Ok, so I currently have a 3.6, which I will hopefully be able to maintain through this semester. Well, coming up, I'll be applying to grad school, either in History or in Library Science. Here's what I'm so unsure of: with my GPA, where can I get in? Would it be worthwhile to try for some place like Duke, UNC, or maybe even Georgetown, or should I stick to something a little less competitive, like UNCW or UNCG? This might be a silly question, but I'm trying to figure out which places to really look hard at right now. i figure with a place like UNCW, id be more likely to get an assistantship. Anyway, thoughts? comments? insults?

1/17/2006 11:17:51 PM

with a 3.6 GPA you'd think you weren't a dumb ass.

1/17/2006 11:20:34 PM

seems like a lot of money to spend on a career with little monetary benefit

1/17/2006 11:22:56 PM

take that shit to chit chat

[Edited on January 17, 2006 at 11:28 PM. Reason : .]

1/17/2006 11:28:14 PM

Neither of those majors (ESPECIALLY a Masters in it...) are worth a thing. Library Science? I'm not judging you, but even with a Masters in that you'll be paying off your loans with that tiny salary 'til your 65.

But if you want those Majors, a 3.6 should get you in anywhere considering the absolutely abismal demand.

1/17/2006 11:32:33 PM

i did fine with a 3.321 when applying, but im an engineer so thats bound to affect the scale. im sure they have cutoffs and averages listed somewhere on the web that you can look at. from what i saw most just have a minimum, id worry more about test scores and recommendations.

1/17/2006 11:32:57 PM

i speak the truth

1/17/2006 11:33:33 PM

"abismal"

1/17/2006 11:34:36 PM

1) the man knows what he wants to do. i'm pretty damn sure he knows the financial implications of pursuing his current path. some folks don't give a damn what they end up earning, as long as it's enough to live on. don't knock his choices b/c his priorities aren't what you thought they were/ought to be.
2) my mother has a couple of friends who have masters in library science, and they have absurdly high paying jobs i know they're the minority, but as i've gathered, there are two main types of LS jobs...and the pay is either terrific, or not much more than welfare.


an aside: my aunt has a masters in history. she's teaching in kenya til the end of 07. so she's making a pittance, compared to here...there, it's not great, but it's not bad. even so, she's doing a hell of a lot of traveling. consider it a private version of the peace corps.

[Edited on January 17, 2006 at 11:38 PM. Reason : ...]

1/17/2006 11:36:46 PM

christ, some of you need to get with the times. LS is a constantly growing field, with a shortage of qualified individuals to fill the positions avaliable. it is also quite a well-paying position as well.

If you go to a school which is ALA certified, you can start out making quite a bit. UNC has a program, as does UNCG.

OMG iTS NOT ENGINEERING OR BUSINESS YOURE A GODDAM MORON

[Edited on January 17, 2006 at 11:47 PM. Reason : .]

1/17/2006 11:46:40 PM

I'm not sure if library science is like the hard sciences, but I would recommend applying to a lot of random places you'd like to visit b/c they will fly you out there for interviews and feed you, etc. It's actually pretty fun.

GRE scores and letters of recommendation are more important for most grad schools. GPA is generally just used as a minimum cut off (usually 3.0-3.2) and they actually pick who to accept based on other factors. Also, write a kick ass personal statement.

1/17/2006 11:49:44 PM

i have a friend applying to a LS program at FSU who said that they're practically begging for you to attend, so im not worried about not finding money

1/17/2006 11:51:05 PM

Go to gradschool at UNCW.

Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach is the shit. You won't regret it.

1/17/2006 11:56:48 PM

^^for unc and some other places i've heard that gre scores are used as minimal cuts offs too, unless some ones unusually high, and that sample writings, personal statements and things like that are what the decisions are really based off of. this might only apply to philosophy & classics(as in greek and latin) but maybe it applies more broadly to humanities.

1/18/2006 12:00:33 AM

I'd go where you can get $$$ support. Maybe it's different in LS but in math or any of the hard sciences if they don't pay your way through some TA-ship then they probably don't really want you there.

