3.0 - 3.5 Masters Applicants?

[spacezeppelin]

Hello, I realize that this is an oddly specific thread. I feel like most of the people on this site have 3.6 and up GPAs or are PhD applicants (and also have 3.6 and up GPAs). This is kind of a blow on my self esteem, and not super relatable to me. THEREFORE, I thought I would see who else is out there that is in a similar "average" applicant category.

 

Where is everyone applying / any news back yet?

 

Here are my super average stats to break the ice:

Program: Public Policy Masters GPA: 3.15 (I have a 3.6 in my last 60 and a 3.7 in both majors. Not that it really needs justification, but I started out as a Bioengineering major and quickly realized that its not my strong suit.

 

GRE: 161v, 154Q, 5AW

 

Applied: UC Irvine, USC, CSU Sacramento, Mills, Cal Poly SLO

 

I've been accepted at Sac. I'm still waiting to hear back from the other programs. Some are reaches, but I wanted to give it a try because I worked really hard to pull it together in my last two undergraduate years. Anyoe else out there?

Edited January 31, 2013 by spacezeppelin

[Usmivka]

Same difference I suspect.

And basically your scenario, was posted earlier this afternoon.

Edited January 31, 2013 by Usmivka

[LndscpDsign]

I have a 3.4. But I think I'm the exception to the rule because I'm in a creative field( I'm getting a bfa and bs in landscape design for undergrad). I applied to Harvard, uc Berkeley, and USC. Harvard GSD is the only one with specific requirements saying most admitted have a 3.4. But I have a crap ton of outside the classroom experiences so hopefully that helps. I'm in the dark with the other two. I'd love to go to Berkeley, I flew out there in the fall to visjt(I'm from the east coast). So I think the grad admissions guy was impressed when I talked to him about coming that far to visit. But we'll see. I won't hear until the end of march. Maybe we'll go to USC together haha!

[Seatbelt Blue]

My undergrad GPA is crap, but shows regular improvement as I went through, and my seminary work was a 4.0. From what I've gathered, if your overall isn't great, they give your GRE's extra weight, and look to see how you did in courses relevant to your field. I, for instance, cleaned up in my religious studies courses, so while my overall is shite, I have a solid performance everywhere that counts.

 

My GRE's are also really good, so that helps.

[pears]

hey there! i'm in a totally different field of study (archaeology), but our numbers are surprisingly similar. i coasted in high school, so the toxic combo of "hey, i have friends and parties now!" and "well, i didn't need to try hard then, so why should i try hard now?" ruined my GPA for my first 2 years. i worked my buns off my last 3 semesters, & ended up with a 3.2.. salvageable, but not ideal. GRE scores were 164V/154Q/5.0W, major GPAs floated somewhere around 3.5. nothing totally out of this world, but at least i had some numbers to show that i wasn't totally ashamed of. i've been using this year as downtime to get more work experience and suss out my exact interests, which has paid off a lot. i decided on a terminal MA because i'm still weighing some academic choices (in sum: i like bones, but i like stuff, too), and it would give me a chance to compensate for the poor undergrad GPA before launching into a PhD. 

 

i applied to 7 schools, and honestly, i probably could've shaved it down to 5 or 6, but i was nervous that my weak GPA would leave me with a lot of rejections or waitlists. my LoRs, SoP, and writing sample were all strong. i got my first response this morning: an acceptance, and my POI (a nerd idol of mine) seems to be my advisor. they've got a really strong program for one of my specific interests, so i was expecting.. well, anything less than an acceptance. awesome, awesome, awesome. as long as you feel confident about the rest of your app materials, i bet you'll be fine too!

[CP3]

Congrats on the acceptance!  I too have a grimy GPA, 3.25 at the graduate level. I had a rough first year in graduate school, I was a dean's list student as an undergrad. It was strange, because as an undergrad, I didn't party and I had stellar grades etc.

 

Then, when I began graduate school, I partied all of the time, skipped class etc. Weird huh? I think that I was completely burned out, I started grad school two weeks after finishing my bachelors, looking back at it, I should've took a year off, but that's water under the bridge.

 

I ended up finishing strong, good portfolio, good LOR's, good SOP, but my GPA and GRE aren't too great, plus it took me several years to finish my Master's degree, due to my poor start.

 

I'm just hoping that someone somewhere will see my talent and potential and overlook the mistakes I made in the past