2.35 GPA, do I have a chance anywhere?

[secretshayats]

I have an incredibly low GPA with an upward trend in my senior year. I did poorly in Economics, and want to do a MA in International Affairs.

I don't want to do an MA in the United States (that is where I did my undergraduate studies); however, my mom says I have no chance at European schools. I am looking at some low tiered schools in the U.K., and some American affiliates in France and Rome.

Do I have a shot?

I graduated 7 years ago and have fantastic work experience: government work, non profit, and field experience overseas. I can also speak several languages and am working on studying a 6th language online.

Please let me know what you guys think!!

[TropicalCharlie]

The first step you should take is to contact the grad program coordinator at the schools you are interested in. Provide your stats, and they will be able to tell you what you need to do to improve your application package. These people are a great resource and usually very helpful.

That said....2.35 is very low and will make your application uncompetitive. Your work experience and such will definitely strengthen your application, but adcomms are going to balk at the gpa. If possible, you should take post-bacc classes to improve your gpa and show adcomms that you have potential. Having superb gre scores would help a great deal in this case.

[secretshayats]

Thank you for your response.

Do you recommend taking Economics courses again? Since that has left an unsavory dent in my transcripts...

Do you know of any schools that I may have a remote chance of acceptance?

[TropicalCharlie]

You should take courses that apply toward International Affairs. Retaking relevant courses that you did not do well in previously would certainly help. I can't say that I know of any schools with a minimum gpa below 2.50. A less desirable and expensive option is to go back to school and get a second bachelor's degree. Start over and do really well. I have an acquaintance who has done this and did really well the second time around, and he went on to get his MS successfully.

[Andsowego]

I have an incredibly low GPA with an upward trend in my senior year. I did poorly in Economics, and want to do a MA in International Affairs.

I don't want to do an MA in the United States (that is where I did my undergraduate studies); however, my mom says I have no chance at European schools. I am looking at some low tiered schools in the U.K., and some American affiliates in France and Rome.

Do I have a shot?

I graduated 7 years ago and have fantastic work experience: government work, non profit, and field experience overseas. I can also speak several languages and am working on studying a 6th language online.

Please let me know what you guys think!!

I'm going to be blunt here, because I don't believe in sugar-coating things when people genuinely ask for advice.

I don't think that your question should be "what are my chances?" but instead, "should I be applying to grad school?" With your current GPA, I'd say, "no." Even if you do somehow find a school that will accept you with a 2.35 GPA, if you could only manage a 2.35 in undergrad you're likely going to fail out of grad school pretty quickly.

If, on the other hand, you have extenuating circumstances that caused the low GPA (serious medical issues, or a history of documented dis/ability accommodations, etc...), then you might be able to build a case and be successful with the right support. But since you didn't mention anything along these lines in your initial post, I can only assume that the 2.35 was a result of either (1) not working hard enough, or (2) not really being suited to an academic track.

If you have your heart set on grad school, you'd be much better off re-doing some courses to pull up your current GPA, or doing another Bachelor's degree altogether (maybe one that is better suited to future graduate study in international affairs). Sending out grad school applications with a 2.35 GPA is basically inviting rejection. You're setting yourself up to fail.

[and as an aside... unless your mom is in the business of university admissions, you shouldn't be taking advice from her. Get on the phone to the universities you're really interested in, and find out the hard facts about what you have to do to improve your GPA and boost your future application chances]

Edited March 3, 2012 by Andsowego

[modernity]

I'm going to be blunt here, because I don't believe in sugar-coating things when people genuinely ask for advice.

I don't think that your question should be "what are my chances?" but instead, "should I be applying to grad school?" With your current GPA, I'd say, "no." Even if you do somehow find a school that will accept you with a 2.35 GPA, if you could only manage a 2.35 in undergrad you're likely going to fail out of grad school pretty quickly.

This person graduated 7 years ago. Who they were and how they performed 7-11 years ago may reflect nothing of their abilities now, especially if they have worked hard in the field since then and know many languages. That speaks to an upward swing. Also I believe there are some international affairs programs that place work experience above everything so depending on what this person's work experience is it could make up for the GPA in part.

To the OP: You could have a chance, but you should definitely contact the programs and other students who are in this field. Contact POIs where you are interested and be up front and honest with them, and ask for honest assessments of your profile if they are willing/have the time to comment. They might be able to tell you what things you could do to improve or what they are looking for, and then you'll have to decide if you are up for that challenge. In general with any major deficiency like this its a good idea to prove your dedication - pick up some classes, continue to improve your resume, etc. Retaking classes you did poorly in if you can afford it is an excellent idea especially if you think it would show major improvements in your profile.

[Andsowego]

This person graduated 7 years ago. Who they were and how they performed 7-11 years ago may reflect nothing of their abilities now, especially if they have worked hard in the field since then and know many languages. That speaks to an upward swing. Also I believe there are some international affairs programs that place work experience above everything so depending on what this person's work experience is it could make up for the GPA in part.

