Getting into Grad School

[bruce waynee]

I'm also looking into to grad school.  I'm currently at U of A and my GPA is about a 3.0 (my upper division grades are very good, just slacked off a lot in gen eds frosh/soph year) and I want to apply to somewhere like San Jose State or San Francisco State.  Anyone have any experience with those two in particular?

 

[boilermaker x]

HigherGround wrote:

---

1. NT is not admissions office, all these people can speculate all they want but not one of them know what they are talking about.



True.  Except...

I served on the admissions committee of a graduate program at a major university.  I also did on and off-campus recruiting and interviewed many prospective students.  Permit me to drop knowledge.

Three things get you through the first round of cuts: grades, test scores, recommendations.  Top tier schools, you better be stacked in all three areas.  Other places if you're good in two areas and decent in the third then you'll likely be invited to interview.  Even the places that don't have minimum GPAs have minimum GPAs.  You roll in with a 2.5 and chances are I'm done reading - even though there might not have been an "official" minimum or the "official" minimum was 2.4.

Programs often have multiple time periods blocked off for interviews - the best candidates are invited at one time, the next best another time, and so on - primarily because there isn't an infinite recruiting budget.  We pull out all the stops for the best candidates because unless there is something seriously wrong with them in person, these guys are already in.  However, they are likely going to be accepted everywhere else they applied, too, so we want to impress them.  (Talk with the other interviewees while you're there and you can figure out which group you're in.  You think you're lumped in with a bunch of stupids?  So did we.)  

Throughout the entire interview process you are there to impress people personally as much as intellectually.  Depending on the program this can be a two to three-day-long job interview and it would do you well to look at it as such.  The ink is still wet on you bachelor's degree in I don't care and most of the time it has little or nothing to do with what you'll be doing here anyway.  I don't expect you to know everything.  I don't even expect you to know much of anything.  What I do expect is that you have some basic knowledge and a track record of interest in the area you're applying toward.  I do expect that you can communicate effectively, express yourself articulately and concisely, and carry on a two-way conversation.  I expect you to convey that you are an intelligent individual capable of learning as well as thinking for yourself.  I expect you to be able to relate to different people.  (This is why in the course of the interview process you will interact with everyone from professors to students to janitors).  I expect you to conduct yourself with some modicum of dignity and professionalism.  (This is why you will spend time with other interviewees and students.  You have a meltdown or get a little wrecked on an interview weekend and this leaves an impression.)

And because I know the only thing NikeTalk cares more about than Kim Kardashian's mass is race, you might be interested to learn that finding qualified minorities is of zero difficulty in most fields.  But much to the chagrin of most people reading this, those minorities frequently come from India and the People's Republic of China.  Why?  It's not racism.  It's simple qualifications, homie.  Cream rises and those two nations make up 1/3 of the world.  International students have often already earned advanced degrees in order to get into the same program you’re trying to get into with your bachelor’s.  HOWEVER, if you are a domestic minority with significant qualifications you are like gold.  And minority or not, a domestic student will almost always be admitted before an international student. 

Those are some of the facts.  Love them, hate them, whatever. 


Dr. Boilermaker
Department of Internal Medicine
America's Top Hospitals: Honor Roll


     

 

[solewoman]

i think it depends on a lot of factors. program, extra curricular activities, work history etc.. my gpa wasnt the best. but to help it. before i applied, i looked at the program i wanted and at that school and i took their pre reqs at a community college and got all a's. also my work history and community service is all within the same field as my program so i am sure that helped. Therefore i will be starting grad school this fall at George Washington university

...now i just got to figure out how to pay for it :/ and i didnt even have to take any standardized test. good luck

 

[vasweetz]

I got into graduate school at Howard University with a gpa lower than a 3.0. I think my major gpa, my recommendations, and my Praxis Test Scores all helped.

 

[Good Ol J.R]

Originally Posted by reigndrop

Originally Posted by JRAdagreat72

Tell me how it doesn't?

Just cause its accredited doesn't mean its a good choice to go there.  I've never even heard of hell prairie a&m.  And did you see the schools you listed that are accredited, ASU and HBS. 

Like I said, the accreditation don't mean anything.  If you're not doing an MBA from a top 20, hell even top 15 or 10 school, you're wasting your time and money.

OP, get into a top 20 school or else your life won't change at all, except for more debt.

I understand what you're saying and I respect that. But you can't tell me that an accreditation doesn't say anything about the quality of education one can receive. Not everybody is gonna get a UC Booth education or what have you due to grades or finances or whatever. All I'm saying is  there are options out there for everyone. You can get the same type of education from a top 30 school as you can a top 15. you don't get hired off of what name your degree has, but who you know and whether you're the person to get the job done....

And by the way, Prairie View A&M is a HBCU in texas. I don't know about anyone, but a good accreditation says a lot to me.

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by Lex Starks

I'm sitting out a year or two before applying to law school because my grades aren't law school worthy. I already have a great recommendation pocketed but applying now would be silly.

That doesnt make much sense. A great LSAT score will save a poor GPA. Your GPA is now out of your control and all you can really do is kill the LSAT...so it doesnt make much difference to apply now versus applying down the road since they're still going to see your low GPA.

BTW, Law school isn't considered to be grad school.

 

[davidisgodly]

@ anyone who thinks they can just KILL the LSAT.

props on boiler. You dropped serious info. Way more info than these guys ever will need.

 

[davidisgodly]

Originally Posted by YouMadYouBad

well, is it a waste of time to go back to school and getting a new BS or BA getting good grades the second time around then applying for Grad school. Has anyone tried this route?

youre going to be in your 6th year, still getting B's and wondering to yourself. damn! this is hard! 

