<p>recently graduated from with a BSc in Chemistry from a Singapore university. </p>
<p>My grades were:
GPA: 4.09/5.00
GRE: V=520, Q = 760, AWA = still pending
GRE Chemistry: 650 (35 percentile!!!) </p>
<p>As u all can see, I have did very badly for my GRE Chemistry and I have stupidly send the scores to universities. I admit I am really poor in both organic and physical chemistry but I am very good in analytical chemistry. However, I have done reasonably well for my undergraduate courses (never scoring below a B for any Chemistry courses). And to think that some schools that I am going to apply do not even need them! I know I cannot retract my scores but can someone tell me what are my chances? </p>
<p>I am thinking of going to an analytical chemistry program in Canada. I had 2 years of analytical chemistry research background and 1/2 year of laboratory teaching assistant experience. However, as my supervisors did not observe my teaching experience, I had a strong feeling that they did not put in down even though I told them I did. </p>
<p>The universities being considered are:
Toronto
Alberta
UBC</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me what are my chances with these schools? What about University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Purdue University? Luckily, I did not send them the abysmal subject test score but I did send to the three Canadian ones (as UBC needed it). </p>
<p>So is my chance of getting in totally gone with my low GRE subject test score and relatively low GRE General score (even though Toronto and Alberta do not need it)? Should I instead try for American universities? </p>
<p>@ aminiamy it depends on what field you are getting your masters and where. I think the GPA cut off for a masters is much lower than a PhD which is a 3.0 minimum. you can go ahead and check some universities since I think they post those one their requirements page.</p>
<p>Iāve got a quick questionā¦is it easier to get accepted into a terminal masters program (for me most likely biomedical engineering) than a phd program at a top tier school like mit?</p>
<p>I think you have a good chance at a computational neuroscience program, but the fact that you have no actual research will hurt you. The top schools are definitely expecting research that at least demonstrates you have an understanding of what it means to conduct research. Apply broadly and focus on more quantitative/computational programs, and if you do not want to pursue it from that angle, spend a year getting neuroscience research experience. Basically, it depends on the level of school you want to attend. If you are OK with low ranked schools then you have no problem, but the higher you go, the more they are expecting of you.</p>
<p>First of all, if I graduate from Georgia Tech with a GPA of 3.9 and have 2 years of solid research on the same area on a specific topic but donāt have a stellar research profile (like co-authoring a paper, a thesis, or an award) am I still a long way from getting in for M.S. in universities of the likes of MIT? I major in mechE and minor in computer science which complements my research and so should hopefully have a good statement of purpose. I just feel like I still may not have stood out because donāt all students applying to top universities have a good academic record and have some kind of research experience?</p>
<p>Is feel dats where recoms come in. The problem is one is definitely coming from my research mentor but donāt know what I am going to do for the other 2. I have excelled in a lot of classes and those professors know me as a bright student but thatās about it. I have been in contact with my advisor but only in the form of a lot of doubts. I need to know what I have to do actually āgetā to know professors. I have to pick profs from smaller classes donāt I?</p>
<p>āGrades are not everything when it comes to grad school.
If you are particularly worried about it, it may behoove you to do things that would complement your CV and help to draw attention away from your grades. For example, you might consider getting some work experience after you graduate. That way, though your grades may not be the best in the bunch, it could still benefit you to have that experience. Admissions people like work experience, especially relevant WE.ā</p>
<p>Folksā¦please pay attention to this one above. Also, if your employer has some sort of relationship with your selected school, grad schools LOVE a student with that tuition-reimbursement voucher in their hand. Even if your grades are not āup to snuffā, you will be given āprovisional admissionā until the results of a few graduate courses. Rememberā¦universities are a business.</p>
<p>If you end up withā¦</p>
<p>1) Relevant work experience
2) 2 or 3 graduate courses with a 3.5 GPA or above
3) Tuition reimbursement from your employer (guaranteed money)</p>
<p>You have a VERY GOOD shot of being admitted to finish the rest of the graduate program without much bearing on your undergraduate grades.</p>
<p>NOTE: This may not apply to the Top-10 schools</p>
<p>Most PhD applicants havenāt coauthored a paper, much less MS applicants, even at MIT. If you have a 3.9 GPA from Georgia Tech (which is well known as a rigorous school without grade inflation) and 2 years of solid research, I think you have a good shot of an MS at top schools. MS applications are based more upon GPA than PhD applications, and your research should be sufficient.</p>
