Good job in getting in! I checked out this post because a similar thing happened to me. Graduated from a decent school, but things didn't go my way, got distracted and had a low GPA to show for it. I decided to take another 2 year undergrad (lots of carried over credits) and managed to do really well. Unfortunately, I think my poor showing at my first degree - regardless of how admissions usually ask for your last two years - was always coming back to haunt me. I applied to a high standard of grad programs, feeling ambitious, and surprise surprise, I didn't get in anywhere.
The blow was hard to take. I felt like shit. I moved back home. I then turned my sights on getting a job, any job. Just to pay the bills and possibly switch careers. I didn't get anything I wanted to work in, and although I was offered basic level jobs, nothing really made me want to pursue it as a potential career-changer.
I think the big gamechanger happened because of advice I got from my brother. He said something on the lines of....even if you can't find work in fields related to your interests, look to volunteer or intern. *BING*
I started off doing minor volunteer jobs at a major non-profit related to my field of interested, and then through that position - found an opening in a field which gave me a 9-5 internship position, and hands-on experience in the organization that would usually be cutoff from non-staff. I'd been there from August - Feb, and during that time, asked my supervisor to be one of my references for my prospective degree. He happily obliged.
Just after sending my personal statement to my top school, I contacted prospective supervisors directly (it's a research degree) and they were curious to meet with someone who was highly recommended from a well-known non-profit, where they happened to also have an association with. I met with each of the three individually, and two of them agreed to supervise me on a prospective project, provided I get in first.
All I needed now was to get an interview. I waited and waited. I knew that all the adcomms had to work with were my grades and my 2 page LOI....so I was nervous. I called in to the course secretary, and she informed me that they were already interviewing! I was shocked, so somehow I went into survival-mode and blurted out that two of their faculty had already agreed to work with me. She was curious, and I don't know how much weight she had, but she asked me to send her an e-mail with the names of those who had agreed. I did.
About a week later, I was contacted by the program for an interview. Phew!
The interview was great, and they did ask "THE QUESTION" of why my first grades were so poor. I answered honestly, without being too honest...and told them that being an unpaid intern while gaining first hand experience showed that I worked very hard to get here. I believe they also contacted my potential supervisors to validate their opinion of me.
Its been a long journey, but I'll be starting in the fall at my top choice program, that accepts about 20 students a year, after a mediocre first undergrad, a second undergrad, and full rejections in my first year of applying to grad school.
Lesson of the story.... there's always a way to get in..provided that you're committed to make it work.
