# I'm not getting into Grad school (rant)



## ChelseeTee

So I pretty much hate my life right now... I'm about to go into my senior year of college as a Speech Pathology major and I've started the application process for grad school & I'm starting to think that I'm not going to get accepted anywhere...

Grad schools are looking for students with good grades, good GRE scores, excellent letters of reccommendation, related work experience/community service, and leadership experience, etc.

I have none of the above.

My grades aren't _bad_... I have been able to maintain a 3.1, but that doesn't make me stand out from other applicants.. 
My GRE scores SUCKED *** eventhough I studied really hard for them. I couldn't afford to take a class but I did research the test and studied on my own.. I'm just not freakin good at those kinds of tests! 
I have NO idea who I'm going to ask for my letters of reccommendation besides my boss. I need 3 letters and I barely speak in class so idk which of my teachers is going to write me one.
I have had jobs.. though NONE of them are related to the field of Speech Pathology.. and I haven't done any community service...
And as for leadership experience? HA.. thats HILARIOUS :lol

Ugh I just feel *SO STUPID *for not thinking ahead for all this stuff.. I don't see why any grad schools would accept me! I wish I would have AT LEAST sucked it up and did some community service last semester.. then I would feel a little bit better. At this point I just wish I could get a re-do and start college all over again.

...Anyone about to begin college right now that happens to be reading this.. don't make the same mistakes I did. :no:cry

**edit** I completely forgot that I dropped to classes freshman year... two W's on my transcript to lower my chances even more.... I'm hopeless lol


----------



## MojoCrunch

Kind of had a similar thing happen which resulted in my complete lack of confidence towards graduate or professional school. I screwed up any chance I had of getting into professional school simply by dropping out for a little while, graduating late, my GPA not being a 3.5 or above, and most of my jobs were also not completely related either. Sort of. I wasn't exactly stellar and all my competition was. I didn't even take the GRE yet b/c I was too scared. Thus my hopes of grad school are on the back burner.

I definitely know what you mean about wanting a redo on college. Wish I could do that. Would have actually went a completely different route.

But no worries b/c you still probably have time. The great thing about getting into schools is that having excellency in one area can make up for other areas. You can still get a job related to the field, or look for post Bachelor's type of internships. A lot of times if you sincerely work hard at your job and make contacts, grad school may still not be out of the question. A 3.1 isn't perfect but it can still get you into grad school. If the GPA thing bugs you, you can always retake classes to raise it.


----------



## ChelseeTee

MojoCrunch said:


> Kind of had a similar thing happen which resulted in my complete lack of confidence towards graduate or professional school. I screwed up any chance I had of getting into professional school simply by dropping out for a little while, graduating late, my GPA not being a 3.5 or above, and most of my jobs were also not completely related either. Sort of. I wasn't exactly stellar and all my competition was. I didn't even take the GRE yet b/c I was too scared. Thus my hopes of grad school are on the back burner.
> 
> I definitely know what you mean about wanting a redo on college. Wish I could do that. Would have actually went a completely different route.
> 
> But no worries b/c you still probably have time. The great thing about getting into schools is that having excellency in one area can make up for other areas. You can still get a job related to the field, or look for post Bachelor's type of internships. A lot of times if you sincerely work hard at your job and make contacts, grad school may still not be out of the question. A 3.1 isn't perfect but it can still get you into grad school. If the GPA thing bugs you, you can always retake classes to raise it.


Thank you for the reassurance ...I'm gonna start looking for some type of community service I could do this semester... hopefully I can put that on my resume & it will look a little bit better to the schools im applying to


----------



## uffie

I dont mean to sound like a downer, but getting into a speech pathology grad program with those grades will be extremely difficult; they are very competitive. That's just the reality of your situation.


----------



## MojoCrunch

^^
I'd say if you're really serious about grad school (right now I'm not which is why I'm just focusing on work) the best things you could do to significantly increase your chances are

- get internships or jobs related to the field and work hard at them and make contacts for good recommendations
- retake classes. Will help raise your GPA and you can try to get out there and make an impression on a few teachers so that you can secure good recommendations there as well.

Is it still possible to retake the GRE or have you already taken it a few times?

Yeah, your situation isn't the best as said above, but you can still take the time to fix it. It's never too late. I thought I was done for when it came to any hopes of grad/professional school but my professors and employers told me this which kind of helped. You'll have to work hard, but if you do it you'll benefit a lot.  What, you're only 21 so I'm assuming you're embarking on your senior year of college? You have plenty of time. A fifth year wouldn't even hurt if you have the funds and are serious about this. Good luck.


----------



## lonelyjew

Trying to get into a competitive program is pretty much universally stressful and can be difficult, but I people tend to psyche themselves out unreasonably, which is probably more damaging to your chances than anything else. 

I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's all on you, and if you give in to your doubts and give up now, the chances of you becoming a speech pathologist are going to become much smaller. You have to stop telling yourself you won't get in, and start actually working on getting in. Speak in your classes, ask and answer questions, join some school society and try to take some sort of leadership role (you don't have to do a good job, but try), find volunteer opportunities (they're everywhere, maybe tutoring kids since that's leadership as well), and kick butt in school this last year, and study your butt off for the GRE to do well on it the second time around. Also, don't be afraid to take a year to beef up your resume if you find it necessary.

