<p>Hi everyone. I would like to know what are my chances of getting admitted to a good graduate school program. I am currently enrolled in an undergraduate sports management program at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan (not a very well known school). If I were to obtain a very high final GPA (possibly a 3.8 or 3.9), what are my chances to be admitted to a good graduate school program (for example, NYU). Mainly, the concept I would like an opinion on is that although I attend a "not very known school," and I obtain a high GPA out of such university for undergraduate, what are my chances of getting into a prestigious graduate program?</p>
<p>Is there accreditation in your field, and if so is your current program accredited? Being from a less known program will hurt a little bit, if only because your competition will be coming from schools that are known for their rigor, but you will still have a shot.</p>
<p>Do you know what graduate programs in this field are like? Is it a research-based program, or a specialized MBA-type professional program?</p>
<p>I am currently studying to obtain a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in sports management at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan (which is NOT a well known school). I would like to know if I do indeed obtain a very high (a 3.8 or a 3.9) final GPA, do I have a good chance in getting admitted to a high graduate program, such as the Master of Science in Sports Business at NYU or other competitive graduate programs?</p>
<p>Depends on your credentials, your recommendations, your work experience, etc. Nobody can say exactly what your “chances” are, but they’re not going to just throw your application in the garbage because it says Finlandia, not Harvard.</p>
<p>I graduated from a non-prestigious state flagship (U of Idaho) and had no trouble getting into top graduate programs in my field (outdoor recreation).</p>
<p>What is far more important is your experience in the field. Have you worked in sports management, interned with an athletics department or recreational sports program, etc.? If not, your application is likely to be uncompetitive by comparison with other students who have that “real-world” experience.</p>
<p>^This. Undergraduate prestige matters, but not in the U.S. News sense. First of all, graduate professors generally don’t do quantitative rankings - they’re not sitting there going “Well Applicant A is from the #5 school, but Applicant B is only from the #9 school.” They tend to group schools together into far more qualitative rankings, like “excellent,” “great,” “very good,” etc. Your school may simply fall into the “unknown” category. That is simply neutral: if they have no experience with anyone from Finlandia, then then have nothing to go on to determine whether you’ve had a rigorous undergraduate education in your major.</p>
<p>So you have to work to show them you are prepared - by getting the kinds of experiences in your field that they look for. One way (best way in a business program) is to get hired at a great job in your field and work to get promoted quickly, take on responsibility and basically rock the job.</p>