NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Well, scheduled another GMAT for January. I will nail it this time.
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Is there an MBA. graduate, doctorate crowd here on GAF?
- Thread starter Dr. Feel Good
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Can you get into a master's program with a sub 3.0 cgpa? I know i have little to no chance but i was just wondering... For a program in health policy or something along those lines..
Also does it only depend on undergrad? For example would they take into account experience/research prospects after the undergrad or is it 100% undergrad dependent?
I still have a year to go, but If anything i'm going to start looking for a job now.
Also does it only depend on undergrad? For example would they take into account experience/research prospects after the undergrad or is it 100% undergrad dependent?
I still have a year to go, but If anything i'm going to start looking for a job now.
terrisus
Member
I got into an Education Master's program with a 2.7 undergrad GPA
in Mathematics
Ended up with like a 3.7 GPA in my Master's. It was a breeze compared to my bachelor's.
terrisus
Member
Also, on a disappointing note...
I had been trying to redirect my life after my stroke and dropping out of my PhD program in Education...
Had applied to Georgia Tech's OMS CS program...
I got my rejection letter today =(
Meh... I know I have a Bachelor's and a Master's (and a bunch toward a PhD) already, it's not like I need another degree or something...
Basically I should just go out there, learn what I need to know for computer programming, and just start doing it...
But, I'm just so used to the structure of a degree program...
And, I had really been hoping that this would work out =(
Ah well...
C'est la vie...
I had been trying to redirect my life after my stroke and dropping out of my PhD program in Education...
Had applied to Georgia Tech's OMS CS program...
I got my rejection letter today =(
Meh... I know I have a Bachelor's and a Master's (and a bunch toward a PhD) already, it's not like I need another degree or something...
Basically I should just go out there, learn what I need to know for computer programming, and just start doing it...
But, I'm just so used to the structure of a degree program...
And, I had really been hoping that this would work out =(
Ah well...
C'est la vie...
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
I got accepted into my masters of Physiology&neuroscience program with a sub 3.0 gpa and I didn't not take the GRE. Maybe I got extremely luck I had 3 amazing letters of recommendations, strong upward trend in my higher level science courses and according to my advisor and interviewer "my GPA doesn't reflect my organic chemistry grades"
Edit: my undergrad cgpa was 2.7ish, Sgpa was 3.5ish, and my current gpa is the program is 4.0
terrisus
Member
You didn't not take it?
So you did take it then!
I didn't need to take the GRE for my Master's program either.
Although, I did need to have passed the MTELs (teacher licensure tests in my state)
iRAWRasaurus
Banned
Nan I never taken the GRE. I should have taken the GRE tho. It was on the requierment list for one of the masters program I applied for. Frankly I did not believe I would have been accepted so I never took the GRE. A few months later, i recieved the acceptances letter and email for the interview.
Bay Maximus
Banned
I can only speak of what I've seen with MBA programs. It's definitely a hurdle, but one that could potentially be overcome. I'm in a top 10, full-time MBA program and have met a number of people with lackluster GPAs. The rest of your app will have to be flawless though. Stupid high GMAT/GRE score and compelling essays. Still, it can be done.
I do believe that schools take into account major (english is much different than engineering etc.) and prestige of undergrad.
Good luck wherever you choose to apply.
Jack Remington
Banned
MBA here. Happy to answer any questions.
I had almost exactly a 3.0 GPA in undergrad, and didn't have the greatest resume, but I got into a top 15 program. Biggest issue is your story. They have to believe you when you explain why an MBA makes sense for you based on your previous experience and your career goals moving forward.
Also, try to score above 700 on the GMAT.
I had almost exactly a 3.0 GPA in undergrad, and didn't have the greatest resume, but I got into a top 15 program. Biggest issue is your story. They have to believe you when you explain why an MBA makes sense for you based on your previous experience and your career goals moving forward.
Also, try to score above 700 on the GMAT.
What do you study at a MBA? Seriously, i have no idea.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
700!?
:/
I scored 500 the first time. This time, I'm shooting for 600 minimum, I have a solid two months before I have to take it.
