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There seem to be a lot of threads asking the same thing popping up lately and I figured it might make sense to make an overall guide thread and then those who feel their answers still haven’t been adequately answered can post below for an idea of what their chances are. Here is a brief rundown of factors affecting your likelihood of getting into top-tier and well respected programs. If you fall below par in any one of these factors you can bump it up by being stellar in one of the others. I'll add to this if others point out other things I've left out. School requirements: Your first stop should be the school admissions website – this will tell you what prerequisites you need, give you an idea of GRE and GPA requirements and what work experience is expected (if any) GPA: From what I’ve seen/read over the years any GPA over 3.4 and you should be competitive. That’s not to say if your GPA is lower than 3.4 you’ll have no chance, but if you have a GPA above 3.4 you should be in good shape. GRE score: GRE scores seem to be most important for schools with demanding quantitative programs and for securing the top financial aid. Most schools will state the average GRE scores for their incoming classes on their website – use these to see how competitive you are. By and large you should be competitive if you score over 650 on verbal and quantitative and over 4.0 on the AWA. For the top schools over 700 seems to be closer to the mark. Work experience: For most programs it will be expected that you have at least 1-2 years of relevant experience in your field. This can be lowered a little if you have other pseudo-relevant work experience (management in the for-profit sector etc.) but you should have shown some level of professional interest in the area you hope to study at grad school. Applicants coming straight out of undergrad may find it very hard to get into the programs aimed more at junior/mid-career professionals such as Johns Hopkins SAIS and Princeton’s WWS. Language skills: For a lot of programs being able to speak a second language is a must, while for others it is just a very good selling point. If you can show experience working in a foreign language this will show adaptability and will endear schools looking to enrol a diverse group of applicants. Quantitative requirements: A lot of schools will want you to show experience in micro/macroeconomics and some maths/statistics courses. You can fullfil these through undergrad classes or by taking courses at a community college/diploma program. Overseas experience (work, study and teaching): Work overseas and study abroad are also viewed extremely favourably by admissions committees and if you have taught English abroad, worked in the Peace Corps or otherwise gained experience living in a developing country this will really strengthen your application. It also shows you to be a go-getter, and that you can bring this outside experience to grad school study. Statement of Purpose: This is where it all comes together. This is your chance to impress the admission committee and show how your personal 'arc' has brought you to this point - being the perfect addition to their grad school. This more than any other part of your application will determine how admit committees view you as an applicant and it's also one of the only application variables that's completely under your control. Having a cohesive narrative that brings together life experience, past academic history and professional experience is a must. It also gives you a great chance to showcase your writing style - so make sure no grammar/spelling mistakes make it into your final revision. Great list of SOP pitfalls If your profile matches at least 3 or 4 of the criteria listed above then you are competitive to apply to an MPA/MPP/IR program. What is most important about any grad school application is showing fit – that is how your profile matches the speciality of that school and its program. If you can’t articulate compelling reasons why you are a good match for them and vice versa, question whether you should be applying to that program. A note on applying to top schools: It is worth noting that nobody here can tell you what your chances of getting into a top program (Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown etc.) because getting into a top program requires a certain amount of luck as well as a great profile. Some people get offers from Harvard with a 2.9 GPA, but also happen to have singlehandedly retaken an allied command post in the Korengal valley. It’s down to who reads your application and what they happen to be looking for with the current application cycle. Spend time improving the elements of your application that you can (GRE, work experience, languages) and don’t waste time freaking out about the things you can’t change (GPA). If you’ve read all of the above and really still can’t tell if your application is competitive, post your profile below.

