Mal83

What about deferring for a year? Hopefully you won't have to give up on your acceptances if you can just defer. So sorry for your loss.

Well clearly it's for the best, plus the extra work experience should give your resume a boost when applying next time around. Good luck!

Most of us feel the same about our fields, as a cheeseball you're in good company. That's how you know you've made the right choice, when you can say you love what you're doing...no need to think about it further. Take it and run with it, it's a gift to find out what you love to do...a lot of people never figure it out. You're welcome again, don't hesitate to ask anything else.

Ha! I can be a little long winded so I'm glad that approach actually does someone some good...I really just enjoy relaying it because it was such a tough long process but so worth it, it's one of those things that you can appreciate but just never want to do ever again, but yet you're willing to help others get through it because you want them to be more prepared than you were at the time. That's how I feel about it anyway and I got so much advice and support here while I was going through it, gotta pay it back. And yes, I am passionate about my field, it's the only thing I want to do because it's kind of an umbrella field that has so many different interesting options under it and a program like IDS allows me to explore some of them while getting a degree that will actually qualify me to do a job and be in the one city I really want to be in. You can actually choose gender/women's studies as a concentration in IDS...at least at the schools I looked into. Gender and women's issues definitely come into play in IDS. But anyway, sounds like you're getting ready to just start making some moves and that's great!

[quote name=frustrated ' timestamp='1310446643' post='261924] options meaning.. what kind of school would be in the realm of possibility lol

Look, I think it's fair to say that some people here who have been through it already and who are in a similar field can offer up some advice and encouragement when it comes to the "what are my chances" question. We might be able to tell you that you are competitive because your stats are on par with the program's averages or higher, we might be able to tell you what your weaknesses are such as lack of relevant work/research experience, or that you most likely have no chance because this number or that number is just too far below any general cutoff. But really, all you have to do is look into your programs' stats, accepted applicant profiles, and the information provided on their websites, that's what is going to give you the best gut feeling for your chances. If you've done that already then it's time to contact the admissions office with your concerns and ask them what you can do about them, that's what they're for. No one here will ever say, don't worry, you're in. Like someone said in another one of these threads, for many applicants, it's a surprise which schools accept them and which ones don't. Don't be concerned with those "I have a 3.9 GPA and a mediocre 1300 on my GRE, will I get in anywhere?" posts, there are so many successful applicants that have stats no where near those, I'm definitely one of them. You have to remember that the application is a package that represents you, there are a lot of parts to it and they are weighed differently by every program. Like Red Bull said, if you want it bad enough you're just going to do what you have to do to give it your best shot. If you're basically in line with the stats for the programs, then clearly you have some kind of a chance, as does everyone else. It's up to you to put together a strong SOP and make sure your recommenders know exactly what you're doing so they can craft strong LORs. You'll have to relate any research and work experience to the program, how has it prepared you for this next step? How well you do all of that is what will set you apart from all of the other applicants with similar or even higher stats. It's kind of like the preference for someone with a 3.5 GPA plus years of relevant experience over the one with 4.0 and zero experience. In my field anyway, the relevant experience is a must. The type of schools you apply to depend on your priorities, if it's the best or nothing then should you get rejected, you will be satisfied with working to improve your application for the next year, but if grad school in general is something you want to do as soon as possible then you should apply to at least one school that's not quite as competitive to sort of broaden your chances. It takes effort to find the schools that fit you, but make it a priority and it'll get done. There is a wealth of information here on all of the components of grad school applications, you will get a lot of help and advice when you're ready to ask about them.

