ANYWHERE.

[Tom Ato]

It's very simple.

I am applying to graduate schools literally just to apply. An acceptance will allow me to extend my stay in a foreign country overseas (Saudi Arabia if you're wondering) and continue to live and visit there as a dependent

under my family; the laws there are complex and dictate once a person grows up, they must get a job in the country to continue living there UNLESS they are attending school anywhere in the world... essentially.

I am a recent engineering graduate. Unfortunately I have a LOW GPA (2.2 ish) from a very difficult engineering program. This is the only setback....I plan to take the GRE in the coming weeks.

Upside? I will apply for ANYTHING (music, nursing, art, whatever) just to get an acceptance letter. Looking for a program w/ a late app deadline preferably so I can assemble all the materials.

I doubt that anyone has been through such a unique experience like this...but does anyone have any offers or tips of advice where and what to try applying to? Anything that'll let me in? Trust me I'm not dumb as my gpa looks and I can write good personal statements, etc.

Fire away please!!

[sputnik]

Can you use the online schools? Like Phoenix?

[Golden Monkey]

It's very simple.

I am applying to graduate schools literally just to apply. An acceptance will allow me to extend my stay in a foreign country overseas (Saudi Arabia if you're wondering) and continue to live and visit there as a dependent

under my family; the laws there are complex and dictate once a person grows up, they must get a job in the country to continue living there UNLESS they are attending school anywhere in the world... essentially.

I am a recent engineering graduate. Unfortunately I have a LOW GPA (2.2 ish) from a very difficult engineering program. This is the only setback....I plan to take the GRE in the coming weeks.

Upside? I will apply for ANYTHING (music, nursing, art, whatever) just to get an acceptance letter. Looking for a program w/ a late app deadline preferably so I can assemble all the materials.

I doubt that anyone has been through such a unique experience like this...but does anyone have any offers or tips of advice where and what to try applying to? Anything that'll let me in? Trust me I'm not dumb as my gpa looks and I can write good personal statements, etc.

Fire away please!!

Years ago (20,) I graduated from a very, very difficult engineering program with a 2.9 GPA. I got accepted into two Biomedical Engineering programs and rejected from two. With my GPA, (and dismal GRE scores,) I was surprised I got accepted anywhere. But to some degree, I think they take the difficulty of your program into account, so if you apply to a program that isn't as highly regarded as the one you graduated from, that probably helps a lot. I think the only reason I got accepted at the two schools was because they'd be considered a step down from the one I had graduated from.

Then I didn't end up going anyway.

[ZeChocMoose]

Does it have to be a graduate school? Can you get a graduate certificate? Can you apply for a second bachelor's degree?

I would do something related to engineering but maybe not necessarily engineering again. How do you feel about any of the natural sciences, statistics, or perhaps business? I have heard of some engineering-business hybrid like programs.

It is still not completely clear to me though are you applying to schools in the US or schools in Saudi Arabia?

[Tom Ato]

Thanks for the replies guys,

Not sure whether an online school acceptance would be enough. It might...I'll look into that.

Yes, I'm applying to US Schools preferably. Not Saudi ones. I don't think a 2nd bachelor's would be a good idea...a graduate degree would actually be useful on the other hand.

[psygrad81]

I sympathize with your situation. With that said, please don't take my comment personally.

In general, most people applying to the programs that you so desperately want to get into have majored in the field, spent years working on research, etc etc, spend weeks or months writing a carefully crafted personal statement on why they want to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. And still often face rejection. Now, everyone is entitled to apply to and for whatever they want, including you. But it sounds like, or will to most admissions committees anyway, that you aren't applying for the right reason. (I am not saying your reason isn't valid, just taking a different perspective). If you don't sound that way, then you aren't being truthful in your statement (I gather this from the fact that you state you don't really care what field you enter). We as applicants are not the only ones investing time and energy, the graduate programs are as well. So they need to know for sure they are investing in the right person.

So, I personally don't think the attitude of getting in anywhere you don't care where is a good one. You should really take a step back and do some research on the area you are considering pursuing and understand the full implications of applying for graduate study. In the chance that you get an admit somewhere, you are taking a spot over someone else who probably busted butt and is really following their dream. Not just doing it to do it, for whatever reason.

With all that said, good luck to you. I hope you figure it out and everything works out. Maybe I am being a little cynical here, but I know how hard I have worked, and kind of resent people thinking they can just apply anywhere in whatever field and get in. Again, good luck! And I apologize if I took anything you wrote out of context.

[HappyCat]

I sympathize with your situation. With that said, please don't take my comment personally.

In general, most people applying to the programs that you so desperately want to get into have majored in the field, spent years working on research, etc etc, spend weeks or months writing a carefully crafted personal statement on why they want to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. And still often face rejection. Now, everyone is entitled to apply to and for whatever they want, including you. But it sounds like, or will to most admissions committees anyway, that you aren't applying for the right reason. (I am not saying your reason isn't valid, just taking a different perspective). If you don't sound that way, then you aren't being truthful in your statement (I gather this from the fact that you state you don't really care what field you enter). We as applicants are not the only ones investing time and energy, the graduate programs are as well. So they need to know for sure they are investing in the right person.

So, I personally don't think the attitude of getting in anywhere you don't care where is a good one. You should really take a step back and do some research on the area you are considering pursuing and understand the full implications of applying for graduate study. In the chance that you get an admit somewhere, you are taking a spot over someone else who probably busted butt and is really following their dream. Not just doing it to do it, for whatever reason.

With all that said, good luck to you. I hope you figure it out and everything works out. Maybe I am being a little cynical here, but I know how hard I have worked, and kind of resent people thinking they can just apply anywhere in whatever field and get in. Again, good luck! And I apologize if I took anything you wrote out of context.

I absolutely agree and am actually a bit offended. Perhaps I'm being selfish, but if you applied to the English PhD programs to which I am applying and got a spot over me--someone who's worked hard in an MA, gone to conferences, taught classes, wrote an extensive thesis in a rigorous field of study--I would be heartbroken.

If English isn't your thing, don't go for it. If music isn't your thing, don't go for it. You already have a degree in engineering--why don't you think about what you want to do professionally? Perhaps engineering plus "Degree X" will help you achieve LIFE goals such as future employment, instead of something so short-focused.

Also, I'm not entirely sure anyone here will tell you an "easy-in" school. Why? Most of us apply to more difficult schools that have rigorous requirements.