twip25

i got in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

No you are NOT doa if you do not mention professors i did not mention ANY professors and I GOT IN!!! MENTIONING professors is like u r sucking up to them and you are desperate and reading too many 'how to get into grad school' books the admissions committee is not stupid they know people read those dumb how to books don't mention any profs by name (it worked for me and i was accepted into 1 of 15 slots) the profs care about the quality of ur education, essay and experience. btw profs change and leave especially now with university budget problems

I GOT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fluff you electrical engineering / computer science miserable IT field I'm outta there! no more computer ee geeks to deal with back to the civilised world where people know how to socialise i got in i got in i got in !!!!!!!!!!!

HI I GOT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 NO WAITLIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I GOT IN!!!!!!! THANX EVERYONE!!! I FOCUSED ON THE POSITIVE AND WHAT I CAN DO NOT ON THE PAST the past is finished my future is now!!!!!!! I am so happy!

I applied to GMU public policy program. This Wed it will be week 4. The wait is killing me!!!!!!!! their web site says to receive a response within 3-4 weeks When universities reject applicants, do they let them know asap ie 2nd week or do they send the rejection as well as the acceptance letters at the same time? in other words - Is there still a 50-50 possibility even after waiting 1 month? I am worried I was rejected and they forgot about my application, probably used it for firewood because the electricity bill is high.

computer science is putrid (along with EE) !! get out of that major now unless you intend on becoming a professor or reasearcher at bell labs or person creating computer games. otherwise you are doomed to become a programmer loser like the comic store fool in the simpsons. and jobs are being automated or shipped to cheaper places like china or india. that is why I left EE

the sop is arguably the most important part of the application. profesors know students cheat and grades can be inflated (unless you are an elec eng major where you break your back for the degree), but a statement speaks volumes. don't just write a generic sop, specifically address what they asked you to address. if you don't address sthe question they will throw ur application out. i also wouldn't mention professors unless they are still there cuz with the recent economic problems, many professors are being let go because there is less money. also don't lie with a sob story unless it is true professors read thousands of sop and can filter lies from truth most importantly, you have only x amount of words, so don't mention something you already mentioned somewhere else. for example I have tonnes of volunteer experience. rather than detail the experience in my essay, I stuck it in my resume so in my essay I discussed other things ie why i chose that major, my future goals etc.

update!!!!!!!!!!!! I sent my application last week and took your advise. I was about to explain the bad grade and realized that explaining it would make me seem stuck in the past and bitter and professors want to know of your plans for future not dwelling in the past. I also think that despite a bad grade, I did not give up and settle to cmplacency will show the professors who I really am. I specifically answered the questions they asked and they did not ask to explain any bad grades. Therefore, I focused on writing a good SOP (it took me many months to write that damn thing) and I had killer fantastic LOR (my professors from my relevent social science classes sent me copies). I also attached a resume flooded with volunteer work experience We shall see what happens!!!!! wish me luck!!!!

My degree is in electrical engineering, I assume a social science admissions committee wants to be bored to death with information of circuits and programming research paper. Therefore I must select something else. They want it 1000 words max. Did anyone in this forum submit a separate writing sample? I was thinking of a literature theme, but that wouldn't be original, but I don't want to overcomplicate this. Does anyone have suggestions of ideas? I don't want an exact title but some general ideas. ie I can't write about my life b/c that will be in my SOP. thx