No good thing comes without effort, and rightfully so. You don't want crappy people in the medical field, and so you have to show that you are good enough (and you are) to get into it.

edit*
Also, one thing you might have going for you is that you're black and female. That isn't to sound racist, it's just a fact that schools often, regardless of laws against affirmative action in many states, will try to improve diversity, and make it easier for certain people to get in, and women and African Americans tend to have it easier vs. say male Indians and Asians.


----------



## seafolly

lonelyjew said:


> No good thing comes without effort, and rightfully so. You don't want crappy people in the medical field, and so you have to show that you are good enough (and you are) to get into it.
> 
> edit*
> Also, one thing you might have going for you is that you're black and female. That isn't to sound racist, it's just a fact that schools often, regardless of laws against affirmative action in many states, will try to improve diversity, and make it easier for certain people to get in, and women and African Americans tend to have it easier vs. say male Indians and Asians.


^All that.

It's kind of like veterinary college. If you're a guy, your chances are better. Why? Pretty much every female student at the University of Guelph intends to apply. The number of male applicants is significantly less and the school wants to round it out. Which is fine - a lot of the female grads have zero confidence in what they do I've noticed. :sus But the guys need to work their butts off too. The college wants to know they're passionate about the career, that they're worth accepting over the hundreds and hundreds of other applicants.

But yes, it's all on you. And it's not too late. Jack up your grades and follow the advice here. An old housemate of mine didn't get into post-grad nursing because she took really difficult classes in her last year (organic chem, biochem 2, the third physiology, etc) when most people would have done it earlier so her GPA was slightly less than they wanted. So she's postponing graduation and is redoing some courses but also taking easier ones to raise her GPA. She's also volunteering in related fields and is showing her enthusiasm for nursing in every way she can. That girl's going to make it.


----------



## ChelseeTee

Thank you everyone for the advice!! I guess if I don't get in to any schools next year I will do another semester/year to raise my grades and get some experience.. I've been looking up some community service I could do when I go back to school so hopefully that works out with my schedule!


----------



## laura024

Start rounding out your grades and volunteer/research experiences. I bet your college can even help you find some opportunities. If you have to get a tutor for the GRE, or search for more study guides, then do so. Take lots of practice tests. The more you prepare, the more comfortable you'll feel taking it....even IF you're not good with standardized tests. Make a vow to raise your hand at least once per class, and go see a professor or two during their office hours. Try to find professors whose personality matches yours best and whose classes you excel in most. Hard work really does pay off in the end, so try to keep a positive attitude. Also, most grad schools have a spot on the application where you can explain any special circumstances. I don't think it would hurt to tell them you how far you've come in terms of desire to attend grad school and what you're doing to turn things around. Yes you may not be accepted this year, but it doesn't mean you're out of chances. For now I say keep building your credentials and apply to mainly the less competitive schools.


----------



## theJdogg

All is not lost. It may take a little longer than you hoped it would, but you shouldn't give up. Can you find a job in the speech-pathology or related field for a couple years to gain some experience and a reference? Even if the pay sucks, it may be worth it. Four years ago, I graduated with a BA in liberal studies and literature. My gpa sucked. I think it was a 2.8 or something like that. I wasn't really concerned about it because my anxiety was much worse back then. It was a daily battle just to make it to class. I'll make a long story short, In a week, I start grad school. I'm going to earn my MA in School Counseling. I felt the same way you did. I thought that there was no way I could get in, especially after hearing that the group of applicants were very qualified. If I can get in, I'm sure you can. You just have to keep at it. I also had a friend who wants to be a physical therapist. She was determined to go the local university and not out of state. The problem was that the local program was one of the most competitive programs in the country. She applied for four years straight and got in just this year. It happens, but you have to be patient. Me, I did the same dumb thing as my friend. I only wanted to go local too. Good luck!


----------



## Dark Alchemist

I has **** GRE scores too but got into three grad schools out of the four I applied to (not into my first choice but I did get into two of my top three). 

My GPA was roughly a 3.2


----------



## raphael89

Dark Alchemist said:


> I has **** GRE scores too but got into three grad schools out of the four I applied to (not into my first choice but I did get into two of my top three).
> 
> My GPA was roughly a 3.2


May I ask where you applied to and got accepted to?


----------



## KristenSimone

I feel your pain.

I graduated in 2009, applied to 5 grad programs and got into 0! BUT...I had a 2.87 GPA in my undergrad coursework (I spent my last year planning a wedding and became SO distracted!! UGGHHH!) and ended up with a 3.11 overall....so you have a better chance than I do. I took two years off and worked as an volunteer English teacher, became a mommy, and moved to AZ. I know that ASU's program in competitive but I am going to try anyways:/ ...and GRE scores...forget about.

Keep us posted!


----------



## blue the puppy

i don't want to come across as harsh, i really don't. but OP. if you don't have great grades and test scores, do you think you will be able to cut it in grad school? grad school is a _lot_ of work, and if you struggled in undergrad, you will probably find grad to be difficult as well. (that being said, your courses in grad school are much more tailored to your interests, so if your GPA was brought down by required courses or something, then what i just said may not be true). grad school is also not a good place to have social anxiety. just trust me on that one.


----------



## laura024

blue the puppy said:


> grad school is also not a good place to have social anxiety. just trust me on that one.


:afr This is why I'm in counseling for my anxiety right now.


----------

