<p>I graduated with a BSEE but do not like my current job. I want to do something that deals with the technical/design side of engineering (like product development). I know that grad school would help me with this, since I can specialize.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I graduated with a cumulative GPA of 2.9 (with two classes retaken freshman year). Although it probably doesn't matter, my GPA does have a substantial up-curve. That is, I averaged a 3.75 for my senior year and a 3.33 for junior and senior years combined. </p>
<p>Also, I was never close or well-known to my professors. So, all I can expect from them, at best, would be standard, form-letter recommendations.</p>
<p>I have not taken the GRE yet, but something like that doesn't worry me since I have seen practice tests, and could afford a private tutor if needed (since I have saved a good amount of money). Still, I know this is more of a formality, and that GPA/recommendations are the real criteria that admissions look at.</p>
<p>If I did go to grad school for EE, I would want to go to UCLA (or somewhere comparable). I know that's a considerable reach given my stats, but I do not want to do an MSEE from a random, lesser-known school.</p>
<p>My alternative is to go back to college and do another engineering degree (and excel), and then apply to grad school. I know I can do well because I was able to pull it together in my final two years of college. </p>
<p>Please advise.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no advantage for you in getting a new engineering BS. At the same time, you have not positioned yourself well.</p>
<p>The GPA is not too bad, given the upward trend. Try to take a few grad courses as a nondegree student at a decent school, that will help.</p>
<p>The LOR’s are a bigger issue - you can get away with one from work, but you need to establish a better relationship with at least one genuine PhD. Perhaps when you take a course, try and see if there is some way you can help in the professor’s lab.</p>
<p>GRE is really not that big a deal unless you bomb it.</p>
<p>As to the quality of school… insisting on a top-flight school with mediocre credentials is problematic. Plenty of jobs will hire you with a masters from an “okay” school. Plan on applying to a range of schools, maybe you get lucky, hopefully you get in SOMEWHERE. That having been said, don’t apply anywhere you simply will not go.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what have you been doing the past year? Is there anything there you can leverage? How was the pay and conditions, and why is it so unsatisfactory?</p>
<p>I echo the idea that “UCLA or bust” is not only an unhealthy attitude, but also completely unrealistic. You’re not going to get into UCLA with a 2.9 GPA, particularly without any undergraduate research experience. That’s the biggest hole in your resume right now.</p>
<p>If you want to go to grad school, I suggest seeking out research assistant opportunities, even just volunteering in a lab a few days a week. It will get you in touch with professors, check a box on your application and expose you to the work you’d be doing as a graduate student.</p>