seriously?? First, this is not meant to be rude but just honest, you can't give us a GRE score and "74.71%" (which to me is meaningless...is that good?) and expect anyone here to give you honest feedback about your chances because American schools use a different scale for GPA (grade point average) measurement. Secondly, someone specifically created this thread to talk about their chances, not everyone else's. Also, whenever people post like this, it just seems like they want other people to do the work for them or that you're not even close to being invested in the process. If you have internet access you can look up the programs you're interested in and find the requirements and statistics regarding these schools and programs on their websites. By doing your own research you get a good feel for your chances. If you have some serious concerns about your qualifications for the programs of your choice you can certainly describe them here and you would get some honest feedback from people who have had similar circumstances or can advise you on that specific issue. But you won't get anywhere by saying "this is my GPA, and this is my GRE score, will I get into a top school in America?" A graduate school application is a package that represents you and each part is weighed differently by every program. How could anyone possibly know what your chances are based on the tiny bit of information you provided? Many people who regularly come to this forum after they have been accepted into graduate school take advising others who are in the process or about to start applying very seriously because we've been through it and know how hard it can be. So if you are actually serious about seeking advice here you need to provide more information because if it seems like you haven't put any real thought into it then there's nothing really to respond to...if and when you're ready to do that I'm sure you'll get some real feedback instead of just negative votes.

You're welcome, this is why I purge my story in threads like these, so that others see that grad school is well within reach despite having to go down a slightly uncomfortable path to get there. Not everyone goes on to grad school right after undergrad, not everyone stays at one undergrad institution for all 4 years, and not everyone can get all of their recommendations from tenured professors from the same school. We have to dig, plot, scheme, and calculate...and that's all OK because we're serious about grad school and the awkward uncomfortableness is all worth it in the end. I was very afraid of rejection too, that's normal I think, after the one said actually said no I was beside myself, I really didn't think that was going to happen. Then like I said, I was terrified about my CC prof just being like..."seriously?" then promptly deleting my email. There is absolutely no shame, a BA is a BA whether you spent half of it a community college or not. And for those of us who did that we don't have as many options at the 4 year school...just the way it is, but that doesn't have to be a hindrance of any kind. If they do say no though, it's not because they don't like you or don't want to help you, they either really don't have the time or feel that they won't be able to do you justice if they just don't remember you well enough. Oh it definitely sucks to get a no...but you put that aside and move on to the next. But like I said, if they do want to help, they'll ask for information like a resume, your goals for grad school, maybe a draft of an SOP, something for them to build on. The prof from my 4 year school who did one of my letters agreed to do so many of them that he was barely getting them done by the deadlines...he got mine in 7 hours before the deadline at one of my schools. They will typically do them in the order in which the request was received, I didn't ask him until October I think...do not wait that long. I just didn't know any better, I wish I would have come across grad cafe way before that. I'd go with August/early September if I had it to do over again. I'm sure it won't be as hard as you think though, it makes a huge difference that you're still at the school and go talk to these people in person, plus they will most likely have a decent recollection of not just you but your work. I live in Arizona now and went to school in NJ years ago....I think you'll be fine. IDS too huh? What schools are you looking at?

Wow, that's one hell of a story. It's always good to see how other people have arrived at their decisions after wandering a long and winding path. My path was a long one too. Not that it's any less rewarding for the person who achieved their goals after a more cut and dry experience, but I feel like I really made it despite all of the confusion and uncertainty of the years following high school graduation. I don't mean like I'm now set for the rest of my life or anything, but the satisfaction and peace that comes with really knowing what you want to do in life is something that I'll be eternally grateful for. The validation of my efforts by my dream school just happens to be the icing on the sweetest cake in the world.

That's Ok, I'm long winded. Yup, the more time you spend out of undergrad or school in any form, the harder it is to get letters, but many programs, especially professional degrees like mine require a few years of experience for admission, so you have to make it work some how. Oh trust me, I know what you mean about not wanting to continue your education with your high school class...but the advantage of going to one of the more competitive schools allowed me to completely escape them, I didn't understand how some of them even graduated. But NJ does have some fine colleges and universities. That sucks that the guy was just fired...I don't know if they'd necessarily know that he's been fired. He'll probably have to say how long he's been at the school and give an end date since he's not there at the time you're asking him, but after 24 years I feel like they wouldn't assume that he got fired. Anyway, good luck with everything!