Hi all, My first post on grad cafe- wahoo! I have a question regarding GPA and how much trend matters for admission into top-20 poli sci phd programs. My overall GPA currently sits at about a 3.5GPA, however, this is due to my first 2 semesters averaging a 2.96, while the following 3 semesters have averaged a 3.9GPA. There a couple of reasons for this split that are unimportant, but the question still stands- how much does this trend matter? Will they evaluate me as they evaluate any other applicant with a 3.5 GPA, or will they put more emphasis on my recent coursework? Obviously GPA is a small part of the equation when it comes to getting into grad school, but an important part nonetheless, so I am curious as to how my application will be received. I have pretty strong GRE scores (167V, 162Q) so I am looking at T-20 schools. What do y'all think? Thanks!!!

hi all! I have a question about a school I am currently interested in. I have a professor advocating for my admission, obviously it is not guaranteed but what's the likelihood of being accepted? also, for some reason, i am freaking out that i may have reported the incorrect gpa. if a school is said that they will consider the last 90 units should i have reported that gpa or do they calculate it?

Hey Everyone!, a newbie to this forum here! I am a prospective student who will be applying to the MS Computer Science Program at Georgia Tech. I have a unique doubt. I have already submitted a Ph.D. application (ML Ph.D. program) at Georgia Tech. But according to this link (https://grad.gatech.edu/helpdesk/knowledgebase.php?article=7), a student is allowed to have two open applications per semester. So, my first question is that then it should not be a problem if I decide to apply to the MS CS Program, given that I have another submitted application already, right? Second, if I am allowed to apply to the MS CS Program, I have another doubt, the deadline for the Ph.D. Program was December 15th, and I will be submitting the MS application by February 1st. And since I am in the last year of my undergraduate studies, I now have the results of my Fall Semester with me as well, so the transcript I will be submitting with the MS CS Program will be the updated one and will be different from the transcript associated with my already submitted Ph.D. application, will this cause any issue in any regards? One Side note: the ML Ph.D. application was submitted to the Industrial Department while the MS in CS one will be forwarded to the School of Computer Science. I want to submit my updated transcript because I scored a perfect 10/10 GPA in my latest sem & so it increased my GPA by 0.08. Since it is a competitive program, I think this will give me an advantage. Since I am in a time crunch, sorry if I did not adhere to any of the rules of the forum, Hoping to hear a reply from you people in regards to both queries as soon as possible. I tried contacting Georgia Tech with this query but to no avail.

Guys I need urgent help! I am applying to materials science and engineering department of texas a&m university and their application requires me to convert my GPA by multiplying it with amount of credit earned. The problem is I do not know anything about the credit system. My undergraduate institution (Panjab University) does not have a credit system and hence I don't know how much credit hours I have earned during my bachelor's degree. Also, TAMU's website states that "Total credit hours are the total amount of hours earned for coursework completed on your official transcript." I have no idea what that means! When i contacted them asking that "is it correct that number of hours per week = credit of a course?" they replied that "credits of a course are not credits per week they are the amount of credits for the entire term of the course". Wow *eye roll*. Please help I am freaking out.

Hello, My question is for anyone who has been accepted to media related PhD programs. I'm looking to apply for Communications/media studies programs and wanted to know for those who have been accepted to these programs what type of background did you have: - what was your GRE score? - past college GPA's - did you have any publication experience? - did you have and related work experience in the field of communications/media studies/film? - what school were you accepted to and what did they offer full funding?

I was wondering if anyone knows how your undergraduate GPA are weighted? I have low undergraduate GPA(2.8/4.0) and have fairly good masters gpa (3.7/4.0) . I'm thinking about applying to a Ph.D program in top business schools and economics departments like Columbia, Michigan, Harvard, Stanford. My GRE score (total 325) is not bad either. Any thoughts?

