Applying to grad schools w/sub-3.0 GPA

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all. I will start to apply to graduate schools this upcoming fall and I am having doubts because of my low GPA. Do I even have a chance? What schools should I target?</p>

<h2>My "stats"</h2>

<p>School: University of Illinois (UIUC)</p>

<p>Major: Mechanical Engineering</p>

<p>Minor: Mathematics</p>

<p>GPA: 2.85/4.00 cumulative</p>

<p>Past 4 semester GPA's in chronological order: 3.25, 3.40, 3.21, 2.33</p>

<p>GRE: 730Q, 470V, 4.5 analytical (taken with extreme test anxiety, planning on taking again)</p>

<p>No documentable extracurricular activities. Actually I did Engineers w/o Borders for a little bit but then dropped it when I realized that 40+ undergraduate "engineers" working on a single project (without a solid plan) is pretty futile.</p>

<p>Experience: (1) Currently doing plasmonics research for a prof (i'm banking on him to get me in), and (2) being a technical assistant in another prof's private consulting business (did this for 1 full year) and (3) other than that i've never had a "professional" internship since they don't give internships for sub-3.0 students</p>

<p>Motivation for Grad School: I see the value in an advanced degree and i enjoy learning. Also, both my parents have phd's and I would look like even more of a failure (on top of bad grades) if i only had a bachelors.</p>

<h2>Research Interests: heat transfer, nano-optics/light-matter interactions/plasmonics, and nano-/micro-scale phenomena and processes</h2>

<p>Do I even have a chance of getting into a decent engineering grad school? when i say decent i'm talking lower half of "tier 1" schools (i.e. ranked 12 to 25 in US News) I see that a lot of them have a 3.0 GPA requirement and I've emailed a few places that say they only calculate the last 2 years of GPA. My a-hole advisor said i don't have a chance anywhere, but like i said...he's a real a**, but maybe he's right.</p>

<p>Which schools should I target? when i applied for undergrad programs i did the "blanket technique" where i applied to like 10 schools and see which ones accepted me. with 3 recommendations being hard enough to get already, i feel i would be asking too much of my recommenders if i had them send these letters to too many places. Do you guys know which engi schools are more likely to weigh recs and gre scores (which i know i can get an 800Q on) over GPAs? or Which schools are known to be more lenient with the GPA factor?</p>

<p>Are any of you guys out there in an engi grad program now and had sub-3.0 undergrad GPAs?</p>

<p>i'm looking for more than the "grad schools look at the entire package" type responses and also a little moral support thanks for your time guys!</p>

2

<p>From your scores right now (such a low GPA and a very low GRE quant score for engineers), you basically have no shot at a tier-1 school. You could probably get into a very low ranked school though. Sorry for being harsh.</p>

3

<p>Rankings of 12-25 are still pretty high rankings. After 50, I start thinking of more leniency. Unfortunately your GPA is pretty low, especially for engineers. Try to get an 800Q on your GREs too. If I were you, I would make up the low GPA by taking a year or two off (I'm assuming an engineering phd program?) All the experience should help take the edge off your numbers.
The people writing your letters should know you well enough to want to help you. They shouldn't mind sending letters to many institutions, since all they have to do is replace the name of the school in each letter.
I don't know that much about specific schools in your field though, sorry :(
Work hard and you can get to where you want to be. Maybe not taking the straightest path but just stay enthusiastic and be able to talk up your research strengths.</p>

4

<p>I had a 2.981 in EE (GRE: 570V/790Q) and got into UC Santa Cruz for Computer Engineering Masters. Not exactly a top tier school, but it's better than nothing. Minimum GPA required was 3.0, I guess they rounded up.</p>

5

<p>I had an overall 2.8GPA, and I got into a tier 1 school for MSE, though I didn't land PhD I applied for but Masters instead. Had less work experience, though comparable research experience(I guess, I did research for a year, got good recommendations). I'm really questioning the 2.33 though(and if I am, you bet the admissions people will too), as that is not flattering at all, especially since it was your last semester(unless I got that wrong and it was recent to oldest). Grad schools tend to look at your last 2 years, and at least for me I imrpoved then from after a horrible freshman and sophmore year, and although my improvement in grades wasn't 4.0, I did take classes outside my major that showed focus and motivation towards what I want to specialize in with my PhD.</p>

<p>It sucks having below a 3.0 when it comes to internships. Improve your Quantitative GRE score though, I had 790Q, 480V 4AW, but Verbal schools like to see at least 500, although this can be waived usually. If you retake it, have 4 or 5 names of schools you plan on applying to to send your scores to them, its 15 a pop afterwards which would be something like half the cost of the GRE anyway.</p>

<p>As for applying to Grad schools, I did 5, but I think that's usually around the minimum amount you should apply. 10 sounds something practical, it might end up costing you 1k(not including flights if you want to check out the universities) total for all the application fees, GRE test score reports, etc, but at least then you won't regret not applying to that program that would've accepted you.</p>

6

<p>Do you really define yourself by your GPA to such a degree that you use it as your username?</p>

<p>It sounds like you are looking for a PhD, not a master's (keep in mind that "I want a PhD because my parents have them" is a terrible reason to get a PhD, though). Ironically, this may <em>help</em> you. PhD programs will look highly on your research experience, while master's programs won't care so much and tend to be more stats-driven. So yeah, get lots of research experience.</p>

<p>Looking at your stats, I see that you have mostly had solid grades, but you had a rough term. If you can recover from that, the terms where you did fine will matter more than your rough term (or your actual cumulative GPA). On the other hand, if you don't recover, the downward leap in your grades will look bad. You want to retake that GRE.</p>