My situation was similar in that I had been to a few schools before getting my BA. I got a letter from a professor with whom I only took one class, although it was probably the most important class, the senior seminar. We weren't close in any sense of the word, didn't cultivate any personal relationship whatsoever, but in class he let me know that he was impressed with my work and I got an A so I wasn't shy about asking him. At that time grad school wasn't on my radar screen. It was also 3 years after taking that class that I emailed him with the request. I was in the Peace Corps during that time getting the experience I needed to either get a job in my field or move on to grad school. But yeah, I was a little concerned about his willingness to do it for the reasons I stated above. But it turned out fine. He said he was happy to do it. I would suggest getting a hold of that Tokyo professor for your letter. You have the advantage of still being at the school so you can ask in person. I would email him first though and see if it's alright to stop by his office or whatever. Maybe you can go armed with a sample of your work from that class so you have something to refresh his memory of your abilities...maybe he won't even need it. If he seems like he's leaning toward not doing it for whatever reason, you could just be very honest about not having anyone else to go to...not in desperate sense, but just tell it like it is. If he just won't do it, you can always consider reaching out to a prof from one of your other schools. I had to get a letter for the Fall 2011 cycle from a professor at a community college that I graduated from 8 years ago because the only other option at my 4 year school said she didn't have time. Granted, I took 3 relevant classes with him and got A's, but I was also very quiet and probably didn't make much of an impression on a personal level...and it was 8 years ago! But after not having any other option I just laid it all out in a very honest email, I told him what I had done since and he genuinely wanted to help me out. So he was kind enough to do so. I imagine that what made it easy for him was the fact that everything I did since was relevant to the MA program I was applying for. I got an AA in International Studies from the CC, then continued and got a BA in the same field which allowed me to become a PC volunteer right after graduating. I needed the letter for an International Development Studies program...so from his point of view it all made sense, there probably wasn't any guess work as to my commitment or ability to perform well in the field. Not that it has to be as streamlined as my experience, but I guess the point is that, reaching out to past professors isn't as awkward or fruitless as you think it is. Some might not even respond, like I said, I got turned down from a prof I took 3 classes with because she was partially retired and couldn't do more than a few, but if she had said yes I wouldn't have gotten back in touch with one of the best teachers I ever had....Anyway, you really just have to get those emails out if you can't get anyone else from your current school. It turned out just fine, I got in. Asking early is the very best way to do it, I learned that the hard way. So August is a good idea. I see you're from NJ, can I ask what school you're at? I am too...I got my BA from The College of NJ.

