Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

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ecks1997
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Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 9:57 pm

Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

Post by ecks1997 » Thu May 07, 2009 10:17 pm

Im going to start off by confessing that Im not in a physics but rather a biochemistry major. But I wanted to write on this forum since I saw an earlier post about someone getting a really low GPA and wondering if there was a shot at grad school.

I am pretty much in the same boat, i am at the university of Toronto right now and at the end of my 4th year with a 2.17 GPA. Im planning on taking an extra year to hopefully get my grades up. The reason for my low GPA is because I have had problems with depression and just goofing off too. Because of my low grades, I could not get an undergrad research position under a professor either, which a lot of people I know that are going to grad school already have.

Im planning on taking the biology GRE exam soon to hopefully strengthen my case. But apart from that, I dont really know what I can do. Im pretty sure most of my prof's think im a lost cause. Is it too late to transfer to another university ( I think it played a large part in the grades too ) ? Also, is there any chance for someone like me to get into grad school ? If anyone has suggestions about how I can fix the GPA problem that I have or any other suggestions, I would really like to hear from you.

matonski
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Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:03 pm

Re: Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

Post by matonski » Thu May 07, 2009 11:47 pm

You could do what I'm doing, which is a master's program first at a conveniently located university.

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grae313
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Re: Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

Post by grae313 » Fri May 08, 2009 11:04 am

yup, you gotta put in the time and show people that you can do the gruntwork and do it consistently in order to get those good grades. There's no other way around it. Even if you ace the GRE, you're just a smart, lazy person with no research experience :P . Put in the time in a master's program--you may only be able to get into a low-ranked one--kick ass with the grades and the research and you can finish up at a good PhD program if all goes well.

slugger
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Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:12 am

Re: Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

Post by slugger » Wed May 27, 2009 6:00 pm

Also consider taking grad classes as a non-matriculated student at the university you want to do a masters at. Once you are there, express interest in matriculating to your professors and get one of them to recommend you. No sweat. The road to grad school can be a long twisty pain in the butt for those of us who screwed around as undergrads! :wink:

ceyhanb
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Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:46 pm

Re: Want to go to grad school but have a really low GPA

Post by ceyhanb » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:29 pm

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 2.68 GPA with B.S Degree in Physics. I just graduated in May 2009. I took the General GRE and got 390 Verbal and 650 Quantative. I applied to grad school at Arizona State for their Nanoscience master's program. I was accepted provisionally as a non-degree student. The conditions were that if i took 3 classes, and maintained a "B" average, I would be fully admitted to the program. I was very excited to do this.

Almost all Grad schools require a 3.0 GPA and a 700 score on the Quantitative GRE. Mine is lower and I was lucky to get into that program even under provisional acceptance. Unfortunately, because of financial hardship I am not able to go to Arizona State for grad school.

Instead, I applied to a local school in Florida. The admissions director said this "To offset the problems in your GPA, and GRE, I HIGHLY recommend that you take the Physics GRE. If you get 50% on this, you have a very high chance of acceptance. We want you in the program, but we need to fight for you to get in, and we need evidence such as the Physics GRE score" I was disapointed that I was not going to grad school. And that I had to live with my mother for a while as I studied for yet another GRE. I looked at some of the Physics GRE problems, they are very tough. They are those nightmare physics problems that are in your undergrad physics textbooks that the teachers choose not to do because they are unnecessarily difficult. I was so angry!

Then I realized, that this was the right thing and best thing that could happen to my career as an upcoming scientist. How was I supposed to be successful in graduate school if i can't even get a decent GRE score and GPA? Studying for the Physics GRE would fill those knowledge-holes that were cause by slacking off in undergrad as well as those study skills.

I recommend that you study your ass off for the next Physics GRE, and show the admissions team that you slacked off in undergrad, but you are smart and ready for grad school. (That is...if you want to go to grad school in a scientific field..)

I hope this was some help,
Good Luck!



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