Good afternoon, I am trying to gauge my odds of acceptance into three graduate programs for a masters in history. Below are my general stats that are applicable and I would like to see what everyone things my odds are of getting accepted as well as funding. I am taking the GRE next thursday so I will post those below once taken. The three schools are University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Texas State University in San Marcos, and University of Memphis B.A. History, Minors in Political Science, Military Science Undergrad GPA: 3.01 Work: 2LT US Army Military Intelligence Publications: I was published three times while in undergrad I have several public speaking engagements, lead battlefield tours, was invovled in ROTC for 3 years, received various awards for my publications and military service, and I spent three years in Model United Nations. My letters of rec come from two of my history professors and a lieutenant colonel in the army (my co-author)

I am currently a senior and have started looking through different PhD programs. I've been concerned lately because I happen to have 2 C's (Organic Chem I and Physics I) and I worry about whether this will hold me back. I'm already taking an extra year (2020-2021) to complete my B.S. as well as continuing my research project and I prefer not to go into a Master's program as I am sure that I want to enter a PhD program. Should I be worried about my GPA (overall GPA: 3.5, major GPA: 3.3). Also to improve my chances, I have been considering applying to summer undergraduate research programs (internships), but I also figured that if I didn't do the summer programs I would just work on my year long project. Would grad programs prefer a summer internship where I would be able to participate in intensive research with a faculty member and present my research or continue working on a research project at my institution with my PI and eventually present my research that summer/year? Also, since I'm trying to refine my list of schools, what PhD programs are recommended for Cancer Biology or Immunology. My research interests include: Ovarian Cancer, HPV, Infectious Diseases, Allergy/Immunology Regulation

i have a low GPA of (2.5) and i want to study Preferably Business analytics or information system. finding schools is really hard and has become really annoying. i feel i can handle the course well as it is something i have developed an interest in because of the business i am building. Any advice for me or can someone recommend schools i can look at that could accept me?

Hi forum! Please forgive me if I am not posting this question in the correct place. I am sure my question is not as difficult as my brain is making it out to be (application stress maybe?) I want to calculate my sub GPA and I understand ORPAS does this based on the 10 most recent undergraduate courses. I am not confident in how I am calculating my sub GPA due to a course I took after I had graduated from my undergrad. Before I had taken this additional course calculating my sub GPA would have been as easy as using my final 2 semesters from 4th year (10 courses), if I am correct. I am unsure of how to calculate my sub GPA now that I have an additional course to my 10 from 4th year. ORPAS says "Where course grades/lengths must be extracted from a full term to make up the 20 course grades/lengths required, the average of the next grouping/duration of ORPAS GPA values will be used" I think I may be incorrect in my understanding of the instructions. The ORPAS instructions leads me to believe I need to: - use the overall average from my first semester of 4th year - use the ORPAS GPA values from my 5 courses in my final semester of 4th year - use the additional course I completed after graduating. If anyone could help me figure this out I would really appreciate it. I feel I am making an easy calculation into a complicated one.

Hello all, I am becoming a college senior this fall and I am making my list of schools (MA? not sure yet) to apply to at this moment. Kind of in lost for the tiers of school to consider as "reach" or "safety", I am seeking your advice. My situation is a bit complicated: I am currently double majoring in biology and classics. My biology GPA is kind of low (3.2 ish), while my classics GPA is higher (3.7 ish). I have conducted independent research in biology and have a publication on the way, but I am having trouble sparing time for my last few courses to complete my bio major graduation requirement. Therefore, I am considering dropping the bio major to concentrate on classics and grad school applications (sadly my school does not have a bio minor option). However, I worry that the low overall GPA would affect my chances to get into good schools. My professors said the Classics awards I had won in college would increase my chances, and experiences in science could be a good thing in applying to classics grad schools, but now honestly I don't know if or how much my low GPA in biology would pull me down. Should I apply to more safety schools and less prestigious schools for this reason? All thoughts appreciated! Thanks!

