- #1
potts14
- 1
- 0
I am in need of some guidance concerning graduate school. I am a student in mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State University. Long story short, I made some awful grades my junior year because I thought art was my calling—turned out to be a big mistake. I passed 6 out of 24 attempted hours of class, and my GPA plummeted. I somehow managed to maintain a full ride scholarship, however.
Prior to this horrible year, I had about a 3.5 GPA and now I’m down to just over a 3.1, including all the F’s (3.32 overall GPA by the university’s criteria which excludes four retakes). In the past three semesters and two summers since this year I have maintained a 4.0 (57 hours of coursework, almost exclusively upper level ME and math), completed a math minor, and halfway completed a physics minor. I have a part-time undergraduate research position lined up for the summer and my final semester, as well as a summer internship. I take the GRE General in March and have two more semesters to graduate.
My question is: what are my prospects for graduate school in mechanical or materials engineering, given this year of bad grades? How bad is this going to hurt me? Clearly I have no chance at getting into a top-tier program. Are schools like the University of Illinois at Chicago or Oregon State out of reach for me? What level of schools should I be considering for graduate study?
My primary goal is to go to graduate school outside Oklahoma. I just want some input on my prospects if I continue on the path I’m on now.
Prior to this horrible year, I had about a 3.5 GPA and now I’m down to just over a 3.1, including all the F’s (3.32 overall GPA by the university’s criteria which excludes four retakes). In the past three semesters and two summers since this year I have maintained a 4.0 (57 hours of coursework, almost exclusively upper level ME and math), completed a math minor, and halfway completed a physics minor. I have a part-time undergraduate research position lined up for the summer and my final semester, as well as a summer internship. I take the GRE General in March and have two more semesters to graduate.
My question is: what are my prospects for graduate school in mechanical or materials engineering, given this year of bad grades? How bad is this going to hurt me? Clearly I have no chance at getting into a top-tier program. Are schools like the University of Illinois at Chicago or Oregon State out of reach for me? What level of schools should I be considering for graduate study?
My primary goal is to go to graduate school outside Oklahoma. I just want some input on my prospects if I continue on the path I’m on now.