How can one repair an undergraduate record?

[GradHooting]

I was completely unaware of what the expectations were for grad school, and I was a student lacking direction when I graduated from undergrad. I graduated with honors, but, nothing super impressive like top 1% or something. Definitely top 10%.

However, the transcript is a mess. It shows withdrawing all classes in freshman year from a different school and transferring (death in the family threw a wrench into everything) and the semester GPAs later on started wavering wildly, due to an unfixable roommate situation that caused a complete disaster in sleeping patterns.

I'm in a bit of a limbo state right now, having graduated with a BS two years ago, taking classes (grad and undergrad) at a different state school, and doing research, and applying for internships, maintaining a 4.0 since graduation.

But, I'm finding that building these credentials seems to be not enough. I am not sure what else to do, how else to improve. Do I just keep doing what I'm doing? Two application attempts over two years have resulted in less than stellar results, with complete rejections last year, and at least one rejection this year. I'm just applying for master's degree programs for now. I just feel that nobody's giving me a chance to show how I've changed as a student. How can one improve their record to overshadow their undergraduate performance?

[modernity]

Keep doing what you're doing. I got rejections across the board my first year of applying. I went back and got more experience in my field research/job, improved my GRE scores, etc. The next year I adjusted my expectations - instead of applying to the top 1% of programs when I wasn't a top 1% student, I applied to schools that were more reasonable and I applied for an MA instead of a PhD. I got a fully funded offer and am continuing to improve my credentials so that I can apply for PhD programs in a year or two. I have better LORs now, tons more experience, better grades, and it shows that it was something I REALLY wanted... as opposed to some kid who had no direction in undergrad, and decided they wanted to hide out in academia while the market was bad - which is how my application probably looked initially.

It can be done. It will just take work and the desire.

[TropicalCharlie]

GradHooting - Going off of information you provided, your grades don't seem to be a major issue considering you graduated with honors. What does the rest of your application package look like? Strong LOR's, SOP, and relevant work experience will greatly strengthen your application. I did not have stellar grades, though not terrible, but I had very strong LOR's, work experience, and a decent SOP. I also had extensive communication with professors in the programs that I was interested in prior to applying. So far I have been admitted to 2 out 3 schools that I applied to. One of them is my top choice, and I'm still waiting to hear from the third school. I believe that what helped me the most was research and finding the right schools to apply to. I looked for schools that gave more weight to LOR's and work experience than grades. Another key factor is establishing a connection with a professor in the program you are interested in. Even if the school doesn't require you to make contact with a potential adviser, it is always a good idea to make contact. I know several people with perfect grades and test scores who were denied admission merely because they did not take the simple step of making connections.

Without having more information about your case, I'm afraid I can't dispense further advice. I suggest that you do a bit more research into aerospace programs and schools. Don't be discouraged. Fiat lux!

[GradHooting]

GradHooting - Going off of information you provided, your grades don't seem to be a major issue considering you graduated with honors. What does the rest of your application package look like? Strong LOR's, SOP, and relevant work experience will greatly strengthen your application. I did not have stellar grades, though not terrible, but I had very strong LOR's, work experience, and a decent SOP. I also had extensive communication with professors in the programs that I was interested in prior to applying. So far I have been admitted to 2 out 3 schools that I applied to. One of them is my top choice, and I'm still waiting to hear from the third school. I believe that what helped me the most was research and finding the right schools to apply to. I looked for schools that gave more weight to LOR's and work experience than grades. Another key factor is establishing a connection with a professor in the program you are interested in. Even if the school doesn't require you to make contact with a potential adviser, it is always a good idea to make contact. I know several people with perfect grades and test scores who were denied admission merely because they did not take the simple step of making connections.

Without having more information about your case, I'm afraid I can't dispense further advice. I suggest that you do a bit more research into aerospace programs and schools. Don't be discouraged. Fiat lux!

Well, my undergrad GPA (from 2 years ago, now) was at a 3.57 overall or 3.62 major GPA. I feel that it is a weak point, but it is giving me opportunity to see what I can do to improve my credentials to the point of being able to get into some tier 1 school like Georgia Tech (their NASA involvement is some of the best I've seen, and I assisted with programming one of the radar textbooks coming out of there). I've interned for an aerospace company, having someone immersed in the industry vouching for me as one of the best engineers he's met throughout his career (the guy's brilliant, so I'm flattered, but he's not exactly a huge name in the aerospace industry. His LOR was definitely the strongest, though). My SOP is definitely decent. I'd say my biggest weaknesses are not having strong enough LORs from relevant experts in the industry (which is why I'm specifically applying for more academic-related internships this time around, NASA, etc.), and a lack of publications (working on getting some out at the end of this semester). I've seen people with lower GPAs get into the top programs for a Master's degree, but they had a bunch of other stuff, too. My GRE is alright (91+% in everything, 800 math). So long as the GPA doesn't completely cripple my chances (since it's not something like a 3.8 or 3.99+), I'll keep trudging forward with what I'm doing. It can be quite discouraging, however, hitting these hurdles!

Thanks for the help and advice. Sometimes, when you hit failure, you question whether you've been wasting your time the whole time, and whether continuing what you're doing is the wrong track. I guess, maybe, things aren't so bad.

Edited February 20, 2012 by GradHooting

[CarlieE]

I have some friends who are in the same situation and a few of our professors offered this advice:

1. Build up your CV by writing papers for student conferences or smaller, local conferences and presenting them. Or, if stage-shy, present a poster.

2. If you don't have any "original" research, approach one of your UG or current professors and ask them if you can work with them on a research project (either have one in mind when you go see them or find out if they have an existing project you can kind of piggy-back onto).

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help from prior/current professors. They've all been through the same thing.

Good Luck