Will you help me figure out what to do to get into grad school?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>So I got a B in one of my courses today and I'm kind of worried about grad school. I know it sounds silly, but I'm a student with a disability so I feel like the only way a school will look at me, fund me, and be able to accommodate me is if I am absolutely perfect.</p>

<p>I want to go to graduate school for political science at UT, UCLA, Stanford or NYU. I am most likely looking at a 3.9 when I graduate, with B's in my Stats in Healthcare and English and Journalism courses, neither of which have anything to do with my major. I should have A 4.0 in upper division coursework and in my major. I will have completed a 50 page undergraduate honors thesis. I am also the Students with Disabilities Agency Director for Student Government and a member of the Liberal Arts Council. These extracurriculars are really sucking up my time and caused the B course grade, so I am wondering if they are worth continuing. I really really enjoy them though. I am also considering doing an internship at the Texas Capitol this summer. I foresee a 1400 minimum GRE score on the Quantitative and Verbal, and an almost perfect writing.</p>

<p>I have 2.5 years left at UT, what should I do to make myself as competitive as possible? What should I do outside of academics? I feel like my GPA will really hinder me, especially if even with straight A's I end up with a 3.7-3.8 since UT adopted the plus/minus system. Will other grad schools take that into account when assessing my GPA?</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

2

<p>foreseeing GRE scores is nice and all, but you don’t really know how you stand on that front until you’re done. check out this front page and realize that a lot of people with 3.8+ GPAs have bombed the GRE.</p>

<p>that said, a few Bs will not hurt you if your overall GPA is 3.9 and your major GPA is 4.0. don’t sweat it.</p>

<p>but the extracurriculars don’t matter that much to graduate programs unless they’re directly related to your field of interest. so the internship at the capitol would be really good, but the liberal arts council doesn’t seem particularly relevant. if it’s distracting you from your coursework and research, drop it.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot for your input Strangelight! Yeah I know I should definitely not be predicting a high GRE score, but I like to think that since I have been preparing for that test since my freshman year I will do reasonably well. Here’s to hoping!</p>

<p>I’ll take your advice and drop LAC in order to pursue more Capitol internships. Maybe if I have 4+ by the time I graduate I will be more competitive, at least for my UTexas bid.</p>

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<p>A 3.7 or 3.8 will not hinder you at all. You need to relax and be a little less neurotic about getting a B. Anything 3.5 or above will be fine at any school. What will actually set you apart is good quality research experience.</p>

5

<p>Reeeeelax.</p>

<p>Getting into grad school is not what matters. It’s what you do there, and beyond, that really counts.</p>