<p>High school kids are known for picking reach, safety, in line schools when they are sending off applications and it all makes sense. But this doesn’t work for adult learners in my case.</p>
<p>I would like to go to grad school in engineering. So I look at a particular prestigous university and notice they don’t give any information about what kind of students they admit. I write to them, and their recommendation is to take 5-6 classes at the university and then apply as a student. They say should they choose to accept me, I can count all 5-6 classes as part of my degree.</p>
<p>I talk with two or three other schools and they all say the same thing!</p>
<p>So that means I need to spend a year (I am part time) taking classes and then ask to be enrolled as a student?!?! And if they decline me, then I’m just out of luck?</p>
<p>what classes are they?
Has it been some time since you have attended college?
It is pretty common for them to want a fairly recent transcript, also I know that some math/science pre-reqs are only good for a few years.
:(</p>
<p>bigtrees-
I don’t 100% understand what you’re saying. They told you that you couldn’t apply without first taking some classes through extension or something like that? This is required before anyone applies? I’ve never heard of this, although granted it’s been a while since I went to grad school and it wasn’t a prestigious school. I thought you just applied and got accepted or not. Which school is this, and which program? This sounds like a scam to make money.
If you are talking about a Masters degree, I think 5 or six classes could be a significant portion of the degree requirements, before even being admitted.</p>
<p>I write to them, and their recommendation is to take 5-6 classes at the university and then apply as a student. They say should they choose to accept me, I can count all 5-6 classes as part of my degree.</p>
<p>Never heard of that. I don’t think all/most grad schools have that policy.</p>
<p>Yes, in essence. I can technically apply at any time, but they recommend that I take 5-6 class before applying because it “will help my application”. Basically, they are saying that my chances of getting accepted are improved if I can show that I will suceed at their classes prior to applying to the program.</p>
<p>Backwards, isn’t it?</p>
<p>This particular school requires 15 classes for a grad degree (quarter system), so 5-6 is roughly 1/3 of the program.</p>
<p>Remember, I am an adult learner and part time at this point. Unlike many grad programs where you do research while being a student, I’m taking one or two classes on a part time basis.</p>
<p>^^^Why not just apply and see if they accept you before you take the classes? You’d only be risking the application fee, right? I suspect if you can get really good GREs you would have a reasonable chance. Now if your undergraduate GPA is something like a 2.3 it might be an uphill climb even if you took their 5 recommended cclasses.</p>
<p>You already have what most graduates are looking for anyway - a job.</p>
<p>I went PT to obtain my grad degree in engineering. I attended 3 schools before settling on one. Most grad schools allow you to take several classes without matriculating. But, there is absolutely not reason you could not apply to matriculate first if that is what you want to do. I am sure the schools like to see a few courses under your belt to see how well you handle the program.</p>
<p>You could play this to your advantage by taking a couple of classes as you would if you matriculated, see if you like the program at all. If you do well, I would think you could apply and you would get credits for those courses. It is backward, but it doesn’t sound like you have anything to lose unless you do poorly and don’t get in. Actually, come to think of it, I wish this was an option for undergrads. Wouldn’t that be revolutionary–let anyone sign up for classes their first year (with size limits of course), then students actually apply/matriculate their second year.</p>