I blew it. Graduated undergrad with low GPA. Grad school dreams

Graduate School
1

<p>I don't really know what to do with myself at this point. Here's the story:</p>

<p>I think I went to school when I wasn't ready to, I made a lot of poor choices and did horribly on my first go, I got to the point that I was kicked out of school for failing so many classes. I took some time off and went back to school as an open studies student until I was able to raise my GPA back up to a 2.0. After I was re-admitted I did pretty well, I got mostly B's, some A's and I think 1 D on my degree related courses. I went to a liberal arts college so I also took a lot of electives that I didn't do so well in. I ended up with a cumulative GPA of 2.42 when I graduated, with a few semesters 3.0 and up.</p>

<p>I definitely don't have an attractive GPA and I know that if I started school now, I would have been more focused, decisive, mature and capable.</p>

<p>I'm at a stage in my life where I'm craving academia and new experiences. I am working at a job that is not related to my degree, but pays very well, so I'm not gaining any applicable experience that might boost my chances of getting into a grad program.</p>

<p>My degree was in New Media, and I'm from Alberta Canada.</p>

<p>At this point, I would just like to get into a graduate program and excel in it. I don't want to waste a lot of money and time on programs and institutions I have no chance of getting into. It would be a dream to be able to study in a major city like New York, Los Angeles, Montreal or Toronto.</p>

<p>Does anybody have any advice or know of a program that might accept someone like me. I would like to study New Media, Communications, Journalism or something related.</p>

2

<p>Why are you “craving” academia? While it can be very satisfying to study for a graduate degree, you should only get one if you need to - as in, the job and career you want requires a graduate degree.</p>

<p>Once you get further from your college career, your GPA matters less and experience since then matter more. That said, how much your undergrad will matter will depend on the kind of degree you want. A professional journalism degree will care less about your grades and more about the kinds of jobs you’ve been working since undergrad and how well you write copy. But if you wanted to do an academic program in communications, your grades will matter more. Similarly, if you only have 1 or 2 years since undergrad, your grades will matter more. But if it’s been 10 years since you went to school, your work experience may matter more (unless you want to get a PhD or an MA in an academic program).</p>

<p>The things you can do with an MA in new media are very different (but overlapping) than the things you can do with an MA in journalism, so I think you need to explore why you need/want a graduate degree before you start applying.</p>