The Importance of a GPA for grad school

[inkleind]

I need all of your thoughts on this. I want to test out of the BSBA at TESC within the year, I am taking 14 credits at my local CC in the Spring Semester and they're all pretty easy (eng1010, public speaking, film&culture, intro to intl politics) so I except a high gpa from those but what about the rest from TESC?

I want to be eligible for the University of Utah's MPA program, at a minimum, big dreaming would be an Ivy League MPA or a J.D./MPA but for a 30-something who never thought he would get a bachelors, let alone a Masters, I'm not dreaming too big yet. I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot with the GPA thing if TESC won't let me be eligible for the higher ranked programs.

Thoughts, advice, I'm totally torn on what to do.

[sanantone]

Most graduate schools calculate your GPA from all undergraduate courses taken. They don't just consider the GPA from the school that awarded your bachelor's degree. However, at a highly-competitive school, they may not look too fondly at all of your graded credits coming from a community college. They want to see how you did in your upper division courses. Also, some schools might require 30-60 graded credits.

[inkleind]

Thanks. I don't know what I could really do about it apart from take a class at TESC or go through COSC instead. At the end of the day, how much will it matter how highly rates the program is? If I can do Hodges University for a fraction of the cost, that's probably good enough right?

[cookderosa]

the best MBA is the one you finish.

I'm not going to suggest brand doesn't matter, but there is an arc or graph or whatever that you have to consider the intersection of your costs, age, and time-served. You're not a 19 year old kid just starting out, so you've already got some meat on your resume. People don't expect mid-career adults to go back in time and be traditional. The fact is that you're an adult, but you also have EXPERIENCE. Something the 19 year old can't say. So, in my opinion, you should look for an MBA that is specifically targeted toward people like you- sometimes these are called "executive MBAs" or similar. The ideas is that they WANT candidates with work experience.

I was in a similar situation. I actually had a grad school picked out BEFORE I earned my first AA credit. As it turned out, I was accepted into the program and my incoming cohort (group) was actually sent letters 2 months before we started that the program was being discontinued! In retrospect, that degree wouldn't have helped me as much as the path I ended up going on, but my point is that a lot can happen in the 14 months while you're working on your BA. I would suggest planning long term, but try to focus on one thing at a time. You've made it THIS FAR without any degrees, so it's all up from here!

EDIT: there is a free MBA that just started at Arizona State University. Butt in seat only. https://wpcarey.asu.edu/mba-programs
Also, (and the MOST exciting) is Harvard University's Extension campus has a new super-awesome accelerated bachelor's & masters in management combo degree for $45,000 and almost all online. I've already sent this link to 2 friends. It's an AMAZING deal. Fall and Spring online, summers on campus. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/1...ed-degree/

[Tedium]

cookderosa is right on the money. Take it one step at a time. A lot of things can happen between now and when you actually graduate. I know they have for me. I was sure that I would go on to get an MFA in creative writing or an MA in English, but those plans have changed pretty radically over the years and I am now looking at MPA programs.

As far as the GPA is concerned, talk to the schools individually. Some may be willing to work with you, some may not. There are members of this board who got the okay from some grad schools, but some suggested getting 30-60 graded credits before applying. Some require those credits to have been a part of the bachelors, some are willing to take any jumble of credits you can cobble together. Some want upper-level, some don't care. Unfortunately, there is not a universal answer for that problem. I've found most of the schools I've approached with any issues to be very willing to communicate with me. Make a list of schools you like and start e-mailing. But be aware that things can change with catalogs with a new year. That may or may not work in your favor.

[soliloquy]

Missouri State University has an MBA entirely online and affordable.

[selash]

I would focus on getting good grades at your main university. From what I understand, the grad schools will mostly be looking at your cumulative GPA from your bachelor's degree, and transferred community college grades do not transfer in--they simply show on your grades as a "T". I hold a 4.0 from my bachelor's, maybe a 3.85 at the community college, which I am not as worried about.

