<p>After months of painful indecision, the pros and cons stubbornly counterbalancing each other out, I've finally broken the equilibrium and decided to take the plunge into graduate school. But I'm unsure If I should apply this year or wait until next round due to my lack of competitiveness (mediocre GPA and not enough math) . Here's a little bit about myself:</p>
<p>-Cumulative undergraduate GPA: 3.245
-Economics GPA: 3.73
-Highest Math taken: Calculus II and linear algebra (both A's)
-LORS: I'm sure I can get one solid and one lukewarm from professors, and one professional LOR
-GRE: Have yet to take
-University applying for: UCSC (M.S. in Applied Economics and Finance)
-UCSC website states that the mean GPA of students admitted was 3.5</p>
<p>Since I am currently working full time and hence short of free time, I would hate to kill myself studying for the GRE, writing a compelling SOP/personal history and wasting my references' time if my application is going to be dead on arrival because of my cumulative GPA and lack of math. So I'm wondering if I should just hunker down and apply during the current enrollment period (cut-off is February 1st), or take some more math at a CC to boost my chances and try for next year.</p>
<p>Reading past forum posts,I know admission requirements into graduate schools is a murky topic, but any words of advice--especially from econ graduate students--would sincerely be appreciated! </p>