just got rejected from graduate school

[lothar]

A 3.0 GPA is all that is needed to get into grad school these days?
Anything less than a 3.3 GPA, good luck getting into medical, dental, or pharm school.

Whatever you choose to do, don't become another Trident. We already have enough of that here.
I wish you good luck in your endeavors.

 

[yhelothar]

A 3.0 GPA is all that is needed to get into grad school these days?
Anything less than a 3.3 GPA, good luck getting into medical, dental, or pharm school.

Whatever you choose to do, don't become another Trident. We already have enough of that here.
I wish you good luck in your endeavors.

No, but your last two years is what counts the most, and it sounds like he had above a 3.5GPA on those years.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Try a trade school. Everyone seems bound and determined to make grad school the best/only option. Trade schools can put you to work making decent money and guess what? The OP can still go to grad school later.

 

[yllus]

Am I the only one who sees this as a great opportunity for you? You're not adrift, you're free! Go try some random job on for size in a part of the country you've never been in but think would be pretty neat. The worst case really isn't that bad at all.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Don't worry man. I have a masters and still can't get a job. They want experience, not letters on your name.

edit: by 'they' I mean employers.

 

[JS80]

For someone applying to stats grad school, you didn't exactly "play the numbers"...

 

[RbSX]

In my experience most schools only look at your 3rd and 4th year credits.

 

[Whisper]

I know it's my fault.

It's my fault I didn't study in high school, so despite a good SAT score, fear of collegiate debt made me go to a relatively crappy undergrad school. It's my fault I didn't study properly during my first 2 years there, and that resulted in a shitty GPA. It's my fault I didn't take any internships during my undergrad, because I didn't realize how crucially important they were. It's my fault I didn't talk to a career counselor at that time so that they could hint me about that. I didn't quite realize how to finance school, and it's my fault for not having conversations with a counselor about this. It's my fault for never even thinking to begin that dialogue.

i'm quite well aware that my life is my fault.

You may have said it already, but are you going for a master's or ph.d.? Both can be competitive, but the latter takes it to a whole new level. In my field, students will typically have 3.5+ GPAs, 1250+ GREs, two to three years of related research experience, volunteer work, a few presentations/publications, and will STILL apply to 12-15 schools hoping for a handful of interview offers. I think the average acceptance rate for most programs hovers around 5-10%; each school will usually receive 200-400 applications for 10-15 spots.

However, doctoral programs tend to be funded (tuition remission + stipend), so if you're able to up your credentials a bit and loosen your geographic restrictions, landing a spot could give you an opportunity to move to an entirely different part of the country. I relocated a few states over myself when I started where I'm at now, and it's been a great experience.

 

[Brainonska511]

A 3.0 GPA is all that is needed to get into grad school these days?
Anything less than a 3.3 GPA, good luck getting into medical, dental, or pharm school.

Whatever you choose to do, don't become another Trident. We already have enough of that here.
I wish you good luck in your endeavors.

Really depends where you did your undergrad and what kind of graduate work you want to do. Medical/Dental/Pharm are more like professional programs and are highly competitive, so they tend to look a lot at GPA and test scores just because they need a metric to sort out some of the people. PhD programs care about research ability, so having a less stellar GPA might be acceptable if you have good research experience. And if you went to an undergrad known for crapping on people's grades, your also cut some slack for a slightly lower GPA.

 

[angry hampster]

I am a hiring coordinator for an outsourced call center that has roughly 200 people in my location. I was in your situation a year ago; recent college graduate with no relevant experience in anything that I wanted to do. What did I do? I applied for jobs that I didn't want. I applied for jobs that I knew would pay the bills while I build up my photography business. I wound up taking an entry-level job in the call center on a mundane sales program. It was (and still is) brainless work, but it's an easy paycheck. In August I accepted a promotion to hiring coordinator and look forward to continue moving up within the training/HR departments.

Don't go to grad school if you have zero work experience. It absolutely will notbenefit you or your potential employers. You'll just dig yourself a deeper hole of dept and make yourself harder to employ. Below are a few tips to try and get yourself employed. I'm not trying to be brash or hateful, just realistic.

A. Stop whining and being negative. Employers will pick up on this in a heartbeat during an interview. I refuse to hire someone whose attitude will negatively affect my team members, regardless of how much experience, education, or knowledge they have.
B. You are NOT better than any job. This ties in with part A, but don't act like you're better than doing something simple or un-ideal. You have zero experience, so you are no further ahead than anyone else in the unemployment line.
C. Find ways to show potential employers how dedicated you are. Do you have any volunteering experience? Were you a long-running member of any clubs or organizations in college?
D. Stress your willingness and eagerness to learn new things.
E. Smile
F. Print your resume on high-quality linen paper.


