Do I have any chance? Advice needed

[belljar]

Stats:

-GRE: V- 156, Q-154, Essay-4

-GPA: 3.2

-Undergrad: Top 15 liberal arts college

-Work experience related to the field: Summer internships every year that lasted from a month to 3 months. Most of the work was research and cataloguing.

-Recent grad

 

My grades are an absolute roller coaster due to mental health problems that I had to deal with throughout college. It's been a year that I got it sorted and my senior grades are significantly higher than grades from any other year. I don't know if I should submit an explanation because I am afraid that the schools will see me as unreliable when they find out that I had such problems during my undergrad years.

 

Top choices are UCLA and UTexas for their archive program and I'm applying to UNC, UW, and Simmons.

 

I do have solid recommendation letters but I am worried about my personal statement and intent. I know what I want to do in life and why I want to attend these programs, but I always wonder how people find a way to make their essays sparkle. I've always felt insecure about my writing and there are tons of others who have stats that are significantly better than mine so what do I have to offer that others can't? Would you say that a statement of intent that is very focused would be the best way for me to go?

 

My inkling is that I barely qualify to even apply to these programs, especially UTexas.

 

Any advice and thoughts would be much appreciated. Thank in advance.

Edited May 15, 2013 by belljar

[LIS Hopeful]

Hi Belljar-

 

The grad school application process is nerve-wracking, I know, having just gone through it myself. From what I have read on these forums, a lot of applicants get into most, if not all, of the programs they apply to. Since you are applying to 5, I'm confident that you'll get in somewhere. I'm not sure about the admission rates of the programs you're applying to, but UMD only accepts 1/3 of their applicants & I was in that top third.

 

To share, my stats are:

-GRE: V- 160, Q-156, Essay-4.5

-GPA: 3.86

-Undergrad: BA through state school's online program, AA through local community college

-Work experience related to the field: 4 years of full-time unrelated work experience prior to & during AA

-Recent grad

 

I too had significant transcript issues due to some personal issues. My first semester GPA was a 1.63 & I was placed on academic probation. However, I shaped up my act & ended up more than doubling my GPA. It's great that you've worked hard to improve your grades in your senior year; it shows admission committees that you are serious about your academic career.

 

 

Out of the 3 programs I applied to, CUA was the only one who asked for an explanation for any academic issues. I wrote a 3 paragraph response which addressed my poor performance early on, my improvements over the years, & how I did not allow my poor grades to discourage me from achieving my educational goals. I didn't address my academic issues in my applications to Pratt & UMD since they didn't ask.

 

Don't allow your poor early performance to scare you off from applying. Instead, use it to your advantage. A lot of people just coast through school without having to deal with any set-backs. The fact that you've struggled & overcome your obstacles shows that you are more than capable to achieving your dreams.

 

As far as your personal statement, try looking up things like <library grad school application essay example> or <mls OR mlis grad school application "personal statement" advice> & read whatever you find. It's helpful to search on non .edu sites, since your queries will probably turn up a lot of results detailing program requirements instead advice & examples.

 

Good luck!

[jordtas7]

There are so many factors that go into an admission decision that it is difficult to look at general gpa/gre statistics and say with confidence yes you will or no you will not get in to a program.  I have four graduate degrees so I have gone through the application process many times and have gotten into schools I thought were well out of my reach and I  have been rejected from schools that I thought I had a really good chance of getting in to.  There are many graduate programs where the GRE isn't even a requirement anymore and admissions offices are looking to other indicators to decide whether or not to admit students.  I think that the personal statement is really important and that in submitting your statement you should be wary of using a general essay that you send to every school you are applying to.  Tailor every personal statement to each school----let them know why their particular program fits your needs and how your background makes you a perfect fit for their program.  In personal statements I have mentioned specific course work and unique practical experiences a particular program offers to explain why I am interested in the graduate program and why I think that program is best suited to helping me attain my educational and career goals.  I have also highlighted some of the specific experiences that I have had inside and outside the classroom that I think are really relevant and make me look like a strong candidate.  Just be sure that what you write sounds genuine.

 

So I guess my advice is to stop worrying about things you can't change right now---you have graduated from school and your GPA is what it is and unless you retake the GRE your score isn't going to change either (and in saying this I am not making a judgment about your GRE or GPA scores either way). Instead work really hard to get recommendations from people that you know will have good and interesting things to say about you, make sure your resume is flawless, and write a statement of purpose that demonstrates that you know the program you are applying to and believe that it is a really good fit for you. 

 

Good luck, I hope everything works out!

[belljar]

LIS Hopeful: Thank you for your response. I was very worried about my transcript so until they ask, I think that I will avoid writing about my problems since it does show that I have gotten better throughout the year. I will also take you up on the personal statement advice. Once again, thank you. I appreciate that you took your time to respond.

 

jordtas: You are very right that it's useless to fret over invariable factors. I guess I was overly worried that my scores alone will lead to my application being ignored. Dumb thinking, but as you are aware of, application time = crazy time!

 

"In personal statements I have mentioned specific course work and unique practical experiences a particular program offers to explain why I am interested in the graduate program and why I think that program is best suited to helping me attain my educational and career goals."

Very good advice and I will take it to heart. I am passionate about the schools I am applying to, particularly because of their course work. Crossing my fingers for the best and I hope to come back here with good news next year!

[mr.potato]

I have similar stats and I want to apply several of the same schools too. I would love to hear from anyone with similar stats who got into the mentioned schools. 

 

There a couple of blogs and online communities that I like to peruse that have a lot of useful information. The ones I frequent the most are hack library school, surviving-slis and library school livejournal.

[LIS Hopeful]

I think that the personal statement is really important and that in submitting your statement you should be wary of using a general essay that you send to every school you are applying to.  Tailor every personal statement to each school----let them know why their particular program fits your needs and how your background makes you a perfect fit for their program.  In personal statements I have mentioned specific course work and unique practical experiences a particular program offers to explain why I am interested in the graduate program and why I think that program is best suited to helping me attain my educational and career goals.  I have also highlighted some of the specific experiences that I have had inside and outside the classroom that I think are really relevant and make me look like a strong candidate.  Just be sure that what you write sounds genuine.

 

I strongly second everything jordtas7 wrote regarding personal statements. Make sure you clearly state which courses sound most appealing to you & why, as well as what track, specialization or certifications you are interested in. I also mentioned what the location of the program offered, in my case, the ability to volunteer & intern at leading cultural heritage institutions in DC & NYC.

 

Very good advice and I will take it to heart. I am passionate about the schools I am applying to, particularly because of their course work. Crossing my fingers for the best and I hope to come back here with good news next year!

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[LIS Hopeful]

I have similar stats and I want to apply several of the same schools too. I would love to hear from anyone with similar stats who got into the mentioned schools. 

 

Hi mr.potato!

 

Check out the GradCafe Results Search: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/

 

Search for library & once your results come up, you can sort your results based on institution. Be sure to check around though, if your looking for UNC stats, you could find them under "The University of North Carolina" or just "University of North Carolina". (LIS prospects should be better at metadata input).

 

If you look next to their "Accepted" or "Rejected" decision result & see a little red diamond, they have included their stats (GPA & GRE).

 

And of course, be sure to include your results once you receive your decision letters.

 

Good luck!

Edited May 18, 2013 by LIS Hopeful