<p>If you get in nowhere, find a back door. Really. My GPA was lower than yours (coming out of a top school, as you are). I'm working and in a part-time post-bac (in CS). I'm going to use that post-bac as a springboard to a part-time master's, and hopefully use the master's as a springboard to a PhD. I know plenty of people who are in grad programs in sci/eng subjects after having had low undergrad GPAs. They all found back doors. They also ignored the alleged "minimum" GPA admission requirements.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Unfortunately your GPA is pretty low, especially for engineers.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>"Especially"? Engineering is famed for low GPAs.</p>

7

<p>^Mind telling us where are you working now? You had a less that ideal GPA but you came from a top top school.. what kind of PhD programs are you aiming for? I'm just wondering..</p>

8

<p>2.85GPA - </p>

<p>One possibility would be to stay where you are for a Master's program, and then to look at PhD programs there or elsewhere. Your professors already know you, and the ones who you have done research with might be willing/able to take you on as a grad student.</p>

<p>But first, please, think long and hard about doing a PhD just because your parents have them. Yes, I know it is really, really hard for professional academics to "get it" when their kids choose another route in life, but you don't want to do this just to please or measure up to them. The one friend I have who has led the most miserable depressed existence is the one who headed into a PhD program because her parents were academics and expected her to do the same. Give yourself permission to think about what kind of job you can get with your BS in Engineering (get some advice on this from your college placement office), and what kind of life you can make for yourself as a professional Engineer. It may be a lot more interesting (and a lot more fun!) than slogging through grad school right now.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

9

<p>@ 2.8GPA and happymomof1</p>

<p>I am currently a research assistant at a major R1 university in which I have the unique opportunity to work in different research departments in the social sciences (I'm a temp employee). While this route is not for everyone, I have come to understand and appreciate what grad school is like behind the scenes. This has been a good experience for me because it has made me realize what I should avoid and what I should study. I am also gathering contacts from employees who can help me when I start applying for grad school. Otherwise, I could have easily enrolled in the wrong program. No one wants to drop out because they're the wrong fit or their interests are in another department or career field. That is a very miserable feeling.</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
^Mind telling us where are you working now? You had a less that ideal GPA but you came from a top top school.. what kind of PhD programs are you aiming for? I'm just wondering..

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I'm planning to apply to two sorts of programs:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Local programs, as long as they have faculty with research interests that are compatible with mine (I'm in metro Boston; there are half a dozen such programs within easy commuting distance from my current apartment). These range from extreme reaches to "as close to a safety as I'm going to get". I'm hoping that doing well enough in a master's program will make the PhD program at the same school a safety or close to it.</p></li>
<li><p>Awesome programs, in terms of the research they're doing, their general academic quality (note that there is a bit of overlap between this and the other category), and being in places where I'm willing to live. These are pretty much all high reaches.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>I figure that if I don't get in, I don't get in, not the end of the world. I will have a few options where I am likely to get in, and go for broke with the others, because hey, I might get into one. Or more.</p>

11

<p>just make sure you are realistic about what schools you are competitive for and work on improving the rest of your application package</p>

12

<p>Oh, I forgot to answer where I was working. I'm at a ~90 person AI/intelligent systems research boutique that does mostly defense contracts. Very academic focus - lots of opportunities for conference attendance and publication, and about 20% of the research staff have PhDs.</p>

13

<p>^Thanks for your reply. Good luck!</p>

14

<p>I had around your gpa applying to grad school and I was accepted to the #4 institution in my engineering discipline for PhD, so it's not impossible. Just get lots of research and advisors who care where you end up. It worked for me so don't be too depressed!</p>

15

<p>When you have a low GPA and so-so GRE scores, it all depends on your recommednations. Make sure you get stellar recommendations from top-notch faculty.</p>

<p>Better yet, take a year off to work with a prof at a top tier school who happens to be on the admissions committee. If you do well, she or he will let you into the school through "the back door".</p>

<p>You could also try applying to related disciplines, such as applied physics. Try to see a psychologist and get her or him to write you a report recommending that you get extra time or a private room to do your tests, especially if you suffer from test anxiety, ADHD, or a learning disability . I got that done, and my GRE scores got much better.</p>

16

<p>red-dragone- where did you do your undergrad?</p>

17

<p>THe one thing I have to say is don't let numbers scare you! Don't let your GPA define you. Yes it's important to do well, but make sure you're taking advantage of every single opportunity you can lay your hands on. I just graduated from a top engineering program with a low GPA BUT I had stellar work experience, tons of research experience and improved grades as I got older. Not only these things, but I chose other programs and activities to enhance my profile (i.e. I am now fluent in 6 languages, one which I learned in college). When I went up to employers at career fairs and applied to graduate schools, people were happy to help me because they knew how I persevered. And with respect to grad schools, I was admitted to a top 25 graduate program. With respect to employers, I had 5 job offers -- all at large companies.</p>

<p>I am not here to brag AT ALL because I will be the first to tell you how engineering humbled my formerly conceited attitude. I am telling you this so that you can have confidence in yourself! Keep trying and no matter how long it takes you to get in, it doesn't matter -- you'll do it. For your GREs, re-take the exam to get a better score. Emphasize your strengths in essays and to your recommenders. Another thing that will help is asking the prof you work with now to put you in contact with his colleagues at other schools. Hopefully this helps you out a little. Just don't compare yourself to others because you'll go crazy in the process.</p>

18

It’s highly possible, I had a 2.8 gpa but with a year’s worth of research experience, improving gpa, and great letter of recommendation letters (two professors I have never even talked to until I needed a letter).