To the OP: You could have a chance, but you should definitely contact the programs and other students who are in this field. Contact POIs where you are interested and be up front and honest with them, and ask for honest assessments of your profile if they are willing/have the time to comment. They might be able to tell you what things you could do to improve or what they are looking for, and then you'll have to decide if you are up for that challenge. In general with any major deficiency like this its a good idea to prove your dedication - pick up some classes, continue to improve your resume, etc. Retaking classes you did poorly in if you can afford it is an excellent idea especially if you think it would show major improvements in your profile.

Re: the bolded part. I absolutely agree. Unfortunately, that upward swing will do nothing to erase the 2.35 on their undergrad transcript, and as much as we all want to say that life experience and hard work count, universities still have academic standards tied to GPA achievement that can't be ignored. That's why I followed my comments up with (1) consider re-doing some courses; (2) perhaps do another bachelor's degree; or (3) contact the specific schools of interest and find out the hard facts to avoid setting yourself up for failure.

[emmm]

I don't recommend doing another entire bachelor's degree, but taking classes now could be critical. 7 years is a s ignificant chunk of time. I've heard of some schools that won't accept coursework done more than 5 years ago (fortunately not the case for the school that accepted me, as I was out of school for even longer). Still, I don't think I would have gotten in without having taken and done well in courses over the past few years. Besides giving them recent academic records to look at, taking classes demonstrates commitment to your goals and shows that you are willing to do the necessary prep work to get yourself ready. Definitely prepare for the GRE. I took it early -- spring of the year I applied -- in case I needed to take it over. I would have had the whole summer to work on it, if necessary. I felt that as a non-traditional applicant, it was one element of my application that could be used to compare me to all the "traditional" applicants and I did not want to seem lacking.

[MaxiJaz]

Another bachelors may not be such a bad option, as you might be able to carry on credits to make it a 2 year bachelors (if it's in a related field). I know this to be the case in most of the universities in Canada, and sometimes they place a certain additional requirement like a certain GPA needed for every year completed. The reason this may also be an attractive if you have hopes of getting into a decent grad program later, who often consider your last 2 years.

[ANDS!]

Andsowego is right; even if this guy was Machine Gun Preaching in Africa the last 7 years - there is still a minimum that graduate admissions MUST see on a persons transcripts that wont be reflected here (at least at a majority of campuses).

[juilletmercredi]

I don't think that your question should be "what are my chances?" but instead, "should I be applying to grad school?" With your current GPA, I'd say, "no." Even if you do somehow find a school that will accept you with a 2.35 GPA, if you could only manage a 2.35 in undergrad you're likely going to fail out of grad school pretty quickly.

I disagree. That was 7 years ago. Lots of people have an unsuccessful first attempt at college because they didn't apply themselves and then get on track later. It would be one thing if OP were just graduating from college this year and was getting Bs and Cs, but 7 years is a long time to change.

But taking classes was what I was going to suggest - take some non-degree graduate classes in international affairs to prove that you can succeed in graduate level classes. I would not do a second bachelor's, as that seems a waste of money. You want to prove that you can succeed in graduate level classes, so take some of those.

[ANDS!]

It may have been seven years ago, but I would feel a lot better about recommending him for admission if his GPA was on the cusp of a B/B- and not hanging on to a C/C+. I think that is the main issue.

Now if there is cause to suspect that this person has improved their academic capability in the last couple of years I say go for it.

[RosamundReage]

While I agree that generally your GPA would not meet the cutoff for most grad programs, I would like to point out that many European schools admit a lot of international students because of the fees they can charge. This is especially true at the MA level and I have a friend that got into a top school in the UK with a B average right out of undergrad. While your GPA is low, your work experience is definitely an asset, especially as it is in the same field you want to study. If you have some publications and conference presentations during your employment then I would say this would demonstrate an aptitude for graduate study and would urge you to contact some schools for more information.

As others have mentioned you could take some non-degree grad courses but definitely contact the schools first describing your work accomplishments and that you were not a very strong student 7 years ago as they may tell you that your GPA is not a big factor.

[wheatGrass]

This was me... well, close.

And I've been accepted at top PhD programs with funding +.

This is what I did: I kept working, and took upper level undergrad courses in relevant areas. Then, once I had enough to have a 3.0+, I took a professional track masters program at a no-name university, while working part time. I got excellent marks. Then, I applied to an unfunded MA program at a decent but small university, got great marks, a few little scholarships and developed some excellent relationships with faculty. Then I applied for PhD programs.

Good luck, I think you can do it.

If you do some extra courses to pull up your GPA and you get less than A, then I agree with what andsowego said and you should re-evaluate.

