Masters or Research Tech Position?

[js3]

Hey all,

I'm trying to figure out what my next steps after graduation should be. I have a low uGPA currently 2.95 should be a little over a 3.00 by the time I graduate. I have some pretty good research experience and a paper submitted. My funds are extremely limited so relocation can only happen under perfect conditions. Should I apply for a Masters at a neighboring university where I can definitely recieve a TA position? Or should I apply for a Research Tech position at my home institution and see if I can get into the Masters program here in the next round? My home university is in the  top 10 ranked in my field. The neighboring school does not have a strong reputation. My ultimate goal is a Ph.D.

Thanks!

[bsharpe269]

Well, to get into a good phd program, I would say you definitely need an MS with a very strong gpa to make up for the low upga. Keep in mind that gpas are weighted a bit different in grad school so you would probably want a masters gpa in the 3.8-4.0 range. Applying for MS at the local university vs your current one is entirely up to whether you want to take the year off or not. Of course, a higher ranked university is better than a low one but I think that either way, a phd program cares more about how well you do at whatever university you go to. If you already have a lot of research experience, then the research tech position probably wont make too big of a difference in your applications and you will get more research experience while working on your MS anyway.

 

goodluck!

[Vene]

In your shoes, I'd look at all three options. Apply for the local MS programs as well as to a few PhD programs of interest. It's far from impossible to get into a PhD with a sub 3.0 GPA. If all else fails, find a job and try again.