<p>I am in my second semester of sophomore year as a Communication Sciences and Disorders major at the University of Maine. I intend to go into a speech-language pathology graduate program. I wish to go somewhere else, but I will be applying at UMaine's graduate program as an option, though it's not a guaranteed acceptance. In my career, I would like to work with children. I have looked at the University of Maryland - College Park, and FSU, among others.</p>
<p>My first year of college, I did VERY poorly. I started off as a Biology major, simply because I had no clue what I wanted to do but did not want to be undeclared. I took four classes and failed three (CHY 101, ENG 101, and pre calc), and got a D- in BIO 100. I let college get the best of me, and I regret it.</p>
<p>Since then I have figured out what I wanted to do and have created goals for myself. I have taken six classes a semester and have received good grades, and I intend to get my GPA above a 3.5. My concern regarding GPA is that I intend to only retake ENG 101 and pre calc. I do not have the math or science background to successfully retake Biology and Chemistry. I struggled hard with both, and they did not capture my interest enough to put in the extreme effort to even get by with B's and C's. Will these classes hold my GPA back?</p>
<p>This aside, I want to know what I can do to increase my chances of getting into these competitive programs. How can I get field experience and strong recommendations? Would it be helpful to take a foreign language? I am currently double-minoring in Child Development and Equine Studies.</p>