 

[haiti5]

^^ uhh..it makes alotta sense actually ive worked in a law school admissions dept and business school admissions.

there is a such thing as maturity and life..many admin officers will add that factor in ( a life GPA of sorts).

separating yourself from a immature 21,22,23 year old to a 23,24 etc yr old that has work experience and has matured and is confident in exceling at the grad level is a huge factor

rell dont listen to these dudes youll be fine..show that you have learned from those days as an undergrad..couple that with a decent lsat and you can get into a decent school...if you get a 160+ or so id say take a crack at schools from 30- and down.

from working at these admissions offices ive learned one thing..gpa isnt nearly as important as test scores..not even close

 

[davidisgodly]

Originally Posted by haiti5

^^ uhh..it makes alotta sense actually ive worked in a law school admissions dept and business school admissions.

there is a such thing as maturity and life..many admin officers will add that factor in ( a life GPA of sorts).

separating yourself from a immature 21,22,23 year old to a 23,24 etc yr old that has work experience and has matured and is confident in exceling at the grad level is a huge factor

rell dont listen to these dudes youll be fine..show that you have learned from those days as an undergrad..couple that with a decent lsat and you can get into a decent school...if you get a 160+ or so id say take a crack at schools from 30- and down.

from working at these admissions offices ive learned one thing..gpa isnt nearly as important as test scores..not even close

Why would you want to go to a 30- and down Law school? You want to rack up 100K+ debt and worry about job placement? degree=/= employment.

@ you calling 21,22 immature. You're 22 and you got 2.5 gpa while another 22 year old got a 4.0 Who's really mature. 

Don't listen to this dummie.

 

[haiti5]

 not everyone is gonna get into a top 25 law school.. i know dudes that have gon to UDC and come out with great jobs...it really comes down to the area you want to practice in, the connections you make (summer interning) and class rank..sooooo yeeeeea

and 21=/= immature. its just an example..he made a few mistakes in undergrad and that shows his immaturity..however work experience and independence show a great deal..i got into schools off this  so dont tell me i dont know what im talking about ..and hes a black male POW! lol

and for example ohio state is ranked 32..u reaaaaaallly think that an osu grad isnt getting first dibs on jobs in the state of ohio? (Excluding ivy league schools) 

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by davidisgodly

@ anyone who thinks they can just KILL the LSAT.

props on boiler. You dropped serious info. Way more info than these guys ever will need.

Who said it was easy?

I expect a guy writing in such a condescending tone to have much better reading comprehension abilities than you've shown us so far.

 

[hyper cutter]

i hope this thread grows.

anyway, prof boilermaker, i have an interesting question for you.

I currently attend UC Berkeley. I will graduate next year with BA's in English and Philosophy. My Overall GPA should come out to something like 3.2. It would be higher if I were to exclude my philosophy GPA, since my English GPA is higher. Anyway, I will pursue a PhD in philosophy...BUT the schools I expect to apply to (Cal, Stanford, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz) might not take me right out of the gate.

I suspect that students with masters degrees have a significantly higher chance of getting in and are generally preferred anyway. This is my plan B: I will apply to SF State (which is ranked in the top 13 in the nation as far as Philosphy grad programs go). Since I would be coming from a highly regarded UC and since, besides my GPA, I would have god GREs (since those are pretty easy) and good letters of rec, would my chances be high that I can secure my plan B?

I am conceding that I won't be getting into the other schools right after graduating and getting a Master's, I assume, would greatly boost my chances of getting back into Cal (which is my goal). See, I am pretty sure I can crush everything in my path at SF State. I can schmooze my profs and just outclass my peers, since I would be concentrated ONLY on philosophy and on getting back into Cal.

Finally, do you think, after getting my Masters (which I think I can do in 2 years) I would be able to get back into Cal?

What do you see wrong with my view on the matter, since you have worked on these kinds of things, I presume?

Oh, and what school did you work for? Curious. A med school?

 

[boilermaker x]

Originally Posted by Hyper Cutter

Let's take this offline.  (No Yoko Ono.)  You've got mail.

  

 

[ubuibeme]

Originally Posted by SoleWoman

i think it depends on a lot of factors. program, extra curricular activities, work history etc.. my gpa wasnt the best. but to help it. before i applied, i looked at the program i wanted and at that school and i took their pre reqs at a community college and got all a's. also my work history and community service is all within the same field as my program so i am sure that helped. Therefore i will be starting grad school this fall at George Washington university

...now i just got to figure out how to pay for it :/ and i didnt even have to take any standardized test. good luck

What program? I know some grad students at GWU.

 

[solewoman]

Originally Posted by UbUiBeMe

Originally Posted by SoleWoman

i think it depends on a lot of factors. program, extra curricular activities, work history etc.. my gpa wasnt the best. but to help it. before i applied, i looked at the program i wanted and at that school and i took their pre reqs at a community college and got all a's. also my work history and community service is all within the same field as my program so i am sure that helped. Therefore i will be starting grad school this fall at George Washington university

...now i just got to figure out how to pay for it :/ and i didnt even have to take any standardized test. good luck

What program? I know some grad students at GWU.

MSIST.

Masters of Science in Information Systems and Technology

hook me up!!!! i need work!

 

[skip2mylou23]

Having a great GPA is very important. I don't know about you guys but I'm going to make sure to do well in my classes so I can get into some good grad school. I have a 3.9 as an accounting and finance major and I'm hoping to go to some Ivy League schools for my MBA.