Where can I go with such a low undergrad GPA? (DC area)

[sixtytwo]

so a little lost here- i'm planning to go back to grad school in fall 2014. criteria:

• master of public affairs/international studies/political science
• DC area (preferably)
• really low 3.0 gpa from an ivy league school, political science major
• interested in studying migration/human rights in particular, but don't want to restrict myself to only schools with that program
• international experience in developing countries as well as internship with the US govt
• haven't taken the GRE yet

i know that SAIS and georgetown are probably out of reach for me, and the only other schools in this area that i know of are GWU and american. can anyone help me out?

[Canadianna]

UMD has an MPP program that offers concentrations in international fields.

[ferd]

so a little lost here- i'm planning to go back to grad school in fall 2014. criteria:

• master of public affairs/international studies/political science
• DC area (preferably)
• really low 3.0 gpa from an ivy league school, political science major
• interested in studying migration/human rights in particular, but don't want to restrict myself to only schools with that program
• international experience in developing countries as well as internship with the US govt
• haven't taken the GRE yet

i know that SAIS and georgetown are probably out of reach for me, and the only other schools in this area that i know of are GWU and american. can anyone help me out?

have you looked at george mason?

[DigDeep(inactive)]

so a little lost here- i'm planning to go back to grad school in fall 2014. criteria:

• master of public affairs/international studies/political science
• DC area (preferably)
• really low 3.0 gpa from an ivy league school, political science major
• interested in studying migration/human rights in particular, but don't want to restrict myself to only schools with that program
• international experience in developing countries as well as internship with the US govt
• haven't taken the GRE yet

i know that SAIS and georgetown are probably out of reach for me, and the only other schools in this area that i know of are GWU and american. can anyone help me out?

 

 

I'm confused at your lack of self-confidence. You have great experience, a decent GPA (if it's low 3 point then it's just average, not really a big deal).  If you do well enough (slightly above or above average) on GRE, then the GPA won't matter too much, anyways. Don't sell yourself short. You should apply to American, GWU, SAIS, and anywhere else you think fits well with your research interests. 

[hj2012]

I'm confused at your lack of self-confidence. You have great experience, a decent GPA (if it's low 3 point then it's just average, not really a big deal).  If you do well enough (slightly above or above average) on GRE, then the GPA won't matter too much, anyways. Don't sell yourself short. You should apply to American, GWU, SAIS, and anywhere else you think fits well with your research interests. 

 

I second this. Study hard for the GRE to help balance out the lower GPA; however, the longer you've been out of school, the less your GPA holds weight. Continue accruing international / work experience and put together a great application.  I know people who have gotten into SAIS and Georgetown with barely 3.0 GPAs.

[CulturalAnth]

One of my professors told me she got into Harvard with a GPA less than 3.0 because she rocked the GRE. So, it's possible! 

[Guest]

Yup, I was going to say American.Regardless of having a good GPA, I tossed Georgetown out the window too due to my atrocious GRE scores.

 

It's funny how people with low GPAs are told to balance their GPA with a high score. I'm the opposite (hi GPA with atrocious scores; can't afford to retake at the moment). But, I've worked incredibly hard and focused the most on my Statement of Purpose and Resume the most. I would suggest the same to you too as well. We really don't know what these Adcoms look for. I've read of people getting into programs with low GPAs or mediocre scores. So, it is possible like how some posters have previously said.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Guest

[oldacct]

From a different field, but to echo a lot of the comments here my partner had a very low GPA (3.25, I think?) but had an otherwise killer application (including very high GRE scores). He was often encouraged not to apply to the best programs, but he did anyways and ended up at the top ranked program in his field.