I can help you with this because I have just been through the very same situation. I mean, exactly. I applied for Fall 2011 and I'm going to my dream school. So....here goes my experience with LORs. I ended up getting an Associates in my field at a CC, so that means half of my 4 years was spent there. I then transferred to a 4 year institution and finished up my BA in the same field. It's not a large school so over the course of 2 years I had only a handful of professors, 2 of them I disliked a great deal. At the time graduate school wasn't really on my radar screen so I was just looking to finish up, but not necessarily in a blaze of glory. I too showed an upward trend in my GPA, it was an adjustment after CC, I went to a good one and ended up with a near perfect GPA (not saying that to brag, it was a CC), hence transferring into a fine school. But boy I got hit hard by the toughness that was this college. Anyway, I had to work a lot harder than before to maintain a decent GPA. While there I didn't necessarily cultivate relationships with professors, I was a decent student who kind of stayed under the radar. So fast forward from graduating in 2007 to this time 2010 when I decided to pursue grad school. I needed recs...but from whom? Well, one was a no-brainer, my Peace Corps supervisor. Now I needed 2 more for my dream school, they had to be from professors because I didn't have any more experience related to my field of International Affairs/development. But I spent over 2 years in the PC and didn't really make a splash with my undergrad professors. The one I had in mind, the one with whom I took 3 major classes with and wrote me a letter for the PC, actually said no, she didn't have time. By the time I got to her she was partially retired and committed to doing only a few. I was crushed...now what? The other professor, with whom I took my senior seminar thankfully said yes. I did very well in the class and I told him about my PC experience. Ok, so that was 2. I was literally out of options at my undergrad institution. The other professors I had, were all adjuncts who I didn't like or couldn't remember their names. I drudged one out of my memory and sent him an email, but he never responded. So that led me to my one and only other option....professors from the old community college. I graduated from there in 2003 and we're talking about the 2011 application cycle. Yes, I was freaking out. The one I had in mind was one of the best teachers I've ever had, he didn't know it at the time but he helped steer me in the direction that I'm going in now. I took 3 classes with him and got A's in every one. I too was worried about how the CC prof letter would look, but I literally had no choice. I was applying to a few other program that only required 2 letters, so I was set with those at least. I had to give it my best shot. So thank god he was still teaching at the school and I sent him an email. He's a ph.D. and is head of the department so I figured that held a little weight. I basically said, "hey, you probably don't remember me, but I did very well in a few of your classes and was hoping that you'd right a letter for me." Of course I told him what classes they were and what I had done since. I was terrified that he either just wouldn't respond or be like "sorry, I have no clue who you are." But no! He was great, he said he'd be happy to do it. He told me that his only concern was that the admissions committee might wonder why I had a letter from someone from so long ago, but if that wasn't an issue for me, he'd gladly do it. I felt like if he was concerned his letter wouldn't hold any weight at all he would have said as much, he's a real straight shooter. It was also nice getting back in touch with him. I did tell him, just to keep things real and honest, that one of my reasons for contacting him was that the other prof I had in mind said she didn't have time, because while he didn't ask specifically why him, I'm sure he was wondering. He said, don't worry about it. I had my 3 letters for my dream school. Now, I was waitlisted, however, I was ultimately admitted. I really don't think the letter from a CC professor was the reason, my GRE score could have been a little higher, my GPA also could have been a little higher...so I feel like those 2 factors got me waitlisted. But the moral of the story is that I wasn't rejected, and I was high enough on the list to get a spot at a top rated IR school...even with a letter from the community college professor. You really just have to reach out to these people, don't assume that they remember you well enough, give them details, names of the courses, significant projects, your grades, were you an active participant or on the quiet side? And be sure to include what you've done since then. A politely crafted email with an ever so slight hint of "you'd be my hero if you do this" can work wonders and they'll probably want to know more about you in order to get a good sense of how to build the letter. My first email to him the subject was "Update from a former student." I'm sure that was nicer impression than "I'm desperate for a recommendation." Not that CC professors don't have enough to do, but is it really very often that they write rec letters for graduate school applicants? They might appreciate that you're turning to them for that. I'm not saying that they'll feel privileged by any means, but it could be a welcomed change of pace. And hell, I had to 2 profs at my CC that I thought were light years beyond the lousy adjuncts I had at my 4-year school. Just try to get a hold of the professors with whom you did the best and let it out that you need a letter. And if you keep one thing in mind let it be that the earlier you do it, the better.

I went to 3 schools and I sent them all...the first school was a year and a half of biology which I call my "lost time" because it has nothing to do with anything for me now, but it's not worth the risk of them finding you left out information from your application, not sure how they would find out, but I'm paranoid like that.

It would take many more summers before I could say, "I can take it." And yes it is odd that you love humidity, but to each his own. I am going to admit right now that I have no idea what "haboob" season means...but my guess is that it's something that any 12 year old boy would giggle at.

