History Major here, do I have a chance in Hell?

[RobbRobercie]

I am interested in applying for an audiology doctorate program, but I'm afraid I may not be qualified to do so.

I'm two years out of college, with a BA in History and a minor in German Studies. I have strong foreign language competence (German- fluent non-native, and Polish- fluent non-native). I'm a member of Phi Beta Kappa and three other honor societies. My GPA is a respectable 3.7 and I am confident I can get a 1200 equivalent on the revised GRE. I will also have no problem getting great letters of recommendation.

In the two years I have spent out of college I have worked as an Allocator and Analyst for a large national retailer. I have developed strong professional skills, analytical acumen, and various soft skills. I have been successful so far, with two promotions under my belt.

So am I wasting my time with this? I want this more than anything, but do I even have a chance of getting in to a program?

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[put2004injailki]

I am currently a 1st year AuD student, and before starting, I did a BA in Linguistics and German and an MA in Germanic Linguistics--very similar to your background. My GPA and GRE were almost identical to yours. I had great letters of rec, but I feel like I had a few things to make me stand out: research/teaching experience and experience shadowing. After getting here, I think it was the shadowing I did that really helped me out. My experience coming from a non-CSD background was that programs were more than happy (and even excited) to admit people from different academic backgrounds, but they are more inclined to if they have done something to demonstrate that they are serious about Audiology. Don't be afraid to really play up any shadowing you've done, as well as what led you to Audiology, in your personal statement. Since our backgrounds are so similar, feel free to message me if you want any more info. Viel Glück!

 

[RobbRobercie]

I appreciate the insight! Shadowing seems to be my next step. I have a local University that may help me find someone to shadow, but I think I will also call around and see if any clinics would mind for me to take some notes. In your experience, what did you get out of shadowing?

Nochmals vielen Dank! Du gibst mir Hoffnung!

 

[put2004injailki]

I would say the biggest benefit for me, not being from a CSD background, was the chance to see what Audiology is like in real life. You can read about it as much as you want, but until you see it up close and in person, it's hard to imagine what your day to day life will be like. It also gave me a chance to ask questions about what they were doing and why, and where their interests were. Shadowing helped me think more about what my academic and professional interests are, and it also gave me my first insight into just how broad Audiology is.

 

[Ears4Life]

Half of my classmates are out of field and some are not science related at all. As long as you have the drive and show a lot of interest, universities will consider you especially with such a great GPA! Just try to research more about audiology and like put2004injailki said, shadowing and a great personal statement will make you stand out in a good way to the universities! Good luck!

 

[RobbRobercie]

Thanks for the great advice guys!!

 

[saturnein]

My bachelors is in English Literature and I got into an AuD program. My GPA was a little lower than yours but my GRE score was a 1330. I had good letters of rec. and I had done some CSD prerequisite courses prior to applying. I saw my admissions folder and all the professors voted to "admit". There are a lot of people in my program who don't have a CSD or science background.

 

[RobbRobercie]

Well, I'd like to again thank everyone for their input and suggestions! I am in disbelief!... I have been accepted into Montclair State University's Audiology Program. I am so excited! Thank you admissions team for giving someone from the outside a chance!!