Grad-School "Virgin"

[gradschoolbound2011]

Hello,

I am new to Grad-School Cafe and realized that this is a great website where grad school "virgins" can learn about those who are more seasoned by the grad-school experience. Let me tell you a little bit about my background, I hold a BA in Political-Science from a small but prestigious Catholic University (it was expensive too but I won't rant about that) and I have long since graduated and find myself unemployed. I have decided to give Grad-School a try. I have read everything about grad-school to what it's like (some have compared it to gnawing your own leg off while others have said it can simply be hell if one is not right for it). Well I've been in school all my life and do not mind reading, provided what I am reading is of interest to me. I digress, my question is basically that I am interested in obtaining my Masters in Public Adminstration or Public Policu (dunno which one yet) but I have heard that MPA has less of a focus on math? (I don't mind economics as much) and additionally what worries me is I have less than a perfect GPA It's a bit under a 3.0, should I try to do anything about that? It is too late? and how do I go about studying for the GRE so I can obtain the best score possible and since they do require work experience, how do I get some if nobody is willing to hire me? Thanks in advance.

[gradschoolbound2011]

Hello,

I am new to Grad-School Cafe and realized that this is a great website where grad school "virgins" can learn about those who are more seasoned by the grad-school experience. Let me tell you a little bit about my background, I hold a BA in Political-Science from a small but prestigious Catholic University (it was expensive too but I won't rant about that) and I have long since graduated and find myself unemployed. I have decided to give Grad-School a try. I have read everything about grad-school to what it's like (some have compared it to gnawing your own leg off while others have said it can simply be hell if one is not right for it). Well I've been in school all my life and do not mind reading, provided what I am reading is of interest to me. I digress, my question is basically that I am interested in obtaining my Masters in Public Adminstration or Public Policu (dunno which one yet) but I have heard that MPA has less of a focus on math? (I don't mind economics as much) and additionally what worries me is I have less than a perfect GPA It's a bit under a 3.0, should I try to do anything about that? It is too late? and how do I go about studying for the GRE so I can obtain the best score possible and since they do require work experience, how do I get some if nobody is willing to hire me? Thanks in advance.

please reply people! lol thanks.

[tt503]

Here's the deal.

You have less than a 3.0 GPA. If you've graduated, it is pretty much too late to improve that, except if you try to do a post-bac somewhere (and that would most likely be prohibitively expensive). Your best bet is to score high on the GREs right now. I suggest memorizing Barron's 5000 word list and doing an intensive math review to start.

Second, you can gain "work experience" in two ways: through an internship or through volunteer work. Build up that resume by doing things that are related to what you want to do with non-profit organizations who need volunteers.

Hello,

I am new to Grad-School Cafe and realized that this is a great website where grad school "virgins" can learn about those who are more seasoned by the grad-school experience. Let me tell you a little bit about my background, I hold a BA in Political-Science from a small but prestigious Catholic University (it was expensive too but I won't rant about that) and I have long since graduated and find myself unemployed. I have decided to give Grad-School a try. I have read everything about grad-school to what it's like (some have compared it to gnawing your own leg off while others have said it can simply be hell if one is not right for it). Well I've been in school all my life and do not mind reading, provided what I am reading is of interest to me. I digress, my question is basically that I am interested in obtaining my Masters in Public Adminstration or Public Policu (dunno which one yet) but I have heard that MPA has less of a focus on math? (I don't mind economics as much) and additionally what worries me is I have less than a perfect GPA It's a bit under a 3.0, should I try to do anything about that? It is too late? and how do I go about studying for the GRE so I can obtain the best score possible and since they do require work experience, how do I get some if nobody is willing to hire me? Thanks in advance.

[Saik]

Hi,

Welcome! I was in a kinda-similar situation; my GPA was abysmal (2.5 > GPA) at my undergrad institution. I did some post-bacc coursework and my gpa in those 21 hours (got a minor in business) was 3.71; I just recently got accepted to one of the top programs I was looking at. So your GPA isn't everything. Where I did my post-bacc work, if you took 6 hours or less per semester you didn't have to pay student fees, just course fees, so that's one option to look at.

Another one is to ace the GRE, I'm talking a 1300+ score. That's also what helped to offset my undergrad GPA. Take a review class, get some study guides, download the POWERPREP software and actually sit down and work at it. It's not fun, but it pays off beautifully in the long run. I took the GRE twice, and as on the SAT, my score jumped up a good bit the second time since I was a lot more comfortable. So, if you get a bad score, take it again and you'll do better.

Remember, the GRE's format is changing in the next couple of months. Last time the GRE changed their format, the scores for the new format were lower than the scores for the old format. I don't know if there are any review books out there that apply the new format, but you may want to squeeze in taking the GRE before it changes. You can only take it once per 30-day month, and 5 times a year, so I'd take it soon to see how you do and to give yourself some time to see if you need to study more and take it again.

Good luck!