<p>Hi</p>
<p>What is the best way to overcome a lowish gpa(~3.3)?? I am an engineering major. I have mostly A's and B's with an occasional C. However I did fail one class (ugh). I haven't had much success this time around in applying and want to strengthen my app somehow so I can apply again next year!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>That’s not that low, especially for engineering. Are you looking for MS or PhD? Which branch of engineering, and which schools are rejecting you, and where was your undergrad?</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a PhD, one thing many people in your situation do is to apply for an MS. Keep the MS GPA really high, then apply for a PhD. Ideally, get some good research done in your MS, and a strong LOR from tenured faculty members. In addition to helping with admission, you should be able to cut about a year off the PhD program by completing MS coursework and research.</p>
<p>yeah you freaked me out man…what schools did you apply to?</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I go to a state school, nothing extraordinary but nothing horrible. My gpa is actually more like a 3.4 (I tend to exaggerate at times when i get nervous) and I am studying environmental engineering with a minor in chem. I applied to FSU, UVa, Tufts, Hopkins, Brown, GWU , CMU and Yale. I got rejected from Yale which I expected but I am worried because I havent really heard anything from anwhere else. I briefly corresponded with someone at Florida State and one of my rec letter writers teaches at Brown and he mentioned something about the grad director asking him about my app so I dunno what that means, but besides that I havent heard anything. But thanks for the advice! If things dont work out I will apply to MS programs and in the meantime do major research… Also why did I freak you out sefago!?!</p>
<p>because i have a lower GPA and I plan to apply to grad school next year…and my major is not as difficult as yours. I am biochem and I also want to do environmental engineering</p>
<p>Oh cool!</p>
<p>If you need any advice PM me!! I will let you know the process is going. What aspect of environmental engineering are you interested in? And biochem is hard too!! Any science major is!!</p>