tt503

You have 7 months until leaving for school. Suck it up and get a crap job if you need the money, you are not beneath flipping burgers even with stellar grades and honors at graduation.

More than likely that was somebody with a BS story trying to get a rise out of people (i.e. a troll). On the other hand, this is no different than any other job in this world. Even religious sisters have these office politics related conflicts. So if this teaches someone a lesson, so be it.

I have to admit this would be a funny joke to pull on someone who was actually granted it, to bust someone's chops.

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.

Or maybe you're just pathetic.

I was think about the Marx's quip that he 'had turned Hegel on his head' by opposing the latter's Idealism to his own rigorous materialism. What problems did Marx identify within the Hegelian methodology and how well did his own historical materialism resolve those problems?

It depends on how far removed from your ugpa you are...in some cases. If you can demonstrate that you've matured, it would be in your favor.

Here's my advice: Don't just go to any Master's degree program that will take you, unless you're financially able to do it. Many probably wouldn't provide funding, and 2 years is a lot of loans, and a department's reputation is mildly important when considering PhD apps. It would probably be in your best interest to take a year off, discover what you really want to do (e.g. going for a PhD just for the sake of it because you don't think you're competitive for med school...that's not really going to go over well in a personal statement). If you still want to pursue it, during that year you should:
-read up on some of the literature in the field, get an idea of who interests you, where they are/what programs you would be a good fit for
-study hard for the GRE (and I think there is a Chem Subject GRE)...both are opportunities to show that you aren't your GPA


I chose to attend a Master's degree program because of a low GPA (I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, and basically sunk my GPA from a 3.4+ to a 2.7...my school didn't have a grade forgiveness policy), and when it was time to apply for PhDs, I was told my M.A. wasn't from a "rigorous" enough program to be taken seriously. I've had to do an additional Master's degree...and even now I'm not sure how my stats are going to be viewed by adcoms, despite the fact that my undergrad GPA is 10 years old, all my graduate work is 3.7+, and I've TA'd at a very rigorous school (in pretty much opposite disciplines) and taught my own classes, etc. I'm trying not to think that 5 years of successful graduate work might still not get me into programs, and I might've just wasted approximately 6 years of my life...but who knows. :-)

With a 3.9 GPA and 1500+ GRE, I'd be surprised if you didn't get into a couple of the schools on your list (for a Ph.D.). Just make sure there are professors in the departments who are doing the same kind of work that you're doing, and see what happens. :-)

Good luck!

If you really enjoy programming, you should learn it on the side. It is pretty accessible for people to pick up and learn on their own. Don't pay for another degree. Most jobs require the knowledge of certain languages and experience. Maybe a bachelors degree (but you already have that), but not always. If you want a job in computer science (e.g. programming), you won't need to go for a masters degree. I worked for a tech start up, with guys who went to MIT to do computer science and guys who didn't finish college. It's kind of the great equalizer.

A third bachelors degree will probably send an opposite message to the adcom -- you don't know what you want, and you aren't mature enough to be successful in their program (not necessarily get good grades, but graduate and be successful in the field that will add to its reputation, in general).

An internship or job in comp. sci would mean a lot more to an admissions committee (if you're set on doing a masters...), because it shows you're trying to gain experience and improve your skill set--not only in a classroom. I would highly suggest this, instead of investing $$$ in another degree.

Hi there,

The best thing that you can do at this point is study your ass off for the GRE and hammer out a great statement of purpose. Your GPA Isn't bad, but it isn't stellar either. You will need a really solid GRE score be considered for the programs you want. The best thing for Cornell (besides grades/GREs), is fit. I overheard a conversation about the poli sci grad admissions process (here at Cornell), and they said that they throw out applicants that don't demonstrate a good fit right off the bat, or if they say they want to do a particular research topic that the department isn't well-known for.

Honestly, I think the going back to grad school thing in 3-4 years is in your best interest. It puts some space between your undergraduate GPA and gives the admissions committee reasons to believe you have matured. While you're teaching, you may want to read lots of academic papers and write something that might be suitable for a conference. That can be a very good (and somewhat easy) thing to do that a lot of people don't take advantage of.

Also, I would also not worry about names/prestige, particularly at this point in the game. Read a LOT of scholars in your field, and then find places that you fit the research that is being done, with a good placement record, and apply for those. This may or may not be "name recognition" school, which has nothing to do about your abilities or how smart you may be, but the process is insanely competitive. For example, I have two B.A.s, two Masters degrees (one in the humanities, one in the social sciences from Cornell), have published, presented, taught seven college courses, taken the requisite languages/coursework, a 1400+ GRE score...and I don't think I'm even applying for any Ivies in the Fall. I am applying for one outstanding program, and two great programs, and are still looking for other programs that I'm excited about/fit the research/love to go. Two out of these are state schools that I would jump up and down and scream like a little girl to attend. However, I'm worried about getting shut out and not being competitive anywhere, because I have a less-than-stellar undergraduate record from 10 years ago.

I'm not sure about Georgetown, but I'd be VERY surprised if you didn't get in at Harvard MTS--most likely with a significant scholarship. They are notorious for accepting anyone above a 3.7 GPA, regardless of other qualifications.

Here's the deal.

You have less than a 3.0 GPA. If you've graduated, it is pretty much too late to improve that, except if you try to do a post-bac somewhere (and that would most likely be prohibitively expensive). Your best bet is to score high on the GREs right now. I suggest memorizing Barron's 5000 word list and doing an intensive math review to start.

Second, you can gain "work experience" in two ways: through an internship or through volunteer work. Build up that resume by doing things that are related to what you want to do with non-profit organizations who need volunteers.

Here's the deal.

You have less than a 3.0 GPA. If you've graduated, it is pretty much too late to improve that, except if you try to do a post-bac somewhere (and that would most likely be prohibitively expensive). Your best bet is to score high on the GREs right now. I suggest memorizing Barron's 5000 word list and doing an intensive math review to start.

Second, you can gain "work experience" in two ways: through an internship or through volunteer work. Build up that resume by doing things that are related to what you want to do with non-profit organizations who need volunteers.

Here's the deal.

You have less than a 3.0 GPA. If you've graduated, it is pretty much too late to improve that, except if you try to do a post-bac somewhere (and that would most likely be prohibitively expensive). Your best bet is to score high on the GREs right now. I suggest memorizing Barron's 5000 word list and doing an intensive math review to start.

Second, you can gain "work experience" in two ways: through an internship or through volunteer work. Build up that resume by doing things that are related to what you want to do with non-profit organizations who need volunteers.

GRE is going to hurt you. I'd advise you to retake it.

I'm not sure about Georgetown, but I'd be VERY surprised if you didn't get in at Harvard MTS--most likely with a significant scholarship. They are notorious for accepting anyone above a 3.7 GPA, regardless of other qualifications.

I'm not sure about Georgetown, but I'd be VERY surprised if you didn't get in at Harvard MTS--most likely with a significant scholarship. They are notorious for accepting anyone above a 3.7 GPA, regardless of other qualifications.