JessePinkman

Hi..I have a little doubt. I applied last year for MS in Civil Engineering but I was disappointed with the rejects I got. Mostly I couldve got rejected due to my low GPA. I started out with a decent 3.59 (65.69%) GPA in my first year. However, I lost my way in the second and third year and scored 2.81 (51.4%) and 3.15(57.6%) only. However, I got serious in my last year and scored 3.94 (72%). I applied last year with my transcripts showing the GPA for first three years as I was yet to finish my last year. This year my transcripts would show all years' GPA. So my question is this, How much of a difference would my last year GPA make considering I scored so good. And I want to make the Universities realise that I've become serious about my grades and future and would be working hard in my MS. So should I say anything about the low gpa in my middle years in my SOP? Thanks.

Thanks guys..and what if I increase it by 5 points or more..say i get 168+! Any slight difference it could make?

Hi..I am applying for MS in Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Management) for Fall 2015! I took the GRE last year and scored 323 (V:160, Q:163, AW:4.0). However I was disappointed with my quant score as I was scoring a lot better in the practice tests. I scored 169 and 170 in Quant in the ETS powerprep tests! I dont have any scope of improving other aspects of my profile as I am a recent graduate (last month) and can't really write a research paper! I will have about 2 months work experience by the time I apply and about 10 months by the time I leave for MS! So the GPA and work experience is sorted and i cant do any publications. So only thing remaining is the GRE! I'm pretty sure I can go above 166 atleast in Quant..Verbal score will remain more or less the same! My score would remain in the range of 323-328 with increase in the Quant score! So should I retake the GRE just to increase my quant score by 3 or more points? Or would it all be a waste even if it increases by that much? I am aiming for top schools like Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, UC-Berkeley, UT Austin! Thanks!

Hmm so should I mention it or not? About the deferral? I mean it would do no harm right?

Hey thanks for the reply. I am actually an international student and i guess the thing you wrote in the last para applies to American Students! And btw its a thesis program! I havent been assigned a mentor yet! So i guess I'll contact the graduate secretary then. Do you think telling them that I would defer my admission by one year if i don't receive any assistantship/funding would help?

Hi, I have received an offer of admission from Purdue University for MS in Building Construction Management. I am a little tight on budget and I want to ask the department for some sort of funding/assistantship. Anything will do for me. If I dont receive any assistantship or funding I would most likely be deferring my admission by 1 year and make some arrangement for my funds. So what do you guys recommend? How should I approach the department for funding and whom should I contact? Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for such a detailed reply! I'll prepare a list like this and calculate it accordingly

So I am on a tight budget here and my likely destination Purdue is an expensive school. I had no problems before applying to Purdue, but then some personal problems came up and now I'm on a really tight budget. If I decide to go, I just wanted to know whats the bare minimum you can spend on living expenses (rent, food, entertainment, phone etc.) in grad school and still survive! I want to spend the minimum possible amount! I know the minimum rent I'll pay is around $300! What are the other expenses other than that? Just give me an idea and I can calculate my expenses accordingly! Thank you.

From the beautiful land of India! Civil Engineering!

I wasnt a nerd nor did I do any of things like a non-nerd would do (booze,sex,girls,party) ! I dont know what I was! Haha.

Whats done is done. You made the choice that was better at that time. Now work on it to make it even better. Perhaps in the end it will turn out to be the best choice you made.

California! More jobs in Cali than anywhere else.

The profiles I'm talking abt are the profiles of Indian applicants and we have a large group of Indian applicants of the same field on Facebook and we have discussed each others profiles. So maybe i do know a lot about their profiles? And anyways I've already moved on. I have decided to apply again next Fall. I'll try and improve my profile in the time I have got and hopefully I'll end up there. Sorry if anyone was hurt by my comments. And to be honest I think they didnt accept me because they simply didnt have enough slots left. I personally know I was good enough to get this University. If not this year, it'll be next year.

UCLA wouldnt be a problem I think looking at this year's admits. But again they are eccentric. One of my friend who applied this year for CS told me that last year they didnt accept Indian students at all so he didnt apply this year. But I have seen them accepting Indian students this year.

I dont know why you got offended so easily. The thing about North America you mentioned (success in North America is not defined by things like test scores, grades and CV experience) is the exact reason why hordes of students from India are moving to US for their higher education. Because here in India all that matters is test scores, grades and CV. And its a simple thing if you think youre better than someone else its natural to expect better. Should I expect worse? I didnt even say they shouldnt give admits to such students and should admit me. I just said looking at those profiles I expected an admit. Nothing wrong in that. And the profiles I'm talking abt are not of my friends. They are of diff people who applied. My friends' and my profile are similar. Thats why I was disappointed when they rejected me. And its natural to be disappointed. And please dont judge people. Because youve judged me wrong. By asking why they rejected me I was hoping to get tips on how to improve next time and not asking for a whole explanation as to why they rejected me. Anyways thanks for the reply but don't judge people.

Yes! I told you some personal problem came up! Thats why! Otherwise i would've went to any of the school I got an admit from. Even if it was my last choice.

I would have happily attended Purdue! But due to some personal problems which came up I am unwilling to spend that much on Purdue. So I'll be applying next fall! But theres still a small chance of me going to Purdue! Lets see.

Anyways I'm sorry if my comment offended you or anyone! Peace!

So I am kinda thinking of applying again next fall as i didnt get into my top 2 choice universities! How many of you are in the same boat?

Well you have taken this all in a wrong way. I never intended to denigrate anyone's accomplishments. What I wanted to say is the same thing you're saying! Most Indians do work their ass off thats why they succeed! And thats why they should be praised and thats why our image is a good one. This also doesnt mean that people from other countries don't. I'm only talking in the sense of Indians here!

Okay! But the situation needs to change really and hiding it wil only make it worse. And about the image it brings to Indian students, it doesnt matter really. Indians wherever they go excel in their field or are atleast in the top half of their classes. So Indians are always held in high regard academia wise! Anyways thanks everyone for the replies.

Hey thanks for the reply. Maybe it was the SOP, maybe it wasnt. Coz we've discussed our SOPs and the ideas we focused on were pretty much the same. Anyways I'll tell you a fun fact about recommendation letters. Here in India we the students ourselves write the recommendation letters and the professor just reviews them and sends them to the Universities. The situation is pathetic really. They think its a waste of time writing the recommendation letters and most of them aren't even good at English to write it. So they just tell the student to write it.

How is the social life of grad students in general? Is it all study study study or does everyone take time out regularly to socialize and have fun too?

Got rejected from my top choice University and seen profiles similar to mine who applied late get in! FUCKING HELL!

The thing is i am on a tight budget here. And TAMU would have costed me nearly half of Purdue. So I am in a dilemma wether to go or wait 1 year and try for TAMU again next year. I can defer my Purdue admission by 1 year. So even if i dont get into TAMU next year I would still have Purdue with me!