[Spytgale1]

To OP, I was in the same position as you. I had a torrid first two years of uni, and was actually suspended for a year. Many great schools don't have a minimum requirement for GPA. What you really need to show in your app is that you have changed and give them a reason for your poor performance (whether it be immaturity, wrong fit, medical issue, etc.). As long as the admissions committee can see that you've tried and improved on your past performance, you have a decent (maybe good) chance of getting in

[ccarmona]

Hi,

Good job on you interest card for an MA, when you get into grad school it will all be worth it. Let me explain something to you, because like one other person put it, "sugar coating" is not very cool.

Your GPA is what it is. There is no turning back. Even if you decide to retake Econ it will raise the GPA to something like 2.5-2.6 (my best guess). Save your time, money, and energy and apply all these factors of production into your new path. What mean here is break out the laptop, research which programs fit with your interest, prepare, and pull the trigger. Go to www.gradschools.com and search for which programs you like best. Then do the work and match them with admissions criteria (this takes time) so go to each school and look at their admissions page. Don't worry, you will find a program that will say, "GPA = 3.0 or better". Then in fine print it will read, "conditional admit" ect. Look carefully here. That will determine how they will judge your overall application.

You have a shot. Better yet, you should get in (somewhere).

It may not be top tier like Harvard or Yale. It could be something more like state universities or possibly regional institutions. I am not aware of who selects who for an MA in International Affairs (my focus has always been in business). But I do know this. My undergrad GPA was somewhere around 2.5 (Business) and my GMAT was not outstanding. My portfolio was similar to yours with languages and post college career. And I still got into a top tier MBA program on conditional admit (Regional). I had to get "B's" or better the first three courses. I got straight "A's". Don't fall victim to a for profit "online" model. Stay away. Non profit "online" model yes. But again, profit model, No. If your unsure just do a basic "wiki" search of the schools you like. They will more than likely tell you there.

This requires you put all those factors of production I was mentioning above. If you do this you will get in (somewhere). But not sure about Euro schools. Similar, but yet still another ball game. You may or may not like the advice I just gave you. Given your initial concern about retaking the Econ course, I am confident you can get a better grade, I am just not confident it has enough weight. Besides, the admission board see's everything on your transcript: redo's, probation, failed courses, "D's", ect.

Good Luck!

Edited March 27, 2012 by ccarmona

[imonedaful]

A lot of master's degree programs require a 3.0 and above. However, that is not all schools. I know at schools here in the U.S. they have a sliding scale of test scores to GPA. When I applied to my MBA program I had a good GPA so they told me I only needed to score a 400 on the GMAT to meet their admission standards. So if you are an awesome test taker you could take that into consideration. I agree with the poster above me, look at regionally accredited schools. Most master's programs like to recruit a diverse student population not just good students straight out of undergraduate degrees. I would presume international affairs would be a lot like business where your work experience will be a huge factor that will help you.

[obsessovernothing]

Hey secretshayats,

there's a thread in the lobby called "The sub-3.0 GPAs ACCEPTANCE thread." i think it might be helpful discussion board for you. have a look.

good luck!

[secretshayats]

Thank you everyone who responded and for your thoughtful insights and comments!

I got into a school! I'm so happy because I thought with my horrible gpa I didn't have a shot anywhere. I got into a regional U.S. school where the MA program is in Europe, so I get the best of both worlds! They took my essay, resume, letters of recommendations, and work experience into consideration. What really got me into this school was the fact that while I was working abroad, I did a language study program at the university there and did well. Those grades are what got me into this school.

I look at this as a second chance of life and am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

For the cynics- part of my poor gpa was because of taking Economics and not having the essential tools, and another part was the fact that I got run over by a car my sophomore year and some of my professors refused to give me a break (it was in the middle of the quarter), even though I was hospitalized and on meds/therapy for a month. They also took this into consideration, also I had an upward gpa trend my senior year.

Yes, it was 7 years ago. I am so excited that I also have an opportunity! This is what America is about!!

[OregonGal]

Congratulations!

[JMO]

Thank you everyone who responded and for your thoughtful insights and comments!

I got into a school! I'm so happy because I thought with my horrible gpa I didn't have a shot anywhere. I got into a regional U.S. school where the MA program is in Europe, so I get the best of both worlds! They took my essay, resume, letters of recommendations, and work experience into consideration. What really got me into this school was the fact that while I was working abroad, I did a language study program at the university there and did well. Those grades are what got me into this school.

I look at this as a second chance of life and am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

For the cynics- part of my poor gpa was because of taking Economics and not having the essential tools, and another part was the fact that I got run over by a car my sophomore year and some of my professors refused to give me a break (it was in the middle of the quarter), even though I was hospitalized and on meds/therapy for a month. They also took this into consideration, also I had an upward gpa trend my senior year.

Yes, it was 7 years ago. I am so excited that I also have an opportunity! This is what America is about!!

You got run over by a car? The thing about economics and not having a tool is probably a bad point to argue, but getting run over by a car is a pretty bad. where did you get into if you don't mind us finding out, there are a lot of people in these forums that could benefits from you disclosing the name of the institution.

[TropicalCharlie]

Secretshayats - congratulations!