Low GPA but Good Work Experience , HELP

[little_john]

Hi I am a software engineer and unfortunately I have a low undergrad GPA, , by low I mean really low a 2.2 ... Now I know its really bad and my self esteem is really low these days.. I wanted to get into a graduate program in the US as an international student. Since i had such a low GPA i was told that having experience in this field would help.. I have about 3 years of software development experience in Multinational Software houses.What i really want is to do a Phd. The way i am planning is to get into a 2nd tier or even a 3rd tier university that would accept me for the fall Semester 2011... Are there any universities that might be willing to at least consider my application...

[XOwlfan]

I don't know much about software engineering. However, I would look to apply to masters programs rather than doctoral programs. You may want to consider masters programs at a universities that have a phd program you'd like to pursue. Most programs allow current masters students to transition into their doctoral programs quite seamlessly. Also, current masters students tend to be given preference during the doctoral application process because the faculty members already know them and have been investing in them.

If funding is an issue, you may want to apply to programs that cater to masters students and don't actually have a doctoral program--programs that house doctoral students may not tend to fund masters students, unlike programs that cater specifically to masters students.

[little_john]

I don't know much about software engineering. However, I would look to apply to masters programs rather than doctoral programs. You may want to consider masters programs at a universities that have a phd program you'd like to pursue. Most programs allow current masters students to transition into their doctoral programs quite seamlessly. Also, current masters students tend to be given preference during the doctoral application process because the faculty members already know them and have been investing in them.

If funding is an issue, you may want to apply to programs that cater to masters students and don't actually have a doctoral program--programs that house doctoral students may not tend to fund masters students, unlike programs that cater specifically to masters students.

I am actually looking for a masters program unfortunately I dont know which university to apply to. Since beggars cant be choosers I am just eager to know the names of university that might be willing to give me admission into their masters in Computer Science program.Any ideas would be appreciated...

[wtncffts]

I am actually looking for a masters program unfortunately I dont know which university to apply to. Since beggars cant be choosers I am just eager to know the names of university that might be willing to give me admission into their masters in Computer Science program.Any ideas would be appreciated...

Well, I'm also not familiar with the specifics of your field but a good place to start might be to look at the NRC information: http://graduate-school.phds.org/masters/computer-science

Then, you just have to do your homework and go to each school's department website that looks like a good fit and read the information: whether they have GPA cut-offs, etc. Have you taken the GRE? As far as schools which are "willing to give you admission", there are simply no guarantees; you apply and hope for the best. Good luck.

[snowballed]

I don't know how cross-nation grades transfer, or what the equivalencies are, but it is worth your while to investigate.

I've got a ~69% average in school and was worried about being accepted anywhere in the UK/IE. No one could tell me what my grade equivelant was, but I would say it could be a 2.2. Now I emailed about 20 schools I was interested in and asked about admission average and work experience. Most of them replied back and took it pretty easy on the marks. Since then I applied and got into 2 of 4 (and counting). US schools are probably harder on marks than UK school - but just email the admin dept and tell your story. Find out what you need to do to be competitive, and perhaps most of all - apply. Spend a lot of time on your app. Research the shit out of it, make sure you want to go. You could get lucky.

[little_john]

I don't know how cross-nation grades transfer, or what the equivalencies are, but it is worth your while to investigate.

I've got a ~69% average in school and was worried about being accepted anywhere in the UK/IE. No one could tell me what my grade equivelant was, but I would say it could be a 2.2. Now I emailed about 20 schools I was interested in and asked about admission average and work experience. Most of them replied back and took it pretty easy on the marks. Since then I applied and got into 2 of 4 (and counting). US schools are probably harder on marks than UK school - but just email the admin dept and tell your story. Find out what you need to do to be competitive, and perhaps most of all - apply. Spend a lot of time on your app. Research the shit out of it, make sure you want to go. You could get lucky.

Hi could you tell me the names of the schools you applied to... ??