1/18/2006 12:34:44 AM

depends on whatcha wanted to do, i was thinking about landscape architecture at state and talked to the head of the dept and she said since id majored in engineering, they pretty much didnt care what my GPA was

1/18/2006 1:37:56 AM

Quote :

"OMG iTS NOT ENGINEERING OR BUSINESS YOURE A GODDAM MORON "

(according to the "getting an MBA is worthless" threads)

1/18/2006 1:37:58 AM

What the heck is Library Science? My first thought of what it was is obviously not right, if it pays "absurdly high".

1/18/2006 4:00:43 AM

Library and information science is what people who want to be librarians study and get a master's degree in. I don't thing the job market is as empty as people perceive-- it's gotten supersaturated with indy kids who think being a librarian is "cool" and many of the old librarians who are going to create the void haven't retired yet. Librarians can make insane cash by being in charge of a media center in a high school as long as they don't work in the south.

If you're interested in a completely online program I've heard nothing but great things about U-Miss @ Hattiesburg.

[Edited on January 18, 2006 at 7:31 AM. Reason : PS: Batgirl was a librarian. A librarian can catalog YOU.]

1/18/2006 7:24:46 AM

You won't like UNCW.

1/18/2006 7:31:46 AM

^ he speaks for 100% of the population, so take his word for it.

1/18/2006 7:34:52 AM

^Huh? And who is "he"

1/18/2006 9:33:06 AM

3.6 is definitely enough for UNC Chapel Hill and they are one of the top ranked LS schools.

I have a 3.2 so that's why I was freaking about my GPA for LS.

1/18/2006 12:18:53 PM

I had a 2.9 as undergrad, but I got into UNCG Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program (provisionally, mind you. I have to keep a 3.0)

1/18/2006 12:20:49 PM

If you want to raise your GPA for grad school is it better to retake classes you did poorly in, or is it better to take classes in a new subject and/pr more advanced level?

1/18/2006 12:26:49 PM

If admissions is looking at your transcript and sees you took a class twice it looks a little suspect. You may have just held on to old tests and memorized your way to a good grade. I think it looks better if you take a pertinent class (if you were going for an MLIS maybe databases or information systems), work hard in it, and have a grade that reflects your hard work. It'll show that you've gotten past being a solid C student and that you can commit to a graduate program. If you've already got 120+ hours of undergraduate grade points you can't really improve your GPA by more than tenths of a point.

1/18/2006 5:47:21 PM

i've got a 2.9 applying to physical therapy school, and the minimum is 3.0, so i'm hoping that the rest of my resume is good enough to overlook that

1/18/2006 5:57:20 PM

I know nothing of those majors or their requirements to get into grad school, but my general suggestion would be to go to each individual school's website and check what the average GPA/Exam Score for new graduate students entering that department. Also check to see what % of aid is provided for entering graduate students and % what receive that aid, etc. If you are looking for Fall 2006, you have a LOT of work to do in a short period of time ... most applications w/aid are due no later than March.

Quote :

"Neither of those majors (ESPECIALLY a Masters in it...) are worth a thing."

SouthPaw, sometimes you provide useful advice, other times you need to keep your ignorant mouth shut.

[Edited on January 18, 2006 at 6:06 PM. Reason : .]

1/18/2006 6:06:00 PM

My sister-in-law was working on a master's in library science with a completely online program at (I think) John's Hopkins. She didn't have any funding though.

1/18/2006 6:34:26 PM

my ticket is paid and punched for grad school (5 years guaranteed support for Ph.D. students) at Auburn

It's a lot more than GPA that has earned that for me, but having a 3.5 doesn't hurt

1/18/2006 6:45:49 PM

you will be fine anywhere with that GPA in those studies.

1/18/2006 6:47:15 PM

You should focus on (1) awesome recommendations and (2) GRE. Basically (in the Humanities at least) there's little difference between a 3.5 and a 4.0. Other thing matter more.