[SweetSecret]

I really wish I understood better how all of the grades get calculated into GPA for graduate applications too. I have a few classes, that I just totally failed at. One was my first math course out of high school, which was a hybrid and I just totally hated math and lost interest in going to... because I hate math. The second was a 7am course (upper level I believe), that the teacher kept talking like a drone, and with working three jobs I just couldn't seem to stay awake. My computer hard drive crashed the last week of class, and I lost weeks of work and wasn't able to turn in my final project, so I ended up with an "F". I probably could have asked for an extension but I have a feeling he wouldn't have granted me one. I'm not really sure how these are going to get calculated into my graduate degree application, along with a few classes I withdrew from simply from exhaustion of working three jobs before I started just traveling on the road for work. College is so much easier when you can do it on your own time frame, and these TECEPS and other ways of earning credit are a huge blessing! If anyone knows how F and Withdraws calculate, please let us know... these would have all been before transferring to TESU. The math course was 15 years ago and the withdraw was about 9 years ago. Right now I don't even have a GPA with TESU because I've just completed TECEPs, so my first grade will come from when my Capstone ends this term, which will likely be a B+/A-.

[dfrecore]

I am thinking about grad school after graduation, and my feeling is, if they don't want what I have to offer, then I don't really want a degree from that school.

That being said, I do hope that they will look at my GPA over time, and with some thought. Because I have a 1.98 from 88/89, a 3.36 from 92-98, a 3.5 from 98-2000 and a 4.0 in 2015. Overall, 3.0, with a 3.3 as my last 60 credits, and 3.7 as my last 30. I think that shows my maturity more than anything, which I would hope would count for something.

Some grad schools look at the last 30 or 60 graded credits, some look at overall GPA, some look at your major, some other things. But they should really be looking at each person as an individual. If they don't, then I'm just not interested. There are too many programs out there to get your heart set on something, and get discouraged if you can't get it. Move on to something else, there are just too many great possibilities available.

[Waldorfteacher]

I am just wrapping up my final internship for a MSOT program that I have been enrolled at the last 2 years. This program accepts about 15% of applicants and has a very stringent admissions rubric which includes very specific GPA & GRE requirements. Bachelors degree GPA was one aspect of the rubric while GPA in 5 specific prerequisites made up another. The point is you should read the requirements on the admissions page of the specific program , not just the school, of the program you are trying to get in to. Depending on what school within a particular university you are interested in applying to, the requirements can vary quite a bit. For example, a JD or engineering masters at UC Berkeley is far more competitive and stringent in its admission requirements than the school of education at Cal.

At CSUDH where I am now enrolled, there are graduate programs that are neither competitive nor stringent. A TESC degree sans GPA would have been just fine for these programs. In my particular situation, i earned a BA at TESC which I discovered after the fact would not be considered as meeting the GPA requirement of my MSOT program because TESC does not calculate one on its transcript aside from the courses you take at TESC. So, I earned 30 more credits and got a BS from Excelsior, which did calculate a Cumulative GPA from all previous graded coursework (including UExcels). The program transcibed my GPA just as Excelsior had calculated and did not calculate a separate GPA from all my previous undergrad coursework that was not included on the Excelsior transcript. The only additional GPA calculation they did was for the aforementioned program prerequisites.

From OT program to OT program, admission requirements vary a good deal. Some calculate the last 60 undergrad credits only, some use a service called OCTAS that uses a hard to understand calculation method that results in wildly different GPAs for many individuals.

In a nutshell, research the specific program(s) you are interested in attending and find that program's admissions rubric. Most state schools publish that for their most competitive programs. Once you identify the specific program(s) admission requirements, go on a site like grad cafe and ask around about your program. Chances are, someone will be able to answer program specific questions. Next, email or call the admissions staff at those programs and find out what percentage of applicants get in and how you can improve your application. For OT schools, the Student Doctor Network is a goldmine. It is a clearinghouse of information for applicants to programs in the medical and allied health fields. Finally, make sure you have met all program prerequisites prior to applying. I sat in the admssions office one day chatting to the admissiions staff and I could not believe the questions applicants were asking about prerequisites. When i had a question about a prerequisite, I emailed the program director for guidance.

http://mpa.utah.edu/prospective-students/admissions.php

Looks like the Utah MPA program you are interested in accepts 50-70% of applicants


Best of luck on your journey.