<p>I'm in a bit of a hard moment in my life right now. I applied to four graduate schools in Industrial Engineering and one in Mechanical Engineering and got rejected from all of them (one even lost my transcript, gave them a new one a couple weeks back and got reject before this past weekend). I've been working full time for 2.75 years as a Logistics Engineer, but I'm at risk of losing my job due to the current fiscal environment of the military budget (I work at a defense contractor). I got a 2.51 GPA in undergraduate school (I regret not taking school more seriously back then). However, my letter of recommendations had positive things to say about me, my statement of purpose was well written, and I got a 164/170 (translates to a 790/800 in the old scale) in the Math section of the GRE.</p>
<p>I'm hoping to get involved in doing research for internal combustion engines or green energy, but there aren't that may opportunities in such fields in San Diego (where I live).</p>
<p>I'm not sure what I can do to get accepted into graduate school for 2013 at this point. I'm still trying to find jobs in research so I can strengthen my research background, but any alternatives or better advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>What schools did you apply to? My guess is that you could get in somewhere with that combination of experience and test scores, but if you applied only to highly selective programs, your GPA would be pretty much an automatic rejection.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you may not find a paying job in research and may instead need to volunteer your time at a local university. </p>
<p>Even if you don’t get in this round, you’ll have learned something for re-applying next year. You should apply to a few more programs if you can afford it (if you don’t get in this round), and have a larger variance in program rank and competitiveness so you have a greater chance at offers.</p>
<p>Yeah, it seems like I’ll have to resort to a wider range for 2013. I mostly applied to UC colleges, Standford and USC, so I guess I got too ambitious. Most of the lower ranks are outside of California, but I may have to suck it up and apply to some more safety schools next year.</p>
<p>However, if worst comes to worst and I lose my job, do you think volunteer work in research programs will help me get accepted in the more prestigious schools next year? I don’t mind resorting to some low-paying job to get by if that’s what it takes.</p>
<p>Yeah, if those are the only places you applied to… you’re going to need to lower your sights. Your UG GPA pretty much rules them out. A little bit of volunteer experience won’t make a significant difference. Sorry to be blunt, but no sense wasting application fees on places that are not going to accept you.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as a “safety school” for you. 2.5 is very low for a prospective graduate student. You will be lucky to be admitted anywhere.</p>
<p>You should look at some of the Cal State schools.</p>
<p>Gotcha. Would taking some graduate classes, as a way to prove my aptitude, help? How many classes would I have to take, etc?</p>
<p>Taking graduate school courses and doing well in them will definitely help your chances; however, places like Stanford have such a high-caliber of applicants that they can afford to be unimpressed.</p>
<p>Are you applying for a master’s or a PhD program?</p>
<p>A masters. If I get accepted, I’m hoping to use that degree as leverage to get into a PhD program (as long as I do well in the program of course).</p>
<p>Since I live in San Diego, perhaps I can take classes in Miramar or at SDSU and have the credits transferred should I get accepted into a masters program. What do you think?</p>
<p>Taking some grad-level classes at SDSU as a non-degree student couldn’t hurt. You might speak to professors there as well - if you perform well in those courses, their recommendation letters would help establish your improved focus and academic ability.</p>
<p>Awsome, however, SDSU doesn’t have a whole lot of classes (if any at all) that are related to Industrial Engineering. I am considering a Masters in Mechanical Engineering however, should I take courses in this field instead? Or would any classes in the Engineering field help?</p>
<p>I forgot to mention, I did pass the EIT examination during undergrad, does that certification help my chances? Also, what do you guys think my chances are in getting accepted into a M. Eng. program instead of a M.S. program? I’m considering going for a M. Eng. instead since I’m more interested in design work rather than research.</p>