What If...

I was looking at the stats of my blog today and saw this under search keywords: "what if I don't get into slp grad school". Well, it's that time of year again and I've seen many "what if... " posts on facebook and I wanted to explore what you can do if you don't get into SLP grad school this time around.

I remember obsessing thinking about this a lot around this time last year. I had 3 grad school apps in and the waiting game was killing me. I thought a lot about what I was going to do if I didn't get in... there were so many "what if's" zooming around in my head!

So, what do you do if you don't get in this year? First off, don't give up!! If this is what you really want to do with your life, you should not give up on it just yet. There so are many things you can do!

You could start with looking into programs that offer spring admissions. Cohorts tend to be smaller, but it may be less competitive because most apply for the Fall. Eastern Michigan University is one such school and here are a few others: University of Colorado - Boulder, California State University - Fullerton, University of Central Florida, The College of Saint Rose. There are more universities out there with spring admissions and even a few with summer, EdFind is a good place to start looking for others.

Then there's the GRE. Yeah, that test sucked and should be abolished, but apparently many grad schools believe that if you do well on the GRE you will do well in grad school (and of course it's the deciding factor between two very similar applicants). If your scores are not up to at least the minimum standards of the schools you want to apply to, then it might be a good idea to retake that dreadful test. I took the GRE twice (the old version and then the new, current version) and I'm glad I did. I don't think I would have gotten into grad school with my first test scores.

You could also look for schools that don't require the GRE or will accept the MAT in its place. Here is a list I found on the Speech and Language Pathology Live Journal board.

Other things you could do to strengthen your application for next year is to retake any classes with lower grades either through your undergrad program or look into a post-bacc program like USU and La Salle University. There is no reason you shouldn't retake classes to raise your gpa. Both of the old and new grades will show up on your transcripts, but this can show the admissions committee that you are trying to do everything possible to improve your grades.

Look into post-bacc programs and certificates or see if you can take graduate classes as a non-matriculated student in areas that complement SLP. I was looking at Central Michigan University's graduate certificate in gerontology as one of my back-up plans.

Become a volunteer and get involved in community service. There is so much you can do here to strengthen your application: volunteer at a day care, youth home, adult day care, an SNF or nursing home, hospital; get involved with a reading and literacy program; become an English tutor for ESL students or just become involved with other types of tutoring; become a mentor, a Big Brother or a Big Sister... there are so many possibilities and opportunities for volunteering and community service that can be related to SLP and look great on a grad school application.

There's also job shadowing and observing. Scope out the SLPs and AuDs in your community who are willing to let you job shadow them for a day or two. Most of us had to complete 25 hours of job shadowing as undergrads, but why not gain more observation opportunities in as many different settings as possible. See if you can sit in and observe different support groups (double check to make sure that this is okay first!!), like an aphasia support group or a stuttering group. These are great experiences to write about in your SOP.

Try to find an SLPA job and gain some hands-on experience in the field. One of the people in my cohort worked as an SLPA in the Indiana school system for a year before reapplying to grad school. Arizona, Colorado, and Minnesota are some other states that use SLPAs. You can go on ASHA to see if your state uses support personnel like SLPAs and what the requirements are.

You can find a job in a field that is somewhat related to SLP. Work in a day care, a preschool, be a teacher's aid/para-pro, babysit. Become a CNA (certified nursing assistant) in a SNF. Many CNA programs only take a month or two to complete.

Go overseas and teach English! There are a few people in my cohort who did this. One of my classmates taught in South Korea for a year, another spent some time Chile, and another one in Mexico. I taught English for 5 years in South Korea and I loved it! This was of course before I discovered my love for speech-language pathology. If you do go this route, do your research!! Talk to current teachers, find out which recruiters to use (my advice, if you have to pay for a recruiter, don't use them), and again research, research, research. A great place to start is with the job and message boards on Dave's ESL Cafe. Here are the direct links to the international job forums and the Korean job forums. Teaching English in another country is a great experience and it looks great on an application.

