The title saids it all
A good one. 3.00 is enough if you have a great research background, 3.2 would work with a decent background, 3.5 if you have little or no research experience. Roughly. But remember that grad admissions is *highly *individual, and no number EVER guarantees admission!
You can get excellent grades and still not get in. Grad schools definitely care about things beyond grades. Yes, ideally you are going to want at least a 3.5 if you want grad schools to seriously consider you. However, you may sometimes be able to manage to get in with a 3.0. If you fall below a 3.0 (no rounding), then your chances will be very slim.
if i get two internships, would that be fine?
two internships and a 3.5 gpa?
Internships matter fairly little when it comes to graduate school admissions. Research experience and the strong recommendation letters that come along with it is a much bigger feather in your cap than internships.
Internships are about preparing you for industry, and are poor predictors of grad school performance, either in coursework OR research! If you have time and are serious about grad school, abandon internships and focus on research.
Out of curiosity, where are you in your studies (rising senior?) and why are you focused on Duke? In grad admissions it is ALWAYS better to apply to a spread of departments, just like for undergrad!
would it be possible to get admitted with a 3.5 gpa and little to no research experience
That’s really tough to say. It’s possible but research experience would really help.
FYI: Looks like the OP has finished their first year as an EE student at Wayne State University (and may be looking to transfer).
Undergraduate research is available at WSU. Take a look at the research projects and labs that are available. You can spend time volunteering in a lab, while still doing industry related internships over the summer. Either way, you have plenty of time to figure it out.
I am thinking about transferring
do you know what gpa i might need to go to duke, michigan, or any other prestigious school?
or i mean what gpa would i need to transfer?
I have a few comments here:
[ul]
[li]Asking about specific GPAs for graduate school or for transferring is going to be fruitless. The answer will vary so much by school and by whichever year you apply that answers you get probably won’t be helpful. For transfers you may have a little better luck, but in that case you are better off asking on the school-specific forums.[/li]
[li]Especially when it comes to graduate school, don’t limit yourself to looking at a single school. You need to first come up with an idea of what you’d like to study, and then come up with a list of schools that are strong in that area. Picking “prestigious schools” off of a list unrelated to your preferred area of study doesn’t really do you a lot of good.[/li]
[li]It doesn’t really matter where you do your undergraduate studies; you should still try to get some research experience if your goal is graduate school. I cannot stress that enough.[/li][/ul]