Dat heavy $250 test fee :/
My GPA is 2.9, I have no work experience outside of the job I've been doing since I was 19, and no volunteer or club experience. I'm pretty nervous about that.
What was your "story"?
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
This is a dumb question but for those of us who went to a cc then transfer. How do schools view your GPA. Are the last 2 years seen as more important? Is it just a matter of averaging out the GPA between the schools. How does that all work out.
TunaMarshmallow
Member
The STEM people I know are doing great. The non-STEM people (most of them anyway) aren't sure the advanced degrees were worth it.
terrisus
Member
I did the "2 years at a Community College, and then transfer to a 4-year University to complete degree" thing.
Obviously things vary case by case, but, in general it was viewed as one thing for me.
How was the job demand right before graduation?
I'm debating going down the PhD road.
I don't really want to go through the undergrad song and dance, again. Especially as an engineering student, where everything is amped up to 20x.
But (some) of my profs and quite a few PhD students are vehemently telling me to (1) not go, (2) seriously don't go, or (3) consider very, very carefully.
That's making me hesitate. D:
I don't really want to go through the undergrad song and dance, again. Especially as an engineering student, where everything is amped up to 20x.
But (some) of my profs and quite a few PhD students are vehemently telling me to (1) not go, (2) seriously don't go, or (3) consider very, very carefully.
That's making me hesitate. D:
Collete
Member
Hey since this is graduate GAF i have to ask...Did anyone get into graduate school with less letters of recommendation than required?
I ask this because, I have 2 professors that are willing to do the letters and the remaining one has not responded to me and my other professor rejected me flat out.
I don't know what to do if I don't have that one professor replying back to me...Is my prospects of getting into grad school nil now?...What are my options at this point?
I ask this because, I have 2 professors that are willing to do the letters and the remaining one has not responded to me and my other professor rejected me flat out.
I don't know what to do if I don't have that one professor replying back to me...Is my prospects of getting into grad school nil now?...What are my options at this point?
Ooouch. Was he or she blunt about it?
I'm gathering references for med and got rejected by 2 individuals. I.. don't know if I should be worried that that states something about me. o.0
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Most universities will not review your application if you do not submit everything required. Your better option is to find a non-professor for a reference (a boss or trusted community member who can refer you). In addition, you should contact the department and follow up in person with the professor; professors have certain obligations to respond to that kind of request. Not that the professor has to do the reference, but that they have to say whether or not they'll do the reference.
If you literally can't get anyone as a final reference letter, you should contact the grad schools you're applying to and make it clear that you're having trouble meeting the requirements of the application but otherwise think you're a strong candidate, and you wanted to know whether you should apply or not.
You might also consider delaying a year and forming a closer relationship with some profs in the mean time.
Have you try asking a TA to write you a letter, and then get the professor to sign it?
Collete
Member
It was more passive aggressive really. He was just trying to find an excuse to get out of it cause apparently "you didn't do the correct writing for me to do a recommendation".
Which is BS
The problem is with this professor that hasn't responded back to me...He moved to California when he used to be in Texas. So it'll be near impossible to meet him in person right now. But for whatever reason, he isn't responding to my email...I even sent him an email this morning asking him to reply back to my first email I sent two weeks ago =|
I'm thinking of contacting each graduate school if by the end of the first week of Decemeber he hasn't responded back.
The problem is trying to form a closer relationship with the professors is I already graduated earlier this year, so it's not like I can take courses right now and form relationships with them.
I dunno...I feel kinda screwed...=\
I don't even know who the TA's were for that professor...or if he even had a TA. The professor was a PhD student when he was teaching the class I attended. He never said anything about having a TA.
*sigh* Maybe my dream is dead and I'm just worthless after all that I couldn't do anything...
To be honest I would read this more as "I can not in good faith recommend you". Try contacting other professors asking them for letters, and attach the work you did in their classes to your emails. You have had classes with more than 4 professors right?
mullet2000
Member
I'm working on a Master of Information for the next two years, focusing on Archives & Records Management.
A bit slow going right now, but first semester is a bit broad. Next semester is looking more interesting/focused.
