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Smyth Hall

The Word: Preparing for Graduate School

Grades are an important factor in graduate school admission. Even though graduate schools look at more than your GPA (such as activities, GRE scores, faculty recommendations, etc.), grades still play a major role in their decisions. A word to the wise: maintain a good GPA throughout your entire college career. DO YOUR BEST!!! Most graduate schools are looking for a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher

Begin your search for graduate school in the Junior year. ASHA-CAA accredited graduate schools provide all of the coursework and practicum necessary to prepare you for eligibility for the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence, and the graduate programs in New York all also target the requirements for state licensure. As such you will be well served in any of these programs. There are, therefore, a number of things you'll want to keep in mind as you conduct your search. Note: Some of these may be easily obtained from the college's or program's web site, some may require a call to the program, and others may require some general inquiry of other sources. Things to think about as you search:

  • What are the entrance requirements?
    • What is the minimum overall undergraduate GPA?
    • What is the minimum undergraduate major GPA?
    • What are the recent average GPA's of accepted applicants ?
    • Is the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) required and, if so, how are the scores used?
    • How does the program factor in other activities?
      • professional work experience
      • non-professional work experience used to support you through your undergraduate program
      • professional clubs/activities
      • other activities that demonstrate leadership or responsibility
  • Where is the school located?
      • upstate/downstate
      • urban/suburban/rural
  • What practicum experiences are available and how easy is it to get to them?
  • What specialty areas of interest are available within the curriculum?
  • Is the program full time only or are there a part time options?
  • How many credit hours are required?
  • What's the tuition per credit hour?
  • Are assistantship/fellowship opportunities available?
    • What are the criteria?
  • What is the average time-line for completion of the program?
  • Does the program admit only in the summer/fall semester or is spring entry possible?
    • Are the entering class sizes different for fall v. spring entry?
  • What's the time-line for applications?
    • What are the deadlines for submission?
    • When does the program review applications?
    • Is there rolling admission?
    • What is the response deadline once the program notifies you of a decision?
  • What type of housing is available?
    • What's the typical rent for off campus housing?
  • If you are considering going on for a Ph.D. you might want to pick a Master's program at a school that also offers the Ph.D.

Just as you did with searching for an undergraduate program, if possible, you should visit each graduate program in which you are interested. Because in many instances you will not be living "on-campus" as a graduate student be sure to leave enough time during your visit to tour around the area.

Graduate Record Exam

The GRE: General Test and Writing Assessment should be taken in your junior year. This allows you to take the test again if you're not satisfied with your scores. If you choose to wait until your senior year to take the GRE, please be aware that it takes 6 weeks for the test scores to be processed and received by your graduate schools.

The GRE is a computer based test administered on approximately 30 test dates worldwide each year. You MUST pre-register: Download information and registration from www.gre.org.

The test has three sections: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. Each section focuses on skills that are necessary for success in graduate school. The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning score scales of the revised test (October, 2006) are 110-150, in one-point increments. The analytical Writing section is scored using a six-pint holistic scale.

To help student prepare for the GRE, sample questions for the revised test and other materials are available on the GRE Web site.

Letters of Recommendation

Most graduate speech-language pathology or audiology programs only want to see letters of recommendation from faculty and supervisors. Occasionally a letter from an employer is also a good idea, but only if it speaks to your abilities as a professional. Click for additional information about letters of recommendation.