Looking for an evaluation for second time trying for MS

[owl13]

Hi everyone,

 

I finished my BS in geology last year and tried to go to grad school but unfortunately didnt get in anywhere. Luckily I got a job and have been working but its become clear that I need an MS in order to advance, so Ive decided to apply again.  Since my last experience with grad applications, my confidence has been severely shaken so Im looking for a little input and advice. 

 

I have a few questions but I will give you my profile first:

 

 

 

Undergrad Institution: Large east coast university (you can probably guess from my name lol)

Major(s): I majored in Geology as well as Environmental Studies
Minor(s): -
GPA in Major: 3.7
Overall GPA: 3.2
Position in Class: Departmentally I was near top, however entire class wise idk
Type of Student: American female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 
V:
W: 4.5

My scores were sent to my college email address which has since been deleted because I graduated (school does this automatically unless you buy it).  I didnt think I would try again for grad school so it didnt occur to me to change my gre email address before that happened.  So Im not too sure how to recover that.  However I know I was somewhere around the 70th percentile for the verbal and quantitative.  I do remember my written score. 

 

Research Experience:

I did a study on induced seismicity with my professor over the course of a semester.  No publication came from it then but I am currently finishing it on my own time and hoping to get a poster out at regional gsa next spring. 

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

Deans List for several semesters, graduated with distinction in both majors. 

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

In school:

tutored beginner geology courses

 

Out of school:

Currently mudlogging the Utica/Marcellus (9 months experience so far)

Taking short courses at conferences (On basin analysis, stratigraphy, etc)

Finishing my research project on my own time (with same professor)

 

Applying to Where:

Heres the thing, Im not too sure. I know that Im supposed to look for a fit with an advisor rather than a school, but what Im mainly trying to do is better my career.  I want to go to a school with ties to the industry and from there, I will find an advisor who I fit with.  The first time I applied I was interested in neotectonics but now Im looking for someone to do sed/strat, basin analyis, maybe dabble in paleosols.  Im still up in the air right now, and Im reading a lot of papers to try and narrow my interests down.  

 

 

So my questions are as follows-

 

1) Is my cumulative gpa a large detriment to my chances? Looking at my transcript, it mainly comes from my first two years where I had no direction and my grades truly reflected that but still, 3.2 is not stellar. ( also really fucked up in physics and calc 2, math isnt really my strong suit)

 

2) Does a lack of publication from a student research project look bad?

 

3) I do have a tentative list of "reach" schools Id like to apply for, most of which I feel are unrealistic.  The schools are Baylor, Rice, UT, UNM.  Can anyone comment on my odds?  

 

4) Lastly, ive heard from a former professor that university of nebraska, KU, OU, and CU are good for what im looking for and may be more reasonable to get into.  Can anyone that might go there or know from experience comment on this?

 

 

If you got to the bottom of this, congrats and Im sorry this was so long.  6 rejections last year really struck fear into my heart about this so Im just incredibly nervous and beyond doubtful now.

 

 I really appreciate anyone who reads all of this or answers anything.  Thank you!

[geographyrocks]

1) Yes, it is considered low, but definitely not a deal breaker.

2) Lack of publication doesn't look bad, but it definitely helps if you publish. 

3) Looking at your interests, I was going to recommend UNM.  You HAVE to contact a professor at UNM to be considered for admission.  If you have questions about the department or professors, feel free to message me.  Your GRE's should be fine.  And your GPA isn't that terrible when combined with the GRE.  So maybe the first failure was due to a weak SOP or letters.  You really have to both sell yourself to the school as well as comment on why school/professor/department is a good fit for you.  But contact with the professor you're interested in is really key.  With that being said, the GRE score is fairly easy to improve unless you have test anxiety that impacts your scores.  You generally want scores over 160 to feel "safe". 

UT is incredibly popular as well which makes it harder to get into. 

4) CU Boulder should be listed as a reach school.  They get over 600 applicants per year.  I doubt you mean CU Denver as people normally don't talk about them much.  I don't even know if they have a Geology program. 

 

As for the GRE, you should have made a logon when you first set up the account.  I believe it's your email address.  You can attempt to access your GRE that way. 

[turbidite]

1) A 3.2 cumulative GPA isn't great but there have been plenty of people who have gotten into respectable programs with worse. It is however important that you show an upward trajectory on your transcript and have a good GPA in your major (which you do).

 

2) Not necessarily. A publication would be great, but it's not the end of the world if your work doesn't get published. Professors are mainly looking for research experience.

 

3) Rice and UT are very competitive programs and would be a serious reach. But who knows, if you have a great fit with your POI anything can happen. Baylor and UNM are probably better matches for you based completely on stats.

 

4) I'd put OU and CU-Boulder right up there with UT and Rice as competitive programs that are a crapshoot for almost anyone. KU and UNL are within the same range as Baylor and UNM.

 

Hate to be a homer, but I gotta put a plug in for UL-Lafayette and LSU. Both are great programs that consistently place MS students in industry. Only a couple hours away from Houston, so industry actively recruits at both of these schools.

 

Good luck!

[owl13]

 

3) Looking at your interests, I was going to recommend UNM.  You HAVE to contact a professor at UNM to be considered for admission.  If you have questions about the department or professors, feel free to message me.  Your GRE's should be fine.  And your GPA isn't that terrible when combined with the GRE.  So maybe the first failure was due to a weak SOP or letters. 

 

 

As for the GRE, you should have made a logon when you first set up the account.  I believe it's your email address.  You can attempt to access your GRE that way. 

 

Yeah I was actually just looking at some professors today but I feel like its a bit early to contact? I might have some questions for you so Ill probably be messaging you in the future, thanks!

 

I think my problem last year was I applied to pretty much all state school as an out of state resident.  And of course the 3.2.  Thats what I get for dicking around freshman and sophomore year I suppose.  I figured my in major was enough to make up though.  I just looked it up and its much closer to 3.8 than 3.7 which is pretty good.

 

And the GRE thing, yeah my log on was my email but I forgot my password and the temporary one was sent to my old account 

[sjoh197]

LOL turbidite... how can you possibly suggest someone enter the LSU system right now? With the complete tanking of their budget... I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole

[turbidite]

LOL turbidite... how can you possibly suggest someone enter the LSU system right now? With the complete tanking of their budget... I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole

While I'll agree that this state does not value higher education in the slightest, it's hard to imagine the budget cuts affecting the geoscience department at the flagship university as much as a humanities dept at one of the many (too many in fact) small, public Louisiana colleges. But I don't want to derail the OP's thread, so I'll leave it at that.   

[rising_star]

Not even in your field but I also highly doubt LSU geosciences would get cut. That is an incredibly well funded department with strong alumni support (financial and otherwise). If you talk to them, my guess is that everyone there will reassure you that whatever budget cuts do happen, they'll be protected thanks to their industry ties.