Apply to more schools next time. I only applied to 3 schools and in the midst of my "ZOMG I'm not going to get into grad school, why did I only apply to 3 schools whatwasIthinking?!!" multiple panic attacks, I knew that if I had to reapply I was going to apply to at least a dozen the second time around! If you can afford it and you are flexible on locations, apply far and wide. Look closely at the stats of each school and see if your stats match up or are at least close.

Also, apply to online programs. This is a good option if you don't have many SLP grad schools near you and you can't move because of other commitments. You could also mix applications to online grad programs with traditional programs to help broaden your chances.

You could apply to schools overseas! ASHA's Mutual Recognition Agreement recognizes the certification programs of speech-language pathology in five countries: Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

It ain't over 'til it's over and only you can decide when that is.

I posted this question on a couple of SLP facebook groups and here are some of the responses I got:

I applied TWICE to the same school where I received my undergrad degree because I didn't want to go out of state or have to travel far from my home. Didn't get in either time because it was "implied" that they like to diversify their program with candidates from other programs. But I was accepted to an AWESOME online program that turned out to be the perfect fit for me, so it all worked out.

I didn't get into grad school the first time so I took a year to work as an SLP-A before re-applying. I think this strengthened my application significantly and gave me valuable experience now as a grad student!

I applied for I think it was 4 years.. The second last year, I tried an american university (all previous years I tried canadian ones, of which there are only 6 english speaking, 2 of which were 3-year programmes). They messed up my application so accepted me for the following year. If I'd known I could have gotten straight into it, I would have just done that! Was nice to get the work experience as a CDA (like an SLPA but more training and for both SLP and audiology) for 2 years. To further my application, I took more courses that were prerequisites for more of the canadian programmes so I could apply to more of them, as well as getting my CDA certificate and working as a CDA in both audiology and SLP.

I didn't get into grad school the first time. I only applied to two schools the first time and only one the second time and luckily got in. I retook my GREs and I think that made the difference because I already had a 3.9 GPA!

I wasn't accepted to my first choice school and was put on the wait list at the school where I received my undergrad. Was told that I didn't spend enough extra time in the clinic and it was seen as my not being serious about my degree. Didn't matter that I also worked 30 hours a week while taking classes. I later was accepted to a program and the state education department paid for many of my grad classes.

I took graduate classes as a non-matriculated student for a year then applied and was accepted into an AWESOME online program.

I took my elective grad class as non matric student and studied like crazy to bump up my GRE's and got in second time around!

I applied twice and didn't get it. It was very disappointing however I didn't give up, I just applied to Australia. There are so many internationals studying Speech-Language Pathology here b/c it's easy for us to get in.

I applied to graduate school three semesters in a row. The first time I applied it was sort of rushed because I was graduating with my Bachelor's in 3 years, which I thought would show schools I was more motivated and determined to get into graduate school. That backfired. Then, I applied in the Spring semester and at least got an interview! I thought for sure I would be admitted after the interview, unfortunately, I was wrong again. After that, I had considered changing my major, I was absolutely devastated. But, with the support from my family and friends, I changed my statement of purpose, researched schools that I actually had a chance of getting into, and applied a third time. I received an interview, but it was over the phone due to distance and short notice. It really worried me that it would skew my chances of getting in. But, I FINALLY got in! It was the best feeling in the world and it made me realize that if I hadn't applied again, I would be so unhappy with that decision. I am in my second semester of graduate school now, and in my first clinical experience and I can't see myself doing anything else. The application process was long and stressful, but my motivation paid off in the end! 

A last piece of advice for those who are still waiting to hear from schools, follow up on your applications! Email, call, and let them know that you are interested! I am really glad I did, because I was about to be put on the rejection pile at Eastern due to my poor gpa from my first undergrad. I played a bit of phone tag with the head of the department, but finally she left a message for me to email her and explain my 1st gpa. I sent off an impassioned explanation for that gpa and I emphasized my life experiences, my USU post-bacc gpa, and my love for SLP. I was put on the waiting list and then a month later, I was accepted to Eastern Michigan University.