Also it's a course-based Masters so It's relieving to not have to worry about a thesis.
A bit slow going right now, but first semester is a bit broad. Next semester is looking more interesting/focused.
Also it's a course-based Masters so It's relieving to not have to worry about a thesis.
Collete
Member
I did, but the problem is, they want recommendations from specific courses (AKA courses related to the program I'm trying to apply to) and here is where it lies the problem because I took 5-6 courses in my undergraduate that is related to my Master's I'm trying to apply to (one professor taught two courses which I took both of them and that is the one that rejected me):
1 professor is out of state at the moment (which is the one that won't respond)
1 professor rejected me because I didn't do the style of writing he wanted
2 professors accepted to do my letters
The last professor literally slept with my classmates and was never heard of again from the university.
And the other one is out of country and has no contact email or any other contact means necessary.
So yeah...I'm kind of in a dire state now...
Try to contact every professor where you did a decent job on their curses. The worse that will happen is that they will say no.
What's MLIS!?
It's a bit odd that they want letters just from totally relevant classes. Usually they are preferred, but by no means actually required. Try getting an unrelated professor to write your letter. Then contact every school you are applying to and let them know the situation. Mention that most of the professors from your field that could write letters are currently indisposed, and talk about it a bit in your statement. I think that would be the best you could do in your situation.
Dr. Feel Good
Banned
Finally going for MBA program this year. I said screw it on full time and am doing part time. Literally just relocated down to Los Angeles a couple days ago to start my new job and hoping to apply for round 2 for UCLA and USC. I would love to get into UCLA but my GMAT is only a 610 (tried twice... too much anxiety during that test, fuck my life) so I think it's going to be a long shot. I have solid recommendations and I'm comfortable with my essay's along with a 3.53 undergrad GPA in Finance, but who knows, 610 just doesn't seem good at all.
Also filling out these applications I feel really worthless. I have nothing to contibute to the "Awards" section.. do I have a CPA? No. CFA? No. Patents? Nope. Really makes me feel like I haven't been doing anything.
Also filling out these applications I feel really worthless. I have nothing to contibute to the "Awards" section.. do I have a CPA? No. CFA? No. Patents? Nope. Really makes me feel like I haven't been doing anything.
Contact the program you are trying to apply and explain your situation, and hope that they will accept a letter from another professor or someone else in the field. Try asking other people in the department such as TA. If a professor is teaching at another school, contact him at that school.
Masters in Library & Information Science, though nowadays it goes under a lot of different names since a) marketing wise 'library' isn't a popular term and b) a lot of what some programs (including mine) do aren't really library related. Taking out Library and leaving Information in is more popular for newer programs, I think.
Random question for pursuing a doctorate - is it uncommon to apply for one at a school where you didn't do your Master's / apply not immediately after graduating from your Master's? I'm pretty sure if I do pursue it, it would be right away and at my current school, but hypothetically if I waited a year and applied to another institution, would this be abnormal?
mullet2000
Member
Sup, Buddy.
Also yeah, what you said. At The University of Toronto (my school) at least "Master of Information" is the shell that holds Library & Information Science, Archives & Records Management, Information Systems & Design, Critical Information Policy, and a few more.
The courses you take determine your concentration.
Collete
Member
I think that's the best I can do honestly...I have to look really closely in the fine print if all the universities I'm trying to apply to need to be writing. The vast majority need to be though which is shitty....
I just hope my dreams of grad school isn't dead...
Yeah, I will probably have to talk to them. Hopefully they are sympathetic to my plight...
How's UT's program? Was considering going there before I decided to flea Canada. I don't remember well but the programs sounded more progressive / interesting than the norm with more unique specializations like data privacy IIRC.
I'm about to make life way more difficult to a group of people. The will fail the course I'm at assistant at and with that, they will get expelled from the MCSC program and be required to pay back all the grant money they have gotten so far, which is significant. It doesn't feel good at all. :S
mullet2000
Member
Fled to Japan huh? (snooped your profile) Same question back at you: how's that going? Had you been to Japan before your program?