<p>Far as where to get the rest of your recommendations, pick two classes in which you particularly excelled. Have you ever taken more than one class in which you did really well with the same professor? They might be good people to ask, too.</p>
<p>If anyone is interested in pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience, please feel free to contact me. I am coordinating a 5-day summer program at the University of Illinois to introduce students to neuroscience research. (If you are accepted the entire experience is funded)</p>
<p>I have to say that I am amused by all of the people talking about their GPAs and are they good enough. Part of this is because I went to UC Santa Cruz for undergrad and donāt have letter grades, or a GPA.</p>
<p>But mostly itās because - at least at the professional masters level, I am sure itās different at the PhD level - grades are only one factor out of many that admissions consider. The most important, and Iām basing this on my classmates, is experience. For example, a friend of mine in my program (which is in USN&WRās top ten in the field) took eight years to get her undergrad degree, transferred three times, graduated from a commuter college with a less than amazing GPA. But during that time, she worked her ass off with NGOs, getting lots of great experience outside of the classroom. And when she applied to grad school, she got into a ton of top programs. Another friend of mine has a similar academic background, but he also served in Peace Corps and Americorps.</p>
<p>Basically, if you want to do a professional masters (MPH, MBA, MSW, MUP, MPP, etc), itās probably LESS important what your GPA is than what youāve actually done in the real world. Go get a job or an internship or volunteer. Apply for Peace Corps or Teach for America.</p>
<p>The OP said:
āYou donāt need to have all the answers early.
Enjoy college. You should be thinking about whether or not youād want to attend graduate school in your junior year. The summer after your junior year is a good time to line up recommenders, pick programs, and study for and take the GRE (although you can take the GRE in the fall of your senior year if itās easier). You can even take time off after college and do something else for a few years before going back to graduate school ā it wonāt hurt your chances as an applicant, and may even help in some cases. You donāt need to start thinking about graduate school in your freshman year of college.ā</p>
<p>I strongly disagree with this. You need to figure these things out as soon as you can. I made a few big mistakes:
āEnjoying collegeā too much my freshman year. Because of that, Iām looking at an undergrad GPA of 3.67 rather than 3.85. Once you graduate, your GPA is set in stone and youāre not going to be able to change it. My lazy freshman year is coming back to bite me almost 10 years later now.
Waiting too long to choose my major. I ended up going with the wrong one, and itās very difficult to get into the programs I want to get into with a degree in an irrelevant field. Having recommendations from people outside of the field doesnāt help you.
Not getting research experience because I did not think I would need it.</p>
<p>Getting rejected from every school is much more depressing when you are about to turn 27 and feel like you are already way behind the game than it is when youāre still in college.</p>
<p>can someone help me out with a couple of questions/issues!?</p>
<p>iām looking into a terminal masters program in Sociology but i am a marketing major however, i do have a sociology minor. I am in the honors college at my school and will be graduating in 3.5 years and will be receiving honors in marketing and sociology for the completion of an honors thesis.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if that will hurt me?..having a major outside of my field of interest (unfortunately I realized studying sociology was my true passion-which is why I decided to get honors in both areas). After this semester I have one more left so it is getting close to crunch time for me!</p>
<p>I have a summer internship at a well known consumer products company this summer, and the research for my thesis should add up to over 150 hours under the supervision of the honors adviser/sociology department head (who iām sure could write me a great letter of rec.)</p>
<p>iām almost panicking because I just decided against getting an MBA because I realized my true sociology passion. i know this is a ramble, but if someone could help me that would be great..thank you!</p>
<p>lewtat, if your passion is marketing and consumer research, I highly advise you pursue the following graduate options: Communications (integrated marketing, public relations) or MBA - Marketing route. The MA in Sociology has little market value because many sociology majors pursue professional studies in social work, counseling, business, urban planning, etc.. In the meantime, you still need to get work experience in marketing to make yourself more competitive for graduate schools.</p>
<p>I have a question for getting an MPPā¦ i graduated almost 2 years ago from UC Irvine with a 3.54 GPA in international studies and minor in accounting. My major GPA though is roughly around a 3.6-3.7. Iāve read somewhere that Iāll need relevant work experience? Iām currently working at a job that is completely unrelated to public policyā¦ but I do have a lot of volunteer experience with an international operating NGO. Does this countā¦? I know that iām going to focus on my volunteer experience on my essays.</p>
