Aiming for graduate school with a terrible GPA -- but everything else is good

[faye_x]

I'm in my last year of Electrical Engineering from UT Austin and my GPA is really bad:  2.5. I was going through a ton of familial and financial issues throughout college and to be honest, I didn't care about classes and did bare minimum to pass. Project-based classes went well and I have had 2 internships with big companies as a Software Engineer and performed good work in both and got offers to return. I only truly started falling in love with engineering recently. 

I'm pretty good at standardized testing and did well on the GRE - 170 Q / 166 V.

I accepted a full-time offer and plan on working a few years for financial stability and aim for graduate school when I am mentally ready to take it on. I would love to get a MS in Computational Engineering. My question is -- what schools should I be aiming for? What can I do to increase my chances of getting into a decent school?

Edited November 1, 2016 by faye_x

[latticeB]

I don't think anyone here can tell you what schools to aim for, because frankly I'm not aware of any admissions committees that make offers to students without research experience with a GPA below 3.7/4. Taking time off to work also doesn't play well because you lose out on potential academic reference letters -- profs tend to forget you after a few months of graduation.

HOWEVER

If you find a program you want to study in, and you make it clear on your CV through volunteer or work activities that you are seriously interested in that topic and are capable of doing the work, contact the prof you want to work with. The perceived caliber or the online ratings of the school that the prof works at aren't particularly important. Most of these guys just want to work with someone who they think will be able to produce good work that they can put their name on and who they know will be able to graduate. If you can convince somebody that that person is you, you're in.

I should mention that some profs don't like being contacted by potential students. Don't beat your head against the wall trying to get through to these people. Trust me, you probably don't want to work with them anyway.

[Neuronophil]

I agree that its hard to get into a graduate school with low GPA and no research experience. You can take some time to get research experience instead of joining industry if you really want to go to grad school.

Also, consider the Ga Tech's online M.Sc degree in computer science :https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/

Their acceptance rate is above 50% and you get to get a masters from one of the best cs programs.

[.letmeinplz//]

7 minutes ago, Neuronophil said:

I agree that its hard to get into a graduate school with low GPA and no research experience. You can take some time to get research experience instead of joining industry if you really want to go to grad school.

Also, consider the Ga Tech's online M.Sc degree in computer science :https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/

Their acceptance rate is above 50% and you get to get a masters from one of the best cs programs.

Probably not even an option for them because the first FAQ answer is

Preferred qualifications for admitted OMS CS students are an undergraduate degree in computer science or related field (typically mathematics, computer engineering or electrical engineering) from an accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants who do not meet these criteria will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis; significant professional or other work experience with supporting recommendations may qualify as an adequate substitute for the appropriate academic credentials, however work experience will not take the place of an undergraduate degree. Georgia Tech will not admit applicants into the OMS CS degree program without the minimum qualifications for success.

They will need to spend some time in industry to probably make up for a 2.5.

@faye_x

What is your last 60 GPA? some schools take that instead of cGPA into consideration for graduate school.

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by .letmeinplz//