LOOKING GOOD ON GRAD
SCHOOL APPLICATIONS:
How do I showcase myself to
the best advantage?
This is posted on my
website
• Under the Courses link
• Click there for more information
First of all, no matter
what:
• Apply to more than
one school
• Even if you have a
4.0 and speak five
languages, you will
sleep better at
night if you do not
put all your eggs in
one basket
Remember that good
grades are important…
• But they are not the only thing!
What we don’t want:
• Droids who are excellent testtakers but do not have
experience with people
Keys to success
include:
Volunteer Work
• Remember, we look for
variety
• We are interested in
work with individuals
across the lifespan
• We ask: have you been
engaged with people of
different ages?
Volunteer work should
not…
• Take over your life
• Cause you to study less
• I recommend telling places that
you can come 1-2 hours a week
and no more
Even 1-2 hours a week
• Can be very
helpful
The volunteer work…
• Does not have to be directly
in speech-language
pathology
• We are concerned about
seeing that you have worked
directly with people
Volunteer work
• From junior high and high
school definitely counts!
• Start making a list of all you
have done
• Remember—church
activities count too
When you volunteer…
• You will be asked to do a lot of
humble chores like xeroxing,
filing, and other duties
• Do NOT be arrogant and refuse
to do these chores—it gets
back to us, and our opinion of
you goes right out the window
Ideas:
• Soup kitchens
• Homeless ministries
• Outreach events—e.g. Special
Olypmics
• Work at a local elementary
school—volunteer in a classroom
Go to a local senior
home and volunteer 1
hour a week
Many churches have
ministries:
•
•
•
•
Teaching Sunday school
Mission trips (e.g., to Mexico)
Visiting elderly shut-ins
Serving the homeless
• And more! 
In Sacramento…
• Mustard Seed school for
homeless children
• You need to volunteer at least
once a week for 3 hours
Sacramento Reading
Partners:
• www.readingpartners.org
• You read with a child one hour
once a week at a local school
(grades 2-5)
• 26 hours of 1:1 with an adult can
boost a child’s reading scores by a
full year! Very exciting! 
There is also…
• The Sacramento Crisis Nursery
• They serve children from birth to
5 years of age
La Familia Counseling
Center:
• Is a wonderful organization in South
Sacramento that reaches out to
families who need to be empowered
to overcome adversity
• There are tutoring opportunities
• Contact David Banuelos:
• DBanuelP@delpaso.seta.net
Opening Doors Inc.
• www.openingdoorsinc.org
• This organization serves the needs
of refugees and human trafficking
victims in the Sacramento
community
• They need people to tutor English
90 minutes once a week
Sacramento Food Bank
and Family Services:
• http://www.sacramentofoodbank.org
• They have phenomenal programs
with clients who are culturally and
linguistically diverse
• You need to do a 1-hour orientation
and get fingerprinted
• They will pay for ½ the fingerprinting
(you pay around $15.00)
Examples of some of the
food bank’s programs:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mother-baby
Clothing donations
Food service
After-school tutoring
Adult ESL classes
Adult literacy tutoring
Art therapy classes for abused
women
Nancy Barcal…
• Is a local SLP with a private
practice specializing in stuttering
• She needs volunteers every Weds.
PM to converse with her clients
who stutter
• Call her at (916) 797-3307
• www.granitebayspeech.com
Check Craigslist!
• Go to the upper lefthand corner
where it says Community
• Click on the Volunteers link
We also look for
multicultural experience:
• Have you worked (paid or
volunteer) with persons from a
diversity of cultural and linguistic
backgrounds?
• Begin recording the backgrounds
of those you work with
• If you speak another language,
terrific
We look at:
• Scholarships, awards, and other
commendations
• For example, you might be a
member of Phi Kappa Phi, Golden
Key, etc.
• If you are on the Dean’s list, make
sure you write that down too
Look at your life:
• What are you doing right now that
counts as people experience?
• Do you care for an elderly
grandparent? Teach Sunday
school? Serve as an assistant team
mom for your son’s soccer team?
Try to obtain continuing
education opportunities:
• Attend seminars (e.g., UCDavis)
• Sacramento Speech and Hearing
Association (SASHA) is local,
cheap, and has excellent
speakers—and student discounts!

• www.sacasha.org
We look VERY highly
• On involvement with NSSLHA
• This includes being a member,
attending meetings, and going to
the NSSLHA conferences
You can also…
• Volunteer in our clinic Supply
Room
• This is awesome experience, and
looks really good on your grad
application
• Contact David Gleason at
dgleason@csus.edu
Good luck-• The world needs
you!