how hard is it to get into grad school?

[Maverick]

The company I work for is going through mergers/acquistions and some layoffs are expected. I've only been there a year so I don't know how expendable I am. The job market blows right now so I don't anticipate finding a job. Only option left is grad school in that case. I did pretty bad in my undergrad (2.6 gpa) and I was wondering what my chances are of getting into a decent grad program for Comp Sci or Comp Eng.

Just wondering who has lost jobs and gone back to school and what their experiences have been like.

 

[StageLeft]

Not great based on what I've heard with grades like those but perhaps as a mature student you'll be able to get in...

 

[bleeb]

IMHO, your grades/GPA SUCK. I's say forget about graduate school and become an insurance salesman. There is no hope.

I'm just playing... You could either take some undergraduate courses and improve. Or you could take the advice of the living legend Forrest Gump and surrender yourself to the philosophy that "Life is like a box of chocolates, you nevers know what you gonna get."

 

[white]

you can get it, it's just a matter of where. it also depends on how good your undergraduate school is and whether you can get good letter of recommendation. from my personal experience, i would say that excellent gre scores don't really matter that much. most schools say 3.0 minimum is needed, but that isn't set in concrete.

 

[Maverick]

cool so where could I apply to? All the schools nearby are probably out of my league. Anyone got any recommendations?

 

[white]

i'm not familiar with good cs/ce schools are. it'll probably have to be a school that is not as well known as your undergraduate school. if you know any of your undergraduate faculty, you could shoot them an email or stop by their office and ask them for their guidance. tell them your gpa and tell them you know that your choices are limited and ask them what schools you might be able to get into.

 

[CrazyPerson]

not sure about Comp Sci or Comp Eng
if there is a GRE you need to take.. you better make sure you do well...
as far as well... you need to look into it

 

[Anghang]

Originally posted by: white
you can get it, it's just a matter of where. it also depends on how good your undergraduate school is and whether you can get good letter of recommendation. from my personal experience, i would say that excellent gre scores don't really matter that much. most schools say 3.0 minimum is needed, but that isn't set in concrete.

my chances are blown...i didn't keep in touch with any professors, no letter of recs for me...haha...

 

[CrazyPerson]

my chances are blown...i didn't keep in touch with any professors, no letter of recs for me...haha...

you can get it from work

 

[illusion88]

IMPOSSIBLE!

 

[CanOWorms]

You can get in, just try My GPA was also poor, but I had an upward swing in my GPA in my last 3 semesters (did quite bad in the previous 3 semesters).

 

[kami333]

You can always find a grad school that'll take you, it's just a matter of whether you are picky about where you go or want to get paid.

 

[gururu]

I went back to grad school after 3 years of work.
GPA: 2.9
GRE: verbal: >90%
GRE: analytical: >70%
GRE: quantitative: >90%
great recommendations: 2 professors (they didn't know me but I aced their classes), 2 bosses who loved me

factors for you:
grad schools love people who have worked in the real world because they assume you have your priorities straight. You are going to have to ace your gre, and if that is the case, your gpa won't keep you out of grad school. it may keep you out of yale or harvard of course...

 

[white]

it looks like you're still looking for a list of possible schools. even though you don't know your faculty, try the chair of your department. or if you're tight with some knowledgable people at work, ask them.

 

[sciencewhiz]

With a GPA like that, you won't get in based on your grades. If you had more experience, you could get in on experience.

You probably can't get into a good grad school, if you really want to go to grad school, you will have to lower your expectations

 

[CanOWorms]

I still have access to the US News graduate school rankings & info, so if you need any info on anything, let me know.

 

[Spamela]

i got into & graduated from computer science grad school (university of california).
for UC you have to have really high GPA & GRE scores & good letters of recommendation.

 

[Shantanu]

It would be an absolute waste of your time to get a graduate degree in computer science.

If you're in the workforce and are thinking about getting another degree, go for an MBA. MBA programs don't care as much about your undergrad GPA and are more interested in your work experience.

 

[Spamela]

Originally posted by: Shantanu
It would be an absolute waste of your time to get a graduate degree in computer science.

If you're in the workforce and are thinking about getting another degree, go for an MBA. MBA programs don't care as much about your undergrad GPA and are more interested in your work experience.

it wouldn't be a waste where i work (or a lot of other scientific/r & d/engineering organizations).

 

[rgwalt]

Impossible... they cut off the flow after I got in because I suck.



R

 

[RabidMongoose]

It's not hard at all to get into some graduate schools. Just do OK on the GRE and apply.

 

[Chess]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose
It's not hard at all to get into some graduate schools. Just do OK on the GRE and apply.

I agree..study for the gre's and you will get into graduate school.. If you went somewhere that is known for a undergraduate program then you shouldnt have an issue.. I am taking the gre's and i had a 2.8 undergraduate gpa, and it sucks but my last 2 semesters were a 3.4.. so usually they will look at that.. .my fresh n soph years sucked because all i did was get trashed 24/7 ... Look at schools around you, and see what you can do.. apply and see what happens