Low gpa, do I have a shot at grad school?
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:16 am
I'm in my third year as an undergrad but I have senior status due to taking more than 15 hours each semester. I jumped around majors--biology, chem, biochem, even journalism (my minor)--before I decided on math the summer before my second year. I took calc I and II that summer, got As, and decided to change my major.
That year, I didn't do so hot. I got two horrible grades (C+ in calc III and C- in ODE ). Granted, I was only in my second year, and I also took probability (B-), statistics (B), a programming course (A, but it was super easy) and linear algebra (A-) that same year.
Now, I just finished a semester having taken one math course, advanced calculus, and I got a B. I'm taking advanced calc II right now (hoping to pull an A somehow) and two sophomore-level math courses (on top of required classes, I'm at 15 hours, the lowest I've ever taken). I'm doing research with my stats professor this semester for a thesis, and I also worked with her this past summer for an REU-like program. I want to go to grad school for statistics, but I'm so scared my grades are too low. I'm also scared I won't get into any REUs this summer because of that. I applied to five.
For grad school, I'm looking to apply to Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, George Mason, UC Riverside, USC, among others. I go to a small, liberal arts university where math isn't a focus, either. My math gpa is about 3.2, overall 3.4 (my journalism minor gpa is 3.9, I'm not sure if this matters at all). I'm planning on taking the math GRE in October and the general test sometime this summer.
Does anyone have any advice or guidance? Or is my only shot at grad school an MBA program... By the way, I'm a black female and the first female in my family to go to college (and second to my dad). I don't want to have to rely on the diversity card, but does this play big a role in admissions decisions?
Thanks in advance
That year, I didn't do so hot. I got two horrible grades (C+ in calc III and C- in ODE ). Granted, I was only in my second year, and I also took probability (B-), statistics (B), a programming course (A, but it was super easy) and linear algebra (A-) that same year.
Now, I just finished a semester having taken one math course, advanced calculus, and I got a B. I'm taking advanced calc II right now (hoping to pull an A somehow) and two sophomore-level math courses (on top of required classes, I'm at 15 hours, the lowest I've ever taken). I'm doing research with my stats professor this semester for a thesis, and I also worked with her this past summer for an REU-like program. I want to go to grad school for statistics, but I'm so scared my grades are too low. I'm also scared I won't get into any REUs this summer because of that. I applied to five.
For grad school, I'm looking to apply to Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, George Mason, UC Riverside, USC, among others. I go to a small, liberal arts university where math isn't a focus, either. My math gpa is about 3.2, overall 3.4 (my journalism minor gpa is 3.9, I'm not sure if this matters at all). I'm planning on taking the math GRE in October and the general test sometime this summer.
Does anyone have any advice or guidance? Or is my only shot at grad school an MBA program... By the way, I'm a black female and the first female in my family to go to college (and second to my dad). I don't want to have to rely on the diversity card, but does this play big a role in admissions decisions?
Thanks in advance