DarkCharisma

Was accepted this year to biomedical sciences programs with a sub 3.0 gpa. Was a very stressful process and glad I won't ever have to go through it again. To anyone looking to apply, be open and honest about your gpa. It's the one part of your application that you have no control over so just own up to it. Good luck to any future applicants, it can be done!

I graduated from my undergrad program with a 2.32. I just could not get it. By the time I graduated I thought I would never even think of going to grad school. Well of course that changed after I got my Social Worker License and was hired by the state to work in the juvenile prisons. Knowing that I would not get into ANY MSW program with a 2.3, I went to an accredited online school and achieved a 3.63 to prove that I can actually do the work (I was so pissed cause I was wondering where my smarts went in undergrad lol).
 
I think that getting my Social Worker License, working for 5+ years in my field (I was hired by my senior year practicum and was blessed enough to become a probation officer by 23 and a parole officer by 26) really helped my chances. However I was rejected by The University of New England because of my SOP...they said I needed to take graduate writing courses, even though I had just graduated from a masters program. Go figure
 
For those who need LOR, keep plugging, especially if you do not have any school references. The one and only reference from my BSW program retired and I have no contact with her anymore. My field practicum teacher refused saying that she wouldn't have anything good to say, even though I received an A in her class *shoulder shrug*. Just be thankful that your teachers are being honest and not black balling you in your attempts to get into a program. Ask your supervisors, clergy, trainers on the job, anyone who you've worked with, ask. Get people who know your character and your work who can vouch for you.
 
I just got accepted into my second MSW school today and am waiting to hear back for two more. So like my signature says, if I can get into grad school then so can you! lol

True Story:
I graduated with a 2.0 (overall) in biochemistry from a mid-sized land grant university.  I actually dropped out, relocated back east, and finished my degree 3 years later.  After I had already been in school for 7 years prior to that.  Long story short, I was totally lost and didn't know what I wanted to do.
Back east, worked dead end jobs while taking undergrad classes, filled out 300 + job applications, finished my BS, and interviewed 3 separate times with the same PI before being offered a job scrubbing dishes.  I was the lab bitch for 8 months, while taking graduate level classes on my own dime and sometimes working 2 jobs, until my lab manager left our group in the spring.  I was offered her job full time, or I could take her job part time and work towards getting into grad school.  In those 8 months, I learned how to basically run the lab.  If it didn't involve the lab credit card, I could pretty much do it.  I turned down the full time job, took my GRE over the summer, and applied for admissions in spring 2016 for a MS.  My GPA over 23 credits since my undergrad degree is a 3.6, with a 3.2 in 11 grad credits.  GRE scores were 162,150,4.5.  If there is anyone with longer odds than me, I have never seen it posted on any forum in 4 years of looking.
 
I just got admitted to my top choice yesterday.
 
The facts are these:  no one gives a shit about your education or future like you do.  People can give you opportunities, but you have to recognize the good ones and be willing to work to earn them.  There is no substitute for hard work, not even talent can trump it.  I know I didn't succeed because I'm brilliant, but I do know I will fail and have failed because I didn't work hard.  Seek out people who will take a chance on you, give them a reason to take a chance on you, and work your ass off to show them you are worth a shit.  Because there is always someone better out there.  I cannot stress this enough; you have to find something you are truly passionate about.  Something that is the last thing you think of when you go to bed and the first thing you think of when you wake up.  Once you find that thing, you know you are on the right track.  Just keep working.
And also, don't forget to smile.  No one likes an asshole.  No matter how hard they work.
Best of luck.
 
 
 

I'm not sure what is not fair about midyear applications. Most schools do this because they need to set their budget and schedule for the following year, so they accept students in the Spring. Summer applications also require that faculty meet to make decisions during a period where they often aren't on campus.
If you feel like you will be a better candidate after graduation, then take a year off. There is nothing wrong with taking a year, or two, or ten, to figure out your path. If you have diagnosed aspergers and a learning disability, than the best thing you can do is use whatever accommodations are available and post a strong semester or two of coursework.
What I don't think you understand is that not having Fs and having people skill through "life" won't do shit for you. Almost every person applying for these programs will not have Fs, and most of them will have better grades than you do. Most of them will also have "people skills", and, to be brutally honest, "life" doesn't count for much when you are 22, unless you have a particularly compelling personal narrative.

Sure. Have they gotten into a grad school worth going to without redeeming themselves through some other program (special student, low-ranked MA, etc.) first? No. Recovery from a poor undergraduate GPA is certainly possible, but doing so takes time, effort, and money. 
Look, there's a simple question you need to answer: what concrete things can you show an application committee to demonstrate your ability to excel at graduate-level work? It doesn't look like you can answer that question yet. Until you can, don't waste money on apps.