1/18/2006 9:10:38 PM

Quote :

"You won't like UNCW."

and this assumption makes sense because you know me so well. wait, i have to go jump in a dumpster, brb...

what i really want to do is go into history at, say, georgetown, but that may be a pipe dream considering that i wont stack up against people with the same GPA coming from the Ivy League or UNC. i mean, i think im a pretty good writer, but who knows? I might visit American and G-Town in a few weeks and talk to them about assistantships (while just enjoying DC for the weekend ). im working on recommendations...i mean, i work hard and im always interested in my major classes...so thats a plus.


[Edited on January 18, 2006 at 11:13 PM. Reason : .]

1/18/2006 11:08:16 PM

Come to ECU and do Multicultural Lit with me!

1/19/2006 12:32:46 AM

all the exciting job opportunities in multicultural lit

1/19/2006 12:41:55 AM

Quote :

"you will be fine anywhere with that GPA in those studies."

1/19/2006 3:10:29 AM

^^^oh baby i wish

in all seriousness, ill apply to ecu, im sure

1/19/2006 11:01:31 AM

whos a good person to get recommendations from?
can they turn you down?

1/19/2006 12:09:38 PM

Your advisor and any professor you've worked with or for are the best. Definitely give them all a copy of your statement of purpose and CV. I had two letters I knew would be good and one I thought would be mediocre but the professor said he'd pretend he knew me better based on my statement of purpose. Apparently it worked b/c I got into the schools I wanted to.

1/19/2006 3:50:42 PM

Quote :

"Well, coming up, I'll be applying to grad school, either in History or in Library Science."

Library science? haha, what the fuck? I really hope you are joking.

1/19/2006 8:03:50 PM

its a fucking masters program

you cant even stay in undergrad

leave the dude alone and let him study what he wants to

1/19/2006 8:13:36 PM

3.2 and a 1270 GRE got me into Tennessee

also.. i had 3 really good recommendations, which count for more than anything else

1/19/2006 8:15:48 PM

just apply to like 5 schools

2 reaches, 2 solid programs that are reasonably within reach, and a safety

1/19/2006 8:19:03 PM

Quote :

"You won't like UNCW"

you will like UNCW. I like it.

1/20/2006 3:04:14 PM

Quote :

"Neither of those majors (ESPECIALLY a Masters in it...) are worth a thing. Library Science? I'm not judging you, but even with a Masters in that you'll be paying off your loans with that tiny salary 'til your 65. But if you want those Majors, a 3.6 should get you in anywhere considering the absolutely abismal demand."

i read just the other day that library science is the major in highest demand right now. and no, it's not to be a librarian for the most part. it's more organizing information for large companies, if i understood what the article was saying about it.

[Edited on January 20, 2006 at 3:32 PM. Reason : sci]

1/20/2006 3:32:44 PM

3.335 and 1080 GRE got me in here

but I did have good experience and references as well

1/20/2006 3:41:40 PM

what counts as a really good reference. is it the person who wrote it or what do they have to say to make it good.

"he's the best student ive ever had" ....

1/20/2006 5:23:09 PM

GPA is one of several variables. You should visit the schools you like and talk face-to-face with someone and discuss your interests. I did. And it paid off.

The main thing that will get you into grad school is funding. At least in science. Unless you are flipping the bill, the main thing is finding an advisor who is willing to support and mentor you in a research project. Sometimes you can have all the qualities, but still not get accepted into a program due to lack of funding.

I started the PhD program in Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami in the Fall of 2004. My GPA was pretty good at NCSU, I double-majored in four years, had four years of field/work experience- but my GRE scores were fair. I think the GPA over four years spoke louder than the scores on a three hour test.

However, you want to take the GREs seriously. I didn't study as much as I should have. I didn't apply early. Those two things I learned later could have had negative ramifications had I not made a good personal statement and had good grades.

Good luck.

[Edited on January 21, 2006 at 6:10 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2006 6:09:13 PM

If you poke around the web you can usually find the grid of gpa ranges/standardized test scores with how many applied/how many were accepted for most programs.

1/22/2006 5:41:54 AM