Yes, leave the football analogies out as well as the first quote...is it a quote? It doesn't set the tone for a productive SOP, my first reaction was...what?? It made me skeptical that you were going to get to the point. I like the sentence in the first full paragraph "Nonetheless with time....truly enjoy myself." I feel like that relates your management of a multifaceted activity nicely to the public health field that also has a lot going on all the time. You've trained yourself to see many things at once and make a decision for moving forward. I think you can leave the rest of that paragraph out though, just tweak that sentence to explain that your a mentor, it's not an easy job, but nonetheless with time....etc. You can replace the rest of that paragraph with a few sentences on how you arrived at the decision to pursue an MPP. My 2nd paragraph would be to explain how I am qualified to study at the graduate level. What's your BA in? What other work experience do you have in a related field that has prepared you for this? Then you can keep a few sentences on your observations, the ones that relate to what you're most interested in. That's when I would segue into what elements of public health you'd like to see change and how you'd do it. I really feel that your 3rd full paragraph (Greece and Ireland) can be taken out completely, it reads more like an article and doesn't make the point that you are ready for graduate school, admissions committees don't need a summary of current events. Even though you have this topic for the SOP every sentence needs to convince them that what you're interested in doing fits the program and that you're prepared academically and mentally, not just to write an essay about this specific topic but to show that you have an understanding as to what this degree will do for you. I think the next 3 paragraphs about aspirations are structurally OK, but need some work on flow. You're basically moving into career goals and I feel like that's a good direction to go in. I can't comment on the content because this is not my field, I don't know if there's too much information there or if it's a good amount, so I'll leave that to someone else. The very last small paragraph can either be discarded or expanded upon, but to me it feels awkward as it is. Then you need a way to wrap it all up, tie it all together. You have to hit it home that you are qualified for the program and will use the degree from this school to accomplish your goals and contribute to the field. Don't be afraid to express a little emotion or passion at this point...for one of my SOPs I had to describe the characteristics that I felt would help one succeed in the field (International Development). I said something to the effect that "one must have an adventurous spirit and feel a sense of closeness with even the farthest corners of the world." I mean that's pretty abstract and a tad romantic if I dare say, but it showcases just a little bit of the passion I have for my field and that I love it on the most basic level, I feel like that's someone that an admissions committee might appreciate.

If you don't have a chance then no one does.

Haha Aaron, the weather is absolutely miserable here right now isn't it? Well, I think so. Now that monsoon season is here it's also humid, which makes it worse. I've lived in NJ most of life though and have to say that the general lack of humidity here is the one thing I will miss, but I can't take this heat and I miss the gorgeous fall season. I'm headed back to the east coast, Northern VA/DC area and can't wait.

Another way to overcome a low GPA is through relevant work experience, if you have a few years in a related field that could offset a low GPA and you'd also be able to get a recommendation letter from your boss. But if the work that you've done is unrelated to your MA of choice then you might want to consider taking a few classes as a non-degree student. I'm not sure how many you'd need but that's a very good way to display commitment and academic ability to admissions committees. This will also give you a chance at very good recommendation letters. Even if you get a perfect score on the GRE, ad comms will see that you're smart but wonder if you're lazy, you really don't want that word attached to you. You could just for your own peace of mind email the admissions offices of the schools you mentioned and ask if it's possible to overcome a 2.65 GPA. Obviously they can't get too specific without a complete application in front of them, but they might just say that it's highly unlikely and really that would be all that you need to know before getting too attached. I hope it doesn't turn out like that, and you never know, it could be possible, especially if you're willing to hold off applying for a bit in order take some classes to get that GPA up. There have been posts around here about people with GPAs just below 3.0 (as in 2.9) have made it in to good programs, but they have other assets to put on their application, like a lot of relevant work experience, high GRE scores, and good letters of rec. My general feeling though is that you're going to have to take some classes to boost your GPA before you can be taken seriously by any admissions committee. If you perform very well on the GRE it could be worth it do a trial run while taking classes, apply to a non top school and see what happens, do your best on the application but try not to get emotionally attached to the idea of acceptance. Should you get rejected you'd be able to contact admissions for feedback. And this isn't meant to be discouraging, it's just a few things that you can do to get what you want, might take a little longer to get it, but if you do it well, you'll get there.

