Hello,
I am new to this forum, and am wanting some feedback from people who are much more knowledgable about the topic.
I am a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a Cumulative GPA of 2.95 in Sociology.
My cumulative GPA was very low due to difficulties that i had in my first and second year. I was a transfer student and I had to work 60-70 hour work weeks to put myself through school. I was also a Biopsychology major taking some difficult classes at the time. Due to the immense work schedule it was very difficult for me to perform at my best.
Towards the second half of my time I changed my Major to Sociology.
My major gpa was a 3.7
I am currently working at Stanford Hospital as a Sleep therapist with 11 years of work experience.
I am aspiring to attend an MHA program (Masters in Health Admin) and I was wondering if I still had the opportunity to be accepted to a good graduate school, as well as wondering if my Sub 3.0 gpa would weigh very heavily against me.
My last 2 years of College show a definite positive trend in GPA as my grades were mainly A’s and some B’s.
Some of the information that I posted in this may have been redundant but I didn’t want to leave any information out. I still have not taken my GRE but am studying for it and plan on taking it in the next year or so.
If anyone has any feedback that can help I would truly appreciate it.
Thank you.
Shawn
First, you may wish to consider MBAs, with Health Management concentrations, as well as MHAs. They are more common and some are considerably more admissions-flexible. However, the basic answer to your question is, you have a reasonable shot. Your GRE/GMAT score will be quite important – and, after many years “away from the books,” you likely will not do well without considerable, diligent preparation – so PLEASE add that to your mandatory preparatory schedule. But, you’re not a kid, you have a LOT of professional experiences, and admissions committees at good managerial programs will appropriately evaluate your candidacy by somewhat differing standards than they would the 26 year old’s application. Good luck.
Thank you for your feedback, I did forget to mention that I actually am 26 years old, so I had a bit of a chuckle when I read your last sentence. I am planning on rigorously studying for the GRE and doing very well on the exam. The only thing that has had me down was the GPA, as it was solely because of the strain of working so much.
I understand, but (in my opinion) that’s why the GRE/GMAT is so important. An excellent score will provide a tangible basis for admissions to agree with your GPA explanation and still believe you’re fully capable of successful postgraduate work. I’m sure you are, however, that fine GRE/GMAT would quantitatively document your readiness.
Some graduate programs do require a 3.0 for admission. Presumably your grades would be good enough but you might want to make sure that your application wouldn’t be weeded out by staff before it is considered by a departmental committee.
Did you have an advisor or another professor who knows the kind of academic work of which you are capable?
Recommendations from someone who can support the fact that you are able to do the academic research would be important given your overall GPA. Both GPA and GRE/GMAT are important factors in graduate admissions. You should also contact the programs that interest you and see if you can meet with someone to discuss your application.
So you started working at Stanford at age 15? No wonder you had a hard time studying at UCSB and working at Stanford simultaneously!
Seriously, your work experience and the improved GPA in your last two years should make a big difference. I would make sure you get strong letters of reference from your Stanford employer as well as your professors at UCSB.
Thank you all for all the feedback.
I apologize if I left out some important information.
I graduated UCSB 2 years ago, I began working at Stanford 9 months ago. I have 5 years of work experience in my field of sleep, but an overall 11 years of general work experience.
I wish I was working at Stanford since the age of 15, that would’ve been pretty sweet.
I am pretty sure that I will be able to get some very strong letters of Recommendation from Stanford, I have two strong letters that I am hoping to get from UCSB as well.
For now its apparent that I have to study very diligently for the GRE/GMAT depending on which I decide to take.
