Hello,
I will be a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering this upcoming fall semester and my GPA is 2.78… I want to go to a graduate school after I graduate in about two years… I know my GPA is really low but I am working hard to at least get above 3.0. I have a lot of research experiences and I have studied abroad for one year. In addition, I will have two publications done. How likely am I able to get into a graduate school?
What graduate school? A 3.0 will not get you admitted to top engineering schools.
If you get above a 3.0, you can likely go to grad school, but not a top school. Think the lower ranked if a state has two or three large universities level.
I will probably not apply for the top engineering schools because of my GPA… Do you think having many research opportunities and publications will make my application stand out?
Having research/being published can be a plus in a grad school application. However I’d always focus on quality (meaningful studies, playing an important role in the research, perhaps being first or second author etc.) rather than quantity ('many research opportunities").
^Yes, this.
Another thought is maybe working a few years after college. That’ll put some distance between you and your undergrad GPA and perhaps inspire more confidence that you can undertake graduate study.
Some schools/programs have a minimum GPA requirement, usually 3.0. Others do not, but anything under a 3.0 is going to be a serious uphill battle.
If you are interested in a Masters, then a 3.0 can get you admitted but I agree that working for a while will be beneficial to your application. If your goal is a PhD then it could be more challenging and you might need to go for a Masters first to show you can do the coursework at a graduate level. Again, some work experience will be helpful.
You can. I got into one with a 2.5… really regret not taking my undergrad seriously. Grad school is a lot different and I am doing a lot better. No, I didn’t get into a top school but I feel like the one I got into is pretty rigorous. Good luck!
Getting in with less than a 2.9 is a long shot, even with publications. Basically, you need to prove that you are a better bet than the 20 other people applying for that spot who have better GPAs than you do. And that is an uphill battle.
I would talk to you professors about your options. Personally, I think you would be better off taking a few years in industry and taking some grad-level classes as a nondegree student. That will distance you from your undergrad GPA and show that you can handle the tough courses.
do well in the post grad courses and get a good score on the GRE.
You just finished your sophomore year? You have two full years and at least one more summer session to improve your GPA. You are not necessarily stuck with that 2.78 as your final college GPA!! And even if your final GPA ends up like that, your major GPA and/or your GPA for courses related to your post-graduate goals might still be perfectly fine.
Not to mention of course that you still have time to change your major and take your life in a completely different direction.
So, think about what you did differently in the classes where you got your good grades and your bad grades. Can you change how you study, and when you ask for help? What learning strategies worked for you? A bit of self-evaluation will halp you figure out how to perform better in your classes.