HELLO y'all: I need your advice:
I will apply for the first time to M.Sc. Hydrology programs for a Fall 2016 start!
I graduated in May2014 from a big, well-known state school with a B.Sc in physics and Minors in GIS.
Since then, I've worked full time as a assistant in a biogeochemistry/river dynamics lab (May2014-current)
Before joining the lab, I was a student research assistant (Jan2014-May2014)
Here is the catch: I have an undergraduate GPA of 2.77!!
I know this will prevent my admission into top10 programs, so I am aiming for mid-tier programs?
Here is what I've done to outrun my undergrad gpa:
Spring: Took a graduate modelling class to show future decisions committees that I can hand graduate level work
Now (summer): repeating undergrad math class that I did poorly in: Differential Eqns
Fall (upcoming): Take another grad level class for the same reason above
At this point, what else can I do?
- Focus exclusively on attaining highest possible GRE scores?
- Focus on presenting something at conferences like AGU or GSA?
- Something else?
I'd especially appreciate any kind of input from those of you in graduate school who had applied from a position of disadvantage (like me!)
THANK YOU, I've been silently stalking this forum for over a year, and you guys are awesome.