Anyway yeah, it's pretty progressive. A lot of pretty interesting courses, data privacy is one of them. There's also a number of Digital preservation type courses as well as many other digital-focused courses available. Fair amount of courses looking at advocacy/legality/ethics too, which I really like. We also have some ins with the Museum program, so you can take up to three museum courses and have them count for credits as well (and due to my interest in History I'll probably do that in second year).
Oh right you said you're doing archiving. What do you want to go into after? Are you going to do a doctorate?
And I like it here. Like UT it's an "iSchool" and the department / faculty are very research based. It's more oriented to 'higher academia' than a professional program, which I like, but it's almost forcing me to do a PhD to get the most out of it. It's also way less library focussed than most programs, I think. Most of the faculty does computer related work and even the people on the humanities side do more conceptual work.
Necromanti
Member
What branch of biology was the degree in? And what kind of jobs were you applying for?
mullet2000
Member
Interesting!
I don't intend to go for the Ph.D at all the moment, I'm looking at completing the Masters and entering the workforce with that. My ideal job would be working with historical documents in an archive or museum type of setting. That is to say, I swing much further on the archives side of "Archives & Records Management". (And I intend on doing some volunteering/summer jobs at some archives in the meantime too, of course). Who knows if my mind will change in the next year and a half though.
The_Inquisitor
Member
Full time engineer working on MS in EE to hopefully transition into IC design. I am working an extra project for work in addition to my school and functional projects to get a chance. 3 more classes left to graduate, but I feel pretty tired all the time.
Bjern Fita
Member
I say this every time GMAT comes up; get one of the prep test books, and work through it for a couple if hours on the weekend and maybe once through the week.
As you've done it once already I'm sure you know that it's more about learning the correct techniques and becoming 'good at the GMAT' than brute forcing it with intelligence.
Have your techniques down and the test hopefully won't overly stress you, allowing you to do your best.
This medium intensity study over 2-3 months worked really well for my wife and I, both of us scored very strongly.
Good luck!
Jack Remington
Banned
Core classes at my school are econ, stats, accounting, marketing, finance, strategy, operations, communication for leaders (basically how to give an effective presentation), and corporate finance. There are a lot of electives depending on what you want to do.
I had worked at a non profit for awhile, so. I talked about wanting to be an executive director. That is in no way what I wanted to do, but it got me in. PM me if you want to talk about specific advice for your situation.
Really depends on the industry. Consulting was the most brutal. I'd say only half of the people who started out with the goal of doing management consulting were successful. Tech worked out well for most. I didn't have a lot of interaction with people in the finance track, but I believe most were successful.
I don't know of too many who didn't have a job offer they were satisfied with by June or July.
RumblingRosco
Member
I don't think it is abnormal at all to apply for a Ph.D. program at a different university than where you completed your MS. I also don't think it is strange to wait a year in-between, but it will look much better if that year in-between was spent doing something productive (working in a related industry, for example).
Keep in mind, if you have an MS and transfer to a different lab/university for your Ph.D., it will probably still take 4+ years for your Ph.D... getting the MS doesn't shorten the Ph.D. requirement at all, at least not in any instance I've heard of in the chemical and biological sciences.
Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to go for a PhD and what do you do now? I'm sorely tempted to pursue an MA and eventually a PhD in English in order to teach at university. I'm almost done with my degree in teaching, so my plan is to teach high school, try to save some money, and go for the MA. Then I'll see how I feel about either going back to teaching or continuing with a PhD, but stories like yours always make me wary that the whole thing might be a huge waste.
shadowsdarknes
Member
I'm enjoying my MBA.
I had an undergraduate degree in Health Sciences. That really doesn't get you much.
I have 5 more classes to go after this semester.
I'm concentrating in finance and hopefully have some job propositions lined up after school.
I love the course material for the most part.
I had an undergraduate degree in Health Sciences. That really doesn't get you much.
I have 5 more classes to go after this semester.
I'm concentrating in finance and hopefully have some job propositions lined up after school.
I love the course material for the most part.
TunaMarshmallow
Member
Yes. In addition to STEM advanced degrees, doing an MBA makes sense too. I've thought about it many times!
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