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Can a person with ~2.5 GPA get into grad school?

T

TommyVercetti

Diamond Member
A "friend" of mine who has such a low GPA asks. His parents are forcing him take the GMAT or GRE. They think he has a 3.0, and has an allright chance in getting into a grad school. Ofcourse he doesn't tell them the truth. "He" is considering either Finance, accounting or something related.
 
Yes, it's possible. I talked to my TA about it a while back and she said the most important factors are your relationships with professors (recommendations, etc) as well as your ability to demonstrate your drive to succeed in the field. If they feel that you WANT to be there and WANT to achieve things, they'll consider you.
 
Pretty hard to get in if it's a respectable institution. Problem is that Universities filter out low GPA candidates before their application even reaches the appropriate school. There are always exceptions of course, but 2.5 is really bad.
 
It also depends on how many people are applying. This year looks like its going to be a big year for applications. I called a couple of schools and they are already about 200-300% of what they were last year. When the economy goes bad, people go back to school. I already got rejected from a school that I should of gotten into. I would of gotten in if I would of went anytime in the last three years. This year they went from 80-100 applications to over 300. :Q
 
Most grad schools want at least a 3.0. If you are a little short of that, they will take experience into account. A good 5 years in the work force can be just as good as a 3.0.
 
i hear the rule of thumb is atleast a 3.2~ to get into a GOOD reputable school

im sure with good GRE and recommendations he can still get into some lesser state schools
 
also, he could take some more classes to bump his GPA up a bit... go for a minor or a double major or something...

thats what im planing to do , atlesat, to salvage my gpa :x
 
If you've got a low GPA, I HIGHLY suggest taking a couple years out of school to gain some work experience and show the grad schools you're serious about becoming a professional. It's worked for me. Great way to get good letters of recommendation which are more important than any other part of your application.
 
There is always a back door. The school I want to go to will let you takes classes and if you do well enough they will let you into the program. One of the reasons they won't take people with low GPAs is that the school is rated by the total GPA of all the grad students in the program. The students not in the program are not counted. The higher the cummulative GPA for all the students, the better the school ranks. Therefor the school isn't going to risk their ranking on a person who didn' t do it in undergrad. If you can take a class or two and ace both of them, then they will let you in.
 
It's getting tougher cuz lots of kids are staying put since the jobs arnt there. So a) he should apply where he got his undergrad and nopefully made some budbies with some professors along the way b) don't ask us the best source is the professors he has now for such questions
 
If his 2.5 is in business, I wouldn't think he'd have a very good shot at a decent business program.

I think grades tend to be higher in business than in technical degrees. In engineering, it is difficult to get into a good school with a GPA < 3.0. I expect it would be much more difficult in business.

If he does really well on the GRE it may help, but I'm not sure if it can overcome a 2.5 GPA. He should start getting to know some of his professors. He's going to need some glowing recommendations.
 
Originally posted by: optoman
There is always a back door. The school I want to go to will let you takes classes and if you do well enough they will let you into the program. One of the reasons they won't take people with low GPAs is that the school is rated by the total GPA of all the grad students in the program. The students not in the program are not counted. The higher the cummulative GPA for all the students, the better the school ranks. Therefor the school isn't going to risk their ranking on a person who didn' t do it in undergrad. If you can take a class or two and ace both of them, then they will let you in.
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true (I'm talking about the rankings, not the back door). Science-based programs are ranked based more on funding and publications/patents than anything else.
 
Originally posted by: McPhreak
Originally posted by: optoman
There is always a back door. The school I want to go to will let you takes classes and if you do well enough they will let you into the program. One of the reasons they won't take people with low GPAs is that the school is rated by the total GPA of all the grad students in the program. The students not in the program are not counted. The higher the cummulative GPA for all the students, the better the school ranks. Therefor the school isn't going to risk their ranking on a person who didn' t do it in undergrad. If you can take a class or two and ace both of them, then they will let you in.
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true (I'm talking about the rankings, not the back door). Science-based programs are ranked based more on funding and publications/patents than anything else.
Click to expand...

You are right. The publications and patents are far more important then the GPAs but they are all counted in the end. The school just wants the best and typically a student with a 3.0 or less isn't the best.

 
Originally posted by: optoman
It also depends on how many people are applying. This year looks like its going to be a big year for applications. I called a couple of schools and they are already about 200-300% of what they were last year. When the economy goes bad, people go back to school. I already got rejected from a school that I should of gotten into. I would of gotten in if I would of went anytime in the last three years. This year they went from 80-100 applications to over 300. :Q
Click to expand...

Optoman... this is what happened here at Virginia Tech in my department (engineering mechanics). I think we're up by about 300%. Unfortunately, we don't want the department to grow, so we're accepting the same number. :-/

As far as the original posters comment: it depends. With less than a 3.0, its going to be tough. Has he made any OTHER contributions (publications, socieites, etc?)? Does he have any connections? Did he really rock the GRE/GMAT? Were there any extenuating circumstances that led to the 2.5? Those can influence it.... and of course, he should apply to several schools. Top notch schools are probably just going to chuck the application (I know we chuck anything less than a 3.0 without further inspection--we even tell the applicants that).... but he might be able to get into a decent school if he talks to professors and/or pleads his case.
 
I had 2.8 something with CS major but I figured with all my co-op interships and fulltime work experience I might be able to get in to a good school. After reading this thread I am starting to doubt that. But wouldn't all of the above count for something ?? I have been working almost for 2 years now and just started looking at GMAT.
 
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