Hello, Currently I'm studying in Tohoku University which, I believe, one of the top Universities in Japan. When it comes to education system, Japan is pretty different from the rest of other countries. I am planning to apply to several top universities in United States which are, indisputably, very competitive. I have a 3.66 GPA which, I think, is pretty mediocre. However, getting 3.65 GPA in my university is by no mean mediocre. The way how my GPA calculated in detail is as follow. GPA = (Sum of {credit *grade}) / (Sum of {credit}) What messed up in my opinion is the way how the grade is given. In each course, which typically has 2-4 credits, we have four kinds of grade. AA = approx. 90% of maximum score in a course = 4.0 out of 4.0 A = approx. 80% of maximum score in a course = 3.0 out of 4.0 B = approx. 70% of maximum score in a course = 2.0 out of 4.0 C = approx. 60% of maximum score in a course = 1.0 out of 4.0 D = below. 60% of maximum score in a course = fail The gap between AA and A is huge in term of GPA. I got AAs of almost 68% of my total credit, while the rest of them are As except one course which I got B. The average student only got 3.2 ~ 3.3 out of 4. How do I justify my GPA? The University has an official document explaining how they calculate the cumulative GPA. Should I include this document along with my transcript?

Good morning everyone! new in this forum. I'm an undergraduate at the university of Manitoba hoping to apply for the slp program in Western University. Just wondering how they actually calculate the subGPA? I was confused with the "10 full year" courses where they will base off the calculation of the GPA. Thank you! and if there is anyone here who is applying or got accepted at Western I would like to ask for tips and insights in what made you a successful candidate. I am also trying out other universities but western is my dream. Thank you!

My school is one of the most competitive schools in my country, and we have a really bad time with the teachers not giving us enough grades. You can place 15th/400 of the people that graduates in a year with a Gpa of 3.5, and that is keeping in mind that the faculty in itself only takes top %99.9 th percentile of the whole country. So it is really really hard to get GPA in my school. How do i make sure people abroad understand this , and which one is more important to them, the actual GPA or the standings?

Hey! So I am in the process of applying to graduate school in the fall for marine biogeochemistry (chemical/biological oceanography). I had a TERRIBLE semester in my last semester of college (Dec 2017) where my GPA went from a 3.45 (3.58 with my AS degree GPA incorporated) to a 3.16 (not including my AS degree GPA). I got 3 D's (when I am a straight A/B student) mainly because I had a major death in the family, I was overwhelmed, and had a TON of serious mental stuff going on (depression, anxiety). I am SUPER stressed out about my applications at this point and don't really know what to do about it. I retook one of the classes and got a B but the other two were incompletes that my professors kind of screwed me over with. One of the professors is working with me to fix the D to a higher grade but still... I am STRESSED and I don't know what to do about this since I already graduated. I have a ton of theoretical (aka modeling) research experience in my UG, took a gap year to travel to Thailand for research in my field where I created and implemented the methodology within my lab group, and I am going to start research in a lab this summer working DIRECTLY in my field (ocean acidification research). I have STRONG, super strong, LORs and I am going to retake the GRE this summer (because I took it that semester and while my scores are average, I know I can do better).

Hey people, I had a small query regarding my resume. I was wondering if it would make a difference if I omit my gpa entirely from the resume. While not too low, it isnt too high either. Also, if I should keep it, would it be a bad thing to keep it at the very end of the resume? Thanks a lot

Hello everyone, It is midnight and I can not rest until I have some feedback that may shine some light on my chances for getting into a graduate program Fall 2020. I would greatly like to know of others with low or average GPA to share their experience. I will be graduating this May. I hope to raise my GPA with this semesters coursework and gain more experience during my gap year. I reside in California and will most likely be applying to graduate programs in the state. Here are my current specs. Overall GPA: 3.42 GPA in last 2 years: 3.68 Psyc GPA: 3.48 2 years working as a Behavior Instructor, one of which as a Registered Behavior Technician 1 year of research 1 year as a TA I will also be attending WPA this year where I'll be presenting a poster presentation as a co-author for a study on impostor phenomena as well as a presentation with Philip Zimbardo on his Heroic Imagination Project and possible integration to CSU's,. The psychology department chair at my university has asked me to help her present addition research of hers on the impostor phenomena as well. Again, any feedback will help!