Questions your interviewer may likely ask:
1. Why did you apply HERE, of all places? (show that you've done your research)
2. What traits would make you successful at this position?
3. Describe your ideal work environment. (Stress cooperation, positivity, challenge)
4. Describe your ideal supervisor.
5. Tell me about a time when you became frustrated with a colleague.
6. What is your biggest weakness as an employee?
7. What can we do to earn your dedication?


These may or may not do you any good, as you say you've already been through several interviews. Regardless, hope this post helps. Good luck to ya...I know where you're coming from (my older sis makes ~$90k/yr lol)

 

[IEC]

angry hampster's "likely interview questions" are all very common. I would know because I do some phone interviews with R&D applicants after HR does the initial screening.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

No, but your last two years is what counts the most, and it sounds like he had above a 3.5GPA on those years.

The problem is that you can't just skate through the first two years and expect the world to hand you everything it would to someone who did well all four years. I understand that the first year or two are a hard adjustment period, but many individuals show consistency throughout high school, and all of undergrad. I do feel empathetic toward the OP considering he was going for his goal, but if this one thing is going to slow him down, he needs to become more resilient to before he makes it through graduate school.

Grad schools are looking for consistency because it is a decent indicator of whether a student will make it through the program or not. I worked my ass off all four years because I knew the health field I'd be going into is a freaking frenzy. Luckily, I knew my possible resources and used them. I don't know what I would've done if I didn't know about them.

OP, don't give up. It's not the end of the world. Go take the classes and try to find a job to keep you busy. Keep that GPA up and do an internship to make yourself more marketable. It is 100% possible to get in next year - you just gotta work for it. Apply to more than one school as well. You can get loans and financial aid to live and attend school elsewhere. Applying to one school is a set-up for letting yourself down.

 

[thepd7]

surprisingly, no. I just checked the military's weight requirements for recruits. for my age and height, i'd need to be under 189 lbs.

i'm 270 lbs.

Work on that? If you can come down at least 50 pounds I'm sure they'll consider you.

You could be a poster child to teach people not to fuck around in school.

This.

 

[Leros]

You may have said it already, but are you going for a master's or ph.d.? Both can be competitive, but the latter takes it to a whole new level. In my field, students will typically have 3.5+ GPAs, 1250+ GREs, two to three years of related research experience, volunteer work, a few presentations/publications, and will STILL apply to 12-15 schools hoping for a handful of interview offers. I think the average acceptance rate for most programs hovers around 5-10%; each school will usually receive 200-400 applications for 10-15 spots.

However, doctoral programs tend to be funded (tuition remission + stipend), so if you're able to up your credentials a bit and loosen your geographic restrictions, landing a spot could give you an opportunity to move to an entirely different part of the country. I relocated a few states over myself when I started where I'm at now, and it's been a great experience.

The advice I got told over and over by professors was to apply as a phd student even if I only wanted a masters. Your chances of getting accepted as a phd student are higher and you can always change your mind after you get accepted.

 

[Whisper]

The advice I got told over and over by professors was to apply as a phd student even if I only wanted a masters. Your chances of getting accepted as a phd student are higher and you can always change your mind after you get accepted.

It may depend on the field, such as in situations where the master's is the more practical and applicable degree, and the doctorate would be gained simply for teaching and/or research. I can only speak to my particular area when I say that Ph.D. programs are much, much more difficult to get into than master's-level programs.

This is due in part to the doctorate being required to practice independently, and in part because doctoral programs--unlike master's programs--are often fully-funded, thus attracting larger numbers of higher-quality applicants.

 

[RedCOMET]

The advice I got told over and over by professors was to apply as a phd student even if I only wanted a masters. Your chances of getting accepted as a phd student are higher and you can always change your mind after you get accepted.

I've been told something similar by a buddy of my who is about to get his PHD in Electrical Engineering. For advanced degrees that have a heavy research component to them, schools / professors are more inclined to pass along any grant or research dollars they have as stipends to people who are going for their PHDs.

 

[uclaLabrat]

I'm a post-doc at an ivy league school ( I'm not terribly shy of posting which one, I've done so before) but being rejected from grad school may be the best thing that ever happened to you.

 

[rasczak]

grab a board, paddle out at the Shores, and surf your worries away. After the recharge, get back in the game and apply elsewhere.

On a side note, I have a feeling my wife will be getting the same letter in April. She just applied to State (graduated in '99) in the hopes of becoming a Speech Pathologist.

