I got a C. Can I get into Stanford?

[blaughli]

I'm a city college student who will someday be trying for a masters in ME or EE at Stanford, MIT, or Berkeley. I already have a bachelors which means I can't go for a second one at these schools (at least Stanford and recently UCB I'm sure of). My bachelor's was in music, and my gpa was 3.0. I just finished my 3rd semester in city college taking hard science/engineering prep courses, and I had a 4.0 up until now. I dropped the ball in an online Circuit Analysis class and I may have earned a C.

My thought is that because I want to master the material I should take this course again, regardless of whether or not my C is erased. This also seems like the best option at this point in the eyes of application readers. So, with the plan of getting into a school the finish my engineering bachelors, or just completing the required coursework at the local state school and then taking GRE and applying for the Masters, what are my chances? Can I turn this into a positive thing, something that woke me up to the realities of engineering study (the truth!), or am I out of the running because of this one C?

Thanks

 

[Thermalne]

Yes.

 

[bcrowell]

Hard to say. I would simply suggest that you also apply to a lot more schools than just Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley. Apply to 5 more schools that are in the same league as those, plus 3 backup schools. Is it the end of your life if you get your graduate degree from UCSB or Cal State Long Beach?

 

[blaughli]

No, I just want some input. I wanted to get straight A's because I wanted to really master all of the material, and I figured that good schools (and hopefully better education) and eventually good pay would follow. It was never about the name on the degree, I was just using them as a barometer for my personal achievements. I figured my plan (master material) could naturally lead me to the best places (and I know some schools suit people better). I just feel like I fell of my high horse and I want to know if I can still realistically aim that high. Still committed to subject mastery and A's from now on.

 

[brocks]

My application to Stanford was for a Ph.D program in CS, and this happened about 25 years ago, but FWIW:

In a five-year program where I got a BS in CS, a BA in Math, and a minor in EE, I had all A's, except for one A- that I got during a semester when they canceled the final due to Mt. St. Helens erupting and covering the campus with ash. I also had a perfect 2400 in the GRE general test, and a 96 percentile in the GRE subject test.

I didn't get into Stanford. I did get into Berkeley.

 

[Fizex]

There are many good engineering programs besides the ones at stanford. Especially for just a masters degree, the difference in quality among Stanford and other good schools is small. Besides, masters usually don't get funded and the Stanford area is a very expensive to live in.

 

[Nano-Passion]

My application to Stanford was for a Ph.D program in CS, and this happened about 25 years ago, but FWIW:

In a five-year program where I got a BS in CS, a BA in Math, and a minor in EE, I had all A's, except for one A- that I got during a semester when they canceled the final due to Mt. St. Helens erupting and covering the campus with ash. I also had a perfect 2400 in the GRE general test, and a 96 percentile in the GRE subject test.

I didn't get into Stanford. I did get into Berkeley.

That is insane... Did you do research too?

 

[brocks]

No, it's a long sad story from there. I tried writing a brief synopsis of my life from that point, but it got too long and mawkish even for me, so I deleted it. I'll just give the general rule of thumb that you should not get married shortly before starting grad school, especially to a crazy person.

 

[gb7nash]

Nobody can say for sure, but you have to use common sense here. The acceptance rate for Stanford is very low. I don't think one C will really hurt you, but you want to make yourself marketable. Why should Stanford accept you? have you done research? Have you been active in extracurricular activities and/or leadership positions? What can you contribute to the school? You're going to be competing against a lot of smart kids and you need to make yourself stand out.

 

[blaughli]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses everyone. As for extracurriculars, research, internships, I'm not so hot. Got on the internship thing late so am still trying to find something this summer (good luck I know). I did revive the physics club at my city college and I'm president of that, and we've done some cool stuff including a field trip to Stanford's particle accelerator.

I will be a physics mentor next semester, and maybe a math tutor. If the stars align I'll also wrangle a cool internship now or in the fall, but it might be hard to balance that with a full class load. Really I just want to get good grades and do some sweet projects, have good internship, and I think my story is good so hopefully it will all make a good package. It's also probably good to answer the question "why do I want to go to Stanford" or "What can Stanford offer me?"