Hello all! Just joined - glad to be here! I'm currently a junior and have been considering going to graduate school for quite some time but I'm not exactly sure what to do to prepare myself as fully as possible for the applications. I've been enjoying my time in college and doing lots of academic and nonacademic stuff not related to graduate school, but I'm kind of a mess when it comes to planning and working towards grad school. I'm an international student double majoring in computational biology and mathematics at an R1 university in the US and enjoying it immensely - and I want to continue in the intersection of the two fields (computational genomics, high-throughput tech analysis and design, network inference, systems biology). I've been in and out of research assistantships throughout college but never stuck to one that I feel strongly about (the one I'm working on right now has been going on for about 3 months). I also don't yet know any faculty close enough to ask for a recommendation letter. I was co-author on two papers from a past research assistantship not related to my field (materials engineering), and I have a sole-author manuscript up on arXiv. Current project may result in a pub (according to my research supervisor) but I'm not sure. My GPA is around average for my major (around 4.6-4.7 on a 5.0 scale), although I have been taking graduate courses and an above-average load in recent semesters. My goal is to finish undergrad with my current GPA but I am not quite sure if that's enough for what I'm aiming towards for graduate school (either continue at this university or another R1). My university also has a one-year Master's program that requires a 4.25 technical GPA that I'm confident I will reach, and I'm considering spending a year post-undergrad for that to do research and prepare better for grad school. No clue about the GREs yet. I have also been dealing with mental health issues since freshman year and diagnosed with ADD a year and a half ago. I am accommodated by the university but it shows on my work and grades. I mainly wanted to post just to get an idea of what should I be focusing on for the future. Maybe it's too early, I don't know; but I can't help but get nervous when my classmates are getting incredibly lucrative job offers and such. I wanted to be a professor in academia my whole life and I'm my best and most passionate self when doing research. Right now I'm kind of lost. I would be grateful for any advice! How do I connect with faculty and research supervisors for possible assistantships/projects? Is my GPA enough for R1 institutions? Will the Master's program benefit me in preparing for grad school? Should I take the GREs for a potential added plus for GRE-optional schools? Should I mention my mental health issues and disability to research supervisors/advisors and in grad school applications? I'll take any advice. Thank you so much in advance!

Anyone on here applying to Tulane for Anthropology or Linguistics this year? I've applied to both Anthropology (cultural) and EEB for PhDs, and my partner applied for Anthropology (linguistic) and Linguistics. Tulane is our top choice, so I'm super nervous about getting in/getting funding! My GPA is okay (3.35 for unofficial transcript, probably gonna be 3.5 by final transcript - it's mostly my freshman year weighing me down), as are my GRE scores (QU: 150, QA: 160, W: 4.5), but I've got 2 major research projects, 2 internships, a small business (unrelated to the field of study), and even kinda-sorta a published paper under my belt! Plus my statement of purpose was good (I hope), and my LORs were amazing, or at least my professors thought highly of me... My POI showed significant interest (I think, he seemed to like my research ideas, interests, and what not, but just kept encouraging me to apply), as did my partner's, but I just don't know if I can make the cut! I just wanna know! It's hard enough hoping for your own spot, but I'm riding on my partner getting in too!!! Anyone else super stressed?

