So I’m going to graduate in the summer and I’m taking a gap year to work as a TA for my university, take the GRE and do some more research
I ended up having a very peculiar college career. I was sexually abused by my father and a lot of those problems stayed with me until I started healing.
My dream was to always learn about space and during the first few years of college my GPA and class work was awful. Those problems with my dad persisted , but I was a stubborn person and I refused for him to take anything more away from me, including my dream.
I’m a 6th year senior and the first 4 years of college my GPA sucked, but the last two years have been really great.
I more or less made college and studying my entire life. I had to pay for school by myself and during the past two years my accomplishments are:
-Two jobs(math tutor for the math department, and a math/physics tutor for the athletic department)
-Research assistant with scholarships and awards for my research
-Deans list
-Did a graduate level Quantum Mechanics course
-Teaching assistant and hoping to get published for my research(after I graduate)
For my letter of recs I think I have some good recs. My professor who let me in that QM class was very afraid of letting me in because my GPA was nowhere near the cutoff, but I more or less demanded to be in that class and in a way we built a very close relationship, and I just worked not only for himself, but for him since he gave me a chance. That along with my research professor and other professors I built a good relationship gives me a good base.
And for the GRE I feel confident. I don’t want to get cocky, but I know I know my physics well, and I certainly have the motivation to put in the time to adjust to the style that the physics GRE is.
I know I’m a bit of a peculiar case and it sucks because 4 years of failing classes didn’t make my overall GPA look very good. But I’m a much different person and I want to emphasize that. Do I still have a chance of getting in?
What, exactly, are your cumulative and major GPAs? If they are below 3.0, you will have a hard time getting into a Ph.D. program right off the bat unless you can get a personal introduction by one of your mentors. An alternative is to go for a Masters degree first to bolster your academic credentials. If your GPA is above 3.0 then you have a chance but remember that for the most selective programs you will be competing with applicants who will have GRE scores as good as yours or better and with nearly perfect GPAs. Make sure you have some safeties that you are willing to attend.
Cumulative is below a 3.0, major GPA is much above a 3.0. Yeah I know and that’s the frustrating part. I’m trying my hardest to get a 4.0 this semester to really show I’m the real deal, but I wouldn’t mind doing a masters at UCLA and then going for a PhD. UCLA has always been my dream school and I feel I’m just too stubborn to give up on it especially after how much has happened so far.
Remember that a place like UCLA will likely not be supporting MS students if they admit them at all. You might look into CSU Long Beach as a safety. They only have MS programs and are likely to support their graduate students as TAs. I have been very impressed with a number of CSU programs and how they prepare students for PhD programs. In any case, apply to UCLA also and itis possible that they will put more weight on your major GPA if your GRE is strong.
Yeah, thank you for the advice. I’m still very hopeful that it can be done. Idk I’m not trying to display overconfidence, but I always hear stories of people who’ve done a lot, astronauts, sports athletes, really great scientists, and in the end I remember they’re just humans just like you and me. It may be a be a large task ahead of me, but it’s not impossible, and there’s risk involved but what isn’t in life that’s worthwhile.
I think I can still do it, and the only way I can do it is if I wash away my anxieties and completely commit to it.
Alright let’s say a best case scenario happens and I am able to get a very high GPA for this semester and summer and I am able to get a really good GRE score.
How much will my professors letters of rec help me/sway their opinion?
I know my research experience will have an impact but what about my other jobs(the two tutoring jobs I held and the TA position)?
And finally my personal statement?
If I do well this semester I have a really good feeling that one of my professors will write a compelling letter for me. He’s really high up there and he’s been a bit of a father figure for me and I’m in his class right now. If I can excel I think he’ll support me a lot in that. If I use the personal statement to explain the person I was 2 years ago is nothing like the person I am now, will it help in my favor?
The question is whether you will get past the initial cut where they actually look carefully at your application. A school like UCLA has a lot of applicants and they have to make a cut somewhere. This is usually done using GRE scores and GPAs. Smaller programs, like ours at Illinois Tech can afford to look at all the applications because we have many fewer. If you get past the initial cut, then all the things you mention will be positive and you will have a chance.
However, I know I am repeating myself, but when you apply to these selective programs, there is no guarantee that you will get in so you need to have a backup plan. Ask yourself this. Is your goal to get a PhD or is your goal to go to UCLA? I hope it is the former since that means you are passionate about Astrophysics and it is not just a fixation on a specific school. What if you do get into UCLA and you find it is not exactly like you imagined it. If you do not have the passion for the subject, it sill be very hard to continue there. All that being said, one of my former undergraduate advisees is at UCLA and he likes it very much.
I will study astrophysics if I get the chance, but there is something else. I have a dream and that’s to be an astronaut. It’s something that got me through a lot of the bad days and motivated me everyday. I’m also at my athletic peak right now and run a 5:15 mile but I wasn’t anywhere near that at the start of college. Training for this has all been for one goal and that was to become an astronaut. Becoming an astronaut was my dream, it felt like a purpose, and I wanted to do anything for it.
The reason UCLA means so much to me is the fact that it was my top school, it’s a top program, and it’s something that’s very unlikely. It’s more of the fact that I am in control of my life and if I say I can do it, it will happen.
Maybe it’s a delusional mindset, I don’t really know, all I know is that it has worked. Of course if life throws a curveball I’ll adjust. A curveball is harder to hit, but it can still be hit, and not being accepted to UCLA won’t end me, but getting in will be a huge moment for me telling myself that my willpower can get to my dreams. If it doesn’t happen at UCLA I’ll find another time I can do it, but I’m probably sure you understand why I’d rather get that feeling sooner than later.
On a side note, here’s a pic of me and former astronaut Ron Sega: http://i.imgur.com/hrUhcg4.jpg
It was awesome meeting him, and I told him about my astronaut dream. I think the part that meant the most to me was that he really did believe in me and told me to go for it with conviction. I’m used to people calling me delusional for my dream and I know what it sounds like when someone doesn’t believe, but Ron Sega had an assurance in his voice and eyes that looked like he really believed that I could do it. So I’m going for it.
