i think the real question of importance here is whether you are looking into this potential speech pathologist career because you sincerely feel attracted to the opportunity, with your heart as well, not only rationally (as in, whether you feel you want to do it, not just because you can list logical arguments "for", but because you really, really want it), or because you just want to do something, feeling that you can't make your original dream come true. if it' s the latter, i don't think it's a good idea, because, of course, you might follow it through and be successful and even content, in a way, but there will always be that "broken dream" motif in your life, which is never a good thing, since it carries hidden disappoinment with it that creates some bitterness towards whatever you do that has some connection with the lost opportunity. the victories of chosen path don't taste as good as they could, because those are not the victories you craved for, etc.,etc.
and, well, not getting accepted at first try does not mean that you should necessarily give up - i have a friend who went to medschool and failed miserably after the first semester, but instead of giving up just used the free semester for independent studying on the topics she had not done too well in, and applied to the same course again, and is doing great now, and is happy to be where she is.
of course, with this i do not intend to persuade you to leave the speech pathology alone - if that is indeed your new calling, and you feel it in your heart as well as your head, go for it! but, yeah, that is the most important thing that you have to figure out, if speech pathology is the thing for you, or just a plaster on the rejection wound.