You know I could understand still being a little bitter and genuinely wanting to warn people about some very serious wrong doing on the part of a university, but this is just nutty because nothing about her story adds up and she keeps insisting that the only reason the offer was rescinded was because someone simply misread the application, as in read the information in question one time and then never ever looked at it again and that's it, she was cut from the school. If I'm doubtful about the authenticity of information on an application I'm going to study it, show it to someone else, follow up (which is what she said the school did), and investigate. Through that whole process I think I would have realized that what I saw the first time wasn't actually what's written. Sorry, but no way. She either lied big time or made an absolutely absurd mistake that no one should make on phD application and then didn't convince them well enough that it was an honest mistake. And then she started mixing in getting fired from jobs...is this person for real? Maybe it would be a little believable if the story was consistent and complete every time she posted it, but it's not...just bits and pieces all over the place. Weird. Plus, she came back here to post on the results page yet she's not offering any further explanation in the thread she started, she's probably reading it though.

Well then that's cool, you fit right in. I just pictured all of those things you outlined happening in one of my classes where the environment is different and I was like "wow, that wouldn't fly." Anyway, good luck!

The answer to this is entirely dependent on what you want to do after grad school. You have to look at both programs and decide which one is of more interest as well as understanding what each degree will do for you, if you don't do this then that money might not be well spent. I don't know a whole lot about these degrees but I would imagine that they're not too different in terms of career outlook so it comes down to you making the right decision for yourself. You might also want to post this in the Professional Programs section of the forum.

You're welcome! That's what we're here for. Don't hesitate to ask anything else.

Sorry for misreading, but that's how you present yourself by your own admission, like I said, you could be academically very good, but it seems like you purposely put on the "I'm gonna be bad news" thing just to prove that you're not and make people see how wrong they were to judge you as such. I'm saying that people aren't going to get that or appreciate it...but hey maybe you know some that do. And if I were a professor I certainly wouldn't appreciate students lounging all over the seats in a lecture hall and confidently bursting into class late while chomping on food...I wouldn't care if you were brilliant, it's rude and disrespectful. So it's your attitude that that's all OK because you're smart and don't care what anyone thinks of you that would probably result in a less than pleasant relationship. But if that's the atmosphere of your program then that's one thing and I also appreciate a relaxed comfortable environment, but respecting the environment that you're in is the mature thing to do. If this was your original post "we love the relaxed image, we work hard but make it look fun," I wouldn't have in anyway seen that as objectionable, I'd say that that's great.

It's really tough these days to pass up any lead for a job, I wouldn't be so quick to throw the "unethical" bomb around here because every employer will ultimately do what's best for them regardless of how it effects you, why should you be any different when it comes to employment? But I agree with the previous post about mentioning your mid-August end date in the email about your second interview, you left it out of the first one and got her interested enough in you so now it's time to mention it, if only for your own sake so you don't have to be worrying about it everyday you're working there. Personally, if you don't mention your end date and aren't specifically asked how long you can stay, I wouldn't judge you for taking the job, if you need the money and don't have any other prospects what can you do?

You know it's all about getting back what you give. I understand that some people have a mission to go against the grain and their very comfortable doing it every chance they get. In some cases that can be very respectable. But purposely displaying a lack of respect for your environment and expecting to be shown respect by those in it only to prove a point seems a little self-defeating. It's not only about the clothes, it's about draping yourself all over other seats in the lecture hall, pretending to be too lazy to do your own work (which can get you into trouble), and sauntering in to class late while munching on sushi. Academically you might eventually impress someone but socially you're not going to get anywhere. Who is going to want to work with you on projects? Who's going to want to network with you? You might have the brains to get As but you have the attitude of a slacker, that's how you're presenting yourself to your peers and superiors, they probably won't get or really care that you're only trying to stick it to the status quo. Like if you told them that's what you're doing do you think they're going to thank you for shedding light onto their judgmental ways? You're setting people's expectations of you very low from the beginning and you'll impress only because you were expected to fail in the first place. "You did pretty good for a slacker..." is that really a compliment you want from a professor?