Recent undergrad looking at graduate school question on chances of getting accepted

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I recently graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Materials Engineering. I took a graduate level class my final year (took 6 years because of an 1/2 year internship, semester in Australia, and a business minor) and found I was really interested in biomaterials. I want to go back to school for a Master's Degree. I'm applying to several schools but I'm wondering what would be the best level or group of schools to apply at with my level of achievements. </p>

<p>I graduated with a 3.1 GPA. I scored 800 on the quantitative section of the GRE, 600 on the verbal, and 4.0 on the AWA. I have three good to strong recommendations from three different professors including the head of the Material Engineering department. I applied to UW-Madison and Tufts in Boston, but those would be ideal colleges for entrance. What type of schools (state schools or the like) would have lower standards or competition because I realize that a 3.1 GPA is close to the minimum for a lot of programs and does not stand out that much. Thank you for any help.</p>

<p>-Ender</p>

2

<p>You should be able to get into the schools you mentioned for your Master’s Degree. Now, what is your GPA in your major? Any research experience?</p>

3

<p>I would say that is possible to get into both schools with those scores/GPA but I would put them in the “reach” pile and have an explanation for the GPA in the SOP. Did you do better in your last two or three years? Better in the major?</p>