE when it comes time, and keep looking for opportunities to add to your CV!