<p>Been lurking the boards here for a minute, and need some advice.</p>
<p>First, a little about my situation. I graduated from a CA state school in 2010 with ~2.7 overall GPA and a double in Economics and Political Science. I have AP credit for Calc I, and an F in calc 2 (which was only because I forgot the drop deadline and never went), and B's in Statistics, Econometrics, and a grad-level Mathematical Economics class (some multivariable calc and some linear). </p>
<p>From then to when I plan to apply this Jan, I will have taken Calc 2, Calc 3, and Linear Algebra, with A's, at a UC. I will have also completed 15 out of 30 units of a paralegal program at the UC with A's, which I will finish in April. My GRE scores are 760q and 640v.</p>
<p>My question concerns GPA requirements for terminal masters programs. I am very set on first gaining a masters before even contemplating a Phd. These programs almost universally have a 3.0 undergrad GPA cut off for admission listed on their website. I know the answer is "call them all and ask", but realistically I want to how stringent these are for the most part? I know that I'm not going to be going to a top school, so simply being uncompetitive isn't my concern. </p>
<p>In general, if a school that is know as 'less prestigious' has a 3.0 min. GPA listed on their website, what are the odds that even a good GRE, LoR, SOP, etc. won't matter?</p>
<p>Anyone have any insight on this type of situation? I’m in a similar position. I know most people on these forums have high credentials and are applying for top schools, but I’m happy to attend a “second-tier” school. I just want to study what I’m interested in: chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I’m graduated with a 2.8 studying chemistry. I went to a top university in Canada which calculates class averages, so the average GPA for the classes I’ve taken is a 2.9. So, really I’m about average in a group of smart kids that work relatively hard. But I’m still below the 3.0 cutoff, and it seems average GPAs in the US are much higher.</p>
<p>How strict are mid- to low-tier schools about the 3.0 GPA cutoff? I’d say pretty strict. I’m not too familiar with Master degrees but I’ve called UC Santa Cruz about their PhD program in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and even they told me they did not accept any students with less than a 3.2 gpa last year. </p>
<p>There are hundreds, thousands of programs out there. You’re going to have to cast your net very wide aiming at the mid or lower tiers. Since you have a strong GRE score, one of them is bound to accept you.</p>
<p>When you get to the graduate level, the mid to low tier school are still going to be a bit strict about the 3.0 cutoff. Some schools will offer provisional admission provided you maintain a 3.0 GPA during your first semester in the program. Although, even in this case, you would probably still need to have some type of extenuating circumstance (I knew a person who was offered provisional admission [2.9 GPA] but this person was taking care of a spouse with cancer during senior year and also had years of work experience in the field he was getting his Masters in). If there are any extenuating circumstances to help explain your GPA, I would try to explain it in the SOP and also try to get a rec that will address this as well.</p>