<p>Hey guys, I just finished my second year at UMass Amherst as an applied math major. I’m posting here because I’m absolutely freaking out about grad school because of how horribly this year went. Because of this year, my GPA is a 2.743. Here are my grades:</p>
<p>Freshman year (Fall):
Intro to Physics: A-
College Writing: B+
General Chemistry I: B+
Calculus I: C</p>
<p>Freshman year (Spring):
Comparative Literature: A
Honors Colloquium for General Chemistry II: A-
Anthropology: B
Calculus II: B-
General Chemistry II: B-
General Physics I: C</p>
<p>Freshman year (Summer):
U.S. History: A</p>
<p>Sophomore year (Fall):
Chemistry Seminar: A
Organic Chemistry I Lab: B+
Multivariate Calculus: B+
General Physics II: B
Microbiology: C+
Organic Chemistry I: F</p>
<p>Sophomore year (Spring):
Shakespeare: B
Fundamental Concepts of Math: B
Co-Seminar for FCM: B
Differential Equations: B-
Linear Algebra: C
Intro to Java: D</p>
<p>As you can probably figure out from my grades, I was a chemistry major upon entering college, but I switched to applied math because I failed organic chemistry. Do I still have a shot at grad school, at least a Master’s program? Thanks guys.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the admissions requirements for any grad schools you are interested in? In my own field, it’s typical for grad programs to have an average-in-the-major cutoff between 3.0 and 3.5, which makes the answer pretty obvious in those cases.</p>
<p>I’ve tried looking for them, but they don’t post any such statistics anywhere. Also, at the risk of sounding too defeatist, there’s a very slim chance I could get into any of the grad schools I am interested in (Columbia, Brown, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, MIT and UChicago). I want to get into a Ph.D. program at one of these schools, so I am prepared to enter a Master’s program beforehand if need be. But I am worried that I will be disqualified from all Master’s and Ph.D. programs because of my mediocre grades.</p>
<p>You should be worried. Those are pretty tough schools. At the very least, be sure you apply to some state schools, including directional schools that may offer no degree higher than a masters. And have a realistic backup plan that focuses on employment. With two years left in school, you have time enough to pick up enough core courses in another area (such as business) to make yourself employable.</p>
<p>Would it help my case any if I retook Intro to Java and Organic Chemistry? Or will it seem as though I am trying too hard to impress the adcoms? At this point, I am planning on doing a Master’s degree as a gateway to a Ph.D., so I don’t really care where I do my Master’s (I know this sounds very arrogant and cocky, but it’s my last hope). My plans got seriously derailed when I failed Organic Chemistry, so I have no idea of what I want to do now. I thought of picking up some more CS classes after I retook Intro to Java, but those classes are very difficult to get into because they’re so much in demand. And the worst part is, I have an advisor who refuses to help me outside of advising week, so now I’m totally lost.</p>
<p>At the moment, you would have a hard time getting into any graduate program (M.S. included) right after your B.S. work. You need to stop worrying about that and taking classes you enjoy and can do well in. As I see your academics, you have not yet gotten any grade better than a B+ in your major and that is a real red flag for graduate applications. unless you have a substantial improvement over the next two years, your best bet will be to work and then return for a Masters after a few years.</p>
<p>Would it help if I got straight As (no A-'s) from here on out? I will be emailing my next semester’s professors within the next few weeks asking them for the syllabi for their classes so that I can be better prepared. I will admit to some amount of laziness, particularly in Linear Algebra and Physics I. But I will postpone my goals for grad school right now and just focus on doing a bang-up job for the next two years. Thanks for the advice, it really helped me to get back on track.</p>
<p>Of course it would, but if you aren’t a straight-A student now, there’s no reasonable reason to expect to be a straight-A student from here on out. I’m not saying this to be mean; I just want you to be realistic about your plans. You can pull up your GPA, but don’t stress yourself out trying to achieve straight As.</p>
<p>I think your decision is a good one - focus on your school work for the next two years. If you have a 3.0+ or close after next year, then you might try to apply to some master’s programs - although probably a little less ambitious than your current list. Or you may choose to take a few years to work. Distancing yourself from your undergraduate grades - perhaps while taking a graduate course or two as a non-degree student - can make it easier for you to get into an MS program with a lowish GPA.</p>
<p>The schools I listed were schools whose Ph.D. programs I wanted to attend. I am planning to do a Master’s degree at a school in the Boston area (Northeastern or WPI hopefully). I will talk to my advisor and attend graduate school workshops extensively throughout this school year. I do believe I can pull myself together this summer and get straight As from here on out. And I am planning on taking a graduate class in the fall of my senior year (I haven’t completed all the prerequisites for the class in question yet, and it’s only offered in the fall term). I was leaning toward working for a year or two anyway so that I can take some of the financial burden off of my parents. Thanks for the advice everybody. It was really helpful. </p>
<p>Also, I forgot to mention, I just finished a Python class on edx.org in which I got an A, and which I took for a certificate. I am also going to retake Intro to Java this coming semester in order to pursue a Computer Science minor. Will these help my applications for graduate school in any way?</p>
Hey guys, I’m back, with some (slightly) good news. My grades for this semester were just released, and they were pretty good, if I do say so myself. Here are my grades for the year:
Fall 2014:
Stats I, Intro to Java (Round II), Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: C
Japanese I and Independent Study: A
Cumulative GPA: 2.839
Spring 2015:
Advanced Multivariate Calculus: A
Math Writing: A
Independent Study: A
Japanese II: B+
Discrete Math: B-
Cumulative GPA: 2.951
On the plus side, my major GPA got a serious boost after this semester, to a 2.716. If I keep getting As in my math classes, do my chances at getting into grad school look better? Thanks guys.