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Grad school and the 3.00 GPA requirement

jeanpaul
edited June 2008 in General
Hey SFU crusaders,
I have a really really important question about grad school especially economics Masters. The thing is that i'm afraid i'll graduate with 2.85-2.9 gpa although i still have some way to go :sad: :angry:
Now, my question is whether the 3.0 gpa requirement is just bureaucratic babble and can be written of if you're really close as i am at 2.9 or do they actually take it all the way. Moreover, what else can i do to manouver around this hurdle?
Be a member of the SFU eco student ass, work for two three years etc. or am i doomed for eternity.:cry: ARE Other universites also like this?

Comments

  • Morro
    edited May 2008
    I don't know about SFU, but I know that UBC bases their grad gpa requirement off of third and fourth year courses only.
  • NewGradStudent3
    edited May 2008
    Jean,

    Having just completed the graduate school application process, I can tell you that graduating with a GPA below 3.0 will unfortunately hinder your prospects greatly. However, it has been said that for universities that aren't AS stringent on GPA admissions standardization, you can make a case for your low GPA in the statement of personal interest and/or outshine in other areas of your application, e.g., GRE scores, letters of recommendation, etc. That said, your possible admittance into graduate school isn't shattered with the exception for maybe ivy league universities...
  • collegestudent
    edited May 2008
    one thing you have to remember that sfu is on a 4.33 scale, not 4.0 so depending on the school you're looking at, you may have to convert your gpa to its equivalent on a 4.0 scale.
  • jeanpaul
    edited May 2008
    Thanks a lot everybody.
    And Newgradstudent , you just cheered me up for the next year to come coz i've not been able to get this thing out of my mind. Hey do you know about Western Canadian unis like UBC, SFU and UCAlgary etc as to what ther eal cutoff is . Because on their sites they demand at least a 3.0. Now 3.0 is also demanded by top-tier (top 20) in the US . Is this a hoax?
    Anyways, thankyou all for the replies
  • ILTennis24
    edited May 2008
    A great site to visit is http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/348756-graduate-school-admissions-101-a.html.

    Good luck.
  • jeanpaul
    edited May 2008
    Thanks Ilteniss
  • NewGradStudent3
    edited May 2008
    Jean,

    My apologies for the bluntness but you won't be considered by US Ivy Leagues with a GPA below 3.0. It would be a waste of your time and money to apply to any of them. However, second and third tier schools may be within reach for a Master's Program, and if you have you heart set on achieving an Ivy League education, do a stellar job on your Master's and apply to the top tiers for your Ph.D.

    As per western Canadian Universities, I was waitlisted at UBC and accepted at SFU with a GPA of 3.85 (and a number of other US schools), research/presentation experience, and one year's teaching experience as well in case you were looking for some sort of comparitive marker.
  • randomuser
    edited May 2008
    I dont think 3.0 is something that is really unreasonable to expect.
  • NewGradStudent3
    edited May 2008
    Randomuser has brought up a good point. The 3.0 standard exists because undergraduates need to demonstrate their ability to conduct work at an advanced level...If a student is struggling academically at an undergraduate level its generally expected graduate school isn't best for them.
  • jeanpaul
    edited May 2008
    Hey , thanks a lot lot lot for all the help.
    :smile: :smile:
  • jeanpaul
    edited June 2008
    anybody else got anything to add?
    Thanxxx:teeth: :teeth:
  • triMOON
    edited June 2008
    PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. GRADES DON"T MEAN SHIT. NOTHING BUT DISCRIMINATION FROM GRAD SCHOOLS.
  • NewGradStudent3
    edited June 2008
    um...ignore the troll...

    If you're planning on applying this fall, now is the time to start contacting professors to write letters of recommendation. This can be a lengthy process depending on the instructor.

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