I must provide a writing sample for a program I want (no this is separate from the statement of purpose). I could write about anything under the sun, the application did not specify a topic, what is the graduate committee looking for? original thought and writing skills? I was thinking of a compare and contrast essay or should I write about a topic I would like to research and how I would do it? Did anyone else endure this? I am lost with this. Thx for any suggestions

sorry... not to belabour the thread but one last question. anese you mentioned: 'In short, do not mention it. ', and you seem fairly confident in your answer if an admissions committee looked at the F, wouldn't they say what is going on? Assume you received my application and you saw the F in a graduate class with no explanation, what would be your thoughts about the student? Believe you me, I would love to NOT mention it cuz it draws attention to something bad. I am just worried they will jump to criticize unless an explanation is provided, that is why I feel the need to add a sentence or 2. I am just trying to weigh everything before I send my application. thx

ok...I will write a strong as possible and positive SOP and add a separate paper to explain my F (and blame myself for it). Actually I took 2 graduate classes, in one I received a B, in the other a F, that is why I am so angry. If I was such a bad student I would have failed both graduate classes but I did well in one of them. thx anese, nofia, rising_star and sosh for your advice.

Not to belabour the topic, but here is my problem: the application states to compute the following and it states list the number of classes and their grades etc: compute gpa for classes taken AFTER receiving bs degree (there is a table) # of classes # credit hours A 4 12 B ... F 1 3 (they will see the F) there for I cannot hide it, they will see my F in engineering in front of their eyes in the calculation. How should I address it if not in my SOP? Should I add a separate letter in my application form? I am so worried and don't know how to handle this blemish on an otherwise good record. Life is not fair.....! thx for the advise

Huh? How can I make them feel guilty? My prof was a retired military weirdo seeking revenge on the world for something in his childhood - he was cold mean pig. The people that did well were military weirdos with his same personality. When I took the class, I asked myself if I really want to stay in this field forever. Getting an F was an indication for me to get out NOW, and I am somewhat grateful, better to leave now than later. Don't I need to show maturity and take responsibility for 'my' actions (actually the class was super ultra hard, I blame my ass prof cuz I studied my ass off and my bs engineering grades were good)?

My BS is in electrical engineering, my GPA was 3.2. I took a graduate class in engineering 2 yrs ago and received an F. The subject matter was extremely difficult, the professor was an ass and honestly, I was burnt out from engineering. I cannot work in this cold dry field any more, I really despise engineering and I am burnt out. I have since taken 4 undergraduate classes in political science and economics and received straight A's I am applying for a masters degree in public policy, anthropology or sociology My questions are: 1. Given that I received an F in an electrical engineering class (not a social science), but my social science grades are all A's, will the graduate admissions hold the F in a graduate engineering class against me? Logically it seems they should not. 2. How can I explain it in my college essay in a mature fashion? thx

snowcapk: I want to study social sciences to get away from ee, computer science or math. the ppl are crazy and obssessed over details instead of looking at the big picture. I'm tired of being a robot in the IT/ engineering world where automation and outsourcing are here to stay forever I want to major in a social science where there is more human interaction. I miss that aspect of life. that was good advice you gave me, I will use it. I like ee but the ppl in the field are weirdos. btw.. I was also thinking of applying for a MA in conflict resolution: they want 3 LOR - one must be from a professor of my EE undergraduate major. I too believe my ee prof would have nothing valuable to contribute. would they possibly throw my application out if all 3 LOR were from social science professors? firecolon: that is true - gmu has a lot of stupid people. I saw lazy morons get into graduate school at gmu and most likely a hard working person that slaved thru school to get my gpa will be rejected but I want gmu cuz its in state and its programs are highly rated. I must admit I learned a lot of that school, boy did I work hard there and it is not an easy school, if u want an A in math / cs / ee be prepared to slave for it at gmu. thanx ppl for your responses

I have a BS in electrical engineering with a GPA of 3.2 My GRE scores are 600 verbal 650 quantitative What are my chances of getting into a public policy program, specifically George mason university. Getting a 3.2 in EE is extremely difficult, obviously I have a brain that must work somewhat. However I am afraid I would be rejected due to my technical background switching to a social science. If I had a low chance of getting in why would it be? Is there any one here on a graduate committee? I don't want to spend hours preparing my essay and be rejected and ashamed. I see so many retards get accepted in graduate school, but I am sooooo afraid of rejection thanx