Good luck Fayd. If anything, now may be a good time to volunteer. There's always a need for it somewhere.

 

[Anonemous]

Usually the PhD programs in engineering/biosci are funded and you get a stipend with tuition included. I remember some people would get their masters and leave the PhD program to get an industry job after the first year.

 

[Barfo]

It's because you're fat.

 

[DaWhim]

this is so emo.

first of all, stop thinking going to school can miraculously solve all your problems.

 

[Mo0o]

Look into nursing or PA school. if you get your RN, you can get some experience and be a CRNA, which is 150k+/yr right now.

Edit:

Although if you're 270lb it might not work...

 

[Schfifty Five]

Sorry to hear bout your situation, I've been in similar situations and you can get out of it if. Anyway...

OP, how tall are you? It sounds like you are overweight (unless you are like 6'6" body builder or something).

Why don't you set some goals to lose some weight and get back into a healthier range.

I think this could help you do a few things.

1. Gives you goals that are measurable/trackable.

2. Helps you feel better emotionally/physically.

3. Might give you more confidence and may help w/ the whole personality issue you mentioned.

4. You become healthier!

 

[Doggiedog]

I graduated college during the last big recession ('91). What I did was run off to Japan. I taught English there for two years, saved up a lot of money and came back to a better US economy. I ended up not going to grad school yet was successful in a very competitive industry. Some of the most successful people I know do not have grad degrees. They knew exactly what they wanted to do and worked their butts off. IMO, you aren't entitled to anything just because you have a grad degree. You may have an easier time getting an interview but without work experience you might not even be on the same level as someone with experience.

What you need to figure out is what you want to do with your life. Employers can tell from a mile away if the position is something you really want.

 

[Fayd]

i was coming here to say go get technical certifications like ccna or mcse. but based on the above post, have u tried applying to best buy as a geeksquad agent? u will fit right in.

btw, good luck. my grades were shit first 2 yrs of college. got notified that they would kick me out if i didnt straighten up. graduated and went on to finish 2 master degrees. retake the GRE. hell, even i scored 1200 without even studying

i'm not entirely sure, but i'm pretty confident that was supposed to be a veiled insult. fwiw, I do have an A+ cert, and can't seem to find a job with it. I'm pretty sure i'm not searching correctly. Anyways, more to the point: I didn't particularly want to troubleshoot my computer at 11:00 at night. boot errors like I was having would seem to indicate a hard drive issue (failing to boot the Install CD? if it's not a mobo/mem issue, it's gotta be HDD) and pulling my computer out from it's cubby hole is a fairly large effort. regardless, after using my netbook connected to my monitor for awhile this morning, I gave it one last shot before pulling it out and yanking the hdd to test further, and it worked. computer turned on no problem. don't know what happened, but it seems to have passed.

I scored 1340 combined. What killed me was the analysis writing. I got a 3.5 there. For some reason, what I wrote they hated. the prompt that i remember was "analyze this argument". I identified points of the argument, and analyzed them from an individual incentive perspective. guess they didn't like that.

this is so emo.

first of all, stop thinking going to school can miraculously solve all your problems.

I don't think going to additional school will miraculously solve all my problems. I intended to work my ass off at the school, try to get into as many internships as possible and as many opportunities that were available through being there. IE, do the things I failed to do the first time around. (SDSU is a research heavy school, and has a lot of private industry partners in local area. that + it's a campus of 50k+ students, it's going to have a MUCH better career center that pulls in a hell of a lot more leads and opportunities.)

Sorry to hear bout your situation, I've been in similar situations and you can get out of it if. Anyway...

OP, how tall are you? It sounds like you are overweight (unless you are like 6'6" body builder or something).

Why don't you set some goals to lose some weight and get back into a healthier range

yeah, I have a gym membership, live near a LOT of open parks and trails, and own a couple decent bicycles. I realize I'm wasting the opportunities available to me in this regard. I do play soccer once a week, so it's not as though i'm completely sedentary.

I am intending on restarting my exercise regimen this monday. Actually I'm rather looking forward to it. I keep intending to do it every week, and shit keeps getting in the way. Finally I've cleared my schedule for the most part.

----

I am going to try to appeal their decision. Come monday, I'm going to find where I can send a mailed envelope to in the hopes that it will reach whoever determines what packages go before the department's admissions board. I do believe I have at least a case for a reconsideration, as some circumstances have changed since the original application was filled out. I highly doubt anything will come of it, though, so don't tell me i'm setting myself up for disappointment. Rather, I have nothing to lose.

I was checking out on other Stats departments in Cali schools. apparently CSU Long Beach accepts apps for their fall semester up until june 15th, lol.