<p>Iāll be applying to these schools this coming winter. I will be done with ug next spring (total of 3 years)</p>
<p>School: Georgia Tech
Major: Mechanical engineering and minor in computer science </p>
<p>GPA 3.9 (most of my curriculum over now) Major GPA also 3.9</p>
<p>By the time applications come: 2 semesters in one lab, 2 semesters in another, 1 semester (2 years ago) in another but my research didnāt go so well</p>
<p>Other: Tutor for core classes and ME classes for 3 years, vice president of ASME chapter in Tech, program coordinator of a club called Student movement (service), Freshman Seminar Class team leader
Calc Class TA. </p>
<p>LORās :
1)Professor of the first lab (Associate prof graduated from CMU) I will be applying to CMU because I want to focus on an area that requires the integration of cs and me
2) Professor of the second lab (Prof graduated from Berkeley)
3) Professor who taught me fluids..We got to know each other in a more personal level (Prof graduated from Stanford)</p>
<p>Awards: Presidential Undergrad research award (nothing big, just a stipend for my research, but an award nonetheless)</p>
<p>Pubs and Presentations: Again nothing big, I presented my work to couple of labs in tech. Nothing at a conference or anything. Planning to present during an event in spring (for undergrad researchers) but this will be after the application soā¦
Seeing if I can publish a paper by this winter..but unlikely</p>
<p>GRE: havenāt taken a real one yetā¦I took a trial one before I started studying I got 400/700 (Q/V)</p>
<p>Your input on my chances of getting into my top choices would be great. I really need it. My worry is that only through LORās will my research skills be shown, no pubs or cool presentations in a conference. Second is my GRE..but what do you guys think is a minimum I need. GRE is more a cutoff right? Not that important?</p>
<p>To clarify I got 700 in q. Lol shoul be the other way around. And for the research I meant the time in that one lab for 1 semester didnāt go well but the other lab went well.</p>
<p>so i see myself as a pretty nice candidate for a Masters in Communications with one major flaw (<3.0 GPA). </p>
<p>I just returned from the Philippines, I spent most of the past year at DraftFCB, which is one of the largest Advertising companies in the world. I worked with good client, the largest communications company in the Philippines and Nissan Motors. Legit experience at a level iām not sure many other candidates will share. Not to mention in a foreign country which is just interesting. I ended up with over a dozen nationwide print ads and five commercials experience wise. </p>
<p>Iām studying for the GRE. i took a diagnostic before i really studied and got a 1150 or so. I just took another yesterday after three weeks and got between a 1350-1400. iām really shooting for a 1400. </p>
<p>now my GPA. i have a BA in English from Texas/minor in communications (freshman year at a different uni). My cumulative is a 3.1. My major is a 3.3. but my Upper Division is a 2.8-9, with an upward swing from 2.6-2.8-3.0-3.2-3.25 my last semesters. A frustration is that that semester at 2.6 did not have upper division classes. My statement of intent will obviously address this, and I will be completely honest. I had no thoughts of Graduate school during my undergrad. Meaning I completely lacked the necessary drive. Itās painful, it hurts, and i regret it very very much. </p>
<p>But with my experiences, and of course my letters of purpose (which will all be awesome. Itās not like i got nothing out of undergrad) and recommendations (two from DraftFCB, hopefully other from Advertising prof i had at Texas), i feel i will run a good shot. </p>
<p>my targets are:
BYU
Texas
Uni Of Houston
Gonzaga
West Virginia
the list will grow!</p>
<p>I actually feel my best shot is with BYU, does anybody have experiences with them? a 1400 will put my greatly above the GRE averages for these unis and iām counting on that. </p>
<p>so what say you guys? Would a 1400 garner me competitive looks at ātopā schools, or would my GPA be too much. keep in mind this is Communications/Marketing/Advertising. I feel like high experience in this means a lot.</p>
<p>Iām sorry but what exactly is post-bacc work? Is that work you do at a community college after graduating? I thought they donāt count towards your GPA.</p>
<p>is taking the GRE Chemistry test recommended if you have no research, canāt take some prerequisite chemistry classes due to schedule problems and plan to switch from a Biology BS into a Chemistry graduate program?</p>
<p>@Anteaters Post-Bac work usually refers to a specific program you take after getting your BS. Itās not simply extra classes. Most post-Bac programs are geared towards pre-med students who feel that they may not make it into med school, or research students who want more experience before applying. You have to apply to a post-Bac program and some of them can be quite competitive.</p>
<p>There are also post-Bac research fellowships offered by the NIH, CDC, APHL, ASM, etc that donāt include classes or test prep, but are purely a year (or two) of research. Those are also very competitive (I did the CDC/APHL EID fellowship and it only has a 15% acceptance rate).</p>