I went through the hugely popular 'Am I competitive'? Thread in Government Affairs and was wondering if it made sense to create an overall thread in this forum as well. I only noticed three very specific threads on here (linking the one I found to be slightly more general). Hopefully, I get answers and others who are asking themselves the same/similar questions get on here and find answers as well! Program: PhD in Sociology Schools Applying To: Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, National University of Singapore, University of California - Berkeley, London School of Economics, Sciences Po Long-listed Schools: Harvard University, University of California - Los Angeles, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Amsterdam, New York University, Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina, University of Texas -Austin, Brown University, Duke University, Boston University, John's Hopkins University, Northwestern University, University of California - Irvine, University of California - San Diego, University of Maryland Interests: Urban sociology - Qualitative Transportation, Identities, Spatiality, Heritage ; Comparative Sociology; Applied Sociology; International Development; South Asia; Public Policy Expectations from Programmes: Program: Interdisciplinary, Allowing students to choose courses across departments, emphasis/known for applied approach Resources: Ongoing projects with vibrant research space, Access to funding, Encouraging collaborations, Good enough brand to ensure employment on completion of programme, preferably located in an urban area to aid fieldwork.  Graduate Institution: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India Graduate Major/Degree: MA in Development Studies (Integrated Course, no undergraduate degree granted separately) Graduate GPA: 7.99/10 Undergraduate Minor: Operations Research GRE: V 168/ Q 156 / AW 4.5 TOEFL: 113 (iBT) Age: 25 Languages: English & Tamil - Fluent ; German - A2 completed, B1 in progress ; Hindi - Working Knowledge Work Experience: (2 years research experience currently, 3 years professional experience by Fall 2019) > 1.4 years at Indian Center of International policy think-tank : Spearheaded research project on on-going urban policy scheme in India > Currently freelancing as urban research consultant for local organization apart from volunteering with organizations dealing in gender and mental health advocacy > Multiple research internships as student > Policy report & newspaper OpEds published > Presented in multiple International conferences since undergraduate days SoP: Not begun yet, but will focus on specific research I hope to do (along lines of a proposal) LORs: 1 from Masters supervisor (senior Indian Urbanist and extremely well known internationally for seminal work on Urban informality) ; 1 from Professor during Masters degree (rising Anthropologist in India, knows me well personally) Can obtain 1 from previous boss (Head of Research at International policy think-tank, Member of PM's Economic Advisory Council in India) - however, would be one year since I quit the job. Concerns: 1. Low Graduate GPA 2. No academic/journal publications yet 3. Applied to Northwestern, NYU, U.Penn & U.Minnesota for Sociology PhD for Fall 2018 and got rejected by 3. U.Minn placed me on the Waitlist, but did not convert to an admit Would really love feedback if I am competitive for the range of schools I plan to apply to. I am posting early only to gain an understanding of what I can fix for the next round of applications.

Who all applied for UW MHCID this year?

I'm in 3rd year and looking to do a history MA at Oxbridge or one of the Ivies. I was wondering if they look at your course load in admissions? Will they penalize you if you took a class less for a semester or two? I took some classes in the summer and as a result I took one less class then the usual. I was thinking of doing it again next year but wanted to check if that would cause some problems. Thanks everyone!

Hello everyone, It is midnight and I can not rest until I have some feedback that may shine some light on my chances for getting into a graduate program Fall 2020. I would greatly like to know of others with low or average GPA to share their experience. I will be graduating this May. I hope to raise my GPA with this semesters coursework and gain more experience during my gap year. I reside in California and will most likely be applying to graduate programs in the state. Here are my current specs. Overall GPA: 3.42 GPA in last 2 years: 3.68 Psyc GPA: 3.48 2 years working as a Behavior Instructor, one of which as a Registered Behavior Technician 1 year of research 1 year as a TA I will also be attending WPA this year where I'll be presenting a poster presentation as a co-author for a study on impostor phenomena as well as a presentation with Philip Zimbardo on his Heroic Imagination Project and possible integration to CSU's,. The psychology department chair at my university has asked me to help her present addition research of hers on the impostor phenomena as well. Again, any feedback will help!

Hi there! I graduated undergrad from CU Boulder a little over a week ago, woo! I'm taking a gap year to relax a little and gain a little more experience because I graduated in three years, as well as be able to be with my family a little more. I have my list of schools I want to apply to and had already done most of the research on them, but I'm terrified I won't get in anywhere. I'm from California, so I'm currently looking at schools in California, Colorado, and Washington (but am open to others!). I am taking the GRE this summer/fall and have volunteered and done internships throughout my time at CU, but my GPA is only at a 3.4 because my first year wasn't my strongest. So I'm scared that it'll be too low. I am fluent in Spanish and am learning ASL more in my gap year. Does anyone know if the admissions teams take into consideration that I did it in three years? Also any advice of things to do during my gap year to raise my chances? Any advice helps! Also sorry if this is too long.