Getting into grad school advice

[Candaceman]

I decided about 2 months ago that I want to go to grad school for cultural communication or media studies.

my stats

I just graduated last week with a degree in journalism

I am 31 yo

When I went to college right out of HS I screwed up royally. Long story short, I finished strong with 4.0s in my last 2 semesters, an upper division GPA of 3.727 and major gpa of 3.706.

The problem is my cumulative GPA is a ridiculous 3.051.

My question is, what can I do to better my chances of getting in to grad school. I know I need a good gre score, but hat else?

Should I play up the fact that I was on an upward trend grades-wise with two children under the age of 3?

I have a great internship and have worked on a national late night talk show as well as a reality show.

Thanks in advance.

[drapeblind]

Many programs cut the applicant pool off at about 3.4/4.0 at lowest, so the GPA could well be an initial problem. 

 

Your best bet is to get a high score on the GRE and to go to a master's program for communication and culture. Beware for-profit MA programs, in other words programs that have no doctoral program and fund few if any students. UT-Austin has good luck placing people in doctoral programs even for their non-funded students, for instance, because they have such an established Ph.D. A reference from a faculty member there means something. But the New School takes a very high number of MA students who then have to compete for attention. Many of those students are talented, and they have a good faculty, but that kind of environment isn't always copacetic for tracking their MA students successfully. Some get through, others are left disappointed.

 

There are lots of examples that emulate shades both of these kinds institutions, so make sure that you note program placement before attending. A solid MA program with a few conference presentations should push you into a doctoral program if you're motivated. 

[Candaceman]

All of the schools I am looking at state the minimum gpa is 3.0/4.0 and many including UT-Austin ask for last 60 units gpa. Mine is 3.7. Yeah, I have coworkers who went to New School and Columbia J school who said that they got no attention but the degree helped them get jobs because of the school name.

[Duna]

Many programs cut the applicant pool off at about 3.4/4.0 at lowest, so the GPA could well be an initial problem. 

 

Your best bet is to get a high score on the GRE and to go to a master's program for communication and culture.

Wait, I don't think you can make statements this general about anything concerning admissions...

1) Many state schools have no GRE cut off and their GPA requirement is 3.0 (at least when I researched programs last year). Therefore, I do not think that you can just generalize chances for admission based on these numbers (which you can't do anyways).

2) I do not understand why the OP is supposed to look for a master's program. As far as I know, many PhD programs are less interested in numbers and more interested in research experience (internship? e.g.) than some master's programs.

3) I tend to believe that PhD admission committees do look for applicants that show how they can develop over time because the blessing & curse of PhD programs is that they are pretty long.

I am not saying it will be easy getting into a funded program with the grades but I do think that your personal situation seems rather special and your development impressive. Killer GRE scores would underline your intention to get this done now and show you are prepared, ready to work hard and not struggling anymore. And don't forget writing sample and SOP... It's been said 1000 times on this board: GRE scores and GPA are clearly not all that matters so don't get to obsessed about it and forget what a PhD is really about: Doing original research.

[Candaceman]

Wait, I don't think you can make statements this general about anything concerning admissions...1) Many state schools have no GRE cut off and their GPA requirement is 3.0 (at least when I researched programs last year). Therefore, I do not think that you can just generalize chances for admission based on these numbers (which you can't do anyways).2) I do not understand why the OP is supposed to look for a master's program. As far as I know, many PhD programs are less interested in numbers and more interested in research experience (internship? e.g.) than some master's programs.3) I tend to believe that PhD admission committees do look for applicants that show how they can develop over time because the blessing & curse of PhD programs is that they are pretty long.I am not saying it will be easy getting into a funded program with the grades but I do think that your personal situation seems rather special and your development impressive. Killer GRE scores would underline your intention to get this done now and show you are prepared, ready to work hard and not struggling anymore. And don't forget writing sample and SOP... It's been said 1000 times on this board: GRE scores and GPA are clearly not all that matters so don't get to obsessed about it and forget what a PhD is really about: Doing original research.

Thanks for the encouragement. I hope you are right.

[drapeblind]

I try to paint the most practical and likely picture; but I do agree with Saviya that encouragement is warranted as you have a few promising intangibles that other applicants wont. 

 

That said, I can't think of any students in any program who didn't come in at the top of their class grade-wise, with some minor wiggle-room for GRE variation. The competition is just too fierce and the applicant pool too overqualified. Programs don't take those chances even if they hypothetically stipulate that they might under special circumstances.

 

So you should definitely apply to a few choice Ph.D. programs that are a good fit for what you do, but also note that a strong MA program and good overall scores will increase your chances from very unlikely to likely. With 120-200 applicants per program, hold no illusions about a 'special scenario' in which an advisor sees your potential beyond the paperwork in front of them. The admissions process is run by abstract, cold, hard numbers and after the first round or two of cuts, your proposed research project. I recommend an ambitious plan to improve your profile accompanied by some 'dream school' applications. You should certainly try for your goal destination, especially if you have a GRE composite over 1400 and a 5 or better on the writing section. But otherwise a few MA programs offer funding and research experience and it's extremely common to make a stop before a final graduate destination.

 

For all applicants who may read this, I can't stress enough that the process shouldn't seem like winning the lottery. There are certain milestones that significantly remove 'chance' from your candidacy: GPA over 3.6, GRE over 1300/5, having attended a first or high second tier institution, warm recommendations from noted professors in the field, applying to work on a topic that overlaps with a future faculty project (not one they've already worked on), ability to speak multiple languages, having studied abroad, work-experience intangibles, novelty of project proposed, and quality of writing sample. If you've covered all of these bases, you probably are going to get in somewhere if you maximize your application pool. A reputable MA in your field will significantly increase your chances and put you toward the top of their paper pile. On that note, apply to at least 12 programs, some successful students applied for as many as 30. And be willing to move anywhere geographically -- if you're only applying to Ph.D. programs in NY, for example, and you're looking for advice on a mssg board, you probably are missing the 'intangible' cultural capital that pushes many 'pedigree' students forward into the academic ruling class. I had to learn all of this myself, so take my advice as pragmatic and well-wishing.

Edited January 6, 2013 by drapeblind